Samsung’s Gear S smartwatch, which lets you to make calls, receive notifications and check emails when not tethered to a smartphone, is heading to US store shelves next week.
Samsung on Thursday said the Gear S will be available in the US starting on November 7. The smartwatch will be available in both black and white, and all four major carriers — AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile — will carry it in store. The Gear S will also be available at Samsung Experience Shops found in Best Buy stores.
Unveiled in August, Samsung’s Gear S features a 2-inch curved Super AMOLED screen and runs the Tizen mobile operating system, Samsung’s alternative to Google’s Android mobile OS. The smartwatch also has a 1GHz dual-core processor and features Samsung’s S Health fitness app, as well as Nike+ Running.
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The smartwatch is the first in Samsung’s lineup to include a 3G cellular radio, meaning it can connect to a carrier to send and receive calls without needing a phone nearby. That ability stands in stark contrast to just about every other wearable on the market. The Apple Watch, for example, needs to stay paired and connected to an iPhone for many of its features to work. Smartwatches from LG, Motorola and others are also meant to be paired with a phone.
AT&T will offer the Samsung Gear S starting next week for $200 with a two-year contract. Sprint is making the device available for no money down and 24 monthly payments of $16 through its Easy Pay system. T-Mobile is offering a similar deal by allowing customers to pick up the device for no money down and pay $14.58 per month over a two-year period. Verizon has yet to announce its pricing.
Samsung Gear S: curved, big, and it’s a phone (hands-on pictures)
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