Android Wear was first announced back in Google I/O 2014 and to celebrate the second anniversary, Google is announcing Android Wear 2.0 which includes updated features. The biggest changed with Android Wear 2.0 is that watches can now act independently without the need of a smartphone and apps in particular can now directly utilize the Wi-Fi or LTE modem to get information.

With this new release of Android Wear, Google has streamlined the UI to make it more easier to use. That includes a new way to interact with notifications, particularly, messages. Android Wear 2.0 also includes a new system design that includes Material Design elements and also a new launcher and watch face editor to make the experience more personal. 

Android Wear 2.0 also puts some specific focus on being a standalone wearable with the integration with Google's Fit Platform that enables any Android Wear device to be more like a fitness tracker with automatic activity tracking.

At the moment, Android Wear 2.0 is available for developers only and Google will only push out the official update later this year. Learn more about Android Wear 2.0 in the source link below.