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Daniel Terdiman/CNET
Google plans to release a software development kit in the next two weeks that will allow third-party developers to create Android software for use on wearable computing devices
The announcement was made Sunday by Sundar Pichai, Google’s senior vice president of Android, Apps, and Chrome, during a panel discussion with John Battelle at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas.
“In two weeks we are launching the first developer SDK for Android,” Pichai said. “That will lay out the vision for developers in how we see this market working.”
Likening the evolution of wearable devices to the smartphone revolution, Pichai said the goal is to take Android beyond smartphones and tablets to a multi-screen world.
Google is expected to unveil plans for its smartwatch-centric operating system later this month, according to a person familiar with the company’s plans told CNET in February. Google is said to be working with South Korean electronics maker LG to produce a smartwatch that will make its debut at its Google I/O conference in June.
The new operating system is said to be based on the Google Now voice assistant and search feature, which also drives the core functions of its Google Glass headwear. While sales of smartwatches haven’t exactly been impressive, the market is estimated to be worth $19 billion by 2018, according to Juniper Research.
