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Samsung announces curved Gear S smartwatch with 3G

Samsung announces curved Gear S smartwatch with 3G

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Tizen lives!

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Not to be outdone by LG's teaser of the new G Watch R, Samsung has revealed the next iteration in its own smartwatch family: the curved-display Gear S. This new smart wearable features a curved 2-inch Super AMOLED display, not unlike that found on the Gear Fit, and is similarly built around Samsung's own software, this time in the form of Tizen. Aside from the larger screen, the Gear S differs from what we've seen so far in offering 3G connectivity of its own, meaning you can keep it synced up to your smartphone even when the two devices aren't close enough to maintain a Bluetooth connection.

It doesn't have Android Wear, but it's better connected than Samsung's other Gears

Samsung's own S Health app will come preloaded on the Gear S along with Nike+ Running software, indicating it's aiming to occupy a position somewhere between the fitness-oriented Fit and its more versatile Gear 2 and Android Wear offerings. Nokia's Here maps will be used for pedestrian turn-by-turn navigation on the watch, marking another departure from the Google software stable. In terms of hardware, the Gear S has been IP67-certified for dust and water resistance, and includes Samsung's usual panoply of sensors: there's an accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, compass, and monitors for heart rate, UV, and ambient light. A small 300mAh battery is promised to last for two days at a time.

Gear S sunday afternoon

(Click to enlarge)

The Samsung Gear S will go on sale in October and will be accompanied by another new peripheral from the company: the Samsung Gear Circle headset. This Bluetooth accessory pairs to smartphones and lets you receive calls and notifications or listen to music wirelessly, and can turn into a very geeky sort of necklace when not in use.

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