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Samsung’s gearing up to take control of your wrists, as a recently spied trademark filing hints that the company’s new smart watch could be called simply ‘Gear’.
One of the trademark descriptions for Samsung’s Gear term reportedly describes the name being used for wristwatches or even bracelets and wristbands that communicate with phones or computers using the Internet, Android fan site Phandroid writes. We haven’t seen the filings for ourselves, but Slashgear reports that it has, and backs up those claims.
While Samsung has stated that it’s ‘definitely’ making a new smart watch, nothing official is known about the device. As such, you’d be wise to take any rumours with a pinch or two of the salty stuff.
Little is known about Samsung’s mysterious timepiece — which is said to be codenamed ‘Altius’ — though leaked screenshots that appeared earlier this year point to a square display, with a Windows Phone esque-tiled interface.
Apple, meanwhile, is said to be building its own watch gadget, and recently filed for the ‘iWatch’ trademark in Japan, as well as Mexico and Taiwan. Sony recently revealed its latest effort, the SmartWatch 2, which boasts NFC and Android compatibility.
Galaxy Watch?
Personally I’d be surprised if Samsung opted for the name Gear for its smart-watch tech.
While the name certainly makes sense for a device that’s historically mechanical, Samsung would likely want to trade on the current popularity of the Galaxy name to give a new product as much of a leg-up as possible. That said, Samsung isn’t averse to straying from its Galaxy brand, as its recent slew of new ‘Ativ’ Windows gadgets aptly demonstrates.
What do you think Samsung should call its watch? Would you use a smart watch, or is the very idea a daft one? See us debate that very question in this week’s CNET UK podcast below, and let me know your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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Is the iWatch the new iPad, we ask in Podcast 345
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