Wearables are in, and it’s obvious Samsung wants to be in this category by offering 3 more wearables six months after the launch of the Galaxy Gear.
In addition to the original Gear launched last year, Samsung will release the Galaxy Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and the Gear Fit.
GALAXY GEAR 2 / GEAR 2 NEO
Upon seeing the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, I thought that these 2 smartwatches would appeal to more consumers than the first Galaxy Gear. The first Gear smartwatch which I played last year (you can find it here) was sort of a disappointment. It’s heavy, clunky, and a design that can make people go “WTF?!” The Galaxy Gear 2 and Gear Neo are the exact opposite. The watches are lightweight and the straps are really comfortable to wear. Why did Samsung only thought of this now?
Speaking of straps, these can be changed according to your lifestyle, or should I say for your #OOTD. Alternate urethane and leather straps will be available in black, brown, orange and mocha gray. Oh, and watch out for those limited edition straps made in collaboration with famous designers soon!
So what can the Galaxy Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo do? Just like the first Galaxy Gear, you can make and receive phone calls paired with your Samsung Galaxy smartphone, get calendar alerts and alarms, and receive instant notifications even from third-party apps. Other cool stuff you can do with the Gear 2 is use it as a TV Remote Control. There’s an embedded infrared LED sensor on the Gear 2 and with the WatchON remote app, you can easily control your TV from your wrist.
Other benefits of having a Galaxy Gear 2 is similar to what James Bond is doing (well, except with the “laser” thingy.) You can use the Galaxy Gear 2 to auto-lock and find a Galaxy smartphone just in case it gets misplaced, use it as a voice recorder and even take pictures with its 2.2 Megapixel camera (Gear 2 only). The Gear 2 has an MP3 player too! Its 4GB internal storage will let users transfer their favorite audio tracks and listen to them with a bluetooth headset. And since the Galaxy Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are IP67 Water and Dust-Resistant, no need to worry if you use the smartwatch for a workout (it has built-in fitness apps by the way), a quick dip in the pool or any circumstance that it would get wet.
Here are the specs of the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo:
Display: 1.6″ Super AMOLED (320×320)
AP: 1 GHz Dual Core Processor
OS: Tizen based wearable platform
Camera: 2.2 Megapixels Auto-Focus (Gear 2 only)
Battery: Standard battery, Li-ion 300 mAh. Typical usage: 2-3 days, low usage up to 6 days
Memory: 4GB Inernal Memory, 512 MB RaM
Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyro, Heart Rate, IrLED
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0, IrLED
GALAXY GEAR FIT
The Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo made me want to get either one of them together with a Samsung Galaxy S5, until I saw the Galaxy Gear Fit.
It’s quite similar to the Gear 2 & Gear 2 Neo, only smaller and looks AWESOME! The Gear Fit is customizable inside and out, with different wallpapers available, clock styles, backgrounds, and even lets you choose your own wallpaper image. The straps are also interchangeable and like the smartwatch counterpart, wait for designer collaborations for those limited-edition straps.
The Gear Fit is more of a health-device that can let the user measure his heart rate with the built-in heart rate monitor and check the number of steps he made for the day with a pedometer. The Gear Fit can also show calories burned, steps walked, and distance ran. It even has a personalized workout advice based from your fitness data the device gathered.
With the Gear Fit, it can act as your personal coach by setting fitness goals and achieving them through real-time feedback. Progress can be tracked through detailed graphs and reports. If you can’t get any medals from the Olympics, you can certainly get them from your Gear Fit’s personal coach when it awards you with medals for fitness achievements.
Everything else is similar to the Gear 2: Smart notifications, IP67 water and dust resistant, auto lock and find my phone. It doesn’t have a built-in music player but it does have a music controller for your Galaxy smartphone. Check out the specs below:
Display: 1.84″ Curved Super AMOLED (128×432)
Battery: Standard battery, Li-ion 210 mAh. Typical usage: 3-4 days (TBD), low usage up to 5 days (TBD)
Sensors: Heart-Rate, Accelerometer, Gyro
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0 LE
Before you buy any of these wearables, check if they are compatible with your Smartphone Galaxy devices by checking the list below. Sadly, it won’t work with any Android smartphone.
Now how much are these?
Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 – Php 13,490.00
Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 Neo – Php 8,990.00
Samsung Galaxy Gear Fit – Php 8,990.00
Before I forget, our friends from Samsung Philippines also showed us the wireless charger:
I forgot how much it cost, but I will update it here as soon as I get the info.
