Smartwatches may not have taken off like companies were hoping, but they have come quite far in terms of what they can offer and what sorts of features are available for the many different models of smartwatches that are out there. Even with the updated functionality of options like Samsung’s Gear S lineup and Android Wear platforms, though, smartwatches can still feel a little bit limiting, and part of this undoubtedly includes the reason that the operating systems aren’t as open as platforms like Android. That is now changing thanks to a platform called AsteroidOS which is an open source operating system for smartwatches.
What AsteroidOS seeks to do is help users “hack their wrists.” The OS is now available in the very first Alpha stage, and while you can already install the software, it’s an Alpha, so that means there will be some bugs and things that may just generally not work quite right, at least for now. There are also only four devices that it currently supports, all of which are smartwatches that are somewhat older. The compatibility list includes the LG G Watch, the LG Watch Urbane, the Sony Smartwatch 3, and the ASUS ZenWatch 2. That being said, it is possible that AsteroidOS could be ported to other smartwatches, and there is even a porting status page to alert users to whether or not their particular smartwatch has already been used to test if AsteroidOS would work with that model, and a porting guide to help those who are interested in doing so, port the operating system over to their preferred device.
Another thing to consider is that since this is in an Alpha stage, the first Alpha at that, there isn’t a whole lot that AsteroidOS can actually do. Yet. That should change in the future as it’s been worked on more and it has had time to evolve into a more stable and robust offering, but for now you’ll only find some functionality available with features like a calculator, an alarm clock, a music player, weather, settings, a stopwatch, and a couple of other features. The beauty of this project though is that AsteroidOS is being touted as modular, meaning that users will have a in-depth ability to tweak the operating system how they see fit, which could ultimately lead to more features that aren’t there currently. In the end, AsteroidOS could be a promising option to livening up your smartwatch if you feel that it should be more open.
