At The Verge's own launch party in 2012, we saw the device that was to become Android Wear 2.0 — a smartwatch based on Google's wearable technology with an edge-to (edge) display and Qualcomm's Snapdr

agons built in. A year later, our new readers got their hands onto one of these devices before it became available again as Watch Urbane 3. "The first time I used my wristband," said Ericsson senior product manager David Lutz, "I felt like this thing had moved into reality." And so did millions around world. This isn't just some fad; now there are even watch brands pushing its boundaries: Apple is rumored by many industry observers still working out how best they can use virtual selfie apps such not only for promoting iPhone purchases but also allowing them at least partially to run iOS 8 software over any phone without needing to upgrade or swap hardware altogether. There have been reports from several top manufacturers claiming sales growth rates approaching 200 percent since 2011 through February 2014 alone because users find ways outside of normal activity using wearables both online -- iMessageing via Facebook messenger has gone up 300% versus 2010 levels -and offline--for more direct communication than ever ...

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