Tag: Smartwatch

Moto 360 (2nd Generation)- Leaks, Rumours and Speculation

Motorola recently Tweeted a video hinting at the potential successor of the Moto 360 smartwatch that had hit the markets last year. Poised for a tentative release next week, expectations and hopes are high to see the Moto 360 (2nd Generation) at IFA Berlin this year.

This new model of the smart watch is marked by a change in the position of the crown. From the previous three o’clock of Moto 360 it has moved to two o’clock.

The three o’clock position of the crown of Moto 360

The two o’clock position of the crown.

This video however is not the first bit of leaked information regarding Moto 360 (2nd Gen). Speculations have been thriving from as early as March when a picture was posted on HelloMotoHK page on Facebook.

A travel case showing components of a round watch with multiple straps.

The new smart watch is expect to have better display than its predecessor. The numbers being thrown around are that of a 360 x 360 display.

Droid Life discovered that a Motorola filing for a smartwatch-like wireless charging device has passed through the FCC (Federal Communications Commission). This filing could be for the upcoming Moto 360. The last time a Motorola smartwatch product was submitted to the FCC, it was shortly before the Moto 360 was released. All eyes are now set on IFA Berlin this year. Will they, won’t they?

September 2, 2015

Samsung Officially Unveils The Gear S2 in Two Variants

It seems like Samsung decided to leave nothing for the IFA Berlin 2015. Unlike last year, when we witnessed the unveiling of the Note 4 and Note 4 Edge at the mega electronics festival, this year Samsung has already unloaded all its blockbusters.

Coming to the new smartwatch – it is 11.4millimeter thin, comes with a 1.2-inch screen with a 360x360resolution (302ppi). To power the device, Samsung has used 1GHz dual-core processor and provided the option of 3G Connectivity. The Gear S2 runs on the company’s very own Tizen OS and uses a rotating bezel, along with the Home and Back buttons, for navigation. Samsung has also added NFC for mobile payments.

The Samsung Gear S2 reflects Samsung’s most progressive innovation. It is the perfect complement for any occasion, easily taking you from day to night, from work to workout

Perhaps, the highlight of the device would be the fact that the company claims it lasts upto 2-3 days on a single charge. Since a wearable is an extra ‘smart’ device that you need to carry around, a long-lasting battery is a necessity. One of the exciting announcements is that the smartwatch has been announced in two variants – Gear S2 and Gear S2 Classic. Other than the design, the only major difference between the two is their size. The Classic has been built smaller and lighter than the Gear S2. For its timeless design, we’re leaning towards the Classic which comes with a black dial and a leather band.

Samsung also announced that there will be multiple apps already optimised with the watch when it is made available. Though they did not elaborate further on the same. We’re also currently awaiting a word on availability and pricing.

Features	Samsung Gear S2
Display	1.2-inch, Circular Super AMOLED, 360×360, 302ppi
AP	Dual core 1.0 GHz
OS	Tizen based wearable platform
Storage Memory	4GB Internal Memory
RAM	512MB
Connectivity	Wi-Fi: 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth® 4.1, NFC
Battery	250mAh Li-ion
Misc	IP68 Certified Dust and Water Resistant, Wireless Charging

September 1, 2015

Asus All Set To Launch Its New Smartphone and Smartwatch at IFA 2015

Reports suggest that Asus will now launch a new smartwatch and a new smartphone at a press conference on the 2nd of September at IFA-Berlin 2015.

Asus has posted a video on their official Facebook page that shows new products, like a new monitor, a new smartphone and a new smartwatch. Reports suggest that the smartphone could be the ‘Z00TDA’ handset which is said to come with a 5.5-inch FHD display of 410ppi pixel density, an octa-core chipset paired with 2GB of RAM, and 16GB internal storage with support for a microSD card. This new device is also rumoured to be powered by the Android Lollipop and will come with 4G LTE connectivity and 13-megapixel and 5-megapixel camera sensors.

Apart from Asus, Samsung is also planning to launch its smartwatch Gear S2 while Sony gets ready to launch its next flagship smartphones – the Xperia Z5 and the Xperia Z5 Ultra. Other companies such as Huawei, Microsoft and Acer are also expected to launch products at this event. So watch this space for more details on the IFA-Berlin 2015 and more.

Watch the official Asus video here.

August 20, 2015
LG Speculated to be Working on the First Nexus Smartwatch, Codenamed ‘Nemo’

New reports suggest, that LG is working on a new Android Wear watch codenamed “Nemo”. And this could be the first Nexus smartwatch. What is known about the smartwatch is that it will have the highest resolution display any Android Wear watch has ever had at 480 x 480 resolution.

The connection that has been made is the due to the codename used. In the past, Nexus devices have used a similar nomenclature. Nexus 6 was codenamed ‘Shamu’, and Nexus 9 was ‘Hammerhead.’

Other rumours suggest that the watch will have a circular 1.3-inch display size with a pixel density of around 340 to 400 ppi. The importance of this pixel density is that it should ideally be able to eliminate readability issues.

With LG catching up in the smartwatch race with the anticipation of its new smartwatch, you can watch this space for more details about this new device.

August 18, 2015
Samsung Teases At Releasing a New Gear S2 Smartwatch at IFA Berlin

As expected, Samsung at the Unpacked 2015 event, revealed a new Gear S2 smart watch. The model seems to have stylised itself, quite bit with a round face, metal body and new user interface. It likely to run on Samsung’s Tizen OS rather than Android Wear, like the original Gear S.

The new UI design which consists of a circle of apps around the interface cements the fact that it isn’t a part of the Android Wear devices, at all. While we know no nothing more about the awaited smartwatch, Samsung has promised its fans that it will reveal the Gear S2, fully, at the IFA Berlin, next month. So stay tuned for regular updates.

August 13, 2015
Samsung Ups its Game By Adding a Rotating Bezel to the Gear Smartwatch

Samsung has decided to up its game with its new Gear smartwatch installation. This tech wear is said to come with a rotating bezel which can be used for navigating menus, apps, widgets, notifications and can even be used to zoom information, as well as interact with games.

This is the first time Samsung is featuring a round bodied smartwatch. According to rumours, the watch will be unveiled along with the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. It is said to be running the latest version of Tizen 2.3.4 OS with a display of 360×360 pixel resolution. Other speculated features include, an Exynos 3472 dual-core processor, the Mali-400 MP4 GPU clocked at 450 MHz, 768MB of RAM, 4GB of on-board storage, and a 250 mAh battery.

It is also said to have an inbuilt Global Positioning System, accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer, and heart rate sensors. These features look promising, although one can never tell until the product actually releases into the market.

August 1, 2015
Here’s a Wearable that Helps the Visually Impaired

The Dot is a smartwatch company created by a South Korean startup that finally gives the visually impaired a way to access digital information.

The dot, as it is called, has the ability to relay text messages, set alarms, read location directions and has a standard feature set. What is different about the Dot is that it communicates notifications to the user, using Braille.

It is said that four sets of six dots raise and lower at speeds of up to 100 times per second in order to produce four Braille characters at a time. And if that is too quick, the watch can also slow down to one Braille character per second.

The smartwatch is said to be good for 10 hours of usage per charge and average users would only have to charge it every five days. The phone also comes with a vibration motor inside, and the notifications are sent via Bluetooth from a phone.

“The Dot was created in order to offer a more intimate wearable for the visually impaired” – says CEO Eric Ju Yoon Kim.

Kim also plans on increasing the literacy rate among the blind by introducing this smartwatch, where one can now read one’s own messages instead of hear Siri read it out for you.

He also eventually, wants to use the same technology in other products such as microwaves, rice cookers, ATMs etc. The Dot Braille Smartwatch is said to launch this December for under $300.

July 30, 2015

Apple Grabs 75.5 Percent of Smartwatch Market Shares; Samsung Lags at 7.5 Percent

The announcement for the launch of the Apple Watch was met with great optimism and reviews encouraging the users to adapt to the product despite certain glitches. Fashion experts were also looking forward to its launch as it was hoped that Apple would finally launch a fashionable smartwatch that would be wearable.

Despite these reviews, the critical opinions seemed to overpower them, even post release. For instance, Brad Hargreaves initially predicted an 11 million sale in the third and fourth quarter which he later slashed down to 10.5 million. Most reviews seemed to tag the product as ‘destined for failure’ and no one would ever know since Apple rarely reveals sales numbers or internal statistics.

However a new report is said to show the Apple sales as “exceeding internal expectations” despite the pessimistic aura. Numbers never seem to fail Apple Inc. and as reported they have sold four million watches in the second quarter, giving them 75.5% of the global smartwatch market shares.

Global Smartwatch Vendor Shipments (Millions of Units)	Q2 ’14	Q2 ’15
Apple	0.0	4.0
Samsung	0.7	0.4
Others	0.3	0.9
Total	1.0	5.3

Global Smartwatch Vendor Marketshare (%)	Q2 ’14	Q2 ’15
Apple	0.0%	75.5%
Samsung	73.6%	7.5%
Others	26.4%	17.0%
Total	100.0%	100.0%

Total Growth: Year-over-Year (%)	~	457.3%

Source: Strategy Analytics

In direct comparison we have the Samsung smartwatch that sold only four hundred thousand watches giving them a 7.5% share in the market. Other brands like Motorola, LG etc. have sold around nine hundred thousand watches giving them a total of 17% of smartwatch sales. In total, Samsung plus the other smartphones own 24.5% of the market, with Apple far ahead of it with 75.5%. Hence, proving that Samsung and the rest have a long way to go before catching up to a Cupertino product.

Source: [tw-button size=”medium” background=”#07ABE2″ color=”” target=”_blank” link=”https://www.strategyanalytics.com/strategy-analytics/blogs/devices/wearables/wearables/2015/07/22/apple-watch-captures-75-percent-global-smartwatch-marketshare-in-q2-2015#.VbChwflZRpK”]Strategy Analytics[/tw-button]

July 23, 2015

Samsung to Confront Apple Watch’s Digital Crown with a Rotating Bezel on its Next Smartwatch

Apple’s first wearable Apple Watch was a unique wearable in certain aspects. The device houses the Force Touch feature and an innovative navigation-based Digital Crown that takes users through the watch interface. Samsung has a tough task ahead to bring out a competitive smartwatch in the wearable market, and seems like it is ready to knock out Apple Watch with its entirely distinct tool. Some details have surfaced in the latest release of an SDK for developers, which speaks that the stand-out feature of Samsung’s next Gear will be its display bezel.

According to a report by SamMobile, the next-gen smartwatch will have a circular display of 1.18-inch that will be paired with a rotating bezel. The bezel will be the key to interface navigation on the smartwatch, served by a Digital Crown on Apple Watch. The rotating mechanism will perform a variety of functions such as zooming, scrolling, adjusting volume and numerous other functions. Here are some of the images that show how will it work:

The image above shows how users can toggle between multiple apps like emails, messages, music player and more just by twisting the movable bezel on the Gear smartwatch.

Another picture shows the inclusion of the swipe feature that seems to perform a slew of additional functions.

Few other images reveal further uses of the rotating bezel like zoom in and zoom out photos, controlling volume and scrolling through the contacts list.

To embed rotating bezels on the next-gen Gear smartwatch is certainly an innovative approach by Samsung. It makes the wearable stand out of the pack and pits it directly against the Apple Watch.

Late last month, Korean electronics maker teased the round display of its future smartwatch while sending an open invitation to global developer community members. The pictures said about its partnership with CNN, Baidu, Yelp, Apposter, and FidMe. The next Gear device will run on Tizen OS with Exynos 7420 powering it. The smartwatch may launch in two variants. The company hasn’t come up with an official announcement till now, and we expect to hear it soon.

May 14, 2015
Motorola Announces a Massive Rs. 5,000 Discount on Moto 360

Just a few days back, Motorola’s Moto 360 got a price cut on Google Play Store. The same is now reflecting on Flipkart where both the leather and steel variants are available at discounted prices. Motorola has cut the price of Moto 360 smartwatches by Rs. 5,000, bring them down from Rs. 17,999 to Rs. 12,999 (leather) and Rs. 19,999 to Rs. 14,999 for the steel version.

It should be noted the price slash is not permanent and the discount is applicable till the stocks last. The leather version is available on the online store from long, whereas the steel model was added just recently.

Launched in India in September last year, the smartwatch has got critical acclaims in the Android wearable segment. It sports a 1.65-inch display that has Gorilla Glass protection. The water-proof Moto 360 runs on Google’s Android Wear OS and offers voice control. It is powered by a TI OMAP 3 processor along with 512MB of RAM and 4GB internal memory space. The 320mAh battery of the device can keep it running for up to 12 hours, as claimed by the company. The Moto 360 comes with Bluetooth 4.0 and sensors like pedometer and heart-rate monitor.

The smartwatches are available in black and silver colour options. Click here to buy now.

May 4, 2015
Samsung Teases Round Display of its Next Gear Smartwatch

The next Gear smartwatch is the most-awaited product to come out of the Samsung factory. Till date, quite a few details were known about the next wearable device, but now we have significant information about its form factor. The Korean electronics giant today gave a slight glimpse of its next Gear smartwatch that confirms of it boasting a circular display. The revelation was made in a press release that speaks of developers getting an early access to the Software Development Kit (SDK) for the company’s next-generation smartwatch.

A round smartwatch is the first for Samsung, who has previously released rectangular and curved screen watches. It would look like Moto 360 that has gained critical acclaim.

An image (provided above) was affixed to the official statement that let slip a brief sight of its watch face. Below are five more round watch faces that appear to be freshly designed. The company seems to have partnered with CNN, Baidu, Yelp, Apposter, and FidMe and is looking for more businesses for a tie-up.

The Suwon-based electronics firm announced that it is building up an ecosystem for the seventh generation Gear smartwatch. It sent an open invitation to members of the global developer community saying that they can get early access to SDK of next Gear device. CEO and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics, JK Shin commented –

Samsung has actively adapted its approach to wearable device development as the leader of the rapidly developing category. Through meaningful and progressive innovation, Samsung welcomes to developers and industry leaders to join this open collaboration effort to enrich and create unique user experiences for a new smart mobile life.

The company was expected to unveil the smartwatch at Mobile World Congress 2015 alongside Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, but instead, Samsung showcased virtual-reality headsets. It is expected that the next Gear device will run on Tizen OS with Exynos 7420 powering it. The smartwatch may launch in two variants. The company hasn’t come up with an official announcement till now, and we expect to hear it soon.

April 24, 2015
TAG Heuer Collaborates with Google, Plots its Way Through the World of Smartwatches

Tag Heuer, the world renowned high-end watch making company, will soon be announcing that it is working on building its own smartwatch. Chief Executive Office, Jean-Claude Biver told Bloomsberg in an interview that the company will be officially making a statement tomorrow about its partnership with Google and Intel. As Switzerland lacks the necessary resources in technology, the partnership with Silicon Valley giants will only benefit the company.

Intel has been signed to supply the processor, while there is no official word on how Google will be of help. It’s an easy assumption to make that the company would be incharge of providing a seamless OS experience, with Android Wear. Tag Heuer has taken us the mammoth responsibility of designing the watch-case and crown. Biver is also suggesting a Tag Heuer smart watch may come with dials, such as an analog watch.

[quote text_size=”small” author=”Stéphane Linder” author_title=”CEO, TAG Heuer”]

I don’t see us taking a big risk unless we find a way to make luxury watches looking like real luxury watches that provide very easy-to-use, smart information that isn’t complicated—and don’t just replicate the mobile phone.

[/quote]

Tag Heuer stated that the craftsmanship of making this particular model will be very different than its traditional watches. Hence, the Research and the Development Business department has been split up into two.

In this age of Smartwatches, traditional Swiss Watch industries might be heading towards extinction. Swatch co-inventor Elmar Mock has said that the Apple Watch might put a lot of pressure on traditional watchmakers in Switzerland, and he anticipates an ice age for the industry.

We could be looking at a luxury Android Wear smart watch. Its availability and price have not been revealed. We will have to wait till tomorrow to find out the answers of these questions.

March 19, 2015
Thanks to Apple Watch, Swiss Watchmakers Headed Towards Troubled Times : Swatch Inventor

Apple’s has finally brought its long awaited Watch to the market, and there have been mixed responses to the new offering. Now the co-inventor of the Swatch watches says that the new device from Apple can cause serious troubles for Switzerland’s famed watch industry.

Swatch co-inventor Elmar Mock has said that the Apple Watch might put a lot of pressure on traditional watchmakers in Switzerland, and he anticipates an ice age for the industry soon. He said that anything in the range of $500-1000 should be a cause of concern for the industry.

Wristwatches are one of the many prominent offerings from Switzerland along with cheese, chocolate and, of course, the banking system for stashing huge funds. The watch making industry employs tens of thousands of workers and the smartwatch craze might affect their livelihood.

Mr. Mock said that the Swiss watch industry hasn’t been innovating enough to keep up with the new challenges from the tech industry. He cited the quartz crisis of 1970’s and 80’s when cheap watch offerings from Japan took over large market shares from Swiss watchmakers. He said that the Swiss industry has the technology to deliver competent product in the age of smartwatches, and they should take proactive efforts to tackle the assault from the tech industry. Elmar Mock warned that if corrective actions weren’t taken, the watch industry might face severe troubles in two to three years.

Smartwatches as a segment has a long way to go, and the most glaring deficiency of these devices is the battery life that mostly tends to last a day or two. It adds on as an extra device that regularly demands its moment on the charging plug while a regular watch runs for months or even years on a single battery. This is one of the major causes that discourages folks from buying these new devices. So the watchmakers should anticipate a comfortable run till the time the tech companies figure out the battery side of things.

March 11, 2015
Here’s What You Can Expect From Apple’s ‘Spring Forward’ Event

Apple will be holding an event today, the 9th of March where it will finally launch its long teased Apple Watch. This is a whole new product segment for Apple, and the industry is waiting to get their hands on the device to see for themselves if it matches the hype.

There might be some hidden surprises at the event, but here’s what you can expect to see:

The Battery Fiasco

The battery has been a cause of concern for the potential consumers. It has been claimed in multiple reports that the Apple Watch might have a dismal battery backup. Some reports even went on to say that the device might just have a battery life for 5 hours of active usage while others said it might run for two-three days on low power mode. Replying to the concerns, Apple Chief, Tim Cook recently said that the Apple Watch will run for a full day, and its charging will be faster than the iPhone. We will finally get to know more details on the battery performance and will also learn how Apple plans on increasing the battery efficiency of the device.

Apps Maketh The Watch

Apple Watch is first of all a smart device, and the smartness of the device depends on the apps it has to offer. During its launch, Apple showed some amazing clock faces including the amazing Astronomy and Disney based watch faces. It also has some unique gesture supports that will make it easy to use and to interact with others.
At present, the apps on the device will work in conjunction with the iPhone apps. The company plans to bring native Watch apps in the future. Apple has already said that the Watch will support Apple Pay, which means the device has NFC so we might also see some NFC-based apps too. Tim Cook has already said that Watch might replace the car keys in the near future.

What’s The Price, Eh?

During the unveiling of the Apple Watch, its price was stated to be $349, which is expected to be the price of the basic variant of the device, the Watch Sport. The price of Apple’s other Watch offering is yet unknown. Apple has also brought the Edition collection of the watch which are made of premium materials such as Rose Gold surface and Sapphire Crystal display. These smartwatches will also come with a multitude of strap and accessory options. Though, for Apple customers, pricing is not a major issue, but this time around they’ll probably be cautious before buying an all new device. Some reports have indicated a price of above $1000 as the average price for the device, which sounds a bit exorbitant. With that hefty a price tag Apple has to make a good case for its product to attract users to its Watch corner.

Hmm… What Else?

Apart from the major Apple Watch launch, the Cupertino-based tech giant is also expected to bring out some new upgraded devices in its other product line-up. 9to5mac had reported in January that Apple might be ready to bring a 12 inch-notebook that would probably have a body similar to the current 11-inch MacBook Air. This new device is only expected to hold two ports, a headphone jack and the new C-Type reversible USB port. This new laptop will also do away with the internal fans and the touchpad, so this seems to be one of the usual experiments of Apple for the market whose success can influence future product designs. The lack of ports might disappoint potential buyers, but Apple might just end up introducing a new accessory to address consumer plight.

Apple might also introduce iOS 8.2 with Apple Watch support. This new update will have the new companion app for the Watch and will let you use the device in conjunction with your iOS devices. The new emoji’s, which got the fans excited will only arrive after a few months when Apple brings out the iOS 8.3.

To Conclude

Overall, it’s a show about the new Apple Watch and it is targeted at the customers who have been eagerly waiting to own the companion device for their iPhones. While we know about most of the features of the Watch, Apple will be making its final case before bringing the device out for the customers to try. The smartwatch segment of the market is slowly coming to maturity and with Apple’s addition to the list, all major brands have placed their contenders in the market. We have to wait till next quarter to know how Apple’s latest product segment is received by the public.

Come back to iGyaan to know more about the details of the Apple event on Monday.

March 9, 2015
LG to Skip on Android Wear For its Next Luxury Smartwatch Urbane LTE

LG might not be bringing the successor of the G3 at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) this year but it promises to bring something unique. The company will be unveiling a luxury smartwatch called the Watch Urbane at MWC 2015. It is also being reported that the Korean company will be bringing an LTE version of the Urbane that will run on LG’s propriety operating system.

LG has said that it won’t be using Android Wear OS as it has used in its previous device. The company had also showcased a WebOS powered smartwatch during CES 2015 which was brought in collaboration with Audi.

The Watch Urbane is an impressive looking device. LG had recently released the product video for the smartwatch, and it definitely looks like a luxury device. It is powered by a 700 mAh battery. It features NFC along with a barrage of sensors like gyroscope, accelerometer, compass, atmospheric pressure, heartbeat, and GPS.

The LTE variant of the Watch Urbane will be a standalone device that will connect to networks all by itself. It will also work with Android devices. Users can make use of the VoLTE to make calls directly from the device. It also features a walkie-talkie mode through which you can connect to multiple people at once.

Smartwatches and wearables have been touted as the next big consumer electronics offerings, but the response in the market hasn’t matched up to the hype. One of the major obstacles in gaining mass appeal is the battery life of these devices. Consumers would have no issues buying a new device, but they have to offer something unique instead of just being glorified remotes for smartphones. LG will be launching the Watch Urbane in a few days so it’s only then that we’ll know for sure if its features match up to its excellent design.

February 26, 2015