Technology is growing and adapting at the speed of a maglev train. The device that is launched today might become outdated in just a year. A majority of developers are confused about which technology to work upon to grow their business and make their mark in the industry due to such a rapidly changing tech-driven world.
Various leaders in the tech industry believe that the era of smartphones is going to end soon. And an entirely new world of hi-tech wearable devices is going to replace smartphones soon.
What exactly do these technologies and devices resemble? Wearables vary in size; this includes a smartwatch to smart glasses and smart rings. Day by day, they are decreasing in size and increasing performance.
For those who don’t know, wearable devices have transformed the interaction system, user behavior, and lifestyle.
Over the fast five years, Wearable technology has gained a lot of users in the market. According to Statista, there will be more than 830 million wearable devices running in the industry in 2020.
Whether you run a small or big business, if you want to remain ahead of competitors, you should adopt wearable app technology. Moreover, you should also create an app using wearable app development to reach a wide user base and generate revenue.
Currently, wearable apps are mainly gaining traction in the health, fitness, and entertainment industry. However, they will soon be adopted by various other industries also.
If you want to create wearable apps in the above sectors, there are various platforms released in the market.
Now, you may have a question, what will be the cost of developing wearable apps?
In a nutshell, the cost of wearable app development is directly proportional to the total number of platforms you want to launch your app.and
Now, here will provide you with the types of wearable apps and platforms on which you can build awesome apps.
Types of Wearable Apps and Platforms
SmartWatches
Despite the fact that smartwatches were the first thing that everyone looked upon, it took some time for them to gain a respectable position in the market. The main reason was the interaction issue associated with tiny screen size and insufficient battery life.
The majority of smartwatches have remained a companion of the smartphone for a very long period. However, technology is changing and we have observed a vast number of smartwatches that don’t depend on the smartphone.
Modern advancement in the wearable industry has led to enhancing user interaction and also user-experience.
If you want to create an app on the smartwatch platform, then you should consider the following:
Android Wear
Android wear is a popular platform for smartwatches. Android Wear 2.0 is the recent version that has overcome issues of other platforms and introduced great features.
With this version, UI has become more advanced and it has started supporting the entire Qwerty keyboard. Apart from this, one can instantly use the play store without needing any external smartphone. Moreover, a wide number of sensors are also introduced.
In a nutshell, you can develop a vast number of apps using Android wear 2.0
Apple Watch
Apple watchOS 5 is the latest version of the wearable OS released in 2019. With this version, Apple introduced new faces, new metrics for the weather, walkie-talkie app, heart-rate, notifications, etc. You can develop apps for Apple watch to cater to a bigger audience.
Samsung Gear S Series
Samsung Gear runs on the Tizen OS and it is the second most popular OS in the industry. It comes with various features like GPS, speech-to-text, in-app-purchases, etc. You can consider wearable app development to develop apps to serve this target audience.
- Fitness & Activity Trackers
Several tech firms want to target niche markets instead of focusing on developing tiny smartphones. Their target audience is athletes, sportspersons, health enthusiasts, and adventure lovers.
These wearable deliver instant health-status to the end-users. However, these wearables are introduced mainly to replace standard watches.
Fitbit
Fitbit is an activity tracker that connects with smartphones and provides extensive reports about the user’s workout. Users can create daily goals and track their progress.
With the help of Fitbit Studio, you can build amazing apps and watch faces.
Garmin
The majority of Garmin devices have built-in GPS, heart-rate monitors, a bunch of sensors, and features.
To develop apps for this platform, you can utilize the Connect IQ SDK and choose suitable APIs. Moreover, it’s developer site consists of a vast number of tools and resources.
Samsung Gear Fit
Gear S is used to build a complete smartwatch, whereas GearFit is focused on the fitness tracker industry. To develop apps for GearFit, you have to use the same tools that you have utilized for developing apps for Gear S.
- Smart Glasses
Smart Glasses tend to provide exceptional user experience as compared to the smartwatches. They don’t take users to new worlds like VR headsets; however, they merge with reality. In other words, they add a fresh layer of the information above the user’s view of the real world.
Smart Glasses can be useful for a lot of scenarios. This includes standard consumer apps for heavy industrial work.
Epson Moverio
Epson is the leading company in this sector, and it provides some popular models like Moverio BT-300, BT-350, and BT-2000 Pro versions.
Epson’sEpson’s smart glasses access Android OS and are loaded with sensors of different purposes. You can utilize the Moverio SDK plus to create high-performance apps.
Daqri
Daqri is specially built to serve the needs of enterprise clients. Daqri’s smart glasses, as well as helmets, are used heavily in industries and medical apps. The platform offers instant visualization, job alerts, and remote expert help. You can build various apps using its SDK.
Sony SmartEyeglass
They are released considering the needs of developers. They consist of a wide number of sensors like gyroscope, compass, etc. To function properly, they should be paired with a smartphone to operate properly. Sony has also introduced an SDK so that developers can create awesome apps.
- VR Headsets
VR headsets provide one of the most captivating experiences than any other wearable device available in the market. VR headsets are the most talked about wearables in various industries and have found a special place in the gaming industry.
Existing VR headsets consist of a wide number of sensors linked with the spatial, magnetic, optical, and thermal data of the user’s necessity. They are introduced to give users experience of the real & virtual world and a combination of both.
HTC Vive
It is power-packed with a lot of accessories used to create realistic experiences. To launch VR apps, you have to register yourself as a developer on Viveport (Vive’sVive’s app store) and create wonderful apps with the help of Viveport SDK.
Oculus Rift
Oculus is also a popular app that provides excellent VR experience and user interaction. Its SDK supports some packages along with platform SDK and utilities for the Unity game engine. Unreal, a leading game engine is useful for building oculus apps.
Google Daydream VR
Google has partnered with Lenovo and launched a standalone VR headset for the users. It provides four different types of SDKs so that developers can build apps for Android, Unity, Unreal, or iOS as per requirement.
Google Cardboard
The device is built using cardboard and carries a smartphone and VR lens to offer a VR experience. Google has released a comprehensive manufacturer kit that enables developers to create any from start to finish.
- Smart Rings
Smart rings are one of the most fantastic wearable devices after the smartwatches. The decrease in the size of wearables is the biggest challenge for developers. But using several unusual communication methods like gesture control, it can be resolved. Several popular platforms for smart rings are as follows:
Talon
Talon rings have sufficient features; hence they can be connected with smartphones, TVs, and tablets. They can function as remote controls to switch on or off lights. By registering yourself as a developer and getting SDK, you can create some out-of-the-box apps.
NFC Ring
The NFC Ring is widely useful for apps like access control, payments as well as data transfer. It offers various SDKs and tools by which you can convert your unique VR app ideas into reality.
Conclusion
Here we complete our list of types of wearable apps and platforms. All these wearables are growing at a remarkable rate; hence it is difficult to say which would dominate the market.
If you already possess a wearable app idea, then reach out to a wearable app development company. They will look into your idea in brief and then deliver you the best solution that aligns well with your industry.
