Unlike many other companies making announcements at IFA 2014, ASUS has already revealed that it will announce a smartwatch called the ZenWatch at its press event. While we don’t know all the specifics yet, company CEO Jerry Shen revealed a few more at a recent media briefing.
Shen confirmed that the ASUS ZenWatch will be powered by Android Wear, Google’s new Android extension for wearables. He added that it will go on sale in October in the U.S. and other selected markets with a price below US$199 (about CA$215). Only one size will be available and, like other Android Wear devices, will work not only with ASUS’ own smartphones but any compatible with the extension (namely those running Android 4.3 and higher). Promising is Shen’s comment that the ZenWatch was “well-received” when shown to Google in early August.
Shen also indicated that he expected that the ZenWatch would gain Chinese language support by the end of the year courtesy of a third-party developer. Only English support will be available at launch time.
The ASUS ZenWatch will be unveiled on September 3 during the ASUS IFA 2014 press event. The presentation will also be livestreamed if you’re unable to attend in person.
The ASUS ZenWatch will not be the only new smartwatch at IFA 2014. Along with the just announced 3G-enabled Samsung Gear S and LG G Watch R, we can expect Sony to unveil a new SmartWatch and Motorola will unveil the Moto 360 at an event in Chicago as well. HTC could also make an announcement on the smartwatch front.
Source : Focus Taiwan