Samsung Gear S2 wearable getting limited iPhone compatibility

In an unprecedented move, it seems Samsung is acquiescing to customer feedback and making their Gear S2 wearable smartwatch comaptible with rival Apple's iPhone. 

The company rolled out an iOS beta program to to let the Tizen OS powered Samsung smartphone work with iPhones. Samsung has often dialed back functionality of its devices on non Samsung Galaxy devices and this move, while surprising, is absolutely necessary for the company's products to be taken seriously by curious new customers.

As far as these things go, iOS users should not expect full compatibility as functionality from the Samsung Gear S2 will likely be limited to notifications since there's no way to route app information from the iPhone to the gear. Curious Gear S2 owners can join by visiting the beta page. The program is running through to September 19. iPhone owners will need their smartphone to be running iOS 8.4 or later to take part in the program.

Source: Wareable.com

Here are the winners of Mobile World Congress 2016

The Oscars might be awarding the best in its industry right now. But the recently concluded Mobile World Congress also awarded the best of the mobile tech industry. Some of the big winners include the LG G5 as the “Best new mobile device,” the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge as the “Best smartphone of 2015,” the “Best low cost smartphone” goes to Xiaomi Redmi 2, and the “Best mobile tablet” goes to Microsoft Surface Pro 4. There were 930 entrants this year and these were narrowed down to 170 nominees until we ended up with the 42 winners. The other winners of MWC are listed after the jump if you’re curious to check it out.

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Samsung reportedly looking to make Gear S2 iOS compatible

Samsung might be looking to join Android Wear’s push to be iOS compatible. According to a report from Digital Sky, spokespeople from Samsung confirmed that they were looking into the possibility of extending into iOS. The Tizen-powered Gear wearables used to only be compatible with Galaxy devices but with the Gear S2 Samsung’s opened up to the rest of Android. And it might also be the first device to be compatible with the iPhone, too.

Well, at least they are looking at the possibility. It’s not confirmed yet but if this happens, then the Apple Watch will be the only wearable that doesn’t support other platforms. What do you think? If Samsung makes the jump, would you consider getting a Gear S2?

Source: Digital Sky | Via: 9to5Mac

Samsung outs Gear S2 smartwatch

Samsung outs three new versions of its seventh smartwatch release. The Gear S2 smartwatch comes in classic, standard, and 3G. The classic model features a black case and black leather band. The standard version features a dark gray case and matching rubber band or silver case with white rubber band. And the 3G version has the same design of the standard but with 3G cellular network capabilities. Each version features an 11.4-millimeter thick watch with 1.2-inch diameter touch display (360 x 360 resolution). They run on a 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB RAM, and 4GB internal storage space. Samsung promises a two- to three-day battery life. You can charge it wirelessly. It comes with NFC, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth connectivity options. And as mentioned before, it runs on Tizen. 

You can navigate the interface by rotating the bezel or use the dedicated Home and Back buttons. It'll come with a 24-hour fitness activity log, similar to the Apple Watch, and help you track your fitness goals. No word on pricing and availability yet but we should hear more about it from IFA. 

Source: MacRumors