Samsung Gear Live, LG G Watch: First Impressions

Advertisement
By Agence France-Presse | Updated: 26 June 2014 21:10 IST
South Korea's Samsung and LG on Thursday launched rival smartwatches powered by Google's new software as they jostle to lead an increasingly competitive market for wearable devices seen as the mobile industry's next growth booster.

Samsung's "Gear Live" and LG's "G Watch" both powered by Android Wear are the first devices to adopt the new Google software specifically designed for wearables.

G Watch LG's first smartwatch is also equipped with Google's voice recognition service and can perform simple tasks including checking email, sending text messages and carrying out an online search at users' voice command.

The two devices cannot make phone calls by themselves but can be connected to many of the latest Android-based smartphones, the South Korean companies said in separate statements.

Advertisement

Samsung and LG are the world's top and fourth-largest smartphone maker, respectively.

A typical smartwatch allows users to make calls, receive texts and e-mails, take photos and access apps.

G Watch opened Thursday for online pre-order in 12 countries including the United States, France and Japan before hitting stores in 27 more including Brazil and Russia in early July.

Advertisement

Gear Live was also available for online pre-order Thursday.

The launches come as global handset and software makers step up efforts to diversify from the saturated smartphone sector to wearable devices.

Advertisement

Samsung introduced its Android-based Galaxy Gear smartwatch last year but it was given a lukewarm reception by consumers.

The second edition, Gear 2 (Review), was unveiled in February and based on Samsung's own Tizen softwear in a move to break free of its heavy reliance on Google's Android platform.

Samsung's arch rival Apple is believed to be set to launch its own smartwatch soon, while Google is moving towards a wide consumer launch of its eyewear Google Glass later this year.

Chinese smartphone maker Huawei also unveiled a connected watch called TalkBand.

Global smartwatch sales are expected to grow this year by more than 500 percent from 1.9 million units in 2013, according to the market researcher Strategic Analytics.

 

Catch the latest from the Consumer Electronics Show on Gadgets 360, at our CES 2026 hub.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Terminally Ill Fan May Be Able to Play GTA 6 Ahead of Release
  2. JioHotstar Announces Monthly Subscription Plans Across All Tiers
  3. Arc Raiders Will Get Multiple New Maps This Year, Says Embark
  4. Amazon Great Republic Day Sale: Top Laptop Deals Under Rs. 55,000
  5. Viruses and Bacteria Evolve Differently in Space, ISS Study Finds
  6. Oakley Meta HSTN Smart Glasses Review
  7. Here's How Much the Realme P4 Power Could Cost in India
  8. Tu Meri Main Tera Main Tera Tu Meri OTT Release Reportedly Revealed Online
  9. Sarvam Maya OTT Release: Know Everything About This Malayalam Fantasy Drama Film
  10. Google Might Be Adding More Layers to Stop Users From Sideloading Apps
  1. Global RAM Shortage Is Reportedly Causing GPU, Storage Drive Prices to Skyrocket
  2. Viruses and Bacteria Evolve Differently in Space, ISS Study Finds
  3. Rockstar Games Said to Have Granted a Terminally Ill Fan's Wish to Play GTA 6
  4. Oppo K15 Turbo Series Tipped to Feature Built-in Cooling Fans; Oppo K15 Pro Model Said to Get MediaTek Chipset
  5. Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Said to Feature Dual Ultra-Thin Glass OLED Panel to Reduce Crease Visibility
  6. Honor Magic 8 Pro Air Launched Alongside Honor Magic 8 RSR Porsche Design: Price, Specifications
  7. Realme Neo 8 Key Specifications Including 8,000mAh Battery, Ultrasonic Fingerprint Sensor Confirmed
  8. Astronomers Find Massive Iron-Rich Feature Lurking Under the Ring Nebula
  9. Asus Reportedly Halts Smartphone Launches ‘Temporarily’ to Focus on AI Robots, Smart Glasses
  10. JioHotstar Announces Monthly Subscription Plans Across Mobile, Super, and Premium Tiers
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.