Samsung Unveils Line of Gear 2 Smart Watches Featuring 'Tizen' Mobile Operating System

[shandyman]

Samsung Unveils Line of Gear 2 Smart Watches Featuring 'Tizen' Mobile Operati...

Samsung said it sold 800,000 Galaxy Gear in two months.



To my surprise, Amazon reviewers have given it pretty good marks, especially after the update that gave more notifications.



However, I think they goofed by not making it work with all types of phones. That's usually the kind of proprietary sales that Apple is known for.

Yes, but didn't it also have a return rate of the about 30%......? Lol

 

[samcraig]

Just announced...

http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/0...-fit-a-fitness-tracker-smarwatch-band-thingy/

This could be interesting...

 

[Renzatic]

Because OS X existed before Android. Those other images you provided are better examples that make an argument for copying, albeit in some cases, very slightly.

The ever ongoing who copied who argument is usually about the stupidest, most puerile thing you'll ever come across on tech enthusiast messageboards. It's penny ante nitpicking bullcrap that serves no purpose other than being a temporary bragging point for people who tend to get far too invested in the crap they buy.

Microsoft copies. Google copies. Apple copies. Nokia copies. Samsung copies. Everyone copies at some point. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Everyone copies everyone else. Bringing up who did what first is completely futile, because whoever did that awesome special thing first probably copied someone else's awesome special thing to get there.

Whoever did something first...it doesn't matter. The only thing that does is who did something the best.

AND THAT'S HOW YOU START A NEW PAGE, PEOPLE! YEAAAH! :drops microphone:

 

[kdarling]

Yes, but didn't it also have a return rate of the about 30%......? Lol

IIRC, it was only reported that Best Buy had a high return rate, which caused Samsung to ask them to investigate what was causing it.

We don't know what the story was. Perhaps Best Buy salespeople were selling the watches to people with the wrong type of phones. Perhaps they were overselling its capabilities. Who knows.

 

[Tech198]

They were not. They have copied the best off of the HTC Touch Pro and Samsung Omnia phones..

Yes i know they copied other manufactures too....

BUT, all i'm saying, is why does it take Apple do do this first, them you see Samsung change their icons to copy Apple..

You never see Samsung have something before Apple, and its a "big hit" because its from Samsung do you..

aka icons are unique and better than any others out there........ better case design than Apple above all,,,
etc....

I'm not saying Apple doesn't copy anyone, i'm just saying that you never see Samsung do anything first that is a hit and everyone loves it... UNTIL Apple does it. Suddenly you see Samsung do it the same way (implement their own Touch ID) etc..

 

[epic-retouching]

People express annoyance that Apple takes so long to release a new product, and then when a competitor releases something on a faster release cycle, they get laughed at. What gives?

Even though I'll never hand over my hard-earned cash for a Samsung-branded consumer device, I must acknowledge their efforts here. Apple truly does have what appears to be a nimble, aggressive competitor. This article leaves me feeling that Tim Cook is too soft. People that work at Apple aren't scared of disappointing him like they were of our beloved Steve Jobs. We miss you, Steve. You were a true all-balls leader.

Guess people who work at Samsung must be incredibly brave according to the latest news rofl.

No new design because iPhone didn't change
New colours because iPhone got them
Fingerprint scanner on home button because iPhone got it
Nothing else new because iPhone didn't

The CEO of Samsung clearly doesn't get phased by being sued, what a brave soul

 

[Dave.UK]

Guess people who work at Samsung must be incredibly brave according to the latest news rofl.

No new design because iPhone didn't change
New colours because iPhone got them
Fingerprint scanner on home button because iPhone got it
Nothing else new because iPhone didn't

The CEO of Samsung clearly doesn't get phased by being sued, what a brave soul

I take it you didnt watch the presentation and decided to write out the same old anti-samsung garbage that is doing the rounds.

What about all the fitness features, the kids features, the ultra battery saving feature etc. You seem to miss those out

 

[epic-retouching]

I take it you didnt watch the presentation and decided to write out the same old anti-samsung garbage that is doing the rounds.

What about all the fitness features, the kids features, the ultra battery saving feature etc. You seem to miss those out

You must be so happy today to finally get an iPhone5S without the Apple branding!

By the way, judging by all the threads you have created on this forum you seem to be the anti Apple troll here. Why don't jump off this forum and join your family elsewhere.

 

[Dave.UK]

You must be so happy today to finally get an iPhone5S without the Apple branding!

Nope, Im perfectly happy with my LG G2, but thank you for your concern.

 

[Aniseedvan]

Am I a lone voice in thinking the smart fitness band also announced doesn't look that bad? That said it only works with a range of galaxy devices. In an android world that seems quite closed off...

 

[epic-retouching]

Nope, Im perfectly happy with my LG G2, but thank you for your concern.

If I was concerned about anything to do with you it would be the fact that given your started threads you seem to be very against iOS/iPhone and only here to make fun of it and/or troll. Funny that since you accuse me of hating on Samsung. At least I do it on an Apple forum

 

[Dave.UK]

If I was concerned about anything to do with you it would be the fact that given your started threads you seem to be very against iOS/iPhone and only here to make fun of it and/or troll. Funny that since you accuse me of hating on Samsung. At least I do it on an Apple forum

Im not against iOS or iPhone. Its not for me but im not against it.

As you said, this is an Apple forum. Its not an ios forum. I can be perfectly happy with my Mac but not impressed with ios. I know some people such as yourself find that hard to understand.

 

[bsolar]

Here is a pro tip. Read other peoples comments to the very end before you reply to them. The first iteration of the Samsung watch ran Android and it had horrible battery life. You speak of childish behaviour and yet you act like I hurt your feelings by pointing out a possible issue with the scalability of Android to a watch form factor. It appears that android is not well suited for use in watches.

My tip for you is to read the original post when replying to a reply: I absolutely agree that the first Samsung watch had terrible battery life and that Android might have been a cause. Still this doesn't translate into the "Android sucks" of the original post I replied to, which was clearly meant at Android in general, not only in the Samsung's smartwatch.

Please leave your histrionics at the door if you wish to participate with other adults. Thanks in advance.

If you request politeness you should be polite yourself in the first place. Replying to someone with "Keep on telling yourself that buddy and maybe even you will believe it" is the wrong way to start a conversation between adults, unless you are willing to get the same "kindess" in return.

Said that, I apologize for my rudeness in the previous post.

 

[epic-retouching]

The ever ongoing who copied who argument is usually about the stupidest, most puerile thing you'll ever come across on tech enthusiast messageboards. It's penny ante nitpicking bullcrap that serves no purpose other than being a temporary bragging point for people who tend to get far too invested in the crap they buy.

Microsoft copies. Google copies. Apple copies. Nokia copies. Samsung copies. Everyone copies at some point. There's no ifs, ands, or buts about it. Everyone copies everyone else. Bringing up who did what first is completely futile, because whoever did that awesome special thing first probably copied someone else's awesome special thing to get there.

Whoever did something first...it doesn't matter. The only thing that does is who did something the best.

AND THAT'S HOW YOU START A NEW PAGE, PEOPLE! YEAAAH! :drops microphone:

I can see your point sure it gets frustrating constantly seeing copying stuff in news headlines but you gotta see the creators point of view. Ok let me get this straight before I continue. I am a concept artist for warner brothers and do freelance work for magic the gathering. If I see my art get ripped off, that is my living getting basically eaten into for some untalented thief to make a quick buck. So Apple create art, I don't care that they are rich, it is not all about the money, it is about being proud of something that stands out over the rest. How can you have that level of proudness if someone just rips off your **** after you do all the hard work?

----------

Im not against iOS or iPhone. Its not for me but im not against it.

As you said, this is an Apple forum. Its not an ios forum. I can be perfectly happy with my Mac but not impressed with ios. I know some people such as yourself find that hard to understand.

hahaha, you almost made truce but you just had to add your little bit of arrogance at the end didn't you. Or is leaving arrogance out of a comment too hard for your personality to do? Don't reply to me anymore please, obviously it won't get anywhere useful. I have work to go to also.

 

[Dave.UK]

hahaha, you almost made truce but you just had to add your little bit of arrogance at the end didn't you. Or is leaving arrogance out of a comment too hard for your personality to do? Don't reply to me anymore please, obviously it won't get anywhere useful. I have work to go to also.

Keep calm, carry on.

 

[Renzatic]

I can see your point sure it gets frustrating constantly seeing copying stuff in news headlines but you gotta see the creators point of view. Ok let me get this straight before I continue. I am a concept artist for warner brothers and do freelance work for magic the gathering. If I see my art get ripped off, that is my living getting basically eaten into for some untalented thief to make a quick buck. So Apple create art, I don't care that they are rich, it is not all about the money, it is about being proud of something that stands out over the rest. How can you have that level of proudness if someone just rips off your **** after you do all the hard work?

In your case, yeah, someone aping your work is flat out theft, and I could see why you'd be pissed off.

But when it comes to Apple, just about everything you see in the iDevices is iterative of what came before it. It's all an improvement upon something, not something that sprang up in a vacuum. I can make a list of numerous things in iOS that were seen elsewhere as long ago as 15 years. Apple took some of these ideas and made them better, but they didn't invent them wholesale.

So if Apple can cull the best ideas the industry has to offer to create their own products, why can't others do the same to Apple? Why is it that some people call it inspiration when Apple does it to someone else, but outright theft when someone else does the same thing to Apple? It's a bit two faced to me.

The entire computer industry is a cycle of make and take and improve and take and make and improve, and everyone in said industry does it. Everyone.

 

[Sharkey311]

This doesn't really thrill me, nor indeed does the idea of an Apple iWatch. Whenever I am forced to wear a tie and/or a watch I feel like I'm being thrown in irons. Yuck....

Found the nudist

 

[Jess13]

So I take it you're on the side of the camp that says Samsung isn't copying the finger print scanner? After all, their implantation sounds more like what you saw on laptops than what you see on the iPhone.

Scamsung copied the placement of the iPhone 5s scanner, and only has a scanner because Apple successfully created a great scanner that works. But Scamsung isn't copying the same functionality, as evidenced by the disgustingly designed, just released Scamsung S5.

"But Apple copied the Atrix!" No, the Atrix scanner barely worked, wasn't continued in newer phones, was regarded as a complete failure, wasn't the same location as the iPhone 5s, and didn't have the same functionality either.

 

[danielsutton]

Right, I am going to call you up on this one, so what do YOU think has motivated ALL the other makers of smart watches then? Both now AND before, you do now you have been able to buy a smart watch long before ANY Apple rumour about them right?
So come on, did they time travel to read the Apple rumours than go back to their time to make a smart watch? And all the other makers launching smart watches, have they ALL copied Apple too, or is it just Samsung?

Yes, there have been smart watches for some time. Just like there have been smart phones for some time. However, each smart phone was differentiated by appearance and features, and smart watches also have been historically unique by design. After Apple dropped the iPhone, though, Samsung created smart phones that looked uncannily like the iPhone, and copied it all the way down to the "rubber banding" animations, the basic shape, and now the fingerprint sensor (in the home button, of course!).

Now the medical sensor rumors have heated up, and lo-and-behold, Samsung is at it again, trying to be the first to release such features in a smart watch. I am really anticipating Apple's next move. I want to see Samsung's reaction!!

 

[shandyman]

Yes, there have been smart watches for some time. Just like there have been smart phones for some time. However, each smart phone was differentiated by appearance and features, and smart watches also have been historically unique by design. After Apple dropped the iPhone, though, Samsung created smart phones that looked uncannily like the iPhone, and copied it all the way down to the "rubber banding" animations, the basic shape, and now the fingerprint sensor (in the home button, of course!).



Now the medical sensor rumors have heated up, and lo-and-behold, Samsung is at it again, trying to be the first to release such features in a smart watch. I am really anticipating Apple's next move. I want to see Samsung's reaction!!

It's funny that people bang on about smart watches being around for ages, also that the fitness bands have been around for ages, but miss the key fact that Samsung only went down the watch route after the rumours of Apple doing one and then only do the fitness thing after Apple are rumoured to do one. Also that gear fit looks uncannily like the concept of the I watch that was around about 9 months ago.... There's some good for thought.

 

[Dave.UK]

It's funny that people bang on about smart watches being around for ages, also that the fitness bands have been around for ages, but miss the key fact that Samsung only went down the watch route after the rumours of Apple doing one.

Really?

I find it amazing the amount of posters saying Samsung have rushed out a smartwatch just because there are rumours of Apple releasing on.

Samsung released the first WatchPhone back in 1999 called the SPH-WP10

Samsung also released a WatchPhone in France during 2009, called the S9110

The sleek S9110 is a mere 11.98mm thick thanks to the company’s advanced surface mounting technology, making it the slimmest watchphone device in the market. Featuring a 1.76” full touch screen customized for the wrist-watch form factor, the S9110 aims to attract mobile phone users who want a unique fashion item that keeps them connected on the go. The device also enables the users to check their e-mail seamlessly through Outlook.

In 1999, Samsung introduced the world’s first watch phone, the SPH-WP10, which became a landmark product in the mobile industry. The S9110 will be available in France this month for around 450 Euros.

Bet lets not let facts get in the way eh?!

 

[smirking]

I just don't understand why you all care so damn much.

Two words: "Men Online". Words of caution to indicate the presence of a lot of people who will argue to the death and cede no hint of doubt while defending their positions even when those positions were arrived at arbitrarily or while drunk.

 

[danielsutton]

Right, I am going to call you up on this one, so what do YOU think has motivated ALL the other makers of smart watches then? Both now AND before, you do now you have been able to buy a smart watch long before ANY Apple rumour about them right?
So come on, did they time travel to read the Apple rumours than go back to their time to make a smart watch? And all the other makers launching smart watches, have they ALL copied Apple too, or is it just Samsung?

So tell me this: Why hasn't Samsung released a smart watch before now? They had many years to do it. They only released a watch after they heard Apple rumors swirling around. But no, maybe the swirling sound was actually water going down the toilet after they flushed it!

----------

It's funny that people bang on about smart watches being around for ages, also that the fitness bands have been around for ages, but miss the key fact that Samsung only went down the watch route after the rumours of Apple doing one and then only do the fitness thing after Apple are rumoured to do one. Also that gear fit looks uncannily like the concept of the I watch that was around about 9 months ago.... There's some good for thought.

Precisely my point Shandyman, you make some very good observations about Sansung's me-too reactions!

 

[kdarling]

So tell me this: Why hasn't Samsung released a smart watch before now? They had many years to do it.

That's like asking...

"Why didn't Apple release a smart phone before they did? They had many years to do it. They only released a phone after everyone was already talking about and demonstrating capacitive touch phones."

They only released a watch after they heard Apple rumors swirling around.

Likewise, Apple timed the 2007 iPhone unveiling (which was a very unusual six months ahead of sales time) to be just before the Mobile World Congress that year, in case all the rumors of other capacitive touch smartphones came true. The iPhone prototypes barely worked for more than a few minutes at a time, but Apple wanted to be seen as first, even if they had to fake some of the demo.

So it's hardly a surprise when companies try to sell whatever is popular or about to be. Some can go to production faster than others. Obviously Samsung has had smart watches in R&D for a while, and their management saw that there is now high public interest in them. (Not only Apple rumors, but the success of the Pebble.)

Sometimes companies are slower to wake up to what is popular. Apple only made the iPad mini after one of its execs used a 7" Samsung tablet. And if Apple makes a bigger screen phone, they'll be doing it because other companies have already made them popular.

 

[kdarling]

... pointing out a possible issue with the scalability of Android to a watch form factor. It appears that android is not well suited for use in watches.

I've had two Android based smartwatches now.

• The WIMM One, whose makers were bought by Google.
  
• The SmartQ Z1, from SmartQ in Hong Kong.

The cool thing about having Android on each, was that they had support for things like WiFi, and it was easy to write apps to use on them with tools developers already had. People have even put a modified Android Nova launcher on the SmartQ.

However, both of the above had color touch screens, which eats into battery life far more than with watches such as the button-based B&W Pebble. That's the main downside, but has nothing to do with the OS.

The other downside might be needing more memory for the OS, but that's cheap these days. The $100 Z1 comes with 4GB flash (2+GB available to user) and 0.5GB DDR.