Two of the most talked about devices from IFA thus far are definitely the Galaxy Note III and Galaxy Gear from Samsung. The Galaxy Note III will undoubtedly be a big seller as it is still the most dominant phone when it comes to the phablet market. The Galaxy Gear, however, will likely have a much tougher time gaining traction, especially as it stands right now. Currently, the Galaxy Gear only works when paired up with the Galaxy Note III and that is a big big problem. That means that the the potential users is immediately limited to those who choose to and a comfortable with the phablet known as the Galaxy Note III.
There is some good news to report however. According to an interview that ReadWrite had with Samsung’s director of marketing, Ryan Bidan, the Gear will not only become compatible with other Samsung devices in the near future, but with smartphones from other manufacturers as well.
[I]t is just the timetable of bringing that software to other devices. It is nothing other than engineering work to do it…. Part of that functionality is tied to some updates in Android 4.3. So we are working to bring 4.3 to all those devices as well and so that is definitely one of the factors influencing adoption…
…We were working to make sure that we had the right engineering to do it on the Galaxy Note 3. So, here we are at the launch of the Galaxy Note 3 and here is Galaxy Gear. There is more to come, for sure.
So fear not Galaxy Gear hopefuls, you may not have to shell out for a new phone just to get that fancy new smartwatch working properly. Although there’s not real timetable at this point so you might have to wait a little while…