Android Wear’s launch in early 2014 set a new benchmark for wearable technology. With attractive marketing videos, and the round and square shaped Smartwatches, Android Wear took wearables forward.
Still, just like most wearables, the value of Android Wear for professional users has actually been cloudy at best. Ryan Martin, an analyst at 451 Research, stated that we ought to be measuring wearable effectiveness by looking at what he calls time on job efficiency.
“They’re fully equipped to fill a lot of requirements in the enterprise where employees require quick updates on timely information, however also cannot pay for the diversion of being totally immersed in whatever the system is,” Martin said.
The glanceable nature of the majority of smartwatches does certainly make them a fantastic method to rapidly access notices, but Android Wear devices do provide other tools and services that can positively impact the everyday life of corporate users.
Here are few ways professionals can benefit from using an Android Wear smartwatch.
Communications
Android Wear’s most significant value-add for both regular consumers and professional users is the ability to interact through the smartwatch itself. Because, it syncs to your phone, all your signals and notices get pushed straight to your wrist.
Fielding calls on the watch can be a little odd, particularly in a public situation, however the wrist vibration can keep you from missing calls. For example, we’ve spoken with a network administrator who invests most of his time in a loud server room and regularly misses out on the rings or vibrations of his phone in his pocket, but always feels the vibration on his wrist. So it keeps him from missing out on essential calls. From the smartwatch, calls can also be sent to voicemail or reacted to with a pre-written text if you are hectic.
Users can also react to e-mails or messages using fast, pre-written, conventional responses, or perhaps determining a little bit longer ones. When once again, this can be a little unpleasant in public, but in the workplace it keeps you from getting your phone and restricts the potential black hole of distraction that has it.
Workflow
One of the primary goals of Android Wear, through Google Now, is to provide relevant information before you have to go trying to find it. By offering this information, smartwatches will be able to help improve business processes for workers.
If an employee wakes up feeling ill, he logs in by means of a smartphone to proclaim authorized leave. The manager, who is on-site with clients waiting for the sick employee to arrive, gets a discreet notification on a smartwatch– plus a recommended replacement resource. With one easy tap on the smartwatch, he designates a different employee, who receives an instantaneous notice.
Scheduling
Remaining on top of your schedule is a task in and of itself. Mobile phone have actually made this a little easier, and you can now harness your Android Wear device making it that much better.
All of it starts with the input. It’s not awfully difficult to arrange something through your computer system, however it is a lot easier to just talk to your watch and know it’s done. The very same holds true for remembering and setting tips. Voice memos and voice commands can enhance these activities.
And, when you have your schedule filled, whether through your phone or computer system, Android Wear will manage the notices so you understand where you need to be and when. The topic, time and location of your next consultation appear so you don’t have to inspect your calendar.
Travel
If you regularly take a trip for work, one of the most useful aspects of Android Wear will be its travel cards that will pop up when a journey is scheduled in your Google calendar.
So, if you’re boarding a flight and the QR code for your boarding pass pulls up right as you’re strolling to the gate, that’s incredibly valuable and something that doesn’t, right now, occur on a smartphone.
Your Android Wear device will also permit you to inspect hotel reservations and give you turn-by-turn directions if you require them. If you remain in town for a conference, you can use Google Now to rapidly figure out how far the convention center is from your hotel and plan your day accordingly.
Even if you aren’t a road warrior, Android Wear’s travel functions can assist your everyday commute and local driving by upgrading you on traffic conditions and the fastest routes. This feature comes in convenient if you have several stops to make, such as getting kids from school or practice.
