Samsung Wearable Patents Show Apple’s Rumored ‘iWatch’ Needs To Impress
by Brent Dirks
May 26, 2014
While Samsung’s Galaxy Gear line of smart watches have generally been regarded as a bust, the company seems to be designing some much more interesting wearable technology.
A new set of patent applications, via 9to5Google, show a circular watch controlled by hand gestures. Looking very similar to Google’s Android Wear program and the already announced Motorola 360, the device and its control scheme actually sound pretty interesting.
Any wrist gesture can perform a certain task. And just like Apple’s rumored iWatch, the patents detail a wearable device packed with sensors, according to the site:
Mockups in these patent filings show the device as being capable of scanning barcodes and automatically pulling up pricing information, reviews, and more for the product. As with most wearable devices, it will have some health features, as well. One mockup of the interface shows the device as counting the amount of calories you’ve burned during a workout. Finally, Samsung also intends on having the watch be capable of being worn on a variety of places on your body, including your wrist, bicep, and around your neck as a necklace.Even though these patents have been filed, it doesn’t mean we’ll ever actually see Samsung produce this type of technology. But it does seem like the race for your wrist will be an interesting one. Apple will need to impress with its long-rumored iWatch to help jump start the market. A report last month said Apple's device has entered production in small quantities and is still apparently on track to arrive sometime later this year. The iWatch will also reportedly help launch a new Apple health and fitness platform. For other recent news, see: Apple Debuts New 'Your Verse' iPad Air Ads Featuring Composer And Travel Writer, The AppAdvice Week In Review: Doubts Grow About Apple's Acquisition Of Beats, and Apple Says No More To Reinstalling And Updating Refunded App Store Apps.
