Samsung Electronics New Zealand today announced to us here at STG news on the upcoming release and standalone availability of a connected variant of the Gear S3 frontier smartwatch. Inspired by traditional timepieces and the art of watchmaking, the Gear S3 combines timeless design with the latest in mobile technology, including IP68 water resistance, 3G connectivity and built-in GPS, making it the ideal addition to any watch collection.

Powered by the Spark network, the Gear S3 will feature an e-Sim, offering standalone 3G connectivity and a built in speaker. As the first truly standalone smartwatch to be available in New Zealand, users will be able to make voice calls, send text messages, stream music and more directly from the Gear S3, without needing a smartphone or WiFi connection.

“The smartwatch category has grown approximately 45% in units this year to date, and the Gear S3 standard models have been selling strongly since launch. By adding an e-Sim variant to our smartwatch lineup, we are able to offer even more flexibility for consumers looking to get the most out of their smartwatch,” said Todd Selwyn, Head of Mobile Product at Samsung New Zealand.

“With a standalone smartwatch users can do so much more, without needing a connected smartphone or WiFi source. For example, you could stream music to Bluetooth headphones while out running, order an Uber without digging into your pocket, or answer a call directly from the Gear S3 when driving, without needing to be in range of your smartphone,” Selwyn continued.

Inspired by the active explorer, the Gear S3 frontier 3G evokes a rugged outdoor look with an enduring style that blends form and function. The frontier was designed to perform in any setting or environment – whether business or leisure. Every feature, from the circular bezel to the premium finishing and buckles, has been reimagined to elicit the look of a classic timepiece. In addition, the Gear S3 is compatible with 22mm watch bands so consumers can easily personalise their watch to match any outfit or special occasion.

3G connection making its smartwatch debut on the Gear S3 frontier means that users never have to miss a call. With the built-in speaker, users can activate voice messaging and listen to their favourite tunes. The onboard storage means you can even save a selection of songs straight to the smartwatch. With a battery that lasts up to four days on a single charge, users can enjoy their music, make calls and show off their stylish smartwatch longer.

The Gear S3 was designed with consumers’ safety in mind. In case of an emergency, users can activate the SOS and location tracking capabilities to alert family, friends and emergency professionals about crisis situations, even when their phone isn’t in-hand.

Consumers can access a diverse range of apps, including Spotify, Uber, NZ Herald, plus other fitness, music, news, sports and travel apps – all optimised for the Gear lineup of devices including the Gear S2 and the Gear S3. With a variety of customizable watch faces available for download, users can personalise the circular user interface to fit their lifestyle. Select apps and watch faces will be available for download directly from the Gear S3 without the need to first download on a smartphone. Through an open collaboration with developers and partners, Samsung continues to enrich its wearables ecosystem and provide users with a unique smartwatch experience.

The Samsung Knox Tizen Wearable SDK will be available to third-parties, enabling management capabilities and the development of customized applications for Samsung’s wearable ecosystem. With the Samsung Knox security platform, the Gear S3 will enable broader enterprise business opportunities.

The Gear S3 connected variant will be available from Spark from late August 2017.

Gear S3 Frontier Specs

*Service availability and scope may vary by each region and market condition.

* Data from GfK YTD (Jan17-Jun17 vs. Jan16-Jun16) growth: 45.2% in units.

*3G functionality available only on the Spark network

* IP68 certified for up to 1.5m for up 30 minutes in fresh water.  Please rinse thoroughly in fresh water after exposure to salt/chlorinated water.

*User memory space may be less than the total memory space due to system files. User memory may differ by region, carrier, and supporting language, and may change after software upgrade

The post Samsung’s Wearables Expand to a Connected Gear S3 Frontier appeared first on Shane the Gamer.

Tech consumers are well versed in the knowledge that with every year that rolls around we are wowed and dazzled by a new lineup of smart hardware.

Mobile phones generally being at the forefront, it’s easy to overlook the booming tablet market. And just like the smart phone area, Samsung have the tablet market cornered aswell.

They have just released their Galaxy Tab S3, which is ultimately on par with a mid range PC in a tablet form.

Android tablets are everywhere, in a saturated market, it’s easy to come across a budgetly priced Android based one, but the more savvy of us are able to wade through the deluge and see the higher end ones that actually are more bang for your buck. The Galaxy Tab S3 is certainly one of those.

Samsung sent us at StG a review unit to spend a couple of weeks with and we were impressed.

At 9.7 inch the extremely light weight power horse combines the ease of functionality of Samsung’s latest smartphones with the brilliance of tablet computing.

Those that own either a S7 or the new S8 will be in familiar territory. The Galaxy Tab S3 includes the S Pen in the box (take note Apple!). The S Pen is a smart Pen or stylus that opens up further functionality on the device for free hand writing, intricate image editing and more.

The Tab S3 will recognise that the S Pen is being used and open up a sub menu automatically. And yes, very reminiscent to the Note series.

But… unlike the Note series – the S Pen is as much a part of the Tab S3, as it also isn’t. Completely separate to the unit there is no slot to insert or attach the S Pen to or in to the device. Whether by design or not, being that it is included (and a welcome inclusion, thank you Samsung) it would have been sensible to have allowed the stylus to become one with the S3 when it is not in use.

I can see alot of S Pens being let loose and lost in the wild…

Having 4GB RAM and an astounding processing clock at 2.15 GHz with an additional 1.6 GHz with its Snapdragon 820 Quad processor the Tab S3 is an excellent replacement for a laptop, especially when used with the keyboard cover (not supplied with the device).

The Full HD screen maximises your media, being able to display at 2048 x 1536 pixels with its Super AMOLED and for the gaming and multimedia aficionados (aswell as music buffs) one of the biggest and most notable inclusions in Samsungs newest tablet is four speakers are built in, booming out high quality audio with its UHQ (Ultra high Quality) Audio coupled with their SoundAlive enhancer and AKG filtering. Perfect for headphone based audio.

To my surprise and slight disappointment though, earplugs are not included with the device, which I kind of expected… that said, with the Tab S3 having a quad speaker system, its my assumption that Samsung want you to experience the audio loud and proud for all to hear.

The rear camera is 13 MP which for a tablet is close to the high end side and the front 5 MP. The Galaxy Tab S3 is also capable of HDR recording and includes most of the varying modes that are built in to the S7 and S8.

MicroSd expansion is still included and if you’re one to work or play on the go constantly, 3G / 4G equipped too. Internal storage is on the mid range at 32GB. Given the current trend and the fact that we humans are becoming digital content hoarders I did think that 32GB was very last year as mobile phones are now releasing with 64GB internal as standard.

And battery? Just superb! I was able to get a weeks worth of juice from one single charge, having used the S3 moderately, but at least once every day for around two hours. Charging generally takes a tad less than one hour for a full charge, but you can quick charge if you have to up and go – this will give you around half of the capacity of a full charge.

A little on the pricier side at around $1,199.00 NZD but one must remember this is a top shelf smart device and will see you right for a long time.

Still, from eReading through to game playing, movie watching, snapping pics and boring work related stuff, the Galaxy Tab S3 has all of it covered and really is a one stop, do everything unit, not too mention one of the highest spec’d tablets currently on the market. I am infact writing this very review on the Galaxy Tab S3!

A perfect accompaniment to the Samsung range and your digital life. Once you have one, you wonder how you ever did without previously.

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