Category: Samsung Smartwatch

Is the Samsung Gear S2 a worthy competitor to the Apple Watch?

Abe Olandres Leave a comment

Samsung has been making smartwatches and wearables for a couple of years already so they’re ahead of the curve in terms of development compared to Apple which only released their first watch this year. Yet, it seems that Samsung has not found the right formula with the smartwatch — the various iterations and switching from Android Wear to Tizen seems like trial-and-error with a purpose.

Before Apple revealed their own smartwatch, everyone seemed to be looking for the right balance between form and function, and most of the time it’s the form that takes the backseat.

With the Gear S2, it seems like Samsung made extra effort it making their smartwatch a looker. And indeed, the Gear S2 is perhaps the best-looking Android smartwatch we’ve seen — it has that classic look, simple yet elegant.

The Gear S2 is still expensive but not as expensive as the equivalent Apple Watch and it can be used independent of any smartphone. There’s even a 3G version so it can connect to the internet on its own.

Check out this hands-on review by GadgetMatch to get a better feel of the Samsung Gear S2:

The post Is the Samsung Gear S2 a worthy competitor to the Apple Watch? appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.

Is the Samsung Gear S2 a worthy competitor to the Apple Watch?

Abe Olandres Leave a comment

Samsung has been making smartwatches and wearables for a couple of years already so they’re ahead of the curve in terms of development compared to Apple which only released their first watch this year. Yet, it seems that Samsung has not found the right formula with the smartwatch — the various iterations and switching from Android Wear to Tizen seems like trial-and-error with a purpose.

Before Apple revealed their own smartwatch, everyone seemed to be looking for the right balance between form and function, and most of the time it’s the form that takes the backseat.

With the Gear S2, it seems like Samsung made extra effort it making their smartwatch a looker. And indeed, the Gear S2 is perhaps the best-looking Android smartwatch we’ve seen — it has that classic look, simple yet elegant.

The Gear S2 is still expensive but not as expensive as the equivalent Apple Watch and it can be used independent of any smartphone. There’s even a 3G version so it can connect to the internet on its own.

Check out this hands-on review by GadgetMatch to get a better feel of the Samsung Gear S2:

The post Is the Samsung Gear S2 a worthy competitor to the Apple Watch? appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.

Is the Samsung Gear S2 a worthy competitor to the Apple Watch?

Abe Olandres Leave a comment

Samsung has been making smartwatches and wearables for a couple of years already so they’re ahead of the curve in terms of development compared to Apple which only released their first watch this year. Yet, it seems that Samsung has not found the right formula with the smartwatch — the various iterations and switching from Android Wear to Tizen seems like trial-and-error with a purpose.

Before Apple revealed their own smartwatch, everyone seemed to be looking for the right balance between form and function, and most of the time it’s the form that takes the backseat.

With the Gear S2, it seems like Samsung made extra effort it making their smartwatch a looker. And indeed, the Gear S2 is perhaps the best-looking Android smartwatch we’ve seen — it has that classic look, simple yet elegant.

The Gear S2 is still expensive but not as expensive as the equivalent Apple Watch and it can be used independent of any smartphone. There’s even a 3G version so it can connect to the internet on its own.

Check out this hands-on review by GadgetMatch to get a better feel of the Samsung Gear S2:

The post Is the Samsung Gear S2 a worthy competitor to the Apple Watch? appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines News & Tech Reviews.

Hands-on at IFA: Samsung Galaxy Gear

Abe Olandres Leave a comment

Probably the most talked-about device that came out in this year’s Consumer Electronics Unlimited event (IFA) here in Berlin would be the Samsung Galaxy Gear, a companion smartwatch to the Galaxy Note 3.

Considering that the Galaxy Gear isn’t even near the first smartwatch to be introduced as a companion to the smartphone (Sony has had 2 generations of Live View smart watches before and Motorola has the MotoActv), the media and public has huge anticipation and expectation as to what Samsung is going to come up with.

Add to that the wide rumors about Apple getting into the smartwatch market and you get a very hyped-up and eager segment of the public.

Samsung’s Galaxy Gear is an attempt to make a smartwatch that both addresses form and function. This is evident with the use of stainless steel with the face of the watch and a metal band clasp. The strap is made up of some rubber-like polycarbonate mix that’s both tough yet still flexible.

The watch itself is actually an Adroid device, albeit heavily modified so that it shows only the basic features and compatible apps (due to limited screen size). The integrated chip (800MHz processor and 512MB RAM) allows it to power most of its built-in features, like the apps, the camera and the connectivity to an Android smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy Gear specs:
1.63-inch Super AMOLED display @ 320×320 pixels, 278ppi
800MHz Exynos single-core processor
512MB RAM
4GB internal storage
1.9MP BSI camera
720p recording @ 30fps
Bluetooth 4.0
2 microphone, noise canceling
315mAh Li-Ion battery
IP55 rating, water and dust resistant
Android Jellybean

Samsung claims that Galaxy Gear’s 315mAh battery will last for about 25 hours and we guess this is it’s peak performance since it will always be connected/paired with your phone all the time.


Ignore the silver metal clasp near the body of the watch here since it’s just part of the security cord.

Once paired with a Galaxy phone via Bluetooth (they skipped NFC), you’re also able to use the phone fucntions of your Galaxy smartphone — like checking messages, taking calls and making commands on S Voice. Sensors are built into the unit so even the gesture of your hand towards ears activate the “make a call or answer call” function.

The 1.9MP camera is positioned along the strap and facing outwards when you wear the watch. This orientation lets you take photos and videos fairly quick although we learned that video recording is maxed out at 10 seconds only.

The media files are stored into the device’s 4GB internal storage but can be easily transferred to the smartphone storage with a quick handshake or sync.

There are 3 contact pins at the bottom side for charging on the cradle. The watch has an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance but this does not cover submersion into water for any given length of time.

The watch will only be initially compatible with the Galaxy Note 3 and then the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition. With a firmware update, it will later on be compatible with the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note 2 as well.

The Galaxy Gear will be available in 6 color variants — Jet Black, Mocha Gray, Wild Orange, Oatmeal Beige, Rose Gold, and Lime Green. Samsung will sell the Galaxy Gear for $299 and should be out by September 25.

The Galaxy Gear is a pretty decent start for a smartwatch considering this is just the first iteration for Samsung. There’s some hits and misses with this model — like higher battery life or better water resistance, but over-all we think it’s a good start that could help push innovation in this front.

The post Hands-on at IFA: Samsung Galaxy Gear appeared first on YugaTech | Philippines, Tech News & Reviews.

Are we ready for Wearable Technology?

Bob Freking Leave a comment

We’ve been so engrossed with smartphones, tablets and several other consumer technologies. In fact, some of current tech seems to be overkill already – such as 1080p displays on a 5-inchsmartphone and multi-core CPUs in which platforms aren’t even fully optimized for yet. As time goes, manufacturers look to other elements to perfect and now they’re looking a good look at wearable tech; are we ready?

are we ready

Personally, I do want manufacturers to perfect the smartphone before they look elsewhere. I might have even said that next year could be the year of smartphone cameras as I really like the idea of HTC’s UltraPixel, Nokia’s PureView and Sony’s Exmor RS — they focus on quality/technology over just plain megapixel count (Google’s next Nexus phone is rumored to have a great camera as well).

Moreover, we feel like these companies are looking at something more as each one are confirming that they’re working on something else other than a smartphone or a tablet – specifically a smartwatch.

smartwatch

Samsung has already confirmed that they are working on a smartwatch, while companies such as LG, Apple and Google were reported to be working on one too. This isn’t the first time someone’s making an intelligent wristwatch, as gadgets like the Motorola MotoACTV and the Sony Smartwatch are already available for purchase now. Why the excitement then?

A recent report from analysts say that the time is ripe for smartwatches. If we make that a given, we still can’t deny the fact that companies aren’t only working on smartwatches – but also on other gadgets that you wear. Google already has Glasses for next year, and just recently, they just showcased a talking shoe. Over at the gaming zone, Oculus VR already has the Rift – a head-mounted virtual reality gaming device which is currently being funded and developed.

But let’s get back to the consumer. Do we really need a watch just to check on our notifications when we can just pull out the phone out of our pockets? Or a pair of glasses to take photos when you have a more capable camera lurking in your bag? Above everything else, would it appeal to 3rd-world countries such as the Philippines? Leave your comment and opinion below.

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