Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Samsung Gear S hands-on

Samsung's curvy Gear S smartwatch is its biggest — and coolest yet

So here we are with Samsung's sixth — yes, a full half-dozen — smartwatch in a little more than the space of a year. To wit: The Samsung Galaxy Gear, Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo, Gear Fit, Gear Live and, now, the Gear S. That's a whole lot of Gear.

This Gear, however, is unlike the other Gear(s). Well, OK. It's a whole lot like the other ones. It's running Tizen, the Android alternative enjoyed by all of Samsung's other watches save the Android Wear-based Gear Live. And it's got the same basic functionality we've seen on the other Gear watches — tell the time and date and weather and news and track fitness and heart rate show notifications and email and even make and receive Dick Tracy-style phone calls. Been there, done that.

The two things that make the Gear S stand out? It's got a curved display, and it connects to a cellular network on its own, just like your phone does. And, yes, it's a little larger than its siblings. And you know what? It's pretty darn cool.

Let's take a closer look in our hands-on with the Gear S.