Samsung Gear Live

SAMSUNG GEAR LIVE

Samsung Goes Live!

While smart watches have been on the market for a few years now, none have had a "Standard Operating System" to work with until now!  Google has released the latest wearable operating system "ANDROID WEAR" to the market and now the race is on.  As of now there are only two options available for Android Wear the LG G Watch, and the Samsung Gear Live.  There is a third much anticipated watch coming soon labeled the Moto 360, but as stated it is coming soon and not yet available.  Also rumored is the LG G Watch 2.

LG G WATCH

I began my Android Wear Journey with the LG G Watch a few weeks ago (see my blog post on the LG G Watch).    While not my first, or even second choice it was what was available to satisfy the need for new tech at that moment.  At first sight the G watch is blocky, and boring but was surprisingly comfortable on the wrist.  The common response I got when I began wearing it in public to work was "is that a phone on your wrist".  When I began to explain what it was, and show what it could do the expression on the face of the person asking the questions began to change.  For people even somewhat interested in the latest tech you could see the wheels begin to turn.  The G Watch grew on me, and as comfortable as it was in a short sleeve shirt, when I put on a button down dress shirt for work I found it was no longer comfortable, it was a nuisance.  The large block body would get caught in my sleeve making it hard to check the time, and hard to pull my sleeve back over it.  The initial excitement went away quickly and I returned the watch within two weeks of getting it.

At the point which I returned the G Watch the Samsung Gear Live became available locally, and there was no doubt this was going to be my wearable device.  When you first pick the Samsung Gear Live up after wearing the LG G Watch you notice a more premium feel.  The body of the watch has a metal case with a curved plastic back that contours to your wrist.  When you first put it on the ridged rubbery wrist band can be a little tricky; however when snapped in it feels comfortable and makes sense.  I do wonder at times if it gets caught on something if it is going to hit the floor, but this has not been a problem yet.  The next instantly noticeable difference is just how good the display is.  Samsung did not cut corners with the beautiful 1.63" 320 x 320 Super Amoled display.  While still not perfect in direct sunlight the display is definitely an upgrade.  The colors pop, and the blacks are deep and dark.  The watch faces are different from manufacturer to manufacturer but both offer ample choices within the standard setup, and even more can be found on the Google Play Store.  

The next topic that seems to have become the elephant in the room for the Gear Live is the charging system.  Not much can be said other than this must have been a last minute "how do we charge this thing" moment at the Samsung design table.  For a company that has so many great ideas, this is horrible.  I read many consumer reviews that state they have broken their clip on chargers, and so I have been super careful with mine.  The first time you try to attach it you notice that it is just not intuitive.  If you are careful and take your time lining up the two nubs at the top of the charger with the two holes at the top of the watch back you will be fine.  I can see how people have been breaking this if they try to pull it off quickly rather than slowly applying pressure to the small tab on the right side.  If Samsung would follow LG's lead and make a quick mount magnetic charging base there would be almost nothing wrong with the hardware on the Gear Live.  The battery is also smaller on the Samsung Gear Live at 300 mah vs. the G Watch at 400 mah.  Even with the smaller battery the Gear live is able to make it almost two days with light use, and over one full day with heavier use.

  The concept of the standard operating system "Android Wear" is to make the user experience virtually the same from one brand to the next, short of minor hardware differences.  Obviously look and feel between the different brands is the major draw based on consumer preference.  Samsung has developed a (in my opinion) better looking product than the LG.  One of the offerings that Samsung has over LG is the heart rate monitor that is built into the watch.  This is more of a gimmick to many, but I could see this becoming useful for me when I run if it could work live without having to keep hitting the retest button.  Currently I have been using a Garmin GPS watch that hooks up to a wireless heart rate monitor for running.  It is also nice to use the Garmin because it does not require me to bring along my giant Samsung Galaxy Note 3.  The only downfall to the Garmin is it is not waterproof, and I am on my second one due to a 5K I ran in the rain that took out my first Garmin.  Rain should not be a problem for the Samsung or the LG as they are both water and dust resistant  rated IP67 devices.

 Lets face it the main reason you buy a watch is to tell time.  What good is it if you cannot see the current time.  With both of the current models available if you leave the display toggle to the "always on mode" you will be lucky to get one day of use.  With the LG G Watch I found that the display would activate on it's own, but even more annoying was that it would not activate when you turned your wrist toward you with the intent of looking at the current time.  With the Gear live it is a much more user friendly experience.  The beautiful display seems to illuminate at the precise moment you need it, and does not appear when you don't need it.  Also the Samsung Gear Live does not get the random notification that my watch has lost connection with my phone that I got frequently with the LG G Watch.  This may be that the Samsung platforms work well together, but the design of Android Wear is to be able to use any Android Wear smart watch with any Android phone and have a Cohesive experience.

GEAR LIVE PACKAGING

Other than battery, the display, and the heart rate monitor both watches have similar hardware specs.
The Gear Live specs are as follows:
Operating System: Android Wear
Display: 1.63" Super AMOLED 320x320
Size: 1.49"x2.57"x0.54"  
Weight 2.12 oz.
CPU: 1.2 GHz Processor
Internal Memory: 512MB RAM, 4GB Internal Storage
Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0 LE
Sensors: Heart Rate, Compass, Gyro, Accelerometer. 

        Battery: 300mAh
        IP67: Dust and Water Resistant.

So far with the short time I have been using the Samsung Gear Live I am impressed.  The feel is good, the look is also good but could stand to be a little more low profile.  With future updates that come I am sure Android Wear will become even more user friendly, and just plain more useful.  Right now if you use any Android Wear device for receiving your basic notifications on your wrist you will find it a treat to not have to pull your bulky phone out of your pocket, or purse.  Hopefully soon these devices will allow for viewing text msgs. and email in full including pictures etc without having to pull out your phone.  Initially I intended on getting the Moto 360 by Motorola; however I have been impressed enough by the Gear live that I feel this could get me comfortably through the next couple of years without feeling like I have an old piece of technology that needs an updated look.  If you are on the fence you may want to wait to see what the LG G watch 2 looks like, or even what the Motorola Moto 360 will bring to the competition.  Any way you look at it the Android Wear OS is promising, and I am sure with the updates to come we will find an even better experience in wearable technology.