Hasta La Gadget!

Samsung is going to unveil its new smartwatch tomorrow, the company has already confirmed that. It will be called Galaxy Gear. Over the weekend we saw alleged images of the device surface online, though yesterday it was reported that the unit we saw wasn’t actually the final version. Samsung is reportedly going to show a much more polished and refined smartwatch at its event tomorrow. There is no official information available as yet regarding the Galaxy Gear’s price. According to Russian analyst Eldar Murtazin, it might be too expensive.

Murtazin hasn’t exactly revealed the price, but he tweeted that customers won’t buy the smartwatch “for that price.” Other analysts suggest that Galaxy Gear might be priced around $300, it is expected to go on sale before Christmas. Murtazin’s predictions can be hit or miss, he predicted almost a year and a half ago that Microsoft will buy Nokia’s core phone business, the sale was officially announced today. He also recently predicted that Samsung’s Tizen OS was almost dead, however the company has issued statements on the contrary. It has started a new Tizen app development challenge, the new Tizen device is expected to be released next month and the OS is also said to be the main focus of Samsung’s first ever developers conference.

Galaxy Gear Smartwatch Might Be Too Expensive [Analyst] original content from Ubergizmo.

Samsung is getting ready to pull the curtain on its curious Galaxy Gear smartwatch (well, among other things) in just a few days, but what’s a major product unveiling these days without a slew of last-minute leaks to ruin the surprise? To that end, VentureBeat recently got what may be the first real glimpse of Samsung’s Galaxy Gear and it’s, well, pretty bizarre.

Unlike most of the other smartwatches that have exploded onto the scene these past few years — think the Pebble, the MetaWatch, or even Sony’s family of wrist-worn gadgets, the Galaxy Gear is shaping up to be a real whopper. VB reports the square display plus the bezel that runs around it means the watch itself measures about 3 inches diagonal, and images culled from an internal promotional video depict a device that looks like a Galaxy S4 that got nailed with a shrink ray. So much for subtlety. I’m no watch nerd (I leave that sort of thing to John) but I can’t imagine bigger always equals better when it comes to stuff you wear on your person.

It looks like a Galaxy S4 that got nailed with a shrink ray

In typical Samsung fashion though, the company has apparently packed the thing to the gills with a 4-megapixel camera nestled inside in the Gear’s strap, a WiFi radio, speakers, and a microphone so users can deliver S Voice commands to a connected Samsung smartphone.

Perhaps the biggest bummer is that the Galaxy Gear may only be able to run for 10 hours before having to be recharged. That’s just about respectable for modern smartphones (though we should all be demanding more longevity from Samsung and its ilk), but who wants to worry about charging their watch that often? And manufacturer provided battery stats tend to be optimistic too, so that anemic battery could spell trouble for early adopters.

Throw in a handful of “pre-loaded Android apps” and an apparently substantial focus on mobile fitness and health tracking, and you’ve got an ambitious device that seems to have an identity crisis. Is it for your average smartphone nerd? Fitness buffs? Both? VentureBeat’s report provides the clearest look at the Galaxy Gear to date, but I’m looking forward to Samsung trying to explain its rationale for why people would actually need something like this.

If you’ll allow me to wax personal, the reason I’ve stuck with a device like the Pebble instead of dumping it in favor of a more robust gadget is because it’s focused on doing a small number of things well. Notifications? Taken care of. Changing tracks over Bluetooth while I’m driving? Works like a charm. With the Galaxy Gear, Samsung has added plenty of complexity to the smartwatch formula, which also means there are more bits that just may not live up to people’s expectations.

Then again, it’s not like the Korean electronics giant doesn’t have the resources to go out on a limb like this every once in a while. Strange first steps like this one often beget staggering successes down the road — for all we know, Samsung may flex its design and production muscles to becomethe de facto smartwatch maker within a few years. For now though, I’m still not convinced that we’re looking at the full Galaxy Gear picture here, so stay tuned for our coverage of Samsung’s IFA bonanza later this week.

We’ve heard some rumblings about Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Gear smartwatch and what it may or may not be. But VentureBeat got its hands on what it claims is a real prototype ahead of the gadget’s likely September 4th release, and apparently it comes complete with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a 4-megapixel camera, and even speakers.

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It was only a couple of days ago when Samsung basically confirmed that the Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy Gear smart watch will be making their debut at IFA 2013 at Samsung’s 4^th September press event. While the smart watch’s alleged specifications have since been leaked, @evleaks has since posted a couple of screenshots of the upcoming accompanying app for the device. According to the screenshot, it seems that a smartphone device, presumably one of Samsung’s Galaxy series, will be used to control the smart watch and manage some of its features.

It seems that one of the features of the smart watch has also been confirmed and it is that of its NFC and Bluetooth connectivity which it will use to pair together with the smartphone. Through the accompanying app, users will also be able to manage the watch’s apps, and it looks like Samsung has a couple of apps ready for the device as well, according to the “Samsung Apps” section. There’s even a “Find my watch” feature which presumably will allow the user to locate their watch should they misplace it, although the range of this feature remains unknown (does it need to be within Bluetooth range or can it be tracked across town?). In any case more will be revealed on the 4^th of September, so check back with us then for the details.

Samsung Galaxy Gear Accompanying App Screenshots Leaked original content from Ubergizmo.

It has been rumored time and again that Apple is working on its very own wearable gadget. The company is expected to release a smartwatch which many currently refer to as the iWatch. The device is believed to be fitness focused, and while there have been rumors that claim it will be released this year, many analysts are of the view that it won’t come out until next year. According to a new report from Digitimes, the iWatch will be released in the second half of 2014 and will be priced between $149 to $229.

If you follow the Apple rumor cycle you’ll be familiar with this source, it has a hit or miss track record. An analyst at CIMB Group has been cited in this report, who claims that Apple will place 60 percent of the orders for iWatch with Inventec. He also believes that customers will primarily purchase the smartwatch to replace their iWatch. Rumors about the iWatch intensify as Samsung gears up to launch its own smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear, next month. An executive at the company has already confirmed that. Analysts and consumers both expected Apple to retaliate with its own wristwatch, but the company is yet to drop any hint regarding its plans for a wearable gadget.

iWatch Price Between $149-229, Release Expected In Second Half Of 2014 original content from Ubergizmo.