Google’s Android smartwatch ‘ready within months,’ will feature Google Now

Google is close to finishing the development of its first smartwatch — so close that the device could be “ready within months,” a source tells the Wall Street Journal.

The company is reportedly in talks with Asian manufacturers about mass producing the smartwatch, and it’s currently working hard to reduce its battery consumption, other sources say. They also note that the smartwatch will sport Google Now, the intelligent virtual assistant that can fetch information for you even before you ask for it.

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With Samsung’s disappointing Galaxy Gear on the market (and failing spectacularly), Google has a chance to swoop in and wow the tech world with a truly useful smartwatch.

Google Now will likely be its trump card — it’s a feature that’s grown immensely useful over the past few years, and it’s prominent on Google Glass and the Moto X. At this point, we can think of Google Now as the true Google homepage of the future, one that delivers information to you automatically, answers your questions, and yes, handles your web searches.

It makes sense for Now to play a prominent role in all of Google’s upcoming devices, especially its wearable gadgets. Google Now could also make the company’s smartwatch immensely more useful than Samsung’s Galaxy Gear by letting you tap into the full power of Google with voice commands. Even though the Gear can tell time, take pictures and short video, and run a few apps, none of its functionality is compelling enough to warrant its $300 price.