Samsung’s all-new Gear Fit wearable device was awarded the title of ‘˜Best Mobile Device’ at the Mobile World Congress 2014.
Samsung Electronics presented the Galaxy Gear back in 2013 and it was without a doubt the worst smart-watch the world had ever seen. The battery lasted for a single day, the charging mechanism was a hassle, the huge hump on the strap that held the camera ruined an otherwise sleek design and controlling the device with S Voice was a nightmare. Nonetheless, the fact that the Galaxy Gear was so terrible, has now made Samsung’s latest triumph that much sweeter. The tech giant’s all-new Samsung Gear Fit that was presented at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2014 has been named the ‘Best Mobile Device’ by the GSMA – the organisation responsible for MCW. The award was announced on the final day of the event in Barcelona, Spain.
The new Samsung Gear Fit is very fitness-focused wearable device that is super light and has a sexy style all of its own. The Gear Fit features a thin and curved design that is so light, it just blends into your wrist and stays out of your way. It is about half as wide as the Galaxy Gear and it also sits higher on your wrist, but its chunky plastic housing follows the curve of the screen so it doesn’t feel uncomfortable.
The curved Super AMOLED 1.84-inch screen is an absolute stunner and the 432X128 resolution screen shows off fabulous colours. The default wallpapers and layouts offer many styles to suit different tastes, plus when you sync your Gear Fit to your phone you can also crop any image to create your own wallpaper to go fully custom.
Using the device is based entirely on taps and gestures, the latter of which works especially well on the wide screen that follows the band. Again, the elongated shape and the curve in the screen fits cleverly, with the overall design – in a way that none of the current square-style smart watches do. To get to apps and to different menus, all you need is to swipe left or right on the horizontal screen.
The capabilities of the Gear Fit are somewhat diminished. The Gear Fit has no telephone, no integrated microphone, no speaker or no infrared blaster. Those who want a mini smartphone on their wrist will be hugely disappointed at this lack of utility and features. But on a second thought, may be its the kind of point that the Gear Fit is trying to make – that it doesn’t need to actually have a cluster of utility and functions. It does three things: collect fitness information, relay notifications from your smartphone and of course, tell time. This focused approach to function is one that actually follows form and could please more users.
At the MCW 2014, Samsung didn’t just double-down on its commitment in wrist wearables, it tripled down, by presenting the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit. Of the three products however, the Gear Fit comes across as a very interesting product – not just in terms of design but in terms of its positioning, practicality and functionality. With the right marketing and the right set of features, the Gear Fit could become the mass market wearable device, with which Samsung could wash away the taste of Galaxy Gear disaster.
