Following last year’s Samsung Galaxy Gear release, the Korean manufacturer has revealed it made the smartwatch “a harder proposition” for itself by making it compatible only with Samsung-branded phones.
While the rival Sony SmartWatch 2 is able to be synced with Android powered handsets from all manner of manufacturers, the Samsung Galaxy Gear can only be connected to a select group of Samsung Galaxy themed smartphones and tablets.
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Despite opening up about the compatibility-themed corner the company has backed itself into with the Galaxy Gear, Brown has suggested that it was a necessary move to maximise the potential of the techy timepiece.
“To make a really compelling companion device at the price point that it’s at we had to have these limits,” he said while speaking exclusively with TrustedReviews.
“The software within our Samsung phones and the great content and services that we’re adding to Android, we wanted to make sure that they would work perfectly with the smartwatch. The only way we could guarantee a perfect experience for our customers was to make sure it was only on the Samsung platform.”
Although currently limited to Samsung only smartphone owners, Brown has claimed that the Samsung Galaxy Gear could be opened up to a wider Android user base yet.
“It might have been a harder proposition for customers now, but that doesn’t mean that it won’t develop into other Android devices moving forward,” he told us.
Despite hinting an update that could make the Gear compatible with a broader range of manufacturers’ smartphones and tablets, Brown has suggested that the smartwatch would not be as good a proposition for these users.
“This device on its own wouldn’t be as strong without that deep integrated into our own OS rather than just Android,” he said of the Gear. “That is the reason we made this decision, it isn’t really about limiting it to just Samsung devices, it’s about ensuring the best experience and the way we could do this was by adding Samsung to Samsung.”
Next, read the new Samsung Galaxy S5 hands on review
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
