Nexus Smartwatch Price, Release Date: Android-Powered Smartwatch Maker Silently Acquired By Google, Wearable Device In The Works?

Nexus Smartwach price and release date may not be a presumptuous idea. Earlier this year, the Financial Times has reported that such a wearable gadget could come from Google by the end of 2013.

According to Giga OM, Google silently acquired WIMM Labs, a company who in 2011 released the WIMM One smartwatch. The device is a an Android-powered wearable gadget that was launched in November of that year for $299.

Android Community reported that immediately after the announcement and release of the WIMM One smartwatch, the entire WIMM team went silent. GigaOM repored that the entire company went silent because of an exclusive and confidential relationship with Google. The 14-month time-frame of WIMM being acquired and staying silent signals that the two companies may be working on a wearable gadget that could rival the recently launched Samsung Galaxy Gear as well as Kickstarter darling, Pebble.

Phandroid.com reported that many tech buffs speculated that it was Apple that had bought WIMM but this was later debunked to be nothing but a rumor. According to reports, a good lot of the original WIMM team stayed on after acquisition to keep working with Google and their LinkedIn profiles gave away the change in employers. Google also got to wrap their fingers around the domain smartwatch.com.

The wearable gadget category is heating up thanks to the advent of smartwatches and the AR lens, Google Glass. If in case Google releases its own version of a smartwatch, it will have two wearable devices under its belt – the Google Glass and the smartwatch.

This new market segment has been dubbed by the Guardian as the “war for the wrist.” Apple was recently in the news as well for trademarking the word iWatch in Japan and Russia.