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Samsung claims there are over a thousand apps for its Galaxy Gear smartwatches

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An infographic posted by Samsung claims there are more than a thousand apps for its Galaxy Gear smartwatches (actually, it claims “more than a thousand of Gear Apps,” but we’ll gloss over that).

The number is presumably aimed at people like me, who still look at smartwatches in a somewhat bemused fashion, viewing them as a solution in search of a problem. “Look at all the things they can do,” is the message here.

I don’t doubt the number, but quantity of apps doesn’t tell us much about their usefulness – and when Samsung chooses to lead its top five recommended apps with one that measures how much water we’re drinking, I have to say that does nothing to persuade me that the devices are so far little more than a novelty …

Samsung and Apple will sew-up the smartwatch market, others will fail, predicts analyst

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Samsung and Apple will largely own the smartwatch market between them, predicts Jackdaw Research chief analyst Jan Dawson in a report being issued later today and seen by Re/code.

Dawson said that new players should “stay out of the market,” and existing players should scale back their plans.

“We do not recommend that existing vendors should maintain current levels of investment when market growth and the overall revenue opportunity remain poor,” Dawson said. “It is unlikely that more than one or two small vendors will be able to make a sustainable business out of smartwatches in the face of competition from Samsung and […] Apple” …


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Samsung aims to kickstart Tizen app development for smartwatches via $1.25M prize fund

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To paraphrase the old real-estate line, the three factors most likely to drive the success or failure of a new operating system are apps, apps and apps. If Samsung is going to get its new Tizen-powered Gear 2 and Gear 2 Nano smartwatches to take off, it needs apps, and lots of them.

To persuade developers to create apps for what is currently a tiny market, the company has announced the Samsung Gear App Challenge, offering a total of $1.25M in prize money for the best Tizen apps. Samsung made the announcement in conjunction with Hackathon and Developer Day events in six countries to date, with more to follow.

The competition is scheduled to begin on 8th May.

If you’re still wondering which of the Gear smartwatches might be best for you, check out our detailed comparison.

Via SamMobile

 

Samsung posts (very!) detailed videos for the Galaxy S5 and Gear smartwatches

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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOIGUfAlMY0]

Samsung’s description of a nine-minute video as a ‘quick look’ at the Gear 2 and Gear Fit smartwatches may be about as accurate as its claim that they are everything users “loved” about the original Gear, but if you want to know everything the watches do and how to do it in full detail, this video is your friend.

The Galaxy S5 video (below the fold) is a little shorter, at a touch under eight minutes … 
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