Over the last few months our Android team has been getting ready for the launch of Android Wear 2.0. The Mapbox Android SDK includes full support for Android Wear 2.0 and is designed for the unique needs of wearable users. We can’t wait to see what wearable developers come up with.
Powering the Casio WSD-F20 smart outdoor watch
One of the wearables using Mapbox on Android Wear 2.0 is Casio’s upcoming Smart Outdoor Watch.
The PRO TREK Smart WSD-F20, due to come out in April, is Casio’s second smart watch. It runs on Android Wear 2.0 and is equipped with low-power GPS and richly-designed and easy-to-read map data from Mapbox. These maps can be downloaded in advance and used without any kind of cellular or internet connection. With the WSD-F20, people will be able to customize the watch’s map style based on the outdoor activity of their choice, such as trekking, cycling, fishing, winter sports, and watersports.
Additionally, people can add markers and text to the maps to show the locations that matter most to them, like a great viewpoint on a hike or a good fishing spot.
Offline first
Outdoor explorers often rely on wearables, especially when they are in remote backcountry areas. Developers want to provide the best user experience even when there’s limited or non-existent network connectivity.
In addition to offline mapping, all of the regular features of Mapbox’s Android SDK are available on Android Wear 2.0. That means you can map with any of our predefined styles (streets, dark, light, outdoors, satellite, and satellite streets) or create your own style.
See our documentation for an example on how to download a map for offline use.
Try it today
We’ve also updated our Android Demo App to support Android Wear devices, so download it today from the Play Store to start using our maps on your wrist. As usual, we’ve open-sourced the code for the new wearable module.