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ZTE smartwatch coming in 2014, but will only work with ZTE phones

ZTE may still be a name with no device for many in the US and Europe, but they will be the third manufacturer to add a smartwatch to their line of devices, coming sometime next year alongside a slew of other smartphones and tablets.

The move to make a smartwatch is starting to heat up, both Samsung and Sony’s attempts have failed – but this has not stopped Google, Microsoft, Apple, LG, Nokia and now ZTE looking to make a stand in the market and reveal the next generation device.

ZTE will develop the smartwatch similar to the Galaxy Gear, a pretty sad announcement for anyone wanting something different. We believe ZTE will just use Android’s store and layer it with their own skin, as they do with most of their smartphones and tablets.

Another piece of sad news is the ZTE smartwatch will only work with ZTE smartphones, we are not sure if this is because the company cannot get the privilege from other device manufacturers or they simply do not want to incorporate them into their smartwatch project.

ZTE will not be bringing the smartwatch to the US or Europe and will actually keep the project inside of China, like most of their more exciting ideas stay. We cannot say we are saddened by this news, unless there are some significant features the company has not detailed, we expect a Galaxy Gear clone with no real vision.

In the smartwatch battle, we are really waiting for the change in functionality or design to make us want to try out the new device. Google or Apple may be able to change this idea and we hope we do not have to wait too long for the Nexus smartwatch or iWatch.

For now, we are bound to see a few tries from other companies following the Pebble or Galaxy Gear idea, with no real innovation on the design, functionality or software side to make the smartwatch a viable option against the smartphone.

HTC preparing to launch Android tablet and smartwatch soon

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HTC has not had the best few years, but the company is preparing to take a hit this year and get back up to speed in the years to come, with their CEO focusing more on innovation and new products for the future rather than day-to-day business, pushing the new markets with HTC goodness.

The two new markets HTC is preparing to step into are the tablet and smartwatch. The tablet has already been entered before by HTC with the Flyer, but they failed to get any traction and stepped out for a few years, focusing on smartphones running Android and Windows Phone.

Their new tablet will be “something nice and disruptive,” according to HTC executive Cher Wang, pointing at only one device being announced. We are not sure what the formula for success will be with the new tablet, it would be impressive to see the same HTC One aluminium design on a large tablet.

On the smartwatch end, nothing official has been announced but their CEO Peter Chou has said wearables is a place HTC should be involved in, when the time is right. Chou said he would not want a rushed product to market, pointing the finger at the Galaxy Gear smartwatch from Samsung.

It is nice to see HTC step outside the smartphone market but the truth is they are just as big a fault as any company when it comes to new markets. The move to make R&D more important is a nice touch, but we cannot see the company making huge strides in either market.

The HTC One is arguably the best phone on the planet right now, closely rivalled by the iPhone 5S, Nokia Lumia 1020, Galaxy S4 and Xperia Z1 depending on user preference. It was not the great idea that gave HTC the edge however, it was their build quality and solid performance.

We believe the company can make beautiful hardware, it is obvious with the design of the HTC One. The problem is innovation and creativity, the HTC One Max fingerprint sensor and BlinkFeed are two places where you start to question HTC’s decision making and design when it comes to something new.

Galaxy Gear 2 already in development, set for CES 2014 unveiling

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We recently heard a pretty odd rumor about the Xperia Z2 and how it will be unveiled at CES 2014, even though the Xperia Z1 was only just released three weeks ago at IFA 2013. Now, we have heard Samsung will bring the Galaxy Gear 2 to CES 2014, despite it also being announced at IFA.

Some said the Galaxy Gear did look like a prototype version of what Samsung is creating with the smartwatch. Despite the finished exterior with the rubber band and metal watch-face, it feels like something a scrappy startup made and not a international company.

In saying this, the scrappy design is one of the best Samsung has pulled off, with their smartphones designed with plastic in mind and a pretty poor UI. The problem is Samsung really has little vision when it comes to smartwatches, at least right now and the Galaxy Gear 2 may be a more refined version.

When rumors first sprouted of a Galaxy Gear smartwatch, many claimed Samsung was trying to get the jump on Apple before they could launch the iWatch. This does not seem to have worked, despite some excitement surrounding the smartwatch, the vast majority of people see it as an overpriced gadget for the techies.

The iWatch is needed to change the market, as Apple have done with the smartphone and tablet. Not only is it is a big test to see how Apple can achieve vision under Tim Cook, but it is a show of how Apple’s vision can create a new market within the old one, changing and “revolutionising” it for a consumer friendly experience.

Apple has not always made great decisions and made great products, Siri and Apple Maps have had their shortcomings and these are just the latest, but the general idea is when Apple makes a new product for a market, it spreads like wildfire. The iPod, iPhone and iPad are proof of this and now the iWatch will be the fourth big push into a new consumer market.

Even if the Galaxy Gear 2 is launched at CES 2014, will we see something revolutionary or the same design and UI under a different skin. Samsung has the man power to make two watches and hundreds of phones in a few months, but do they have the vision to really create a game-changing device.

Samsung announces Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy Gear and Galaxy Note 10.1

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Samsung has announced three new products at IFA today, the Galaxy Note 3, the Galaxy Gear and the Galaxy Note 10.1. These are all big releases and Samsung seems to have put a good deal of time into designing them.

Starting with the Galaxy Note 3, Samsung has developed a leather back for the device, similar to some of the covers users can buy from various third parties to cover their Note. This soft-touch back is a lot better than the plastic we are used to seeing from Samsung, but we question if it really radiates a “premium” quality.

Internals are as we expected, a 5.7-inch full HD display, Snapdragon 800 or Exynos 5 processor (depending on region), 3GB of RAM, 13MP camera with 4K video capabilities and the love-it-or-hate it S Pen. The 4K video capabilities is still a little ahead of its time, at least Samsung will offer larger storage options.

Onto the Galaxy Gear, the smartwatch set to redefine the idea of smartwatches. Samsung actually has not made a ugly device, for once. The Galaxy Gear has a metal front and rubber strap and it actually looks nice, like a normal watch with an advanced display.

On the front there is a 1.63-inch 320 x 320 AMOLED display and the Galaxy Gear can connect to phone calls through Bluetooth pairing. This may be a little bad for the battery and we have already heard the Galaxy Gear will get about 10 hours.

Last on the event list is the Galaxy Note 10.1, this is a revamp on the Note 10.1 line for 2014. Samsung has added a 2560 x 1600 display, the same as the one on the Nexus 10. Inside will be the Exynos 5 octa-core processor and 3GB of RAM.

All three of these devices will be coming worldwide and the Galaxy Gear will cost $299 at launch. The Galaxy Note 3 is expected to come on all four major carriers in the US and the Galaxy Note 10.1 has an LTE option as well, we may see an offer crop up to buy both for a discounted price.

Samsung Galaxy Gear coming with 6GB and 8GB models

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The Galaxy Gear is already being weighed up before its reveal at IFA 2013 on September 4 and the early views aren’t positive, with a new leaked report of the internals showing low storage and less than a day battery life on the smartwatch.

According to the report, the Galaxy Gear will be available on launch with two storage options, 6GB and 8GB. This is pretty small but the idea is it will connect to the smartphone and will not need major storage apart from smartwatch related apps.

Inside the Galaxy Gear will be a 1.5GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM powering the device. The smartwatch will have 2.5-inch OLED touchscreen display at 320×320 resolution, meaning the screen is going to be square and not circular.

The Galaxy Gear comes with all the usual sensors, Bluetooth, Accelerometer and a speaker build into the device strap. The last feature seems a little odd, it means the user will not be able to change straps, unless they want to lose the speaker functionality.

4MP front facing camera seems a little odd as well, taking photos from the wrist is possible the last thing anyone would ever want to tryout and we cannot see this being a great feature, especially if there is a dedicated camera button that can be accidentally pressed.

It will be running Android Jelly Bean and we believe Samsung will add some odd smartwatch TouchWiz skin that is the death of the smartwatch. TouchWiz has come a few leaps since its first arrival on Android, but it is still filled with odd features and annoying sounds ruining the Android experience.

The biggest problem is the 10 hours of battery life on the Galaxy Gear. With the Pebble, because it is an E-Ink smartwatch, it can last for days and even weeks without a charge. Ten hours is really pushing the productivity of this device.

Sounds like a bit of a bummer for Samsung, the Galaxy Gear has little to no real excitement surrounding it and will probably go in the trash with the growing collection of useless smartwatches.

Samsung Galaxy Gear coming in multiple colours

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IFA is getting closer by the day and as more companies announce their plans and teasers for the conference in Berlin, Samsung still seems to be the most exciting show, with the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear both hitting the floor on September 4.

Almost all the news has been on the Galaxy Note 3, we already know it will pack a Snapdragon 800/Exynos 5 processor (depending on region), 3GB of RAM, 32 or 64GB of storage, 3540mAh battery and the main show point, the 5.6-inch 1080p screen.

Recently a leaked specs report showed the Galaxy Gear specs and functionality, it seems like Samsung will deck the smartwatch out with sensors to understand what the user is doing and will work to add functionality at certain times, like when jogging or driving.

Today we have a reveal on the different Galaxy Gear colours coming out, Samsung will officially release five different colours, four on week 39, around late-September and one on week 40, the start of October.

These colours will be:

– Week 39 – White, Orange, Gray, Black
– Week 40 – White Gold

Being Samsung, we doubt the white, orange, gray and black will be the colour names. With royal blue and the like, Samsung will probably put some fresh name on the colour to make it more appealing.

Nobody knows the current plan for Samsung, whether they are making this a mass market launch or just something they will dip their feet into. If it is a competitor to the iWatch, set to come out next year, it may be a mass produced product that could fail.

Samsung, Sony and other hardware manufacturers have failed to gain any traction in the smartwatch market in the past, with products falling flat on their face. Now, with Pebble reinvigorating the smartwatch, we are hearing reports on Microsoft, Apple, Samsung and others getting in on the smartwatch.

The question is can these big tech companies have as much success as the Pebble Kickstarter or will they fall flat on their face, again.