Samsung’s first smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear, has numerous problems. It only lasts a day, the user interface is laggy, but the most egregious issue is compatibility. Out of the box, the Gear works with just one phone, the Note 3. If you don’t own a Note 3, then the Gear will basically be a glorified digital watch. That’ll obviously change over time, and a Samsung official who spoke to The Korea Times has shed some light on those timetables.
Starting with the most popular Galaxy device of this year, the GS4, that will gain Gear support at some point in October. Makes sense when you think about how many millions of Galaxy S4s are in the hands of people all over the world. And then there’s 2013’s flagship devices, the Galaxy S3 and the Galaxy Note II. Those will have to wait until December, which is a bit of a bummer, but then again it might not be since there are rumors of a Gear sequel being introduced in early 2014.
And there lies the real question. Forget about compatibility, should you even buy the Gear to begin with? Like many first generation Samsung products, the answer is undoubtedly no. In that same interview in The Korea Times, a Samsung official said the Gear “lacks something special”.
Why then would you want to buy it?
