Availability and pricing
Google says the LG and Samsung smartwatches will be on sale from the Devices section of Google Play sometime today, but you might not get them as soon as you think. The G Watch retails for $229 (roughly AUS$243/£134) with the Gear Live undercutting it at $199 (AUS$212/£117).
The Samsung Gear Live doesn't ship until the July 7, and we're hearing a similar shipping date for the LG G Watch. How quickly these devices get beyond the shores of the United States remains to be seen, but we'll keep you posted on this page when we hear from Google.
The Moto 360 has always been pegged as being released sometime this summer, and Google didn't offer anything more specific than that in its keynote address. With its unique face design, wireless charging and later launch, we'd expect it to come with a premium price too.
Motorola has earlier inadvertently clued us on the Moto 360 price through the official rules of a contest though, suggesting that its "average retail value" is $249 (about £148, AU$270)
As dictated by the framework of Android Wear, these smartwatches are compatible with Android handsets (as mentioned, running 4.3 or above to allow for the Bluetooth LE).
Standard app notifications and controls (such as playback buttons in a music app) work out of the box, with dedicated smartwatch apps and custom alerts on the way once developers get up to speed with the hardware.
Early verdict
As flagship Android phones grow larger, it'll be nice to have a wearable to quickly check and dismiss notifications without having to take your phone out of your pocket.
The Moto 360 is a little more fashionable with its circular watch face, but if you want to step into the smartwatch future as quickly as possible you'll have to look elsewhere.
The LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live look like your best options for a smartwatch right now and Google's best bet to ward off the inevitable iWatch.
There's something interesting going on with Google and Samsung though: while only slightly lower in spec compared to the recently-announced Gear 2 range from the South Koreans, the Gear Live is much cheaper. It's also better specified than the LG G Watch, yet is cheaper too with a better screen.
If you can't get your hands on a Moto 360 (or the cost of that proves to be too high) then the Gear Live could be the early frontrunner.
