yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] Ryland Johnson:
I hate to fan the fire between us but having read your mail I find myself asking if YOU actually own one? Why do you keep asking for pictures?

---------- Post added at 09:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:07 PM ----------

Unsure what you where expecting. I am unhappy with the gear also but for different reasons. Oddly enough I have experienced zero software problems to date.

With care and respect I have to ask what you expected from the camera? Jeez its a toy and more or less just for fund snaps. I have this thing about phone cameras. I love photography so use a DSLR. I know little about the art but do know one cannot seriously expect great photos from a mobile phone., or wrist watch in this case.

It is sad as yet again I feel a major brand has introduced to a market a product that is not user ready. I mean the IP is IP55!! Water and this watch are not friends.

At present I am enjoying the learning curve and new toy. I said before I purchased it that it would end up collecting dust in some draw before long. Lets see. BTW I bought mine on the 27th and the battery only needed a charge this afternoon? £ days of decent usage and experimenting.

I expected to need to recharge every night. Not the case so far.

Don't set me of regarding the quality of that strap:p

In your shoes I would return it for a refund. Problem is for this type of device this is as good as it gets.

Kind regards..
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] RaptorMD:
I look forward to getting mine next week, but I will have 14 days to check it out and by the sounds of things I may not be happy (time will tell) and if I am not I will just return it and get something else.

BTW there is always the Omate TrueSmart watch which can be used without a SIM and is competely water proof.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] mintu123:
he would return if he actully bought one....these are usually paid trolls by other companies....if i have bought sometime and im not satisfy with it.i will just take it back and not write stupid stuff about it.(beauty is eye of the beholder)i may not like something that dont mean the other person wont like it.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] xManMythLegend:
Obviously I do not which is why I have given no opinion on it.

He started a thread claiming the picture and video quality being poor. Why wouldn't I ask for samples?

It's crazy to just take everyone's opinion and not ask for something tangible.

When people make negative threads they should expect to back-up claims.

Also I have taken no offense to your posts.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] RealEvil_UK:
Hi,

The Samsung Experience Store in Westfield Shopping Centre (in London) told me that I cannot have a refund. I am now arguing with them that the product is defective as its clearly not "ready to be sold and is therefore defective". To be honest I am not going to stress too much on it as I *only* paid £200 as I bought with a Note 3 (which I love) and due to a pre-order offer I got a total of £100 savings for buying the 2 together. I will sell it on eBay if I have to and probably not lose much. And in case you cannot detect the cynicism - I do feel cheated that I spent £200 on this device as the only way to get it for this price was to pre-order it BEFORE the release, which meant I couldn't try the device before pre-ordering and pre-paying. As soon as I used it for more than a day I phoned them up and they told me that they do not accept returns for anything that is not defective.

Do you really need me to give you a photo sample? Reviews are full of them. The watch strap camera is poor. I didn't expect more, but it takes awful photos in anything other than good light. This is inline with my expectations going in, but it doesn't make it any less of a half baked feature.

The Apps are dreadful. Most S-Voice commands dont work via the watch. Whoever said they got 4 days battery life has had a very different experience to me. The battery life is very much linked to the screen brightness from my experience - and anything less that full brightness is not very readable outdoors. Indoors with low brightness I guess its possible that I would get 4 days... but I dont think I will own the device long enough to really test it.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] faremoney:
i totally not agree with you

we just have to wait... and i can explain you why

(before all, sorry for my bad english)

the notifications works bad, i agree, BUT it's a software problem that (hopefully) will be fixed by 3rd party apps

an example? do you use Line?

if you don't use it please throw whatsapp into the garbage and try line

Line has an app for the gear that not only shows very beautiful notifications style, but let you reply with some pre-selected stickers.

we just have to wait for software houses to update and code their own notification app

i'm confident this will happen soon

the gear have a GREAT potential... something that pebble doesn't have (i've got the pebble too)

let's wait a bit... it's out since few days.

PS: battery time 2 days for me
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] xManMythLegend:
Yes, when someone on XDA says photos are garbage then photos are requisite.

I saw pics and videos and comments were nowhere near as negative as yours. If you post pics perhaps some kind of flaw or problem with your unit can be revealed. Or we come to the conclusion your "taste" is different from others.

You guys think way too highly of your "opinions" and expect them to be taken as gospel. Make a claim back it up let others scrutinize. That's how things work, that's how problems, bugs, hardware flaws get exposed. Not "it's garbage trust me".

Gear could be the crappiest waste ever... But if you say it is... Show people why.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] RealEvil_UK:
Hi, I dont think that anyone - not even Samsung - can release a brand new product which *requires* 3rd party app developers to do something to support it. Why would Google bother to update GMail to support a few thousand watch owners? I wouldn't.

What Samsung should have implemented - just like a lot of the supporting apps for Pebble (e.g. Augmented SmartWatch Pro) - is to "scrape" all notifications and allow them ALL to be sent to the watch. This way, 3rd party app developers don't *have* to do anything. They only have to write apps for the device if they wish to offer something extra.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] faremoney:
yes but in the moment we are talking, ebay JUST released Ebay for Gear.... and it works beautifully

and remember there is a market out there... the apps can be free or paid, so who comes first can find an open market... :good:
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] RealEvil_UK:
This product wont be a success. Samsung will learn from it and release a updated model with wider Android support and for half the price within the next 6 - 12 months. That v2 product will probably be worth considering, but I feel cheated as a v1 owner that this product has been very poorly thought out and is effectively a alpha product/proof of concept.

The most basic functionality of Smart Watch - to me at least - is notifications. Custom apps are potentially interesting but not the "vital" feature that I could use 20 - 50 times a day. And in this regard, the Galaxy Gear is a terrible failure.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] Ryland Johnson:
I think, I don't know, that a number of us are disappointed with the gear for several reasons.

Most of us made this a re order purchase mea culpa, to this end not only where any hands on reviews thin on the ground but until launch date non of us even knew what it would even look like.

Again I guess, It is perhaps significant that many of us purchased the Note 3 and the Gear as a pre order purchase at a discount price. Like many here I made a saving on the Gear by purchasing the two items together. Call me suspicious but perhaps and only perhaps, Samsung knew this was very much a project in the making and sold the Gear discounted knowing it would soften the blow? This is of course pure conjecture.

I made this purchase for several reasons. I have enjoyed my past Samsung mobiles, the Nexus S, SGS2, 3 and Note 1. I am a gadget freak, love the stuff always have. Lastly I collect watches, that's in by blood.

One can imagine my response when a new mobile AND watch came out together. Geek nirvana.

The Gear IS expensive, its not a cheapo try it and bin it. IF the concept had worked it would have been acceptable. With due respect to Samsung I cant see this as a consumer ready device.

Okay. The camera. Again with due respect and care for the OP I am unsure what any of us could reasonably expect from a 1,9 MP camera?

Its a sales gimmick and something to use to snap a quick shot, though even that doesn't work.

What does concern me the most is that strap and clasp. The clasp is the type that has a history of being the most problematic and is generally found on the cheaper end of the market for watches if used at all these days. When we close the clasp and here that 'click' that sound is made by a tiny piece of pressed steel bending slightly into a hole and binding with the other half of the clasp. What happens is after time that tiny tiny piece of metal weakens and eventually no longer 'clicks' into place.

What customers then do is try to bend it back so it again will hold and this further weakens the pressed steel part. I wont write again about the material used to produce the strap-under body as I simply cannot for see the future. What I can guess, again, is this strap is perhaps not going to last too long, it just doesn't feel durable and is certainly not vulcanised rubber. The strap is an integral part of the watch and cannot thus be replaced, hence my over concern regarding the strap.

As for the software, I am still learning how to use it and have come across some possible flaws BUT it may be ignorance on my part and until I read the manual and try to resolve the problem I am experiencing I will not complain.

Lastly I do agree with those owners who suggest this is very much a work in progress and should perhaps have been delayed for further development until at least the water resistance could be improved etc....

ALL opinion form an owner. Time is going to be the best teacher.

Kind regards.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] vectron:
Here is my take on this. I don't own Gear, yet, and my opinion is based on reading other reviews and opinions and in general based on the fact that I review gadgets on XDA as a full time hobby (check out link in my signature ;)).

A success of smartwatch is based on hardware and software. So far the main gripe I heard about hardware is battery life which to my pleasant surprise people reporting to as lasting1-2 days rather then "less then a day", all that with typical use or perhaps higher then average since everybody wants to play with camera. I suspect that might even improve with some software optimization in the future. Other then that, I also heard some people saying wristband is not was they expected (in terms of material) - oh well, this is not your typical $500-$1000 watch but rather an electronic gadget you strap to your wrist. So basically most of the complains are with software which we all know going to be fixed, sooner (from Samsung) or later (maybe even with some rooting or custom ROM, etc.) Once 4.3 updates start rolling in to cover S3/S4/N2 users and US market going to see N3 release that's when the real "beta" testing going to start. Right now, you guys are alpha-testers, early technology adopters. Everyone's expectations was that it will work straight out of the box. Well, it happened to some extent but not 100%. I'm sure the improvement will happen in the next few months, just have to be patient if you decide to stick around and keep this smartwatch.

Just my 2 cents.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] eclipxe:
Android 4.3 has the APIs to do just that.

I'm working on that app right now. Will keep XDA updated with progress
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] Ryland Johnson:
Hi,

I will 'try' one more time....The strap. The cost of the Gear is immaterial in terms of the strap. What is vital is the strap lasts so the watch can function. No strap no watch? The watch could be 50.00€-500,000.00€ BUT once that strap goes so does the watch, its a non replaceable part. I just cant explain this point any clearer.

Regards
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] koreankabachy:
Personally I am holding off on this watch for two main reasons... One may be possible with third party apps, the other can't. I am not a fan of svoice and want to be able to type a reply to a text vs saying it. Most of the time I am at work and don't want svoice going off and talking to my watch to send a replay of "lol" or "ok". Omate has a keyboard but I hate the look of it. Second is the camera... I wish they made a gear without a camera. That hump on the strap is so ugly. I want the watch to look semi professional and that hump kills it. Wish I could combine omate and gear... Would be perfect for me.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] RealEvil_UK:
Wow, just got a call from Samsung who have agreed to take the watch back and give me a refund. Nice.

As a few people have commented - it will get better. But I am not sure Samsung will have the patience for this particular model, and they will likely release much better hardware within then next 6 - 9 months.

They could massively improve the device via software updates - no question. But I think they can only really do this by taking a step back and starting with the position that no app maker should have to *do* anything for it to be compatible with the Smart Watch. THIS is where the device needs to start. At the very least, all notifications should be on the watch and ideally actionable. Surely thats a better starting position than with a App Store model that no big app developer will bother with?
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] Ryland Johnson:
I agree with you. I also think we are being used as 'on the job' quality control inspectors? Pleased you got your cash back. I paid so little for mine as it came as a package deal. Had I bought the note 3 and gear as separates I may have returned my Gear. I collect watches though so it perhaps has a greater significance for me though?

My present problem is I cannot get s-voice to function unless I am connected to a wi fi. I thought this function would work through blue tooth? Most peculiar .:eek:

Its a learning curve.

Regards.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] xManMythLegend:
If I'm understanding correctly...

I believe svoice still queries the Internet. Google has offline speech recognition I don't think svoice does. If your phone can't connect to Internet gear svoice probably wouldn't work.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] Scann69:
Based on all the comments i've read....i for sure will not buy it at full price.....but would you buy this watch if it was at half price? Say at US$ 150?
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] Ryland Johnson:
Yes, I did exactly that. NO way would I have paid top price, if I had I would have returned it.

BTY I received mine last Friday and already today am not using it. I knew I would do this though as I am a watch nut and like to chop and change watches. For those who depend on a day to day watch there is ONLY one point I would suggest caution. Its not that the watch has to be charged ever several days or so it is the point that a special cradle has to be used to charge the watch. One cannot connect the watch directly to a power source, it has to be seated into a cradle and the cradle is then connected to the power. Imagine going away for four or five days and forgetting that cradle?

The watch is rated at only IP55 as well so this could be a real deal breaker for many prospective owners?

Regards
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] Scann69:
Thanks for the input.

Let hope the deal goes thru then i'll get it at half price....just for the fun of it :silly:

At worse case, i'll just sell it off and probably still make some money out of it :fingers-crossed:
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] mintie:
I love mine to bit, Great little device.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] Ryland Johnson:
It is a gadget freaks dream. There are numerous good points in owning the Gear, no doubt about that. In my opinion it is the best of its type to date.

That does not mean it cant be improved on though.

One thing for sure if this is the first iteration then future devices are going to be stunning. I would hazard a guess that the MK 111 will be superb?

Again, without a doubt, this sort of device is taking us into new territory and giving a hint of the future. I applaud Samsung for their research and development work.

Regards.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] Hardcore73:
Coolest thing will be when they put the camera on the front so you can skype someone looking at your watch :)
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] Ryland Johnson:
It will come. Odd you should mention this point as I still think some Gear owners are going to have a hard time entering certain buildings or at certain events. Good ideas are always adapted for bad use. Problem is governments in Europe tend to have a knee jerk reaction and introduce new legislation that affects us all just because a minority abuse such technology for inappropriate actions. Unsure if the wrist strap camera was a good idea in the first place? The pixel density is too low to be of any use? I think it possibly cheapens what could be a very decent stab at a smart watch?

Regards
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] mhoepfin:
Wow I don't understand the hatred for the gear. I got mine today and think it's great. I also have a pebble. I would prefer wearing the gear to the pebble any day.

The phone and picture functions are cool and the notifications just need a little work.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] SkipKelley:
Not having perfection on the first try

I love my Gear. Does it do everything I want, NO. But then I bought a v1.0 device. I bought Windows 1.0 way, way back when and what fun that was, but so much better than DOS. But what I see I do like. I think that will really get better as Samsung gets lots of feedback and 3rd Party developers get started. I have a Pebble and am getting the HOT watch when it comes out. I like parts of all them and have dislikes about all. Same types of things I had when laptops came out. But the best thing about it is that vendors are making things to get it all started. I know that Apple is working on one, and I bet that it will only work with an Apple product. I may just get one if it does 75% of what it says it can do. I've have my gear for 24 hours and have had lot's lot little problem, but by this time next year, there will be a vast improvement. I've spent 35 years on the 'Bleeding edge' and have been cut may times. But I am not sorry for all the amount of money I have spent on it. $300.00 for this new toy, I spent $750.00 for my fist 5 meg (yes meg) hard drive back in 1980. This device does far more than my first Windows CE phone. There have been many reviews on it and all have said there are pro's and con's so if you have any hesitations, don't buy it, but for those of us who don't mind not having perfection on the first try, it is nice to see it grow and mature.

One major player had to make the move, and I'm glad it's Samsung.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] stesteste:
Nicely said Mr
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] mhoepfin:
All I can say is being able to use s voice to respond to messages from my wrist is awesome. Why in none of the reviews have folks talked about s voice? That is the killer feature.

Anyway, love it and it looks great.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] Deckoz2302:
I was pretty unimpressed with the watch as well. I pre ordered 2 note 3 and gears for my wife and I through Verizon. But decided to go to best buy and get a gear to play with even though I haven't gotten it from Verizon yet. My biggest pet peve is that the watch face doesn't stay on without consuming battery quickly. Being as I don't have the note 3 to test the other features yet I returned the gear and canceled my pre orders at full price. My wife would rather have a nice classical watch and I would like a smart watch with the ability to leave the display on all day to use it as a watch (like it's supposed to) with the extra features like notifications, without having to charge or be worried about getting it wet washing Mt hands. I'll be waiting for the mirasol display qualcom toq.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] SgtGoldy:
It would bug me to have the face constantly lit up. Being able to use a gesture motion of looking at the watch to temporarily turn the screen on is perfect for me.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] jah:
Same here. Some points:

1. I get 3 days use by just switching it off at night

2. The Gmail & other apps will get developed to use the notification API eventually as the email & SMS notfications work okay

3. If I want to make a call I don't need to unlock the PIN on my phone or find it in my bag I just sekect a contact from the Gear and use a BT headset

4. Unlike my phone, as the Gear is on my wrist I wont lose it and therefore it does not need a PIN and the mini Smartphone functions it does save me a lot of hassel

This is a generation 1 device - buy if you are an early adopter. Don't buy it if you can't wait for improvements.

---------- Post added at 03:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:40 PM ----------

There is a setting option that switches on the display from a upward motion of your arm, as you would do when you are about to view your watch. Works for me
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] gshaw1967:
Yea, I totally agree. Most of the people that grip the most have never had a smart watch before. If you've had one then this device works fine. I have been wearing a Moto Activ watch using it mostly as watch every day. To keep track of my steps every day.

Photo quality is exactly what I would expect from a 1.9 m/p camera without a flash.

Notifications work great, I can read most of an email that is sent to the watch then pick up the phone if I really need to respond. I don't use the gmail app but the Mail app works perfectly. I'm actually in the middle of a DR test, so emails are flying left and right. Very nice to read most of the email from the watch and get the phone when I need to respond.

It is way more comfortable than the Moto watch and much slimmer, also. The Moto watch also lasted about 2-3 days on a charge, so I fine with the battery life. It can play video's its taken so won't be long before I stream video to the watch. Why do I want that, because it can! I like the auto on by raising your had and auto off. I would like a small camera to video conference with that would be the only addition to a great product.

Also, the speaker phone part is much louder than I anticipated. But I probley won't use that feature. I'll post some pic and videos in the sun, shortly.

I am wanting to check out the walking apps but have not gotten to them yet.
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] Jeshter2000:
Anybody having CONTACTS not loading?? Mine says no contacts all the time! Help
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] gshaw1967:
A few pictures of the pumpkins!
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] xManMythLegend:
Those are nice pics for a watch.

Any video samples
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] stesteste:
pics are quality for a watch heres 2 in dim light indoors and a pic of my new watch face , glad I bought it
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] avenging:
wow who would have thought the gear would excel with the camera and svoice
[Samsung Galaxy Gear] BarryH_GEG:
This thread's stupid. A bunch of people with high expectations (certainly their right) are slamming something that for the most part is an early adopter's play thing. I didn't need all the negative preaching in this thread to know the Gear was overpriced, limited (hopefully for now), and flawed. It solves nothing but first world problems and is a luxury purchase based on want not need. I swore I wouldn't buy one when it was first announced and did any way becaue I like tech. The camera's fun and can get you shots you'd otherwise miss because of the time it takes to get your phone ready to shoot. Having notifcations on your wrist is cool and efficient. S Voice works most of the time for me so it's great for quick texts. Glympse is fantastic when you're running late. I love Smart Relay and the ability to pattern lock my phone when it's away from the Gear (I used to use swipe).

So is it worth buying; especially at $299? It all depends on how you view the use of $299. I've wasted more on less so I'm happy with my new toy.