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Okay, so it’s no surprise that the Samsung Galaxy Gear — while limited in function — houses a full fledged Android 4.2.2 mobile operating system. Packed with an 800MHz processor, 512MB of RAM, and an itty-bitty little touchscreen, the Galaxy Gear can run Android apps like any other device. Just like Google Glass before it (which was initially running on Ice Cream Sandwich), the Galaxy Gear features a simplified smartwatch homescreen that is used to make launching apps easier on the small screen.
If you wanted to see some proof of concept, ArsTechnica’s Ron Amadeo shows off all the crazy, big-boy Android apps you can run on the Galaxy Gear, simply be sideloading them through ADB. In the video, Ron loads up Nova Launcher which, we have to admit, looks right at home on the smartwatch. He even boots up Candy Crush for a quick gaming session (difficulty level: 9,000) and plays the finale episode of Breaking Bad. Fun stuff.
Anyone thinking about picking up the Samsung Galaxy Gear now? Guess it’s only a matter of time before custom ROMs start popping up on the various forums. Hey, Ron. Think you can get a little Ingress up and running on that thing? ;)
Now Ingress would be sweet… No more walking around with your smartphone out making it obvious that you’re blowing up portals!
Plays breaking bad you say !? …if it can run Netflix then I’ll buy that $300 Netflix machine
is there a way to cast the show on a tv?
I’d still rather get the Omate Smartwatch because it comes with the Play Store and a much more powerful processor.
does it have a camera? a mic? and a better screen? how’s the battery life?
Why do you need a Camera on a watch?
I think the question is why would you not want one?
Video chat via watch camera? Yes please! Some James Bond or Inspector Gadget stuff right there.
unfortunately the omate’s camera is on the side of the watch, not the face. so video chat would not really work.
nailed it!
Good idea BUT with the camera pointing at you face you will not be able to see the screen at all…bad design on Sammy’s part. If they added a tiny front facing cam to the top right hand corner of the screen that would’ve been awesome..then you’d have a camera for back & forth video chats and then also a regular dedicated camera for selfies and pictures of others
Not sure about the camera. 90% sure it has a mic. 100% sure the screen is better, and the battery is 600 mAh which is double the Gear’s battery.
i just checked it out.. doesn’t seem bad at all. other than the looks, which seems kinda fat?
It actually looks a lot better in person. :D
Yes, it has a camera. I’m not sure about the mic but I think it also has one. As for the battery, it’s twice as much as the Gear but it lasts 4x more. (100 hours as opposed to Gear’s 25 hours)
very nice. now if damn samsung would get the battery and compatibility right. how is the battery life so much higher on the mate?
Easily the best smart watch atm. But the dang battery life and compatibility will have to be improved.
Also one of the only big name smart watches atm…
… and then promptly runs out of battery
lol but how long did it Really last?
This is what shoulda used the flexible glass!
lol, so if i delete a comment it becomes a guest comment?
That screen looks imposible to play Candy crush, seriously. Altough cool that it still runs it, but still pretty small to play that game in particular..
Nice little watch but with the flexible glass being out I’m going to wait for Gear 2.0
this watch completely redeemed itself
That’s exactly what I was thinking, but with Google most likely releasing a Nexus watch codename “GEM” I will be getting that instead along with a nexus 5.
Agreed! Not even knowing if/when Google smart-watch is coming out I’d rather put all my eggs in one basket and wait for that bad boy. The thing that REALLY bugs me about the Galaxy Gear is the exclusivity…I mean why would you EVER make a smart-watch that ONLY works with your brand new, HUGE flagship phone that most people can’t even afford? Samsung really pissed me off with that move so ya Google…just make any piece of crap smart-watch and I’ll pay you $1,000 for it…until then Pebble keep rockin my world (my Pebble is an amazing watch, might be simple but it does everything as advertised which is all I ever want from a product)
If I was Samsung, It would only work with Galaxy phones! Want a gear get a Galaxy phone. BTW Apple won’t work with any other manufacture, either.
Well, playing the Breaking Bad spoiler just caused a bunch of people to stop the video. Too bad.
If Gear ROMs start popping up and work with Nexus 5 I’ll be getting one.