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Engadget Daily: Gear S review, the White House offers funding for body cams and more!
If you thought Samsung's Gear S smartwatch could rid you of the need for your phone, think again. We reviewed the wearable, and as it turns out, you'll need a handset just to get the thing up and runnin'. That's not all we have today, though -- read on for all our news highlights from the past 24 hours.
Samsung Gear S review: an ambitious and painfully flawed smartwatch
Samsung's wearables strategy seems to be: "Throw everything at a wall and see what sticks." In a little over 12 months, the electronics giant has launched six -- yes, six -- different smartwatches, each with its own unique personality. The latest is the Samsung Gear S, and its particular claim to fame might be the most ambitious yet: It's the first Gear watch that lets you make and receive calls from your wrist, no phone required. Yep, the Gear S actually has a 3G modem inside it, along with WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS radios. It's basically a watch that's also a phone. You can even respond to emails using a tiny onscreen keyboard. But, at $350 a pop, can it replace your phone? And more importantly, would you want it to?
Samsung's 3G-ready Gear S watch reaches the US November 7th
Itching to strap Samsung's 3G-equipped Gear S smartwatch on your wrist? If you're in the US, you'll only have to wait one more week. The cellular-capable timepiece is now officially slated to reach American stores on November 7th, including Best Buy, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. Just how much you'll pay depends on your choice of network. Verizon hasn't mentioned pricing just yet, but AT&T will sell the Gear S for $200 on a two-year contract; Sprint and T-Mobile will offer the wristwear on monthly installment plans that have you shelling out respective totals of $384 and $350. That's a lot to pay in the current smartwatch market, but this is also one of the few wearables that lets you leave your phone at home.
Samsung's no-phone-necessary Gear S watch is coming to the US this fall
Samsung gave us a glimpse at its next smartwatch (there have been a few) during IFA, and tonight there's news that, surprise, you'll be able to buy and use the Gear S in the US this fall. This one is special because unlike most other watches, it can connect to 3G data by itself when the wearer's phone isn't around. There's little in the way of details, but it's coming on all four major carriers -- AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile -- and the company promises more information "soon." You can check out our experiences at typing out emails on its two-inch AMOLED screen right here, and decide if it's worth picking up this Tizen OS device instead of the Apple Watch (or any of the other wearables either coming soon or already here).
Samsung's Gear S hits the runway with Diesel Black Gold for New York Fashion Week
When we saw Samsung's Gear S curved smartwatch last week, we said its design, "feels functional, but also like an afterthought." The 2-inch behemoth certainly doesn't blend into outfits as much as it becomes the centerpiece, for better or worse. Diesel Black Gold -- the even more expensive, "premium" line of the Diesel clothing brand -- is apparently down with that, and is working with Samsung on a variety of "unique" bands (seen above). That's pretty much all the news there is about these so far -- no pricing or release dates were given -- but check out this amazing sentence from the announcement, describing the bands: "Elements of the SS 15 collection, inspired by highly stylized New Wave rock stars and tough rockabilly heroines, have been used to give a sharp attitude to the device, characterized by signature leather and metal details."
Samsung Gear S preview: What's it like to type emails on a 2-inch screen?
Six. That's how many smartwatches Samsung has unveiled in the past 12 months. If these devices were Friends episodes, there'd be the original Galaxy Gear ("The one announced last year at this time"), the Gear 2 ("The one with fewer bugs"), the Gear Fit ("The one designed for fitness tracking"), the Gear 2 Neo ("The one that didn't cost as much") and the Gear Live ("The one that ran Android apps"). If nothing else, it shows that Samsung is willing to experiment -- and maybe even listen to feedback from users, and reviewers like us. Now, as the original Gear turns one, Samsung is showing off its sixth watch, the Gear S: the one that can run without a smartphone. Thanks to its very own nano-SIM card, the Gear S can make calls, as well as show you emails in full, with the option to reply directly from the device using a tiny on-screen keyboard. To Samsung's credit, it's unlike any other device it's made before. But the age-old question still remains: Was anybody asking for this?
Samsung's Gear S smartwatch doesn't need a phone to get online or make calls
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.
