Samsung Unveils Gear Live Smart Watch Powered By Android Wear, Google’s New OS For Wearable Devices

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (KRX:005930), on Wednesday, unveiled the new Gear Live, the latest addition to its Gear smart watch portfolio, which will be powered by Android Wear, a version of Google Inc.’s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) operating system that has been tweaked to drive wearable devices.

The new Samsung Gear Live features a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 320x320 pixels and, according to its IP67 certification, the device is also resistant to dust and water. The smart watch also comes with a built-in heart rate monitor, which works in collaboration with multiple fitness apps. The device is currently available to order through the Google Play Store and will go on sale at Samsung retail stores soon.

“Through our long-term close collaboration with Google, we have successfully incorporated the capabilities of Android Wear into the Gear Live,” JK Shin, Samsung’s CEO, said in a statement on Thursday.

The Gear Live, which costs $199, runs on a 1.2 GHz processor and sports 512MB RAM along with 4GB of internal memory space. The device features a Standard Li-on 300mAh battery and also includes multiple sensors, such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope and a compass.

The smart watch also offers multiple voice commands that require users to ask questions starting with “Ok Google.” Using the feature, consumers can get updated on flight timings and game scores, as well as call a taxi, send a text, make a restaurant reservation or set an alarm, according to Samsung.

The Gear Live can also be connected to any Android device running Android 4.3 or higher.

Meanwhile, Google announced at its annual I/O conference in San Francisco on Wednesday that LG Electronics Inc.’s (KRX:066570) G smart watch, which was first introduced in March, is also powered by the new Android Wear platform and is up for sale for $229 along with the Gear Live, Mashable reported.

Here is how Samsung Gear Live compares to the LG G: