Google is releasing an Android-based developer SDK aimed at the wearable segment by the end of this month.
After smartphones, wearables are clearly the biggest point of interest for major tech companies. The new segment is gaining tremendous significance with more companies joining the bandwagon. Google, world's largest internet company and the most dominating mobile OS maker, is not going down without a fight in the rapidly-growing wearable segment. Speaking at the SXSW (South by Southwest) conference Sunday, Google's SVP of Android and Chrome, Sundar Pichai said that Google will be releasing a new developer SDK (software development kit) based on its popular Android platform to help companies create a wide range of wearable devices.
This will not only boost the emerging wearable segment, but help Google be a leader in yet another category. According to The Verge, Pichai said the new Android-based SDK will be ready in two weeks but he was sketchy about the details. Pichai said the SDK will serve as a platform for the sensors in the wearables to carry messages to the Android to function. With this, Google is looking at the bigger picture.
"When we say wearables we think about it much more broadly," Pichai said, according to Re/Code. "It's for partners and developers to figure out. It could be a jacket ... with sensors - I don't know."
The wearable segment is still in its infancy, but is witnessing technological innovations by the day. This new category goes beyond smartwatches, health tracking bands and eyewear. Google is reportedly developing a new smart contact lens that will help wearers keep a tab on sugar levels. A shirt that helps track heart rates for athletes, clothes and accessories for babies to alert parents about their needs and more are on the anvil. Google's role in these devices can be huge by giving a platform that companies and developers can use to create all kinds of wearable gadgets.
Pichai did not give any hints if Google will also be developing its own line of products based on the new SDK anytime soon, like its most recently rumored smartwatch. One thing for sure is that consumers will be treated with a variety of Android-based wearables in the near future.
