Samsung Gear – Is It A Dud?

There seems to be a lot of hype surrounding smart watches in general, but paradoxically, there is not much interest being shown in the Samsung Gear, which is one of high profile models in smart watches. Samsung’s smartwatch was first released at the IFA 2013 and was named as Galaxy Gear. To give the watch its due, it actually looks quite decent and has an optimal screen size. Moreover, it lives up to its claim of being a smartwatch, as you can run apps on it and also take pictures. You can also receive calls, which is a particularly appealing feature for a watch. The South Korean giant is one step ahead of competitors, like Google or Apple, being the first to introduce a smartwatch.

The Downside

Yet, given the resources and the expertise of a giant like Samsung, one would have expected to see a more impressive device. It doesn’t live up to the hype and needs additions made to the user experience and interface to offer real customer satisfaction. Firstly, the Samsung Gear is compatible only with Android 4.3 Samsung devices, which boils down to the fact that you can use it only with the Galaxy Note 3 and the Galaxy Note 1.0. Moreover, it is chronically dependent on a Samsung device, but the combination doesn’t seem to be very helpful either.

Battery and Feel

The battery is 315mAh, which enables the watch to keep running for 25 hours or so. This is for normal usage. If you are going to indulge in heavy use of apps, the battery life will come down further. Users are not going to like having another gadget that they need to charge every night before going to bed. If you want to use your smartwatch round the clock, you may even have to charge it twice a day.

Analysts are not very happy with the size and the design of the watch, though it offers a touch screen device that can be strapped to your wrist, has a radio, microphone, camera and speakers. It looks a bit chunky and feels huge, most feel, as though announcing its presence loud and clear when worn on the wrist. It would have been more universally appealing if it had sported a more streamlined look.

The Curve Fails

Samsung is probably trying to measure the customer’s taste for a curved phone. The curve is, however, too slight to be noticeable, as it is just a slight horizontal one. You can only spot the curve if you view the smartwatch from the top or the bottom, as the right and left edges seem to be raised to a slight extent. It almost seems as if Samsung seemed to be trying out customers’ response to curves before going all out for a more dramatic curve.

Poor Reading Experience

Even the reading experience fails to impress, as the text looks unleveled, especially when you hold the smartwatch in an upright position. The sentences give a rather skewed impression when you hold it vertically.

One good thing about the device is that it has launched with 70 apps, which is rather cool, but that’s about it. You could use these apps to sync with your Samsung gadgets and play the latest songs on your smartwatch or even use it to preview song lists.  But even so, there simply isn’t any other saving grace, worth mentioning.

Author Kcmouli is a tech and music blogger who loves to blog about anything related to technology, gadgets and music including the top list; from the latest reviews to CD releases.  Do check out some of the other posts and do share this post on web 2.0.