A very help full blog for all the Smartphones lovers to get the latest and authentic information about Smartphones,tablets and their accessories in a unique way.
"The Gear 2 is a much improved device - but the Gear 2 Neo offers little less and is a lot cheaper"
For
Swappable bands
Longer battery
Against
Neo is a better buy
Expensive
Glitchy software
Page 1 of 8Introduction and design
Ratings in depth
The
Gear 2 is a device that nobody thought would appear... at least not
this soon after the first version. It's something of a climbdown for
Samsung to relaunch a product so soon, but rather than call it
embarrassing I'd much rather applaud Samsung for the feat.
Admittedly
those that bought the first, expensive, model won't be happy there's a
new one out already - but then again, it's a very nascent market and
there won't be too many users out there.
The Gear 2 has a
big change or two compared to the original: firstly, it's now running
Samsung's jointly-developed Tizen OS rather than Android, and it's moved
the camera into the body of the watch, rather than forcing it onto the
strap.
The overall look is much-refined and there's a bevy of new technology to make this worth a look if you dismissed the first Gear. This
means that you can now change straps on your Galaxy Gear, which is one
of the main disadvantages we noted in the original. It's also now imbued
with an infra-red blaster, meaning you can control your TV and set top
box from the comfort of your own wrist.
You will need a compatible Samsung device in order to use the Gear 2, of which there are currently 18, including the new Galaxy S5.
While
it's managed to bring in some key specs and improve the design
somewhat, the Gear 2 is still a rather expensive smartwatch, coming in
at £250 ($295, AU$350). That's close to the cost the original emerged
at, and it suffered thanks to that price tag.
The reason
is simple: while the Gear 2 is a cool thing to have (Samsung doesn't
want it being known as an accessory, rather a standalone device) it
still struggles to have a real use case, which is why dropping that much
money can be a hard sell to consumers still getting to grips with
spending so much on a smartphone.
To alleviate that
reason for purchase, Samsung has decided to add in some fitness ability
with the Gear 2 in the shape of a refined pedometer and a heart rate
monitor, as well as exercise tracking so you can run, walk, hike or
cycle.
The battery life is improved massively, the Gear 2
can splash around in water and dust thanks to being IP67 rated and
comes in a range of nicer colours (rose gold and silver) and is
generally a much better device - but is it worth the still-high price
tag Samsung is commanding, especially when the Gear 2 Neo (the same
smartwatch made out of inferior materials and dropping the camera) is so
much cheaper?
Design
The design of the Gear 2 is
very similar to the first iteration of Samsung's smartwatches, but
still manages to come with its own sense of unique style.
It's
hard to explain, but the fact the strap is now a separate piece to the
main body of the watch has forced Samsung to refine the design of things
like the camera and the home button. In
fact, the latter part is probably one of the best bits of the reshaped
Gear 2, with the home button now on the front of the phone rather than
being a small plastic protrusion on the side of the watch.
This
is important if you've got even a modicum of arm hair, as tapping the
button would usually lead to pulling out a few stray follicles, meaning
you're left with a Pavlovian hate of using your expensive new watch.
With
the metallic button on the front, with a pleasant amount of travel, the
experience is the same as far as the UI goes (long press to turn off or
activate outdoor mode) and you can assign many options to the double
tap action. This means it's easy to access elements like notifications with the Gear 2 in sleep mode, and is a swift action too.
The
Gear 2 isn't a small device, coming in at 36.9 x 58.4x 10.0 mm, but it
doesn't feel cumbersome on the wrist. It's overt, that's for sure, and
those that prefer a smaller and daintier timepiece won't feel like this
is a great fashion accessory, but if you're looking to get your hands on
a smartwatch it's not over the top. The new home buttonThe
Sony Smartwatch 2 and the Pebble Steel are both better devices in terms
of size, but Samsung's mixture of industrial design and more refined
elements (like the camera and IR blaster integration) still brings an
element of premium quality to proceedings.
The screen, a
1.63-inch OLED affair, is excellent too. It's not great if you're trying
to do anything with high res images, such as pictures or similar, but
it's fine for any snaps you've taken using the Gear 2.
The
contrast ratio of the OLED screen means if you're doing something like
timing your food, checking out how many steps you've taken or just
flicking through music, looks really nice and is a pleasant experience
on something you've spent so much money on.
Design-wise
I'm a real fan of what Samsung has done with the Gear 2 - it's hard to
fault the industrial design that won plaudits in its last iteration from
jewellers. The screw holes might have disappeared, which is something
of a shame given than added to its premium industrial design, but it's
still got a very sleek look to it.
Being able to change
the straps will be a real boon to some users, but I quite like the
straps that match. I'm not a massive fan of the Rose Gold
Apps 120 My Top Windows Phone Photography Apps Windows Phone Central App Roundup: Photography Apps While it may be a coin toss as to which genre of apps, weather or photo, are more numerous in the Windows Phone Store there is little doubt that we are fortunate to have plenty of quality choices with both. I have got several photography apps installed on my Windows Phone and this week's roundup is going to focus on some of my favorite photo editors. These are photo apps that I have found helpful for quick fixes of photos as well as apps that can add a creative flair to images. Now before you pass out the pitch forks and torches, there are plenty of photo apps out there that are solid Windows Phone apps such as Fhotoroom , Nokia's Creative Studio , , ProShot , Phototastic and even Fantasia Painter . While these are all quality apps, the apps in this week's roundup are ones that I currently find myself using w...
LG G3 vs Samsung Galaxy S5 Introduction Inside and outside, the LG G3 is nothing short of a truly impressive, and quite intriguing, device. In fact, it's the first device to claim that it's both global and has an extremely detailed, 1440 x 2560 (QHD) resolution display. And that's not even half of it – the hardware configuration of the phone is just monstrous. But so is the one on the Galaxy S5 . The latest Samsung juggernaut has reaped major success with both consumers and critics alike, and that's not surprising in the least. So while the S5 display's pixel count falls short of that on the G3, the phone certainly has a ton to offer, including (but not limited to) an outstanding, 16-megapixel camera, a dust- and water-resistant body, and a vast array of software features. Today, in an attempt to at least partially defuse this seeming stalemate, we'll explore the depths of either phones, jotting down scores all...
Sony Xperia Z3 Compact – Review Iterative products are just a way of life these days. We get a new slightly updated device every few months, sometimes every six months, sometimes even every year, Sony have mastered the iterative product cycle, releasing new products every six months ensuring they stay current. A manufacturer finds a new niche or use case and sometimes it’s a hit with the consumer, the Sony Z1 Compact was one such phone, for a while to buy a small compact Android device meant you’d have to compromise on specs, build quality and design. A few companies had tried something different but none had really made a success with them. Sony last year decided to offer a high spec device in a small chassis that would appeal to those people who wanted the latest flagship spec and high performance, but didn’t want a huge great 5″+ device that needed two hands to operate. This year they’ve gone...
Comments
Post a Comment