Jump to content

Samsung Galaxy Gear: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
No edit summary
Line 78: Line 78:


==List of Features==
==List of Features==

- Camera
- Clock
- Camera

⚫
- Music
- Clock

⚫
- Music

- Calling
- Calling


Revision as of 22:34, 17 November 2013

Samsung Galaxy Gear
Galaxy Gear
DeveloperSamsung
Product familySamsung Galaxy
TypeSmartwatch
Operating systemAndroid 4.2.2
System on a chipSamsung Exynos
CPUSingle-core 800 MHz ARM
Storage4 GB
Camera1.9 MP
ConnectivityBluetooth 4.0
Power1 day
RelatedSamsung Galaxy Note 3
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition
Websitesamsung.com

The Samsung Galaxy Gear is an Android-based smartwatch produced by Samsung Electronics. Unveiled during a Samsung Unpacked event in Berlin on September 4, 2013, the device serves as a companion for all Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets which run Android 4.3; on launch, this included the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition.

The Galaxy Gear was released to generally poor reception; it was criticized for the overall design of its interface, the implementation of some of its software, the few apps available, its poor battery life, and its dependency on Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets.

History

Development

Lee Young-hee, Samsung’s vice president of mobile, revealed that the development process for a smartwatch was "so long" in early July 2013.[1] In August 2013, Bloomberg reported that "two people familiar with the matter" claimed Samsung would introduce a smartwatch, tentatively known as the "Galaxy Gear", during its Samsung Unpacked event prior to the IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin on September 4, 2013. Samsung was also expected to unveil the next version of its Galaxy Note phablet during the event as well.[2][3]

In an interview with the Korea Times publication on 27 August 2013, Lee Young-hee stated that the Galaxy Gear would "enhance and enrich the current smart mobile experience in many ways", would "lead a new trend in smart mobile communications", and "add meaningful momentum to the mobile industry.[4]

Specifications

Hardware

The Galaxy Gear is powered by a single-core 800 MHz Exynos system-on-chip, and contains a 320 pixel-wide square-shaped Super AMOLED touchscreen display with a pixel density of 277 PPI. Its band contains a 1.9 megapixel camera with a Back-illuminated sensor, auto-focus, and 720p video recording, along with a speaker and two noise-cancelling microphones. The Galaxy Gear also includes 4 GB of internal memory, 512 MB of RAM, an accelerometer, and a gyroscope. The device contains s 315 mAh battery; the device itself does not contain a charging port and must be placed inside a special Micro USB-equipped charging case, which also contains an NFC chip that is used for the initial setup of the device.[5][6] The Galaxy Gear is designed to IP55 specifications with dust resistance and protection from short-term exposure to water jets.[7]

To communicate with a host device, the Galaxy Gear uses Bluetooth low energy. As only Android 4.3 and later offer native support for Bluetooth LE, only the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition, the first Samsung devices to ship with 4.3, were supported by the Galaxy Gear on launch. Support for other recent Samsung devices, such as the Galaxy S4, will be introduced as they receive Android 4.3 updates.[5]

Software

The Galaxy Gear uses an Android-based operating system with a minimalistic interface and gesture-based navigation. To pair the Galaxy Gear with a smartphone or tablet as its host device, the NFC tag inside the Gear's charging cradle is used to trigger the installation of the Gear Manager app, which uses Bluetooth to coordinate the pairing process. Gear Manager is primarily used to adjust device settings (such as the clock's color and appearance, and the ordering of apps in its menu) and to install apps via Samsung Apps.

Notifications can be synced from the host device and displayed on the Gear's screen when received; a preview of a notification's content is displayed on the watch itself, while the Smart Relay feature allows users to open content displayed on Gear on their smartphone or tablet. S Voice can be used for basic voice commands and voice dictation for certain apps. Phone calls can also be answered and placed from the watch (the dialer is launched by swiping up on the clock display), while the "Find My Device" tool can be used to locate the watch with a phone or tablet, or vice versa.

The camera app can take photos, or record videos up to 15 seconds in length. Photos and videos can be stored to the device's internal storage, or immediately transferred to the user's phone or tablet. Users can also record up to 5 minutes worth of voice memos. A media controller for music or video being played by the phone or tablet is also provided.[8][9][10][11][12]

Reception

The Galaxy Gear received generally negative reception from critics. The design of the Gear itself was met with mixed reaction; although considered high quality, the incorporation of components directly into its strap was criticized for making it inflexible (and thus making the device hard to wear comfortably). The Gear was also criticized for the limited functionality of the apps used by and available for the device, along with its initially inconsistent notification system. Critics pointed out an egregious example of its inconsistent compatibility, as the Android IMAP/POP3 e-mail client was able to display notifications and message previews on the Galaxy Gear, while Gmail was only able to display an icon and direct users to open the message on their phone instead. On the topic, The Verge remarked that "as with industrial design, software engineering isn’t among Samsung’s strengths, and the results on the Gear are a painful mix of unreliability and inadequacy." The ability to answer phone calls on the device was praised for its convenience and good call quality (drawing comparisons to Dick Tracy), while its camera was also praised for having unexpectedly decent quality for its megapixel size.[9][8] The device's reliance on Samsung Galaxy devices with specific versions of Android was also criticized, along with its poor battery life, which was considered more comparable to a smartphone than a watch.[13][10][11]

The Galaxy Gear has also faced poor commercial reception; in late-October 2013, it was reported that at least 30% of the Galaxy Gear watches sold by the U.S.-based chain Best Buy were being returned by unsatisfied customers.[14]

Criticism surrounding the Galaxy Gear's handling of notifications were addressed in its first software update, which now allows all apps to display notifications with previews on the Galaxy Gear.[12]

List of Features

- Camera


- Clock


- Music


- Calling


See also

References

  1. ^ Christopher Mims (5 July 2013). "Almost every major consumer electronics manufacturer is now working on a smart watch". Quartz. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  2. ^ "Samsung schedules Note III Unpacked event". Gsmarena.com. Retrieved 2013-08-05.
  3. ^ Jungah Lee (16 August 2013). "Samsung Said to Unveil Wristwatch-Like Smartphone Next Month". Bloomberg. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
  4. ^ Kim Yoo-chul (27 August 2013). "Galaxy Gear to beat iWatch's unveiling". The Korea Times. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
  5. ^ a b "The Galaxy Gear Preview: Samsung's First Wearable". Anandtech. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  6. ^ "Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Samsung Galaxy Gear". Samsung Electronics. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 23 October 2013.
  7. ^ Williams, Martyn (4 September 2013). "Spec stand off: Samsung Galaxy Gear vs Sony SmartWatch 2". TechHive. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
  8. ^ a b "Samsung Galaxy Gear review". Engadget. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  9. ^ a b "Samsung Galaxy Gear review". The Verge. Retrieved 2 November 2013.
  10. ^ a b Bonnington, Christina (1 October 2013). "Samsung Galaxy Gear". Wired. Condé Nast. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  11. ^ a b "Death by incompatibility: A Samsung Galaxy Gear review". Ars Technica. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
  12. ^ a b "Samsung's Galaxy Gear smartwatch can now display full notifications for all your apps". The Verge. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
  13. ^ Hoyle, Andrew (27 September 2013). "Samsung's smartwatch is style over substance". CNET. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 29 October 2013.
  14. ^ Amadeo, Ron (25 October 2013). "DOA: The Galaxy Gear reportedly has a 30 percent return rate at Best Buy". Ars Technica. Condé Nast. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Samsung_Galaxy_Gear&oldid=582113386"