Does Microsoft have a similar SDK?

[jleebiker]

Google eyes Android for wearables: A look at the challenges | ZDNet

I'm not an expert dev by any stretch of the imagination. I've got the tools, but for the life of me, haven't had the time to explore all the features. My concern is that with the release of this SDK, isn't it going to make it easier for people to create Droid based apps for wearable tech? That's the hot thing right now and it seems Google has a plan and is putting efforts towards capitalizing on what is hot. Does Microsoft have something similar? Thanks.

 

[badplanet]

Right now MS has the .net micro framework that runs on a compact version of Windows CE. The Agent smart watch is supposed to use it but we do not know when that will be launched.

So far MS does not provide any support for any smart watch and in fact makes it about impossible to use one with WP8. I know because I wrote the first and second WP8 apps for the Pebble smart watch. MS manages to block devs at every corner from providing apps that could make WP8 a viable platform for smart watches or other wearable tech. You would think they might have seen something in the tech news about wearable tech like the Pebble, Samsung Gear or Google Glasses. But nothing, nada, no where. Silence.....

Need the app to run in the background to send notifications to a smart watch. You can't do that!
Need to intercept caller-id info to send to a smart watch. You can't do that!
Need to intercept SMS to send to a smart watch. You can't do that!
Need to intercept email info to send to a smart watch. You can't do that!
And many, many more...

Can't let a user be insecure like that IOS and Android mess. Very frustrating...

Anyway maybe, just maybe, WP8.1 will open the door a crack and offer devs some way to do some of these things. Otherwise we will be watching the party from our safe secure shelter.

 

[tgp]

Need the app to run in the background to send notifications to a smart watch. You can't do that!
Need to intercept caller-id info to send to a smart watch. You can't do that!
Need to intercept SMS to send to a smart watch. You can't do that!
Need to intercept email info to send to a smart watch. You can't do that!
And many, many more...

Can't let a user be insecure like that IOS and Android mess. Very frustrating...

The balance between functionality & security has to be determined. But where is that line?

In these examples though from WP, is it because of security, or is it due to OS immaturity?

 

[DaT Franchise]

This is why WP will fail, but then why would they care when they have x86 that the world depends on.

 

[badplanet]

I realize Android is an anything goes platform but since MS has a pretty through review process and you need to get special approval for so many things like connecting to the Pebble or connecting to Twitter you would think they would have a way or a process for getting the needed access. IOS has a notorious review process but you can use many smart watches and fitness bracelets with that platform.

 

[DaT Franchise]

Ok so then why doesn't MS make those types of apps themselves?

 

[badplanet]

I don't see MS supporting other companies specialized hardware and protocols for such a small market. This is a perfect thing for a 3rd party dev to do. It is too small for MS and even too small for the device manufacturers (Pebble, Gear, Google Glass). They can focus on the very small 4% of WP8 users or the 94% of Android and IOS users.

This is probably even too small for Rudy. He smartly puts his efforts into big apps for big services with wide reach. If you take what a company pays a developer to work on LOB apps I do not ever expect to get back even 20% of my effort to create the first 2 apps.

 

[DaT Franchise]

Ok I can understand that but it does it through blue tooth correct? The smart watch that is.

 

[badplanet]

Ok I can understand that but it does it through blue tooth correct? The smart watch that is.

Yes the smart watch and the phone talk over Bluetooth.

 

[DaT Franchise]

Ok so if that's the case then why is it so hard to get them to work with a windows phone when it will work with blue tooth keyboards, speakers, headset, things like that?? That has nothing to do with an app at all

 

[badplanet]

The problem is apps for WP8 are not allowed to run in the background, intercept phone call caller ID, SMS or email. Without those capabilities a smart watch is mostly useless. The Bluetooth works fine between the Pebble and WP.

 

[DaT Franchise]

Ahhh ok I follow you now. So what few apps that are allowed to do so I take it the developers have major hoops to jump through and it takes forever??