Yesterday in Berlin, Samsung revealed its highly anticipated Galaxy Gear smartwatch. Along with Apple, Samsung has already proven itself as a key player in the smartphone market with rumors about an accompanying watch in the works. The introduction of Samsung’s watch will undoubtedly spur the development of competitors including Apple’s rumored iWatch. The Galaxy Gear watch acts as an extension of your smartphone or tablet and provides several additional capabilities and features.
The watch is a way for users to read texts, notifications, emails, and news stories the exact moment they are received instead of having to fumble for their phones in their pockets or bags. The watch and phone are heavily integrated and synched so that anything displayed on the watch is automatically brought up on the screen of the phone as well.
The features don’t stop there, however. The watch also includes a 1.9-megapixel camera, which allows you to do much more than simply take photos. The Galaxy Gear watch will even translate languages for you if you take a picture of foreign text. The built-in microphone allows the user to draft emails and texts, set alarms, add calendar entries, and much more, using voice commands. Instead of using a Bluetooth device and looking like you’re talking to yourself, you can talk into your wrist. But is that really any better?
The watch contains an accelerometer and gyroscope to record motion and exercise. Sound like using all these features will quickly drain the battery? Samsung claims that a single charge of the battery will last over 25 hours.
A Gear app store will be available for users to download additional programs that expand the uses of their smartwatch. The watch will be available in October and will start at $299. It will be available in the following colors: “Jet Black,” “Mocha Gray,” “Wild Orange,” “Oatmeal Beige,” “Rose Gold,” and “Lime Green.”