At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014, Samsung today added two more smart watches — Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo – into the rapidly growing wearable market.
These two smart watches will be available for purchase from April, Samsung said.
In addition, Samsung is expected to announce the launch of Samsung S5 smartphone on Monday at the MWC 2014.
“Samsung continues to lead innovation in the wearable market by creating devices that are completely integrated into the lives of consumers through extended connectivity features, stylish customization options and a robust application ecosystem,” said JK Shin, CEO and president of IT & Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics.
The company said Samsung Gear 2 runs on 1.0 GHz dual core processor.
Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are powered by Tizen based wearable platform.
Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo offer a lightweight design with premium finishes that reflect modern trends.
Samsung Gear 2 comes with its camera on the main body instead to strap.
Consumers can select strap color options including Charcoal Black, Gold Brown and Wild Orange for Gear 2 and Charcoal Black, Mocha Grey and Wild Orange for Gear 2 Neo.
The home screen background, clock face and font are also customizable to reflect their personal taste.
Features such as controlling electronic products including TV, set top box (STB) through WatchON Remote application in their own home with an embedded IrLED sensor are expected to attract users.
The addition of a standalone music player with Bluetooth headset means people can leave their smartphone at home and still enjoy their music on the go.
Both devices also offer personal fitness coaching in real time, allowing users to develop a customizable fitness routine and monitor their heart rate in order to improve their overall well-being.
The market for wearable computing devices is driven by a growing range of wireless connected wearable sports, fitness and wellbeing devices.
Jonathan Collins, principal analyst at ABI Research, said: “Heart rate and activity monitors will outpace shipments of smart watches and glasses for some years to come and they will also provide the essential foundation for the development of the broader wearable market.”
Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo are compatible with more than dozens of Samsung Galaxy smartphones at launch.
ABI Research in a note recently said that major consumer device players including Google, Samsung, and Sony have all launched wearable devices in the past year, with Apple widely expected to follow suit this year.
Despite the interest and appeal for smart watches and glasses, vendors such as Garmin, Polar, Nike, FitBit and a host of others will continue to ensure that sports and activity sensing remains a key wearable device format well through 2019. Over the next five years wearable devices will increasingly move into healthcare services as well.
