A third generation of smartwatches will be shown this year with new operating systems and major functions
The smartwatches appeared in 2011 following several independent projects. And since then, several manufacturers have joined to create successive versions trade. However, many experts see it as little usable and useful phone substitutes while others stress that can be a great extra screen where you receive notifications, make orders or include sensors and Geolocators which can then send data to the smartphone.
While smartwatches are, along with Google Goggles, the flagship of the “weareable computing” actually was first conceived by the Japanese company Seiko in 1986. Though this model, known as the Seiko TV Watch , be limited to offer and television connection was displayed as the gadget Stellar James Bond in one of his films, his success was that most media sales.
Something similar happens to current designs that have appeared on the market: every pitch arouses great attention in the media and has great impact, but either high prices or its limitations, its sales are compared with those of discrete other devices, but already beginning to emphasize, with an increase of 6% in 2013 compared to 2012, which is supposed to rise 12% in the upper middle range watch.
Perhaps this is why manufacturers insist with new models that improve the performance of the above. In addition, it launches specific operating systems to make clocks independent of those governing and the phones looking for interoperability beyond the binomial Android and iOS or that allows for a standard to most manufacturers. Of the major Internet companies, Apple and Microsoft seem to be, for now, the only ones that have not submitted their bet.
If the above model smartwatch house called Samsung Galaxy Gear, new proposals have missed, typical of mobile middle and upper range of this company “galaxy” attribute. The reason is that, unlike the Galaxy S range of phones, new smart watches no longer work with the Android operating system, but with one’s own dubbed Tizen.
The exact reasons why Samsung has chosen this system because no Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo march with the iOS operating system, the iPhone itself are unknown. It could be due to better battery management watches because it works with Bluetooth connection to the computer, so that consumption is high and must be recharged repeatedly. With Tizen, although these models include a battery of 300 milli Amps (15 less than the previous design), autonomy extends its duration to three days. However, it is also speculated that the change of system could be a prerequisite to include in Tizen Samsung phones in order to get rid of society that involves using Google Android step.
In addition to this improvement of autonomy, the new Gear has a screen AMOLED 320 x 320 pixels, a chip with 512 megabytes of RAM and four gigabytes of internal storage. Otherwise, meet with classic features, but Gear 2 includes a two megapixel camera resolution.
Perhaps the ad at the time that he was raising money on Kickstarter platform to launch a revolutionary watch called Pebble, regardless of the large manufacturers, precipitated the appearance of the first models from Samsung and Sony. Now the company, following good sales of its first design, compatible with iOS and perhaps the best thought from the practical point of view, present its new version.
Pebble 2.0 is now available from the website of the company with different prices, depending on the material of the strap and the case. Works with the OS Pebble own operating system, which is compatible with both Android smartphones and iOS. It has a battery life of two to three days or even a week if Bluetooth connectivity is turned off to get to places with Wifi as it is able to connect to these networks.
Its screen is e-ink display and it allows, in addition to notifications, messages or email, many programs from its app store and working with sensors, but for the moment these are only for phones with iOS. Another interesting feature is that it weighs only 38 grams. Recommended cost ranges from 150 to 250 euros, depending on the material of the housing.
Slight relationship links in principle to Moto 360 and Lg G Watch is not its starting point, which is the operating system Android Wear of Google. This new open to all manufacturers platform aims to optimize the energy independence of these devices, while providing them with a wide range of applications, similar to the existing ones for phones and tablets. On the other hand, being a free, allowed offering watches at competitive prices to small manufacturers. Moreover, this operating system is ready to work with all sorts of body sensors to incorporate data on the phone, so this also can save on battery.
Moreover, little is known about the specifications of both developments, although the Moto 360 can be handled by voice commands and also has the traditional round shaped watches, while the LG G Watch is supposed to be square. Its appearance and sale is expected for the second half of the year.