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IN THIS CHAPTER

Introducing the Samsung Gear S2

Understanding smartwatch history and the Internet of Things

Learning what you can do with the Gear S2

Reviewing the two Gear S2 model similarities and differences

Discovering what’s in the Gear S2 box

Congratulations on your purchase of the Samsung Gear S2. How does it feel to be on the cutting edge?

The fact that you possess a Gear S2 means that you don’t think smartwatches are a fad or just plain unnecessary. You know that the Gear S2 is an easy way for you to get information you need quickly, such as the time and place of your next appointment, by looking at the Gear S2 on your wrist instead of fumbling for the smartphone in your pocket.

In this chapter, I start by giving you a (very) brief history of smartwatch development. Next, you learn about how the Gear S2 fits into the larger ecosystem of connected devices better known as the Internet of Things. You also get an overview of the two Gear S2 models and how they compare.

Then I tell you about the issues involved with pairing your Gear S2 with your Android smartphone. Next, you get to know the Gear S2 apps that are preinstalled on the smartwatch. You also learn how to shop for Gear S2 accessories. Finally, this chapter shows you all the good stuff that’s in your Gear S2 box.

Presenting a Brief History of Time … on Smartwatches

Smartwatches aren’t a new phenomenon. In January 1946, newspaper readers first saw popular comic strip detective Dick Tracy use his new “wrist radio,” and later a “wrist TV,” to fight crime. (You remember newspapers: those large rectangular sheets of paper with writing on them.) You may have seen smartwatches used in such cartoons as The Jetsons and Inspector Gadget growing up.

What’s more, Samsung was an early developer of watch phones with the bulky but still impressive looking SPH-WP10 watch phone the company introduced way back in 1999. (You can read more about this watch at http://www.phonearena.com/news/Did-you-know-that-Samsung-announced-a-watch-phone-in-1999_id69376.) As with many early versions of hardware and software that later changed our lives, the 1999 Samsung smartwatch didn’t click with consumers. (There’s no word on how popular it was with secret agents.)

Today’s kids don’t have to read newspapers (not that they do, anyway) or watch cartoons to get an idea of what smartwatches are all about – nowadays, smartwatches really do exist and are maturing fast. I say maturing because despite the fact that there isn’t a “killer app” as of this writing that would cause people to buy a smartwatch just for that app, today’s smartwatches do useful things.

Modern smartwatches also look like watches – that is, they’re either round or square in shape and are similar in thickness to what you find in analog or digital watches.

Connecting Thing 1 to Thing 2

Smartwatches have also benefited from the growth of a network of physical objects including devices, buildings, vehicles, appliances, and even clothes that can exchange data with one another. You may have heard the name of this network bandied about in the media: The Internet of Things, also known by its acronym IoT. Technology companies are working fast to connect all your devices together so that they can communicate with each other and (ostensibly) make our lives easier. It makes sense that you’ll want to see messages from IoT devices both on your smartphone and by holding up your wrist and looking at your smartwatch.

Samsung is a conglomerate that produces a number of consumer electronics including TVs, refrigerators, and even washers and dryers. You see where I’m going: Samsung wants to give you not only the complete experience of pairing its Galaxy smartphones, Galaxy Tab tablets, and Gear smartwatches, but it also wants to use the Gear S2 to entice you to buy Samsung everything.

As part of this “Samsung, Samsung everywhere!” strategy, Samsung has taken a page out of Apple’s playbook and decided to support its own smartwatch operating system … sort of. Samsung is a lead developer in the open-source Tizen operating system (OS) and uses Tizen in its TVs, in a few smartphone models, and, most important, on the Gear S2.

Getting to Know the Gear S2 Models

The Gear S2 comes in two models: the “standard” Gear S2, which is just called the Gear S2, and the Gear S2 Classic. Both models have many of the same features:

❯❯ The watch itself is 1.2 inches in diameter and the screen resolution is 360 x 360 pixels. The watch case is made of stainless steel.

❯❯ Both watches have a bezel, or a ring, around the watch face.

❯❯ A 1.0 GHz dual-core processor powers the Gear S2.

❯❯ The Gear S2 has 512MB of memory.

❯❯ The watch possesses a maximum of 4GB of internal storage, but Samsung takes pains to note that the actual amount of memory you have available on the watch to store data is lower because the Gear S2 has the Tizen OS and important apps preinstalled.

❯❯ Both models provide you with a 2.4GHz Wi-Fi connection that connects to 802.11 b/g/n/e standards.

❯❯ You can connect to other devices using Bluetooth v4.1.

❯❯ Both models have Near Field Communication (NFC) support so that you can connect with other devices within two inches of each other. Samsung plans to use NFC with its Samsung Pay service so that you can use the Gear S2 to pay for stuff, with this feature becoming available sometime in 2016.

❯❯ When you’re ready to recharge your Gear S2, you use the charging dock that comes with your watch. (You learn more about your charging dock in Chapter 2, when you charge the Gear S2 for the first time.)

❯❯ Both smartwatch models have the same version of the Tizen OS and the same apps preinstalled.

❯❯ Last but not least, you can select from a variety of watch face designs so that when you see the time on your Gear S2, you’ll be reminded about how cool your Gear S2 is.

So what are the differences between the two models? I’m glad you asked.

Meeting the plain ol’ Gear S2

The “standard” Gear S2 has a more streamlined design with a plastic wrist strap that Samsung calls Elastomer as well as a flat bezel. The Gear S2 comes in only two colors: Silver and Dark Gray, as you can see in Figure 1-1.

Source: http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/gear-s2/?cid=ppc-

FIGURE 1-1: The Silver Gear S2 on the left and the Dark Gray Gear S2 on the right.

If you already purchased your Gear S2 at your favorite data carrier, such as Verizon or Sprint, you already know the kicker: You can purchase a 3G or 4G version of the Gear S2 so that you can make voice calls, text, send email, and receive notifications through your phone without a smartphone nearby.

As a result, the Gear S2 is a little heavier than its Classic counterpart because it contains a speaker, an electronic SIM card, and a 300mAh battery – 50mAh more than the Gear S2 Classic.

Fancying the Gear S2 Classic

The Gear S2 Classic is so named because the design of the watch evokes a more classic watch look. For example, the bezel has little serrated “teeth,” which you also find on many standard watches. The Gear S2 Classic rounds out the classic look by sporting a leather wrist strap.

The Gear S2 Classic comes in three colors: black, platinum, and 18-karat rose gold. In addition to the slick black look, you can also purchase a black 3G version so that you can communicate with the Internet using your carrier’s data network. (Sorry, there is no 4G version as of this writing.)

The platinum and rose-gold Gear S2 models, shown in Figure 1-2 along with the black model, come in Bluetooth only and will set you back another $100. The rose-gold model has an added benefit: You can impress others by telling them that the 18-karat rose gold gets its color through a combination of three metals: 75 percent gold, 21 percent copper, and 4 percent silver.

Source: http://www.samsung.com/global/galaxy/gear-s2/

FIGURE 1-2: The black, rose gold, and platinum Gear S2 Classic models.

Like the mystery of where your missing socks went after you put them in the dryer, the Gear S2 Classic doesn’t allow you to connect with the outside digital world through a data carrier’s wireless network. Instead, you have to use the Gear S2 Classic’s Bluetooth connection to connect with your Android smartphone.

You’ll still be able to get notifications of voice calls, text messages, and email messages on your Gear S2 Classic, but you’ll have to pull out your smartphone to take your call or read your messages. This is why the Gear S2 Classic has a 250mAh battery and is a little lighter than its “standard” Gear S2 counterpart.

Pairing Your Smartphone

So the Gear S2 hasn’t quite reached the standards set by Dick Tracy’s wrist radio/TV. That is, you can’t use the Gear S2 by itself to get the most out of it – you need to use your Gear S2 with your Android smartphone. Samsung says Gear S2 supports most Android smartphones that run Android 4.4 (also known as KitKat) or later, and your phone needs to have at least 1.5GB of memory.

If you’re unsure about whether the Gear S2 supports your phone, here’s the short answer: If you have a Samsung smartphone running KitKat or later, you’re good. You can do anything you want with your Gear S2, including sync your email between your phone’s email account and your Gear S2, as well as share the Wi-Fi profile with your phone on your Gear S2. (If you’re excited about Wi-Fi profile sharing, hold tight: I cover that topic in more detail in Chapter 4.)

If you don’t own a Samsung smartphone, connecting your smartphone to your Gear S2 is a more interesting experience. For example, if you don’t have a Samsung smartphone, you can’t sync your email messages between your phone and your watch. Other features such as Wi-Fi profile sharing and receiving text messages may also be limited (or not work at all). If you’re not sure whether you have these capabilities, you should pick up your smartphone and give Samsung a call at 1-800-SAMSUNG (that’s 1-800-726-7864).

Getting to Know the Gear S2 Apps

Your Gear S2 comes with a number of preinstalled apps that enable you to do things on the smartwatch that you may find useful. Table 1-1 presents a list of preinstalled apps that you can use on your Gear S2:

TABLE 1-1 Pre-Installed Gear S2 Apps

Making Your Watch Yours

Samsung loves to provide you with options to personalize your devices, including the Gear S2. All you have to do is visit the Gear S2 accessories website on your computer or smartphone at http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/wearable-tech-accessories. The Wearable Tech Accessories page on the Samsung website (see Figure 1-3) shows you a list of bands that you can purchase to replace your current band.

Source: http://www.samsung.com/us/mobile/wearable-tech-accessories?filter=smartwatchbands

FIGURE 1-3: Samsung has seven replacement bands to choose from.

The Gear S2 model you have determines the watch straps you can purchase. If you have a Gear S2 Classic, you can choose only a brown or gray leather band. The other bands are for the plain old Gear S2. Granted, Samsung has pretty slim pickings when it comes to bands, but plenty of other bands are available. Just type Samsung watch bands into your favorite search engine and enjoy visiting online stores just waiting to sell you watch straps.

Discovering What’s in the Box (Hint: It’s Not Jack)

If you’re reading this book, chances are that you’ve received (or picked up) your Gear S2 already and you’ve probably opened up the box with the excitement you remember as a kid opening up a gift for yourself. But if you’re reading this book wondering what you’ll get in the box, or if you’re waiting for my permission to open the box, keep reading! Here’s what you find inside:

❯❯ The watch itself, with the wrist strap attached.

❯❯ A small bag that contains a smaller wrist strap in case the default wrist strap is too big. I tell you about swapping out the wrist strap in Chapter 2.

❯❯ The charger that sits nicely on a desk or other flat surface. You learn about how to place the Gear S2 on the charger in Chapter 2.

❯❯ The travel adapter, which is a black plug that you insert into a wall outlet or, preferably, a surge protector outlet.

❯❯ A three-foot cable that connects your charger to the travel adapter. One end of the cable is a USB connector, which means that you can connect your charger to a computer and swap files. You find out more about that cool trick in Chapter 4.

❯❯ Teeny, tiny printed books and brochures that provide some important information and a quick reference guide to the watch and with luck, you can read the tiny print.

Figure 1-4 contains a photo of all the stuff in the box that I received with my Gear S2 Classic.

FIGURE 1-4: All the stuff that comes in the box.