Google is developing a smartwatch that runs on Android and is integrated with Google Now, the Wall Street Journal reports. The device is in late-stage development and Google is talking with component manufacturers in Asia to mass produce the device, according to The Journal.
See also: The Hard(ware) Realities Keeping Us From The Ideal Smartwatch
WSJ notes that Google is hoping to solve two main problems cited by smartwatch critics: usefulness and battery life. A Google smartwatch would be heavily integrated with Google Now, the company’s next-generation search product that notes a user’s location, interests, history and social connections to deliver information to users before they search for it. For instance, if a user likes baseball and lives in Boston, Google Now delivers the Red Sox score straight to their device while the game is in progress.
Google has been rumored to be building a smartwatch and filed patents for a potential device earlier this year that highlighted an augmented reality screen that runs a mobile operating system like Android.
Google joins other smartwatch makers like Pebble and Samsung in the race to equip wrists with smart technology, although the devices have yet to catch on with mainstream consumers.
See also: The Time Has Come For Smartwatches
