Asus made fitness-centric VivoWatch has 10 days battery

There's been plenty of talk about the Apple Watch's battery, which lasts about a day on a full charge. Some consider that a weakness, and it's one that Asus may intend to exploit it before Samsung does. They just announced a new fitness-centric smartwatch for your phone, the VivoWatch - the device is geared more towards fitness applications such as tracking your activities, heart rate, sleep pattern, etc.



The Asus ZenWatch is not the most advanced or glamorous smartwatch, and it's certainly no true Apple Watch rival. The ViVoWatch seems to have a black and white display to save on power with a green LED strip below. The watch has a stainless steel body and an IP67 certification for dust and water resistance.

As you can tell, it’s not exactly running Android Wear, which explains how it manages to last for 10 days on a single charge. There are not much details available at this point and more will be revealed tomorrow at the Milan Design Week.

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Samsung Gear S will be available on UK for £330

If you alive in UK and waiting for standalone smartwatch that’s working without a phone then your wait will be over on October 24. The Samsung Gear S watch plus phone will be available a week after the Galaxy Note 4 hits. The Tizen-running smartwatch has its own 3G modem so it can do calls and use mobile data on its own, no need for a connection to a smartphone, unlike the majority of smartwatches out there.

The Gear S has a large 2″ screen, a 360 x 480 Super AMOLED, a dual-core 1GHz processor, 512MB of RAM and 4GB storage. It can play music to your Bluetooth headset and make calls even without one. And it’s IP67-certified so light sporting activity is no problem. The Gear S comes in Black and White but only the Black version will be stocked at first.



MobileFun is taking pre-orders at £330 ($530), while Clove is asking £340 ($545). Clove notes that black Samsung Gear S units will be available on October 24, the availability of the white option is yet to be confirmed.

Source

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You can now browse web on Samsung Gear S by Opera Mini

For anyone who has used a feature phone or smartphone in the last decade, Opera Mini is probably a familiar name. Opera Mini has been available for almost every feature and smartphone platform and has offered a simplified browsing experience to millions of users since it was first released. Today Opera made another big step by announcing that Opera Mini will soon be available for use on the Samsung Gear S.



As you expect the Opera Mini will allow you to browse the internet on your wrists and has the familiar features – mobile compression that shrinks pages to as little as 10% of their original size and speed dial with your recent pages. The Opera Mini browser for the Samsung Gear S also has a Smart Page that aggregates social updates and news on one screen. You can change between Smart Page and Speed dial with a tap of the finger. It’s also notable that this version of Opera Mini will be running on Tizen, and will also come with features like private browsing.

Opera Mini will be available from the Samsung Apps store once the Gear S goes on sale this fall. If you are missing anything here then I have to fill you in. Samsung Gear S is different from others before smartwatches as it's also a full-featured 3G and Wi-Fi-enabled device: it can make calls, receive calls, check messages and be connected to GPS even without a phone nearby.

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Samsung releases Galaxy S5 in Bangladesh with complete Gear family

For a mobile enthusiastic 11 April is the day to remember for me. Because this is the day of Samsung Galaxy S5 release all over the world. And my home country Bangladesh is no different. Actually Samsung unveiled the phone yesterday with a grand launching ceremony. The device is price 60,000 taka ($770) only! Yes I said only, because the previous 2 flagships were both launched with 69,900 taka ($900) price tag. So it’s wonderful news if you want to buy this premium 2014 device by Samsung. The device with a 2.1 GHz Octa core processor will also be available at 12 equal monthly installments. Samsung is also offering free S View cover with every S5 purchase. The device boasts a finger scanner for security and long term evolution access, which is a far faster wireless technology compared to 3G.



The handset was officially launched at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in Dhaka yesterday in exclusive association with mobile operator Robi, the third largest operator with 25.7 million subscriptions. Robi customers will get some special benefits for six months, such as 500 megabytes of free internet surfing, missed call alert, breaking news, and sports news.

Don’t assume that Robi is the only operator to offer Galaxy S5. All other mobile phone operators like Grameenphone, Airtel and Banglalink also has Galaxy S5 on their bag too. The device comes in four colors -- charcoal black, shimmery white, electric blue and copper gold.

Along with Galaxy S5 release, Samsung also release all three Gear smartwatches in the market. But the pricing seems way too far of the international market. Samsung priced The Gear 2 at 32,500 taka ($420), Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit at 21,500 taka ($275). The price was excellent at the pre-order period. Samsung has offered Gear Fit at the rate of only 10,000 taka ($130), when it was ordered along with Galaxy S5. But we hope Samsung will surely lower the prices very soon.

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Samsung Gear 2 price is $300, Gear Fit is $200

After almost a month of speculation all round the world we currently have some light regarding the 2nd generation of Samsung wearable lineups. As many of we assume Gear 2 will be priced around $300, that turns out to be true. According to the Samsung official announcement in Taiwan Gear 2 will be available for $295, while the beautiful Gear will costs you $197. Surprisingly there is no mention of the Gear 2 Neo, but it is likely that the device will cost around the same as the Gear Fit.



Samsung initially indicated that it would launch the Gear 2 at a lower price point than the original Galaxy Gear. One of the reasons for the failure of the Galaxy Gear was its price as well as limited functionality. While Samsung is sticking to the same price segment with the Gear 2, it is betting on new functionality the watch provides, like the heart rate sensor with better battery life. The Gear 2 will also work with more Galaxy mobiles and tablets out of the box, which makes it more accessible to users. The Gear 2 along with the Gear Fit will be officially available to buy starting next month, just few days before Samsung Galaxy S5 launch of April 11.

Source | Via

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Samsung Gear Fit – Star of the MWC for Samsung

Samsung unveiled the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo before Samsung's Unpacked 5 event, and most of us definitely thought that would be all from Samsung in MWC regarding wearable’s. But the Gear Fit is a little something extra keep right on the edge of Samsung's sleeve. The Gear Fit is about the most exciting product announced in Barcelona today. It’s the first Samsung wearable that has a legitimate chance of catching on.



As its name suggests, the Fit is aimed towards fitness enthusiasts and is a wristband with a 1.84” curved Super AMOLED display. It packs a resolution of 432 x 128 pixels and alerts you of incoming notifications. It runs Tizen OS and features a heartbeat sensor on its down-facing side. In addition to measuring your heartbeat it can also measure how many steps you’ve made, thanks to the built in pedometer.



The Fit is focused to the fitness crowd – but it packs enough features to be a hit with the general consumer. The Gear Fit supports SMS, calls, emails and app notifications and weighs just 27 grams. The Gear Fit is 23.4mm by 57.4mm by 11.95mm only. The Fit doesn't sport a camera, speaker or a massive screen. It’s svelte and sexy just like a SmartWatch should be. Gear Fit has a three to four-day battery life under normal usage, though only five under light usage conditions.



Samsung will also launch changeable straps for the Fit in black, orange and mocha grey to let users express their individual style. The wristband employs Bluetooth 4.0 LE as the connectivity protocol of choice. But it won’t support other smartphones except 20 members from GALAXY line. Apps for the Gear 2 will, by necessity, come in two forms: Android and Tizen.



Samsung has yet to reveal the price on the Fit and that could be the deciding factor here. If the Fit was priced under $200, say, $179 or $149, Samsung could have a big hit on its hands. With a smart feature set and the right price, the Fit could be the missing link from fitness device to SmartWatch the market has so far been missing. I am pretty sure that some point in 2014 i would definately buy this thing if the pricing from Samsung is not too hilarious. What about you?

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Samsung ignites MWC with 2 new Tizen powered Smartwatches, Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo

Samsung don’t hesitate a moment after MWC opening to show off their next generation wearables, the successors of 2013 Galaxy Gear. One main important point is Samsung dropped GALAXY word from the name as well as Android inside and decided to give its own TIZEN OS a massive operation to run out in the wild. Newly unveiled Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo design is not too far away from the original Gear Smartwatch. No matter both the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are thinner and lighter than the previous one but Samsung claims that switching to Tizen allows for battery life of two to three days, which is twice as long as the original Galaxy Gear managed.



The Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo feature the same 1.63-inch Super AMOLED screen with the resolution of 320 x 320 that was seen on the original Galaxy Gear. The 1 GHz processor is slightly faster, while the internal storage and RAM are the same at 4 GB and 512 MB. New additions include an IP67 certification which means that these watches are dust and water resistant, a heart rate sensor and IR blaster for remote control of your home appliances. The battery has been downgraded to 300 mAh, but Samsung claims that battery life will be significantly better.



The only major difference between these two devices is that the Gear 2 Neo does not come with the 2 MP camera that is included on the Gear 2. This allows the Gear 2 Neo to be 13 grams lighter than Gear 2. The Gear 2 is 68g, whereas the Neo is 55g; both are lighter than the original. Talking about design the camera is now built into the front of the watch alongside the IR blaster, which is much better than the original Gear's distracting wart on the wristband. The mic, formerly on the clasp of the strap, has now been moved up to the body of the device itself; this means that Samsung will now let you swap the wristband with either Samsung-specific models or third-party versions. It also features a home button just below the display instead of on the side, like the previous version.

Both Smartwatches to be available globally starting this April, but their pricing is yet to be confirmed. One good news is both models will be compatible with "more than dozens" of Galaxy smartphones when it launches. The Gear 2 will come in Charcoal Black, Gold Brown and Wild Orange, while the Neo replaces the Brown for a Mocha Grey hue. Read the Samsung Press Release containing more information regarding Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo wearables.

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Qualcomm Toq SmartWatch is now $250 only

Qualcomm Toq has been surely one of the sweetest SmartWatch of 2013 with its all rounder features except the price tag of $350. So just before MWC 2014 Qualcomm decided to cut its price by $100. The device will now be available at $249.99 for both the black and the white versions. The Toq is Qualcomm’s first attempt at the nascent smartwatch category. The unique feature about this watch that set it apart from the Pebble was the presence of a color Mirasol display, also developed by Qualcomm.



The revised pricing brings it on par with the new Pebble Steel but while the Toq may have a color display and a few other things up its sleeve, it can’t compete with Pebble’s growing app catalog nor its stylish and elegant design. If Qualcomm wants it to succeed it would need to consider more severe price cuts.

Source | Via

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Archos preparing $50 smartwatch for us, three models are coming

It is expected that SmartWatch and Fitness Bands will cover a lot in CES 2014. All the major companies have something to impress us for our bare human hand. Among all the companies Archos has succeed to catch the eyes of many. Because they brought three models, the cheapest of which starts at just $50. So this could make your introduction to the world of SmartWatches easily. Archos also showed a flagship model with curved touchscreen and aluminum casing. All the models have Bluetooth 4.0 and support both iOS and Android devices.

Among these three Archos will launch the $50 model first. It has a 1.55″ e-paper display and capable of showing only black and white. It’s rated for two weeks battery life so no complaint here.

Second one has a 1.8″ color LCD for $100. The more power-hungry LCD however drops the battery life to around two days. By the looks of it, only this model will have a replaceable wrist strap. This and the e-ink models will launch sometime after the base model. Exact launch dates are unknown.

Top of the line Archos model will be priced at $130. This SmartWatch has a curved, e-ink touchscreen and aluminum casing. This one promises up to a week and a half of battery life thanks to its power efficient screen and Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy. The watch can connect to Android and iOS devices to serve notifications (text, email, social networking updates) and music playback controls.

There is no exact word about the pricing yet. But we keep our finger crossed for a Q1 release.

Source | Official Website
*All the picture posted here are collected from Appleinsider website*

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Corning ready to make 3D Gorilla Glass for wearable gadgets

Over the past few years Corning's Gorilla Glass is useful for protecting the flat screens of our smartphones tablets. But it's not a great fit for the curvy world of wearables yet. The good news is the situation is changing. A new manufacturing technique allows the company to make the product conform to different shapes and designs without sacrificing its strength. Corning just announced that it can manufacture 3D-shaped Gorilla Glass.

Scott Forester, Corning’s product manager for 3D-Shaped Gorilla Glass, said its new production technique allows the curved glass to be manufactured more efficiently and cheaply. It allows Corning to produce glass than can bend 75 or 80 degrees and mold glass into “dramatic shapes,” Forester said.



If all goes well, products using the 3D glass will be on store shelves sometime this year. Durability is certainly a question on consumer's minds when they purchase their latest tech, so expect wearable technology makers to begin implementing the use of 3D Gorilla Glass on various watches, bracelets, and any other devices they can conjure up this year.

There haven't been any partner companies named which will employ the use of 3D Gorilla Glass just yet. But we are sure that would be a leap over offerings from Samsung and LG, which recently introduced smartphones with slightly curved displays. And an iWatch and a curved iPhone with a bigger display are among the most-mentioned possible products for Apple’s pipeline this year, we can certainly see a match here from Corning's point of view.

Thoug Corning’s announcement comes a few months after Apple announced plans to build a new component manufacturing plant in Arizona producing sapphire. Sapphire is gaining popularity in portable devices because it is transparent and more scratch-resistant than glass. A patent filing from Apple earlier this year indicated that sapphire could be used to create scratch-resistant displays.

Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3

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