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Samsung Announces Its First 3G Smartwatch: The Gear S

Finally, a smartwatch Dick Tracy would use.

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Last night, Samsung announced the next smartwatch in its ever-expanding Gear lineup—the Gear S. Unlike prior Gear smartwatches, the Gear S offers full 3G connectivity, allowing it to make and receive phone calls without being tethered to a smartphone.

The watch features a curved 2-inch Super AMOLED display, two-day battery life, 4GB of storage, and sensors including accelerometer, ambient light, barometer, compass, gyroscope, heart rate, and UV. The watch also has WiFi and Bluetooth radios, allowing it to connect to your now-unnecessary phone.

All of the sensors will work with Samsung's S Health service, as well as a built-in Nike+ Running app. The watch also offers walking navigation via Nokia's HERE map service, not Google Maps.

The big caveat with this new wearable is that it's running Samsung's proprietary OS, Tizen, not Android Wear. This means that the watch will not receive Android notifications, but will likely be able to receive notifications from Galaxy smartphones.

We'll have to wait and see if Samsung ever releases a variant of the Gear S running Android Wear, like it did with its last Gear smartwatch.

Samsung also released a rather bizarre-looking set of Bluetooth headphones called the Gear Circle, which magnetically connect at both ends to become a necklace when you're not using them. The in-ears also notify you of incoming calls and notifications via vibrations.

The Gear S and Gear Circle will both go on sale in October, though pricing is still a mystery.

We'll have hands-on impressions of the Gear S and Gear Circle from IFA Berlin next week, along with coverage of whatever else comes out of Samsung's annual "Unpacked" event. Keep an eye on Reviewed.com for all the details.

Source: Samsung

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