LG cancels its Android Wear smartwatch with LTE support

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By Larry Banks

Electronics giant LG has just revealed that it’s due to cancel its Watch Urbane second edition, the first Android Wear-based smartwatch that was set to offer cellular connectivity. The reason claimed was an unspecified hardware problem.

Android Police heard from the company recently, and noted that it’s cancelling the rollout, and there is no word yet whether the device will be available at a later date.

LG Watch Urbane 2nd edition cancelled

We understand that you are currently reviewing our latest smartwatch; however, late in the quality assurance process for the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE, our engineers were made aware of a hardware issue which affects the day-to-day functionality of the device. After further investigation, the decision was made to cancel the rollout of the Urbane 2nd Edition LTE due to the complicated nature of the issue.Whether the device will be available in the future will be decided at a later time. For now, our top priority is to ensure that only products that meet our very specific quality standards are available for purchase.

The device, which was first shown off in October, went on sale in the US and South Korea earlier this month. It was the first Android Wear watch that had LTE / 4G support, and a 348 ppi display that was sharper than any other smartwatch.

The LG device also became available via AT&T for $199 las week but has now been removed from the mobile operator’s store. 9to5Google also notes that AT&T has notified its retail stores and customers, that owners of the device are eligible for a refund due to a “quality issue”.

The withdrawal of the Watch Urbane second edition is a blow to Android Wear. The ability to support cellular connectivity was a one-up over the Apple Watch. Other Android Wear device companies will surely make a stab at a new Android Wear watch that supports a mobile connection, but they’d be well advised to ensure no such issues arise in future.

SOURCE: TheNextWeb.

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