Samsung’s Gear S3 smartwatch has a touchscreen display, but also features a rotary dial that surrounds the display, allowing you to twist the dial to perform some functions, such as scrolling through your apps. But Samsung is at least considering the possibility of using the rotary dial for something else: a display. Patently Mobile spotted […]
smartwatches
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Samsung’s Hybrid pocket concept watch is both smart and analog
Up until today, I probably would have said that Samsung had produced more smartwatches than just about any other tech company or watch maker. But over the past year or so, Samsung seems to have settled into a pattern of launching just a few models per year. This week, though, Samsung is showing off something new: […]
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Fossil unveils 300 new smartwatch styles because… why not?
Watch maker Fossil entered the smart wearable gadget space in 2015, first by launching a few smartwatches and wristbands, and then by acquiring activity tracker company Misfit. Now the company is taking the next (il)logical step… and introducing a whopping 300 new smartwatch styles. Basically that means just about every watch brand that Fossil offers […]
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Swatch is developing its own smartwatch OS, coming in late 2018
Want to launch a new smartphone? Then you’re probably going to want to load it up with Google’s Android operating system. Android dominates the smartphone space, and unless your company’s name is Apple, odds are you’re not going to have a lot of success selling a non-Android phone. But what if you want to launch […]
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AsteroidOS Alpha released: open source smartwatch operating system
AsteroidOS is an open source, Linux-based operating system designed to run as a replacement for the OS on some Android Wear smartwatches. Developer Florent Revest says it offers users more control over privacy and allows them to run free and open source software. The software may have another function: breathing new life into older hardware. […]
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Report: 8.1 million smartwatches shipped last quarter (beating Swiss watches)
Smartwatches may not be as ubiquitous as their old-fashioned mechanical and digital counterparts yet. But according to Strategy Analytics, smartwatches outshipped Swiss-made watches for the first time in the fourth quarter of 2015. Of course, the distinction might become moot soon, now that Swiss watch makers are starting to produce smart wearables. I think the […]
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Would you video chat on your smartwatch?
Just one day after Google rolled an Android Wear update that includes support for speakers on smartwatches that have them, Glide released an update to its video messaging app that brings support for Android Wear. That means you can view and respond to video messages from friends and family right from your wrist. But, is that something […]
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Meet Dot, the braille smartwatch for the visually impaired
A South-Korean startup has developed a smartwatch that is specifically designed for the visually impaired. Using braille for notifications, the Dot will allow users to know the time, set an alarm, get messages, and read location directions. Priced at under $300, even braille beginners will be able to learn the touch-based reading program. As noted […]
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Smartwatches prove useful to the deaf community
Usher Syndrome Advocate Molly Watt recently wrote about her experience with the new Apple Watch. Considering she was born deaf and is legally blind, you would think the tiny touch screen would be off limits for her. However, her experience shows that smartwatches may be more useful than some folks have imagined, especially for the deaf community. […]
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Not all smartwatch makers are sold on Android Wear
Google’s Android Wear platform has attracted a lot of potential smartwatch makers. Motorola and LG are already planning to launch Android Wear devices in the first half of 2014. And Google says it’s also working with Asus, HTC, LG, Samsung, and others. But while Android Wear looks like a slick operating system for wearable devices, […]