Report : Samsung’s Galaxy Gear Smartwatch To Launch On September 4th
Samsung had admitted that it is working on a smart watch, and we’ve seen evidence that it is going to take on the name Galaxy Gear. Now Bloomberg reports that Samsung’s long-rumored Galaxy Gear smartwatch is a “wristwatch-like smartphone” that will launch on September 4th. The news source specifically points to the Android-powered device being able to “make phone calls, surf the web, and handle emails.”
Whether the Galaxy Gear will be mainly a companion accessory to Samsung smartphones, or work with all Android devices, remains to be seen, but we’re betting the former. Since Samsung has such a huge lead in the Android market anyway, it wouldn’t do much harm to limit it to the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note family, and the Korean OEM could invoke private APIs for increased functionality.
Earlier this year, Sony debuted its SmartWatch 2, an improved version of the problematic timepiece from a couple of years ago. Though the SmartWatch 2 looks to be a huge improvement over the first generation model, it still tries to fit typical Android functionality onto a small screen. Samsung’s Galaxy Gear needs to make Android invisible in order to be effective, while retaining the information- and customization-dense nature of the operating system. Similarly, Samsung would do well to ensure optimal battery life, either by using a low-power OLED display (perhaps of the flexible variety) or, like Pebble, an e-paper variant.
The device will be unveiled Sept. 4, two days before the IFA consumer electronics show begins in Berlin, one of the people said, asking not to be identified because the plans are private.
[Via]
