Update: Coming off the Samsung Galaxy S5 announcement, we’ve been informed that both the Samsung Gear 2 and Samsung Gear 2 Neo will also be available in Canada “later this year.” Again, probably sometime in April along with the rest of the world.
Galaxy and Android out. Tizen in.
Samsung has officially unveiled the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo, and while on the outside they look similar to the original Galaxy Gear, they run the Tizen OS that Samsung had a significant hand in bringing to life. With this new direction Samsung has also dropped the Galaxy branding from the device, as it is usually associated with Android.
Samsung says the main reason for the switch in OS is improvements to battery life, which extends from two to three days. The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are “companion devices” and can “accept or ignore incoming calls and messages.” The hardware has been revamped, too: the camera has been embedded into the watch and not on the strap like the Galaxy Gear. Both watches are IP67 rated, making them water resistant and dustproof. The specs have been improved and the Gear 2 comes with the following:
- 1.63-inch 320 x 320 AMOLED display
- 1GHz dual-core processor
- 512MB of RAM
- 4GB of internal storage
- 2 megapixel camera
- Pedometer, heart rate sensor, sleep cycle monitor and more
- Bluetooth 4.0 LE
- irLED
- Accelerometer and gyroscope
- 300mAh battery
As for apps, the next-gen smartwatches come with the usual preloaded app such as camera, notification, media controller, calendar, S Voice, stopwatch, weather. You can also download a slew of apps like ChatON, CNN, Conde Nast. Expedia, eBay, Evernote, Feedly, GM (Onstar 4GLTE), Paypal and Weather Channel.
The Gear Neo is practically the same watch, but lacks a camera and comes in Charcoal Black, Mocha Gray, and Wild Orange.
Unfortunately the pricing is not yet listed and both are expected to be available in April.
Source: Samsung Tomorrow
