Samsung have always innovated with their mobile products and are the supreme pioneers in the wearable tech industry.

From the first truly reliable wireless earbuds; IconX through to bring us the first smartwatch some years back now.

The very first Gear Watch with its built-in camera (this was removed in the next version due to privacy concerns in the next model) over to last year’s Gear S3 which enabled wearers to leave their phone at home if you had the nano-sim LTE version.

Now we have the Gear Watch with an incredible battery life.

Coming in two varieties; 46mm for those who want a superior sized watch face and the more suitably sized 42mm.

Samsung NZ sent over to STG a 42mm Rose Gold edition (there’s also Black) to review.

First up is of course syncing this with your smartphone. You will need the Samsung gear App, but once you have this your Android or iOS smartphone will automitcally pick up your new and shiny Gear Watch and boom, within less than five minutes you’re connected and good to go.

I am very much a wearable tech junkie. I just can’t get enough of it. My Gear IconX’s go with me in my pocket pretty much everywhere and I also have a Android Wear watch that while it struggles sometimes to survive an entire day and I need to remember to charge every night gives me my notifications and makes me look like a 80’s secret agent taking calls from my wrist.

With Samsung’s newest smartwatch, the Gear Watch, it’s okay if you forget to charge it every now and then.

The 46mm can last up to four or five days on a single full charge, the 42mm will give you two to three days.

Both models are waterproof up to 30 meters, and are designed for fitness tracking. So, go for that Olympic swimming marathon and have the Gear Watch track your routine. (Just don’t wear it in the sea).

Samsung have always done the smartwatch right. Taking the most logical approach to design and usage. The face of the watch is also a dial. Clockwise or anti-clockwise you will cycle through varying health and notification / app settings and menus.

Two tactile buttons on the right side of the gesture touch screen watch face act as a back button, power and App Menu loader.

Samsung have designed the Gear Watch to be worn at all times. They have made it simpler for you to set fitness and health goals, monitor your sleep and reply to messages and emails from your wrist.

Both models have 4GB built in storage – so if you pair this to your Bluetooth headphones, go for a run, jog or walk with just your watch and your playlist.

Samsung’s Gear Watch, an almost never ending battery and inching closer to that everlasting smartwatch that rarely needs charging.

With the tide of smartwatches, no longer are we slaves to the small mercury batteries and that single analogue watch face.

Mix it up, match it up and go for gold (Rose Gold in this case) with more power and juice than the current smartwatches on the market.

The post Samsung Gear Watch Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Proving that they are the masters of innovation, Samsung have released true wireless ear buds for everyone.

The Gear Icon X 2018 Bluetooth connected earbuds are designed, mostly, for the fitness inclined folk out there, but that’s not to say that mobile music aficionados such as myself cannot embrace the future tech and enjoy total wireless freedom.

The Icon X are small, and come with rubber ear pieces that are removable in order to switch them out for a size to suit. The same goes for the rubber ear buds.

Encased in a small pocket sized case, the Icon X buds will need to be placed inside this case when not in use. This is not only to refrain from losing them (as they are small) but also to charge them.

You should get around two or three full charges from the rechargeable case. The case is also the Bluetooth connectivity pod when you first set up your Icon X.

A full charge of the ear buds will see you right for around 5 hours, that said, I was able to get more than 5 hours from a single full charge.

Now, if you have a Samsung smartphone, you will need to download the Gear App in order to get these up and running on your device, as intended.

As I mentioned they have been produced with fitness in mind. The Icon X buds have a built in tracker for your walks or runs and even talk to you, telling you how great you’re doing.

Similar to the Samsung Fitness App on the smartphone and the Gear Smartwatches, the Icon X reports back to your device with stats on your workout.

The sides of the ear buds are touch controlled and a series of swipes will allow you to control music tracks, play and pause and volume.

Whatsmore there is also handsfree, where you can answer a call or decline it, again with touch gesture.

The touch sensitivity though is a little extreme and I found that I was skipping tracks or adjusting the volume when wriggling the ear buds back in to my ears if they came loose.

So if you’re going to go for a run with these in, make sure that you have sized them correctly.

Notorious for connectivity drops and blips, Bluetooth can be finicky at times. But the Icon X never missed a beat and I had zero connection problems.

Audio quality is superb. I’m fussy, I like to ride the treble while rocking out to the bass. If a headset or earphones does not allow me to hear the most subtle instrument in the background of an ensemble, then I’m not too keen.

Samsung’s Icon X do exactly that – crystal clear yet deep sounding enough so as to not overlay the most faintest of high notes.

Your audio experience may differ dependent on the source of the audio, but for me streaming with a Samsung Galaxy Note8 was pitch perfect.

If you do not own a Samsung smartphone, thats not a issue. Samsung have built in 4GB of storage into these tiny audio marvels and this means that you can use them as a standalone MP3 player.

Furthermore, the Icon X will actually connect to any Bluetooth enabled audio streaming device and work instantly.

Samsung have achieved greatness here. A technology that only a year ago was in its infancy (we reviewed a similar product HERE) and they have made it totally flawless.

Embrace musical freedom and un-tangle yourself from the cables. Samsung’s Gear Icon X 2018 is the future of personal audio.

The post Samsung Gear Icon X 2018 Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Recently at Oculus Connect 4, Camouflaj announced its first foray into virtual reality, République VR, for Gear VR. Rebuilt from the ground up, République VR will include all five episodes of the award-winning stealth series when it launches this winter.

Set in a dystopian surveillance state, République VR stars the player, who must use their VR device to hack into the nation’s elaborate network and guide a captive woman on a treacherous journey to freedom.

“From the very beginning, the team set out to build the quintessential mobile VR game,” said Camouflaj designer, Ryan Payton. “We are so excited to finally lift the veil on this incredibly challenging project. I’m happy to say that the hard work has paid off—République VR plays and looks absolutely stunning despite the obvious hardware limitations.”

Co-developed by New York-based developer Darkwind, République VR is highly battery efficient and utilizes single pass rendering techniques, granting performance gains of up to 30% in key areas. Coming soon to Gear VR, République VR will be compatible with Samsung Galaxy S7 and S8, and supports three unique input methods: touchpad, motion controller, and Bluetooth controller.

Additionally, Camouflaj announced the République Anniversary Edition Soundtrack, now available on vinyl, CD, iTunes, and streaming services via a partnership with premiere label Brave Wave. The vinyl edition will be a limited release and includes fifteen tracks, concept art, photography and anecdotes from the team and a free redeem code for République VR when it launches this winter.

The post République VR Brings Stealth to Gear VR appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Samsung Electronics New Zealand has introduced the Gear Fit2 Pro, an upgraded GPS sports band with smart features that are made for all the ways you work out.

Samsung’s latest device assists with a range of activities, from robust fitness tracking to nutrition and sleep monitoring, as well as motivational coaching, to help Kiwis achieve their health and wellbeing goals.

Designed for people of varying fitness levels, the launch of the sports band comes at a time where wearables in New Zealand are becoming increasingly popular – the smartwatch category alone reporting 43 per cent growth this year.

“Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a bit more serious about your exercise, we’re confident that this sports band will appeal to those looking to take their health and wellbeing goals to the next level.

“In addition to fitness tracking, the New Gear Fit2 Pro offers advanced real-time heart rate monitoring, extensive access to Under Armour’s fitness apps as well as Spotify meaning you can listen to your favourite tunes while you work out offline.

“With the change in daylight savings and better weather on the horizon, the new Gear Fit2 Pro is a great accessory for anyone looking to improve their wellness and fitness this summer,” says Todd Selwyn, Head of Mobile Product at Samsung New Zealand.

The new Gear Fit2 Pro’s Super AMOLED curved 1.5-inch display and a high-resolution colour touchscreen make real-time updates and notifications easier to read.

Key features of the new Gear Fit2 Pro include industry leading water resistance and swim tracking which makes the smart wearable an ideal companion for any swim – from laps to playing in the pool – these devices are 5 ATM1 certified for water resistance. Included is Speedo’s latest swimming training app, Speedo On, the Gear Fit2 Pro also allows you to easily track key swim metrics including lap count, lap time, stroke type and more.

In addition the Heart Rate Monitor has had an overhaul with improved accuracy, the device offers advanced real-time heart rate monitoring. It helps you continuously monitor your heart activity – whether it’s enjoying a stress-free nap or an invigorating cycling class.

Daily activity can be supplemented with updated Under Armour and Spotify partnerships. The device provides access to Under Armour’s fitness apps including Under Armour Record, MyFitnessPal, MapMyRun and Endomondo 2 for activity, nutrition, sleep and fitness tracking functions – these apps provide users with a holistic picture of their health and fitness. Spotify’s Offline mode lets you listen to your favourite music online, offline or even without your smartphone so you can enjoy your favourite tunes regardless of location.

Automatic activity detection built into the device is in tune with your body and can recognise the following categories of activities: Walking, Running, Cycling and performing Dynamic Activities that could include dancing to basketball. You can customise your own wellness plan with tailored goals and alerts. Download customised watch faces to personalise your device from Samsung Galaxy apps.

The all-new secure, ergonomic band is light weight and comfortable to use for all activities. The Gear Fit2 Pro is available in both Red and Black at a RRP of $299.00 (NZD). More info can be found at Samsung’s online store.

Samsung Gear Fit2 Pro Specs

The post Make Every Moment Count with New Gear Fit 2 appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

With the launch of the mighty Galaxy S8 smartphone Samsung quietly released a new version of their Gear VR unit.

The Gear VR, or differing variants of it have been around for a year and a bit, ourselves having reviewed the original Innovator Gear VR and the Retail Version last year.

Each and every unit is an astounding addition to your high end Samsung mobile device, and really shows what the phones are truly capable of.

The new Gear VR has had a much expected overhaul from it’s predecessor. Most notably the inclusion of a wand like bluetooth controller which via the Oculus Gear VR app will pair with your S8 meaning that you do not need to fiddle about, blindly, with the controls on the side of the Gear VR.

It’s not the first Controller that Samsung have released which works well with VR, the Samsung Gamepad was excellent – but when having a VR unit strapped to your face, maneuvering around the Gamepad’s buttons to control was a bit hit and miss at times.

The Gear VR Controller has none of these issues. Held in either the left or right hand there’s a quick alignment setup and you’re good to go. With the thumbstick-like D-Pad at the top and a trigger button to the lower front, gameplay (especially FPS Shooters) are an absolute joy to play. There’s also the necessary Home and Return buttons aswell as Volume control.

The Controller does require batteries though. Unlike the Gamepad Controller, it is sadly not rechargeable.

The Gear VR unit itself has not only had a colour change (from white to black), it’s design is more ergonomic, hugging ones face alot better, less heavy and pretty much is utilised as a VR viewer with your S8 (or S7) clipped in to the front, like the prior iterations.

That said, if you are used to using the Oculus unit for control, you can, the Home, Return and Touchpad are still there. This obviously means that it can be used independently from the Controller – and likewise, the Controller can be used on the handset without the Gear VR.

A good combination when your S8 is in a DeX cradle unit – you then have the ability to play games from your phone on a bigger desktop screen.

It’s a good mash up and really slates Samsung as the forerunner in the mobile tech market. Myself an avid fan of Virtual Reality see the Gear VR as less than a novelty but more of an expansion to the mobile kit for gaming, media watching and more.

There’s a wealth of games, 360 films and apps in the Oculus and Gear VR Store that are top notch and free ones do not mean less quality either.

The Gear VR teamed up with the Galaxy S8 allows you to explore in your own realm, your own world unlike any mobile device on the market.

Expand the horizons of what your mobile can do – go virtual with the Gear VR.

The post Samsung Gear VR + Controller Review appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Samsung has now introduced to the world, the Galaxy S8 and S8+, a smartphone that pushes the boundaries of traditional smartphones with its seamless hardware design and a variety of new service offerings. With the launch of multiple services and apps, as well as a stunning Infinity Display for immersive viewing experiences, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ brings a new level of functionality and convenience, opening up a galaxy of possibilities.

“The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ usher in a new era of smartphone design and fantastic new services, opening up new ways to experience the world,” said DJ Koh, President of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics. “The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are our testament to regaining your trust by redefining what’s possible in safety and marks a new milestone in Samsung’s smartphone legacy.”

“We are always trying to bring to market the best innovations that help Kiwis get the most out of their smartphone experience. The screen is what you interact most with on your device, and the Galaxy S8 and S8+’s Infinity Display takes the smartphone screen to the next level. The result is the most immersive screen on a mobile device of this size – something we’ve achieved without needing to increase the devices footprint,” said Todd Selwyn, Head of Mobile Portfolio for Samsung Electronics New Zealand.

The Galaxy S8 builds on Samsung’s heritage of creating stunning designs and functional devices. Available in 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 and 6.2-inch Galaxy S8+, the Infinity Display and bezel-less design form a smooth, continuous surface with no buttons or harsh angles. The result is a truly immersive viewing experience without distractions and makes multi-tasking more convenient. The Galaxy S8’s compact design enables comfortable one-handed operation and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on both the front and back for both durability and a high-quality finish.

In addition to the new design innovations, Samsung continues to deliver cutting-edge technology including an advanced camera, enhanced performance and more to the devices that users love, including:

• Premium Camera: The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are equipped with an advanced 8MP F1.7 Smart Autofocus front camera and 12MP F1.7 Dual Pixel rear camera for great low-light, zoom and anti-blur photos with enhanced image processing.
• Powerful Performance: Packing powerful performance and connectivity, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ feature the industry’s first 10nm processor, enabling heightened speed and efficiency. It is also gigabit LTE and gigabit Wi-Fi ready with support for up to 1 GBPS so users can quickly download files, regardless of the file size.
• Global Standard in Mobile Security: The Galaxy S8 and S8+ are built on Samsung Knox, a defense-grade security platform. In addition, the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will offer a wide selection of biometric technologies including a fingerprint scanner, iris scanner and facial recognition so users can select a secure biometric authentication method that works best for them.

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ will also come with the foundational Galaxy features that our customers have come to love, including:

• Water resistance to a maximum depth of 1.5m for up to 30 minutes and dust resistance
• MicroSD support up to 256GB
• Always-on display so you can check the time or view important notes without waking up the device
• Fast and wireless charging capabilities
• Simultaneous device-to-device tethering and Wi-Fi connectivity

Bixby is an intelligent interface that will help users get more out of their phone. With the new Bixby button, you will be able to conveniently access Bixby and navigate through services and apps with simple voice, touch and text commands. At launch, Bixby’s Voice function will integrate with several Samsung native apps and features including Camera, Contacts, Gallery, Messages and Settings, with the plan to expand its capabilities to include more Samsung and third-party apps in the near future. Contextual awareness capabilities enable Bixby to offer personalized help based on what it continues to learn about the user’s interests, situation and location.

Users can also search for images and get details about nearby places with Bixby’s image recognition technology. As the Bixby ecosystem grows, it will connect across devices, apps and services as a ubiquitous interface, and open up new experiences and scenarios to simplify life.

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ offers a robust portfolio of additional products, elevating the Galaxy S8 and S8+ experience for best in class mobile productivity and connectivity.

The Galaxy S8 and S8+ unlocks the new Gear VR with Controller, powered by Oculus. Enabling convenient one-handed control and navigation, the controller provides better motion interaction when accessing interactive VR content. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ will also connect to the new Gear 360 to create 4K 360-degree videos and 15MP photos.

Leveraging the processing power of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ for enhanced productivity, Samsung DeX is a unique solution that transforms your smartphone into a desktop by providing a secure desktop-like experience. With Samsung DeX, users can easily display and edit data from their phone, making working from a smartphone faster and smarter.

New high-performance earphones tuned by AKG by Harman, offering uncompromised audio for unbeatable sound quality, will come as an in-box accessory. These earphones will have a comfortable hybrid canal fit for better noise cancellation and will be made from anti-tangle metal-fabric material.

Pre-orders in New Zealand for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will be available from 9am on the 20th of April 2017. The Galaxy S8 and S8+ will officially be on sale nationwide at 9am from the 5th of May 2017, through Vodafone, Spark, 2 Degrees, selected retailers and Samsung’s online store. Both devices will be offered in a colour palette including Midnight Black, Orchid Grey and Maple Gold.

The post Smartphones Without Limits – S8 & S8+ Announced! appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

In June of last year (2015) Samsung NZ sent out a Gear VR unit for me to have some personal hands on time with.

This was the Innovator Edition (you can read our review of it HERE), and while I thought this was already a stellar product, it turned out Samsung were still working on their Oculus Rift powered VR behind the scenes to get it all that more perfect.

The final edition was announced in September last year and released to retail in November, 2015 in Australia and New Zealand.

For the uninitiated that do not know Samsung have been dabbling in the arts of Virtual Reality, the Gear VR is a strap on visor that uses a combination of Oculus ingenuity and Samsung smartphone technology. The VR unit is essentially a viewing platform and the magic is powered through the smartphone. Just like the short lived craze of the 90’s you are propelled into a fully immersive 360 degree world, but unlike the 90’s, full HD and a totally responsive 3D environment.

Once the Galaxy phone is clipped into the visor it’s magic time. Literally drop your self into gaming worlds, have the best seat in the house within your own iMax theatre and more.

The final Retail Edition of Samsung’s Gear VR has not seen alot of changes, but what they have revised will give the VR headset longevity and makes it more user friendly.

The previous Gear VR’s were designed to fit one or two models of Samsung smartphones. The Gear VR Innovator Edition that I reviewed almost 7 months ago was designed to solely work with a S6 or S6 Edge. There was even a model before that one was designed for the Galaxy Note only.

Now the front phone clip on the visor is slide-able and adjustable to suit the Samsung smartphone that you have, with A or B option (on overseas models this will be S6 / S6 Edge / Note 5 options).

Whatsmore, with the Innovator Edition it was easy to ‘lose’ the side Touchpad when using the Gear VR, the indentation of the control pad just got lost when you were engrossed in VR content. Samsung have given this a once over and made that feature alot easier to blind control.

The face hugging foam padding which needs to completely block out any real world light sources seemed to be of a more form factor size, hugging any face shape or type and alot more cushiony than I remember the Innovator Edition being.

The comfortable factor could also be due to the weight reduction of this new unit. Samsung have reduced the weight of the Gear VR by 22% from the last version; being a mere 318 grams without the phone slotted in.

Inside the VR environment there have been tweaks aswell, such as your ‘Home’ from where you select the Content Type and differing Theatres in which you can watch your very very large screen movies or fully immersive 360 stereoscopic 3D ones.

Menus and commands are navigated or executed via head tracking and a small blue cursor in the center of your vision. Gaming and playing games also requires head tracking but there is a few in the Store that will require you to own and pair the Samsung Bluetooth Gamepad to your Galaxy smartphone.

We were also supplied with one of these which allowed us to try out as much free content as we could devour within the gaming applications. The Samsung Game Pad is simplistic to pair via bluetooth, it auto maps its buttons to any and all compatible games, it’s rechargeable (gives around a day of gaming use) and will cradle any Samsung Galaxy smartphone due to the height / width adjustment within the sliding handset cradle. Naturally you do not need to have the Galaxy handset cradled onto the Gamepad in order to make use of it.

The Samsung Gear VR  has completed it’s technical and design transition with a selection of small changes. But as small as they are they are crucial to the usage and functionality of the a true Gear VR experience.

I know that the Gear VR is not going to be for everyone. It requires yourself to be tuned out, wearing a rather large visor strapped to your head. It is also ideally a more home based device, unless you are brave and bold to look like a cyber freak on, say, public transport.. but hey – up to you.

But for the target market; entertainment aficionados, tech junkies and the wildly curious smartphone consumers the Gear VR has vastly improved from the Innovator Edition and is a budget priced smartphone accessory.

Whether we like it or not, the entertainment, technology and video gaming industry is adopting Virtual Reality as a medium. If you are new to VR or a seasoned Virtual Realm adventurer, Samsung’s Gear VR is the tool you need to ensure that you are not left behind.

*Visit the Official Site HERE

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