Samsung Galaxy Gear desperately wants to be in the vanguard of a new era of portable technologies. If the intention is good and proactive firm, the future of the connected watches remains uncertain and the path will be long before you can take advantage of a device worthy of the name. But where are we really with Gear? Place the test.
What
Gear is nothing but a clever show itself, which runs on a version of the Android operating system. This is not a standalone device itself, but a link between your smartphone and yourself. Assuming of course that you have a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (our review here) and eventually a Samsung Galaxy running Android 4.3 or higher.
small marries your phone via Bluetooth 4.0 protocol, low power, so that the data and calls can be transferred seamlessly. All for € 299.
Design
Basically, the lighthouse point of this watch is its touch screen Super AMOLED 1.63 “. AMOLED requires the contrasts are great and the black abyss of depth. Also note that the 320 x 320 pixels crammed into this small space provide excellent pixel density of 278 PPI. The toy exudes strength thanks to its compactness and brushed stainless steel bezel. It has a physical button (top right corner) which is used for lighting and also to select the desired shortcut pointing to an application.
Under the hood is a processor 800 MHz, 4 GB of storage , 512 MB RAM, accelerometer, a gyroscope, and a 315 mAh battery. Suffice to say that it’s pretty impressive for such a small device, but it is obviously not comparable to a smartphone.
Who sayssaid strap watch, time gussets being gone. In this famous bracelet short cable that connects the animal to a 1.9 megapixel camera, which forms a bump on the support. Remains the speaker, which is located in the stainless steel clasp inside of your wrist. Not surprisingly, the result is something rather … stiff.
Ultimately, it is a matter of taste, we find this quite Gear aesthetic, unisex (6 colors available bracelet) and discrete, as much as possible. The screen is very nice, and the body of the watch with a beautiful shape. This unfortunately makes the bracelet … cheap enough. As for the camera, excuse the expression, but it seems like a wart on a toe.
Unlike google Glass, it does not attract attention to it. A “new” technology, it is necessary to analyze the usage, what about the hardware and software.
We liked
Once the two devices connected, which is basically very simple, your phone will download manager Samsung, all customization is done through this application, and it is a good thing. Indeed, the selection of small icons on a screen of 1.63 “is not easy. It thus saves a lot of frustration. If you want to change settings, notifications you receive, or even the appearance of the clock, direction Manager. As with most phones these days, Gear comes with pre-installed applications. For the curious, there are a few available on the mini app store Samsung (weather, voice memo, camera, photo gallery, Media Controller, pedometer, calculator, etc..).
You can set your phone to automatically unlock when you approach instead of having to enter a PIN code. If you can not find your phone, you can use your watch to make it sound. They are smart additions and the best aspects of the relevance of a smartwatch.
We do not liketechnology that surrounds the Super AMOLED equipping the Galaxy Gear is obviously excellent, it is surprising to see a display of this quality hanging on our wrist. However, the screen says, tend to not like the sun, it is a pendant of AMOLED. This is problematic for a supposed meeting convenience device.
Another point, the watch is recharged through an external enclosure included. Horribly ugly and cumbersome, it is additionally equipped with a faux leather on the front. It is difficult to handle and it can not even be used to support the Gear. It is also here that the NFC chip is nesting.
But even without the charger, the Gear is unfortunately difficult to wear. The bracelet is sorely lacking in flexibility and appears more as a hindrance. The mechanism of the clasp made in Samsung is also awkward. This design metal hinge swore your loss, or at least it will regularly pinch some hair and your skin. Certainly, the watch can be adjusted according seven holes in the bracelet sizes, but the differences between each are very large.
1.9 megapixel camera, you can imagine that the photos are not a glorious quality. In addition to playing with the early days, it can, at best, become a sort of visual notes taker. It can also record video in 506 x 506 pixel resolution, but only for a maximum of 15 seconds and the results are quite … Better that we refrain.
The watch also features a couple of microphones so that you can talk to your wrist to make phone calls, seek information, or take notes. While Gear does a decent job to isolate your voice (even in a fairly busy street or a subway train), your recipients will hear a fair amount of noise in your voice. You are certainly audible, but noisy. You will also look silly talking to your wrist. Is not Inspector Gadget wants.
speaker on the show, unfortunately, is inferior to the quality microphones. Do not even expect to hear the person in a place way. At least, let’s positive, others do not hear your conversation! So you do not hear the notifications. We mention here that the Gear is not waterproof, and despite its cost of € 299, it comes with no umbrella.
navigation watch is annoying because it lacks fluidity. Move from one screen to another is not always accurate. Unclear whether the touchscreen is doubtful or if the processor does not follow. However, the principle of notifications is the most important part here, because your phone will do better than this watch. This is a fact. It is a relay, an intermediary, not an independent gadget and most importantly, totally dependent on your smartphone. It is convenient to read a message or reject a call if you do not want to take your phone out of your pocket …? (Practice bike however, if somewhat dangerous …).
You can view the first few sentences of the emails, which are actually very easy to read on the sharp screen shows. However, this only works for-mails received by the application of generic messaging Samsung. We suspect that the vast majority of Android users have a Gmail account. No application Gmail, no email, no luck. For now, you can receive notifications from the Gmail application on your phone “one Gmail message” ensues a “For more details, see the notification on your mobile device. “What about the object, person
S Voice, in theory, is capable of doing almost anything the Android voice assistant does. Except that it is excruciatingly slow and less precise.
Samsung boasts the battery in a little over a day. It’s very random and then must always have the charger itself, and saw the model must be large pockets (if you have 3 Note, that said …). Otherwise, you leave off your Gear to return home.
Peels-piggledy, one can also argue that the buckle of the watch really fit into your wrist. If you type on the computer, you will be required to remove it. Also, you need to scroll often long before falling to the application you want. A waste of time, time … out his phone. A detail: Samsung has integrated a keyboard with numbers, add the letters did not seem obvious. We do not think typing an email or a long message, the screen is too small. But the answer “yes” or “no” could be practical or logical.
And then I buy
If
€ 299 sound like the junk for you (lucky guy!) and want to satisfy your curiosity, go for it! And add the purchase of a Galaxy Note 3 to pass. Besides, you put us in 12, one for each month.
noted nonetheless: view text messages at a glance is often more convenient than getting out your phone. For applications like Evernote and control of the media, it’s quite interesting to have such an easy access. The Super AMOLED and stainless steel bezel screen are a very attractive combination.
Paradoxically, this shows connected is so slow that it basically comes to taint the user experience, and turns what should be practical in a heavy way. You see, there are only a handful of things she does very well, which is not nearly enough to justify the cost.
There are very few applications available, no multi-tasking, the audio quality is poor (for both speak and hear), and shows spontaneously disconnects the phone several times a day.
Ultimately, it must be perceived as a beta product that seeks both in its form and its substance and its uses. Compared to a smartphone, applications seem unfinished gestures are capricious, and any lack of fluidity, despite some intuitiveness.
This does not mean that the software is completely wrong and put in the trash. Some features are well thought out. Be able to pass the tracks and adjust the volume during a race without having to leave his phone is a luxury. You can take a video (or photo) very easily and they will be synchronized with your phone and the cloud.
It seems that Samsung wants to put a toe in the market smartwatchs, so as not to be left behind, go for precursors and try their luck. After all, that is how the format Note wowed the audience. The initiative is not bad, but try to get to conquer consumers into paying nearly € 300 for the honor is presumptuous.
Thus, the potential of the smartwatch exists, Gear, however, is far, far away to reach. For the moment. Oh and last thing, yelling at his wrist while walking down the street is disruptive for you, as for the others! Kitt at home
Samsung Galaxy Gear
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