Samsung already dominates the smartwatch market with a 71% share of shipments in Q1 2014. If competitors thought that Samsung would slow down, they were wrong. Rumours of a new smartwatch that would add the ability to make and receive calls without needing to be tethered to another device first surfaced back in early April. Known so far as the Gear 2 Solo, Samsung is apparently far enough in the development to have sent samples of it to its testing facility in India. The Wall Street Journal today reports that Samsung is now aiming to have it out sometime this summer.
Citing “people familiar with the company’s plans,” the report adds that the Gear 2 Solo will also come with an integrated camera, GPS, Bluetooth and a heart monitor. Like the current Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches, it will be powered by Tizen. The sources would not confirm that people will need to hold up their wrist to their mouths during calls.
Samsung is reportedly already in talks with carriers in the U.S., South Korea and Europe (and hopefully Canada) about carrying the Gear 2 Solo alongside the usual portfolio of smartphones.
The Samsung Gear 2 Solo is not Samsung’s first try at a standalone watchphone. The company released the SPH-WP10 (pictured below) back in 1999 but it met with little success. A lot has changed since then and the wearables market is exploding as manufacturers explore the space with a growing range of devices.
While the wearables market remains tiny compared to that of smartphones and tablets, Samsung is looking to establish an early lead by getting devices into customers hands ahead of its competitors. Not only will it learn what features consumers like and want but it also allows it to help establish Tizen as a mobile operating system that can go up against Android and iOS.
Who’s ready to ditch their smartphone for a watchphone?
Source : The Wall Street Journal