Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

The Future

After much speculation, Samsung finally unveils smartwatch

The phone can make calls, take photos, receive notifications – basically everything a smartphone can do. But there’s a few catches…

image

SAMSUNG HAS STOLEN a march its biggest competitor by becoming one of the first big tech companies to unveil a smartwatch.

At a highly anticipated event in Berlin tonight, the mobile giant showed off the Galaxy Gear watch, which comes complete with most of the capabilities of the average smartphone. However the watch is more of a companion than a replacement – it has to connect to a phone via Bluetooth to work.

Users will be able to make hands-free calls and check notifications for emails, text messages and alerts without having to look at their phone. The watch also has a 1.9 megapixel camera, and there are around 70 apps compatible with the device.

image

Samsung Mobile said that users will be able to “draft messages, create new calendar entries, set alarms and check the weather” on the watch.

The technical specifications of the watch are impressive: it has an 800 MHz processor, 512 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal storage. It also has a microphone built in for making calls over a Bluetooth smartphone connection.

However – and there was always going to be a ‘but’ with a product as new as this – the watch will only work with Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 phone. It looks likely that it will in the future work with other Samsung phones – including the popular Galaxy S III and S4 – but it does not look like it will work with other phones.

image

The battery of the watch is believed to last for about one day’s worth of use. It takes a charge from a dock via a micro-USB.

The watch, which is available in six colours, will be launched on 25 September around the world but the price is not yet known (although Bloomberg has estimated that it will be $300 – around €227).

imageimagePeople watch the unveiling of the smartwatch in Berlin this evening. (All pics: AP Photo/Gero Breloer)

So that’s what it looks like and what it does – what do you think? Would you get one?

Read: New iPhone could be gold, scratch resistant and have a fingerprint scanner >

Read: Government considers banning drivers from wearing Google Glass >

Your Voice
Readers Comments
146
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.