Samsung announced it’s first wearable device, the Galaxy Gear smartwatch at the Unpacked Event 2013 Episode 2. After much speculation and rumors, the final product does not really resemble what we are expecting. I mean previous leaked image suggests a huge smartwatch. But Samsung showed us a more watch-like design, which is actually wearable.
The device features :
- 1.63 inch 320 x 320 resolution AMOLED touchscreen
- 800MHz processor
- 512MB of RAM
- 4GB of storage
- 1.9 megapixel camera on the strap which can record 720p videos
- voice control
- built in microphone and speaker for phone calls
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 315mAh battery (which can provide up to one day of normal use)
The Galaxy Gear is not a phone by itself, requiring a Bluetooth 4.0 connection to do most of it’s connected work. It is a companion and compatible to the newly announced Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Tab 10.1 2014 model. Samsung mentioned that software updates for the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3 as well as the Galaxy Note 2 is in the works for compatibility to be released in phases starting from October 2013.
Convenience is the main reason of having the Galaxy Gear. Being a companion of the Galaxy smartphone, user saves the hassle of constantly taking out the phone for simple tasks like texts, emails, calls and even social messages that can be easily read or dismissed at a touch. It comes with Smart Relay feature where users can view the message in detail by turning on the phone and continue from where they left off from the Gear.
Another great functionality is the build in microphone and speaker which will allow user to make phone calls. When being called, user just simply raise the watch to ear and start chatting.
Basic onboard apps include a pedometer app that tracks movements and reports it back to the Galaxy Note 3 and the ability to find your phone by making it beep, vibrate and illuminate. Samsung said there are over 70 apps to choose from at the moment, to be installed via the Galaxy Gear Manager app on the phone.
The Samsung Galaxy Gear will be on sale from September 25 with a price tag of $299.
