News & Reviews:   Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 Neo

Coming direct from Samsung Malaysia themselves, Samsung will be holding a pre-order period for their Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone from 28 March 2014 to 10 April 2014. To preorder, find a Samsung Elite Partner or go to a participating Celcom, DiGi or Maxis Centre. Samsung Malaysia have confirmed that the Malaysia pricing for the pre-order will be set at RM2399 without any bundled Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 or Gear 2 Neo smartwatch. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is expected to be available on 11 April 2014 here in Malaysia.

The Samsung Galaxy Gear 2, Galaxy Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit smartwatches and smartband were recently revealed at the MWC 2014 with many hoping that the pricing would be somewhat more affordable than the previous Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch. As it turns out, pricing could actually be the same or higher, but with a wider range to choose from this time around. Rumours from Sam Mobile indicate that the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 could cost 299 Euros (RM1343), while the Galaxy Gear 2 Neo and the Gear Fit could go for 199 Euros (RM894) each. With the original Samsung Galaxy Gear already costing RM999, this dashes our hopes of a more affordable smartwatch alternative, but the price could change when it comes to Malaysia. No specific Malaysia release dates were mentioned but we'll find out soon enough (probably with the Samsung Galaxy S5 launch in Malaysia).

Apart from overseeing Google's Android and Chrome developments, Sundar Pichai was also seen going about at the Mobile World Congress 2014 recently. He made a number of interesting comments, one of which is that the Samsung Galaxy S6 would be running Android and not Tizen, which is Samsung's own home-grown mobile operating system. So far, Samsung have already put Tizen in their Samsung Galaxy Gear 2, Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 Neo and Samsung Gear Fit smartwatches and smartband with a possible Samsung Tizen smartphone expected soon. According to Sundar Pichai though, there is no cause for alarm as there is supposedly no tension going on between Samsung and Google. With the Samsung Galaxy S5 only just announced recently, a year-long wait is quite a while for such a claim to stay valid, so do take this with a grain of salt.

At the ongoing MWC 2014, Samsung revealed their next generation smartwatches the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 Neo. Major differences with the original Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch include the fact that both new smartwatches are running Tizen, Samsung's mobile operating system and the fact that the camera has been moved to the chassis and not the strap. A new IrLED blaster lets you control your TV and other devices. Both smartwatches have more or less the same tech specs and features except that the Galaxy Gear 2 Neo doesn't have any camera. Check out the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and Galaxy Gear 2 Neo tech specs below:

• Samsung Galaxy Gear 2
• 1GHz Dual Core Processor
• 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display (320 x 320 pixel resolution)
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB storage
• 2MP camera (auto focus, 720p at 30fps video recording)
• 36.9 x 58.4x 10.0 mm | 68g
• 300 mAh battery
• Supports heart rate sensor, pedometer, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, IrLED sensor, Noise Cancellation
• IP67 Certified Dust and Water Resistant
• Charcoal Black, Gold Brown and Wild Orange