????16世紀懷表的出現，使鐘表朝著如今為我們所熟知的腕表的發展方向邁出了重要一步。懷表的誕生有其實用需求的原因，因為它更加便攜。但懷表很快成了一種身份的象征，只有社會名流或王公貴族才能佩戴得起。世界上第一款真正的腕表于1812年誕生，乃是瑞士寶璣公司（Breguet）的作品，它是為那不勒斯王后卡羅琳?穆拉特定做的（她是拿破侖的妹妹，也是一個鐘表收藏家，六年里她一共從瑞士寶璣公司購買了34塊鐘表）。

????如今智能設備已經變得無處不在，不光是手機，就連咖啡機上都可以顯示時間，因此手表再次變成了一種身份的象征。一塊昂貴的手表可能象征著主人的典雅、高傲或傳統，一塊廉價的手表可能象征著主人的勤儉或謙卑。（大家不妨回憶一下2005年一樁軼事給美俄兩國總統帶來的口碑：當時俄羅斯總統普京戴了一塊價值6000美元的百達翡麗（Patek Philippe）腕表，而美國總統小布什則戴了一塊價格僅有50美元的天美時（Timex）手表。）這些都讓我們不禁想到這樣一個問題：隨著計時設備的商業化，智能手表將扮演什么樣的身份象征？抑或它將成為與身份無關的其它東西？

????所謂“智能手表”已經不再是一個全新的產品類別。如今，高通（Qualcomm）、Pebble和三星(Samsung)等公司都在生產具有創新意義的智能腕表。不過對于谷歌來說，智能手表對于安卓平臺仍是一個全新的發展方向。谷歌（Google）于今年早些時候發布的Android Wear平臺意味著它已經開始嚴肅看待可穿戴設備——就連新穎的谷歌眼鏡項目都不曾享受過這種待遇。在今年六月的谷歌開發者大會上，谷歌宣布其頭兩款安裝了Android Wear的手表正好將于美國時間7月7日開始發貨。

????這兩款智能手表分別是三星的Gear Live（售價199美元）和LG的G Watch（售價229美元）。實測一番之后，我們對谷歌寄希望于Android Wear實現什么樣的目標也就大概有了初步的認識。（值得注意的是，谷歌嚴格限制廠商對Android Wear私自進行定制，因此這三星和LG的這兩款設備的軟件體驗大同小異。為了行文方便，筆者僅用試用G Watch的體驗來代表Android Wear的總體感覺。）

????要安裝Android Wear，你必須首先將手表與一臺至少安裝了安卓4.3以上的設備（比如手機或平板電腦）進行配對。配對成功后，你的手機或平板電腦上的新的通知就能夠通過手表顯示出來。每當有新郵件、Twitter提醒或短信到來的時候，你的手表就會震動并顯示消息，給人嚇一跳的感覺。但是你只需要一兩分鐘的設置就可以調整它的報警聲。（手機每次有新的通知，手表就會默認自動震動，但是Android Wear的原生應用允許你屏蔽若干應用的通知。）

????第一批智能手表可以說只是通訊的“單行道”。一只手表可以接收和顯示手機上的通知，但要想回復的話就只能通過手機。之前Pebble公司為了給智能手表的互動功能鋪平道路已經做了大量工作，而谷歌則明智地選擇“接過Pebble的槍”。Android Wear的使用者可以通過手勢翻動處理通知消息和互動。發現通過手表就可以直接對我的Email收件箱的內容進行歸檔以后，我獲得了極大的滿足感。

????In the 16th century, the clock took its first step into becoming what we now know as a wristwatch. The pocket watch was born from a practical desire for a more portable way of telling time, but it quickly became a status symbol, only to be worn by the influential or royal. Indeed, the first true wristwatch, an oblong 1812 invention by the Swiss watchmaker Breguet, was created for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples. (Napoleon’s youngest sister was somewhat of a collector: she purchased 34 timekeeping devices from Breguet in a six-year span.)

????In today’s world, where digital devices are ubiquitous and clocks are on everything from phones to coffeemakers, the watch is almost entirely a status symbol. An expensive watch can equally project elegance, arrogance, or convention, depending on one’s company; an inexpensive one can project humility or frugality. (Consider the narrative created when it was revealed in 2005 that Russian president Vladimir Putin wore $60,000 Patek Philippe and U.S. president George W. Bush wore a $50 Timex.) All of which prompts the questions: With the act of time-keeping commoditized, what kind of status symbol could a smart watch become? Or does it create another use case altogether?

????The “smart watch” is no longer a new product category. Today, Qualcomm QCOM -0.21% , Pebble, and Samsung all manufacture pioneering smart devices for the wrist. For Google, however, smart watches are an altogether new direction for its Android mobile operating system. The announcement of Android Wear earlier this year signaled that Google GOOG -0.42% was getting serious about wearable devices—serious in a way that the novel Glass project did not. At its developer conference in June, Google revealed that first two Android Wear watches would begin shipping—well, today.

????Those watches are the Samsung Gear Live, listed at $199, and LG’s G Watch, listed at $229. After testing, it is possible to get a sense of what Google is trying to accomplish with Android Wear. (It should be noted that Google severely limits what manufacturers can do to customize the operating system; as a result, both devices offer essentially the same software experience. For the purposes of this review, I consider my experience with the G Watch reflective of Android Wear in general.)

????To set up Android Wear, you must first pair the watch in question to an Android device (such as a phone or tablet) running version 4.3 or above of the operating system. (Check if your Android phone is compatible by visiting this page.) Once paired, the watch will begin displaying notifications from your phone or tablet—every single one. Jarring is the only word to describe the sudden sensation of an object on your wrist vibrating for every email, Twitter mention, or text message you receive, but once you remember that you’re in control, you can limit the onslaught of alerts within a minute or two. (As a rule, the watch will vibrate with every alert displayed on your phone, but the Android Wear companion app allows you to blacklist a specific app’s notifications from also showing up on your watch.)

????The first wave of smart watches were one-way streets of communication: a connected watch would receive and display an alert to which you could only respond using your phone. Pebble did a tremendous job laying the ground work for further interaction; Google has wisely decided to pick up where it left off. With a series of touch gestures, the Android Wear wearer can scroll through alerts and interact. I’m not ashamed to say that I found immense satisfaction in my newfound ability to discretely manage my inbox by archiving emails directly from my watch.