Friday, October 25, 2013

Android 4.3 brings Gear support for Galaxy S4, S3 and Note 2 - CNET UK

Samsung’s Galaxy Gear will soon work with a host of other Samsung mobiles, as the South Korean tech giant expands the usefulness of its smart watch.

The wrist-occupier will soon work with the Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4 and Note 2 smart phones, Samsung has confirmed. Compatibility for these high-profile mobiles will arrive via the Android 4.3 update, which is already arriving across Europe, and should be in the UK imminently.

Samsung is also making the Galaxy Gear – which up until now was only compatible with the Galaxy Note 3 – play nice with less high-tech Samsung phones.

The Galaxy S4 Mini, S4 Active, S4 Zoom, Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3 will also benefit from Gear support, although compatibility for these phones will arrive via a ‘separate software update’ that begins at the end of October, Samsung says.

Samsung’s Galaxy Gear has buckets of potential, and looks dead classy, ??but a lack of basic features meant we could only award it two and a half stars in our review.

We also complained about the need to own the expensive Note 3 in order to make the Gear work. Bringing support to a broader range of mobiles is definitely the first step for Samsung when it comes to making its smart watch more tempting.

Samsung says the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean update will bring “easier text input, and updated graphics and multimedia”. You also get Samsung’s Knox security app, a Smart Switch app to quickly swap media from other phones to Samsung gadgets, Samsung HomeSync and Group Play 2.5 with shared video support.

Would you buy the £ 300 Galaxy Gear? Let me know in the comments, or on our Facebook wall.

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