Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch available today

Google announced today at their I/O conference that the LG G Watch and all-new Samsung Gear Live, both running Android Wear, will be available to order today. The previously announced LG G Watch will also be available for $299, and the Moto 360 will be available later this summer.

Samsung watches make their return to Android, as they were using prior to their recent switch to their own OS, Tizen. The $199 device, like all Android Wear watches, responds to voice commands, previews notifications, texts and calls, like allowing for you to send a quick message when you cannot answer the phone, all built around Google’s OS designed for wearable technology, Android Wear. The watches were shown dropping reminders, taking notes, viewing recipes easily, which also led us to find out that all the watches will be water resistant. Google talked about how the average user has to look at their phone 125 times a day, and the rectangular G Watch and Gear Live, as well as the circular Motorola 360, can cut down this number by providing helpful info that is sent to your phone, all on your wrist.

The watches are made with ease of access in mind, so it responds to the usual “OK Google” and other voice commands, as well as being able to control the music playing from your phone. Google knows that your phone is the important thing, and the watches are there to compliment the many features your phone has. At one point the watches were shown being used as a sort of wearable ID; if you are wearing the watch, you don’t need to enter a code to unlock your Android phone, because it knows it is you. Certain models would include heart monitors and pedometers, with health info being readily available on the screen.

The smartwatch industry is still in its infancy stage, and the market seems to be the next big frontier for tech companies. Samsung and Google are throwing themselves into the fray with the Gear Live and Android Wear, and we can’t wait to see where this goes.