LG pulls new smartwatch from sale

LG has decided to remove it's recently released Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE smartwatch from sale due to a major issue.

The line has been cancelled completely, just hours before it was set to go on sale in the States. The new came in an official communication from LG, which went to outlets who were currently reviewing the smartwatch ahead of its launch. Android Police posted this:

"We understand that you are currently reviewing our latest smartwatch; however, late in the quality assurance process for the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE, our engineers were made aware of a hardware issue which affects the day-to-day functionality of the device. After further investigation, the decision was made to cancel the rollout of the Urbane 2nd Edition LTE due to the complicated nature of the issue.

Whether the device will be available in the future will be decided at a later time. For now, our top priority is to ensure that only products that meet our very specific quality standards are available for purchase."

That's a pretty definitive message, suggesting that sufficient numbers of the finished devices were faulty enough for the product to be cancelled outright. It's a pretty huge move, especially when you consider how many units must have already been made, and the fact that people had pre-orders in for the last few months.

And it's a shame as well - the new smartwatch was set to be the first Android Wear device with the ability to take a SIM card - meaning users would be able to operate many data functions without the need for a paired smartphone. That would have opened up a lot of new opportunies for wearables, including advanced tracking while running and the ability to make and take calls from the wrist. The Android Wear platform had been updated significantly to make the most of this new technology, paving the way for other such smartwatches in the future.

Hopefully the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition will return in some form. More as we get it.