Samsung unveils Galaxy Gear smartwatch

Brett Molina | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Samsung Galaxy Gear watch allows you to call, text Samsung Mobile made a groundbreaking announcement today that they'll be offering a smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear, that allows wearers to check their email, text, or call right from their wrist.

Tech giant Samsung finally announced its long-rumored Galaxy Gear smartwatch at a trade show in Berlin on Wednesday, kicking off what will likely be a tech battle over consumers' wrists.

The smartwatch will launch in October, and be available in six colors. It includes a 1.63-inch AMOLED screen, a camera that appears on the watch band, and 4 GB of storage space. Several apps will appear, including Path, Pocket, Snapchat and others.

The device will work worth the company's Galaxy S4 smartphone, the Galaxy Note 2 and 3 models, and the Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet.

The unveiling is the latest to invade the wearable computing space. Smartwatches in particular could prove highly popular, with companies such as Sony, Qualcomm and Pebble also involved.

For more details from the Samsung event, follow along with our up-to-the-minute updates:

2:06 p.m.: The host wraps it up. Thanks for joining us!

2:04 p.m.: More on the Galaxy Gear, while we sit through even more video montages: it will include 4 GB of internal storage and an 800 MHz processor.

2:02 p.m.: The tablet will include a 10-megapixel rear camera, and 2 megapixel front camera. It will also feature the latest version of Google Android.

1:59 p.m.: Samsung shifting to the Galaxy Note 10.1 edition tablet. Park returns to the stage with more details. The physical design is similar to the Note 3 smartphone with a less curvy form factor. It's 7.9 millimeters thick, a "considerable reduction" from last year, says Park, and features a 10.1-inch with 2560x1600 resolution.

1:57 p.m.: Time for another video montage highlighting the Note 3 and Galaxy Gear. The big question yet to be revealed: what will this watch cost?

Meanwhile, as All Things D reports, Qualcomm has also entered the smartwatch business.

1:55 p.m.: In the U.S., the Galaxy Gear and Note 3 will launch in October.

1:53 p.m.: Back to the Galaxy Note 3, which features a camera that can shoot Ultra HD or 4K video. It will also support ultra high quality audio.

1:52 p.m.: The watch will work with the Galaxy Note 2 and 3, the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Note tablet. As for battery life, Mistry says it will last more than 25 hours.

1:50 p.m.: Gear will run countless apps, including Feedly, Path, Pocket and Snapchat among others. There will be a special Gear app store for compatible applications.

The watch features a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED screen as well as gyroscope and accelerometer to follow movements.

1:48 p.m.: Gear will include S Voice, the Siri-like assistant so users can make calls, check messages or get weather forecasts through simple voice commands. As for the camera, called Memographer, sits on the outside of your wrist when wearing the watch. Mistry wears the watch on his left hand, so not sure whether there's an option for those who want to wear on their right hand. It will also translate signs or writing in another language.

1:46 p.m.: When users get a phone call, they can raise their hand to their ear like they're holding a smartphone, The speakers and microphones seem to appear on the watch band, too. "We don't need to talk in the air like those Google headsets," notes Mistry. Sure, since talking to a hand holding an imaginary phone is better.

1:44 p.m.: Notifications from Note 3 will display on the Gear instantly. Not a lot of discussion about whether this works on other devices. Mistry says the watch will include Smart Relay. If you get an email notification on your watch and want to check it out, you pull out your phone and watch the email automatically appear.

1:42 p.m.: Galaxy Gear will be available in six colors, "from formal to playful," says Mistry. It also looks like the camera appears on the watch band, based on a quick glance of Mistry's watch. Quick swipes, just like a smartphone, take users through apps. "Galaxy Gear is tomorrow's state of the art," he says.

1:41 p.m.: "The goal was to make it very wearable, comfortable, yet something out of sci-fi," says Mistry of the watch's design.

1:39 p.m.: Pranav Mistry of Samsung Research appears next, talking about wearable tech. Here comes the full details on Galaxy Gear.

1:36 p.m.: Also launching on Note 3: My Magazine, which is Samsung's answer to Flipboard. Compile social updates, news and other info into a magazine-style format.

1:35 p.m.: There's also Pen Window, which lets users draw a box that pulls up apps used on a frequent basis. For example, during a chat, he draws a box to pull up a calculator app to use without leaving the chat.

1:33 p.m.: Now for the screen: 5.7-inch full AMOLED display with improved multi-window feature. The same app can run in two windows, so, for example, an user can run two chats at the same time.

1:32 p.m.: S Note will also integrate with premium versions of the cloud-based service Evernote. Notes can be taken on the phone, then imported into Evernote.

1:31 p.m.: The S-Finder feature on Note 3 will include everything from photos and video to handwritten memos or text chats. S Note will also receive an upgrade, including a better interface and easier ways to organize information.

1:29 p.m.: For the Scrapbook function, users can find story links and circle the page to save it. The layout of content is similar to services like Flipbook.

1:27 p.m.: More on Action Memo: the software recognizes your writing and can perform actions based on what you wrote. So, if you write down a name and phone number, it allows you to quickly add it to contacts or directly call from the memo.

1:26 p.m.: David Park of Samsung marketing up next to break down more specificiations of the Note 3. The S-pen features Air Command, a quick menu for simple tasks such as Search, Action Memo or Screen Write.

1:22 p.m.: Several accessories will be available, including 10 covers, a cool S-view cover that still provides a view of the screen and a bright metallic cover in six colors. Moschino and Nicholas Kirkwood will design accessories for the Note 3.

1:20 p.m.: The phone will maintain the same width yet feature a larger screen. The leather back will be available in different colors, including black, white and pink.

1:18 p.m.: Samsung greeting viewers to a montage of the Galaxy Note, which has been a surprisingly popular device for the company. Now, on to the important stuff: what's new.

1:16 p.m.: Back to the Note 3, as Samsung shifts back to the phablet. Looks like that Gear reveal was a quick tease.

1:14 p.m.: Shin quickly moves on to the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet. It adds stereo speakers and a series of free apps, including Dropbox, Twitter and Angry Birds Star Wars II. The launches of these devices kick off September 25.

1:12 p.m.: Shin confirms the Galaxy Gear, with several colors of bands including green and orange. You can answer calls, send text messages or video memos. Shin calls it a "perfect companion" to the Note 3.

1:10 p.m.: Shin says Samsung Knox, its mobile security software, will be available globally to Galaxy owners. The Note 3 will also feature faster 4G LTE connectivity. Shin cleverly accepts a message with the Galaxy Gear smartwatch.

1:09 p.m.: Samsung confirms the Galaxy Note 3. It will include a "warm, textured-touch" back cover. It seems the design has less curves than earlier models. It will also include an improved S-pen and better multitasking.

1:08 p.m.: Shin says the Note will feature "a larger screen, but (will be) more compact," and will be lighter that previous releases. Samsung has been king of the smartphones with larger screens of late.

1:06 p.m.: President and CEO of the mobile division, JK Shin, is up next. He kicks things off with an introduction of the next Galaxy Note smartphone.

1:03 p.m.: Host Jason Bradbury, sporting really wacky eyeglasses and unbridled enthusiasm, hops on stage. Gives a shout-out to crowds watching the event in Times Square.

Update at 1:01 p.m. ET: The show begins with a video montage inside a factory. Looks like they're crafting a notebook. First look at the Galaxy Note coming?

Our original post

The Galaxy Gear has been rumored to feature a 3-inch screen, camera, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support to pair with a Samsung smartphone or tablet and a host of other options.

So, is this finally the day for the Samsung watch? Follow USA TODAY for updates of the Samsung event starting at 1 p.m. ET. You can also watch the event via YouTube.

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @bam923.