Always a fan of getting to market first with a sleeker product, Apple is possibly scrambling to get their much rumored smartwatch into stores before Google does, and today the Wall Street Journal reports that Google is getting very close. The company is allegedly in "late-stage development" of their smartwatch, and they're in talks in Asia to get the thing mass-produced.

In recent months, Sony and Samsung have both brought their own, relatively simple smartwatches to market, but everyone is anticipating the heavyweights who will likely own the wearable device market if and when they debut useful, good-looking products.

Google's been rumored to be developing such a product since January, and Apple also is widely thought to have their own iWatch in development, possibly using this crazy new bendable glass developed by Corning. And for everyone who loves their iPhone or iPad, there's probably quite a few geeks who'd be happy to integrate an Apple watch into the mix.

The idea is that people are growing tired of pulling out their phones for everything from checking the time to looking up directions, and with Siri you could just talk into your watch, Jetsons-style, and life would be easier and more futuristic.

Google's smartwatch would integrate with Google Now, the computerized personal assistant that can answer questions, make recommendations, and pull in travel information from a person's email, etc.

When it comes to wearable devices, the watch idea is WAY less obnoxious than Google Glass, which we hope never catches on widely and becomes something we laugh about for decades to come.

There's no real timeline set yet, but probably early next year we'll see both products debuting in quick succession.

[WSJ]
[Business Insider]