Samsung’s Galaxy Gear smart watch release date is all but confirmed for September 4 and an idea of its specs are starting to circulate. We reported two days ago that Samsung was eyeing the IFA expo to debut both its Galaxy Gear and Galaxy Note III smartphone, but a report by Bloomberg this morning all but confirms the electronics expo as the venue of choice for Samsung’s unveiling.
On September 4, the day before IFA kicks off in Berlin, Germany, Samsung will be hosting a press event curiously dubbed UNPACKED which it’s already corroborated earlier this month. And though the Galaxy Note III is a big draw in and of itself, Galaxy Gear could steal most of the spotlight as the surface of the wearable technology market is only just being scratched.
According to Bloomberg’s report, Nomura Holdings Inc. analyst Chung Chang Won says, “It will carve a niche for sure as this is an initial product in the market. Wearable devices could be one of the trends in the smartphone market, but I’m not sure yet whether watches or glasses will set the trend.”
Whether or not Samsung opts to reveal its Galaxy Gear prior to IFA is something we won’t know until the event is actually underway, but we do know that the smart wrist-wear is coming and ought to be able to, among other things, make phone calls, surf the web, and handle e-mails. It’s also more than likely to run on Android operating system, likely tailored specifically to the size of the watch’s display and functionality.
The Galaxy Gear sounds strikingly similar to none other than Sony’s SmartWatch 2 which affords users the ability to handle calls by simple touching their wrists, take photos remotely, control presentations remotely using Presentation Pal, track workout routes and routines through Runtastic and Mapping, and connect to their respective devices. Having NFC certainly adds to the SmartWatch 2’s allure, as does access to messages, emails, notifications, and social media networks while reading previously received notifications when not connected to a smartphone or the internet.
Apple has also been rumored to have a smart watch in the works, unofficially dubbed the iWatch, thoughtests back in May, claims by analysts, and personnel changes are a far cry from those over at Cupertino making a formal announcement. Still, like Samsung, Apple is stocked with a number of smart watch patent filings in its own respective arsenal, though the electronics maker has a notorious reputation as being a patent troll.
