 We've been talking about smart watches for a long time. Years. And we've seen a lot of devices, even a few good ones. But for the first time, thanks to Google and Android Wear, smart watches feel like a thing. A thing with a future and a market. Android is huge, it's everywhere, and now Google's committed to putting it on our wrists. We have one version of Android Wear and two watches running it, and we have our best look yet at Google's vision for the future of wearables. If this is the future, it's going to look a lot different from what we thought. Let's start with the hardware. There are two Android Wear watches available for pre-order now. They'll be available on July 7th. For $229, you'll get the LG G Watch. $199 buys you the Samsung Gear Live. That's odd, actually, because on almost every front, the Gear Live seems like the more high-end device. It's a square watch with sharp chrome edges and a rigid, rubbery strap. It comes in black or in wine red, and both are sort of a simplified version of Samsung's new Gear 2. It's a little chunky, as watches go, and I really don't like the toothy clasp on the strap, but it's a decent looking device. There's a button on the side that activates the Gear Live's 1.63 inch 320x320 Super AMOLED screen and a heart rate monitor on the bottom next to the five contact pins for the Gear Live's awkward clip-on charger. This is not the best looking watch I've ever tried on, but it's decent looking. Decent looking is kind of a feat, too, next to the almost ridiculously boring LG G Watch. There's just nothing to the G Watch. It's a square, with a rubber strap, that comes in either black or white. There are no buttons, no eye-catching design touches, no nothing. The G Watch is, at least, inoffensive. It's hard to find something to really dislike about it, but only because there's nothing really to say about it in general. The G Watch does score some design points with a long list of custom watch faces, which give it a cooler look than the Gear Live's pretty bland options. But once developers can build their own, both watches will get a lot better looking. The G Watch has a slightly larger display than the Gear Live, 1.65 inches versus 1.63, and it's slightly lower res, actually, 280 by 280 instead of Samsung's 320 by 320. Neither is great, and neither is terrible, but the Gear Live's display is definitely superior. Its colors are more accurate, its viewing angles much better. Neither works especially well in bright sunlight, which is a big problem for a device you're supposed to look at all day, but the Gear Live does do a bit better. The G Watch is also imperceptibly heavier, at 2.2 ounces, and at 9.95mm thick, it's a little heftier than the 8.9mm Gear Live. But actually in practice, since the G Watch is less rigid and stiff, it's the more comfortable watch. Both displays are always on, 24 hours a day. There's what's called Ambient Mode, which is just a simple watch face that kicks in a few seconds after you stop using the watch. The power controls are buried in settings, and there literally isn't a way to turn the G Watch back on once it's off without connecting it to the charger. They both have batteries that last one day, maybe slightly more, but are prepared to set their awkward chargers next to your bed every single night. All the differences that exist between these two watches are tiny. They run 1.2GHz processors with 4GB of internal storage and 512MB of RAM. They both work as basic step counters, which is handy, and, and this is the important part, they run the same software just about exactly the same way. That software is Android Wear. When you download the Wear app and connect either the G Watch or the Gear Live to your Android phone, you'll immediately start getting your full stream of notifications onto your watch. Texts, emails, snapchats, system stuff, everything. Imagine Android Wear as a grid. Between one tall column in the center is a running list of all your notifications. Your home screen is at the top of that list, but also off to the left. When you push a notification away, you're scrolling through the list and back towards your home screen. Off to the right is extra information, week views for the weather, archive and reply options for email. And, in a cloud hovering over the whole thing is Google Now, listening for your voice. It's sort of a clunky metaphor and sort of a clunky interface, but it mostly works. Some notifications you can just read and dismiss. Others you actually do something with on your wrist. You can archive or reply to an email. You can answer a text. You can answer a phone call or quickly deny it with a canned text like, can't talk right now, what's up? You also get information about the weather when Google thinks it's useful, or flight info if you have one coming up. Basically, Android Wear is Google Now writ large. It's a card-based operating system designed to let you do a few things, but mostly to do a lot of things for you. The problem is it's all very inconsistent. Some things are notifications, which you can swipe away to get back to the home screen, but other times you're actually in an app and have to move around a bunch to get back home. Everything you can actually do on the watch starts with a tap on the screen or the words OK Google. Then you can set a reminder or see your calendar for the day or do a Google search. You can take notes, set alarms, and a few other things too. It's all pretty basic and for anything other than a handful of small things, you're going to have to pick up your phone, though the watch can make it so your phone is instantly on the page you're looking for. Eventually, Google hopes there will be much more to do. You'll be able to say, OK Google, get me a car and pick whether you want your watch to use Uber or Lyft to find it. Take a note will work in Google Keep as it does now, but maybe also in Evernote or SimpleNote. The possibilities are theoretically endless, it's just up to developers to figure out what to build. But none of that is why you'd buy the G Watch or the Gear Live. You should buy one if and only if you're willing to give all your data to Google, to trust it to show you everything you need at exactly the right time. Sometimes Android Wear feels like magic. Other times, when I accidentally swipe a notification to the right and then it's gone forever, it feels like a headache. Before it's really interesting, Google needs to work out that balance between giving you things to do and doing them for you. I want my watch to be a watch first and foremost. But I want to be able to do more, too, like get directions or open Google search results, and I don't want to have to get out my phone every time. If you do want to buy an Android Wear watch right now, you can basically close your eyes and pick one. They're both sort of boring, they have ups and downs, and they both run Android Wear quite well. I'd pick the Gear Live because I like the screen better and I actually like the slightly classier design. But if you'd rather have a simpler watch and a bunch of cooler looking watch faces, the G Watch is for you. Of course, neither one is preventing me from holding my breath for the Moto 360 and the next generation of even better looking devices. If we're all going to wear something on our wrists all day but only use it occasionally, it's going to have to be jewelry. Good looking, fashionable, something I want to wear and be seen wearing. That's why I wear a watch in the first place. So I hope Android Wear devices improve at least as fast as Android Wear does. I'm eventually going to want a watch like this. But neither of the first two options really catches my eye.
 We've been talking about smart watches for a long time.
 Years.
 And we've seen a lot of devices, even a few good ones.
 But for the first time, thanks to Google and Android Wear, smart watches feel like a thing.
 A thing with a future and a market.
 Android is huge, it's everywhere, and now Google's committed to putting it on our wrists.
 We have one version of Android Wear and two watches running it, and we have our best look
 yet at Google's vision for the future of wearables.
 If this is the future, it's going to look a lot different from what we thought.
 Let's start with the hardware.
 There are two Android Wear watches available for pre-order now.
 They'll be available on July 7th.
 For $229, you'll get the LG G Watch.
 $199 buys you the Samsung Gear Live.
 That's odd, actually, because on almost every front, the Gear Live seems like the more high-end
 device.
 It's a square watch with sharp chrome edges and a rigid, rubbery strap.
 It comes in black or in wine red, and both are sort of a simplified version of Samsung's
 new Gear 2.
 It's a little chunky, as watches go, and I really don't like the toothy clasp on the
 strap, but it's a decent looking device.
 There's a button on the side that activates the Gear Live's 1.63 inch 320x320 Super AMOLED
 screen and a heart rate monitor on the bottom next to the five contact pins for the Gear
 Live's awkward clip-on charger.
 This is not the best looking watch I've ever tried on, but it's decent looking.
 Decent looking is kind of a feat, too, next to the almost ridiculously boring LG G Watch.
 There's just nothing to the G Watch.
 It's a square, with a rubber strap, that comes in either black or white.
 There are no buttons, no eye-catching design touches, no nothing.
 The G Watch is, at least, inoffensive.
 It's hard to find something to really dislike about it, but only because there's nothing
 really to say about it in general.
 The G Watch does score some design points with a long list of custom watch faces, which
 give it a cooler look than the Gear Live's pretty bland options.
 But once developers can build their own, both watches will get a lot better looking.
 The G Watch has a slightly larger display than the Gear Live, 1.65 inches versus 1.63,
 and it's slightly lower res, actually, 280 by 280 instead of Samsung's 320 by 320.
 Neither is great, and neither is terrible, but the Gear Live's display is definitely
 superior.
 Its colors are more accurate, its viewing angles much better.
 Neither works especially well in bright sunlight, which is a big problem for a device you're
 supposed to look at all day, but the Gear Live does do a bit better.
 The G Watch is also imperceptibly heavier, at 2.2 ounces, and at 9.95mm thick, it's a
 little heftier than the 8.9mm Gear Live.
 But actually in practice, since the G Watch is less rigid and stiff, it's the more comfortable
 watch.
 Both displays are always on, 24 hours a day.
 There's what's called Ambient Mode, which is just a simple watch face that kicks in
 a few seconds after you stop using the watch.
 The power controls are buried in settings, and there literally isn't a way to turn the
 G Watch back on once it's off without connecting it to the charger.
 They both have batteries that last one day, maybe slightly more, but are prepared to set
 their awkward chargers next to your bed every single night.
 All the differences that exist between these two watches are tiny.
 They run 1.2GHz processors with 4GB of internal storage and 512MB of RAM.
 They both work as basic step counters, which is handy, and, and this is the important part,
 they run the same software just about exactly the same way.
 That software is Android Wear.
 When you download the Wear app and connect either the G Watch or the Gear Live to your
 Android phone, you'll immediately start getting your full stream of notifications onto your
 watch.
 Texts, emails, snapchats, system stuff, everything.
 Imagine Android Wear as a grid.
 Between one tall column in the center is a running list of all your notifications.
 Your home screen is at the top of that list, but also off to the left.
 When you push a notification away, you're scrolling through the list and back towards
 your home screen.
 Off to the right is extra information, week views for the weather, archive and reply options
 for email.
 And, in a cloud hovering over the whole thing is Google Now, listening for your voice.
 It's sort of a clunky metaphor and sort of a clunky interface, but it mostly works.
 Some notifications you can just read and dismiss.
 Others you actually do something with on your wrist.
 You can archive or reply to an email.
 You can answer a text.
 You can answer a phone call or quickly deny it with a canned text like, can't talk right
 now, what's up?
 You also get information about the weather when Google thinks it's useful, or flight
 info if you have one coming up.
 Basically, Android Wear is Google Now writ large.
 It's a card-based operating system designed to let you do a few things, but mostly to
 do a lot of things for you.
 The problem is it's all very inconsistent.
 Some things are notifications, which you can swipe away to get back to the home screen,
 but other times you're actually in an app and have to move around a bunch to get back
 home.
 Everything you can actually do on the watch starts with a tap on the screen or the words
 OK Google.
 Then you can set a reminder or see your calendar for the day or do a Google search.
 You can take notes, set alarms, and a few other things too.
 It's all pretty basic and for anything other than a handful of small things, you're going
 to have to pick up your phone, though the watch can make it so your phone is instantly
 on the page you're looking for.
 Eventually, Google hopes there will be much more to do.
 You'll be able to say, OK Google, get me a car and pick whether you want your watch to
 use Uber or Lyft to find it.
 Take a note will work in Google Keep as it does now, but maybe also in Evernote or SimpleNote.
 The possibilities are theoretically endless, it's just up to developers to figure out what
 to build.
 But none of that is why you'd buy the G Watch or the Gear Live.
 You should buy one if and only if you're willing to give all your data to Google, to trust
 it to show you everything you need at exactly the right time.
 Sometimes Android Wear feels like magic.
 Other times, when I accidentally swipe a notification to the right and then it's gone forever, it
 feels like a headache.
 Before it's really interesting, Google needs to work out that balance between giving you
 things to do and doing them for you.
 I want my watch to be a watch first and foremost.
 But I want to be able to do more, too, like get directions or open Google search results,
 and I don't want to have to get out my phone every time.
 If you do want to buy an Android Wear watch right now, you can basically close your eyes
 and pick one.
 They're both sort of boring, they have ups and downs, and they both run Android Wear
 quite well.
 I'd pick the Gear Live because I like the screen better and I actually like the slightly
 classier design.
 But if you'd rather have a simpler watch and a bunch of cooler looking watch faces, the
 G Watch is for you.
 Of course, neither one is preventing me from holding my breath for the Moto 360 and the
 next generation of even better looking devices.
 If we're all going to wear something on our wrists all day but only use it occasionally,
 it's going to have to be jewelry.
 Good looking, fashionable, something I want to wear and be seen wearing.
 That's why I wear a watch in the first place.
 So I hope Android Wear devices improve at least as fast as Android Wear does.
 I'm eventually going to want a watch like this.
 But neither of the first two options really catches my eye.