Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 Release Date Reveals No Android, What Does This Mean?
The Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 release date is almost upon us but some fans may be shocked to hear that the new smartwatch won’t be running Android.
In a related report by The Inquisitr, a Galaxy Gear 2 release date has been speculated about since CES 2014 in January. With Best Buy and AT&T dropping prices on the original Samsung smart watch, many were expecting an announcement to come at the MWC that kicks off in Barcelona.
And they were right. Inside the Galaxy Gear 2 is a 1 GHz dual-core CPU, 512 MB of RAM, 4GB of internal memory, and a 2 megapixel camera. There’s also a heart rate sensor, gyroscope, and a pedometer. The 300mAh battery should allow the smartwatch to operate between two to three days. But of course what everyone will be looking at is the 1.63-inch Super AMOLED 320 x 320 display. Samsung also announced the Samsung Gear 2 Neo, which dumps the built-in camera and makes it weigh less
Still, what has everyone talking is how the Galaxy Gear 2 forsakes Android and uses Tizen, an open source operating system based upon Linux. So what does this even mean? Time speculates that Samsung is attempting to distance itself from Google and Android in favor of a custom operating system:
“Switching operating systems for a line of watches is a much less momentous decision than it would be to do the same for smartphones. But of all the manufacturers which have built hardware businesses around Android, Samsung is the one which might have the ambition and resources to wean itself off Android, if it ever felt the need. And if the company ever makes a serious effort to do so, it’ll likely be in favor of Tizen.”
Personally, I think the scenario presented by this analysis seems very unlikely. For the most part smart devices are defined by their apps and the capabilities they provide. If Samsung were to try and switch more of its product line over to Tizen there would need to be enough apps in order to make this a smart business decision.
The recent Tizen App Challenge attempted to fill in this gap by offering several million dollars, which ended up being split by 54 entrants. It’s been reported that other tech companies have decided to not use Tizen for their smartphone designs, which should hurt the chances of developers supporting the platform.
In the end, the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 may use Tizen but it’s still likely to support a communications interface that functions with multiple other operating systems, including Samsung’s own Galaxy S series of smartphones. What do you think?
