Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch officially unveiled
IFA 2013 Should the iWatch be worried?
By Kate Solomon
The Android-running wrist-warmer allows you to make voice-controlled hands-free calls through your phone, and hopes to get a headstart on the long-rumoured Apple iWatch while also the recently-announced Sony Smartwatch 2 a run for its money.
The 73.8g Gear comes with a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen that will display notifications, and there's a 1.9MP camera on the strap which allows you to record video in Full HD.
There are also two microphones for noise cancellation, and a speaker squeezed into the watch strap's clasp. To answer a call, you raise your arm to your face and start chatting. Apparently that's "natural".
As for the battery, it's a 315mAh cell which you recharge using a microUSB charger and charging cradle combination. Samsung reckons you'll get "more than a day" from a single full charge, but we'll just see about that.
The camera uses AR so you can use it to, for instance, translate road signs in foreign languages as well as take photos and shoot video. The watch comes with 4GB of internal storage.
"I believe it will become a new fashion icon around the world," said JK Shin, Samsung's CEO, ambitiously.
As for app support, the Galaxy Gear can brag 70 apps, including Path, Pocket and RunKeeper.
Not sure this will catch on with young people- they don't normally wear a watch! We will have to see!
