Showing posts with label I watch. Show all posts
Showing posts with label I watch. Show all posts

Wednesday, 21 August 2013

Leaked : Samsung Galaxy Gear Specifications

The finer details of Samsung’s upcoming smartwatch are finally starting to leak out. If you’re into extending technology down to your arm, specifically Samsung technology, you might want to consider wrapping the Galaxy Gear around your wrist. Rumours are that Samsung will unveil this device on September 4th at their upcoming Unpacked event. The Galaxy Gear will be a ‘smartphone companion’ and new reports indicate that it’ll sport a 2.5-inch OLED full colour display with a resolution of 320 x 320, plus have the usual touchscreen gestures and accelerometer, but will lack text-input commands. Under the face the Galaxy Gear reportedly has a dual-core 1.5GHz Exynos 4212 processor and Mali-400MP4 GPU. In addition, GigaOM reports that the watch has a camera that is integrated into the strap and even has tiny speakers in the clasp of the watch, plus built-in NFC to allow for bump-to-sync and authenticate. The watch uses Bluetooth 4.0 LE to connect with smartphones for connectivity. As GigaOM reports, the Galaxy Gear watches that have been seeded with the developers are based on Android 4.1 (and in some cases 4.2) and there is very tight integration and syncing between the watch and the phones and tablets. For instance, if one has swiped through notifications, stops at an email blurb and then picks up the smartphone, the phone will display that email message attached to the blurb you were looking at on the watch. The company will feature integration with Twitter and Facebook at launch. The watch will connect to a Samsung watch manager app on the phone to manage the connection between watch and the phone. The connection will use Samsung’s proprietary accessory protocol and will use Bluetooth LE as the network transport. Apparently if there is any app running on the watch, it is its own discreet endpoint and will work directly with the servers. The Galaxy Gear will use apps ‘not from the Google Play store, but instead from the Samsung App store.” Possibly another signal that Samsung is reducing its need on Google’s Android OS – this could mean the watch will only work with Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets. However, popular social media apps like Facebook and Twitter will be heavily integrated, along with a collection of health apps – possibly SHealth – to take on competing watches like the Nike Fuelband. The only major items missing now are the completed design, battery life, and yes, pricing and availability.

Wednesday, 7 August 2013

Samsung Galaxy Gear Can Be The Next Change In Tech World

Specifications Company/Brand Samsung Type Smartwatch Price TBA Announced Expected on 4th september unpacked Samsung is all set to host the Unpacked event in Berlin on 4 September ahead of the IFA consumer electronics show. The South-Korean tech giant is expected to launch the Galaxy Note III at this event but for tech enthusiasts all over, its the news of another Samsung device that is most endearing. Samsung is rumored to unveil its first ever smartwatch in less than a month, we now have a very good idea of what the new device will be called. A Dutch website called “GalaxyClub” has spotted a trademark filing for a new line of devices called the Galaxy Gear. Earlier rumors have indicated that Samsung will release the device on September 4th alongside its Note III. Patent Filing GalaxyClub has also reported that Samsung has filed this smart watch in a new patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in July. According to the patent document, the description for the device states “Wearable digital electronic devices in the form of a wristwatch, wrist band or bangle capable of providing access to the Internet and for sending and receiving phone calls, electronic mails and messages”. You can view the patent in the link below. Smart watches and wearable computing devices are the future. So there is no reason why Samsung would want to be left behind in this market, especially with the news of an Apple iWatch looming in the rumor mills.

Monday, 5 August 2013

Apple Acquires 'Passif Semiconductor': Low-Power Design Chip Developer

Apple seems to be on an acquisition spree lately. In another low-key acquisition, the company has bought Passif Semiconductor, a California based communication chip developer that specializes in low-power designs — technology that could be useful in developing a smartwatch-like wearable device. Not a lot is known about the company, but what is known is that, the company has applied for a few patents, among them one titled ‘Autonomous battery-free microwave communication system’. The application describes a battery-free microwave frequency communication device which includes a capacitance, at least one antenna, a microwave energy harvesting system, a microwave frequency transceiver and a control system. Details on the purchase were first reported on Thursday by Jessica Lessin, a tech reporter who formerly worked for The Wall Street Journal. Passif’s current products include wireless radios for Bluetooth Low Energy profiles. It’s also unknown how much Apple paid for Passif, but according to Lessin, the iPhone maker attempted to buy the chip-maker years ago “a for a price in the mid-tens-of-millions of dollars.” Amy Bessette, a spokeswoman for Apple, has confirmed that the Cupertino giant has indeed acquired Passif Semiconductor. “Apple buys smaller technology companies at various times and it does not discuss its plans or purpose behind those acquisitions.” quoted Amy Bessette. The acquisition may be linked to Apple’s rumored “iWatch” development, an anticipated wrist-worn device that is expected to connect with devices like the iPhone while also measuring biometric data for fitness and health purposes. Apple has also been aggressively hiring personnel from the medical sensor field in an apparent attempt to bolster its team for the rumored “iWatch.” In a rare move, Apple has even openly filed for ownership of the iWatch name in a number of countries around the world. Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook revealed in May that his company had at that point acquired 9 companies since October of 2012. He also said that his company had picked up the pace since 2012, when Apple acquired companies at a rate of one every 70 days. Since Cook’s comments in May, Apple has acquired three more companies. In addition to Passif, it bought public transit and navigation firm ‘HopStop’, as well as crowdsourced mapping data startup ‘Locationary’. While the buyout of Passif will help Apple’s future hardware, the benefits of the ‘Locationary’ and ‘HopStop’ purchases will most certainly be seen on the software front.