Samsung Galaxy Gear review - Smart sports watch. Instructions: How to set up your Samsung Gear S3 watch To reset your PIN

Samsung's Gear S3 is a fully functional smartwatch, although I would like to see more apps for it.

If you received the Gear S3 as a gift for the holidays, or bought it recently, there are chances that there are some nuances and aspects of the watch that you have yet to explore. We've highlighted 10 tips and tricks to help you get comfortable with your new gadget.

The box is a charging stand.

Instead of throwing the box in the trash, you can turn it into a watch charging dock. Apart from the simple assembly of some parts, no complex work is required on your part. See the user manual included with the kit (p. 5) for detailed instructions about how to assemble the stand.

During the setup process, the app will ask you to install two or three more apps that are necessary for the watch and phone to communicate with each other. Follow the instructions and install the required plugins and services.

Changing dials.

The Gear S3 has many watch faces, most of which you'll need to use the Gear app on your Android device to view and install.

You can switch between watch faces on your phone or on the watch itself. Press and hold on the current watch face, and then swipe left or right to view the installed watch faces. If the Styling option is shown below the preview, click on it to change the color and customize the watch face to your liking.

Using Samsung Pay.

One of the important features in the Gear S3 is full compatibility with Samsung Pay. This means that you can pay for purchases at NFC terminals, as well as at old classic credit card payment terminals, using your watch. I spent the whole weekend using this technology,
and she is amazing.

Press and hold the top right button on your watch for a couple of seconds to begin the setup process. You need to add a plastic card to your phone, but the app will guide you through the process.

Then, when you need to pay for the purchase, click on desired card, and bring the watch to the payment terminal. It's just some kind of magic.

Access to quick settings.

Swipe down on the watch face to access quick settings. Here you can turn on Airplane Mode, turn on Do Not Disturb manually when you go to a meeting or a movie, adjust the brightness, speaker volume, and control the music app.

Add widgets and change their location.

By rotating the ring around the watch face to the right, you can view the widgets of the apps currently installed on your watch. While viewing a widget, press and hold on it to customize, change, delete, or add new widgets.

Application management.

The default app circle is also configurable and can be called up by a long press on the app icon. A ring will appear around the edge of the watch screen, letting you know that you are in edit mode. Drag, drop and delete apps right on the watch screen.

Set the home button shortcut.

Double-clicking the bottom button on the Gear S3, also called the Home button, launches "S Voice" by default. However, you can customize this setting to launch other apps ranging from the calendar to S Health.

On your watch, open Settings > Device > Double Press Home Key and select a shortcut from the list.

Do Not Disturb setting.

With the Gear S3's long battery life, you can leave the watch on at night to track your sleep. But waking up at night to calls and texts on your wrist won't help you get a good night's rest, so you'll probably want to turn on Do Not Disturb.

On your watch, open Settings > Device > Do Not Disturb. Select the days and times you want to disable notifications, then double-check to enable the schedule.

Turn off reminders to move.

Some people get annoyed by hourly reminders to get up and move. You can disable these alerts in the S Health app on your watch. Scroll to the "Settings" icon and select it, and then, click on "Inactive time".

Rumor has it that the idea of ​​a “smart watch” has been in the minds of Samsung engineers for many years in a row, and the Korean company decided to release the Galaxy Gear on the market only because Apple allegedly intends to do something similar. That is, Apple would not have such plans - Samsung would have “keep silent”.

samsung galaxy gear

But what happened happened - in September 2013 at the IFA 2013 exhibition, Samsung had its "smart watch". Strictly speaking, they are not the first for the company: back in the summer of 2009, the company demonstrated a “phone in a watch” at various exhibitions, but it did not go into series. However, it is noticeable that when creating the Galaxy Gear, the designers regularly looked back at this product. The new watch is similar to the old one in appearance, although it is no longer possible to make calls with their help. Maybe it is correct, although the concept of combining a smartphone and a watch, as recently, is quite viable.

Samsung S9110

I bought a Samsung Galaxy Gear at the end of December, when several firmware updates had already been released for the watch, which, in theory, was supposed to deprive it of childhood illnesses. In practice, this did not happen. Apparently, Android - and the watch runs on this particular OS - is such a platform that proprietary glitches haunt any product based on it, even a smartphone, even a tablet, even a watch.

To begin with, the Samsung Galaxy Gear has to be rebooted regularly - once every couple of days. Otherwise, at one fine moment, they stop displaying any notifications (if there are a lot of them, hundreds a day). But it’s worth turning off the clock and turning it on right away, and everything will return to normal: here you got a like on Instagram, and here’s a personal message on VKontakte. I also noticed that the clock starts to blunt with the display of notifications in a very gentle (about minus 10) South Ukrainian frost.

The camera deserves special mention. She, oddly enough, is very good: for the same "Instagram" her 2-megapixel square pictures are quite and very suitable. Another thing is that in about 50% of cases, after turning on the camera, the watch screen displays White background. After that, you should either restart the clock, or wait 30 seconds. After that, the camera may still start. What it is and why - I do not know. On the forums they write that this happens, and they remind you that this is the FIRST Samsung watch. In other words, you should accept, forgive and wait for new firmware.

That white screen

Snapshots from the Galaxy Gear camera

And also new applications. In the Galaxy Manager program for Samsung smartphones on Android 4.3 (and the watch does not work with others), there is a link to a special section of the Samsung Apps directory, with which you can saturate the Galaxy Gear with applications. In theory. In practice, there is still a lot of different garbage from small developers and clients of social networks that are unpopular in Russia. That is, apparently, with the launch of Galaxy Gear they were in such a hurry that they did not have time to work out the issue of additional software well.

However, I must say that from a hardware point of view, I really like the Samsung Galaxy Gear. I did not experience any discomfort when I changed my Moschino Vent "Age to them. It is clear that the latter are not the pinnacle of watchmaking, but for 8 years I have become very used to them and it seemed that I could not change them so easily for something else But - I could, and found out that the Galaxy Gear sit on the hand just as well. They look, by the way, too: the combination of metal and plastic under rubber (or maybe it is rubber) is beautiful and expensive. I praise the Korean developers, which "hour" experience is not so much.

On the other hand, the designers obviously overdid it with something. All this leapfrog with the “corset” required to recharge the Galaxy Gear and connect them to the smart for the first time looks a little ridiculous. Well, is it a microUSB port and NFC module could not be placed on the watch case? It's much simpler and more elegant. And so ... Take a "corset" with you on vacation, but you forgot - it's okay, you'll sit for a week without hours. More precisely, five days - two days of Galaxy Gear on a single charge work without any problems.

"Corset" for recharging the watch (photo from thenextweb.com)

In general, I like Samsung Galaxy Gear, and I do not think that, having paid $ 400 for them, I overpaid much. What is really lacking is compatibility with smartphones from other manufacturers. I came here for a test that is wonderful in every respect - and that’s it, I had to get Moschino Vent "Age out of the locker. Yes, the Galaxy Gear can display the time without a Samsung smartphone, but then there is no point in wearing a Korean chronometer - who needs simple ones (that is, not "smart") watches in which you need to "change the battery" every couple of days? That's right, no one.

After a few weeks Samsung testing Galaxy Gear share my opinion about this smart watch with internet, camera and many other features.

The Samsung Galaxy Gear is a really interesting device. It is a mini smartphone with a tiny screen that can be worn on the wrist. I deliberately write a mini-smartphone, because the Galaxy Gear is still and still a full-fledged device. It has a processor with a frequency of 800 MHz, 512 MB random access memory, 4GB built-in memory, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, gyroscope, accelerometer, camera, battery and runs on a modified Android platform. It is possible to run external applications and it actually differs from smartphones of previous years only in the largest screen and the absence of 3G or WiFi.

View of Samsung Galaxy Gear

The appearance of the Samsung Galaxy Gear is strikingly different from the design of Samsung smartphones. The watch case is metal with massive screws, and the strap is ribbed. The color scheme of the straps is not very pleasing - white with golden metal, black, green, gray, orange and just white.

It seems to me that future versions will not be so chic, but the functions will be more thoughtful. At the very least, Gear needs to be developed in this direction.

Because the Gear today is designed primarily for viewing notifications that appear on a compatible smartphone. In addition, you can use it to take photos, measure time, launch applications, count steps, receive and make calls, control media on your smartphone, and even a little more.

All these additional features can be useful, but I'm not sure if they are enough to satisfy and surprise potential buyers. After all, this is a watch and it should perform different functions than those on a smartphone.

For example, long battery life. In testing, the Gear's battery lasted two days, which is certainly more than a smartphone, but it's a watch. In addition, this gadget must be downloaded along with a smartphone near a tablet or computer.

Samsung had to make some pretty big decisions when designing the Gear, because smartwatches need to have a lot of bells and whistles.

Ease of handling Galaxy Gear

In everyday life, the most important thing is the ability to manage notifications. It's a little hard to get used to the fact that, in addition to the phone, the watch can also vibrate, but when it happens, you understand how much the ability to view notifications on the watch makes life easier.

Provided that you get to the function of enabling notifications. The Gear Manager app creates a pairing between your smartphone and smart watch. Gear Manager, the control settings application, along with watch applications, is a tragic piece that discourages any desire to use this mechanism. Mainly because it is ugly, illogical and chaotic. Gear Manager is often buggy, writes that it cannot connect to the watch, and all settings do not work. In general, the mechanism clearly needs to be improved.

For days, I had no idea that the Gear supported more notifications than just select Samsung apps. The option with the ability to integrate notifications with any received notifications from any application installed on the smartphone is hidden under the key of selecting / deselecting additional notifications. This is a huge problem with the Samsung interface - additional options will not work until you check the box. Moreover, such options, the presence of which is not mentioned in the main menu.

As soon as the "tick" was ticked, Gear showed everything he was capable of. He began to inform about letters from Gmail, about what is happening on Twitter, Facebook or Instagramie and other applications that are used daily.

I quickly realized that when walking with dogs, when only one hand is free, checking Email using Gear, allows you not to get your smartphone out of your pocket once again. When I receive a message on Facebook Messenger, I read it on Gearze, confirming that I can’t unsubscribe right away – without pulling out my smartphone.

It's for this reason - not the presence of a camera, pedometer, or other apps - that the Gear proved to me that a smartwatch makes sense.

Outcome

I take back my words that "smart" watches are meaningless. In addition, thanks to Samsung Galaxy Gear, I now know what should be in a universal watch:

Excellent notification management system with the ability to perform actions such as Android notifications, a battery that can last at least a week on a charge (Samsung Galaxy Gear falls short in this parameter), small size, user-friendly interface and elegant, but nothing remarkable design.

Korean Samsung announced at the IFA exhibition in Berlin its first "smart" watch on the Android platform - Galaxy Gear. The device is designed to work in conjunction with a smartphone or tablet, can take photos, recognize voice commands and has already received several dozens of special applications.

Design and specifications
Technically, the Galaxy Gear is a 3-year-old shrunk and stripped-down smartphone with no Wi-Fi or connectivity. The Super AMOLED watch has a 1.63-inch 320 x 320 resolution display, a single-core 800 MHz Exynos processor and a Bluetooth module that supports the economical Bluetooth Low Energy standard for communication with the parent device. The device has a 1.9-megapixel camera built into the strap, as well as two miniature speakers. The microphone is built into the tip of the strap, that is, when the watch is worn, it is on the inside of the wrist.

The main part of the watch that makes up a single whole with a strap (alas, it will not be possible to replace it with your own, only with multi-colored options from Samsung) has impressive dimensions - about 36.8 by 56.6 mm with a thickness of 11.1 mm. The front panel that frames the screen is made of metal, while the strap is made of rubber-like plastic.

In addition to the screen, the Galaxy Gear has only one control element - the power / lock button. In addition, you can connect the device via USB and transfer files to it, including applications. Samsung promises that the Galaxy Gear's 315mAh battery is enough to last more than a day on a single charge. True, this will depend on the frequency of its use, mainly on how long the screen remains on.

Another important clarification is that so far Gear is only working with those also announced the day before in Berlin Galaxy smartphone Note III and the Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 tablet. In the near future, Samsung promises to release a firmware update for the Galaxy S4, which will make it possible to "make friends" with the clock and it, and in the fall - similar updates for last year's Galaxy SIII and Note II. With Android devices from other manufacturers, Samsung smartwatches seem to be incompatible, which puts them in a losing position in relation to more versatile, although not as functional solutions from Sony, Pebble and a number of other manufacturers.

What Galaxy Gear Can Do
Unlike the same "smart" Pebble watch with an "electronic ink" screen, the Galaxy Gear is forced to turn off the display to save energy. That is, to see the time, it is not enough just to look at the device, you also need to press a button on it. But by pressing it, you can use a lot of functions without getting the smartphone paired with the Gear (you will need to put a special application on it) from your pocket or bag.

Since this is a clock, then, of course, you can display the time in digital or analog (hands) form, the type of clock can be selected in the application on your smartphone, the digital version can also display the weather. From the same application, you can call the Gear detection function, if the gadget is lost somewhere, the clock will start to make a sound.

The clock screen can be scrolled by viewing installed apps. Standard features include controlling music playback on your smartphone, a pedometer that counts the distance traveled and calories burned, and syncs data with the S Health app for the Galaxy smartphone line.

With the built-in camera, you can shoot 720p videos or photos. The microphone also allows the device to integrate with the S Voice voice control system used by most current Samsung smartphones. With the help of voice commands, without taking your smartphone out of your pocket, you can set an alarm, initiate a call (if you wish, you can speak by holding the watch to your ear) or request the current weather. You can dial and call directly from your watch using the on-screen dialer. It is also possible to create calendar events and text messages from the watch.

The watch, using vibration and sound, can notify the user of incoming messages, calls and other events. Moreover, if you saw a notification, for example, about a new letter on your watch and took out your smartphone to read it in its entirety (the watch will show only the first few words), then, according to Samsung, the Smart Relay function will immediately display its text on the screen of the device. Voice Memo allows you to dictate to the Gear a bright thought that suddenly came to mind, or record a conversation, and then convert the recording to text on your smartphone.

Galaxy Gear can also be used as a "key" to your smartphone. The Auto Lock function makes it possible to lock the smartphone every time the paired watch moves away more than one and a half meters, and unlock it when the "owner" returns.

At the same time, more popular services - for example, Facebook and Twitter - have not yet presented their applications for Samsung smart watches.

Samsung has promised that the Galaxy Gear will go on sale in 140 countries on September 25th. In the US, the device will cost $300, which, given the traditions of the Russian market, is likely to be converted to 15 rubles in our country. There are some doubts that the device will be popular at such a price tag - after all, for 15,000 today you can buy a completely high-quality full-featured (though not the most advanced flagship) smartphone from one of the leading manufacturers.

Many perceived the device as a purely niche product, the only purpose of which is "to be first". It was believed that Samsung just decided to stake out a place for itself in the promising, emerging market of wearable electronics. But, judging by the large-scale marketing campaign, the Korean corporation is seriously aimed at mass sales of its first smartwatch.

Preliminary reviews by American journalists were extremely pessimistic. Media representatives complained about the slow operation of the interface, ultra-fast battery drain, unsightly appearance, overpriced, etc. It seemed that the Galaxy Gear was one big flaw that should have been hidden away, and not shown to the whole world. Is this true, or does Samsung's watch still have the right to life?

Design

Thick, scary and uncomfortable - approximately in this vein were the first reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Gear. Beauty, of course, is a matter of taste. The watch from the Korean company seemed pretty to us, with a touch of futurism. Note that the body of the device is not completely made of metal: only the upper part is aluminum, while the lower part is made of nice matte plastic in the color of the strap.

Contrary to expectations, the device was not so thick and massive. There are many for sale wrist watch much bigger, thicker and heavier. The Galaxy Gear measures 57*37*11.1 mm and weighs about 74 g. For those who are used to wearing thin watches, like the author of this review, it will take some time to get used to the 11 mm of the watch protruding above the hand . But, again, the dimensions of the device do not cause any particular problems. The watch is quite suitable for both male and female hands.

However, there is something to complain about. Take, for example, a rubber strap. No, in itself it is not bad: it is suitable for a wrist of any thickness, it is tactilely pleasant, it looks like it fits into the design of the watch. But the standard bracelet latch will loosen over time and will open from the slightest tension of the hand. Everything would be fine, but changing the strap with the built-in camera or the latch with the speakers will not be easy, if at all possible.

With the Galaxy Gear controls, everything is very simple - with one button you will not get confused. The key is located on the right side and can respond to single and double pressing. The first will return you to the home screen, the second can be configured independently for almost any action.

Below the button is a microphone. On the back, plastic, side of the watch, in addition to two pairs of screws, there is a contact pad. It is needed for charging using the complete "case". The watch itself does not have a microUSB connector, so to recharge the battery, the device must be placed in a docking station that has the necessary port. In addition, an NFC chip is built into it, which is necessary for the initial connection with a smartphone.

Samsung claims the Galaxy Gear is IP55 rated. In fact, this means that raindrops will not affect the operation of the device, but you definitely should not swim with this watch.

Outwardly, the new device of the Korean company looks like an independent, full-fledged, finished product. Even the camera surprisingly organically fit into the strap, just slightly increasing its thickness. The only small claim on our part to the design is connected with the heads of the screws turned in different directions - it looks a little sloppy.

However, we repeat, design is a matter of taste. In the editors of Onliner.by, not everyone liked the appearance of the Galaxy Gear. We can definitely say that you either like the watch or not, but they do not leave anyone indifferent.

Display and camera

Samsung has remained true to AMOLED technology. Since the choice was made in favor of a color screen, the decision to install an organic LED matrix was the right one. Today, for such devices, AMOLED is the best option, with low power consumption and high image quality.

Diagonal display Galaxy Gear is 1.63 inches, resolution - 320 * 320 pixels. The screen makes a good impression. That's where, where, and in hours there is no need to complain about excessively bright colors. It is this color rendition that suits best in this case.

The 1.9-megapixel camera built into the watch cannot boast of ultra-high quality pictures. But still we expected to see something worse. In fact, quite decent photos for two megapixels are obtained.

You should not expect high-definition camera, detail, adjusted white balance, etc. It should be understood that this is an auxiliary function designed to capture some interesting moment as quickly as possible.

So that the watch is not suspected of espionage potential, Samsung decided to make the shutter sound when photographing non-stop. By the way, many Asian smartphone manufacturers are doing the same. According to the documentation, Galaxy Gear can record videos up to 15 seconds long. True, our pre-release sample for some reason was limited to 10 seconds.

Functionality

Here it is - the pain and the main problem of smart watches from Samsung. But first about the good.

Galaxy Gear watches are based on a modified version of Android and, despite the first reviews, in most cases they work very quickly. Also, we cannot confirm that the device has confusing controls that are difficult to understand. In fact, everything is nowhere easier.

You can scroll through the menu with the usual movements from left to right and vice versa. The default home screen shows the time, date, weather, and latest update information. In the settings, you can choose a different design, with icons quick launch or analog clock. We scrolled from right to left and we see one large icon with S Voice, scroll further - we see a shortcut with a gallery, more with settings, etc. To return to the previous screen, you just need to move from top to bottom. On the home screen, the same gesture will launch the camera. Pressed on the display with two fingers - the task manager started. Everything is very simple, understandable and does not require long getting used to.

Linked to a smartphone, the Galaxy Gear can act as a headset. No matter how strange it may sound, but with the help of the watch you can receive and make calls, talk like on the phone. It is only necessary to take into account that this also looks strange (you are talking into a watch on your wrist, and from somewhere from the strap you can hear the voice of the interlocutor). Heard, by the way, well, if necessary, you can communicate. You can also display message notifications on the Galaxy Gear screen from social networks, emails, etc.

Further - worse. Firstly, the crooked localization with ridiculous abbreviations and strange word wraps does not please the eye at all. Secondly, we did not like how the backlight automatically turns on when you move your hand. The backlight is supposed to be activated when you raise your hand to look at the watch. However, the screen does not always turn on, and even when it turns on, you have to wait a second pause. Sometimes you don’t know whether the auto-backlight didn’t work again, or whether you still have to wait. Conversely, in a car, the clock may turn on too frequently with a simple turn of the steering wheel, distracting the driver with bright lights.

So far, Galaxy Gear can only work in tandem with the Galaxy Note 3, and this is very sad, since it greatly limits the potential audience of the device. Samsung promises to expand the list of supported devices, but you should not expect competitive devices among them. We had big problems with the connection to the smartphone itself. For some reason, the watch did not want to connect via Bluetooth to the Galaxy Note 3 using NFC, so I had to connect it manually. For the Galaxy Gear to work, you need to install the Gear manager app on your phone. It allows you to adjust some settings and, most importantly, install applications.

So far, there are a little less than 70 programs for watches in seven categories. Most of all, there are various versions of the clock display available for the Galaxy Gear. There are a couple of simple games, fitness applications, etc. The problem with software content will be solved over time if the device becomes more or less widespread.

Another nuisance, hopefully, is due to the fact that we got an engineering sample of the watch for review. The smartphone constantly disconnected from the device when trying to install any of the third-party programs. At the same time, Galaxy Gear still received calls coming to the phone and controlled the player, but Galaxy Note 3 did not see them at point-blank range and did not want to connect until the watch was rebooted. They had to be rebooted after each break in communication with the smartphone.

Talk about "iron" component of the Galaxy Gear is almost useless. Smartwatches don't need ultra-high performance to watch Full HD movies or play modern games. The hardware power should be sufficient for the device to perform its basic functions without delay.

In watches from Samsung, this is all right. A single-core processor with a frequency of 800 MHz and 512 MB of RAM is more than enough to run a stripped-down Android. The menu instantly responds to gesture control, a few applications start and do not slow down (because there is simply nothing to slow down), except that rebooting and turning on takes a little longer than you expect. The watch has 4 GB of memory built in, but, frankly, it's hard to imagine what it can be filled with.

Samsung claims that the 315 mAh battery lasts for a day of battery life on the Galaxy Gear. This is the rare case when the manufacturer is not disingenuous - with the active work of the phone (calls, SMS, other notifications), the clock is really enough for the whole day. If you watch only the time and only occasionally use "smart" functionality, the battery will run out in a day and a half.

conclusions

The Samsung Galaxy Gear watch was not as terrible as the journalists wrote immediately after the presentation of the device. Outwardly, this is a full-fledged, finished device, we also did not notice any problems with performance. The disadvantage with which we have to agree is raw software. But at the same time, we must take into account the fact that we had an engineering sample of a watch that was not intended for sale.

Galaxy Gear is a promising accessory, if you do not pay attention to its price. Despite the overall positive impression, we will not recommend such a $500 device to anyone. This is an absolutely cosmic price tag, which is in no way justified by pseudo-novelty. In order to consider Galaxy Gear as a purchase, these watches must cost at least three times cheaper, otherwise they have no future. And, of course, you won’t get far on support alone.
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