Samsung Announces Round 'Gear S2' Smart Watch

[Mac 128]

That's what I've been trying to say. A comparable circle is bigger.
I don't care what a traditional watch has. It adds to the overall size. Apple Watch's mounting system is inside the watch case. Not all bands extend the mount and those that do (leather) is pretty seamless. Look how close the leather is to the casing.

A comparable circle is wider than a rectangle of equal height. Why didn't you just say you don't like round watches then?

Seems like we have nothing further to discuss when you seemingly want to debate dimensions, but discount the obvious flaws in your comparison.

Clearly you are right, there's no possible way to ever make a round smartwatch that is better than the current Watch. /s

 

[ErikGrim]

Well if it isn't captain obvious to the rescue! I'll see your new graphic and raise you my original graphic which clearly shows the exact same thing yours does. Hope you didn't spend too much time working on that.


I'll bet you didn't know that the watch industry measures their watches by width, as the height tends to have band connectors and the like. But not Apple -- they buck the trend and measure the height, and in doing so, the case only, leaving out the band lugs on some models in the process, which would increase the watch dimensions.

So anybody buying a round 42mm watch (which is a fairly common standard size) is going to expect the width to be equal to the height, not including connectors.

So once again, in a direct comparison of the 42mm Huawei and the 42mm Watch, the Huawei has more area to display information than the Watch. And in case you missed it the first time -- here's the graphic again to prove it, next to yours if you like:

Look, I'm not sure if you are slow or what. I am showing a 42mm watch (yes, I know that the watch industry measures by width, whereas Apple measures by height) at the exact size a 42mm round watch would be compared to an Apple watch. And guess what, your illustration DOESN'T. For the Apple Watch interface to fit in the way you are showing it, the watch would be FAR LARGER than 42mm.

So please delete your BS lying illustration and start again.

 

[MrX8503]

A comparable circle is wider than a rectangle of equal height. Why didn't you just say you don't like round watches then?

Seems like we have nothing further to discuss when you seemingly want to debate dimensions, but discount the obvious flaws in your comparison.

Clearly you are right, there's no possible way to ever make a round smartwatch that is better than the current Watch. /s

Current round smart watches are larger than the Apple watch. Not sure how clearer I could have been.

 

[Yuthopia]

I don't see anyone screaming for relevance. Everyone has an opinions and rarely does anyone else here care about the opinions of others.




Not as function to some very functional for others. The apps available for my Gear S are just fine for my needs.



Works very well on the Gear S. It's the main driving reason I bought one. I may not use it as often in 3G but I do value it enough to not buy one without stand alone capability.



Meh...it's just an additional device on my plan. $5-10mo isn't anything. If one can't afford that then they prolly shouldn't buy the device or even a smart phone.



Exactly. I use the heck out of the Gear S but not as a replacement to a smart phone running an app.



I get two days out of mine.



You don't pay for an additional plan. It can be added as a device to your existing contract. Costs will vary depending on carrier. I think mine is $10mo. Some are as low as $5. I love it as I do a lot of ourdoor activities with my kids and with the Gear S I don't have to lug my phone with me. In fact we spent 8 days at Disney World and I left my Note Series in the room every single day yet had all my emails, texts and phone capabilities with me.



The purpose of the device isn't to mimic sheets of paper. My wife uses plenty of round post-it notes of all sizes. That's really what it's for. Again, if you're looking to read pages of emails or books, use a device created for such things.



I think you made the point I came to post in that what else would you want? IMO offering a round version of with a completely different style is something different for them. I think they realized the original Gear S wasn't a style most love so they came up with the opposite. Hey, I'm okay with it.



Here too, but then, what update are you missing or looking to have? They've updated the gear manager a couple times. I don't even recall what was changed.



I'm pretty sure the previous Gear Owners still use those devices they have bought and could have bought three of them for the price of one Apple. I don't love my Gear S and while I'm intrigued about the style of the new Gear S-MKII I'm not sure if I'll buy one and retire the original. However, I really could go either way as I've gotten money out of the original one already.




You don't need a second plan. It's an add on device. You don't need a second number either. In fact that second number would ONLY be used if the matching smart phone is OFF or Not connected remotely for some odd reason. Otherwise, it's not going to come into play. That is also not a Samsung thing, it's how the cell carriers in the US Operate and their call.



I'll give you a couple of my uses. I used it first and foremost when I'm outside with my kids. We ride bikes all the time, play catch, tennis, etc. and the last thing I want is a phone in my pocket. No need. I wear my Gear S and it functions off 3G connected remotely to my phone that is safe at home or whereever. The use of it is seemless to anyone I call, email or text. How cool is that.

If I go run errands, it's the same way. Why lug a smartphone when I don't need to? It connects to my car through bluetooth automatically and functions as a speakerphone if I'm in the yard. I don't hardly ever type emails or texts even on my phone. I use voice recognition which this has also and it works great.

Again, I could go on about how it could be used, but those are really why I have one. On business travels like now, I can go out to dinner with a customer, focus entirely on them and not worry about being "disconnected" or having to again, keep a device with me. It's actually refreshing and turns into a conversation when people ask "where is your phone?" and I get to share that I'm focused on the here and now and yet still connected. Funny to look around at dinner and see everyone tapping on their phones vs talking. It's sad really.

Screen wise, you really don't need more. I can read emails and texts just fine. The apps I use most are Text, Calender/schedule, email phone, step counter, tip calc. occastionally, typical use as a watch/date reminder, music player if I'm in my car without my phone, stopwatch, alarm clock/reminder for things, quick lists for shopping and an occasional GPS Use when I'm in a city like NYC or Chicago or San Fran. Excellent while walking.

Not sure if that addresses all your points, but is should provide some insight.

Thanks for your insight. I do understand your use case. In brief, the 3G is for short-time usage where users want to be hand free and carry nothing.

 

[pdqgp]

Thanks for your insight. I do understand your use case. In brief, the 3G is for short-time usage where users want to be hand free and carry nothing.

Pretty much. Although again, I often go with it in 3g mode all day. The battery lasts about 18hrs or so then. Otherwise, it's connected to my phone via BT and when in an area where I feel secure I put it on wifi.

 

[Mac 128]

Look, I'm not sure if you are slow or what. I am showing a 42mm watch (yes, I know that the watch industry measures by width, whereas Apple measures by height) at the exact size a 42mm round watch would be compared to an Apple watch. And guess what, your illustration DOESN'T. For the Apple Watch interface to fit in the way you are showing it, the watch would be FAR LARGER than 42mm.

So please delete your BS lying illustration and start again.

And yet it is: Pictures don't lie. In fact you posted the exact same graphic. And the area of the Watch display fits easily inside the 42mm circle. While the Huawei might be slightly larger than the mockup I've created, your assertion that it's far larger is completely disproved.

That's a 42mm round watch overlaying a 42mm tall rectangular watch, created in Photoshop. So you are now calling me a liar? I guess that's all you have left considering your own graphic proves what I've been saying all along.

But I will go you one better:

Here's a brand new graphic that shows the actual Huawei watch overlaid onto the Watch.

And this is where I have to eat a little crow: Turns out the Huawei's bezel is a little thicker than it looks, and more than the Moto 360 which is the original watch I used for this graphic.

So, the Huawei watch could not include all of the 42mm Watch display intact. But it almost fits, I'd say within a millimeter or two. Negligible considering the trade-off. The corners would be clipped on the 42mm Watch rectangular display area if merely imported 1:1 into the Huawei. That said, are there any apps on the Watch that would actually be affected by losing such a small part of the display area? It's really not even worth discussing. Especially, considering the trade-ff Apple already makes between the 38mm and 42mm Watches:

Meanwhile, there is substantially more area in the round watch face for it to use instead, with a custom UI.

 

[kdarling]

meh. Every time I need to know the time, the natural motion I make to look at the watch turns it on for me. Hasn't been an issue.

You haven't had the option. Let's wait until Apple does an always-on and then see if you turn that feature off ... or keep it on, like I do

Besides laying it down and still being able to see the time, I often wake up in the middle of the night and my wife is cuddled up in my left arm. Being nearsighted, clocks don't help me; I need my watch. And I can only turn it a teeny bit if necessary without waking her up, too. Not enough to turn on most smartwatches.

I looked up your watch. Seems that the "always on" isn't always on full brightness, though. That's why it doesn't drain the battery like a true always on would.

That's totally incorrect information. Where did you look? Unlike some other watches, the LGWR has a bright full time screen. Too much sometimes, honestly. Basically it always looks like below (this is mine):

And what's that bezel for?

I think mostly the round display needs a connection somewhere (thus the missing piece on the almost bezel-less Moto 360). Take away the band lugs, though, and keep just the circle, and it's not that big.

As for bezels, the Apple Watch's is also large, visually hidden by dark glass. In fact, less than 50% of the front of the Apple watch is used by its display, while over 70% of the Moto 360's display is display.

That's why posts about theoretical displays are moot. They don't apply to real life devices.

 

[laurim]

In fact, less than 50% of the front of the Apple watch is used by its display, while over 70% of the Moto 360's display is display.

WTF? Where are you getting less than 50% is used? That's ridiculous. It looks more like 90-95% to me.

Nice of you to show how the Watch's rectangular design enables it to give us access to not only the time but four other functions (glances) with a simple glance or tap.

a) like I already said, I don't need the face always lit when I'm not looking at it. Besides, I have my watch set to lite up on the last app I used; so sometimes it stays on texting and I don't want to let other people see my texts.
b) the next OS upgrade includes a nightstand mode so if I want to replace my clock radio with the watch as a night clock, I can. I fixed my eyes with Lasik a long time ago so I see fine.

BTW- Is there a non-analog watch face on your watch? I'm having trouble finding out. I prefer to just see the time in a numerical way so it's faster.

 

[laurim]

Meanwhile, there is substantially more area in the round watch face for it to use instead, with a custom UI.

Feel free to mock up an example of how that multi-line text would take advantage of all that "extra" round space with a custom UI.

 

[Rigby]

Photo next to the Apple Watch (for size comparison):

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/samsung-gear-s2-auf-der-ifa-im-test-fotostrecke-129730-16.html

 

[laurim]

Photo next to the Apple Watch (for size comparison):

Analog watch area same size but the numbers are tiny and cluttered with the other info because there's no other place to put them:

Again, what time is it from this image below? I see the time the message was sent but not the current time.

 

[Rigby]

Analog watch area same size but the numbers are tiny and cluttered with the other info because there's no other place to put them

I really don't want to get involved in this "round vs. rectangular" debate, but the analog watch face area is much bigger on the Samsung simply because the round display provides more horizontal space. It's just a different design with the hour markers sticking outwards.

Here's another watch face with plenty of room for complications:

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/samsung-gear-s2-auf-der-ifa-im-test-fotostrecke-129730-14.html

 

[laurim]

I really don't want to get involved in this "round vs. rectangular" debate, but the analog watch face area is much bigger on the Samsung simply because the round display provides more horizontal space. It's just a different design with the hour markers sticking outwards.

Here's another watch face with plenty of room for complications:

http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/samsung-gear-s2-auf-der-ifa-im-test-fotostrecke-129730-14.html

It would be easier if you would post the images here instead of linking.

I have no idea what all that stuff is for on this watch face. WTF time is it? What's the "2"? Is that super skinny hand a sweep second hand for the numbers on the outer ring? Nope, I guess it's the minute hand. Why does the blue hand on the top small circle go all the way up to the 60 on the outer ring? Why are some hands white and some blue? Blech.

 

[ErikGrim]

And yet it is: Pictures don't lie. In fact you posted the exact same graphic. And the area of the Watch display fits easily inside the 42mm circle. While the Huawei might be slightly larger than the mockup I've created, your assertion that it's far larger is completely disproved.

That's a 42mm round watch overlaying a 42mm tall rectangular watch, created in Photoshop. So you are now calling me a liar? I guess that's all you have left considering your own graphic proves what I've been saying all along.

But I will go you one better:

Here's a brand new graphic that shows the actual Huawei watch overlaid onto the Watch.

And this is where I have to eat a little crow: Turns out the Huawei's bezel is a little thicker than it looks, and more than the Moto 360 which is the original watch I used for this graphic.

Congratulations, you finally got my point. That is showing exactly the same result as my graphic: The edges extend beyond the bezel.

 

[kdarling]

WTF? Where are you getting less than 50% is used? That's ridiculous. It looks more like 90-95% to me.

It's a fact... surprising to many... that Moto likes to point out:

Multiply it out yourself, using the area of the display vs the case.

Actually, I think it's more like 41% for the Apple Watch using those numbers, but its rounded corners mathematically save it by removing some body area.

Nice of you to show how the Watch's rectangular design enables it to give us access to not only the time but four other functions (glances) with a simple glance or tap.

Uh, so can Android watchfaces. Hundreds of them have multiple complications and shortcuts to related functions. For instance, this has nine interactive features, over twice as many as your Apple example:

BTW- Is there a non-analog watch face on your watch? I'm having trouble finding out. I prefer to just see the time in a numerical way so it's faster.

Ah, you prefer digital clocks. No wonder you dislike round analog watches.

The answer is a huge YES. There are THOUSANDS of faces available for Android Wear watches. Just about anything you can imagine, from Breitling clones to Star Trek LCARS to steampunk to sports team themes, to outdoorsmen all-in-one displays, to favorite photo slideshow, to a simple flower, to a James Bond Goldeneye clone.

Or if you prefer, you can make an interactive one yourself, since there are a couple of major watchface players that use Lua. As an interactive coder, you'd probably have a blast.

Check out the FaceRepo website when you get a chance. (I set the link to show the most popular when you come in, but you can use the filters on the left to look for square digital ones.)

 

[laurim]

Actually, I think it's more like 41% for the Apple Watch using those numbers, but its rounded corners mathematically save it by removing some body area.

When you are making your calculations, are you including all of the metal case and the curve of the glass? That's hardly accurate. The glass isn't flat like android watches, maybe because of force touch (which none of them have).When I calculate the % of the areas your Watch diagram shows, I get 71%. If I don't count the curve of the glass, I get 79%. Even if I go all the way to the metal edge of the case and include the curved glass, I still get 62%. And as your diagram shows, any time there is multiline text or multi-item button lists, round watches use significantly less than the full available area of the watch. Which gets back to the very original point: round surfaces are not efficient for showing complex content.

That picture of that ridiculous watch with all the displays, I just have to laugh. Why anyone would think that's a good idea is beyond my comprehension. It's an unusable mess.

At any rate. IMO the watch design is best because it doesn't look solely like a man's watch. Anyone can wear it and can wear it with whatever fashion they wear around it. It's not too sporty to wear to dinner and not to "blingy" to wear to the gym. It doesn't clash with anything else and that's why I like it. The display is well-organized and it always tells you what time it is while it's doing other things. Can't say the same about non-Apple watches. I think people would question my sexual preference if I wore most of the android watches out now.

 

[MrX8503]

Display:
21.81 x 27.87 = 607.84

Case:
36.44 x 42.5 = 1548.7

Display to Case:
607.84/1548.7 = ~.39

So about 39% display to case ratio. This doesn't take the rounded corners into account. Apple did a good job hiding the bezels from the Apple watch. Something to also note is that the mounting brackets take up space of the case itself, whereas most other watches extend the brackets outside the case.

I think Motorola did a good job reducing the bezels. I think they could improve its design by removing the double beveled edges. I guess the Moto 360 2 has a single bevel now.

EDIT: I wonder if Moto's calculation includes the flat tire?

 

[kdarling]

That picture of that ridiculous watch with all the displays, I just have to laugh. Why anyone would think that's a good idea is beyond my comprehension. It's an unusable mess.

It's just one example of thousands. I grabbed it because it was digital like you asked. There are plenty of others. It's just the first one I ran across.

Although, of interest for a super Apple fan like you, that face is similar to a G-Shock, which was one of Steve Jobs favorite examples of a great design (he even used it as an example in a keynote).

 

[laurim]

Sing it, sister!

http://www.imore.com/i-tried-latest-android-wear-watches-and-they-still-suck-women

 

[MrX8503]

It's just one example of thousands. I grabbed it because it was digital like you asked. There are plenty of others. It's just the first one I ran across.

Although, of interest for a super Apple fan like you, that face is similar to a G-Shock, which was one of Steve Jobs favorite examples of a great design (he even used it as an example in a keynote).

View attachment 578995

I don't know if comparing Steve's tastes from 1998 to today's standards is entirely accurate.

 

[MrX8503]

Sing it, sister!

http://www.imore.com/i-tried-latest-android-wear-watches-and-they-still-suck-women

I posted a thread on a similar topic: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/apple-watch-what-reviewers-miss.1911368/

A lot of reviewers dismiss that women wear watches too. In my case, I have small wrists so I went with the 38mm. Other smartwatches are too big.

From the article:

But let's play devil's advocate for a moment: It might not be that other manufacturers don't care about women and smaller-wristed men; they may just not have the technology to execute it well. Smartwatches are essentially computers on your wrists, and it may just be that Android Wear manufacturers haven't figured out how to fit the computer they want within the space of a 42mm or smaller watch face.

I really believe why we haven't seen a small Android smart watch is because Android wear manufacturers don't have the technology. Specifically speaking, a custom designed SoC. Android manufacturers are relying on the watch's size to allow room for a bigger battery.

 

[laurim]

It's just one example of thousands. I grabbed it because it was digital like you asked. There are plenty of others. It's just the first one I ran across.

Although, of interest for a super Apple fan like you, that face is similar to a G-Shock, which was one of Steve Jobs favorite examples of a great design (he even used it as an example in a keynote).

View attachment 578995

I went back to the 1998 Keynote and all he said about that watch was that it was popular because of its design. Not that HE thought it was a good design. He also said in that keynote that one of Apple's strengths compared to the competition was that they understood fashion and used that when designing all their products. "Fashion is the design of our products".

 

[ErikGrim]

View attachment 578975

Thank you for proving better than any of us why round displays are an awful idea. What a mess.

 

[MrX8503]

Saw a video of the Gear S2 in action and the rotating bezel is impressive. I think Samsung has cracked the navigation issues with a round display.

There's an advantage to Samsung's rotating bezel, it can scroll through the UI in 2 axis, X and Y. The Apple watch crown is strictly Y.

If Samsung can get information to display efficiently, they're going to have a winner.

 

[roadbloc]

Then you'll lose screen estate.

Until Apple finally do it and then it'll be the dog's bollocks.