I would assume that owners of the original Samsung Galaxy Gear haven’t felt their best when they saw the new Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo running Tizen instead of Android. That concern will be addressed in the near future with the Korean company working on new firmware that will make the Galaxy Gear run the same software as newer Samsung smart watches.
According to SamMobile, which had a chance to try out the upcoming software, Galaxy Gear users can expect a ton of changes, including:
- The ability to measure sleep patterns using Sleep mode.
- Keep track of workouts in real time using the Exercise mode; in comparison, Android-based firmware only allowed footstep tracking using the built-in Pedometer.
- A standalone music player that will allow users to store music on the smart watch itself.
- Ability to customize the double tap shortcut and set it to any desired application. Due to this change, Samsung has also created a separate Controls app.
- Different font styles support, ability to set custom wallpapers, choose home icon size, connect Bluetooth headset and set privacy lock.
- Voice commands in the camera app.
In a nutshell, almost all features from the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are present in the update, except WatchON Remote and Heart Rate monitor.
Unfortunately, we’ve no idea when Samsung will start rolling out the Tizen upgrade for the Galaxy Gear but we’ll make sure to share the news as soon as we get it. Stay tuned in the meantime, k?