technology news: Poll: Would you use Wear OS if it had these fitness features?

vendredi 28 février 2020

Poll: Would you use Wear OS if it had these fitness features?

Google's Wear OS has a bad rap in the tech industry, mostly for the lack of software innovation that makes the platform seem stagnant. While most people don't see the benefit of owning a smartwatch, Wear OS is not doing the category any favors. It's simply not on the level of other wearable operating systems from companies like Samsung and Apple.

Thankfully, it looks like Google is finally ready to make some changes to Wear OS. It has rolled out a new survey (h/t Droid Life) through its user experience research program asking participants for feedback on how to improve Wear OS. The survey reportedly focuses on health and fitness features such as sleep analysis, SPo2 tracking, sleep apnea detection, heartbeat alerts, and more.

Google's survey also asks participants how they feel about features like medical device and gym equipment pairing. Below is the full list of Wear OS features reportedly mentioned in Google's survey:

SPO2 Tracking: Tracks the level of oxygenation in the blood and alerts if levels fall below normal levels
Smart Alarms: Wakes you up in the morning at the appropriate time in your sleep cycle so you feel more rested
Sleep Apnea Detection: Monitors and detects symptoms of sleep breathing abnormalities and sends out alerts and advice
Sleep Analysis: Analysis of sleep quality, and reasons for not sleeping well, and advice on improving sleep patterns
Heartbeat Alerts: Monitors heartbeat and sends alerts if an irregular heartbeat is detected
Automatic Workout Detection: Your smartwatch would automatically be able to detect when you start a workout and prompt you to start logging the activity
Rep Detection: Automatic detection for number of reps for activities (push ups, squats, etc)
Activity Logging: Ability to manually track and edit different types of workouts and activities
Recovery Time: Tracks the time needed between workouts to make sure that you are fully recovered
Stress Tracking: Automatically monitors your level of stress to help you build better awareness to manage stress
Medical Device Pairing: Pair watch with medical devices (blood sugar, blood pressure monitors) so that readings can be synchronized and accessed on the watch
Gym Equipment Pairing: Pair watch to compatible gym equipment for more accurate tracking of your activities
Indoor Air Quality: Monitors the air quality of an indoor environment
Activity/Vitals Tracking: Automatically monitor and capture metrics for basic vitals and activities
Share Vitals: Automatically share your heart rate and vitals with emergency services if you've been in an accident
Micro-logging: Quick and easy way to manually log how you are feeling and what you are doing
Water-Intake Tracking: Automatically tracks the number of glasses of water you drink with reminders over the course of the day to make sure that you are well hydrated
Food & Calorie Tracking: Manually track food and calorie intake over the course of a day
Flights of Stairs: Automatically keep track of the number of flights of stairs that you climb
Breathing Exercises: Guided breathing exercises and reminders to help you relax and practice mindfulness
Compass: Built-in compass to help you find your direction while hiking or driving
Elevation Tracking: Keep track of climbing, descending and changes in altitude during workouts
Cycle Tracking: Automatically keep track of your cycle and fertility

Obviously, we don't know if all these features are headed to Wear OS, but Google's recent acquisition of Fitbit might mean the company is seriously thinking of stepping up its health-tracking game.

The big question is, would you use smartwatches powered by Wear OS if it had more fitness and health features like the ones mentioned above? Do you feel positive about the future of Wear OS if Google were to add more health-focused features on the platform? Cast your vote in the poll, and be sure to drop us a line in the comments. You all probably have some opinions, so we want to hear them!