Google Assistant has new UI for Wear OS; Nothing ear (1) can now access assistants

Let's take some time to discuss digital assistants and wearables because this combination is in the news today. On Tuesday, Google announced a new redesign for Google Assistant on Wear OS. According to 9to5Google, launching Google Assistant on Wear OS will show a screen that reads, "Hi, how can I help?" as four different colored lights appear at the bottom of the display (Blue, Red, Yellow, and Green).

The Google Assistant logo appears briefly at the top of the display before it fades from view. There are some similarities to the new Google Assistant UI found only on Pixel handsets. In addition to the new look of Google Assistant on Wear OS, Google says that the digital assistant has a "faster than ever response times on your watch."

To promote the use of Google Assistant on wearables, the company points out that you can "ask Google to help set a timer while cooking, stay on top of your appointments by asking your calendar what's next, or playing your favorite music." The search giant says that the new Assistant UI will eventually be available for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic by downloading the app from the Google Play Store.

The current version of Google Assistant is part of the Google app which is not available on any Samsung wearable device. Google did not reveal when it might push out the new Google Assistant to other Wear OS devices in addition to the Galaxy Watch 4 timepieces.

Speaking of Wear OS, Google says that all devices using the operating system will be able to stream tunes from YouTube Music over Wi-Fi or cellular instead of first requiring that the audio be downloaded before a playback.

According to Gizmodo, there is some more news to discuss relasted to wearables and digital assistants. You might recall that last summer, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei's new Nothing venture released its first product, the Nothing ear (1). These wireless earbuds, priced at $99, work with both iOS and Android devices.

One thing that the ear (1) didn't have when launched was a way to access a digital assistant. But a new firmware update gives ear (1) wearers a way to access Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant. But unlike the earbuds offered by competitors like Apple, Google, and Samsung, ear (1) users can't use a wake word to activate the digital assistants.

This means that accessing a digital assistant will require Nothing ear (1) user to triple tap on the left or right bud to open the assistant. This eliminates the use of a triple tap on one bud to move ahead, and a triple tap on the other bud to jump back into a playlist.