News & Reviews:   LG G Watch

According to anti-Virus company Bit defender, the data transferred between an Android wearable and a smartphone is not secure. Wearables like smartwatches use a Bluetooth connection to send and receive information from the paired smartphones. While this connection is secure to some extent, it can easily be intercepted by hackers who would like to take a peek at the user's conversations. Bluetooth is usually considered secure because it can be accessed only from a short distance, about 10 meters or less. This restricts hackers from attacking a live connection from a long distance. Bluetooth also has its own six digit encryption system to keep hackers at bay. However, Bit defender reports that this six digit passcode is easily crackable by a computer program since there are only 1 million possible combinations. Once this encryption is cracked, hackers can get hold of all the information communicated from the smartwatch to the paired smartphone. Bit defender has also demonstrated a proof of concept video which is shown below. In the video, the company successfully brute-forced the six digit encryption between the Android based LG G Watch and the Nexus 4 smartphone running the developer preview version of Android L.

Next year may be even more eventful for the wearable industry. According to Business Korea, LG is all set to announce the successor to its G Watch R at the MWC event to be held in March 2015 in Barcelona. LG will probably stick to its traditional naming scheme, so the next version could be called the LG G Watch R2. If the rumored launch date turns out to be true, then the upcoming G Watch will have to compete directly with the Apple Watch expected to be released around the same time. Unfortunately, the source didn't mention much about the tech specs or features of the device apart from one thing -– 4G LTE connectivity. Yes, the G Watch R2 may feature a 4G LTE radio, which means it could be a standalone smartwatch, much like the recently unveiled Samsung Gear S smartwatch. The G Watch R2 will be the third smartwatch from the South Korean giant till now. Given that the current generation G watch's design was well received, the company may stick with it for the next version too. However, none of these details have been confirmed, so make sure you take this news with a grain of salt.

Preferring to do it themselves, LG have released a sneak peak of their upcoming LG G Watch R smartwatch. While the official announcement is set for the IFA 2014 event, this sneak peak reveals nearly everything, including how the smartwatch looks and key tech specs and features. First of all, the LG G Watch R will be using a 1.3-inch full circle P-OLED display along with a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor. 512MB of RAM and a 410 mAh battery. It will run on Android Wear and have an IP67 certification for water and dust resistance. According to LG, the G Watch R will offer health and fitness tracking on it's own and provide smart notifications for calls, messages, events and weather from your compatible smartphone. In terms of design, the watch will be stainless steel with an interchangeable 22mm leather strap but for now it will only be available in black. No news yet on Malaysia release dates or pricing but LG will announce these details at the launch during the IFA 2014 event. LG say that the G Watch R can be expected in Q4 of 2014 but in the meantime you can check it out for yourself.

Rumours about a new LG G Watch 2 have been going about and LG have finally confirmed it with a teaser video for their LG G Watch R. The teaser reveals that the R in the name probably stands for Round, as the LG G Watch R will likely be a round smartwatch like the Moto 360. While it doesn't reveal actual tech specs, it does show features like a compass, notifications, fitness tracking and that the smartwatch will have a metal body. The teaser reveals it will also be coming at the upcoming IFA 2014 event in September 2014 so no specific Malaysia release dates or pricing just yet. Check out the video for yourself in this article.

Google recently unveiled devices for their new Android Wear wearable operating system with three new smartwatches from major brands. This includes the LG G Watch, Motorola Moto 360 and Samsung Gear Live. While the Motorola Moto 360 and LG G Watch have both been announced, the Samsung Gear Live makes it's first appearance here. However, it is more or less the same in both look and feel as a Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch. Check out the tech specs and features of the LG G Watch, Motorola Moto 360 and Samsung Gear Live below:

• LG G Watch
• 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor
• 1.65-inch display (IPS, 280 x 280 pixel resolution)
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB storage
• 63g
• 400 mAh battery
• Compatible with device running Android 4.3 + Bluetooth 4.0
• IP67 certified
• $229 (RM740)

The LG G Watch smartwatch recently appeared on the LG UK twitter feed, showing off a bit more about the size of the Android Wear using smartwatch. While the overall slab of touchscreen design hasn't changed, the picture does reveal how it might look on someone's wrist. Truth be told, it isn't as bulky as we first thought but we're still not sure how thin it is just yet. Tech specs for the LG G Watch include a 1.65-inch display with 280 x 280 pixel resolution 512MB RAM and 4GB storage with an expected release date set to be Q2 of 2014. Unfortunately, we still don't have exact Malaysia release dates or pricing so stay tuned for more updates.

LG have officially confirmed that they are currently working with Google to develop a smartwatch which will be called the LG G Watch. They have also confirmed that it will be powered by a version of Android designed especially for wearables like smartwatches called Android Wear. While they haven't mentioned any tech specs they have also confirmed that the LG G Watch will be mostly driven by voice commands utilizing the now famous "Ok Google" line, hinting that it will be similar to Google Now. Here's what they had to say about it:

“The opportunity to work with Google on LG G Watch was the perfect chance for LG to really pull out all stops in both design and engineering. With the LG G Watch, LG is continuing the milestones we’ve set in wearables following in the footsteps of the world’s first 3G Touch Watch Phone in 2009 and the Prada Link in 2008. We’re confident that a well-designed device has the potential to take the smart wearable market by storm.” Dr. Jong-seok Park, president and CEO of LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.

No news yet on any specific Malaysia release date or pricing but we expect it to come during the Google I/O conference in June 2014 so stay tuned for the latest updates.