Google updates Android tech ahead of search engine overhaul

Google has bolstered its smart watch's Android software days before the launch of the Apple Watch, in an effort to defend its share of the wearable gadget market and equip itself for new search engine functionality.

The new Android wear tech will allow users to draw and send emojis and run background applications without a paired smart phone nearby. The features will be available to all seven models of Android Wear watches via downlad, beginning with LG Electronics' Watch Urbane.

“We’re making Android Wear more helpful as well, getting you what you need, right on your wrist,” David Singleton, engineering director for Android Wear, wrote in a blog post Monday.

However, the 720,000 Android Watches shipped through 2014 were dwarfed by Apple's figures; 957,000 Americans pre-ordered the Apple Watch on April 10, the day when pre-ordering became available.

Meanwhile, Google has announced plans to launch a new search algorithm on Tuesday that will optimise results for mobile devices such as smart phones and tablets. "Starting April 21, we’ll use a web page's 'mobile-friendliness' as one of many factors to help rank searches done on mobile devices," a Google spokesperson said.

The move is testimony to the increasing demand of mobile-compatible content and apps.

Research by The Search Agency revealed that only 32 of the FTSE 100 websites automatically adjusted to fit browser windows or device screens, the benchmark of responsive web design. 39 have no mobile-friendly site at all, putting them at risk of plummeting in Google rankings.

Researcher eMarketer predicts that mobile searches will exceed desktop searches in 2015, with the majority of ad spend, organic traffic and paid clicks being generated by mobile devices.