News & Reviews:   SmartWatch

Considering that Project Ara is already well on the way to making an affordable yet customizable modular smartphone, Blocks is going the same way but for smart watches or smart bands. Like Project Ara, each component of the smartwatch, such as the display or the GPS or processor can be customized according to the segments of the device. These segments hook up to each other to create a very angular looking smartwatch which looks more sharp than comfortable, at least to us, but lets you customize your smartwatch as you need it. For now, Blocks is more of a realistic concept render and an idea with no news yet on a possible Malaysia release date or pricing, but if it does come true it could be a good step forward for the wearable mobile device many are expecting to replace the smartphone. Check out the Blocks video for yourself in this article or go to the Blocks site for more information.

Samsung revealed quite a lot of new devices recently including the Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and Samsung Gear Fit. Just in case you haven't seen everything there is to see about them, Samsung have also released some official highlight videos as well. Check out the videos in this article.

The computer scene in the movie Minority Report may have visualized it best, but everyone dreams of writing in the air and having it appear on your computer, smartphone or other device. While there are a whole bunch of motion controlled wearables coming, the Logbar Ring could well allow us all to write in the air once more. Currently a Kickstarter crowd-funding project, the Logbar Ring is a bluetooth device which allows you to write or gesture in the air, interpret these gestures and send them to your device of choice, sort of like an air keyboard. It also gets notifications but the main focus of the Logbar Ring is for gesture control. It is compatible with iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices, even smart watches and Google Glass, and you can customize gestures as you will. In terms of design the Logbar Ring looks like a large thick ring and can do 1000 gestures on a single charge. Logbar have already reached their Kickstarter goal with another 30 days to go so you can still get the Ring set from $165 (RM540). The Logbar Ring will be shipped in July 2014. Check out Logbar Ring site for more information.

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).

Like a couple of other smartwatch makers, it isn't the first time Motorola have come up with a smartwatch. Back in 2012 they came out with the Motorola MOTOACTV, which was a smartwatch health tracker fitness device that didn't really fly off the shelves. Now it seems like Motorola may be coming back on the smartwatch bandwagon as Rick Osterloh, Vice President of Motorola was quoted as saying that the new Motorola smartwatch would look good at the same time. He didn't really reveal all that much about other tech specs and details but his exact words were:

“Right now, there are no wearable products you actually want to wear, and it’s because they’re all extremely ugly”

Showing off more Samsung curved displays is the Samsung Gear Fit, which appears to be the company's entry into the growing list of health tracking smart bands. Like the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch the Gear Fit also displays notifications and incoming calls or messages but does away with any camera feature. While it offers a pedometer, timer, heart rate sensor, accelerometer and other health tracking the Gear Fit does have a fairly sensitive wide and narrow 1.84-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen with very nice colours. As usual, it can be used as a bluetooth companion device but can also operate on it's own as a health tracking smart band. The Gear Fit is also IP67 certified so it can take some rain, dust and rough weather with ease.  The full tech specs of the Samsung Gear Fit can be seen below:

• 1.84” Curved Super AMOLED (432x128)
• Supports Bluetooth v4.0 LE
• Sensors: Accelerometer, Gyro, Heart Rate
• 23.4 x 57.4 x 11.95 mm | 27g
• 210 mAh battery (Typical Usage 3~4 days, Low Usage up to 5 days)
• IP67 Dust and Water Resistant

Reports indicate that Google could finally come out with it's smartwatch. They also say that LG could be the manufacturer in charge of the 'Nexus' smartwatch due to their previous good jobs with the other Nexus devices. It is expected to integrate a lot of voice commands through Google Now and that Google are working on a fork or version of Android designed for smartwatches, perhaps solving the current problem of short battery life. The reports go on further to say that Google could announce this smartwatch in March 2014 with a possible release date in June 2014 at Google I/O. No news on pricing yet, but if Google want it to be a hit, it should be fairly affordable or at least below the $100 (RM327) mark, especially if it is going to be another companion accessory.

As rumoured, Huawei recently came out with their first smartwatch called the Huawei TalkBand B1. Featuring a bended 1.4-inch OLED display, the TalkBand B1 looks more like a smartband than a smartwatch with a silicon band that should fit most wrists. While the TalkBand B1 functions in the same way as other bluetooth companion devices, one of it's main features includes the ability to take out the OLED display and use it as a Bluetooth earpiece.

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

According to recent rumours, the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch could be getting a refresh at the upcoming Mobile World Congress 2014 set to happen at the end of the month. What is really interesting is that instead of the Android operating system it is using, the new refresh could be using Samsung's Tizen operating system. Both Android and Tizen are designed to be scaled down to devices with limited hardware but Tizen seems to be something Samsung could be more familiar with. No news if the refresh could also mean a pricing refresh as well but many are expecting the Samsung smartwatch to make it's appearance at the Unpacked event coming up soon as it would make a good companion device to the Samsung Galaxy S5.