We know that Samsung has several smartwatches out on the market and we know that Samsung is working hard on their next models. We also know that one of the new models codenamed ‘Orbis,’ will be their first round watch – up until now, Samsung went with the large rectangle design. With their archrival, LG, already plunging into the ’round face’ style, it is hard to believe that Samsung has taken so long to come out with their own round watch, as we thought that they might have revealed them at MWC. But word on the street is that Samsung wants their next watches to be the “perfect product,” especially now that Apple has played their hand with their long awaited Apple Watch.
With Samsung’s release of the next-generation Gear smartwatch SDK to developers, we get to see a little more insight into the device. “#NEXTGEAR,” as Samsung is calling the SDK, is already available for developers, as Samsung wants to make sure there are plenty of apps for their next-generation Gear watch. If the rumors of a rotating bezel are true, the applications could be quite interesting. Samsung has named a few of its new partners committed to bringing us new apps for the round watch.
Komoot is a precise offline turn-by-turn navigation system that will guide you even in remote areas and is designed to motivate the user to be more active, whether it be cycling or a walking tour. Another navigation app, Kimgisa, allows you to find the fastest navigation to a destination based on real-time traffic data and information – traveling either as a pedestrian or in driving mode…all on your wrist. While traveling, Tripcase’s Senior Vice President, John Samuel says, “As the adoption of wearable technology grows, we want to ensure that the travel industry is ready to leverage this technology and serve travelers on the device they prefer.”
We all know Groupon as a global leader for connecting the user with local places to purchase great deals. Now you can carry Groupon around on your wrist for quick and easy access to buy just about anything with great savings. News Republic, according to Gilles Raymond, CEO of News Republic says, “News Republic’s goal is to engage global citizens and spark conversation, the Next Gear gives us a highly personal way to inform and engage users.” Rumors are that Samsung will unveil the new Gear along with the new Galaxy Note 5 this September, which makes sense as Samsung likes to ‘pair up’ new items or offer specials if you buy both devices as the same time. It does look like this next smartwatch will have plenty of apps available at launch time and may even offer a luxury version like Apple did with their new watch.
