The Pebble smartwatch has been around for quite a long time compared to the wearables put forth by other manufacturers. It was one of the earliest devices in the smartwatch category. However, that isn’t to say that the Pebble has remained the…
The Pebble smartwatch has been around for quite a long time compared to the wearables put forth by other manufacturers. It was one of the earliest devices in the smartwatch category. However, that isn’t to say that the Pebble has remained the…
LG’s G Watch is one of the first devices to run Android Wear. Like many first generation tech products, early adopters are usually subject to problems due to design oversights and immature software. With the G Watch there have been reports from users that they are experiencing a little bit of both with an issue relating to corrosion of the watch’s charging pins. The issue seems to occur primarily after long periods of exercise where the user has been sweating. This is because sweat contains salt, an electrolyte which dissolves and forms ions which allows the liquid sweat to better conduct electricity. This sweat forming around the contact pins causes corrosion in a chemical reaction where an oxide coating is formed.
It may be strange to think that a software update could fix an issue with metal corrosion on a device, but the issue occurs due to the current flow from the charging pins while surrounded by sweat. It is being reported that LG is issuing an OTA updating the watch from build number KMV78V to KMV78Y to fix the issue by disabling the current to the charging pins when the watch is not in the charging dock. A Google representative has confirmed with Android Police that this is the case and that the update began rolling out yesterday. Hopefully this update fixes the issues and saves LG from dealing with a plethora of warranty claims, and G Watch users from having to make them. The update should also address complaints from some users about discomfort and irritation of the skin underneath the charging pins on their wrists.
LG’s G Watch is one of the first devices to run Android Wear. Like many first generation tech products, early adopters are usually subject to problems due to design oversights and immature software. With the G Watch there have been reports from users that they are experiencing a little bit of both with an issue relating to corrosion of the watch’s charging pins. The issue seems to occur primarily after long periods of exercise where the user has been sweating. This is because sweat contains salt, an electrolyte which dissolves and forms ions which allows the liquid sweat to better conduct electricity. This sweat forming around the contact pins causes corrosion in a chemical reaction where an oxide coating is formed.
It may be strange to think that a software update could fix an issue with metal corrosion on a device, but the issue occurs due to the current flow from the charging pins while surrounded by sweat. It is being reported that LG is issuing an OTA updating the watch from build number KMV78V to KMV78Y to fix the issue by disabling the current to the charging pins when the watch is not in the charging dock. A Google representative has confirmed with Android Police that this is the case and that the update began rolling out yesterday. Hopefully this update fixes the issues and saves LG from dealing with a plethora of warranty claims, and G Watch users from having to make them. The update should also address complaints from some users about discomfort and irritation of the skin underneath the charging pins on their wrists.
Last month’s Google IO saw the official introduction of Google’s Android Wear as well as the first two devices to run the new wearable OS. Among those was LG’s G Watch, a Snapdragon 400 (4 x ARM Cortex A7) based Android Wear device with a 1.65″ IPS display. As a show of continued support for the Wearables section on AnandTech, ARM is providing two G Watches as giveaways to two lucky AnandTech readers.
To be elligible you need to be a US resident with a US mailing address and leave a comment below. In your comment, ARM would like to know what segments or applications you think wearables would be most successful in. Some examples being communication, enterprise, fashion, healthcare, security, fitness, etc…
Leave your feedback in a comment below and that’ll automatically enter you for the giveaway. Good luck!