Hasta La Gadget!

Samsung is taking a completely different approach to its next-generation Galaxy Gear smartwatch, according to a new report from USA Today – that means eschewing Android altogether on the on-device OS. The Galaxy Gear launched last year ran Android, Google’s mobile OS, but that piece of wearable tech didn’t light any fires under consumers or critics, so why not go back to the drawing board?

To replace Android as the OS for its new smartwatch, Samsung is said to be using Tizen, its in-house mobile OS that appears to be nearing release on its first Samsung smartphone device. USA Today reports that ian HTML5 version of Tizen will ship with the new Galaxy Gear, and that both will be unveiled at Mobile World Congress this month in Barcelona.

Samsung is hosting an event at MWC called ‘Unpacked5′ February 24, where it seems likely to unveil its next Galaxy S flagship device. There’s also a chance we’ll see the Gear at the show, as has been reported previously by other outlets.

Tizen on the smartwatch would be a significant shift for Samsung, but moving to an HTML5-based platform on the device might make it easier for developers to craft simple partner apps for software resident on the phones themselves, and it could also help with things like improving battery life. Qualcomm’s Toq smartwatch, for instance, runs a “lightweight” OS that contributes to its five days of battery life, vs. around two days at best for the Galaxy Gear.

Another reason Samsung is eschewing Android for this generation of smartwatch, according to USA Today, is to keep more control over the device and platform in its own hands. The company’s Tizen efforts seemed stalled for a long time, but Samsung recently signed up a score of new high-profile partners. Investing in Tizen on the Gear probably can’t hurt that device’s chances – with wearables, there’s little reason yet for any consumer to choose one platform over another, and the initial version of the Galaxy Gear didn’t sell enough to create anything like lock-in for existing users.

Hopefully this next Gear isn’t just the same device with Tizen subbing in for Android, and the new watch offers many more improvements besides. In any case, if rumors are true, we should find out either way next week.

Nokia has unveiled a new accessory designed to make sure users of its Lumia smartphone are never parted from their handset. Or at least, that when they leave the house with their tagged keys or bag, they’ll be reminded to pick up their phone too. Or vice versa.

Called Treasure Tag, the smart fob can be paired via NFC or Bluetooth 4.0 with a Lumia smartphone running the Lumia Black update to link the two devices — so that if either one moves out of range of the other an alarm sounds on both to alert the user that all is not well with their favourite gadget.

Now there are scores and scores of startups building lost and found gizmos. One of which, Tile, which we covered last summer, managed to amass $2.6 million in crowdfunding before the field started getting insanely crowded. And now Nokia has thrown its hat into the ring — although most lost and found startups aren’t going to see the Treasure Tag as any kind of competition.

For one thing, Nokia’s system is currently* a closed one, limited to use with a sub-set of Lumia smartphones, rather than allowing the ability to tag any kind of treasured possession (inanimate or otherwise). (*Nokia does say there will also be third-party apps for Treasure Tag to support Android and iOS devices in future.)

Nokia’s tag also offers a very limited feature-set vs some of the more elaborate tracker tag concepts out there. Whereas Tile’s plan, for instance, is to build a distributed network of other Tile users so that the community  of users can expand its location-pinpointing range, Treasure Tag is not so smart, with only the paired link between phone and tag to go on.

So expect its alarm to sound when you’re popping to the toilet with your keys in your pocket but not your phone, for instance. (The alarm can be muted or put to sleep via the corresponding app, or you can long press on the tag itself to deactivate it — all of which sounds like a fair bit of hassle.)

The Treasure Tag system also supports locating a lost tagged item, such as your keys or bag, on a map within the app — or it will if you are within range of it. It can only report the last known location, so if the item has been moved since it’s not going to turn up.

And if you want to tag multiple items to link them to your phone, you’ll need to buy multiple Treasure Tags. Up to four different tags can be simultaneously connected to the handset — with the ability to assign ready-made icons to each (such as a keys icon), or use a photo, to try and make the managing multiple tags scenario less confusing.

Either way, with the tags themselves being relatively large vs some of the tracker startup competition — each Treasure Tag is a roughly matchbox sized 30 x 30 x 10mm — it’s not exactly an elegant solution to forgetfulness. Forget slipping a tag inside your wallet, for instance, as you can with the likes of Protag Elite.

The battery life of each Treasure Tag is pegged at ‘up to six months’. A standard coin cell type battery that’s user replaceable powers each tag.

Nokia said it expects the Treasure Tag to go on sale via global retailers in April, costing €24,90 ($29.90). Colour options are the bright yellow and cyan that Nokia also uses for its phone range, as well as white or black.

Samsung has a new flagship smartphone coming soon, likely at Mobile World Congress next week, and new details are emerging about what the next smartphone from the Korean mobile giant will be packing. It’ll have a sharper, larger 5.2-inch display according to Bloomberg, better battery and camera, and possibly both eye- and fingerprint-scanning technology.

The fingerprint scanner report comes from Sammobile, a company-focused site that has a decent track record when it comes to Samsung hardware rumors. The site confirmed yesterday that Samsung’s Galaxy S5 will feature a fingerprint sensor, which is able to register up to eight different fingerprints for use in performing different tasks, from unlocking the device to launching specific apps, as well as opening special personal folders and enabling a new Private Mode that unveils hidden files and apps. You swipe your finger across the home key, where the sensor is located, to use stored fingerprint functions, unlike on the iPhone 5s, where only holding your finger on the sensor is required.

As for the other features reported by Bloomberg, they include the standard sorts of improvements that Android OEMs include in their generational updates. The display is said to be 5.2 inches diagonally, which is 0.2 inches larger than the current Galaxy S4′s screen. It’s also said to be “sharper,” which presumably means it’ll get a higher resolution than the current 1080 x 1920 (which still amounts to a whopping 441 ppi).

Details of the improvements to camera and battery tech aren’t included in the Bloomberg report, but previous reports peg the rear camera at 16MP, and battery capacity rumors range from a fast-charging 2,900 mAh lithium ion battery to a more capacious 3,200 mAh.

We won’t have to wait long to find out who’s right: Samsung’s Unpacked5 event happens on February 24 at 8 PM CET, and we’ll be providing you live updates of what’s announced right here at TechCrunch as they happens.

For some fashionistas wearables can be clunky and don’t aesthetically combine well with the other jewelry that women and men may have on their wrists such as bracelets, or a watch. Cuff is hoping to change this with a new line of jewelry wearables that serves as an alert system for family and friends.

The Cuff collection consists of bracelets, necklaces, and key chains in a variety of finishes and textures. The line is meant to be unisex, and offers options for both men and women. Each piece is anchored by a small rectangular component called the “CuffLinc,” which acts as the alert system. CuffLincs can be removed and tucked into any of the pieces in the Cuff collection.

Using Bluetooth technology, the CuffLinc will connect to your phone via Cuff’s app. If A wearer squeezes the Cuff, an alert will go to the designated people in the wearer’s network. If anyone in the network is wearing a Cuff, their Cuff will vibrate. If they don’t have a Cuff, they will receive a push notification to their phone with the alert with the location of the sender. You can set up which of your contacts will get an alert via the startup’s app, which also holds personal and medical information like blood type, health issues and more. Users can also program their Cuffs with different alerts for people (i.e. three taps to alert my babysitter, one tap for my husband).

We’re told the CuffLinc doesn’t need to be charged and has to be replaced once a year. Cuff also plans to license CuffLinc to other fashion retailers and designers so they can potentially build around the technology.

Cuff is the brainchild of Deepa Sood, who was previously a former VP of Product Development at luxury retailer Restoration Hardware. Sood has been making her own jewelry for a while, and realized that there was very little wearable technology on the market that actually looks like jewelry.

The startup, which has raised a round of seed funding from Tandem, is launching pre-orders today with a number of options, including leather bracelets, metal bracelets, pendants and chains. These range in price from $35 to $125. Pieces will be shipped as early as this fall.

The safety and security notification capability is just one of the first smart functions that will be delivered through CuffLinc, explains Sood. Eventually you’ll be able to record your voice.

Of course, at this stage the CuffLinc doesn’t yet have the fitness and sleep-tracking capabilities of most wearables on the market. But Cuff has tapped into the aesthetic part of wearable technology that some feel is missing from trackers. Another startup that is doing something similar to Cuff is Sense6. And wearable developers are catching on to aesthetics. Misfit Shine offers a number different colors and leather bands. And Fitbit and Tory Burch have teamed up to create a new line of fashion-forward wearables.

The HTC One was one of the best smartphones of 2013, according to just about anyone you could ask – the flagship Android device from the Taiwanese company bucked the trend of its major competitors using Google’s mobile OS by incorporating a sleek metal case into its device design. On March 25, we’ll see how HTC follows that act with its next flagship handset, according to new invites received by press (via Engadget).

The launch event will happen in New York and London, and it’s very likely that what we’ll see is the device that’s been making the rumor rounds with the codename “M8.” The M8 has enjoyed a large number of leaks so far, including an apparent photo that shows industrial design very much in keeping with the current look of the HTC One. That’s potentially a very good thing: The microperforated speaker grills and flat metal look of the HTC One are iconic, and insiders laud the ergonomics and quality of the device’s construction. However, other attempts to copy but modify that look (i.e. the HTC One Max phablet) have not been nearly as well received.

The M8 is said to stick pretty close to the original, however, and will hopefully avoid any cheapening effects. It’s going to be a little bit bigger with a ‘minimum’ 5-inch display, 1080p output, and a more powerful Snapdragon 800 processor than the one currently used. It’ll supposedly ship with Android KitKat 4.4 on board, and have a twin-sensor camera as its primary differentiating factor: Said camera would allow for refocusing of focal depth after a picture is taken, and improve other editing features including the deletion of certain objects form a photo entirely.

Originally, many thought we’d get a peek at the HTC One successor at MWC this month in Barcelona, but now it seems that won’t be the case. Still, not long to wait before we see what HTC has in store for its big bet for 2014.