Samsung is taking the wraps off of yet another new smartwatch, but the Gear S (not Solo) has a twist: there’s a 3G modem inside. While it may not be especially fast, that means that even when outside the range of a Bluetooth-connected phone or WiFi, it can still send and receive messages or make calls. It has a 2-inch AMOLED screen plus a dual-core 1GHz CPU inside along with GPS, heart rate and motion sensors, all powered by a 300mAh battery Samsung says can last up to two days. It runs Tizen instead of Android Wear, with pedestrian navigation available from from Nokia’s HERE and support for Facebook. In the run up to IFA next week Samsung is also bringing the Gear Circle headset (yes, we also figured they’d save that name for a round watch) that pairs with a phone over Bluetooth, letting users hear notifications, use voice commands or listen to music through the earbuds.
Both devices will go on sale in October, although there’s no word on a price for either. The Gear S is outfitted for all kinds of fitness tracking, either through Samsung’s S Health or Nike+ Running, it’s IP67 dust and water resistant, packs 4GB of storage and 512MB RAM. The Gear Circle has a magnetic clasp so it fits around your neck while not in use, a touch sensor and battery with up to 11 hours of talk time. So will either of these wearables break into our gear bag or wardrobe? We’ll have a better idea next week after getting our wrists/necks on them during the IFA 2014 show in Berlin.
Paul Balo is the founder of TechBooky and a highly skilled wireless communications professional with a strong background in cloud computing, offering extensive experience in designing, implementing, and managing wireless communication systems.
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