With Android Wear just being updated to support smartwatches with integrated LTE and allow for the carriers’ new number sharing ability, it seemed that everything was primed and set for the launch of the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition. In fact, AT&T began selling the wearable last Friday and Verizon was planning to launch sales today. Well that was the plan at least; LG has pulled the device from all retail stores and has instructed AT&T to offer purchasers a full refund. It is not clear what the issue is, but it must be serious to prompt such a large reshuffle at launch. All LG is disclosing is that there is “a hardware issue which affects the day-to-day functionality of the device.”
There is no word on when the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition might return to the market and it is entirely possible that LG might scrap the watch all together. This is a big blow to customers looking for a smartwatch that sheds the usually-required Bluetooth connection. Not only is the LG smartwatch the first Android Wear device with a built in cellular connection, there are no rumors of any manufacturer releasing a similar Android based wearable. From a quality standpoint, it is surprising that such a serious issue was found so late. Surely the device had been strenuously tested to identify any problems before LG began shipping tens of thousands of units to stores. If it is truly a “day-to-day” issue, how could it not have been caught? Certainly makes us think that LG hastily rushed the Watch Urbane 2 out the door just to make it to market for the holidays.
