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Google's upcoming wearable SDK piques developer interest in what fits

By Shane Schick Mar 14, 2014 1:58pm

It won't be long now before developers can try Google's wearable computing SDK on for size.

At the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas, Google surprised the audience by announcing it was only a couple weeks away from offering a toolset for creating Android apps that would run on wearable devices such as Google Glass. 

For some developers on Twitter, however, there was a sense that this has been something they have been hoping and expecting for a considerable time. 

Others were simply relieved that the wearable computing market didn't grow to a point where developers practically had to beg the major platform providers for giving them the means to break in. 

There was some speculation that in offering an Android SDK for wearables, Google is trying to outsmart rivals such as Apple, which has yet to release its rumored iWatch, as well as some of its own vendor partners. 

Though Google Glass will be an obvious target for apps based on the SDK, some suggested the move could mean new form factors for other Google products...

...or perhaps an opportunity to get involved in the Internet of Things market based on sensor technology. 
Whatever happens next, developers should be prepared to have fun with the SDK, which is how the best app ideas--wearable and otherwise--come about.