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Samsung Gear S3 S2 Watch Wearable Smartwatch IFA 2016 LTE GPS iOS
Watches

Samsung Announces Gear S3 Smartwatch With GPS, LTE, & iOS Support

August 31, 2016

Samsung Gear S3 S2 Watch Wearable Smartwatch IFA 2016 LTE GPS iOS

It is almost September, which means it is time for companies to unveil their updated product lineups for the Holidays. We are already seeing several companies announcing new wearables they hope will be on the top of people’s wish lists. Today at IFA, Samsung debuted the new Gear S3, available in 2 flavors: Classic and Frontier. The S3 is the successor to last year’s Gear S2, Samsung’s marque smartwatch. Unlike the S and the S2, which couldn’t have been more different, the S3 continues along the path forged by the S2. Like it’s predecessor, the Tenzen based wearable features a completely round screen (no flat tire) surrounded by a rotating bezel.  But that is about where the similarities end.

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by Doug Parker
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2015 IFA Asus ZenWatch Samsung S2 Moto 360 Huawei Watch
Watches

Heavy Hitter Smartwatch Announcements Dominate IFA

September 2, 2015

2015 IFA Asus ZenWatch Samsung S2 Moto 360 Huawei Watch

With IFA (Europe’s version of CES) in full swing this week, there have been a slew of smartwatch announcements. We have known most of these were on the radar but in most cases pricing and availability have only now been made public. The 4 big announcements thus far relate to the Asus Zen Watch 2, the Huawei Watch, the Samsung Gear S2, and the Moto 360 2.

The Asus Zen Watch 2 is definitely the bargain of the bunch, with a price starting at $170 (oddly the larger model is the cheapest). This is a price drop from the original which is probably a good thing because we are not nearly as enamored with the successor’s design. When it launched, the Zen Watch was one of the best performing and looking Android Wear devices available. Asus has made minor tweaks to the aesthetics for this year, but they all seem to be for the worse. It almost feels like Asus got lazy. Functionality wise,  

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by Doug Parker
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Watches

Android Wear Updated With Interactive Complications

August 20, 2015

Android Wear Interactive Watchfaces Bits 1.3

Hey Android Wear users, been loving your Moto 360 but long for Apple Watch’s interactive complications. Get excited because Google has heard you pinning away and has released Android Wear version 1.3. The new version of Android Wear allows developers to include complications, such as weather and a calendar, that can be tapped on to display more information. For launch there are 3 new watch faces. ‘Bits’ is designed by the development team of one of our all time favorite mobile games: ‘Monument Valley.’ The highly customizable watch face allows you to have six circular complications of your choosing surrounding a clock. ‘Under Amour’ is more focused on physical activity, displaying step count, calories burnt, and distance. The third watch face is called ‘Together’ and enables you to easily send scribbles (like the Apple Watch’s digital touch), emojis, or photos to friends. The update should be rolling out to compatible watches over the next few weeks.

Updates like these continue to make Android Wear a compelling option. Custom watch faces that behave differently for different activities makes a lot of sense; it will be interesting to see if Samsung’s Tizen OS and Apple’s watchOS follow suit. While the Apple Watch allows for a high level of customization, their watch faces are largely derivative of each other.

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by Doug Parker
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Samsung Gear A Orbis Rotating Bezel
Watches

Samsung’s “Gear A” Watch To Feature Rotating Bezel

July 31, 2015

Samsung Gear A Orbis Rotating Bezel

Samsung is expected to launch their new Gear A smartwatch on August 13th. The watch, code named Orbis, will feature a rotating, functional bezel. The concept sounds similar to what Nest thermostats employ. The rotating bezel will be used to control on screen elements such as zooming in / out of images, navigating lists, and interacting with games. It appears the bezel will be functionally equivalent to Apple Watch’s digital crown. The inclusion of an additional input method seems to suggest recognition that Apple made a sound UI decision by delegating some interface interactions to a mechanically rotating element; or perhaps Samsung is simply continuing its trend of throwing every conceivable idea at their wearables hoping something sticks.

Besides the bezel, a few other details of the smartwatch have been released. The watch will feature a 360 x 360 (presumably circular) display and will include WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a heard rate sensor. It should be noted that the device will run on the company’s proprietary Tizen OS, which means it will likely be only compatible with Samsung devices.

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by Doug Parker
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