Samsung announced the smartwatch smart device the Samsung Galaxy Gear, today in Berlin. 
Some are saying the only reason the Samsung Galaxy Gear was released was to beat Apple to the wrist punch. Most who have seen the Gear are apprehensive or don't get it. A few see some potential.
The Gear which costs $299 is a supplemental device to a Samsung smartphone so that you don't have to take them out or look at them for notifications. It will also make voice-activated phone calls. It can find your phone/tablet, by activating sound in the missing device. It uses Bluetooth to connect to the primary device. Currently, it only works with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and 10.1. Updates to the Galaxy S III and 4 are expected to be out in October.
You can also take photos with the Galaxy Gear that you can save on a Note 3/10.1 or the Gear.
The reactions so far have been underwhelming and don't see the style or cache(cash too) for users to gear up with the Samsung Galaxy Gear. However the use of the Galaxy Gear could bring a whole new dimension to Selfies with Bluetooh.
- "A smartwatch (or any piece of wearable tech for that matter) shouldn't be released just to act as an accessory to a smartphone or tablet -- it should fill a void all on its own by being more mobile, cheaper, or a combination of both..Let's not even get into how disappointing the overall clunky design is.." wrote Rachel King at Between the Lines. "
- "There's potential here. But I haven't been wowed by any of the smartwatches I've tried so far, and I'd have to live with Galaxy Gear for awhile and see what it costs before recommending it to anybody. At $299 it would strike me as pricey, especially since anyone considering the watch is going to have to cozy up to the Note 3 too. That invites the possibility, it seems to me, of bundled marketing deals....One thing seems certain: Smartwatches have clocked in and aren't going away." wrote Edward C. Baig at USA Today.
- "I can imagine wearing the Gear with a casual dress or a formal outfit. It is sleek, with a thin metallic bezel surrounding the display....After my brief hands-on experience, I decided the first generation of the Gear was cool but not compelling enough to convince me to ditch my current device, an iPhone." reported AP's Youkyung Lee.
- "My general thought about this and other smartwatches is that — while a nice accessory — it’s not a game changer," write Larry Magid at Forbes.
- Called and Op-Ed with the title Big, Bold and Challenged, Lance Ulanoff wrote at Mashable, "Do I see potential in the Gear? Absolutely. But despite all of this week’s hype, Samsung and others in the wearable tech race may face a steep climb."
- "Smartwatches are the hottest trend in tech, and Samsung is jumping into the market with the new Galaxy Gear," wrote CNN's Julianne Pepitone who concluded "Smartwatches, however, have come under particular scrutiny, with critics questioning whether the devices will drum up enough consumer interest to become mainstream must-haves."
- "Would (did) Samsung have a radical solution or insight into the power, functionality, or consumer appeal of the smartwatch? The short answer is no," wrote Ewan Spence at Forbes.com, "It’s just that everyone who might want to buy it will be asking “why do I need this in my life?”
- "Still, it’s a category of devices that really hasn’t taken off with the consumer yet", wrote Bonnie Chat at AllThingsD.
- "It's not a standalone phone but you can use it to make phone calls," was a subhead on the Verge.
Commenters from the general public have been having fun with their comments.
- Dat is one fat watch face 🙁 Dat is one fat watch price 🙁
- So chic… Yuk.
- Way too expensive.
- Fugly as hell.
- With Google Glass on the distant horizon, why even bother to design a smartwatch?
- I just don't get it. The phones are expensive enough, why do we need to throw more money at a problem that doesn't exist? Just because we're lazy?
- Lame as hell. Disappointed.
- Yeehah-- put that up your wazoo and you have the best Selfies in the world....which is followed by "you could strap that thing on all kinds of appendages..."
- Samsung has a home run here if the smartwatch thirst is real.
The Galaxy Gear will launch on Sept. 25 in more than 140 countries and will be available worldwide in October.
Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile have confirmed that it will sell the Samsung Galaxy Gear and the Galaxy Note III.