Samsung’s journey into the wearable tech has started.
Meet The Gear, a bulky looking touchscreen smartwatch which will ship with a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED panel with a resolution of 320 x 320.
A strap-mounted camera is designed to capture low-res shots and 10-second 720p videos, and includes a 1.9-megapixel BSI sensor and an auto-focus lens. The device has 4GB of storage and 512MB of RAM and is powered by an 800MHz processor and a 315 mAh non-removable cell. There are two built-in mics (with noise cancellation support), a speaker, Bluetooth 4.0, an accelerometer and gyroscope.
There will be a total of 70 partner programs at launch, including apps like Evernote, Path, RunKeeper and MyFitnessPal, and a handful of other offerings, such as TripIt, Line, Vivino and even eBay and unfortunately only Note 3 and Note 10.1 owners will be able to use the device for now. Though some Galaxy S4 owners may be able to take advantage soon, after that device scores an update to Android 4.3.
Assuming your handset is compatible, the Gear will serve as a companion device, enabling access to features like S Voice, Find My Device, a pedometer and third-party additions.
Some enthusiasts will be able to pick a Gear on September 25th, US and Japan will have to wait until October to pick one up for $299.
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