Samsung Introduces GALAXY Gear, a Wearable Device to Enhance the Freedom of Mobile Communications

Samsung GALAXY experience is now extended through GALAXY Gear

Samsung Electronics has introduced the GALAXY Gear, a perfect companion device that further integrates the Samsung GALAXY experience into everyday life. Samsung GALAXY Gear combines smart device connectivity, tailored technological features, and stylish design as a single premium accessory.

“We are constantly listening to our customers and what our consumers want is their daily lives to be easier and more enjoyable,” says George Ferreira, VP and COO of Samsung Electronics Africa. “This commitment to our customers is once again reflected in our ongoing smart device innovation leadership and our new wearable device, the Samsung GALAXY Gear. Samsung’s GALAXY Gear benefits consumers by integrating smart device technology even deeper into their everyday lives, and bridges the gap between the mobile device and fashion worlds to create truly wearable technology. It frees users from the need to constantly check their smart devices while maintaining connections and provides what we call ‘smart freedom,’ by allowing consumers to choose how, why, when and where they are connected.”

Experience new mobile communications freedoms

Samsung GALAXY Gear lets users to live in the moment while staying connected to their Samsung GALAXY devices. It notifies users of incoming messages, such as calls, texts, emails and alerts, delivers a preview of those messages and creates the opportunity for users to accept or discreetly ignore those messages. When an incoming message requires more than a quick glance, users can simply pick up their Samsung GALAXY device and the Smart Relay feature will instantly reveal the full content on the screen.

Voice operation

The built-in speaker allows users to conduct hands-free calls directly from the Gear, maintaining connections to their mobile communications without disrupting their daily routines. For example, a user leaving the grocery store, whose hands are full with shopping bags, could still make a call by speaking into the GALAXY Gear without touching the screen. Users can also draft messages, create new calendar entries, set alarms, and check the weather on the GALAXY Gear with S Voice.

Capture daily life from your wrist

“In addition to enabling smart device controls, Samsung GALAXY Gear introduces several features that help users easily capture life’s meaningful moments which otherwise might be missed,” adds Craige Fleischer, Director of Mobile Communications at Samsung Electronics SA. “With the Memographer feature, a 1.9 Megapixel camera, users who are on the move or participating in physical activities can record both photos and video to create quick, visual records of important information or events from their daily lives, as well as share them on their social networks. Extending the quick-record concept, Voice Memo lets users capture important thoughts or conversations from their wrists and save those voice recordings into texts on their Samsung GALAXY devices.”

A growing list of controls for favorite features

With the GALAXY Gear, users gain a wide range of favourite features that further increase the benefits of this new accessory. New security enhancement Auto Lock automatically secures the companion smartphone screen any time that GALAXY Gear is more than 1.5 meters away from the smartphone, and then unlocks the smartphone when the companion devices are near each other again. Find My Device helps users find the location of their smart devices when they have been misplaced by making them beep, illuminate and vibrate. With Samsung GALAXY Gear, users can also control the music played on their Samsung GALAXY devices. As with traditional music players, it helps users browse, play and pause songs even when their smart device is not within reach. Finally, the GALAXY Gear also works like a Pedometer to track physical activity via enhanced, built-in sensor technology. This feature systematically and automatically monitors users so they can track key personal data such as calories burned, steps taken and distance covered.

Standalone Watch and Iconic Fashion Accessory

Samsung GALAXY Gear embodies understated elegance. Its refined design, executed in, high-quality finishes, conjures images of luxury jewelry while still being understated enough to go well with any outfit. A rounded and simple flowing form wraps around the body, integrating with the user’s personal environment, and maintaining comfort at all times. The GALAXY Gear also serves as a wristwatch and includes several face options that create the opportunity for users to personalise their watch face. It will come preloaded with 10 different clock options and more choices will be downloadable via Samsung Apps. The GALAXY Gear experience can be further personalised by selecting from six colors that will be available at launch: Jet Black, Mocha Gray, Wild Orange, Oatmeal Beige, Rose Gold, and Lime Green.

Samsung GALAXY Note 3 is set to launch starting from September 27, with availability of the GALAXY Gear due for release in Africa and South Africa during October 2013.

Samsung GALAXY Gear Product Specifications – (these could differ between regions)

Processor	800 MHz processor
Display	1.63 inch (41.4mm) Super AMOLED (320 x 320)
Camera	1.9 Megapixel BSI Sensor, Auto Focus Camera / Sound & Shot
Video	Codec: H.264 Format: MP4 HD(720p) Playback & Recording
Audio	Codec: AAC Format : M4A
Featured Apps	Atooma is a contextually aware horizontal intelligence platform that makes your GALAXY Gear smarter.
	Banjo gives you the power to see what’s happening right now, anywhere in the world.
	Evernote watch app makes it easy to remember things by quickly capturing images and memories and bringing important reminders right to GALAXY Gear.
	Glympse allows people to easily share their location temporarily and in real-time, letting recipients see their movements on a dynamic map.
	eBay app allows you to complete all your transactions on eBay with ease and in real-time.
	Line is a global messaging service available in over 230 countries worldwide.
	MyFitnessPal tracks your nutrition and exercise, empowering you to achieve your  personal health and fitness goals.
	Path is the personal network designed to bring you closer to your friends and family.
	Pocket, the leading way to save web content to view later on any device, brings text-to-speech article playback to GALAXY Gear.
	RunKeeper is the personal trainer in your pocket, helping you track your runs, set your goals, and stay motivated.
	TripIt from Concur makes it easy to organize travel plans in one place.
	Vivino Wine Scanner allows you to take a photo of any wine and get to know all about it instantly.
Samsung Services	Samsung Apps
	ChatON: mobile communication service
Additional Features	Smart Relay, S Voice, Memographer, Voice Memo
	Auto Lock, Find My Device, Media Controller, Pedometer, Stopwatch, Timer
	Safety assistance: In case of emergency, press a power button 3 times continuously, and then user’s location information is transferred to the saved contacts with message.
	2 Microphones (Noise Cancellation), 1 Speaker
Connectivity	Bluetooth® v 4.0 + BLE
Sensor	Accelerometer, Gyroscope
Memory	4GB Internal memory + 512 MB (RAM)
Dimension	36.8 x 56.6 x 11.1 mm, 73.8g
Battery	Standard battery, Li-ion 315mAh

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‘Innovation on tap’ at new Microsoft centre

Microsoft South Africa has unveiled the first Microsoft Technology Centre (MTC) in Africa – a high-tech multi-million rand facility that it says will help local companies of all sizes become more globally competitive by helping develop “next-generation solutions” for their most pressing business problems.

Dubbed a “technology think-tank on digital steroids”, the MTC houses millions of rands worth of hardware and devices from a range of local partners. Here, a team of top architects and developers will help partners and customers explore new ways to grow their businesses, improve processes and optimise the technology they already own.

Mteto Nyati, Microsoft SA’s managing director, says the MTC is “a massive investment” in South Africa’s ambition to become a regional technology hub. The centre will also play a major role in bringing to life the company’s 4Afrika initiative, which was launched earlier this year and aims to drive innovation opportunities, skills development and broadband access on the continent.

“This centre is all about collaboration and building an entire ecosystem of innovation. We want to dramatically speed up the pace of innovation, and help our customers and partners slash the time it takes to get solutions and applications to market,” said Nyati.

Speaking at the launch of the MTC, Science and Technology Minister Derek Hanekom said it was important that South Africans and Africans develop home-grown technology solutions and foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship, particularly among the youth.

“There has never been a better time for businesses, government and the youth to develop solutions that can address a range of challenges.  Technology hubs like these can only enhance our capacity to provide innovative solutions to the most pressing social and business challenges facing our country and continent,” said Mr Hanekom.

The MTC includes an array of purpose-built environments to ensure world-class learning and development experiences. This includes a data center, fully-equipped developer suite, three envisioning centres and a retail store, which is being run in partnership with Incredible Connection. The centre will also be available to app developers, start-ups and students wanting to test their solutions before taking them to market.

“We would like to create an environment where local businesses are able to create more jobs, whether here in South Africa or anywhere else in Africa,” said Nyati.

MTC manager Markus Hain says the centre offers a boot-camp curriculum of in-depth software and hardware customisation through a three-stage process of strategy briefings, architectural design, and proof of concept, at no cost.

“It’s about trying to understand what the key business challenges are,” said Hain. “We don’t even have to talk about Microsoft technology. We want businesspeople to sit down with IT people and see if their ideas are possible to execute.” 

With many executives seeking quick answers, the MTC architects will spend time understanding the problem and quickly put together a proposed solution. These solutions will also extend strongly to ways of using existing infrastructure, says Hain: “Customers want to know how to wrap a whole new world around older technology. They want to engage with information in new ways.”

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