[Samsung Gear S] Duke_of_EarlGrey:
It's even in the manual

I have run into the same issue here in the US. Speaking with Samsung technical support and referencing the users manual... It seems as though Samsung has been very selective with their verbiage. While the watch does possess some degree of functionality without being paired directly via bluetooth, they do state that the only stand alone function of the device is the ability to send and receive SMS text and make/receive calls with the disclaimer that it must be paired for functionality of apps. From manufacturer to mobile carrier there appears to be a lot of misleading information regarding the device capability being disseminated to boost sales.

---------- Post added at 07:14 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:55 AM ----------

I have been putting the Gear S through its paces here in the US since release day. There are many problems that I have encountered. To address the issue of GPS functionality I can attest that it will work without being paired to the phone (Galaxy S4). The Gear S that I am using is on T-mobile's network and came equipped with a 4G HSPA+ cellular radio, which has not seemed to offer any A-GPS fixing improvements. I have taken the watch for several runs using the native Nike+ running app with mixed results. Tracking is hit or miss. In general the message displayed within the Nike+ app claims that GPS signal is not available and advises to make sure that you are outdoors in clear view of the sky. What I have noticed is that it doesn't confirm GPS fix until well into a run, whether or not it was fixed and tracking from the beginning. This results in not knowing if your workout is being tracked accurately until you finish and sync with the phone. Testing from a hilltop, clear day, no trees or overhead obstructions for a half mile in any direction the watch has taken upwards of 20 minutes at times before acquiring a location fix. The Here Navigation app worked stand alone as well, and while it doesn't take nearly as long to fix location as Nike+ running, it still has some serious lag. I don't know about you but it's 20 degrees here and standing around for 20 minutes in below freezing temps to get a fix before starting a run isn't what I consider functional.

Some of you have mentioned the streaming music. The native Samsung Milk app streams via mobile connection only. Although the explicit lyrics are still censored regardless of settings so don't plan on listening to Snoop Dogg or anything you might enjoy.

Battery life.... As this is a niche device, it should appeal to runners more than any other users. Using the device with mobile connection only, paired with Plantronics BackBeat Fit bluetooth headphones, running the Nike+ app and simultaneously streaming music through Milk over the HSPA+ connection I have seen the battery life average about 75 minutes. Obviously this decreases even more if you are activating the screen to change songs, or ignore calls/texts.

Why these issues aren't addressed during beta is beyond me, but to sum it up the device does function completely independent of the paired phone. You will wrack your brain trying to figure out which apps need to be paired initially before they work stand alone, and the GPS location fix issue is a complete bust in my opinion.