Samsung Electronics’ exciting new wearable device, the Samsung Gear S2, has introduced unprecedented style and functionality, with its rotating bezel and revolutionary UX (User eXperience) interface.

But a great device needs more than just design and technology. Partners and apps are vital aspects to creating a device that maximizes usability and functionality—and the Gear S2 has put together a strong list of partners that take it to the next level.

From early on, Samsung emphasized the importance of its partners, as seen in the early announcement of the Software Development Kit (SDK) for the Gear S2. Usually, an SDK is released after a new product announcement, but for the Gear S2, early access was provided back in April, months before the device was unveiled at IFA in Berlin in September.

“We made sure to put in as much time as needed to optimize the applications for the new circular design and UX,” said Joohyung Jeong of Product Planning Team of IT & Mobile Communications Business division. “We wanted to offer a great variety of useful applications to the users at the time of launch, which was made possible with the early announcement of the SDK.”

Because of the Gear S2’s unique, rotating bezel and a circular display, Samsung’s partners were eager to create apps for the smartwatch. The new wearable shape meant all the apps had to be redesigned, and Samsung provided all the design resources needed by our partners. But, in fact, optimizing apps for the rotating bezel turned out to be easier and more intuitive than the touch menus used by many wearables. It was also more convenient creating messaging services and notifications using the new interface.

The other thing which makes the Gear S2 so special is Samsung introduces special watch faces with many partners besides a customized app. These watch faces provide important information depending on your needs. You can check the latest trends on Twitter, or see stock updates on Bloomberg, or sports scores on ESPN.

With hundreds of apps available for the Gear S2 already, let’s take a look at eight of the most popular, for making people’s lives easier and more empowered.

Nike+ Running

With Nike + Running, you can keep track of your jogging regime, including how far you went, the pace and for how long you were running. Nike + Running can help organize and motivate you to make your fitness goals and live healthier.

Twitter Trends

Twitter comes to your wearable, bringing all the trending topics, fun tweets and conversations, and hottest news from around the world.

Line

The popular and free messaging app Line is also available for the Gear S2. In addition to being fast and easy-to-use, Line comes with an array of cute cartoon characters you can use as the face for your Gear S2.

Yelp for Gear

As a wearable device, the Gear S2 is designed for people on the go. And one of the most popular apps for people on the go is Yelp, the review site that rates just about everything in the world around you, like restaurants, flights, coffee shops, and stores.

Volkswagen

Whether it’s called Car-Net (in the United States) or e-Remote (in Europe), the Volkswagen app gives you access to your car, no matter how close or far you may be. You can check to see if the doors are locked, start the air-conditioning before you get to your car or stop it from charging (if it’s an electric car).

SmartThings

SmartThings turns your home into an IoT Smart Home, and the SmartThings app lets you check on your home from wherever you are. Are your doors closed? Are the lights on? Do you want your home to get ready for your arrival, based on any preset routine you like? The SmartThings app can do all that and more.

Kevo by UniKey

Kevo is the smartlock security system that puts the safety of your home right onto your mobile devices. No more fumbling with keys, now your Gear S2 can lock and unlock your doors. Kevo can send eKeys to anyone else, family or guests, so your family is safe, and you have maximum control over your own home.

Voxer

A messaging platform for sending voice messages, texts, photos, and videos. But what makes Voxer different is that you can also send audio live, like a walkie talkie, to instantly communicate with your friends and contacts.

And that’s just the start. Just as partners in Korea have prepared a special transportation app, with which users can simply tag their Gear S2 on the card readers at the gates of the subway and bus stations, many different specialized apps will be introduced to fit the needs of the local consumers.

Samsung Electronics announced a Set-Top Free TV partnership with Telefónica, one of the largest telecommunication companies in Europe, to  promote their IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) service that does not require a set-top box. The announcement came at the start of the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC) held in Amsterdam on September 11-15, IBC is a global annual conference for professionals creating, managing and delivering entertainment and news content.

During IBC 2015, Samsung will showcase the Set-Top Free TV partnership alongside products and services that go well beyond UHD technology. Samsung recently announced that all of its UHD TV’s, including the SUHD TV’s will allow consumers to connect and play external High Dynamic Range (HDR) resources, utilizing the new HDMI 2.0a specifications. Consumers, particularly those owning an  SUHD TV, can now  enjoy the most vibrant picture quality through HDR UHD content.

Telefónica is providing the service, Movistar+, on select 2014 and 2015 Samsung Smart TVs and will expand the service to future Samsung Smart TV models. Movistar+ is paid monthly subscription service that features 119 video channels, 30 audio channels and more. Consumers can enjoy Telefónica’s IPTV service on their Samsung Smart TV by downloading the Movistar+ app. Upon installation, the home screen of Movistar+ will appear on the television screen, and current subscribers will be able to instantly access to their complete offer of premium channels and videos available on demand.

There are many benefits to not having to have a separate set-top box. Users will have more space and fewer wires in their entertainment cabinet. They also need just the Samsung TV remote to control multiple applications and services, thanks to the Samsung Smart Hub and the Movistar+ app; another benefit is the energy saving by not having to run a set-top box to access the IPTV service.

“Through this partnership, we are able to provide more convenient and accessible viewing options for consumers,” said MS Kim, Executive Vice President of Visual Display business at Samsung Electronics. “The set-top box free option on our TVs is an exciting step.”

“Samsung seeks to give mobile service providers the ultimate mobile experience for end users” said Jungah Choi, Senior Vice President of Advanced Technology at Networks Business, Samsung Electronics. “In close partnership with leaders in the industry, Samsung CognitiV OSS can offer solid network performance and user experience improvements to our customers, while reducing their operating costs and helping them better monetize their network infrastructure.”

Through the strategic alliance, Samsung and IBM will collaborate on overall OSS technology and develop new business opportunities. Samsung’s leadership in the LTE market and IBM’s long experience with OSS will create important synergies for the development of an advanced OSS platform.

“The partnership between Samsung and IBM brings together cutting-edge LTE network technology and LTE service assurance. This allows service providers to deliver the best experience and value to their subscribers,” said Andrew Brown, Director of Worldwide Sales, IBM Systems Middleware.

Samsung is also working closely with Guavus on developing analytics technologies to bolster its innovative OSS offering. As networks grow increasingly dense and sophisticated, the importance of big data analytics is becoming more and more apparent. Samsung will work with Guavus’ analytics expertise to develop real-time analysis capabilities that are optimized for radio networks.

Anukool Lakhina, CEO & Founder of Guavus, said: “Mobile service providers are under significant pressure to provide highly personalized services, more responsive networks and a higher quality of service. To compete effectively, a next generation OSS system that integrates billing, operations and network planning is needed, so that network-wide optimizations can be implemented dynamically and cost effectively. Through partnership with us, Samsung is now able to uniquely provide a Service Assurance analytics solution that correlates and fuses streaming network data with operational data. This enables mobile service providers to quickly identify and resolve network outages, RAN congestion and improve LTE capacity planning in a way that positively impacts customer retention and network profitability.”

At Mobile World Congress 2015, Samsung will showcase its CognitiV OSS portfolio. The showcase includes a live demonstration of its CognitiV Analytics solution with QoE Analysis and Optimization functionality, and a proactive customer care solution.