How Gear Circle positions itself in the circle of wearables

As a symbol, a circle can represent many things from unity and protection to focus and mobility. As a shape, a circle is curved and symmetrical. At IFA 2014 the newest is circle on display, and it is called the Gear Circle. And it definitively is a wearable device, because…

It makes things convenient

The single most important purpose of a wearable is to make things more convenient. Gear Circle solidifies itself as a wearable, because it fulfills this purpose.

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First of all, Gear Circle, when paired with a smartphone, supports some of the essential features such as receiving calls and notifications. For example, when you get a call, your Circle will gently vibrate on your neck. To answer a call you simply detach the earphones, put them to your ears and talk (to the single MEMS mic).

This new technology is called the Smart Magnetic Clasp Control, which is actually the key feature of the Gear Circle that allows it to be worn around the neck.

The Gear Circle also supports notification features. Not only does it vibrate when you get a notification, using Text-to-Speech, it can also read the message aloud instantly when it arrives. From messages, alarm, schedule to app installation, the Gear Circle can notify you with its voice.

It does not compensate quality for convenience

The single most important feature of the Gear Circle is its earphones. And people generally use earphones primarily for listening to music. Therefore, it is important for Gear Circle to provide a quality sound.

As you can see, Gear Circle doesn’t feature an adapter, an important component for sound quality. Gear Circle uses the Bluetooth to connect to smartphones, which, ironically, is actually what makes Gear Circle a convenient device. Generally, when you use an audio product that supports Bluetooth, you expect it to have a lower sound quality than a wired one, because the sound stream is compressed. However, Gear Circle manages not to lose any sound quality.

The Gear Circle supports Lossless HQ Streaming with Codecs, such as Apt-X. For example, Apt-X is an audio codec for real-time streaming of high quality stereo audio over Bluetooth between the mobile devices and Bluetooth headphones.

Samsung Level series actually utilizes the same codec to deliver HQ sound. Moreover, it is compatible with SoundAlive, Samsung’s advanced equalizer, to enhance the sound. *APT-X codec must be available in both the mobile device and the Bluetooth, but the good news is that almost all Samsung devices have been using APT-X codec since 2012.

It also should be noted that the Gear Circle is worn around your neck, which means that it needs to support your style. Even though style is in the eye of the beholder, you do not have to sacrifice style for convenience. Below are some of the collaborations for the Gear Circle displayed at IFA 2014, so pick your favorite.

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Lastly, Gear Circle is that supports 9 hours of music playing (Standby 300h / Talk 11h), which is more than half of the time we stay awake in a day (considering that an average person should sleep a full 8 hours).

Gear Circle may not look like something that requires any sophisticated technology, because it has a simplistic design. However, technology is the exact reason Gear Circle is able to make users’ mobile experience much more convenient without sacrificing any functionality. Gear Circle is a solid wearable device.

*All functionality features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.