Samsung’s round smartwatch: new details surface
Samsung has created a buzz in the smartwatch industry. It introduced the Galaxy Gear back in September 2013 for the Galaxy Note 3 and has then gone on to produce three smartwatches – the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo, and Gear S – as well as a smart fitness band dubbed the Gear Fit (no, the Gear Fit is not a smartwatch) in addition to the Android Wear Gear Live. That’s five smartwatches and one fitness band, if you’re counting.
It was a natural expectation at MWC 2015 to see a new smartwatch with the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, but no such luck. Samsung refrained from a new smartwatch release, to the surprise of many.
When interviewed about the failure to launch a new smartwatch, Samsung’s Executive VP of Mobile Marketing, Young-hee Lee, said that the company has now decided to break with its year-old tradition of simultaneous smartphone/smartwatch releases: We’ve been introducing more devices than anybody else. It’s time for us to pause. We want a more perfect product, Lee said.
A patent application submitted by Samsung last May matches Lee’s statement. The application reveals a round smartwatch with a rotating bezel ring that serves as the navigation tool for this new smartwatch along with a crown-shaped power button. New details give the device object and image recognition, in addition to a barcode register for products that can then be purchased through Samsung Pay (Samsung’s new mobile payment system) and gesture controls, as a portion of the software experience.
The Orbis watch takes utility to a whole new level, letting you use the device as not only a wrist wearable but also a keychain, necklace, and armband, among others, while also providing the luxury look and feel that some consumers mandate for wrist jewelry. And yes, the Gear 2 camera that departed quietly in the Gear S will return in the Orbis smartwatch.
The Orbis smartwatch looks to be a premium smartwatch in every way, but there’s nothing more perfect than perfect. With that said, the Gear S will definitely have both Android and iOS users drooling over it until this Fall’s Orbis announcement.
Samsung is the number one smartwatch vendor in the world.
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Oh Diedre? Another nice story again. Keep up the great work, you’re a winner!!! 😀 Also…. it was originally rumored before Gear 1 came out, that Samsung was working on a convertible smartwatch. Meaning like you say, can be worn as a watch, pendant, necklace, armband and badge or Star Trek like communicator/broach. This I find most intriguing, because it gives it a multiple purpose design. But it now sounds like they will going for a more classy look and maybe come out with a $30,000 model for status climbers, socialites and celebrities too. Although too rich for my blood,… Read more »
The Gear S is a awesome product yhat not even the i watch will touch its not perfect ,but it garners enough attention when people see it whether they are tech savvy or not …just my opinion and i have the first gear which i modded and its still in use so Samsung has jumped out there and has told everyone else catchup
I have both the original Gear 1 and the Gear S smartwatch. I only occasionally pull out the Gear 1 for going out on the town. I still get compliments on it and had gone all out in customizing it with around 70 watch faces. I love it for it’s ease of using Gear Styler and Watch Manager. I’ve made some of my own faces and now working on watch face widgets. There is one very cool Radar Screen available at Gearfaces.com and since it’s fully animated and customizable, people flip out when they see it! 😀 But Gear S… Read more »
I really do want the Gear S still. Hopefully I’ll get it for my birthday
Samsung need to learn about design. With smart watches, design is first then functionality. All of their current smart watches either look hedious or just too boring. The orbis looks promising. Hopefully they don’t implement the ridiculous pricing scheme used by apple!
You must be female.
The camera is going to ruin the design though
this smartwatch is gonna be Epic!!!!!!!