Samsung launches Galaxy Gear smart watch - ZDNet.nl

Summary: Samsung kept his word and presented at IFA Unpacked event on the long-awaited Galaxy Gear, an extension of your smartphone

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After five minutes in the press conference he was on the screen. A stylish stainless steel watch with a relatively small color screen. No exotic flexible AMOLED screen, just a classic screen. Disappointed? Not determined.

Bit elegant

advance I gave them a penny Samsung ‘smart watch’ could make without flexible AMOLED screen. such a beautiful After watching the presentation and an “arms-on test, I have to slightly revise my opinion. Granted, it’s not a super slim device that you barely see your wrist. You see the Galaxy Gear clear, but that it was implemented, so elegant is not all that bad.

Does the geeky? Anyway, but the threshold is in any case lower than I had expected. The Gear is literally an extension of your Galaxy smartphone. Incoming calls can record your alarm, read messages, etc.

Smart gestures

How does it all work? You swipet from left to right through the items, and tap the screen to go further in the menu. To return to the main menu, drag from top to bottom.

addition your smartphone also understand what you do with your Galaxy Gear. When you get an email in, you can tap on your Gear who has sent something. Then take your smartphone out of your pocket, and the mail is already open automatically. Same with your calendar, contacts or weather report.

Memographer

Samsung loves marketing terms, but the Memographer really beats everything. By this they mean the integrated 1.9 megapixel camera on the front of the gear. With a simple drag upward movement you directly open the camera app, and you can draw pictures directly. The quality is worse than a pack of your smartphone, but when time is important, do you prefer a photo than none. See what affect this has on privacy.

You can

taken photos and videos to share with everyone at once, the Gear itself. Your social networks will therefore still get fuller, whether or not with poor quality pictures.

Gadget

It all has a high content gadget that Gear. You can, for example, a phone with recording to continue. With your arm to your ear At the bottom of the watch is namely a microphone and speaker. You’re undoubtedly a monkey when you do this, but it is a great idea.

according to Samsung already a lot of apps optimized for the special gear, but during the presentation showed only three examples. Enter for active users with their many walking / health apps. There is also a gyro sensor, accelerometer and pedo meters.

Ideal screen size

Where everyone feared, is all in all great. The 1.63 inch screen size (320 x 320) is fine to do around your wrist, without feeling too small or too large. He looks great out because of the solid border around. The Super AMOLED screen ensures that the autonomy still quite that bad: 25 hours Gear sings it out before you can recharge it again. The 800 MHz single core processor to ensure that everything continues to run smoothly.

There, the surprise is on the table. It is still too early to judge what this smart watch has future, but the looks and technology seem to sit well. But … not everyone can get to work. You have one of the following devices needed: Galaxy S3, S4, Note II, Note 3 and Note 10.1 2014 Edition. It means that you have a device with Android 4.3 need. Hopefully Samsung expands the list quickly.

There is as yet no known release date for the Benelux, but a potential price: 299 euros. Available in bronze, black, orange, white, yellow-green or gray.

Specifications:

• 1.63 inch Super AMOLED (320 x 320)
• 512 MB RAM
• 800 MHz single core
• 1.9 MP camera
• HD (720p) recording
• 4 GB storage capacity
• 73.8 grams
• 315 mAh