The notion of wearable technology is not new to the masses.
The clip-on health gadgets, connected glasses and ultra-modern GPS watches have been in the market, for niche users, since long. However, the recent discussion on these devices, for the use of general masses, has made the manufacturers to think again on their mobile strategies. It can be a point of discussion whether the masses would require the connected smartwatch. Nonetheless, Samsung Electronics has set foot into the arena, with its initial entry, the Galaxy Gear.
The device was launched along with the Galaxy Note 3. The highly rumored Galaxy Gear was first seen on the sets of IFA 2013 making news as the headline product of the Samsung Electronics. The device has a great design and build-quality that gathered initial appreciation from the board. The initial reviews were positive, until the price information tempered the mind-set. The device comes at a selling price of $299. It could be a tough sell for a device handling a few things. The device is required to be connected to your smartphone, Galaxy Note 3 to be precise, at all times for the smartwatch features to function accordingly.
Hardware
In lieu of the price you would be paying for the smartwatch, including that of the Note 3 smartphone, you would expect the device to offer a premium feel. However, the device offers nothing more than a classy sports watch feeling. What it encompasses under the plastic, rubber and metal exterior, justifies every dime spent on it.
The Gear comprises of a hard plastic casing along with a metal front and a glass touchscreen. The band is not removable and comes with a rubber material. However, the watch is less flexible as it accommodates the speaker and camera fitted in the band. The design of the watch makes it look absurdly large on smaller wrists. The design is not trying to hide what the device comprises of; rather it is an open design. The design is suitably executed making the Gear quite attractive. The Gear comes with Samsung’s Exynos 800MHz processor, paired with a RAM of 512MB. The Gear comes with an internal storage capacity of 4GB and a 315mAh battery.
Display
The Galaxy Gear packs a 1.63 inch Super AMOLED display, having a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels. The Gear comes with a pixel density of 277-ppi. The screen is touch-sensitive and is covered and mounted with glass and metal respectively. The viewing angles are good along with the brightness levels, when kept at four or higher, offer great viewing experience. People staying outdoors for most of the times, can opt for ‘outdoor’ mode, which sets the brightness levels at its highest, for peak performance. The Gear offers clear text and images on the screen, even under direct sunlight.
Software
The Gear makes use of Android based software. You may have barely come across an Android interface. It is considered good, as Samsung has designed an interface making it intuitive and user-friendly.
It does not take much time, getting used to the interface. The interfaces and apps are simple, because of the small screen estate.
The device is required to be connected to the smartphone, in order to make use of its functions. In case, the device is disconnected from the main device, only the basic functions would work on the Galaxy Gear. The functionality continues with a pedometer, media controller, Voice Memo and S Voice. Using the device as a watch, you would be able to tell and set time, along with using the Gear as a stopwatch.
Gear Manager
It enables you to install, hide and rearrange apps on the Galaxy Gear smartwatch. It is great to have the Gear Manager app.
Camera
The Gear comes with a 1.9MP camera with a resolution of 1280 x 960 pixels or 1392 x 1392 pixels. The camera has a 4:3 aspect ratio, to capture pictures and 720p video. Camera quality is at par with some of the best front facing sensors to this date. However, taking pictures with the watch can be an annoying experience. The camera is fixed parallel to the display, making you lower the watch and bend over to look at the screen to view what you desire to click.
Battery Life
The Gear comes with a good battery life when fully charged. It could easily last two to three days on a single charge.
Calling
Making calls from the Gear is easy, as the device is connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth. The Gear rings and vibrates on an incoming call, providing an option of answer or reject on the screen. The speakerphone and the microphones on the device, enable you to correspond with the caller, with ease.
Verdict
The Gear is a smartwatch with large but restricted installed base and limited notifications that comes at a high price. These drawbacks put a black mark on the otherwise stunning smartwatch.
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