Samsung Gear S2: Hands-on

 

How does the Gear S2 measure up in the flesh? (Credit: Chris Wood/Gizmag) Samsung's newly announced Gear S2 smartwatch is instantly appealing. It offers a compelling combination of touch and physical controls, a sharp colorful interface and two distinct flavors of hardware. Read on for Gizmag's full hands-on impressions. Like many smartwatches these days, there are two variants of the Gear S2. There's only one size on offer here, but two very distinct models – the sporty Gear S2 and the more traditional looking S2 classic. Not only do the straps differ between the two versions, but the way they attach to the body also varies (it disappears into the body on the standard model),. The design of the bezel is also simpler on the standard model, with a smooth aesthetic as opposed to the ridged look on the classic. The design of both versions is clean and appealing. It's easily the best-looking smartwatch that Samsung has ever made (and it's made quite a few). Both the rubber and leather bands feel comfortable, and the proportions of the watch as a whole are about right – it's not too bulky, but also feels reasonably substantial on the wrist. We prefer the look of the classic version, as it's a little more refined, high-end and closer to the look of a traditional watch. The circular screen packs a 360 x 360 resolution, and because that's only over 1.2-inches, you're getting a pretty sharp 302 pixels per inch. Graphics looked crisp and clear on the AMOLED panel, and colors were vivid and bright. Navigation of the Tizen OS software is handled through a combination of touch input, two physical buttons on the right hand side of the case and a rotating bezel. You turn the bezel to scroll through menus, tap the screen to make selections, and use the buttons both to go back and to access the app menu. After five or ten minutes of use, the combination of controls is intuitive and enjoyable, and makes smartwatches with touchscreen-only input feel a little more basic than they did before. The software has multiple layers, including a main app carousel and dedicated app menu. There are also complex, multi-screen apps for fitness, calendar, email, and much more. The UI is far more complicated than an Android Wear-based wearable, but nothing felt too cramped during testing, with clean and simple menus and graphics. The Gear S2 is a very promising smartwatch. The physical product looks great, the software has a unified, appealing aesthetic, and the rotating bezel input adds to the experience. Luckily, you won't need the latest and greatest Samsung smartphone to pair it with, as it will work with any Android handset running version 4.4 of the OS and up, with at least 1.5 GB RAM (that includes just about every high-end phone from the last two or three years, along with plenty of mid-ranged handsets). Android Wear watches recently got iPhone support, though, so Samsung's Tizen is still behind them in terms of compatibility. Samsung's new wearable is set to land in October; no official pricing info just yet. For more on the new smartwatches at IFA, you can hit up Gizmag's hands-ons with the Huawei Watch, new Moto 360 and Asus ZenWatch 2. Product page: Samsung http://www.gizmag.com/samsung-gear-s2-review-hands-on/39252

Review: Basis Peak fitness and sleep tracker

 

Gizmag reviews the Basis Peak fitness tracker (Photo: Simon Crisp/Gizmag.com) The Basis Peak is a wrist-worn fitness tracker which is jam-packed with sensors to monitor an array of information about your body and activity. It also automatically detects whether you're walking, running, cycling or sleeping, and can deliver smartphone notifications to your wrist. Gizmag recently spent a bit of time with the fitness tracker to see how well it performs, and how useful all of that information really is. The Basis Peak fitness tracker is aimed squarely at people who want access to as much general activity information as a wrist-worn tracker can deliver, and who wouldn't mind getting a taste of smartwatch functionality at the same time. It tracks heart rate, steps, calories burned, sweat levels, skin temperature and sleep quality, while an update which landed earlier this year also means its big high contrast screen can be used to display smart notifications including SMS, e-mail, incoming calls, and events. All of this means the Basis Peak is, at least on paper, one of the most capable all-round fitness trackers on the market, and a considerable upgrade to the original Basis B1. As such, potential buyers are probably also going to be eyeing up the likes of the Fitbit Surge, Garmin Vivoactive, the Fitbit Charge HR and the Microsoft Band, along with more dedicated sports devices like the TomTom Runner Cardio and Garmin fēnix 3. In the box you'll find the waterproof Basis Peak along with a magnetic USB charging cradle. While promotional blurb states you should get four days of battery life out of a full charge, we found it was more like three days, and we actually preferred to charge it more frequently during periods of inactivity like sitting at a computer. The packaging clearly spells out what the Basis Peak is capable of, though you'll need to refer to the website to find out whether your Bluetooth Smart smartphone is compatible. While we've seen some people struggle to get up and running with the Basis Peak, our experience of installing and pairing was relatively straight forward. That said, it was lightly frustrating that firmware updates cannot be done through the USB charging cradle and need to be carried out via a paired smart-device running the Basis Peak app. For us this was primarily a Motorola G (2nd Gen), but we also tested the iOS version of the app on an iPad. It was only after starting to use the Basis Peak that we made a key observation: it looks a lot better than expected. Marketing shots do the tracker a disservice, and it's far from the Quasimodo of the fitness tracker world that you might be expecting. In real life it looks like a smart digital watch which will fit in whether you are wearing jeans and a t-shirt or a suit. Its only crime is that it isn't photogenic. The body is available in matte black (which we tried) or brushed metal, and interchangeable straps mean you can mix it up a bit. A large high contrast always-on touchscreen display on the Basis Peak makes it a very viable watch replacement, and means that information is considerably easier to see than on many other fitness trackers. Even in bright conditions and while running it's possible to see and read the screen which is made with Gorilla Glass 3. In the dark, an upwards swipe on the right of the display activates a backlight. Navigating menus and settings is simple using the touchscreen (there are no buttons) though it's not as responsive or consistent as the Garmin Vivosmart. Once you're wearing the Basis Peak, there's very little you need to do. Unlike most other fitness trackers, you don't need to tell it when you're going for a walk, run, or bike-ride, or when you're going to bed. Instead everything is logged automatically and your main interactions with the device are probably going to be to check the time or your notifications, and to keep an eye on your heart rate or daily activity totals. Whether this is a good thing or not is something we'll come to shortly. While a 3-axis accelerometer allows the Basis Peak to track your steps in the same way as most other trackers, that's only the tip of the iceberg. Sensors allow it to also constantly monitor heart rate, sweat levels, skin temperature and sleep quality, with a breakdown of periods of light, deep, and REM kip. All of this means the device has great potential, if the information is used correctly. The only things missing are GPS, and the fact that the Peak only logs steps and not distance, which is sure to irk some users. That said, the Peak can use Bluetooth to stream its info to apps which have GPS, to see distance and pace, along with other fitness data. In our experience automatic tracking was equally one of the most impressive and infuriating features of the Basis Peak. For someone as memory-challenged as myself it was liberating to know that I could head out on a run or bike ride without having to remember to manually start activity tracking. I've lost count of the number of half-tracked runs I've racked up recently with other devices. Automatic detection of walking, running and cycling was flawless with the Peak recognizing within seconds what I was doing when. That said, because all this Body IQ tagging of exercise is automatic, there's no way to do it manually. This is important because the Basis Peak only recognizes walking, running and cycling, if you are doing something else like weights or rowing, it will not show up in your activity feed. Yes, data from all those sensors is still being recorded and is accessible in the web and smartphone apps, or to export, but it doesn't make it easy to use. Similarly there's no way to manually log exercise completed when not wearing the Peak. Sleep tracking is another example of great function marred by the Peak's insistence of doing everything automatically. Giving much more information than most rival sleep trackers, it will identify periods of light, deep, and REM sleep, along with logging when you toss or turn in bed. However, a worrying number of periods of sleep were recorded whenever I sat down at a computer or to watch TV. Either I unknowingly suffer from narcolepsy, or the Peak struggles to distinguish between inactivity and sleep. What make this worse is the inability to correct false positives anywhere in the app or on the website, meaning overall sleep data is skewed. In terms of the tracked numbers, the Basis Peak was fairly consistent with other devices, for example a 30 minute run logged as 5,220 steps on the Peak compared to 5,006 on the Fitbit Charge HR and 5216 using the Tickr X. Average heart rates came in at 161, 162 and 162 bpm respectively with top heart rates or 181, 175 and 180 bpm. A comparison of heart rate charts showed very similar patterns across all results. The selection of information which can be displayed on the screen of the Basis Peak is more limited than some rival devices. On their wrist, users are limited to watch functionality (which annoyingly lacks an alarm or stopwatch/timer) checking their current heart rate, recent activity and daily totals. While all of this is incredibly easy to see and navigate, it's a shame the information isn't more usable. For example using the vibration function to notify users as they moved between heart rate zones, like on the TomTom Runner, would make the tracking more handy at the time of exercise. However, once you load up either the smartphone app or Basis website you suddenly have access to a selection of tracked data which few other fitness trackers can compete with. This is presented in a selection of charts, graphs and colorful patterns which all make the information very easy to access and identify patterns from. On the MyBasis website, information is broken down into My Habits, which shows progress towards reward badges, Insights, where you can check out daily breakdowns of key activity and sleep events, and Data, where you can explore all of the information collected by the Basis Peak. Within the smartphone app, this consists of a Dashboard overview, more detail on Habits, an Activity Feed, and a Chart View. While this, along with the ability to export tracked information, should be enough to keep even the most data-hungry exerciser happy, there's still the question of how usable and actionable this data is for the majority of people. On a more practical level, the Basis approach to jockeying you along is one of the most compelling we've experienced on a fitness tracker, and ideal if you don't want to dive head-first into your exercise data. You start off with a couple of basic Habits, targets for things like wearing the Basis Peak or walking a set number of steps each day. The more you complete these targets for the set number of times each week, the more points you get to add more habits – which can include things like increasing walking in a morning, getting a consistent bedtime, or running or cycling for so many minutes per day. We found this system more encouraging and engaging than those on rival devices, but it's a shame that you can only compete against yourself and there are no native social aspects to the Basis Peak. A recent update to the Basis Peak gave the device a basic selection of smartwatch-lite features, such as the ability to display information about incoming emails or SMS messages on the wrist, as well as incoming calls which can be declined without touching the phone. While this is nice to have, the implementation is not as smooth as with other fitness trackers with smartwatch aspirations. For example, while messages flashed up on the Garmin Vivosmart as the exact time as on paired phone, with the Peak there is a delay of around five seconds. This was just long enough to doubt notifications were coming through, and then reach for a phone just as it flashed up on the Peak's screen. The Basis Peak is a solid fitness tracker which gives you access to all the information you could wish for (with the exception of GPS). It's a smart-looking device which is packed with sensors and is ideal for people who want access to masses of data, and who aren't afraid to get their fingers dirty using that information. However, it's less geared to those who just want a quick overview of their activity, and it's arguably not quite as impressive as it should or could be. Seemingly basic features like a stopwatch and alarm are missing, as is a distance measurement. Equally, the insistence of doing everything automatically means users can feel like they are not in control. It feels like a series of firmware updates could easily transform the Basis Peak into one of the most impressive fitness trackers on the market, and given it has already gained notification abilities since it launched, that is a possibility. But for now buyers are getting a good fitness tracker, not the great one it could be. The Basis Peak is available for US$200 and come in black or silver options. Product page: Basis Peak

Apple Watch: Early impressions

 

Gizmag takes a first look at the Apple Watch (Photo: Will Shanklin/Gizmag.com) Image Gallery (7 images) In case you haven't heard, a smartwatch from a little fruit company in California started shipping today. Gizmag has an Apple Watch in house, along with some early thoughts (very early, mind you, as we're going to take some time before running our full Apple Watch review). Out of all the big new Apple products from the last 15 years – the iPod, iPhone and iPad – the Apple Watch makes the least striking first impression. Okay, well maybe if you've never used a smartwatch, you'll be blown away from the first moment you see notifications and voice control on your wrist, but we've already been there many times over. There were no "holy shit!" moments after strapping on the Apple Watch. But that isn't to say this won't be a damn good smartwatch, and potentially a game-changer for wearables. And as the hours pass by in our first day with the Apple Watch, our appreciation has only grown. First, there's an attention to detail here that we haven't yet seen in wearables. The software is a bit more complicated, with a steeper learning curve, than you might expect from Apple, but once you start getting used to the UI and navigation methods, you realize everything is placed very intuitively. For example, "glances" (quick access cards for individual apps) live below the main clock face, just a swipe away. You check on notifications with a swipe down, just like on smartphones. The Digital Crown button mirrors an iPhone's home button: single tap to go your app home screen, double-tap to jump between your most recent app and the clock face. A long-press summons Siri. A second button below jumps to a list of frequent contacts. The Digital Crown makes sense. While many smartwatch makers have used faux crowns as buttons, Apple is the first we've seen to let you actually wind it as a navigation tool. Twisting the crown on your main apps screen zooms in and out, so you can get a broader or closer look on the watch's tiny screen. In other areas, it replaces swiping your finger to scroll through a list or longer message. While on most smartwatches alerts feel like a tiny motor buzzing your wrist, the Apple Watch feels like your wrist is actually being tapped. Little details like this aren't game-changers on their own, but they do add a more human element to the experience. The build is nice-looking and polished, and keep in mind this is just one of the entry-level Sport versions we're handling. We've seen other spiffy-looking smartwatches, but Apple's real accomplishment here is making it small. Most smartwatches are still fairly bulky, but even this 42 mm Apple Watch is much smaller than any of the Android Wear or Samsung Gear watches. The entry-level Apple Watch Sport might, at first glance, come off as "the cheap plastic one," but we don't find that to be the case. Want a cheap-feeling plastic band? Pick up the original LG G Watch. This one is far from that: while it has a rubbery feel, it doesn't feel at all flimsy or low-end. If you're put off by the price hike when you jump up to the stainless steel version, then know that you're still getting a very nice watch in the cheaper Sport. The display looks great – not radically better than the best Android Wear and Samsung Gear displays, but still easily among the best. There's a lot to learn and explore here, so it may be a little while until we run our full Apple Watch review. In the meantime, though, we can say that it's a strong candidate for the best wearable to date, even if it isn't blowing our minds on Day One the way the original iPhone and first-generation iPad did. All versions of the Apple Watch are currently backordered, and only sold online at the time being. But you can reserve your place in line to order one, for US$350 or more (the 42 mm Apple Watch Sport handled in this post starts at $400). Product page: Apple

Neptune Duo flips the roles of smartphones and smartwatches ... for some reason

With the Neptune Duo, the smartwatch plays the alpha role, with the (not quite a) phone taking the backseat Will smartwatches ever replace smartphones? And, if so, how will we play Candy Crush and watch Netflix or Sling TV on the go? Neptune, the company behind the ridiculously oversized Pine smartwatch, is back with a new device that tries to answer that question. The Neptune Duo starts with the Neptune Hub, a standalone 4G smartwatch. But it also adds an accessory that addresses the gaps left by even the most powerful standalone smartwatches. The "Pocket Screen" may look like a phone, but it reverses the roles that watches and phones play today: in Neptune's world, the watch has the smarts, and the phone serves as a second screen for viewing larger-form content that small screens aren't good for. The million dollar question is why would you do this? If you still have a watch on your wrist and a phone-like device in your pocket, with the sum total of functionality not very different from today's watch/phone combinations, why bother flipping the roles? Neptune's answer (apart from the implied we need a follow-up product that makes headlines) is that you'll never lose your personal info. Since the computing happens on the watch, and it's strapped to your wrist, you're less likely to leave it behind. And since the Pocket Screen is largely a dumb accessory, drawing its smarts from the watch, you can lose it on the train, swap out a new one or even borrow a friend's – without losing or giving away any personal data. Interesting pitch … but also quite a reach, as most smartwatches have lost phone alert features that buzz your wrist if you walk away without your phone. Doesn't this simple and ubiquitous feature that you can use on most watches today solve the same problem as Neptune's US$800 pair of devices? Back to the hardware itself, the Neptune Hub (again, that's the actual watch) runs Android 5.0 Lollipop with its own custom UI. The product page showcases a grid full of the most popular Android apps, suggesting (without actually stating) that it will run full Google Play services. Based on Google's policy on watches that run full Android, though, we wouldn't hold our breath for the Play Store coming preinstalled. Don't be shocked if the Neptune Duo launches with its own app store and requires you to sideload any apps that aren't lined up for yet another mobile marketplace. The Hub has a 2.4-in touchscreen (by comparison, the large Samsung Gear S has a 2-in screen, so this puppy is going to look huge), with a quad core processor and 64 GB of storage. The pocket screen, meanwhile, has a 5-in 720p display (very mid-ranged resolution, by today's standards) and picks up the watch's slack with a pair of cameras (8 MP on the rear, 2 MP on the front) and a 2,800 mAh battery. Apparently you can charge the watch with the screen, supposedly leading to several days' worth of battery life. You could argue that the battery is another case for the product's existence, but we've found that current watches like the Gear S, LG G Watch R and Asus ZenWatch can last around two days or more with regular use. By the time the Duo reaches customers' hands, we'd be surprised if the latest flagship smartwatches weren't all lasting two or more days. We've been eying the possibility of a smartwatch-centric future for the last few years, and, if nothing else, we have to tip our hats to Neptune's bold movement in that direction. But we also have to scratch our heads at its skewed logic, and acknowledge that this all reeks of a solution in search of a problem. Like the Neptune Pine, it's an exciting "why not?" concept, but when it comes to selling it as a consumer product, it's hard to see this getting past a very niche, early adopter audience. If you are the early adopter that Neptune is looking for, then you can reserve the Pine now, or make a pledge through the company's website. It's going to cost $798 for Hub and pocket screen. The Duo is estimated to ship in late 2015. Source: Neptune

Samsung Gear 2 Neo smartwatch

 

We reviewed Samsung's Gear 2 smartwatch when it launched in April, but we skipped its sibling, the Gear 2 Neo. With only minor differences between the two, we figured the one review could speak for both watches. Well, Samsung's smartwatch platform has grown in the last four months, so let's see how things have changed as Gizmag (finally) reviews the Samsung Gear 2 Neo. The Samsung Gear 2 Neo is almost exactly the same watch as the Gear 2. The only differences? The Neo is missing a camera, has a plastic body (in place of stainless steel) and is US$100 cheaper. When we reviewed the Gear 2, I thought it was a marked improvement over the Galaxy Gear, but had the same apps problem that plagued its predecessor. Namely, it had very few – and even fewer that mattered. With Android Wear (at the time) looming on the horizon, I wasn't sure if developers would give the Gear platform much love. Four months later, has any of that changed? Well, though Samsung's Tizen platform for wearables (the software that runs on the Gear) hasn't exactly set the world on fire, it is in much better shape than it was in April. For starters, the Gear platform finally has a few killer apps. To me, the biggest game-changer is Fleksy (above). The keyboard app lets you type and send text messages right on your Gear, without pulling out your phone or using Samsung's slow and limited S Voice input. Typing isn't exactly ideal on a 1.63-in display, but Fleksy's unique error-correction works like a charm here. With Fleksy, all you have to do is try to tap your fingers on the correct letters, and watch as Fleksy automatically corrects whatever gibberish you hammered out to the words you were trying to type. It isn't perfect, but, for me, it works most of the time. For such a tiny screen, that's no small feat. Developers have spawned a few other gems as well. Converter+ (above) lets you quickly make most common conversions (including distance, weight, cooking and much more) right on your wrist. Smart IR Remote gives us the advanced TV remote features that Samsung's WatchOn is missing. Hell, even weather nerds have a killer app, as Radar Watch shows you the latest Doppler radar map of your area right on your Gear. Android Wear's app development has been active since it launched, but the Gear platform has been doing surprisingly well in its own right. Wear has much better voice input, and it also integrates more directly with Android smartphone apps. But in every other respect, I'd say the Gear's Tizen is doing at least as well, if not better. If nothing else, the platform is finally showing signs of life. I can't say I miss having a camera on the Gear 2 Neo. And it looks like Samsung has also realized that most people don't need a crappy 2 MP shooter on their wrists, as the company's upcoming Gear S smartwatch (yes, there's yet another new model on its way) is going to be missing a camera as well. The Neo's main body is made of plastic, rather than the Gear 2's stainless steel, but I don't see this as a big loss. It's a very solid (slightly rubbery-feeling) plastic, and I don't think it downgrades the premium aura of the watch. If anything, it should be more durable and less prone to scratches. Like the Gear 2 (and several other recent Samsung products), the Neo is also water-resistant. Its IP67 rating means it can soak in 1 m (3.3 ft) of water for 30 minutes and keep on ticking. Though I'm enjoying the Gear 2 Neo more than I thought I would at this stage, I'm also not sure if this is a great time to buy it. If you're a fan of Samsung's watches, we're going to find out more about the company's forward-thinking Gear S in a few days. It has a standalone 3G connection (so it can work its mojo without a phone's help) and a spacious curved screen. If it ends up retailing for $200-300, it might be worth a look when it launches this October. Of course we'll also be finding out more about Android Wear watches like the round-faced Moto 360 and LG G Watch R in the next week. And, oh yes, Apple is also rumored to have a little something up its sleeve on September 9. The smartwatch market is about to get a lot more interesting. While the Gear 2 Neo isn't likely to be your best choice this holiday season, it does give me hope for Samsung's wearable platform. App development is better than I expected it to be and, with a few tweaks (most notably to its voice control), it could be a legit Android Wear rival. The Samsung Gear 2 Neo is available now, still retailing for $200. For more detail on the watch, you can hit up our full Gear 2 review from back in April. And stay tuned to Gizmag this week, as we expect to spend some quality hands-on time with the upcoming Gear S. Product page: Samsung

LG G Watch R vs. Asus ZenWatch: In pictures

 

Gizmag takes a hands-on look at the LG G Watch R (left) and Asus ZenWatch (Photo: Will Shanklin/Gizmag.com) Image Gallery (57 images) LG and Asus made two of the best-looking smartwatches of 2014. Let's take a quick look at the two fashionable Android Wear watches, the LG G Watch R and Asus ZenWatch. If you want a smartwatch that hits a nice balance between fashion and function, then we recommend these two, along with the Moto 360, as your best picks this year. We've already talked at length about these three, but we have a few more thoughts, as well as plenty of shots in our image gallery, about how these two specifically compare. Both watches have luxury watch-inspired designs and could, from a distance, pass for standard timepieces. The G Watch R is still the only Android Wear watch you can buy with a fully round screen (the Moto 360 has a little sliver cut-out at the bottom), and it's one of the LG watch's biggest draws. The diving watch-inspired dial around its bezels might draw some polarizing reactions, but it's grown on me. It also helps that some of LG's clock faces are tailor-made to complement it. Screen shape is a big part of your decision, but screen size shouldn't be. Though the watches have different diagonal measurements, never mind that: screen area, a more telling measurement, has them at pretty much the exact same size. Both watches ship with leather bands, and are swappable with standard 22 mm bands. The G Watch R's default black band is more neutral, while the tan-colored band on the ZenWatch becomes a more eye-catching part of its aesthetic. Apart from the stark contrast in styles, these two are very close to being the same watch. Both have long battery life, and you can leave their always-on clock face settings on and still last a full day with room to spare. Both have smooth performance, and run the exact same Android Wear software (you can check out Gizmag's Android Wear review for more on that). Asus threw in a couple of optional companion apps that give you a few extra features. Most of these are easily duplicated by third-party Play Store apps, like a flashlight, compass and "leave my phone unlocked when the watch is near" feature (don't turn that on: it kills the ZenWatch's otherwise great battery life). The ZenWatch Wellness app does add a useful nudge feature, inspired by Jawbone trackers: you can set it to vibrate your wrist if you've been sitting still for too long. The ZenWatch's heart rate sensor is also (oddly) located on its front bezels. The G Watch R measures your pulse using your wrist, so you don't have to do anything but try to hold still. On the ZenWatch, you have to put two fingers on the watch's bezels (like you're making a peace sign) to get a reading. The ZenWatch can also use your heart rate to assign a "relaxation score." I didn't find this to be any more useful than a straightforward heart rate measurement, but your mileage could vary. The only other big difference is price. The G Watch R is going to cost you an extra US$100 (LG's watch costs $300, next to $200 for the ZenWatch), so even if you like the G Watch's look a little better, you'll want to ask yourself if you like it "$100 better." For a closer look at these two, we invite you to thumb through our image gallery. And for more on the watches themselves, you can hit up Gizmag's individual reviews of the G Watch R and Asus ZenWatch.

 

 

LG G Watch R review: Second time's a charm

 

Gizmag reviews one of the three fashion-meets-function champions of 2014, the LG G Watch R (Photo: Will Shanklin/Gizmag.com)

Image Gallery (21 images)

We recently took a look at two of the most stylish smartwatches around, the Moto 360 and Asus ZenWatch, but there's one more to add to that list. Read on, as we review LG's second stab at Android Wear, the round-faced G Watch R.

The G Watch R is a smartwatch with a very specific design theme. Like the Moto 360, it has a round display, but here that screen is surrounded by a large bezel with clock markings. It looks like LG was mimicking classic diving watches, like the Rolex Submariner.

That body is made of black stainless steel, and ships with a matching black leather band (if you don't like it, you can swap it with any standard 22 mm strap). Watch and band both feel high-end, light and comfortable on my wrist. And at 9.7 mm (0.38-in) thick, the G Watch R is one of the thinner smartwatches we've seen.

Though the Moto 360's screen is almost round, the G Watch R is the first Android Wear watch with a fully circular display (the Moto's has a small sliver cut out at the bottom). The G Watch's screen isn't the biggest, but it looks great. And some of LG's clock faces, which complement the diver face, help to unify hardware and software.

The round display is also fairly sharp (246 pixels per inch), and appears to gets brighter than other Wear watches (it gives you six brightness levels to choose from, and all but "1" are pretty bright).

The G Watch R's software is exactly what you'll find on other Android Wear watches, and LG didn't add any companion apps with unique add-ons (like Motorola and Asus did). If you aren't already acquainted with what Wear watches can do, you can hit up Gizmag's Android Wear review from earlier this year.

Battery life is good: better than the Moto 360, but not quite as long-lasting as the ZenWatch.

With brightness set to "2" or "3," with typical use and always-on display, mine dropped between 5-6 percent per hour. With the always-on setting off (which pretty much kills its aesthetic), it only dipped around 3-4 percent per hour. For appearance's sake, I'd recommend using the always-on clock face and charging every night, but either way you're good to go: this is an all-day watch with room to spare.

Like most big-ticket smartwatches, the G Watch R gives you IP67 water resistance. Though it may look like a diver's watch, you won't want to take it diving in anything deeper than a 3-ft. kiddie pool.

If smartwatches ever really take off, we might eventually have hundreds of Android Wear watches to choose from – all running the same software, and only differentiated by design. But this holiday season, we're left with just three that hit a sweet spot between tech and fashion: the Moto 360, Asus ZenWatch and the G Watch R.

The G Watch R is worth a look next to its two peers. The diving watch design is going to be a little love-it-or-hate-it but, after the original gadgety-looking G Watch (no "R" because it wasn't round), the G Watch R is a big step in the right direction for LG. This is a classy-looking timepiece with good battery life, the best smartwatch software available today, and no yellow or red flags to watch out for.

One of the biggest advantages for the other two is the G Watch R's price. At US$300, it costs $50 more than the Moto 360 and $100 more than the ZenWatch. You could make a strong argument for any of them as the best smartwatch you can buy today, so it's simply going to come down to how much you fancy that unique design and fully-round screen.

The LG G Watch R is available now for $300. For a closer look at its design, you can hit up our image gallery.

Product page: LG

 

Asus ZenWatch review: Fashion and function start to find balance

 

Gizmag reviews one of the best blends of tech and style yet, the Android Wear-running Asus ZenWatch (Photo: Will Shanklin/Gizmag.com)

Apart from the Nexus 7, Asus isn't exactly a household name in mobile. But if the company's new Android Wear smartwatch, the Asus ZenWatch, is any indiciation, it could make a name for itself in wearables. Read on, for Gizmag's review of the most pleasant smartwatch surprise of the year.

Every Android Wear smartwatch runs the same software. Sure, most manufacturers throw in their own companion apps for your phone or watch, but those are just extras. Unlike on Android phones and tablets, OEMs can't skin or tamper with Wear's core software.

That leaves smartwatch-makers to differentiate their products on a hardware level. Asus has done just that, designing a beautiful watch that provides the best blend of style and technology that I've seen in any wearable.

Most of the early Android Wear watches we've seen have been big and bulky: even the gorgeous Moto 360 looks a little beefy on most people's wrists. But Asus' watch sits on the smaller end of that spectrum. We're going to see smartwatches that get smaller and smaller through the next few years, but for right now, the ZenWatch is right on the money. It doesn't look any bigger than most men's designer watches.

As far as design, the images in this review should speak for themselves. The watch's stainless steel body has rounded corners, with a very slightly curved screen ("2.5D") that adds to the jewelry aesthetic. Everyone is going to have their own reactions to wearable designs, but I think the ZenWatch is a damn good-looking watch.

You can swap the ZenWatch's band with any standard (22 mm) strap, but I'm a fan of the one it ships with. The rose gold-colored stitched leather looks spiffy, and feels great on my wrist.

Its screen gets the job done: not too big, not too small (it's a 1.63-in square); with fairly sharp (278 pixels per inch) resolution. It doesn't have the wow factor of the round screens on the Moto 360 and G Watch R, but it fits this watch's form factor.

The display gets plenty bright on the highest settings, and, though none of the Android Wear watches so far have looked great in direct sunlight, I find the ZenWatch to be perfectly readable on brightness levels 4-5, and readable enough on level 3, while in the sun.

Performance isn't a concern. With the same Snapdragon 400 processor found in the Gear Live and LG G Watch, the ZenWatch is going to give you roughly the same experience. Android Wear is a lightweight operating system anyway, so Qualcomm's chip, combined with 512 MB of RAM, is all these early watches need.

After my first few hours with the ZenWatch, I thought we weren't going to be able to recommend it, as its battery was dropping like a fly. But I eventually realized that was tied to one of Asus' add-ons, a setting that leaves your paired phone unlocked while the watch is nearby. With this setting turned on, the watch dropped between 6-8 percent per hour, even with very light use. But once I turned it back off, battery life ended up being quite good.

With that "Unlock my Phone" setting turned off (it's off by default), and brightness set to "3," my ZenWatch typically drops around 3-4 percent per hour with moderate use. And that's with the always-on (ambient clock face) setting turned on. With normal use, this should be an all-day watch with room to spare.

The ZenWatch's charger is a cradle that reminds me of a cross between Samsung's Gear chargers and the original G Watch's charger. It isn't as elegant as the Moto 360's wireless charging dock, but if using this charger helped Asus to keep the price down, I won't argue with that decision.

The ZenWatch has a lower water resistance rating than most smartwatches: they're typically IP67, but the ZenWatch is IP55 (the same as the original Galaxy Gear). That means it protects against splashes and maybe the occasional rain shower, but not full submersion.

All Android Wear watches can double as fitness trackers, and the ZenWatch is no exception. One notable difference is that its heart rate sensor is on its front bezels, instead of the watch's backside. So whenever you want to check your pulse, you'll need to put two fingers (like you're making a peace sign) on either side of the watch's front.

Asus' software extras are fairly run-of-the-mill: a ZenWatch manager companion app lets you find your watch if you lose it, adds a compass and flashlight, and allows you to tweak settings like muting a phone call by covering the screen. There's also that "unlock my phone" feature, but, again, I'd avoid that if you want the watch's battery to last a full day.

Asus also threw in its own fitness-tracking app, Asus Wellness, that logs your exercise and measures your heart rate. It has an idle alert option (like on Jawbone trackers) that can remind you to get up and move if you've been vegging out for too long. The watch can also both measure your heart rate directly, and use it to give you a "relaxation score." It's a solid addition to Wear's built-in fitness tracking.

If you would have told me a few months ago that my favorite wearable of 2014 would come from Asus, I probably wouldn't have believed you. But that's just what happened here. It's still early days for smartwatches, but the ZenWatch provides the best combination yet of tech and style.

Ringing up at US$200, the ZenWatch also happens to be one of the cheapest Android Wear watches you can buy. If you're shopping for a smartwatch this holiday season, we recommend putting the ZenWatch near the top of your list.

For more on what the ZenWatch can (and can't) do, you can hit up Gizmag's Android Wear review from earlier this year.

Product page: Asus

 

Standalone Burg smartwatch lets you call and text from your wrist

 

The Burg lets users place calls, send messages and more, right from their wrist

 

The Burg 12 smartwatch from lifestyle designer Hermen van den Burg allows users to make phone calls, send messages and more, without the need to connect the device to a smartphone.

With wearable technology gaining some momentum in 2014, we’ve seen a wide range of smartwatches. While devices like the Asus ZenWatch have square displays, others, most notably the Moto 360, opted for a circular display instead. The Burg 12 attempts to combine the two concepts, putting a square display inside a circular dial. While the resulting aesthetic isn’t quite as disagreeable as the Epic wearable that we saw back in September, it’s far from our favourite smartwatch design.

Looks aside, the display here clocks in at 1.5-inches with a 240 x 240 resolution, giving it 226 pixels per inch. There’s 4 GB storage on board alongside a microSD reader, letting users expand storage up to 16 GB.

The watch runs its own proprietary software (usually not an encouraging sign), and gives the user access to call and text functionality without the need to pair it with a smartphone. The standalone abilities extend to calendar, calculator, MP3/MP4 player and radio functionality, and there’s even a camera on board (with an undisclosed resolution), allowing users to take, view and send snaps from their wrists.

The device ships with a US$25 prepaid SIM card. Interestingly, the standalone Burg 12 can also connect to any iPhone or Android smartphone, though it isn’t clear what added benefit this brings.

Standalone functionality isn’t a brand new concept for smartwatches – Samsung’s Gear S allows the user to place calls, send messages and even browse the web while a paired Galaxy phone sits at home.

The Burg 12 doesn’t appear to be nearly as refined a product as Samsung’s device, but it does have one thing going for it: price. The smartwatch is available now from Walmart, shipping for US$199 (just remember that you'll need to pay for its own line after that prepaid SIM bottoms out). It’s available in black and purple, and comes with black and purple straps, with additional interchangeable straps and bezels available.

Source: Burg Wearables

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Samsung Gear S review: This smartwatch can fly solo

 

Gizmag reviews Samsung's (almost) standalone smartwatch, the Gear S (Photo: Will Shanklin/Gizmag.com)

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Samsung has released so many smartwatches in the last year that it's easy to start tuning them out. But no matter what you think of the Gear S, it certainly isn't forgettable. Read on, as Gizmag reviews the most forward-thinking smartwatch you can buy.

During my time with the Gear S, my left pocket, which almost always contains some kind of smartphone, has been completely empty. That's because, like your phone, the Gear S has its own SIM card, data connection and phone number. Every other smartwatch I've reviewed requires a Bluetooth connection with your phone, but the Gear S can fly solo when you want it to.

That isn't to say that the Gear S will replace your smartphone. In fact, not only does it require a phone, it requires a very specific kind of phone: a Samsung Galaxy running Android 4.3 or higher.

What separates the Gear S from other smartwatches is that it not only pairs with a phone over Bluetooth, but also over the Internet. So your phone can be sitting in Los Angeles, while you and your watch are in New York, and you'll still be able to send and receive texts, emails and phone calls on your wrist.

Right now you're probably thinking "hey, I didn't spend hundreds of dollars on my phone just to leave it sitting on a charger all day!" And that's a fair point. But the Gear S is one of the few wearable devices that gives you the option. Even if it's just for the occasional jog or trip to the store, this is a smartwatch that lets you leave your phone at home.

With or without a nearby phone, the Gear S lets you take and make calls, send and receive text messages, and reply to and receive emails (though, annoyingly, you can't compose a brand new email). Also it uses your phone's number for calls and texts, so you won't need to worry about giving anyone a separate number for the Gear.

If smartwatches are eventually going to replace our phones, then this is a big step in that direction.

What it doesn't have so much of right now is a great app ecosystem. It's compatible with apps designed for older Samsung Gears, but that library is only ... okay. Better than it was when the Gear 2 launched, but still missing many popular services.

If developers jump onboard and support its app ecosystem, the Gear S could be something special. But until that happens, it's going to be limited to more basic tasks: calls, texts, emails and the occasional web page (more on that in a minute).

Like any device with its own cellular connection, you'll need to sign up for a separate data plan for the Gear S. So far mine uses very little mobile data (we're talking a few megabytes per day at the most), so you can probably get away with a cheap plan (they're priced like tablet plans). But it's an added expense nonetheless, and something to consider when looking at the Gear's cost.

The watch itself has a futuristic design that's far from subtle. Smartwatches like the Moto 360 and Pebble Steel take on a jewelry-like aesthetic, offering some tech functionality without necessarily looking like tech products. The Gear S? Well, it's not one of those watches. This is a tiny, curved smartphone that you strap to your wrist – and it doesn't try to hide it.

The star of the show is that 2-in curved display. The 300 PPI AMOLED screen is sharp and colorful. The potential for a smartphone-like experience is here. Again, it's just a question of whether developers will make the apps.

One of the screen's biggest perks is that it has room for a keyboard. Voice control is a great fit for wearables, but how many of us want to talk to our wrists in public? The Gear S' keyboard (which you can either tap or swipe) lets you send messages or search the web without airing your business to everyone around you.

The screen is big for a watch, but small for a keyboard – small enough that it's tricky to hit the right letters. And when it comes to Swype-style tracing, that curved glass also takes some getting used to. Fortunately it has great auto-correct, and almost always translates my gibberish into the words I was trying to write.

Voice control is still an option if you want it, and Samsung's S Voice assistant responds faster than it did on the older Gears. It still doesn't let you ask for things like specific sports scores or random trivia questions, and is inferior to both Google Now and Siri.

Inexplicably, S Voice took one huge step back. On older Gears, you could set reminders and add calendar events from S Voice. But for some reason, when I try to do that on the Gear S, I get "adding tasks is not supported" or "adding calendar events is not supported." You can't add them any other way either.

I have no idea why Samsung would take this away. It's a big strike against the Gear S (and something that rival Android Wear watches do well). For many shoppers, this could be a deal-breaker. Samsung could potentially fix this mistake with a future software update, but it's disappointing that we're left waiting for something so basic to return to the fold.

Like the last round of Tizen-running Gear watches, the Gear S has some fitness tracking onboard: it can track your steps throughout the day, and also log individual workouts. It has a heart rate monitor too. As far as I can tell, this is mostly unchanged from what you'll find on older Gears.

One nice touch that is new: Samsung added an "Inactive Time" alert, which nudges you to get up and move when you've been sitting too long. You can set the interval as frequent as every 30 minutes or as infrequent as every 2 hours. If you work at a computer or spend most of your day sitting down, it's a great feature.

The Gear S has its own GPS radio, and ships with a Nokia Here app for navigation. I found it to be a bit clunky at first (for some reason the watch wasn't using location services, despite the setting being activated), but it ultimately got going. As you'd expect, it gives you real-time, turn-by-turn directions (pedestrian and public transit only). It can vibrate your wrist when it's time to turn. And it too can work when your phone is sitting at home.

Another nice touch is the Gear S' first killer app, the Opera Mini web browser. Web browsing can only be so good on a 2-in screen, but the app makes the most of it. Mobile versions of web pages are surprisingly readable (if only barely), and you can quickly search the web with the virtual keyboard. It's another way that the Gear S tempts you to leave your phone at home.

Battery life is good. It should last at least a day, maybe two, depending on how you use it. While paired with my phone over Bluetooth, it only dropped 1 or 2 percentage points per hour. When paired over the Internet, it fell around 4 or 5 percent per hour.

The Gear S is a fascinating device – even if it does feel like two steps forward and one step back.

On one hand, it's one of the most forward-thinking wearables I've used, with its curved screen, virtual keyboard and 3G data. Again, it won't replace your phone, but it's movement in that direction.

... on the other hand, it doesn't support something as basic as reminders, has a mediocre selection of third-party apps, and won't let you compose an email that isn't a reply. These may or may not be deal-breakers, depending on what you're looking for. Either way, they keep the Gear S from reaching its full potential.

If you want a smartwatch that's still smart even when your phone isn't around, the Gear S is worth checking out. It has a few annoying holes, and can also be pretty expensive once you factor in a data plan. But it does mark a step forward for wearables and, with the right software support (which may or may not come), it could become a truly awesome device.

The Gear S is available now in the US, for around US$300-400 full retail (it varies from carrier to carrier). US carriers are also offering it discounted with a new contract or installment plan.

Product page: Samsung