Android Wear 2.0 and standalone apps expected February 2017

Google has announced the upcoming release of its Android Wear 2.0 smartwatch operating system early in February in an email to developers. Initially expected in fall 2016, this OS update is packed with new functions for owners of recent generations of compatible smartwatches. 

The key new feature is the arrival of standalone applications, which can be installed directly on the wearable and function without connection to a smartphone. There won't be many of these apps available to try when Android Wear 2.0 launches, but they promise to be particularly useful, with Foursquare (location-based recommendations), Glide (video messaging) and Lifesum (health).