Samsung sets Sept 4 for Galaxy Gear smartwatch showoff Samsung has set the date for its attempt to inspire a smartwatch market and will show off its Galaxy Gear watch and a super-sized smartphone just ahead of the IFA 2013 consumer electronics show in Berlin. "We will be introducing a new wearable concept device called Galaxy Gear at our own event in Berlin on September 4," Lee …
Maybe. I do sometimes wear a watch, and it would be nice to be able to check phone dings and bloops thru it. But it *has* to be something that I only need to think about charging once or twice a week. I rather like the Pebble, if it had a higher DPI eInk screen so the watch faces looked better.
Although who am I kidding, I'm not going to buy one unless they're really cheap.
A watch with a touch screen, most likely LCD or OLED (people don't like e-ink all that much, it's too 'un-hip' and besides: monochrome? How can you tell a cerulean or teal marked link from a chartreuse one?) and Bluetooth (even low power BLE) that lasts a week when active?
Golf cart battery on the wrist, anyone?
OK, maybe with a built in camera, movement activated, that detects when you look and only then switches the screen on. But then, how can people see what a Dick (Tracy) you are, when your watch is off most of the time?
Decisions, decisions . . .
Bluetooth has a pretty decent range these days - I have bluetooth headphones that easily go 15m+ (not tested further) and a low power mode - so it's quite possible. Personally I take my watch off when sleeping (obviously not everyone does) - not really sure it would be that much hassle once a week.
It's like whinging about your car that you have to refuel it.
The manufacturers are trying to turn us into walking antenna towers! Cell phone: radio for cell network, radio for WiFi, radio for Bluetooth; headset: radio for Bluetooth; watch: radio for Bluetooth; smart glasses: radio for Bluetooth.
That's six radio transmitters on your person. Isn't that rather a lot?
I'll be happy with something that works as a running watch (like the Nike+ GPS one), but with a couple of extra features over the current ones - mainly wireless syncing (wifi ideally), bluetooth for a headset for music, and a screen so I can see progress of my running. Happy to charge overnight, but needs to last a full day even when logging GPS tracks and playingmusic.
Beyond that, can't see myselfmaking phone calls through it, and don't just want a mini screen for my phone that won't work without being in bluetooth range of the phone. If it's just that then I can pull the phone out of my pocket just as easily.
Will be interesting to see how each company approaches the watch idea anyway. Suspect there'll be quite a few duds!
That's the problem with this whole concept. Anything you would want to do with it requires more power then you can put on your wrist. In the end, you still have to carry your phone to tether it to for anything useful, and it's not that much more convenient then just taking your phone out of your pocket.
"the industry has decided is the next big thing." - The consumer will decide.
"There have been rosy analysts' reports on the huge potential of the smartwatch market, but little indication that a significant number of people are very interested" - If Apple went first, the hyperbole would go into overdrive and it would have been the best thing since the iFolly, whilst normal people would see through the trash.
"....in reviving what had until recently been a dying piece of hardware" - I don't trrust those who don't wear a watch! No one is important enough not to keep time. Shows a lack of attention to detail.
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