Samsung Galaxy Gear: Gimmick or Godsend?

| Updated: Friday, September 6, 2013, 16:21 [IST]

The smartwatch is being hailed as the most important product category since the iPad created a market for tablets. Sony and Qualcomm have launched their own smartwatches, but Samsung's offering seems to boast some of the most powerful features among the three. The South Korean mobile giant called upon its very own Pranav Mistry to launch the device at IFA 2013, Berlin, on Wednesday.

Samsung has limited its market by making their new smartwatch compatible only with select Galaxy Smartphones (Note 3 and Note 10.1 for now, S4 from October) as opposed to smartwatches like Pebble which work with all kinds of Android and iOS phones. Apart from this, the South Korean giant will have to capture a massive market share before Apple brings out its own iWatch in early 2014. Samsung might have the advantage of an early start, but Apple could simply pack its iWatch with better features and render the Galaxy Gear obsolete during the time of its release.

Also, Samsung has to seriously consider uping the battery life of the Galaxy Gear in upcoming versions, since Sony's smartwatch offer 3-4 days of battery life. Alternatives like Pebbel are far ahead since they offer a week's battery life, making them far more convenient options in this regard.

On the other hand, experts from around the industry have engaged in a large scale debate regarding smartwatches. While some are convinced that the they will take the mobile industry to the next level, there are many who believe that the gadgets like the Galaxy Gear will flop since they offer very few unique functions.

For instance, look at the Galaxy Gear. It has very few unique functions that are independent of the companion smartphone. Some of its staple features like 'Find my device' and incoming message alerts aren't enticing enough to convince most users to shell out $300 (Rs.19,653) for a watch. In the coming days, consumers will either religiously integrate the Galaxy Gear into their digital lives or reject it as an expensive gimmick.

Gizbot takes a look at the top 10 features of the Galaxy Gear in the sliders below.

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Top 10 features of the Galaxy Gear

The smartwatches come in the following colors. Jet Black, Mocha Grey, Wild Orange, Oatmeal Beige, Rose Gold, and Lime Green. The watch will go well with the Galaxy Note 3 since its flipcovers are being offered in the exact same colors.

Top 10 features of the Galaxy Gear

The Galaxy Gear is now being marketed as a companion device for Samsung's range of Galaxy smartphones. For now, Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 and Note 10.1 will be compatible with the phone. The Galaxy S4 will flaunt compatibility once it receives an Android update in October.

Top 10 features of the Galaxy Gear

The Galaxy gear will retail at a price of $299 (Rs. 19739.98) When it comes to languages, the device will have support for Gujarati, Hindi, Tamil, Marathi, Punjabi, and almost all Indian languages. The perks of having an Indian in charge of research at Samsung.

Top Features of The Galaxy Gear

Galaxy Gear smartwatch will pair up with your Samsung Note 3, and later on it will also be compatible with Galaxy S, Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2, after they receive the Android 4.3 upgrades.

Reportedly, it has also been informed that Samsung has said that new smartphones other than the Galaxy range, which will come with the support of Bluetooth 4.0 LE and Android 4.3 and above will also support Galaxy Gear.

Top 10 features of the Galaxy Gear

The smartwatch will notify users of incoming calls, text messages, emails and other alerts. You even get to view a preview of those messages along with an opportunity to accept or discretely ignore them.

Top 10 Features of the Galaxy Gear

On the inside, the device comes with a 800 MHz processor, 512 MB of RAM, 4GB of memory space for internal storage and a Li-ion 315mAH battery.

Top 10 Features of the Galaxy Gear

Pair up your new Galaxy Note 3 with the Galaxy Gear and the Auto Lock feature can be used. Activate it and the smartphone screen is automatically locked when the watch is 1.5 meteres away from the phablet. It then unlocks when the companion devices are in proximity again.

Top 10 Features of THe Galaxy Gear

Can't find your phone? No problem. The Galaxy Gear comes with a feature called 'Find My Device' that helps you to locate smart devices by causing them to beep, vibrate and light up.

Top 10 Features of the Galaxy Geat

The smartwatch comes with a Memographer feature which allows you to record conversations and voice notes. The device will then convert them into texts and save them onto your smartphone.