Samsung has a handful of smartwatches in its product portfolio, but most of them ship with the company’s own Tizen operating system — there are ones powered by Android Wear.
An eager XDA Developers forum member managed to port Android Wear on the good old Samsung Gear 2, but it’s far from being complete at the moment.
The Journey of Porting Android Wear
The developer posted a number of photos and mentioned it took him almost four months to get the device to boot into the Android Wear operating system. This lengthy process involved overcoming numerous technical challenges, such as compatibility issues between the hardware of the Gear 2 and the software requirements of Android Wear. The port is still not available for download, and is merely a work in progress so you can’t try it out at the moment. However, you can check out the source link below to view the photos of the smartwatch booting with the Android Wear logo.
The developer’s journey highlights the complexities involved in porting an operating system to a device it was not originally designed for. This includes modifying the bootloader, ensuring that the kernel is compatible, and making sure that all hardware components like the display, sensors, and connectivity modules work seamlessly with the new OS. Despite these challenges, the fact that the Gear 2 can boot into Android Wear is a significant milestone.
Implications and Future Prospects
Now that it has booted, we’re hoping the work will be a lot easier, and we may get to see the operating system running on the wearable device soon enough. This development opens up a plethora of possibilities for both developers and users. For developers, it provides a new platform to experiment with and optimize applications for a different OS environment. For users, it could mean more flexibility and choice in terms of the software ecosystem they prefer to use on their smartwatches.
Moreover, this project could pave the way for similar endeavors on other Tizen-based Samsung devices. If successful, it might encourage more developers to attempt porting Android Wear to other smartwatches, thereby increasing the versatility and lifespan of older devices. This could be particularly beneficial for users who are looking to extend the usability of their existing gadgets without having to invest in new hardware.
We’ll update you if we get to hear anything more about the port. The developer community is eagerly watching this space, and any further advancements will likely generate a lot of interest and excitement. The potential for running Android Wear on a Samsung Gear 2 could also spark discussions about the future of wearable technology and the role of open-source development in driving innovation.
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