Samsung Smart Watch

Samsung Galaxy Gear

Samsung's Galaxy Gear, a new device worn like a wristwatch, is certain to gain much curiosity when it starts being thrown in public. The intensely black rectangular screen and orange strap on the wrist of a Samsung executive immediately caught my eye as he entered a meeting room to give a preview of the gadget.

Samsung will start shipping the $299 Gear smartwatch in September.

I had a chance to play with a pre-production unit for about 10 minutes and briefly with the version that Samsung announced Wednesday in on the eve of the IFA consumer electronics show.

Like similar products already being sold, the Gear is not an independent device. For useful functionality, the Gear needs to be linked with a specific Samsung smartphone or tablet computer. The pairing is done wirelessly over a Bluetooth connection built in to both sides.

• The Gear's display is a touch screen measuring 1.63 inches diagonally. 
• Its strap has an embedded camera. 
• The Gear supports apps such as Facebook and lets the wearer answer incoming calls or check email without picking up the smartphone that's paired with it. 
• The Gear is not the smartwatch with a flexible display, as disclosed in recent Samsung patent filings.

With smartphones and tablets now ubiquitous, the technology industry is trying to create a new category of products to wow consumers. Many analysts believe the next big step for consumer electronics is advanced computing technology in everyday objects such as wristwatches and glasses.

Sony introduced its latest SmartWatch in June and unveiled an update Wednesday. Qualcomm announced a smartwatch on Wednesday as well. Google is working on Google Glass - a device designed to work like a smartphone and be worn like a pair of glasses. Apple is seeking an iWatch trademark and is widely believed to be developing a watch that uses the same iOS software as its iPhone and iPad devices.

Meanwhile, the response to projects such as Pebble, a smartwatch that received more than $10 million in investment pledges through funding website Kickstarter, also attests to the public interest in this trend.