Concept rendering courtesy of T3.com
Samsung may have beaten Apple to the punch when it comes to the smartwatch race. After weeks of speculation, a Samsung executive has reportedly confirmed that the Galaxy Gear smartwatch will be unveiled at an upcoming event on Sept. 4 alongside the Galaxy Note 3.
“We will be introducing a new wearable concept device called Galaxy Gear at our own event on Sept. 4,” Lee Young-hee, Samsung’s executive vice president of Samsung Mobile, told The Korea Times.
MORE: Samsung Galaxy Gear: 8 Things You Need to Know
Despite rumors suggesting that the Galaxy Gear would be the first gadget to take advantage of Samsung's flexible display technology, Young-hee says that the watch will sport a “non-flexible display.” According to the Samsung executive, the company had been preparing the smartwatch for a long time and is currently developing concepts for future wearable gadgets.
“We have intellectual properties for patents related to the next wearable devices,” she said. “Those are concepts for future products.”
Samsung has yet to confirm any other details about the Galaxy Gear, but persistent rumors have painted a picture of what we may see on Sept. 4. The watch is expected to come with a 2.5-inch OLED display and may be powered by a 1.5-GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos 4212 processor. The wearable device is also expected to feature a 2-megapixel camera and NFC support so that it can use S Beam with the company’s Galaxy smartphones.
Samsung has been one of the many major technology brands rumored to launch a smartwatch over the past several months, although its the only company to come forward and confirm such plans. Apple recently filed a trademark for the term “iWatch” in numerous countries and published a patent for a wrist-worn gadget back in February, sparking speculation that an iOS watch is in the company’s pipeline. Google and Microsoft are also rumored to launch their own respective smartwatches, while Sony’s successor to its first-generation smartwatch will debut in September as well.
via The Korea Times
