Samsung unpacks new smartwatch, smartphone, tablet (photos)
At IFA 2013 in Berlin, Samsung unveiled its latest wearable gadget, the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, plus two updated devices, the Galaxy Note 3 smartphone, and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet.
The Galaxy Gear smartwatch seemed to puzzle onlookers — starting with its price tag of $299. Some say it appears to be an accessory to Samsung's smartphone and tablet rather than a device that works on its own. Plus, its design has been judged to be unflattering. ZDNet's Rachel King theorizes that it was rushed to market to beat Apple's rumored iWatch.
But its specs appear to be impressive. Or are they?
The most noticable thing about the Galaxy Note 3 is its size - measuring at 5.7 inches long. Samsung has improves its multitasking ability and also makes its S pen more powerful. Read CNET's review.
The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is said to be the most powerful notebook ever made. It features an eight-core processor along with 3GB of memory. Like the Note 3, the tablet includes new multitasking features and new uses for the S Pen stylus.
Does size really matter?
The Galaxy Gear smartwatch also includes a 1.9-megapixel built-in camera with an auto-focus lens. It can record 720p videos for up to 10 seconds. Is that guy trying to punch me or take my picture?
It's a regular watch. Not really but here it looks like one anyway.
The Galaxy Gear smartwatch also includes an S pen.
The Galaxy Gear can communicate with the Galaxy Note 3 smartwatch via Bluetooth. On the Note 3 you can read notifications from the smartwatch without having to take it out of your pocket. You can control music from one to the other and find your smartwatch from the Note 3, using the Find My Device app.
So, now's a good time to move over to the Galaxy Note 3.
The Note 3 allows you to multitask. Here you can use a calculator while reading an article.
The Note 3 allows you to drag and drop items between apps. It will also let you use more than two apps at one time.
It's thinner and easy to hold in one hand.
This Galaxy Tab 10.1 shows off its white trim.
Its back is leather textured, and it has metal sides. 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, complemented by a 2-megapixel camera in the front for video chat.
It's thinner and easy to hold in one hand.
When you hover the S pen over the screen, the command wheel pops up. From here you can save or create a new S note.