Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, which some are calling ‘the original smartwatch’ or ‘the smartwatch that was around before smartwatches were cool’, is soon to be brought in line with the latest and greatest smartwatches from Samsung, software-wise at any rate.
Samsung’s home-made Tizen operating system will finally be installed on the device, removing the existing Google Android OS and replacing it with a similar one. Tizen is a Linux based operating system developed by Samsung to decrease the need for using Google’s software in their products.
The operating system will soon be rolled out onboard Samsung’s new models of startwatch, which of course means that the Galaxy Gear will be updated with the software as well. All previous Android features will be removed and replaced with those found on Tizen, which may come as a shock at first, however, Samsung has stated that additional features will be available on the watch.
See also: First Tizen SmartPhone Announced for Russia
Such features include a sleep monitoring system, which keeps track of your sleep pattern, and a pedometer enhanced exercise mode. Additional new features have been announced by Samsung including better battery life, storage for songs, and support for bluetooth headphones.
On top of this, Tizen features a music app, a privacy lock, new font sizes and styles, as well as new wallpapers and clock faces out of the box.
However, SamMobile, during a preview of the device, have warned users that installing Tizen will wipe all the data stored on the Galaxy Gear, plus make some third-party apps unusable. Users will be glad to hear that the update is optional, meaning you can choose to get Tizen or not, nothing will force you to use the new OS. Of course, once Tizen is installed, there is no going back…
The Tizen update is available through the Kies installation system, which is the application included with the Galaxy Gear designed for connecting Samsung devices to a PC, but of course to make it easier we’ve included a Samsung-endorsed how to guide, which can be found here.
Source: SamMobile