Android Wear deep-dive review: A smart start to smartwatch software

Over the past few years, companies large and small have been struggling to convince us we need computers on our wrists. And let's not beat around the bush: Their efforts have all been pretty underwhelming.
From the Pebble to the Galaxy Gear (and all of their subsequent variations), no single smartwatch has managed to crack the code -- to establish a compelling use for the technology that's also stylish and simple to operate.
Now it's Google's turn to step up and take a swing. With its new Android Wear platform, Google is hoping to do for smartwatches what it's already done for smartphones: Create a massive and expandable platform that'll attract hordes of manufacturers, developers and, ultimately, consumers.

   
So what's Wear actually like to use in the real world -- and could it succeed where so many other efforts have failed? I've been living with the platform for the past two weeks to find out.
(Note: This review will focus specifically on the software side of the Wear experience. For a detailed look at the first Wear devices, click over to my separate Samsung Gear Live vs. LG G Watch: A real-world evaluation review.)

Getting to know Android Wear

When you walk around a city talking into your watch, you're bound to get a few quizzical glares. In that regard, wearing Android Wear makes you feel a bit futuristic and ahead of the curve -- kind of like living out a James Bond fantasy (minus all the explosions and scantily clad co-stars).
The best way to describe a Wear watch, I think, is as a device that makes it easier to keep up with the information you need. And thanks to all the data Google has collected about you and your world, Wear is in a unique position to provide that service.
Case in point: The heart and soul of Android Wear is Google Now, the intelligent virtual assistant Google has woven into Android and Chrome over the past couple of years. Google Now uses a combination of search data from your Google account, location data from your mobile device and cues from things like your Gmail messages to compile bite-sized tidbits of info -- known as "cards" -- that appear contextually throughout your day.
You might get a card in the morning alerting you to traffic on your route to work, for instance, or a card with directions to a business you searched for earlier in the day. Some cards are as simple as the number of steps you've taken so far that day or the weather for your area -- or for an area you'll be traveling to in the near future. Others are more surprising, like a card that might appear on a Friday evening with the current drive time to a bar or restaurant you tend to frequent on that day of the week.