Samsung shifts 800,000 Galaxy Gear smartwatches

Are smartwatches the next big thing in consumer electronics, or are they nothing more than a fad, fulfilling our desire for a Joe 90-esque spy device?

According to Reuters, Samsung has sold 800,000 units over the past two months (although some outlets are insisting that this figure represents units shipped to retailers, and not actually sold to consumers).

"It's the most sold wearable watch available in the market place ... and we plan to expand its availability by expanding mobile devices that work with the Gear," Samsung said in a statement.

At present the $300 Galaxy Gear only connects to the Galaxy Note 3 phablet, which severely limits the overall appeal of the smartwatch to the wider Android crowd. However, according to Samsung's own figures, it has sold some 5 million of these since the end of September, and crunching the numbers this would suggest that around 15 percent of Galaxy Note 3 devices are hooked up to a Galaxy Gear smartwatch.

Some takeaways to consider:

• Maybe, just maybe there something to this smartwatch thing, and that by essentially being first on the scene in volume – the Pebble smartwatch has been around for some time, but has only sold some 190,000 units – Samsung may be on a roll as the early bird.
• As Samsung expends both the markets that the Galaxy Gear is available in and the devices that it will work with, this could give the smartwatch added appeal.
• Given even the whiff of success, how long until the likes of Google, and possibly even Apple and Amazon, starts horning in?
• One of the key successes of Samsung's Galaxy S3/S4 line of smartphones is how well it fits into BYOD situations. Is there BYOD potential for a smartwatch.

See also:

• Why I've all but given up on Windows
• Why Apple needs (and doesn't need) a large, curved-screen iPhone
• Nvidia CEO claims 'Android is probably the most versatile operating system that we've ever known'
• Intel forms 'Internet of Things' division
• Microsoft and Apple unleash thermonuclear war on Google and Android
• Top Android tablets (November 2013 edition)
• Jelly Bean powering more than half of all Android devices
• Top 10 Android phones (November 2013 edition)