Items tagged with Galaxy-Gear
We don’t know much about Microsoft’s smartwatch efforts beyond the assumption that the company is surely making one if for no other reason than all of its competitors are, but a patent application granted to Microsoft a few days ago gives us a number of clues as to what its smartwatch will be like. First, according to the drawings, the smartwatch looks quite nice. The face is flush with the surface of the watchband so you wouldn’t snag it on clothing or gear. Further, the device itself--which boils down to a tiny, square computer with a built-in display--is removable from the watchband. In a sense, the watchband is a kind of dock, and the watch affixes to it with magnets and...
Read more...
Samsung is rumored to be developing a standalone version of its Galaxy Gear smartwatch called the “Gear Solo”, which would actually feature a USIM card and thus allow the device to make and receive calls without needing to be paired with a smartphone. One of the complaints, legitimate or not, about most smartwatches is that they’re effectively expensive, fancy accessories for smartphones. Sure, it’s really something to be able to get your notifications, answer phone calls, and see the weather on your wrist, but you still have to have a smartphone in your pocket. Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 A standalone device makes a great deal of sense. The Korea Herald reported that the Gear...
Read more...
It’s expected that the next generation of Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatches will land when the impending Samsung Galaxy S5 does--most likely at MWC this month--and some leaked photos would lend credence to that rumor. Evleaks has dug up a couple of images of the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 Neo (which is actually probably just the “Galaxy Gear Neo”) smartwatches. Unfortunately there are really no accompanying leaked details to speak of, so we’ll have to get by just by staring at the photos. Credit: Evleaks One major difference is that there appear to be a physical button below the displays of both smartwatches, as well as something else above--are...
Read more...
In a report noting that LG is planning to roll out fingerprint recognition technology for the G3 smartphone, the Korean Herald also said that the company has a couple of wearable computing products in the pipeline, too. Specifically, the report states that LG is developing the G-Arch smartwatch and the G-Health fitness wristband, and like the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch (pictured, inset), the devices will supposedly only sync with certain devices--in this case, the LG G3. LG's wearables should pair with the LG G3, successor to the LG G2 (pictured, review here) LG has confirmed that at least one wearable device is in the offing, although it has not offered any further commentary on the rumors....
Read more...
Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch was the company’s big foray into wearable tech, but Samsung isn’t satisfied; it may be invading the fitness market, too, impinging upon territory currently occupied by the likes of Nike’s FuelBand and FitBit. According to Korean site DDaily, Samsung is planning to roll out a wrist-mounted device called the Galaxy Band in Q4 2014. The Galaxy Band will have a number of sensors to detect movement, pressure, humidity, route guidance, and so on. The rumored Galaxy Band would compete with the likes of the FitBit Force, shown above The device should connect to your smartphone via Bluetooth, although if the Galaxy Gear rollout is any indication,...
Read more...
Although owners of the new-ish Samsung Galaxy S4 may still be swooning over the popular smartphone, the successor to Samsung’s flagship phone is already in the works. A new report has emerged that pegs the Samsung Galaxy S5’s release for March of 2014, with mass production beginning in January. It will come in two variants, one with an aluminum and a bendable OLED display, and another sporting the same sort of plastic body we’re used to seeing from Samsung. Other reports indicate that the aluminum S5 will rock a 64-bit Exynos processor while the plastic version will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor inside. Samsung Galaxy S4, about to be supplanted The device is also rumored...
Read more...
It seems that every company is getting on board the smartwatch bandwagon these days. There are several on the market already of course, and offerings from industry behemoths such as Google and Apple appear to be just a matter of time at this point. Not to be left behind, China’s ZTE told the WSJ that it will have its own smartwatch hitting the market in the second quarter of 2014. The smartwatch either doesn’t have a name yet or the company isn’t sharing it, but in any case the target market segment is mainstream as ZTE wants to offer it for less than the Samsung Galaxy Gear is going for. Even so, ZTE wants to offer a similar feature set as more expensive options. ZTE's competition...
Read more...
That didn’t take long. Less than a month after the Galaxy Gear smartwatch launched on carriers with the the Galaxy Note 3 as its only partner, Samsung announced that an upcoming Premium Suite software update will allow the Galaxy Gear to play nicely with several other handsets, most notably the Galaxy S4. The list also includes the Galaxy Note II and Galaxy S III, which will see the rollout of the new software starting today, and the Galaxy S4 Active, Galaxy S4 mini, and Galaxy Mega phablet will get it in the coming months. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 In addition to substantially expanding Galaxy Gear compatibility, the software update will bring Android 4.3 and Easy Mode, Multi Window, “advanced...
Read more...
Not that it’s much of a surprise, but Samsung is developing a device of its own to compete with Google Glass. According to images pulled from a patent filing in Korea, the so-called “sports glasses”, or smart glasses, look quite a bit like Google Glass, right down to the HMD, side buttons (which could be touchpads), and transparent lenses. The specs will reportedly have integrated earphones, and users will be able to listen to music, field phone calls, and more. There’s also an odd plug system with wires extending from both sides of the earpieces and connecting in the middle. Credit: The Verge The device appears to be designed to pair with a smartphone not unlike Samsung’s...
Read more...
Samsung announced the “mini” version of its hugely popular Galaxy S4 smartphone, the Galaxy S4 mini, back in May, and you can finally grab your own starting in November from the usual suspects--AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile. In short order, the S4 mini will also be compatible with the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. There’s really nothing miniature about this handset, though; although it’s smaller than the S4, the display is still 4.3 inches (qHD Super AMOLED, 960 X 540). In addition to running Android 4.3.3 Jelly Bean, the S4 mini sports a dual-core 1.7GHz processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of onboard storage (with a microSD slot), 8MP autofocus camera with LEd flash and...
Read more...
The 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will be available on Sprint as of October 4th, as will its companion device, the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. Customers can also take advantage of Sprint’s My Way or My All-in wireless plans, which offer unlimited talk, text, and data for the life of the line of of service. My Way starts at $65 per month. The devices will begin shipping from AT&T and T-Mobile as of October 1st, and Verizon promises to ship by October 10th. Preorders have been and continue to be open, so you can get in line for your devices for the next week or so. The Galaxy Note 3 runs Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean) and will be available in white or black, while the Galaxy Gear will come in...
Read more...
The smartwatch market appears to be getting a bit saturated, even as most of the entrants haven’t yet actually released a real device. Still, as Samsung unveiled its Galaxy Gear smartwatch, so did Qualcomm surprisingly announce its own bit of wrist hardware with a curious device called Toq. The Qualcomm Toq will rock the Mirasol reflective display, which “leverages the light around it so you can see your screen anywhere, even in bright sunlight”, so says the website, and it’s designed to use an incredibly small amount of power. The always-on color screen has touch capabilities, as well. There are no buttons on the Toq, not even an on/off switch, which makes its function...
Read more...
The smartwatch race heated up today in a big way, as Samsung showed its Galaxy Gear smartwatch at the Samsung Unpacked event in Berlin. Among the many, many smartwatches currently on the market or soon to be hitting the market, Samsung’s take on such a device has been eagerly anticipated. Now that we’ve been given the details, it seems the anticipation was warranted. Samsung announced the Galaxy Gear as a companion to the new Galaxy Note 3--and really, any Galaxy devices. The Gear lets users make and receive calls hands-free with the built-in speaker, and it notifies you of any incoming texts, emails, and alerts and gives you a preview of whatever’s coming through. A Smart Relay...
Read more...
Pretty much everybody is working on a smartwatch these days--no seriously, it’s a veritable smartwatch jamboree out there--and although some have already become a Real Thing, such as the Pebble smartwatch and Sony’s SmartWatch2 (pictured), most are still under development. However, according to Bloomberg’s multiple sources, Samsung is planning to announce its smartwatch on September 4th, ahead of IFA in Berlin. The device will be called the Samsung Galaxy Gear and will run the Android operating system. Sony SmartWatch 2 Ostensibly, the Galaxy Gear will allow users to browse the Internet, make phone calls, and use email; thus, it seems that it may act as a standalone device as...
Read more...
