The Samsung Gear S is a polarizing device. While some think it’s trying to do too many things at once, others like it for its built-in 3G and Wi-Fi connectivity (there’s a new version in Japan with Wi-Fi only connectivity, FYI). That big 2-inch 480×360-pixel AMOLED screen is also controversial as it makes the watch too big to fit every wrist out there.
There are few things missing to make the Gear S the perfect smart watch. Here they are:
1. Compatibility with other phones
Not everyone has a Samsung-made product, and not everyone wants to buy one. The Korean company obviously wants to keep its powerful watch exclusive for its “inner circle” of customers, but by doing so it’s losing potential customers. The Gear S, as far as I’m concerned, should sing along all Android phones, as well as those running Windows Phone and perhaps even iOS and BlackBerry 10.
2. It gotta be more independent
Since it has a built-in SIM card, you would think it can do many things without requiring a smartphone connection. Think again – for many things you’ll still need a Gear app running on a relatively recent Samsung device. Not sure why that’s the case and I can only hope Sammy will fix this with some future firmware update.
3. More apps
Samsung did its best to engage developers’ interest but there’s still room for improvement — in comparison, Android Wear is growing at a much faster pace. Right now, you can browse the web on your wrist with Opera Mini, manage tasks with EasilyDo and WunderList, get turn-by-turn navigation, pay for stuff with PayPal, track fitness activities with Runtastic, listen to interesting articles with Umano, cyber schmooze on Facebook and Twitter, and even benefit from fast reading with Spritz.
4. Price
The final piece of the equation is the price. As I’m writing this, the Gear S is sold for around $350. That’s a lot of money and considering all of the caveats I mentioned above, I’m not sure it’s worth that much. Except if you have enough disposable income and happily live in Samsung’s universe.
I want the Gear S myself. I love the idea of being able to go through the news on my wrist and I have no problems wearing such big watch. However, I don’t nor even intend to own a Samsung smartphone in the near future, which makes me “unsuitable” to get the Gear S. Hopefully, the Korean giant will re-think its decision to tie wearables to its phones, and open-up the market for many new customers. Then, I may be interested to grab one of these. 😉