14 DAY TRIAL // In a curious move, it appears LG and Samsung had a meeting together and decided they should both launch their new smartwatches today, in anticipation of the IFA 2014 trade show that will begin in Berlin next week.
The rumored Gear 3 finally has a name. Say hello to the Samsung Gear S, which arrives with a curved display, but not a round face, as many of you might have hoped.
Don’t worry, the round smartwatch is still in the pipeline, but we’ll probably have to wait a little while before the device makes an appearance into the real world. So we should focus on the new Gear S for the time being.
Like LG, Samsung needed only two months to launch another smartwatch. Back at the Google I/O 2014, the Korean tech giant rolled out its first Android Wear effort, the Gear Live.
But the Gear S no longer takes Google’s own out for a spin. We’re going back to the basic, so like the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, the Gear S runs Samsung’s own Tizen platform. This might be a disappointment to some, but let us walk you through the entire spec list before you get any ideas.
Notably, the Gear S arrives equipped with 3G connectivity, meaning users can go ahead and use it as a standalone device to make phone calls right from your wrist.
The Gear S has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, so if you feel like leaving your smartphone at home while you go for a run, you might as well do that, because you’re completely covered.
The watch has a 2-inch Super AMOLED display with a curved design, which will align itself nicely with the wearer’s wrist contour. It gets its power from a dual-core 1.0GHz processor (unnamed) fitted with 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal memory.
As for the fitness part, the Gear S is equipped with a host of sensors, has built-in GPS and a lot of S Health features. More than that, it comes with the Nike+ Running app pre-installed, so you can track and sort your running activities on the go, without having to use a smartphone.
If you don’t want a smartwatch to go around your wrist, Samsung also launches today the Samsung Gear Circle, which is a wearable headpiece / neckpiece of sorts. It comes equipped with Bluetooth connection and it can be used to retrieve calls, listen to music or make voice commands. The wearable also vibrates when you receive a notification. Check it out in our gallery.
The two products will become available for purchase starting this October.
