
Samsung recently announced its Galaxy Gear Smartwatch, a wearable device that features a 1.63-inch 320 x 320 resolution AMOLED touchscreen, built-in speakers, and a 1.9-inch megapixel camera in the strap. The device boasts an 800 MHz processor, 4 GB of storage and 512 MB of RAM. The watch supposedly supports voice control with S Voice and is able to make and receive calls and video memos. The device is supposedly designed to be a companion for the Galaxy Note 3 and new Note 10.1, with the ability to notify wearers of text messages and other updates. That being said, it should be noted that it requires a Bluetooth 4.0 connection to work.
The Galaxy Gear isn’t currently compatible with other Samsung devices beyond the Note 3 and 10.1 as it runs Android 4.3 but it will support 70 third-party applications at launch, including popular offerings such as Evernote and Path along with many health oriented apps like RunKeeper and MyFitnessPal. It includes a pedometer to measure fitness levels, an accelerometer and a 315 mAh battery that providers up to one day of regular use, according to Samsung reps that spoke to Engadget.
One of the major things that Apple is supposedly working to overcome with its own iWatch is poor battery life, an issue which is said to currently be in development. In March, a report suggested that Apple has yet to reach its target goal of four to five days of battery life for the device.
The folks over at The Verge went hands-on with the Galaxy Gear criticizing the battery life and found it to be “bulkier” than the Pebble with “a tangible lag.” The following was mentioned regarding the Galaxy Gear:
There are a couple of significant downsides that temper my enthusiasm for the new Gear. First and foremost is the speed and intuitiveness of the user interface — or rather, the lack thereof. There’s a tangible lag to anything you do with the Gear, while the swipe gestures are hard to figure out and do different things depending on where you are in the menus.
Samsung promises "about a day" of endurance from the Gear, but by the end of our briefing with the company, the cameras on most of its demo units were refusing to turn on due to the watches running low on power.
Samsung promises "about a day" of endurance from the Gear, but by the end of our briefing with the company, the cameras on most of its demo units were refusing to turn on due to the watches running low on power.
I believe it will become a new fashion icon around the world.
Source: Samsung via Engadget, The Verge
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