News & Reviews:   Samsung Smartwatch

Google recently unveiled devices for their new Android Wear wearable operating system with three new smartwatches from major brands. This includes the LG G Watch, Motorola Moto 360 and Samsung Gear Live. While the Motorola Moto 360 and LG G Watch have both been announced, the Samsung Gear Live makes it's first appearance here. However, it is more or less the same in both look and feel as a Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch. Check out the tech specs and features of the LG G Watch, Motorola Moto 360 and Samsung Gear Live below:

• LG G Watch
• 1.2GHz Snapdragon 400 processor
• 1.65-inch display (IPS, 280 x 280 pixel resolution)
• 512MB RAM
• 4GB storage
• 63g
• 400 mAh battery
• Compatible with device running Android 4.3 + Bluetooth 4.0
• IP67 certified
• $229 (RM740)

Samsung Malaysia recently made it official, that their flagship smartphone the Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch and Samsung Gear Fit smartband are now currently available in Malaysia. While retail pricing for the three devices have been set at RM2399 for the Samsung Galaxy S5, RM899 for the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and RM599 for the Samsung Gear Fit, they can be bought at discounted prices through local telco deals and at all Samsung Experience stores, authorized sellers and distributors. For a complete breakdown of the available Samsung Galaxy S5 local telco deals from Celcom, Maxis, DiGi and U Mobile feel free to check out our Samsung Galaxy S5 plan comparison tool. Check out the videos of the Samsung Galaxy S5, Galaxy Gear 2 and Gear Fit in this article for a refresher.

In time with their launch of the Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung Malaysia provided 55 selected buyers of the new Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone with special gifts worth RM200. The 55 fans were selected from five locations as previously reported. These locations included:

• Celcom Blue Cube at the Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall
• Digi Concept Store at the Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall
• Maxis Centre at Suria KLCC
• Samsung Experience Store at The Gardens Mall
• Samsung Experience Store at the Gurney Paragon Mall Penang

The current Samsung Galaxy Gear range of smartwatches are companion devices, designed to work with a compatible smartphone. However, it turns out that we could be getting a standalone 3G capable smartwatch from Samsung soon and that it may be called the Gear Solo. Apparently the Samsung Gear Solo name has already been filed for patent at the Korean Intellectual Property Office. No other tech specs or Malaysia release dates were available but we expect it to come first to South Korea and maybe get a global release soon afterwards. Hopefully we won't get another small smartphone on our wrist or a smartwatch that will only last a day. Stay tuned for more updates.

Apart from the Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung Malaysia also revealed their Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch and Samsung Gear Fit smartband. Previously, the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch had major issues with compatibility, but not so with these two new wearable devices as Samsung Malaysia prove with an extensive device compatibility list which you can see in this article.

After being told we wouldn't have to wait that long, Samsung Malaysia has announced the Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone here in the country. As typical of a Samsung flagship smartphone, it also comes with companion devices like the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch and Samsung Gear Fit smartband. While it probably doesn't need mentioning anymore, the tech specs for the Samsung Galaxy S5 include:

• 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor
• 2GB RAM
• 16GB / 32GB storage + microSD (64GB)
• 5.1-display (FHD, Super AMOLED, 1920 x 1080)
• 16MP rear camera (ISOCELL, UHD@30fps, HDR, video stabilization) + 2.0MP front camera
• 142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm | 145g
• 2800 mAh battery
• Supports LTE Cat.4, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO(2x2), Bluetooth 4.0 BLE / ANT+, USB 3.0, NFC, IR Remote
• Features Gesture(IR), Finger Scanner, Heart rate sensor, Download Booster, S Health 3.0, Quick Connect, Private Mode, Kids Mode
• IP67 Dust and Water Resistant
• Android 4.4.2 Kitkat

On top of some impressive tech specs and new hardware features the Samsung Galaxy S5 apparently has a baby monitor feature built-in. Unlike a typical 'S' app the feature can be found under the Hearing sub-menu. If your child cries the Galaxy S5 will vibrate, which seems rather redundant at first. However, the function is supposed to be used in tandem with the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch which makes more sense for those parents who sleep in separate bedrooms from their children or who tend to sleep through the loudest of noises regardless.

Word that Google was working on an extension of Android designed for wearables has been around for quite some time. In a surprise move, Google have announced Android Wear, a mobile operating system for wearables. The main focus of Android Wear looks to provide location and context related information when and where you need it while offering voice commands, much like the current Google Now. Rather than use buttons, most of the interface that we could see relies on gestures like swipes. Both LG and Motorola have already announced their Android Wear driven smartwatches and we're thinking other smartwatch devs like ASUS, Samsung, HTC and Huawei could be developing Android Wear wearables as well. So far, most Android Wear devices seem to be smartwatches, and there is no information yet on how it might run smartglasses or a different kind of wearable, but these are still early days. For now, check out the videos in this article.

While it has been announced, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is only coming on 11 April 2014 but if you've missed some of it's features or tech specs, Samsung have come out with some official hands-on videos of this latest flagship smartphone. The video highlights key features like the camera, heart rate monitor and fingerprint sensor while showing how to use them. In addition to the Galaxy S5, Samsung have also come out with an official hands-on video for the Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch and Gear Fit smartband. Check out the videos for yourself in this article.

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).