Samsung has yet to confirm the price and availability of its highly anticipated smartwatch the Galaxy Gear in Australia, following its unveiling at the IFA 2013 consumer electronics show in Berlin overnight.
The electronics giant was showing off its new smartwatch alongside a new Galaxy tablet and super-sized smartphone at the event.
Samsung's first entry into the smartwatch market, which will go on sale in the US later this month for US$299, allows the user to make and receive calls, send text messages, download apps and even capture photos and videos.
The 73.8 gram Gear has a 1.63-inch display and uses and an 800MHz processor backed up by 512MB of RAM and 4GB of internal storage. It has a 1.9-megapixel camera built into the strap, dual speakers for voice recognition and noise cancelation, and it relies on Bluetooth for communications.
K Shin, president of Samsung's IT & mobile division, said: "The Gear benefits consumers by integrating smart device technology even deeper into their everyday lives, and bridges the gap between the mobile device and fashion worlds to create truly wearable technology.”
The company said the Gear frees users from the need to constantly check their smart devices while maintaining connections. It provides what we call 'smart freedom,' by allowing users to choose how, why, when and where they are connected.
A point of disappointment for tech experts is that it relies on being tethered to a handset or tablet, while Samsung has said battery life will last a day.
