Samsung launches Galaxy Gear smartwatch in Berlin
JK Shin, head of Samsung's mobile division, predicted the Galaxy Gear - effectively a mobile you wear on your wrist - would become a new fashion icon through the world as he launched the device at the IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin.
The new smartwatch has a touch screen of barely more than 4cm in a brushed-steel mount and wrist strap in six different colours. Contrary to rumours, it does not have a flexible screen.
Samsung is not the first company to introduce a watch that connects via Wi-Fi to a smartphone, alerting its user to calls, texts and emails - Casio, Sony or Pebble already have similar products.
However, with its arch rival Apple still to roll out its much rumoured "iWatch", and the likes of Microsoft and Google not exhibiting at IFA, the South Korean company has the field more or less to itself.
Unlike its competitors, the Samsung device allows users to make calls without taking their phone out of their pocket - instead, they can hold their wrist up to their ear and use the built-in speaker and microphone.
The Galaxy Gear will go on sale on 25 September also has a tiny camera in its wrist strap.
The IFA will open its doors to the general public from Friday to dazzle hi-technology geeks with the latest state-of-the-art gadgets at the exhibition.
In addition to smartwatches, smartphones and tablet computers are certain to be a big draw for visitors, as the dividing line between the two becomes more and more blurred.
Electronic household goods, such as state-of-the-art kitchen devices - from ceramic hot plates to refrigerators - as well as the latest in flat-screen television sets will also be on display. Sales of flat-screen TVs are beginning to fall in Germany, so manufacturers are looking to ultra-HD devices to spur consumer demand.
Catering to the growing trend to inter-connect all gadgets, Sony will present a new camera lens that can be linked up to a smartphone to transform into a powerful camera.
In fact, organisers boast there will be more world premieres at this year's IFA than ever before.
Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge
Source: I-Net Bridge
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