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The Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch may be designed as a device that you pair with an Android phone to act as a sort of remote control and display. But it actually has the guts of a tiny Android smartphone… so it should come as no surprise that you can get real Android apps to run on the Galaxy Gear.

Doing that is a pretty geeky enterprise at the moment. Most apps aren’t designed for use on a 1.6 inch screen, and you’ll need to use ADB to load the apps. But theoretically the ability to run any third party app could make the Galaxy Gear a lot more useful.

Samsung Galaxy Gear with Android apps

Unfortunately the watch doesn’t have WiFi, so you can’t use the internet, which makes many apps less than useful.

Early reviewers weren’t particularly impressed with the out-of-box user experience. But Ars Technica’s Ron Amadeo may have just given a lot of hackers/tinkerers a reason to pick up Samsung’s smartwatch.

Here’s a roundup of tech news from around the web.

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3 replies on “Lilbits (10-09-2013): Running full Android apps on Samsung’s smartwatch”

  1. Sorry, but I can’t see playing Plants vs Zombies or Candy Crush Saga on a tiny 1.6 inch screen.

  2. This way the phone radiation, directly enters your veins through the wrist!!! Wow awesome products indeed!!! Just wear a damn analog watch and be happy, all this stuff is bad for your health both mentally and physically!!! You do not need tech distractions on you 24/7……….. It is getting out of hand people!!!

  3. This would be OK if Lenovo leaves HTC alone when it comes to design. All they really need from Lenovo is cash and big company leverage to work deals. Lenovo can provide both. With Lenovo being a big player in corporate PCs (laptops and desktops) perhaps this would be HTCs big play into the corporate world.

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