Since Google Now cards are also rectangular, they more naturally fit the shape of Samsung's watch, and the existence of actual edges make swiping more accurate.
#SAMSUNG S GEAR 2 WATCH REVIEW ANDROID#
Using Android Wear on the Gear Live's square screen is noticeably easier than with the round-faced Moto 360. These watches can do a few things on its own, like track your heart rate through included sensors and play locally-stored music, but for the most part they remain an extension of the small computer that typically resides in your pocket or bag-you can't even set up these watches to tell you the time without first syncing it with a compatible phone. As detailed in our review of Motorola's smartwatch, the operating system brings the developer's Google Now card system to our wrists, displaying notifications and other information that originate from a paired Android phone. Like the Motorola Moto 360 and LG's G Watch, the Gear Live is part of the first generation of Android Wear devices. Samsung and Google's latest attempt is a step in the right direction, but I wouldn't go as far to say that we have reached our destination quite yet, or that we can even see where it is on the horizon. While we still don't know exactly what to expect from a smartwatch, there are plenty of companies ready to find out, with more on the way. The result: Samung's Gear Live smartwatch powered by Android Wear, now available through Google and other retailers for about $199 USD. Since then, both Samsung and Google have had time to refine their vision of what a smartwatch should and could be, with the former releasing a number of new wearable devices and the latter developing a version of its software platform specifically for this type of product.
While some are just now getting their first products out, Samsung launched the Galaxy Gear over a year ago, an Android-based wearable that, at the time, felt more like a prototype device than an actual retail product. Of the major companies making their way into the smartwatch market, Samsung has had more experience than most.