Casio Launches Latest G-Shock Equipped with Wear OS, Sensors, and More

Sieeka Khan, Tech Times 02 April 2021, 08:04 am

Rumors have been going around for some time now that there will be a rugged Apple Watch, but Casio has beat Apple to it. Casio has unveiled its first G-Shock rugged smartwatch using Google's Wear OS platform.

Casio G-Shock Wear OS

According to The Verge, part of Casio's rugged G-Squad Pro lineup, the GSW-H1000, has a host of sports features and is also the first G-Shock watch with a color display.

As expected in a G-Shock watch, the GSW-H1000 has a brawny look with a titanium back for more durability. That is backed by actual toughness, including shock and water-resistance down to 200 meters of depth.

What's new is the Android Wear OS and the dual-layer display with an always-on LCD screen for time display combined, with a color LCD screen that can show maps, sensor data, notifications and other information.

That is a first for G-Shock watches even though Casio already uses Wear OS on its Pro Trek smartwatch lineup.

Also Read: Google Confirms Initiative of Launching 'Hey Google' Detection Fix on Wear OS

The watch is also equipped with sensors, including a built-in GPS, compass bearing, optical heart rate sensor, barometric pressure, altitude, and more.

The watch also has Casio's app for 24 indoor workout options and 15 activities, including road biking, running, and swimming or for more extreme sports like snowboarding and surfing, as per CNET.

Meanwhile, the Wear OS platform gives you access to smartphone notifications, numerous apps and Google Assistant access.

One negative aspect though is that it only has a 1.5-day battery life with the color display but it can stretch out to a month in multi timepiece mode.

The Casio G-Squad Pro GSW-H1000 comes in black, blue, and red colors and will cost around $700 in the United States and £600 in the UK. It is reportedly set to arrive in May, and is set to appear on the US G-Shock website.

But you can find it on the UK site and you can request to be notified as soon as it is available.

What is Wear OS?

Wear OS is Google's smartwatch operating system. However, it does not run on all smartwatches. While many smartwatches do run on this operating system, there are a lot of them that do not.

For example, all of the smartwatches that are available from Samsung run on Samsung's own wearables operating system.

In the same vein, Apple Watch smartwatches run from Fitbit, and other wearable brands run on their respective operating systems too.

Google's smartwatch operating system is the most expanded one out of all the operating systems. There are more available smartwatches which operate of this software, according to GSMArena.

There are a lot of apps that are available on the platform. A lot of them are the same apps that you can download on Android. Apps like Google Fit, Telegram, Strava, and even Uber can be installed.

You can even find apps that are made specifically for smartwatches. Facer is one of these apps, and it lets you customize your watch faces easily.

So, where do you get apps? Just like the Android smartphones and with Android TV, apps on Wear OS are downloaded from the Play Store. You can also install apps directly from the watch.