Samsung Galaxy Gear Launched in India At Rs 22,990: 5 Key Hits And Misses

The Samsung Galaxy Gear was launched earlier today in a Delhi event along with the company's flagship handset, the Galaxy Note 3. GizBot got a hold of one of the devices to understand what Samsung got right and what they didn't.

Let's start off with the many shortcomings of the device.

Performance

Despite flaunting a single-core 800MHz Exynos processor and 512 MB, we weren't happy with the device's performance. It lacks speed and intuitiveness, displaying slight lags as we swiped through menus. Yes, all the apps and features on the Galaxy Gear work fine and perform their functions without any problems, however, one does not simply pat Rs. 22,990 and end up with mediocre performance.

Quiet Speaker

Yes, using the smartwatch to answer calls might make you feel like a protagonist out of a sci-fi thriller, but its just not a viable idea. Why? Well, the device's speaker which is lodged into its buckle is too quiet, meaning that unless you're in the silent spaces of the smallest room in your house, you're not going to hear a thing. The calling feature is a big no-no for outdoor use and will only work in quiet spaces.

Too Dependent on Parent Device

The Galaxy Gear smartwatch relies on a connection to your Galaxy smartphone to be able to work. Take your phone away, and then your watch is as good as a piece of plastic with changeable clock faces. Yes, it can do a few things without being connected to a smartphone, but for the major chunk of its functions, you're going to need a smartphone. It doesn't even come with Wi-FI, meaning that its going to rely on the data connection on your phone.

Battery

While competitors like Pebble and the Sony Smartwatch offer 8 and 4 days of battery respectively, the Galaxy Gear hopes to get away with just eight hours of battery life. The modern day user has many devices to charge on a daily basis, his smartphone, those noise expensive canceling headphones, that workhorse of a laptop or maybe a sleek little tablet. And then there's the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. Eight hours of battery life leaves you with a problem instead of a device that offer more digital convenience.

Price

Owing to its Rs. 22,990 price tag, Samsung might just scare away a majority of its consumers away from its new smartwatch. Why? Well, because it isn't a stand alone device. So without your phone, it can't really perform most of its functions. And talking about those functions, do you really need them? Answering calls? The phone can do it. Snap pictures and videos? My phone's got that covered as well with video chatting thrown in. Read notifications? Absolutely, it can even read emails. In the end, a watch that helps you use your phone with greater ease and convenience. Good idea. Charing buyers Rs. 22,990 for it. Bad idea.

Want to know what we liked about the device? Run throguh the slide show below that and some pictures as well.

Apps

During its release, the Phone came loaded with 70 plus apps for the phone. Its an indication that the company is serious about this device. We spotted some popular ones like Pocket, Path, Evernote, RunKeeper, Runtastic Pro and even Samsung's S Voice, which is directly accessible form the phone.

 

Camera

While some users might not find much of use for it, we noted that the device's camer produces some nice pictures. No, it's not comparable with the shooters see on mid-range smartphones, but for its size, its happens to be decent. There 4 GB of memory for storage and you can even shoot 10 second videos.

Control and Notifications

We liked how the device can control the music player on your phone. Imagine you're in a tight, crowded train. The last thing you'd want to do is pull that phone out. You could drop it, your could knock into someone and break your display. Also, phablets aren't really the sleekest devices to carry around, so its better to control apps like music players from your wrist watch.

Find Your Phone

If you're an absent minded person, then the Galaxy Gear will come in handy. Can't remember where you left your phone at home? No problem. The Galaxy Gear should help you figure that out in a jiffy as long as you've paired it with your phone. It can also work vice-versa

 

 

Colors

Everyone seems to like colors these days. Even the people at Apple. Gone are the days of monochrome glory. But we're happy that the Galaxy Gear comes in a range of nice, vibrant colors that go well with your everyday clothing. From the assertive to the exciting, there's a color for everyone.