Technology would unfortunately crippled the makings Apple Watch Killer, Samsung via software. Technology 4 stars, usability 1 star

When I look at myself all the reviews so I wonder if the reviewers use their gear S at all (be), or if I'm spoiled as technology amorous man simply too demanding, or. Maybe I was after all the great reviews expecting even too much smartphone?

I bought my Gear S on 19.12.2014 at Saturn in Munich, because it was to get otherwise only in the feed, and with delivery times.
Now, after almost 9 weeks I have to after the initial euphoria, a rather ambivalent opinion on the clock - or the complete package of hardware and software - cases.

One thing first: the technology is top! Good display, 4GB of memory, WiFi, GPS, Bluetooth, 3G, phone, battery life about 1 day, charging cradle with built-in spare battery - everything you could wish for. Even the on-screen keyboard is accurate enough to write short texts. That the clock does not run with Android Wear, but with Tizen, is (for me) no disadvantage.

No comparison to my Pebble; the Gear S had the makings of Apple Watch-killer!

But Samsung has really managed to cripple the clock by software. The forcibly binding to newer Samsung Galaxy Smartphones / Tablets (you need at least Android 4.3) would still get over. But the S Gear yet almost nothing can no mobile phone, is already an impertinence.

Examples:

Commissioning / Setup Clock - without Galaxy smartphone is really nothing! Without workaround / backdoor get stuck when prompted to couple the clock with a Galaxy smartphone immediately after switching. And even with the back door to get not much further. Then you can take the S Gear operational and utilize the few pre-installed apps, as long as these need no partner app on the smartphone. Available are S-Health (restricted), MP3 player (being refueled via USB from the computer), the news and weather app. More is not possible.

Navigation on the Gear S? Wrong! An app is indeed installed and also invites maps at the clock, but the actual real-time navigation will then return to the smartphone instead. So you have to take the smartphone in your pocket still always. And the S Gear would have everything on board

Write mail? Depends on which smartphone with the Gear S is connected. With my S4 mini that does not work anyway! And without smartphone certainly not - at least says that the message that appears to me if I antippe the appropriate option at one of my contacts. The Mail app is therefore not a real mail client, but only the Deluxe version of a prolonged display of your smartphone. One can mails that have been received on your phone, read on the clock (only text, images are not displayed) and answer and delete on the clock. The messages remain on the smartphone but still unread lie in the inbox. A feedback of the clock on the mail client on the phone does not exist.

Why can however easily create SMS on the clock in contrast, do not open up so completely. To configure a mail client on the clock would be a bit fiddly, but thanks to the exact screen keyboard quite possible. Alternatively, you could configure indeed on the coupled smartphone make. Aside from making you the yes usually rarely and not daily.

The display of the messages seems not always thought through in my opinion. So one always gets eg for conversations in a WhatsApp group a notification on the Gear S, however, each notification includes the contents of all previous messages. Namely, until you read the WhatsApp messages on your smartphone (Read-mark)! A deletion of messages on the Gear S alone is useless.

Install apps just goes over the Galaxy AppStore app in combination with the Gear Manager, both of which run on the phone. A purchased app for the clock will download them to your mobile phone and then transferred by the Gear Manager via Bluetooth to the Gear S. It has the clock 3G and WLAN and could easily install all over-the-air. Google shows the PlayStore how that can go comfortably: Apps on a PC in the Browser / buy Webshop, the mobile device then loads just the app directly down. Even AppStore on the clock would be technically possible (with the small display operation and display options very limits).

I would also like to configure my homescreen, or the assignment of the 5 free widgets. Unfortunately does not go well. One can (yet?) To add the pre-installed widgets (weather, calendar, contacts, settings, news reader, S-Health and MP3 player) and rearrange. I have a few other apps (eg beatObox) installed, which I would like to call by wiping gesture / show, but that's probably not intended.

That the AppStore for Gear S until now only a very straightforward site contains and most apps rather meaningless gimmicks, Watch Faces and / or fitness Apps are, I still lead back to the short market availability of Gear S, although me personally one or other typical smartphone app (WhatsApp, etc.) on the Gear S really missing. For some of my needs, there are now workarounds (eg Notification for Gear S), but I still hope to Samsung or a few dedicated third party.

Pity is that you can not simply delete them from the Gear S preinstalled apps, as they are installed again forcibly and without notice simply at the earliest opportunity. Since Samsung is but in good company; Bloatware is in almost all brand manufacturers by now de facto standard. With the forced installation of S-Health has Samsung but somewhat exaggerated. Although all notification options are disabled, annoying S Health nevertheless permanently with the note that they should but kindly set up a profile ... What is this?

There are still a few little things, such as motion detection or a hypersensitive touch display (partly solves already a touch of the fabric of my shirt collar or the Knitwrist a sweater an action! Three days ago, for example, an involuntary call on a random number), but these are rather teething that can solve a firmware update. The fact that you can not just jump back to the last active app via gesture, shame (eg listening to music, read a message and then jumps back to the player by wiping) is.

And who now believes that it is possible to install the Galaxy mobile phone of a friend, then tie it with the own smartphone, which looks into the tube the clock easily. Once the gear S is coupled to another device, carried out a factory reset of the clock and you're back at the beginning.

Fact: Without coupling to a Galaxy smartphone / tablet, you have a simple telephone or alternatively a chic, expensive Bluetooth hands-free on your wrist. This is 2000s, but not 2014/2015.

The Gear S thanks to its technology has incredible potential - you could be an almost complete smartphone at the wrist. Quasi the perfect secondary device for mobile use (eg sports), when a big smartphone / phablet do not want to take (s) or can. Exactly for this purpose I wanted the Gear S have necessarily. But I seriously wonder what Samsung was thinking of restricting the capabilities of the clock through the close integration such. I hope Samsung improved since after in the near future, even if product support do not necessarily one of their strengths!

Technology: 4 stars
Software / Usability: 1 Star