Google I/O has given us some pretty exciting announcements so far, from virtual reality platforms and instantly loading apps to Android apps on Chromebooks. You can get a summary of the most interesting developments here, but something that made everyone at Alphr do a cartoony double-take was the announcement that Android Wear 2.0- will allow people to type on the watch face with an onscreen keyboard.
Given most smartwatch screens are around an inch and a half across, this sounds like a special kind of Hellish tedium, but we tried to keep an open mind and it turns out… it’s not that bad.
“Not horrible,” was the conclusion of Editorial Director Ian. While Google probably don’t want to put that pull-out quote on tube adverts, it’s certainly a lot better than we were expecting. That’s chiefly because it uses a kind of swype-style predictive text, where you trace your finger across the letters. Where this falls down is if you need to write words not in the dictionary – names, brands or streets for example.
Still, it’ll do in a pinch, and that’s better than we were expecting. Here’s Jon showing us how it’s done. Almost types the message flawlessly, but a slight slip up on the “wear” at the end.
If you want to try it yourself, you can… provided you have one of two smartwatches that currently let you. That’s the Huawei Watch above or the LG Watch Urbane.
READ NEXT: These are the best smartwatches you can buy right now
Disclaimer: Some pages on this site may include an affiliate link. This does not effect our editorial in any way.
