Hitechnex: Smart Watch

Google announces Android Wear, its Android OS for smartwatches and wearables

Aditya Prakash 0 Android Wear, Google, Smart Watch, Technology, Wearable Gadgets 22.3.14

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<li class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><img alt="Google-Android-Wear" height="400" src="http://static.dnaindia.com/sites/default/files/2014/03/22/221753-lead.jpg" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; height: auto; max-width: 100%; outline: 0px; vertical-align: middle; width: 677.328125px;" title="Google-Android-Wear" width="400" />Google - Android Wear (Photo Courtesy of YouTube)<em style="box-sizing: border-box;"></em><em style="box-sizing: border-box;"></em></li>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Google has officially announced</strong> Android's submission into the wearables community with project 'Android Wear'. The developers behind the project aim to integrate a variety of features into the Android powered wearables which will heavily rely on the Google Now functionality.</div>
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Along with this announcement Google stated that they are working with a number of partners which will bring Android powered wearables to the market by the end of the year.</div>
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As per reports, Asus, HTC, LG, Motorola and Samsung; chip makers Broadcom, Imagination, Intel, Mediatek and Qualcomm; and fashion brands like the Fossil Group will bring you watches powered by Android Wear later this year.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Google released this on their blog site while making the announcement.</strong></div>
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'Most of us are rarely without our smartphones in hand. These powerful super computers keep us connected to the world and the people we love. But we're only at the beginning; we’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible with mobile technology. That’s why we’re so excited about wearables—they understand the context of the world around you, and you can interact with them simply and efficiently, with just a glance or a spoken word.'</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">They also released a bit of information about the Android Wear.</strong></div>
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'Today we’re announcing Android Wear, a project that extends Android to wearables. And we’re starting with the most familiar wearable—watches. Going well beyond the mere act of just telling you the time, a range of new devices along with an expansive catalog of apps will give you:</div>
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Useful information when you need it most. Android Wear shows you info and suggestions you need, right when you need them. The wide variety of Android applications means you’ll receive the latest posts and updates from your favorite social apps, chats from your preferred messaging apps, notifications from shopping, news and photography apps, and more. </div>
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Straight answers to spoken questions. Just say “Ok Google” to ask questions, like how many calories are in an avocado, what time your flight leaves, and the score of the game. Or say “Ok Google” to get stuff done, like calling a taxi, sending a text, making a restaurant reservation or setting an alarm. </div>
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The ability to better monitor your health and fitness. Hit your exercise goals with reminders and fitness summaries from Android Wear. Your favorite fitness apps can give you real-time speed, distance and time information on your wrist for your run, cycle or walk. </div>
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Your key to a multi screen world. Android Wear lets you access and control other devices from your wrist. Just say “Ok Google” to fire up a music playlist on your phone, or cast your favorite movie to your TV. There’s a lot of possibilities here so we’re eager to see what developers build. </div>
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Google also released a <a href="http://developer.android.com/wear/index.html" style="background-color: transparent; border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #2731f5; font-weight: bold; outline: 0px;" target="_blank"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">developer preview</strong></a> that can be downloaded which will allow developers to bring features from their existing Android apps to smartwatches and other wearables that are running Android Wear.</div>
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<strong style="box-sizing: border-box;">Google coupled this announcement with another another video</strong></div>
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Google announces Android Wear, its Android OS for smartwatches and wearables

Google - Android Wear (Photo Courtesy of YouTube) Google has officially announced Android's submission into the wearables co...

Samsung Galaxy Gear price slashed in India yet again, drops down to Rs 15,290

Hitechnex 0 Gadgets, Gear, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung Galaxy Gear, Smart Watch, Technology, Wearable Gadgets 1.2.14

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<span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Open Sans;"><span style="line-height: 28px;">The Samsung Galaxy Gear is not getting the kind of response that the South Korean company had hoped for and in order to attract people towards the wearable device, it is now resorting to price cuts. Back in January, the device’s rate was slashed by close to Rs 4,000 and once again it has been reduced.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Open Sans;"><span style="line-height: 28px;">The wearable device was introduced for Rs 22,990 in India and can now be picked up for a price that is as much as Rs 7,700 less than the original amount. In January, it came down to Rs 19,075 and now you can grab it for merely Rs 15,290. Only those who do not mind laying their hands on the green and orange variants of the smartwatch can do so though. The black, white, white gold and mocha gray models are currently out of stock.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Open Sans;"><span style="line-height: 28px;">Very few online retailers have followed suit and reduced the price of the smartwatch in question. Others such as Flipkart and Saholic have it up for sale for Rs 22,222 and Rs 22,900, respectively. Infibeam has cut down the cost considerably to sell it for Rs 15,665, but its inventory has run out of stock of all colors, except green.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #4b4b4b; font-family: Open Sans;"><span style="line-height: 28px;">This practically unnecessary device can be used to check messages, notifications, missed calls and more. It lets you answer as well as make calls and even has a camera that can be used for clicking pictures. It draws power from a 315mAh battery and features like an 800MHz processor, a 1.9MP camera, 4GB of ROM and more.</span></span></div>
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The Samsung Galaxy Gear can now be purchased via the <a href="https://www.samsungindiaestore.com/products/Mobiles/Galaxy_Gear_SM-V7000ZAA" style="-webkit-transition: all 0.4s; color: #e85335; text-decoration: none !important; transition: all 0.4s;" target="_blank">eStore</a> in India for Rs 15,290.</div>
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<strong>Key specs:</strong></div>
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- 1.6-inch touchscreen<br />- 800MHz processor<br />- 1.9MP AF 720p camera<br />- 4GB ROM, 512MB RAM<br />- Bluetooth 4.0<br />- 315mAh battery</div>
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Samsung Galaxy Gear price slashed in India yet again, drops down to Rs 15,290

The Samsung Galaxy Gear is not getting the kind of response that the South Korean company had hoped for and in order to attract people tow...

Review: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear

Unknown 0 Gadgets, Note Series, Phablets, Reviews, Samsung, Samsung Galaxy, Samsung Galaxy Gear, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Smart Watch, Smartphone, Technology, Wearable Gadgets 8.1.14

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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Meet Samsung's luxurious Galaxy Note 3, the sleekest blend of style and do-it-all features on the always-crowded smartphone market.</span><span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></span><br />
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<span style="border: 0px; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white;">Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (left) and Galaxy Gear work together to make the stylus and ‘smartwatch’ cool.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Styluses and watches weren't supposed to be "cool." Until now.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Meet Samsung's luxurious Galaxy Note 3, the sleekest blend of style and do-it-all features on the always-crowded smartphone market. Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 was my favorite smartphone of 2012, the only device I wanted to use more than that old reliable iPhone. In 2013, Samsung somehow makes things even better, yielding an absolutely splendid device.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">It's all about innovation. In recent years, Samsung has been at its best when it's delivered unique devices (think the Note 2 and last year's Galaxy Camera) instead of merely following a crowd focused on battery power (yawn) and "thin and light" (sigh). So this time around, it focuses more on its S Pen stylus and crafts an optional Galaxy Gear, a completely pointless (yet totally cool) watch accessory, just for good measure.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">The resulting smartphone is the best Android device this year, even if you don't shell out the exorbitant $299 extra for the Gear.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">At a whopping six inches long, the Note 3 is far larger than even oversized devices such as the HTC One and Droid Maxx, but it never feels that way, still fitting easily into my jeans' back pocket. Samsung uses the real estate well, too, delivering a beautiful 5.7-inch full-HD display that makes movies and games look fantastic.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">The Note 3 never feels or looks clunky, either. Samsung smartly ditches the cheap-feeling plastic back of this year's Galaxy S4, giving you a faux-leather back on the Note 3. No, it's not real (it's plastic, too), but, combined with the silver etching around the border, it adds a slight elegance to this phone. The grip and resistance against fingerprints help, too.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">The guts of this phone are impressive. A 2.3-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor runs Android Jelly Bean (sorry, not KitKat), and there's a solid 3 GB of RAM. In practice, that means swift handling of everyday processes and easy Web browsing. The Snapdragon is so powerful it lets you balance two apps at once via Advanced Multi Window, a setup that's perfect on this oversized phone.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">RELATED: REVIEW: SAMSUNG GALAXY S 4</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">The Snapdragon allows the Note 3 to run games easily, too. That last bit is especially worth noting when you consider the size of the Note 3. As a handheld gaming device with on-screen controls, it feels natural.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Not that Samsung intended this to be a gaming machine. The focus here is on productivity. To that end, there's a solid 13 megapixel camera. Like the S4, the Note 3 cam is loaded with software features and it functions well.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">And then there's the S Pen, and this is truly the game changer. I fell in love with the S Pen last year and I haven't killed trees with awful reporter paper waste since. And this year's pen is even more appealing.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">The S Pen itself is slick and responsive once you remove it from its unnoticeable slot on the bottom right side of the Note 3. Removing it from this slot instantly brings up a menu of stylus-compatible apps for use.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">You can easily take notes with S Note or you can give Action Memo a try. This app converts your handwriting into texts or emails or contacts, and while it struggled to translate my reporter chicken scratch, in the right hands, it is a powerful, easy-to-use tool. The S Pen, meanwhile, is so easy to use that this phone is easy to recommend to students or reporters or anyone who takes plenty of notes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">It's a shame that Samsung's user interface isn't quite that good. This used to be my favorite Android UI, but it takes slight steps backwards here. On the positive side, the WatchON app, designed to let you control your TV via the Note 3's IR blaster, is brilliant and easy to set up, and it finally smoothly integrates AV receivers. The Note 3 also incorporates a numerical row of keys on its onscreen keyboard, a smart use of its real estate when you are texting.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">But the drop-down menu has gotten overcrowded and, especially if you use WatchON, and there are so many apps that it is easy to lose track of things. It is good to give users options, but stuffing all of them onto the easy-access drop-down is overwhelming. You will want to tweak this early on. Air Gestures, which lets you command the phone without actually touching it, are needless and the eye-tracking capabilities are as useless here as they were on the S4.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">RELATED: REVIEW: SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 ACTIVE SMARTPHONE</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">Still, all that stuff is customizable, so it is more annoyance than anything on a tremendous phone. At $299 on contract, the Note 3 is the class of premium smartphones, a dynamic performer, and it only gets better if you add the Galaxy Gear, too.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">To be clear, you don't need a Gear because this device is completely unnecessary. But anyone who has ever wanted to feel like a secret agent or Michael Knight from "Knight Rider" will have a blast with this smartwatch, which links easily to your Note 3 via Bluetooth and stays connected. You can take calls from the Gear and you can take pictures using the Gear's camera (yes, slightly creepy), and eventually, you will be able to add other apps to the Gear.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">It's a fun little add-on for those with a little extra income, although it's not quite there yet. The Gear takes calls easily and fluidly (and there's nothing quite like a bystander watching you talk to your watch), and the camera takes surprisingly solid shots. The Bluetooth pairing with your Note 3 is easy, too.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">But at the moment $299 is just too much to pay for a device that doesn't have a full library of apps just yet. If you could, say, read your Twitter feed and text messages from your watch, that would be cool, and it would help eliminate the need to constantly pull out your oversized cellphone all the time. But as of this printing, there are no reliable apps that do that.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">The Gear, therefore, is an extraneous gadget that's cool but not necessarily worth the cash — but you can't fault Samsung for giving it a try. It's innovative and different, and it'll strike a chord with at least a few people who have the extra income, which is increasingly becoming Samsung's way. Just look at the newly released Galaxy S4 Zoom phone, or the company's expanding line of tablets.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">It's nice to see a company truly innovating, trying to develop interesting tech instead of simply copying and restyling the features that have been on the market for years. It's nice to see something different and unique.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 12px;">And it's nice to use the Note 3, the finest Android smartphone to date.</span></span><br />
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Review: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear

Meet Samsung's luxurious Galaxy Note 3, the sleekest blend of style and do-it-all features on the always-crowded smartphone market. ...

Google announces Android Wear, its Android OS for smartwatches and wearables

Samsung Galaxy Gear price slashed in India yet again, drops down to Rs 15,290

Review: Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear

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