Google's MODE bands make it easier to switch up styles on Android Wear
Android Wear smartwatches are all over the place when it comes to style. Google's making it easier to swap bands with its new MODE watch bands.
MODE watch bands use a "snap-and-go" mechanism that lets you quickly attach and detach bands from your Android Wear smartwatch. (The bands also work on regular watches.) Third-party companies are free to use the MODE mechanism and branding, so long as it meets Google's reliability testing and guidelines.
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It's nowhere near as elegant of a watch band mechanism as the Apple Watch's, but switching between bands is definitely quicker.
MODE watch bands will work with any Android Wear smartwatch with proper lugs and pins (Asus ZenWatch 2, Huawei Watch, Moto 360 2nd-gen). Each MODE band includes a pin tool and two adjustable pins that can retract and stretch to fit 16mm, 18mm, 20mm and 22mm lugs.
While the pins are adjustable, the watchbands themselves are not. A 22mm-wide band will obviously not fit into a smartwatch with a 16mm-wide lugs. Conversely, a 16mm band will be loose on a 22mm band with space between the lugs and the band.
Google sent over two kinds of MODE bands by Hadley Roma, a 103-year-old American watch attachment company, for us to check out.
One was a $50 silicone band with a stainless steel buckle. It's, well, rubbery, to say the least. It'll be available in four sizes and 16 different colors. The silicone band is well-suited for when you're out running, hitting the gym or any activity where you'll likely sweat all over it.
The other band was a $60 leather band. It'll also come in four sizes and 16 colors. It's better paired with a dressier outfit like a suit. I don't love the leather band -- it feels cheap -- but you may feel differently.
Hadley Roma's MODE watchbands are on the pricey side and don't exactly look or feel very premium. Hopefully, other companies will take the MODE design and produce some more high-quality bands.
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Topics Google Smartwatches
Raymond Wong is Mashable's Senior Tech Correspondent. He reviews gadgets and tech toys and analyzes the tech industry. Raymond's also a bit of a camera geek, gamer, and fine chocolate lover. Before arriving at Mashable, he was the Deputy Editor of NBC Universal's tech publication DVICE. His writing has appeared on G4TV, BGR, Yahoo and Ubergizmo, to name a few. You can follow Raymond on Twitter @raywongy or Instagram @sourlemons.
