Leaked Photos: Samsung Smartwatch Prototype Looks Clumsy

Leaked photos of the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch, due to be unveiled on Wednesday in Berlin, have not impressed online commentators, who have branded it a “blocky health tracker”.

The smartwatch, due to be shown at the IFA show in Berlin on 4 September, is supposedly a pre-emptive strike in a battle where products including Apple’s rumoured iWatch, and smartwatches from Google and Microsoft create a new category of intelligent device.  However, leaked photos of  a Samsung watch, shown on VentureBeat, appear to have a more limited scope.

Samsung smartwatch – only a prototype

The photos are of  a prototype, which was shown to VentureBeat, along with a video that Samsung shared with possible partners. They show what looks like a shrunken Galaxy smartphone with a wrist strap, and major on a possible role as a health monitor.

The display is about 2.5 inches, and the strap and clasp are large, containing speakers and a camera. The watch connects by Bluetooth with Galaxy tablets and phones, and seems intended to operate as an alarm for functions on those devices. It also has Wi-Fi for limited independent operation.

According to the leaks, the battery life may be as low as ten hours.

Some sources suggest it will run a Samsung-owned operating system (Tizen?), and some have seen this as a bid for independence from Google’s Android OS. Others confidently state it uses a cut-down version of Android with keyboard features removed.

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