Too Many Android Wear Apps Are Missing the Point

Smart phones today have become very popular and are in demand with many new brands being launched almost every day.  It is not difficult to understand the reasons for this. When you can get a much bigger screen display, sharper resolution, fast internet connectivity and robust computing power in one gadget at an affordable price, who would not want to take it? But wait. That is not all. You also have one of the best operating systems like the Android running these devices as well as other wearable items like watches. Users have a plethora of wonderful wear apps developed by innovative minds to keep them glued to their smart phone or their smart watch. Whether it is gaming, entertainment or information, you have them all in one compact gadget.

Not all apps are engaging

Having mentioned the above, it is not as if all the apps are productive or engaging. There are some of them that are becoming a drag on the operating system and not delivering true value. They are in fact becoming a source of irritation to users. For instance, the calculator apps on the smart watch require the user to be very precise when entering numbers or else risk entering them all over again due to the absence of a backspace key. This makes the process a frustrating one and you are better off doing calculations using your phone calculator app. It is here that the challenge presents itself to apps developers. There appears to be no need to pack a smart watch with apps that the user would be more comfortable watching on a bigger screen. They need to look beyond making available cheaper or weaker replicas of apps on the smart watch. This applies to games, calendars, some of the drawing apps and even flashlights. Google to its credit has attempted to dissuade and disincentivize developers from coming out with such apps. They have been clear in their documentation stipulations about this but some developers have managed to work round the system by coming out with third party apps launchers.

Developers have to pause and think

Rather than get caught up in the frenzy of quickly developing apps for Android Wear, developers need to think of the following before coming out with their apps offering:

• Does the app fulfill the purpose and provide utility value without the user having to use his smart phone?
• Does the app ensure users miss nothing important if they did not use their smart phone for some time?
• Does the app for the watch wear conserve time without compromising on its functionality?

The good news is that there are some Android Wear apps which do satisfy the above criteria. One of them is the Golfshot app. This one reads out the distance covered by the golfer from the starting hole and for a beginner, this would be of great help. The Delta app is another wearable app that provides you with the correct gate information as soon as you enter your flight details into the phone. The Allthecooks app can help you save time by bringing up crisp recipe instructions while you are trying to rustle up a meal. The key lies in developers creating wearable apps that would enable the user to make use of information immediately and not look at his or her smart phone for additional help.