LG G Watch R, 1st Watch Urbane Joins Android Wear 2.0 Club

Almost mirroring the fragmentation on Android for smartphones, Android Wear 2.0's rollout is happening bit by bit and was even held back for a while by an undisclosed bug. But more than that, there are also smartwatches that may not even get the update at all. So it's probably with great joy that owners of the LG G Watch R, LG's first round Android Wear watch, and the first gen Watch Urbane were greeted by the update that brought their 2015 smartwatches to the present.

Over time, we will probably hear of more smartwatch models that won't be getting the Android Wear 2.0 update, for one reason or another. Planned obsolescence is slowly creeping into smartwatches, in stark contrast to mechanical watches that can last for years. For now, however, let's leave smartwatch owners to bask in the latest Android Wear version while they still can.

Android Wear 2.0 brings a couple of big changes to the platform. At the very top of that list is that it's possible to do more things directly on the smartwatch without having to pick up the paired Android phone or iPhone. Specifically, Android Wear now has its own independent Play Store on the watch itself. Devices that can connect directly to the Internet, those with 3G and 4G capabilities, can also function independently of the smartphone.

The LG G Watch R and Watch Urbane 1st Gen represents the second batch of smartwatches to get the update. Others that are now part of this still small and exclusive club include:

• Fossil Q Founder

• TAG Heuer Connected

• Casio Smart Outdoor Watch WSD-F10

• Polar M600

• Fossil Q Wander

• Fossil Q Marshal

• Nixon Mission

• Michael Cors Access Dylan

• Michael Cors Access Bradshaw

That list doesn't yet include the fresh new batch of smartwatches that come with Android Wear 2.0 right off the bat.

VIA: Reddit