Swatch CEO Nick Hayek is saying that the time giant is working on its own operating system, and expects to have something on the market next year. Cautious as it is, Hayek's comments late last week on the eve of the Baselworld watch show are his company's biggest step yet into the emerging market. Hayek's correct objection to the existing generation of smartwatch OSes -- … [Read more...]
Google Reportedly Readies Android Wear Watches of its Own
The website Android Police is reporting that Google is getting ready to ship a pair of Android Wear smartwatches under its own brand. This bodes ill for the health of Android Wear. The whole point of Android Wear was to create a software platform that OEMs could basically plug into hardware, but only about a half-dozen companies -- all of them pretty big, but at least one of … [Read more...]
Samsung Great S2 Round Smartwatch Goes on Sale Friday
We've written before about the round Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch. The company announced today that the watch will go on sale October 2, but it may be a little hard to find. Although you'll be able to get it at Samsung's own site and Amazon, if you want to get hands on at launch, you'll have to make the a pilgrimage to your local Best Buy or to Macy's main store in Herald Square, … [Read more...]
Samsung Gear S2 Smartwatch Will Reportedly Work with iPhones
A company the size and scale of Samsung does not likely enjoy being a runner-up, even in a market as small as smartwatches. That makes Digital Spy's scoop all the more interesting: the upcoming Gear S2 smartwatch -- the round one with the rotating control bezel -- will work with iOS phones. For the last year or so, Samsung has turned its back on Android Wear, favoring the … [Read more...]
Samsung Announces Gear S2 Round Tizen Watch
As expected, Samsung has announced a new round-faced smartwatch, the Gear S2. Continuing Samsung's embrace of the open-source Tizen operating system and rejection of Android Wear, the Gear S2 introduces a new interface element: a rotating bezel that would allow users to literally "dial-in" their inputs. The watches are nearly 12 mm thick and faces are 1.2 inches in diameter, … [Read more...]
Samsung Sneaks Next Gear Smartwatch
Samsung held a press shindig today to show off its latest cellphone and phablet (a word that our spell-checker seems to think is OK), and used the occasion to give a quick look at the Gear S2 smartwatch, which it won't formally introduce until next month. The round-faced S2, like most Samsung smartwatches, looks like it will be based on the Tizen operating system. Nice watch … [Read more...]
CES Day 2: LG/Audi Smartwatch Reportedly to Run WebOS
Remember how we said a couple of days ago that Tizen and WebOS were the thin edge of the wedge that would attack Android in the home? Reports started circulating at CES that LG -- home of the WebOS TV -- was working on a WebOS smartwatch that would control some Audi cars. Android Central has clear images of a WebOS smartwatch prototype with Audi markings. The site says it … [Read more...]
CES Day 0: Is Android in Trouble at Home? (Updated)
Monday was Press Day at CES: the day that most companies spend setting up their booths and the big boys corral the press at a hotel miles away from the show floors. Press Day is when companies like Samsung, LG and Sony sum up their successes, bury their mistakes, and set their agendas for the year ahead. Wearables, for companies like that, are barely rounding error. As sexy … [Read more...]
Samsung Gear S Comes to US Next Week
Samsung's Tizen-based Gear S smartband starts shipping to the US on November 7, the company announced today. The device looks and acts more than a little like will.i.am's PULS cuff, but not as slick: two inches wide with a curved Super AMOLED touch screen and built-in SIM card so it can stand alone without being tethered to a phone. Fitness tracking is done with a Nike+ app … [Read more...]
Samsung Unveils Gear S Curved Tizen Smartwatch
We saw a lot of curved electronic components earlier this year; now they're finding their way into products. Samsung today introduced the Gear S smartwatch, with a 2-inch curved rectangular Super AMOLED display. There are a couple of particularly interesting things about the Gear S: It runs Tizen, not Android Wear It's not a smartphone companion; it has its own 3G … [Read more...]