All four of the top wireless carriers in the U.S. will offer Samsung's curve-faced Gear S this fall, but AT&T is offering consumers a chance to get intimate with the smart watch a bit sooner.
The Gear S features a 2-inch, 360 x 480 SuperAMOLED screen that's squared in display and curved in form factor. It's driven by a 1 GHZ, dual-core processor and fitted with 4 GB of storage space.
The Gear S waves off the Android Wear bandwagon and operates on Samsung's Tizen, despite the criticism of the micro OS' minute reach and doubt expressed by rivals.
As has Microsoft, Samsung has stubbornly fought to bring more competition into the mobile market by refusing to give up on Tizen. The micro OS' open-source build affords it Android compatibility, to a degree, and has attracted third-party support from the likes of Nike.
"[Nike+ Running] motivates runners to run further, faster and more often by tracking their activity, celebrating their progress, enlisting personalized coaching, challenging their friends and sharing runs with their entire social network," said Adam Roth, vice president of Nike Global Running Brand Marketing. "The integration with the Samsung Gear S allows more runners to join the Nike+ community and enjoy the benefits of this great service."
Wearers of the Gear S will be able to wave off their smart phones as they go for a jog or a trip to the store. The Gear S supports voice calling, data and text messaging over 2G and 3G connections.
Gear S wearers need only leave a compatible Samsung phone powered on and connected to a wireless carrier's network to take phone call from their wrists and receive important birthday notifications from Facebook.
As is the case with every other smart watch, health is a major part of the Gear S' pitch. The Gear S will use the S Health platform to collect biometrics and track fitness goals by using accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, compass, heart rate, ambient light, UV sensors.
AT&T will be showcasing the Gear S at 125 of its stores, starting on Sept. 26. A release date still hasn't been announced by Samsung or any of the carriers that will offer the smart watch, though a fall 2014 window has been given.
"Samsung is leading this exciting and rapidly developing wearable category through progressive innovation," said JK Shin, CEO and head of IT & mobile communication at Samsung Electronics. "The Samsung Gear S redefines the idea of the smart wearable and the culture of mobile communication. It will let consumers live a truly connected life anywhere, anytime."
