Samsung’s new curved Gear S smartwatch will go on sale starting Nov. 7, adding more consumer choice to the rapidly expanding smartwatch marketplace.
The Gear S, with a two-inch curved Super AMOLED display, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 4GB of memory and built-in 3G connectivity, will be available through AT&T starting Nov. 7 and through T-Mobile on Nov. 9, according to the companies. Verizon Wireless and Sprint will also offer the Gear S, though their launch dates were not immediately announced. The devices, which will come in black or white, will also be available in Best Buy stores.
The Gear S, which works in conjunction with a compatible Samsung smartphone for some features, allows users to make calls, get information and notifications and perform a wide range of other tasks. Cellular calls and texts can be sent or received by the smartwatch without being connected to a smartphone. The dust and water-resistant smartwatch also includes a QWERTY keyboard, the S Health fitness app and a 300-mAh battery that provides up to about five hours of talk time.
AT&T will sell the Gear S for $199.99 with a two-year agreement, while the smartwatch can be added to an AT&T Mobile Share plan for $10 per month, according to the company.
T-Mobile’s pricing for the Gear S gives consumers a chance to own the smartwatch for $0 down and $14.58 a month for 24 months, for a total of $349.92. T-Mobile is now accepting preorders for the device, and has launched a special rate plan of $5 a month for unlimited talk and texting with up to 500MB of data for users.
The Samsung Gear S, with its built-in 3G, Bluetooth and WiFi capabilities, was announced in August. The smartwatch also offers turn-by-turn pedestrian navigation provided by Nokia HERE, a 24-hour news and views service from The Financial Times (called fastFT), and the ability to see and respond to social notifications on Facebook.
There are also a slew of health and fitness features on the Gear S, including multi-sensors, built-in GPS and S Health, which helps manage four basic areas of life, including heart rate, food, exercise and sleep. In addition, applications such as Nike+ Running allow users to track their runs.