Head-to-head: Samsung Gear 2 versus Galaxy Gear specs

How does the hardware of Samsung's latest smartwatch compare to last year's release?

The Samsung Gear 2 is official, as is the Gear 2 Neo, a version of the Tizen-powered smartwatch without a camera. But how do they compare to the original Android-powered Galaxy Gear? We've got a rundown of the spec differences after the break.

	Samsung Gear 2	Samsung Galaxy Gear
Display	1.63” Super AMOLED (320 x 320)	1.63” Super AMOLED (320 x 320)
Dimensions	Gear 2: 36.9 x 58.4x 10.0 mm, 68g; Gear 2 Neo: 37.9 x 58.8 x 10.0mm, 55g	36.8 x 56.6 x 11.1mm, 73.8g
Processor	1.0GHz dual-core processor	800MHz dual-core processor
Memory	512MB + 4GB storage	512MB + 4GB storage
Battery	300mAh internal; Typical Usage 2~3 days, Low Usage up to 6 days	315mAh internal; Up to 25 hours typical usage, 150 hours standby
Connectivity	Bluetooth 4.0, IR	Bluetooth 4.0
Water resistance	Rated IP67	N/A
Camera	Gear 2: 2MP; Gear 2 Neo: No camera	2MP
Software	Tizen	Android 4.2.2
Sensors	Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Heart Rate	Accelerometer, Gyroscope
Colors	Gear 2: Charcoal Black, Gold Brown and Wild Orange; Gear 2 Neo: Charcoal Black, Mocha Grey and Wild Orange	Jet Black, Mocha Gray, Wild Orange, Oatmeal Beige, Rose Gold, and Lime Green

Huawei enters the wearable category with the TalkBand B1

Do we really need a wristband that tracks your health and also turns into a headset? Huawei thinks so.

It was only a matter of time before Huawei got in on the increasingly-relevant wearable space, and the TalkBand B1 is its first attempt. This device, while it looks wrist-bound, is actually two devices in one. The name reveals its hand a little bit — the TalkBand can both be used as a fitness band to capture and give you simple information about your movement but can also be removed from the band and used as a Bluetooth headset.
That's right, you can remove the screen from the TalkBand and stick it in your ear and use it to make and receive calls. When it's all put together, the TalkBand looks and works like your standard fitness band — think Fitbit or LG Lifeband — with a 1.4-inch curved OLED display and a single button on the side. When removed, it looks like a sleek, low-profile headset with a simple microphone slot and rubber earpiece.
The band latches together with two metal prongs, and one end pulls double duty as a USB plug to charge the device. That means you have the simplicity of not needing a cable to charge, but it also gives the TalkBand IP57 waterproofing as well. The band itself feels comfortable, as it should when you'll be wearing it all the time, but is a tad thick because it has to house all of the components of a Bluetooth headset at the same time.

Huawei TalkBand B1

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The TalkBand connects to your phone over Bluetooth 4.1, of course, and initiates that connection over NFC. It is supported by Huawei's recently-launched devices officially — although Huawei isn't showing off the software integration just yet — but we were also told Android 2.3+ and iOS 5+ support is on the way as well.
We're not entirely sure if the fitness band + Bluetooth headset is a large addressable market, but the design and implementation of what Huawei has gone for here is above what we'd expect on a first attempt. The TalkBand B1 will be hitting Europe for just €99, which is an industry-following price for something like this.

Quick look: The HP Slate 6 and Slate 7 Voicetabs

Phone? Tablet? No, they're both

HP was on hand at Mobile World Congress today in Barcelona to show off its new Android smartphones, the Slate Voicetabs. We got a look at both the 6-inch and 7-inch versions that are most definitely part tablet, part smartphone. Both have earpieces, large displays and make phone calls.
Neither are particularly groundbreaking. The Slate 7 has a 1200x800 resolution display while the Slate 6 has a slightly better 720p panel. Both contain 1.2GHz quad-core CPU's, 1GB of RAM, 5MP rear camera and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. HP says KitKat will be pushed out to both, but didn't say how soon.
So they're definitely not top-tier devices, but from a visual perspective they don't look all that bad. The software is basically completely untouched Android with a couple of HP apps, and there is a pretty bold choice of colors for the rear including a vivid pink or lime green option.

Spreadtrum planning a $25 Firefox OS smartphone

You heard that right. Spreadtrum and Mozilla are planning on releasing a smartphone that retails for $25.
Spreadtrum is a cell phone manufacturer that isn't exactly known around the world, but it shares the same vision as Mozilla does: delivering smartphones to consumers at the lowest possible prices.


What helps to keep the cost down is a Cortex A5 chipset: the SC6821. The chip doesn't have support for LTE, just WCDMA and EDGE. The chip does include support for WiFi, Bluetooth, cameras, and FM Radios, but it will top out at powering 3.5” screens.
With these features and specs, no one's going to be tossing out their Galaxies, iPhones, or Lumias, however, if Mozilla can create a smartphone that works reasonably well for $25, then feature phones will get much closer to being completely phased out in emerging markets.
For $25, would you buy one of these bad boys as your back-up smartphone? Or maybe use them as party favors for a geek get-together?