Samsung Galaxy Gear users have complained about not being able to update their Android based Smart watches to Tizen. Well, today Samsung have officially announced that they are now offering US original Galaxy Gear (SM-V700) owners the option of switching from Android to Tizen. We say officially as the update has been previously available, but not officially announced.
You can use Samsung’s Kies software version 2.6 or 3.0 (depending on the firmware version of your Galaxy Gear). Their is no Over The Air (OTA) method of updating the Smart Watch at present. We are looking at about 140 Tizen Smartwatch applications to be available to users after the switch, which is almost double what was on offer to Android Samsung Galaxy Gear users. With Tizen users will have better battery life of 2 – 3 days of normal use, as well as the ability to customise wallpapers, Icons and fonts. You also have an integrated music player that will let you play your music to any compatible bluetooth headset.
After the updating the Galaxy Gear to the Tizen Operating System, users will have access to more apps, about 140 apps worldwide available for Tizen OS – nearly twice what is currently available on the Galaxy Gear.
Features
- Exercise: Sync with S Health and Fitness with Gear to keep track of your activities in real time.
- Sleep: Track your total sleep time as well as your motionless sleep time.
- Music Player: With approximately 2.5 GB of storage for music, you can store up to approximately 600 songs (MP3). Your Gear will also support MTP (Media Transfer Protocol) for easier media transfers.
- Customizable Interface: Change backgrounds, fonts, and the menu layout on your Gear with the personalized User Interface design.
- More Apps: Experience nearly triple the amount of 3rd party applications with the Tizen OS.
Note: For full functionality of the new features, you will need the latest version of Gear Manager (2.1), and the Tizen OS. To update your Galaxy Gear to the Tizen OS, use Kies 2.6 or 3.0.
| Kies 3.0 | ||
There have also been some Galaxy Gear firmware files available and you can use Samsung’s ODIN Software to flash the firmware directly to your Smart watch. Instructions can be found here.
