Opening Up a New Dimension: Android App Development for Wearables - Hyperlink InfoSystem
There was a time when technology was something that incited a lot of awe mixed with uncertainty. People who had any knowledge about it were considered either really intelligent or looked down with a frown by others. Mind you, all this is way before the time when computers became a mainstay in virtually all sections of society and our lives.
Many of us are familiar with the evolution of how computers started off as huge analog beasts that filled up entire rooms to something as compact as a smartphone. Some people mention how we're living in a world that's been saturated with technology and that there's actually a limit to how much it can offer, especially with smartphones.
With smartphones becoming smarter and smarter by the day, the notion that they'd become the end point of how human's could interact with technology at a really personal level, which was also extremely portable. But that notion was certainly not true, because then came Wearable technology.
And soon enough, it became all the rage. Wearable tech is something that is being offered to the users as being a medium to stay close to what matters the most in a more intimate way than offered by the more traditional smartphone. The advantage as compared to the smartphone is the fact that the Wearable is designed to be "minimal" with the type of information that it is aiming for the wearer.
The user filters out what he wants or doesn't want to be notified about, he chooses how the information is going to be presented to him and how frequently. The Wearable device is something that is going to be accessible to the user for the majority if not all through her/his day. For example, their wrist watch or glasses.
If you're a Android app development India professional that's thinking to themself "will it as big as the smartphone", well, that remains to be seen. Although, there has been a considerable amount of interest among people at the moment, but the Wearable tech area is something that is at it's infancy.
Again, the nature of the tech makes it idea for applications that are health oriented. Sure, it is treated as an extension of your smartphone or other networked device, but at the core of it all, the current focus is on how well it can serve its purpose as a health monitoring tool that can not only help you analyze the different pieces of information provided as a whole, but also help communicate it through to the various devices that are spread across the connected network. Some of these features are already at play, with people using geolocation to help with their fitness routine like their footsteps, heart rate and the like.
The great part about development is that Android application development India developers wouldn't even have to make a lot of changes to their existing applications to make them compatible with Google's Android Wear, the integration is quite easy as mentioned by official sources from Google itself.
And the necessary tools and APIs are being readied by Google to be released to the developers so that they can start work on creating solutions for it. But Google as usual has set some basic outlines that should be followed for a better user experience.
Some of the pointers that it mentions for Android app development India professionals are stated below:
- Android Wear should never be treated as the same as a smartphone. By the way of delivering content over to the device. Make sure that only the relevant information is shown. - Keep notification sounds/vibrations/light on a minimum. If used improperly it could be a source of great annoyance for the wearer. - Keep the interface clean and uncluttered. You don't the user to be confused and have to deal with a lot of swiping and clicking in order to get to the info they want. - Use innovative and efficient ways to integrate voice to make things really easy. Voice commands are a real plus and focus for wearbles.
As with many situations, a hands on experience is the best way to gauge how well your product or service is going to gather a positive response from the intended user. As in the case of wearable technology; mainly because of the high price of the devices, it's not easy for most people to get their hands on one for testing purposes or even to get a basic feel of it, before they can start developing for it. For example, Google Glass, in the short amount of time that it was made available for use for the general public retailed at $1500, which is a hefty price.
Even the wearbles designed for your wrist easily cross the $100 mark and like I said, the overall design aspect, especially the hardware is something that is at its initial stages and investing in them just yet wouldn't be the best idea.
Instead you should look to become more objective with your app ideas, and think even more so from the users' perspective. Think about the different ways the user can benefit by wearable technology. After all there are so many more ways that it can be implemented rather than wrist watches or glasses.
So, the correct method to approach the development would be to think of the various aspects the wearable could connect and communicate over different devices, putting to good use the Internet of Things concept as well. The opportunities are endless and can make using technology and integrating it with our daily lives even more seamless.