No smartphone? No problem: Samsung to debut stand-alone smartwatch with Tizen

By Malarie Gokey May 23, 2014

Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s time to cut the cord. According to the Wall Street Journal, Samsung will introduce a new stand-alone smartwatch in the next few months. It will be able to make and receive calls, take photos, send emails, and even monitor your heart rate – all using the Tizen operating system. The new smartwatch will also have GPS and Bluetooth.

Samsung’s special new smartwatch won’t be dependent on your smartphone, so it will actually have its own SIM card. It’s unclear how the device will work and whether you’ll have to hold it up to your mouth and then your ear while having a phone conversation. Presumably, you’ll be able to connect headphones with a microphone to the smartwatch, so you don’t have to go all Dick Tracy, standing around muttering to your wrist. Also, since it has Bluetooth, maybe you’ll be able to connect it to other microphones, headsets, or even your smartphone — if you so choose.

Details about the watch are pretty scarce at this point, but it’s clear that Samsung wants to give users the independent smartwatch of their fantasies. Samsung also has its own agenda, though. It wants to get more people on Tizen. Like Gear 2, the new smartwatch will run Samsung’s pet project, Tizen OS. The stand-alone smartwatch will most likely debut in June or July.

Although the idea of a smartphone-free wearable may sound very exciting and cutting edge, Samsung’s previous watches haven’t attracted a lot of buyers.

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