Androidly smartwatch can run Android apps from Google Play
The Android watch is now available for preorder for $229.
Those of you'd like to run Android apps on your wrist may be intrigued by a smartwatch from a company called Androidly.
Developed by a four-person team in the U.K., the Androidly smartwatch lets you install and use apps from Google Play. So, you can access a variety of mobile apps, including Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, Google Maps, Cut the Rope, and Angry Birds.
Pavneet Puri, Androidly's chief communications officer, told CNET that the watch can run most apps from Google Play. Apps specifically designed for Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean devices with a higher resolution aren't supported. But the percentage of those apps are small, still leaving users with hundreds of thousands of apps from which to choose.
That all sounds intriguing, though running those apps may not be so easy on the eyes. Touted by Androidly as the smallest Android device in the world, the watch comes with a 2-inch touch screen and a resolution of 320x240 pixels.
Androidly's smartwatch is designed to function independently, as it squeezes a phone, camera, and GPS into one tiny package. You can make and receive phone calls, snap pictures with the 2-megapixel camera, and navigate by land via Google, all from your wrist.
Outfitted with Android 2.2, the smartwatch comes with 256 megabytes of memory and an SD card slot. Androidly throws in an 8GB SD card, though you can add a 16GB card for more storage. The watch also offers built-in Wi-Fi for surfing the Internet and Bluetooth for connecting to other devices.
The Androidly smartwatch is now up for preorder. Buyers can pick one up directly from the Androidly shopping site for $229. Androidly also sells a partner pack with two watches for $459 and a team pack with four watches for $916.
Additionally, the company plans to kick off the watch as a Kickstarter project on June 23.
When will the watch actually start shipping? If preorders are high enough, production of the watch would begin in July at which time Androidly would start shipping units to its customers.
Updated at 3:30 a.m. PT June 21 with further details from Androidly.