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Hi,
I'm tempted to get a gear s2, initially I liked the moto 360 and even the LG Urbane was quite tempting, but the gear s2 is just the perfect smart watch design with the rotating bezel. My only concern is lack of apps at the moment. Sadly I can't seem to access the gear s2 app store without owning an S2 so I can't look at apps available. Also a shame google now isn't part of it despite it running tizen, is S-voice any good on the S2?
For those who own the S2, what apps are available at the moment and are apps like facebook, gmail etc available or at least a good alternative so that you can look at newsfeed or something? Also do you feel like apps are being developed quite quickly or do you reckon developers wouldn't bother with the gear s2?
Best reason to have this watch is its look, especially Classic variant with its interchangeable bands. Rotating bezel is also a great feature which makes this watch unique.
Battery is much good comapred to its rivals, you can be sure it will last full day with very high usage. I charge my watch once per 2 days. appstore is poor for now though.
Some find this watch small, but it`s matter of taste.
For those who own the S2, what apps are available at the moment and are apps like facebook, gmail etc available or at least a good alternative so that you can look at newsfeed or something? Also do you feel like apps are being developed quite quickly or do you reckon developers wouldn't bother with the gear s2?
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Development pace is not as quick as I`d wish for now. You have few apps for news like CNN, Flipboard News Briefing and Bloomberg.
No social apps and to be honest, I don`t need them on my watch. You can always get notification form Facabook, Twitter, Gmail, etc.
Would you recommend this watch over an android wear watch?
I have had the pebble, lg g watch, and moto 360 but i enjoy my gear s2 the best
I tried the S2 Classic, Moto 360 2nd Gen, LG Urbane and the Huawei Watch and the Huawei is BY FAR My Favorite Watch...
I still prefer the Gear 2.
Samsung do the basics well but S Voice is useless. App wise Samsung are much the same bet I think these watches are just for key notifications not dozens of clumsy apps.
I have Moto 360, Huawei Watch and just ordered Gear S2 (dont tell the wife!) I love the Huawei Watch but the rotating bezel is the killer function for me.
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Yeah the Huawei watch looks nice, only thing bad about it is the way it charges, moto360 and gear s2 is how a smart watch should be charged. But agreed the gear s2's rotating bezel is the best smart watch control shame it doesn't run android wear like a custom version of it so it works well with the bezel. Just hope app developers see the potential in the gear s2 over the previous gear watch as compared with android wear watches and the apple watch, I'm not sure developers are going to see any point in spending time and money developing for a watch that isn't going to sell. So I'm hoping the rotating bezel is enough to get people to buy it and get developers wanting to develop apps for it.
I bought a Huawei watch at the same time I got my Gear S2 Classic, and I returned the Huawei a few days later. My feelings are much the same as they were a year and a half ago when I was choosing between the original Pebble and the LG G Watch: while Android Wear might have more developer support and therefore more apps, it is a horrible OS. Google has put all its faith into a combination of voice control and automated content; most of the time you're relying on what Google Now decides you want to see, rather than what you actually want to see, and getting anything else without using voice control means hunting through a menu system that is downright irritating - an impression that's made worse by the swiping every whichway on notifications, which often doesn't work how you'd expect. Tizen doesn't have a lot of developer support yet and if you don't have a Samsung phone it's even worse since you can't get paid apps at this point, but it is a much better OS, hands-down. And really, what is a smartwatch for? Do you need to be able to browse eBay and swipe people on Tinder from a tiny screen on your wrist? I don't. I want a smartwatch to eliminate all the times in a day I would otherwise pull my phone out of my pocket for ten seconds or less, and that means showing me notifications, letting me send quick responses, displaying my calendar and the weather, and maybe other useful watch tools like timer/stopwatch. The Gear S2 does all that perfectly well, with a better OS and better hardware than any Android Wear device. With all the coverage this watch is getting apps may come in larger numbers, but if they don't, I'm happy.
To each his own, I love Android Wear. For me the Rotating Bezel is cool and all, but APP support is the HUGE issue. I think by the time Developers make APPS the S2 Classic will be obsolete. I have both and the one thing I notice is that the display (to me) is a lot clearer and I love the fact that you can change watch faces. I'm keeping the S2 Classic to see what the future has in store for it. For now the Huawei Watch is my Daily Driver.
So far I'm thinking no its not. Hardly any apps mostly just watch faces. My battery makes it half a day and I think that's because it's always lighting up even when I'm not looking at it. No social apps. Ebay only works if connected by bluetooth so no notifications on an item ending soon if your away from your phone. I just don't see it as a stand alone device if I can't text or use apps without my phone nearby. O and there is no browser at all which is weird seeing as how it has 3g connection.
I moved from a 360 to the S2 because sometimes I don't want voice commands. No regrets. I love the build quality, bezel and how Samsung decided to manage access, notifications to the left and apps the the right then widgets more to the right. It does most of the things I want on my wrist and a great job of passing off to my phone. I would like a search and loyalty card app. More important than tizen apps is getting continuing to improve the Gear app so it hooks in better with non Samsung watches and iPhones.
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Hi,
I finally got a gear S2 classic today and loving it so far except the lack of apps. I'm just wondering if it will ever take off or are app developers too interested in Android wear and apple watch to not want to put time into developing for the S2? Seems a shame because there is so much potential with the use of the bezel and I'd love to have apps like Shazam and some kind of LiFX smart bulb control as well but no one seems to be developing for it. Sadly I can't code to save my life else I would do it but would like to see more big name devs making apps for the S2.
Do you guys reckon it'll eventually catch up closer to android wear and the apple watch?
You have no idea how much I wish it did. I don't understand why...I had the first gear and the second. I sold them because of lack of apps, i told myself next time its android wear, then the S2 was announced and it was way better looking than anything else, and yet, we still lack support from official apps. The problem are not the devs themselves, its the major companies. Its also the fact that Apple has some many non-tech people that use their products and buy whatever they sell with their mouths wide open that the market is easier for anybody coding. If you ask me, the apple watch is a disaster, it looks old fashion, it lacks any feature that makes it envious from others, it barely is able to make it though the day, and it lags. And yet, it outsold any other MUCH better watch.
For some reason, the market just doesn't respond to Samsungs efforts in wearables. They have always had watches that were different, they had a camera, a IR blaster, a 3G/4G standalone version, a curved version, now a rotating bezel... Is it Tizen? Is it the lack of a good SDK? Or not enough to gain from spending money to code an app? All i've learned from the past years smartwatches is they are still a very primitive accessory, it just doesn't offer too much to anybody...Apple, Google, or Pebble, it simply is an extension of the smartphone and until it can do something different, I wont see any advancement. I love my S2, but I'm always an early adopter, a tech lover, and most people that wear smartwatches some at some level similar. I guess a watch is just not as exiting as a VR headset, which by the way is absolutely mindblowing and I have no doubt a lot of people will switch from who ever to Samsung until other companies start to play catch up. until them, Samsung have a HUGE head start and they better make something of it
It's a shame Samsungs watches have never had a lot of dev support. I've only owned a Sony Smart watch first gen (MN2) which while not the best looking watch, it still had a pretty good app selection though that said not as much as the S2 though it did have a app for controlling sphero (an RC ball) by tilting the watch, an app I can't get on the S2.
I've been talking to the dev who made TaskS2 and a big problem according to him is that Samsung have bad API documentation and devs have to know Java. Where as android wear uses similar coding to Android phones and I'll assume the apple watch is the same. I'm hoping it'll take off when Samsung make it iphone compatible but doubt it'll have many features except to have notifications. If samsung has any sense they'll make sure it works 100% with non samsung androids and iphones making it more appealing to different people. There is so much potential in the bezel though to create some pretty cool apps that use it but so far doesn't seem like it's going to get much dev support.
I also feel that the gear store is a let down. Doesn't feel as well polished as the Iphone app store or Google play and I reckon if Samsung would let gear S2 apps be downloaded from the play store it might receive more attention. They should also recode tizen so it's easier for devs to make apps. I hope Samsung doesn't let the S2 go under like previous Samsung watches that too had potential but Samsung didn't seem to do everything to really kick it off.
If samsung watches pick up market share then it will be more lucrative for devs. Otherwise devs will continue to focus on apple and, to a lesser extent, android wear. People just aren't seeing a need for smartwatches (because currently there really isn't one). As hardware and functionality improve this could change, but smartwatches in general are not yet really generating enough public interest to warrant more devs jumping on board. I love my Gear S2 classic, but mostly for the look and customization options, not because of the functionality or because I "need" to have it. My phone is always with me anyways, and is much easier for browsing, texting, emails, etc. As a watch though my Classic is unique
Mods, please move if this is in the wrong place. I am looking to buy a smartwatch and am looking at the Pebble Time Round, the Pebble Time Steel and the Samsung Gear S2. I have a Galaxy Note 3 phone. After reading lots of reviews and looking at You Tube videos I am leaning towards the S2 but have seen a lot of comments about a small amount of Tizen apps available. Without having a smartwatch is there a way to look at what is available in the Tizen store? Any help appreciated.
Between those three, Gear S2. All the way.
That's what I'm thinking at the moment. But I would like to see what apps are available before I decide if anyone can help please?
Pinmac said:
That's what I'm thinking at the moment. But I would like to see what apps are available before I decide if anyone can help please?
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I don't think there is a way.
I used Pebbles for 2 years before my S2. The app store beyond watchfaces is pretty poor with the S2. Pebble has many more apps. That being said, I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. S2 performs the core functions very well and that's what I use a smartwatch for.
Best advice. Get an S2 from a place like Best Buy. Try it out. Return it if it isn't your thing.
Unfortunately, I'm in the UK so we don't have a Best Buy or anywhere local I can try it out. Our returns policies are different too. You can return something you buy online within 30 days but, unless it's faulty, only if it's not been opened. That's not much use for tech stuff!
But you could take Amazon that there are in UK also.
The S2 was my first smartwatch, bought last October, shortly after release. I've been using it almost every day since then. There have been things I didn't like:
The ambient mode watch face (what you see most of the time) wasn't detailed enough for me to tell at a glance exactly what time it was. I tired of having to shake my wrist to tell the time.
The vibration wasn't (and isn't) strong enough to always get my attention.
So, I thought I might try the Pebble Time Round, since it's active face is always on. It is, but it's a much lower resolution and just not very pleasing to look at. The vibration, while perhaps just a tad stronger, still wasn't enough. The watch itself is just much less substantial feeling, more like a toy than a real watch. I sent it back, and continue to use my original S2.
A recent Samsung update made some improvements in the ambient faces available, so that problem's been solved, for me.
While there aren't as many apps, currently, as you'll find for Android Wear or Pebble, the S2 has only been out for about six months. We're starting to see more, and I'm guessing that will continue with time.
Anyway, that's my experience with both watches. Hope it helps.
It's silly that Samsung doesn't provide better, public info. on Tizen apps, but there are some partial lists of available S2 watch apps here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/gear-s2/themes-apps/phone-apps-compatible-gear-s2-t3243019
http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-gear-s2/599771-list-apps-work-gear-s2-please-add-here.html
Thanks for all the answers. We do have Amazon but their returns policy is also that any return has to be "in a saleable condition". How you're supposed to find out whether you like something or not I don't know! I really appreciate your "real world" experiences, supersoulfly and Nickdeck, especially as my original thought was the Pebble Time Round. Being female, my wrists aren't big and I thought it would look better but I keep seeing comments about the dullness of the screen and also the big bezel puts me off. tstreete, your list is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. I think that, with the Samsung being my first smartwatch, I'm going to be more impressed by what it can do than looking for things it can't. Thanks again for everyone's help.
No reason to check gear s2 store, its empty.. But the clock is working very nice but there is no good apps..
Just hope they come out with a bigger Gear S2 watch.
I wish that also I find the Gear to be very small on the wrist
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Hi
I got a Huawei watch, but not functioning so good anymore.. Been rough on it. How is the gear s3 with apps, overall features and how useful are they really?
Would you buy the gear s3 again or would you go for a android wear?
What are some pros and cons?
Anything you can tell me, so I can make a proper decision.
Thanks in advance
Right answer -depends.
Heres a couple of things putting it before you.
The frontier and classic do come closest to a normal watch. Design, hardware - really great. I bet the hardware is future proof enough. Also, from what i have read- the gear s3 has a 64 bit processor- probably first of its kind in a wearable tech device.
Now software- is designed good. The bezel navigation is great. But the lack of apps is really bugging me. This ecosystem has been in market for a while, but still lacks official apps like google maps ( i miss it so much).
Battery life- u cant beat it, unless u in the pebble universe.
Really the lack of apps drives me crazy.
Other than that- lets say u wanna use it as a basic smart watch for notifications and have something on wrist that looks close to a traditional watch- this is the one.
If you really need apps and were depending on em on the Huawei watch, u will probably be disappointed. Sometimes i wonder why samsung had to reinvent the wheel. I mean i have heard good things coming up in the Android wear 2.0. Or at least, samsung who has plenty resources, at least has build a solid ecosystem tizen, allocate enough resources etc. Samsung ya hear?
Forgot to add, despite all the above points, the gear s3 is one of the most sought after watch recently. Like for real, this thing was out of stock and pretty hard to get for a month. Now it has started appearing in stock. If you had bought the watch for the sale price of 299 during holidays or preorder- i think it is okay. If you have to pay 349, i would think a coupla times. Because when u use it on a daily basis, its not the 64 bit chip or hardware or bezel that matters most, the functionality and how useful it is that matters. I come from an Apple watch- and i am 100% on the side they are over priced for what they can do. But at least they have a platform thats solid. Tizen, not so. And who knows whats the future of tizen. I mean the gear s2 has been here for a while and the gear s3 is a big time hit, yet you dont see much app development.
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Hello Guys, I am thinking about wether to buy this watch or the Huawei Watch 2. Maybe someone could give his or her opinion and satisfaction about the available Apps in Tizen. What I am going to die with it? Especially I would Like to track Training in Gym.
Android all Life!
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There are hardly any apps on Tizen FYI.
I had the Huawei watch 2 classic for about two weeks then returned it for the Gear S3. The screen was WAY too small, and I couldn't even get through the day on the battery. Plus, once you've had a gear watch, it's REALLY hard not having the scrolling screen with widgets and such.
BUT, if your main interest is fitness/gym, AW all the way. The Google Fit Workout app is amazing. It very accurately tracks each exercise and rep count, then at the end of each set has a rest timer. I miss that app a LOT! Samsung Health kind of blows. And the UA record works fine (not even close to fit workout though either), but it has bad syncing problems (and you have to sync with health before anything else you use).
If you want looks and a nice UI, go with the gear, if you want apps and a great fitness tracker, AW. I would go with the LG sport though instead of the Huawei. 1.4 inch screen v. 1.2. You'll seriously appreciate that difference in size. I hear battery life is much better too.
gettinwicked said:
There are hardly any apps on Tizen FYI.
I had the Huawei watch 2 classic for about two weeks then returned it for the Gear S3. The screen was WAY too small, and I couldn't even get through the day on the battery. Plus, once you've had a gear watch, it's REALLY hard not having the scrolling screen with widgets and such.
BUT, if your main interest is fitness/gym, AW all the way. The Google Fit Workout app is amazing. It very accurately tracks each exercise and rep count, then at the end of each set has a rest timer. I miss that app a LOT! Samsung Health kind of blows. And the UA record works fine (not even close to fit workout though either), but it has bad syncing problems (and you have to sync with health before anything else you use).
If you want looks and a nice UI, go with the gear, if you want apps and a great fitness tracker, AW. I would go with the LG sport though instead of the Huawei. 1.4 inch screen v. 1.2. You'll seriously appreciate that difference in size. I hear battery life is much better too.
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Thank you for the Post and Suggestion. So as I Understand, there is no app in Tizen store, that could record a full workout? It is not that much important for me, that the watch recognizes the exercise, duration and... Automatically. It is only important, that there is an app to create workouts and type in the watch which exercise I did and the reps like Fitness Point, if you could give it a look. It is a shame, that there is no possibility to take a look at the store...
I wear a FitBit and Gear S3. It may look a little funny, but I don't care. I use the FitBit to track my health metrics and the Gear for everything else. The FitBit does continuous HR monitoring, detailed sleep analysis, and daily activity. The Gear has inferior hardware and software in these areas. But the Gear is a great smartwatch and mobile payment device.
If workout metrics are important, you may want to consider wearing a device specifically to capture that data. There are many smart heartrate monitors that work with a smartphone or connect to gym equipment monitors. I've used a Wahoo Tickr.