Samsung Brings Gear S to U.S. Next Week
The Samsung Gear S will be available in the U.S. beginning next Friday, November 7 and since it can make calls - unlike Samsung's other smartwatches - wireless carriers are treating it like any other connected device, with its own service plan. The Gear S will be available in both White and Black from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless will carry the Gear S. The Gear S will also be available at Samsung Experience Shops in Best Buy.
AT&T and Sprint are both charging $10 monthly access fees for Gear S service. T-Mobile is creating a new wearable service plan for $5 per month, with unlimited talk, unlimited text and 500 MB of data. Verizon hasn't announced pricing details.
The price of the watch also depend on the carrier. T-Mobile is charging $349, with the option to pay $14.48 per month over two years. Sprint will charge $384, with a two-year option of $16 per month. AT&T is charging $199 outright with a two-year contract.
Gear S lets users view, receive, and reply to notifications from apps like email, messages, and social networks without pulling out their phone, or even having their phone with them. Speak or type emails, texts or posts from Gear S with both S Voice and a full QWERTY keyboard.
The smartwatch software is based on Tizen. It is equipped with several sensors, including an accelerometer, UV sensor, barometer, heart rate monitor, GPS and an IP67 rating for dust- and water-resistance2. From the paired phone, the Gear S features turn-by-turn navigation provided by HERE. With S Health, Nike+ Running and a number of third party applications available through Samsung Gear Apps, it?s easy to find the right program and keep track of your fitness progress. You can also listen to songs from the MILK Music app powered by Slacker, right from your wrist.
Specifications
Processor |
1.0 GHz dual-core |
Display |
2-inch Super AMOLED (480x360) |
OS |
Tizen-based wearable platform |
Features |
Communications:
Health & Fitness:
Information: Schedule, News, Navigation, Weather Media: Milk Music, Music Player, Gallery Other:
|
Audio |
Codec: H.264/H.263 + MP3/AAC/AMR, Vorbis Format: MP3, M4A, AAC, OGG |
Connectivity |
WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n A-GPS/Glonass Bluetooth LE 4.1 USB 2.0 |
Sensors |
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Compass, Heart Rate, Ambient Light, UV, Barometer |
Memory |
4GB Internal Memory 512MB RAM |
Dimension |
39.9 x 58.1 x 12.5 mm (1.57 x 2.28 x .49 in) Blue Black: 66 g (0.14 lbs) White: 66g (0.14 lbs) |
Battery |
300mAh Li-ion |