Samsung is due to release a smartwatch that can send texts and make calls without having to sync to a smartphone.
The
South Korean company plans to unveil the smartwatch over the next few
months in a bid to take a larger slice of the wearable technology
market.
The
unnamed smartwatch will be able to take photos, send emails, monitor
the wearer’s heart rate and use GPS tracking, according to sources close
to the company.
A smartwatch design patent, which may
be related to Samsung’s standalone phone-watch, has also been published
by United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).The patent suggests
Samsung's new smartwatch will have a round face resembling Motorola's
Android Wear powered Moto 360
Samsung
has declined to say what the device will be called, how much it will
cost or whether a user will make calls by holding the watch close to his
or her mouth.
But the group is currently in talks with carriers in the U.S., South Korea and Europe about its plans, the Wall Street Journal reports.
A smartwatch design patent,
which may be related to Samsung’s standalone phone-watch, has also just
been published by United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
The patent suggests Samsung's new smartwatch will have a round face resembling Motorola's Android Wear powered Moto 360.
Samsung
already has four smartwatches on the market, including the Galaxy Gear
(left), powered by Google's Android operating system, and the Gear 2
(right)
Samsung
already has four smartwatches on the market, including the Galaxy Gear,
powered by Google's Android operating system, and the Gear 2.
But all of these devices need to connect to a smartphone to make calls connect to the internet.
The
new system is expected to be the first standalone watch-phone system
from a major manufacturer. Analysts expect the device to run on the
Tizen operating system.
Market
research firm IDC expects shipments of wearable devices, such as
smartwatches, to triple this year to more than 19 million units.
The group said smartphone sales are expected to increase 19 per cent this year to 1.2 billion units.
Apple, Samsung's closest competitor in smartphones, is expected to launch its own smartwatch later this year.
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