Timepieces Just Got A Makeover! Samsung Unveils Galaxy Gear Smartwatch

onnaedo

October 16, 2013 7:31 AM

Its here! The rumours have finally been laid to rest as tech giants, Samsung yesterday revealed their latest flagship product, a Galaxy Gear Smartwatch. The device which has been touted as a companion for the latest smartphone-tablet, Galaxy Note 3 will go on sale from the 25th of September and will sell for $299 (N36,640).

Among some of the Galaxy Gear Smartwatch features are a 1.6 inch screen, a 1.9 megapixel camera embedded in the strap, a built-in speaker to enable hands-free calls and a weight of 0.07 kg.

On the flip side though, the Galaxy Gear Smartwatch is only limited to working with Samsung devices (it is not yet compatible with the Galaxy S4 though Samsung says its working on that), specifically the Galaxy Note 3 for which its been touted as its companion. Thus, users who buy both devices (the Galaxy Gear Smartwatch and theGalaxy Note 3)will be able to read messages, check the weather and take photos on the smartwatch, which will be synchronized to the smartphone and will run on Android software.

The Galaxy Gear Smartwatch comes preloadedwith 60 apps, including a step-counting pedometer and S Voice, a voice-activated app not unlike Apple's Siri. It will not however be able to conduct complex tasks like composing emails or downloading music and also requires a separate battery charger.

Speaking at the launch of the event at Berlin, J.K. Shin, Head of Samsung's Mobile Communications Business proclaimed the Galaxy Gear Smartwatch not just a cool device but one that would become a new fashion icon around the world, stating that the device could eventually pave the way for the smartwatch to become a part of daily life, not unlike the smartphone which was once seen as a niche luxury product before it broke into the mainstream market.

The Galaxy Gear is Samsung's first smartwatch although it had earlier released the SPH-WP10 watch phone in 1999 and another watch phone target at the European market in 2009. Both devices were poorly received. Meanwhile Qualcomm inc revealed plans to ship new colour-display smart watches while Sony had earlier in the year unveiled its line of smart watches which will begin to sell this month. Apple is also strongly believed to have a line of smart watched dubbed iWatch in store.

So, what do you think about the burgeoning smart watch trend, do you think it will be as successful as the smart phone? Plus would you like to own a smart watch?

onnaedo