In the past, developments in skiing and snowboarding technology have often been centered on new forms of clothing, such as lightweight, breathable material, or new shells that make taking one’s boots on and off effortless. Now, however, wearables are making their mark on winter sports around the globe—a revolution catalyzed by products such as Bluetooth controlled gloves, battery-powered foot warmers and ski goggles outfitted with cameras and head-up displays (HUD).

Yet, among the devices infiltrating ski resorts and backcountry treks, the Samsung Gear S2 is perhaps the Swiss Army knife of the group, boasting a number of versatile features and tools that add convenience, safety and fun to users’ outdoor experiences.

Sleek and Sporty for Active Lifestyles

At first glance, it becomes obvious that the Gear S2’s cutting edge circular face, comfortable stainless steel body and premium finishes epitomize elegance. But don’t let its sophisticated looks fool you. This device was designed for active lifestyles, featuring an IP68 water- and dust-resistance rating, which means it stays protected even if you take a fall. And with interchangeable bands and customizable watch faces, it can be personalized to match just about anyone’s style.

Furthermore, the intuitive bezel lets you navigate with ease to get to what you need without having to take off your gloves. Access important notifications at a glance, make phone calls (3G version only) and get directions, even when you leave your phone back at the ski lodge. After all, you’ve got enough equipment to keep your hands full.

Speaking of hands, the Gear S2 lets you keep them where they should be—on your ski poles. Simply activate S Voice to get the latest weather updates or manage your hydration status via S Health. You can also pair the wearable with a Bluetooth-enabled headset like the ultra-sporty Level U headphones and use voice commands to control your playlist for an even bigger adrenaline rush.
Adding to these features is the device’s superior battery capacity. Lasting about three days, the wearable keeps up with you, regardless of your downhill speeds. Even if you forget to charge the Gear S2, you can switch on its Power Saving mode to extend its battery life.

Perfect Partners

In addition to the preloaded apps, the Gear S2 is also compatible with a number of other apps developed by Samsung’s partners to maximize the usability and functionality of the device. A few of them are particularly useful for outdoor winter activities.

From the moment you start your weekend winter getaway, Here for Gear (Navigator), a companion of the preloaded Here Maps app, makes it easy to find your way to your destination. Get maps and turn-by-turn directions and view each step on the screen so you can get to where you need to be quickly and effortlessly to enjoy more time in the snow.

Once you do hit the slopes, keep up with your ski buddies with Voxer. This convenient service lets you send live or recorded voice messages instantly to one person or an entire group in walkie-talkie style. Received messages can be heard directly from the Gear S2, via a paired Bluetooth device or a smartphone equipped with the app. Voxer works on any cellular or Wi-Fi network around the world.

Finally, after a long day of slope-side activities, indulge in a bit of aprés-ski with the help of Yelp. This useful app transforms the Gear S2 watch face into a spinning wheel of attractions, which makes good use of the wearable’s round screen and rotating bezel. Search for the perfect restaurant or watering hole based on your location as well as consumer-submitted reviews to complete your winter weekend getaway.

With multiple features, hands-free functions and a suite of apps perfect for winter sports enthusiasts, this sleek yet sporty device is sure to make a statement on the slopes.

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.