14 DAY TRIAL // Smartwatches are currently a very hyped category in tech, but even as a lot of people talk and debate about them, not so many customers hurry to retail to pick one up.
One of the problems with smartwatches is that they are designed to be a smartphone companion of sorts, so they are rendered useless in the absence of a mobile device to be paired with.
However, as we have told you today, Samsung is planning to revitalize the category by introducing a smartwatch that’s capable of functioning as a standalone device. It can even be possible that the upcoming Sammy watch will be able to take on most of the chores thatyour smartphone was subjected to, like placing phone calls.
However, would transferring the smartphone from your pocket to your wrist be enough to send smartwatches mainstream?
The watch will reportedly be able to take photos (a pretty useless feature in a smartwatch, if you ask us), send emails and come with GPS and heard monitor.
The device will probably use Samsung’s Tizen operating system, because as we know, Google has already announced that Android Wear is for notifications, not applications per se. And if the new Samsung smartwatch is going to act as a standalone device, it should be able to run standalone applications.
But some important details are being left out in the reports concerning this piece of technology. For starters, will Samsung be able to maintain a decent size so that the phone-capable smartwatch could still be worn around the wrist?
Today’s Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo can’t be called exactly bulky, but they lack a certain style and finesse. That’s why Sammy’s latest wearable timepieces might not appeal to the ladies so much (the Gear Fit might, on the other hand).
There are few major problems that Samsung will need to figure out before moving towards releasing a phone-capable smartwatch to the masses. For example, how exactly will the device make calls, will Bluetooth speakers be required?
Will battery life see a drastic downfall? How will the data plans be sorted with existing contacts and so on?
Bottom line, is such a smartwatch really worth the trouble? Are customers ready to abandon their smartphones, which are getting increasingly bigger and wider screens to get back to a device with a tiny screen?
Surely, some of you geeks might have been dreaming of a Dick Tracy watch since forever, but that still doesn’t mean that the phone-capable smartwatch would be more than a niche product appealing to comic fans.
On top of that, there’s the issue of pricing. Samsung currently sells the Gear 2 for $299 / €219, which can be considered quite a lot in some circles. For the same amount of money, customers could go out and purchase quite a capable smartphone. Surely, a smartwatch with calling capabilities would cost even more.
However, if Samsung manages to shrink down the device at effective levels, users could take a liking to the concept of having a portable, small bracelet that can fulfill the capabilities of their smartphone.