It’s pretty obvious after reading a variety of reviews that were published early this morning, that Samsung Galaxy Gear is off to a rocky start. Most early reviewers aren’t fond of its minimal battery life, lack of water resistance, limited app ecosystem, and Samsung’s decision to make it incompatible with anything outside of a Samsung phone. Our review will be up this week as well, so we’ll have our own personal thoughts to share on all of that (initial hands-on and overview). But in the mean time, we thought we’d point out another smartwatch offering from a major company who has actually been in the game for over a year. Yes, we’re talking about Sony’s new Smartwatch 2.

So why would you consider the Sony Smartwatch 2? Well, this is their second third stab at a smartwatch, so you would hope that they have learned a thing or two after the first couple of go-arounds. The watch works with any Android phone running Android 4.0 and above, unlike the Gear which is currently locked to the Note 3 and a couple of other Samsung phones. The Smartwatch 2 is water resistant (IP57), runs “hundreds” of apps that are available through Google Play (not Samsung’s store, like on the Gear), and has a battery that should get you 3-4 days of “normal” use or 7 days with “low usage.”

It doesn’t have a camera or a bunch of fancy colorways, but it is an option – and a semi-affordable one at that.

While we are still awaiting an official release to the U.S., plenty of phone and accessory importers/resellers in the U.S. are already selling the watch. MobileFun is one in particular who has the watch at a reasonable price of $170. Other resellers are pricing the watch well over $200. We aren’t sure what the retail price will be, but the original Sony Smartwatch sold in the U.S. for $150, so even at $170, you are likely paying a bit of a premium to get it early. Still, it’s no $299.

We’ll have one shortly, so if you are interested in the world of smartwatches, stay tuned and keep an eye out for our coverage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApW7oknVnLU

Via: MobileFun

Cheers open1your1eyes0!