Category: Wearables

Smartwatch, Apple Watch, Moto 360 , Samsung Gear, Gear Fit, Galaxy Gear, watches smart wearables and all the latest news on iGyaan

Samsung to Launch Stand-Alone Smartwatch ‘Gear Solo’ This September

We think the idea of stand-alone smartwatches is not yet feasible in the present market scenario, but Samsung thinks otherwise. Reports indicate that Samsung is moving ahead with plans for a smartwatch with its own SIM card and hence, doesn’t need a paired phone. It seems likely that we’ll hear about it as soon as next month.

Korean newspaper The Chosun Ilbo reports that Samsung intends to unveil the Gear Solo watch at the big IFA conference in September. As speculated, the Gear Solo will not require a smartphone for communication functionality, and will be able to place calls, send texts and emails, and perform other tasks with its own SIM card, cellular radio, and service plan.

Samsung Gear 2 Neo

The inclusion of SIM support in a smartwatch would enable users to make phone calls from the device, but it is yet to be revealed how Samsung has tackled the issue of heavy battery drain. Samsung has launched three Tizen-powered versions of its Gear smartwatch to date, and one Android Wear model in the form of the Galaxy Gear Live.

Samsung released the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo at this year’s MWC, less than six months after their predecessor. The logic of releasing a smartwatch alongside a smartphone makes sense, but in this case the Gear Solo won’t depend on tethering itself to any other device, hence will get a different sort of treatment in the market.

However, Samsung used last year’s IFA to launch the original Galaxy Gear, so it seems a good time as any to unleash a new smartwatch frenzy. Timex Group also announced a smartwatch with its own cellular connection, letting it transmit data without needing to be connected to a smartphone. The company calls it the Ironman One GPS+, and while it may have features commonly found in a smartwatch, it is made mostly for athletes like its predecessors.

August 11, 2014
Facebook Updated its Messenger App With Android Wear Support

Android Wear is the platform of choice for many, and Facebook recently added itself in the list. They’ve updated their popular Messenger app to work with Android Wear, leaving your phone to rest in your pocket.

Facebook recently had pulled out the chat option from its app, making Facebook Messenger a standalone app. Mark Zuckerberg is”The reason why we’re doing that is we found that having it as a second-class thing inside the Facebook app makes it so there’s more friction to replying to messages, so we would rather have people be using a more focused experience for that,” Zuckerberg said.

In an announcement by Facebook’s Ian Lake, an updated version of the Messenger, version 9, will include lots of new Android Wear focused improvements. First on the list is voice replies. The update includes the ability to tap the reply button when a message comes in, and speak what you want to say. Also included is the ability to mute a conversation directly from the Android Wear device.

Lake also mentioned that users will be able to reply to messages with the ‘thumbs up’ icon. No word on whether or not Facebook will follow suit and expand the selectable replies beyond just a ‘thumbs up’, but with Wear support constantly growing, we can’t help but imagine that new features are just around the corner.

Even with the shortcomings wearables can bring, this is still a major app supporting Android Wear. These are still early days for Android Wear, and Facebook Messenger support is pretty impressive

August 7, 2014
Rumor Roundup : All That We Know About the Moto 360

The most hotly anticipated wearable of the year, the Moto 360 smartwatch, couldn’t come soon enough. Announced way back in March, the device hasn’t exactly been Moto’s secret project with multiple demos and hands-on videos at this Google I/O this year.

But do we really know every detail about the smart watch? Here’s a rumor roundup to sum up everything we know other than the official information on Motorola’s website.

Use of Premium Materials

As Motorola and Google have made sure to point out several times now, the Moto 360, unlike its Android Wear siblings, the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live, will be crafted of premium materials, namely glass and metal. Yes, no cheap plastics here.

But is this really true? A Chinese website, G for Games, recently made claims that the Moto 360 would actually be made of plastics that mimic metal. Now, before you start frowning, we should point out that a lot of tech reviewers are claiming these rumours to be fake. But we can’t be certain until the watch officially releases.

Standard Dimensions

Ever since the announcement, Motorola has made a big deal out of how the Moto 360 will look and feel just like a regular watch. It will have a regular 44mm round dial and a leather strap that can be switched with any other strap.

However, another rumor recently surfaced that Motorola will have to increase the thickness to 13.5mm to incorporate wireless charging into the watch. This will make it considerably thicker than either of it’s siblings, the G Watch and the Gear Live, who stand at 9.95mm and 8.9mm thick, respective

Wireless Charging

In the past couple of months, this has been one of the most consistent rumors. If the Moto 360 manages to support any Qi Wireless Charger, this will be a major accomplishment for the smart watch as it will eliminate the need for proprietary charging docks.

Water Resistant

It has been confirmed by Motorola that the watch will be water resistant. However, no comment has been made on whether it will be IP67 rated or not.

Leaked Images from Mistergadget.net

Optical Heart Rate Sensor

Recent leaked pictures by Italian website Mister Gadget show the Moto 360 flaunting an optical heart rate sensor on its back. We are yet to find out how it will be implemented.

Release Date

Finally, the Moto 360 is believed to be be launching by the end of this summer. This is exciting news, as summer is just coming to an end, and we should expect the watch to be launched at an event in the near future. A very recent rumor is floating that the watch will be released this September. We wish this stands true.

The Moto 360 has definitely managed to become one of the most hotly anticipated gadgets of the year. While we all wait with baited breath for the launch event, if you haven’t already, check out this video by Motorola:

By Pranav Arora

August 7, 2014
Timex Unveiled a Smartwatch That Has its Own 3G Data Connection

Timex Group is launching a smartwatch with cellular connectivity and a high-visibility display from Qualcomm Inc. It’s a 3G-connected smartwatch that doesn’t even need to pair up with a phone. Unlike earlier smartwatches, Timex’s watch has its own cellular connection, letting it transmit data without having to be connected to a smartphone.

The company calls it the Ironman One GPS+, and while it may have features commonly found in a smartwatch, it is made mostly for athletes like its predecessors. It has the capability to upload your run data to a fitness website with one tap. You can even assign contacts to monitor your run in real time.

Priced at 350$, this version comes with a heart monitor like Samsung Gear Fit and a chest strap. Timex’s move into smartwatches is among the first by traditional watchmakers and follows products from electronics companies including Samsung and Sony that have failed to garner major support from consumers.

The device, due out later this year, is made with a chipset from Qualcomm as well as Qualcomm’s Mirasol low-power display technology, which can easily be viewed in direct sunlight.

Timex has a 160-year history of making watches, which led it to a decidedly different vision for a smartwatch. This one doesn’t get notifications from your smartphone and doesn’t tell you what’s next on your calendar. It’s a connected wearable intended to help athletes and adventurers be safer, smarter, and just a little bit more connected. It’s quite simple, not like anything we’ve seen before.

August 6, 2014
Garmin Launched its Fitness Tracker ‘vivofit’ on Flipkart for Rs. 9990

Garmin, satellite navigation provider, just announced a new fitness tracker called vivofit. The plastic tracker is set on a rubber wristband that will be exclusively available on Flipkart in black and slate colour options.

The fitness tracker’s design seems inspired by the Nike+FuelBand. It comes equipped with all the basic features needed to track ones activities – a step counter, distance travel meter, calories burnt, sleep tracker, basic clock, date and time, and is capable of syncing with Garmin’s Heart rate monitor.

“Garmin has been providing fitness monitoring devices for over a decade, and with vívofit we say hello to the fitness band that knows your potential,” said Tony An, Sales and Marketing Director, Garmin Corporation, “Being able to monitor the quality of rest after retiring for the night, being challenged by personalized daily goals and doing so without having to charge it every few days, makes vívofit a fitness band that should be on everyone’s wrist.”

The Garmin vivofit keeps an eye on everything from your sleep patterns and steps to calories burned and distance traveled. It’s water resistant and durable, and syncs with your smartphone.

But where vivofit really sets itself apart, is its ability to let you completely forget about charging it. This fitness band can keep chugging for a full year before you even have to think about swapping out its power supply.

To sync this data to your mobile phone you need to download the Garmin Connect application from the App store for Apple devices and Play Store for Android devices and connect with Bluetooth. This tracker along with smartphone sync, can also be synced to any computer using the ANT+ dongle, which is included in the box and Garmin express software, syncing it to Garmin Connect.

You can buy Garmin vivofit exclusively on Flipkart for a mere Rs. 9,990.

August 6, 2014