<s>
The	O
Samsung	B-Application
Galaxy	I-Application
Gear	I-Application
is	O
a	O
smartwatch	B-Application
produced	O
by	O
Samsung	O
Electronics	O
in	O
the	O
Samsung	O
Gear	O
family	O
of	O
devices	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unveiled	O
during	O
a	O
Samsung	O
Unpacked	O
event	O
in	O
Berlin	O
,	O
Germany	O
on	O
September	O
4	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
the	O
device	O
serves	O
as	O
a	O
companion	O
for	O
all	O
Samsung	B-Operating_System
Galaxy	I-Operating_System
smartphones	B-Application
and	O
tablets	B-Device
which	O
runs	O
on	O
Android	B-Application
4.3	I-Application
"	I-Application
Jelly	I-Application
Bean	I-Application
"	I-Application
or	O
newer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
released	O
as	O
an	O
Android-based	O
device	O
,	O
Samsung	O
replaced	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
with	O
Tizen	B-Application
through	O
the	O
May	O
2014	O
software	O
update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Gear	O
's	O
successor	O
,	O
the	O
Gear	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
April	O
11	O
,	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
of	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
came	O
in	O
the	O
midst	O
of	O
a	O
push	O
towards	O
the	O
growing	O
smartwatch	B-Application
market	O
;	O
Samsung	O
's	O
main	O
competitor	O
Apple	O
had	O
been	O
the	O
subject	O
of	O
rumors	O
suggesting	O
an	O
upcoming	B-Device
watch	I-Device
product	I-Device
,	O
while	O
the	O
Kickstarter-backed	O
Pebble	B-Device
(	O
which	O
reached	O
mass-market	O
availability	O
in	O
July	O
2013	O
)	O
has	O
been	O
credited	O
with	O
creating	O
mainstream	O
interest	O
in	O
the	O
concept	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
August	O
2013	O
,	O
Bloomberg	O
reported	O
that	O
"	O
two	O
people	O
familiar	O
with	O
the	O
matter	O
"	O
claimed	O
Samsung	O
would	O
introduce	O
a	O
smartwatch	B-Application
,	O
tentatively	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
'	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
 '	O
,	O
on	O
September	O
4	O
,	O
2013	O
during	O
a	O
Samsung	O
Unpacked	O
event	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
IFA	O
consumer	O
electronics	O
trade	O
show	O
in	O
Berlin	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Samsung	O
was	O
also	O
expected	O
to	O
unveil	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Note	I-Application
3	I-Application
phablet	B-Application
during	O
the	O
event	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
The	O
Korea	O
Times	O
published	O
on	O
August	O
27	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
Lee	O
Young-hee	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
would	O
"	O
enhance	O
and	O
enrich	O
the	O
current	O
smart	O
mobile	O
experience	O
in	O
many	O
ways	O
"	O
,	O
would	O
"	O
lead	O
a	O
new	O
trend	O
in	O
smart	O
mobile	O
communications	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
add	O
meaningful	O
momentum	O
to	O
the	O
mobile	O
industry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Samsung	O
officially	O
unveiled	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
on	O
September	O
4	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
release	O
date	O
set	O
for	O
September	O
25	O
,	O
2013	O
(	O
although	O
its	O
release	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
and	O
Japan	O
would	O
be	O
delayed	O
into	O
October	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
wireless	O
service	O
providers	O
,	O
as	O
an	O
incentive	O
,	O
have	O
also	O
offered	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
bundle	O
with	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Note	I-Application
3	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
promote	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
,	O
Samsung	O
released	O
two	O
television	O
advertisements	O
,	O
"	O
Evolution	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
A	O
Long	O
Time	O
Coming	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
ads	O
showcased	O
historical	O
depictions	O
of	O
smartwatch-like	O
devices	O
in	O
popular	O
culture	O
(	O
including	O
those	O
seen	O
in	O
Dick	B-Application
Tracy	I-Application
,	O
Star	B-Operating_System
Trek	I-Operating_System
,	O
The	B-Application
Jetsons	I-Application
,	O
Predator	O
,	O
and	O
Inspector	B-Application
Gadget	I-Application
)	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
tagline	O
"	O
After	O
all	O
these	O
years	O
,	O
it	O
's	O
finally	O
real.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Samsung	B-Application
Galaxy	I-Application
Gear	I-Application
's	O
watch	O
design	O
was	O
exclusively	O
leaked	O
to	O
VentureBeat	O
reporter	O
Christina	O
Farr	O
by	O
an	O
unnamed	O
source	O
several	O
days	O
prior	O
to	O
its	O
Berlin	O
release	O
on	O
September	O
4	O
,	O
2013	O
,	O
generating	O
widespread	O
global	O
interest	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
is	O
powered	O
by	O
a	O
dual-core	B-Architecture
,	O
1,600	O
MHz	O
Exynos	O
4212	O
system-on-chip	B-Architecture
,	O
that	O
was	O
scaled	O
back	O
to	O
one	O
core	B-Device
,	O
800	O
MHz	O
to	O
help	O
save	O
battery	O
life	O
,	O
and	O
contains	O
a	O
320-pixel-wide	O
square-shaped	O
Super	O
AMOLED	B-Algorithm
touchscreen	B-Device
display	O
with	O
a	O
pixel	B-Algorithm
density	I-Algorithm
of	O
277	O
ppi	B-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
band	O
contains	O
a	O
1.9-megapixel	O
camera	O
with	O
a	O
back-illuminated	B-Algorithm
sensor	I-Algorithm
,	O
auto-focus	O
,	O
and	O
720p	O
video	O
recording	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
a	O
speaker	O
and	O
two	O
noise-cancelling	O
microphones	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
also	O
includes	O
4GB	O
of	O
internal	O
memory	O
,	O
512MB	O
of	O
RAM	O
,	O
an	O
accelerometer	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
gyroscope	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
device	O
contains	O
a	O
315	O
mAh	O
battery	O
;	O
the	O
device	O
itself	O
does	O
not	O
contain	O
a	O
charging	O
port	O
and	O
must	O
be	O
placed	O
inside	O
a	O
special	O
Micro	O
USB-equipped	O
charging	O
case	O
,	O
which	O
also	O
contains	O
an	O
NFC	O
tag	O
that	O
is	O
used	O
for	O
the	O
initial	O
setup	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
is	O
designed	O
to	O
IP55	O
specifications	O
with	O
dust	O
resistance	O
and	O
protection	O
from	O
short-term	O
exposure	O
to	O
water	O
jets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
communicate	O
with	O
a	O
host	O
device	O
,	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
uses	O
Bluetooth	B-General_Concept
Low	I-General_Concept
Energy	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
only	O
Android	B-Application
4.3	I-Application
and	O
later	O
offer	O
native	O
support	O
for	O
Bluetooth	B-General_Concept
LE	I-General_Concept
,	O
only	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Note	I-Application
3	I-Application
and	O
Galaxy	B-Device
Note	I-Device
10.1	I-Device
2014	I-Device
Edition	I-Device
,	O
the	O
first	O
Samsung	O
devices	O
to	O
ship	O
with	O
4.3	O
,	O
were	O
supported	O
by	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
on	O
launch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shortly	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
,	O
Samsung	O
began	O
rolling	O
out	O
Android	B-Application
4.3	I-Application
updates	O
for	O
its	O
other	O
recent	O
devices	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
S	I-Application
III	I-Application
,	O
S4	B-Application
and	O
Note	B-Operating_System
II	I-Operating_System
,	O
to	O
ensure	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
compatibility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
uses	O
an	O
Android	B-Application
or	O
Tizen-based	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
with	O
a	O
minimalistic	O
interface	O
and	O
gesture-based	O
navigation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
pair	O
the	O
watch	O
with	O
a	O
smartphone	B-Application
or	O
tablet	B-Device
as	O
its	O
host	O
device	O
,	O
the	O
user	O
must	O
first	O
install	O
the	O
Gear	O
Manager	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
configure	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
settings	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
clock	O
display	O
's	O
color	O
and	O
appearance	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
manage	O
and	O
install	O
apps	O
via	O
Samsung	B-Application
Apps	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Notifications	O
can	O
be	O
synced	O
from	O
the	O
host	O
device	O
and	O
displayed	O
on	O
the	O
Gear	O
's	O
screen	O
when	O
received	O
;	O
a	O
preview	O
of	O
a	O
notification	O
's	O
content	O
is	O
displayed	O
on	O
the	O
watch	O
itself	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
Smart	O
Relay	O
feature	O
allows	O
users	O
to	O
open	O
content	O
displayed	O
on	O
Gear	O
on	O
their	O
smartphone	B-Application
or	O
tablet	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
S	B-General_Concept
Voice	I-General_Concept
can	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
basic	O
voice	O
commands	O
and	O
voice	O
dictation	O
for	O
certain	O
apps	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Phone	O
calls	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
answered	O
and	O
placed	O
from	O
the	O
watch	O
(	O
the	O
dialer	O
is	O
launched	O
by	O
swiping	O
up	O
on	O
the	O
clock	O
display	O
)	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
"	O
Find	O
My	O
Device	O
"	O
tool	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
locate	O
the	O
watch	O
with	O
a	O
phone	O
or	O
tablet	B-Device
,	O
or	O
vice	O
versa	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Photos	O
and	O
videos	O
can	O
be	O
stored	O
to	O
the	O
device	O
's	O
internal	O
storage	O
,	O
or	O
immediately	O
transferred	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
phone	O
or	O
tablet	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
media	O
controller	O
for	O
music	O
or	O
video	O
being	O
played	O
by	O
the	O
phone	O
or	O
tablet	B-Device
is	O
also	O
provided	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
it	O
is	O
possible	O
to	O
sideload	O
other	O
Android	B-Application
apps	O
on	O
the	O
device	O
over	O
Android	B-Application
Debug	I-Application
Bridge	I-Application
(	O
ADB	O
)	O
,	O
their	O
usability	O
is	O
impaired	O
by	O
the	O
small	O
screen	O
,	O
and	O
an	O
inability	O
to	O
access	O
the	O
Internet	O
directly	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
May	O
30	O
,	O
2014	O
,	O
Samsung	O
released	O
the	O
version	O
2.2	O
firmware	B-Application
update	O
for	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
through	O
its	O
Kies	B-Application
desktop	O
software	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
update	O
replaces	O
the	O
Android-based	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
of	O
the	O
device	O
with	O
the	O
Tizen-based	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
of	O
its	O
successor	O
,	O
the	O
Samsung	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
received	O
generally	O
negative	O
comments	O
from	O
critics	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
an	O
example	O
,	O
critics	O
pointed	O
out	O
that	O
the	O
Android	B-Application
IMAP/POP3	O
email	O
client	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
display	O
full	O
notifications	O
with	O
message	O
previews	O
on	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
,	O
while	O
Gmail	B-Application
was	O
only	O
able	O
to	O
display	O
an	O
icon	O
and	O
directed	O
users	O
to	O
open	O
the	O
message	O
on	O
their	O
phone	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
limitations	O
surrounding	O
notifications	O
were	O
addressed	O
in	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
's	O
first	O
firmware	B-Application
update	O
,	O
which	O
allows	O
all	O
apps	O
to	O
display	O
notifications	O
with	O
previews	O
on	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ability	O
to	O
answer	O
phone	O
calls	O
on	O
the	O
device	O
was	O
praised	O
for	O
its	O
convenience	O
and	O
good	O
call	O
quality	O
(	O
drawing	O
comparisons	O
to	O
Dick	B-Application
Tracy	I-Application
)	O
,	O
while	O
its	O
camera	O
was	O
also	O
praised	O
for	O
having	O
unexpectedly	O
decent	O
quality	O
for	O
its	O
megapixel	O
size	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
device	O
's	O
reliance	O
on	O
Samsung	B-Operating_System
Galaxy	I-Operating_System
devices	O
with	O
specific	O
versions	O
of	O
Android	B-Application
was	O
also	O
criticized	O
,	O
along	O
with	O
its	O
poor	O
battery	O
life	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
considered	O
more	O
comparable	O
to	O
a	O
smartphone	B-Application
than	O
a	O
watch	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
infographic	O
posted	O
in	O
September	O
2013	O
,	O
TUAW	O
compared	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
to	O
the	O
sixth-generation	O
iPod	B-Device
Nano	I-Device
(	O
which	O
attracted	O
unofficial	O
watchband	O
accessories	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
similarly	O
square	O
form	O
factor	O
)	O
considering	O
the	O
three-year-old	O
MP3	O
player	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
"	O
better	O
,	O
cheaper	O
[smart]watch	O
 "	O
than	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
because	O
it	O
is	O
not	O
dependent	O
on	O
a	O
"	O
host	O
"	O
smartphone	B-Application
or	O
tablet	B-Device
,	O
and	O
contained	O
a	O
larger	O
number	O
of	O
features	O
than	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
(	O
including	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
,	O
primarily	O
,	O
store	O
and	O
play	O
music	O
from	O
the	O
device	O
itself	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
performed	O
poorly	O
in	O
terms	O
of	O
commercial	O
sales	O
;	O
in	O
late	O
October	O
2013	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reported	O
that	O
at	O
least	O
30%	O
of	O
the	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gear	I-Application
watches	O
sold	O
by	O
the	O
U.S.-based	O
chain	O
Best	O
Buy	O
were	O
being	O
returned	O
by	O
unsatisfied	O
customers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2013	O
,	O
Reuters	O
reported	O
that	O
company	O
sources	O
claimed	O
that	O
800,000	O
Galaxy	B-Application
Gears	I-Application
were	O
sold	O
worldwide	O
;	O
however	O
,	O
the	O
Korean	O
news	O
agency	O
Yonhap	O
disputed	O
the	O
report	O
,	O
believing	O
that	O
the	O
numbers	O
actually	O
referred	O
to	O
units	O
shipped	O
and	O
not	O
units	O
sold	O
.	O
</s>
