2014 Tech Gadget Predictions
Visitors try out a Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Gear smartwatch at its exhibition hall at a railway station in Seoul November 25, 2013. Samsung Electronics Co is expected to spend around $14 billion - more than Iceland's GDP - on advertising and marketing this year, but it doesn't always get value for money. The outlay buys the South Korean technology giant publicity in TV and cinema ads, on billboards, and at sports and arts events from the Sydney Opera House to New York's Radio City Music Hall. Google Inc spent less on buying Motorola's handset business. Picture taken on November 25, 2013. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji REUTERS

The Samsung Galaxy Gear S might be the smartwatch that has been packed with most number of features. Compared to its predecessors, the Gear S is now bulkier, has a bigger screen and is now equipped with a built-in cellular connection. It also happens to be the first smartwatch that can take phone calls, send and receive text messages, get notifications and connect to the Internet without the need of a nearby smartphone.

The Gear S is provided with its own nano-SIM card slot and its own phone number. However, it incurs a U.S.$10 monthly charge on most carriers, except for T-Mobile that charges U.S.$5. Also, in order to activate the call and text capabilities, the phone, synced with the smartwatch, must be turned on and connected to a network. Users must also manually turn on call forwarding feature to get calls from his own number, but Samsung warns this set-up could stress the battery life. In making phone calls, all outgoing calls will appear under the new number, unless the Gear S is paired with the phone via Bluetooth, so users should expect their contacts won't recognise who is calling them, PCWorld reports.

Another important factor to consider is that the Gear S is powered by Tizen, unlike the other Samsung smartwatches that use Android as their platform. With the Tizen, the notification system, which is non-interactive for most apps, is most noticeable. If users receive a phone call or a text message on the Gear S, they will be offered helpful options on responding with a message or giving the other party a callback. However, for almost all types of notification, which includes vital apps like Facebook and Twitter, users will see nothing but a wall of text. Another downside of the Gear S is that users cannot even delete emails or even respond to Whatsapp messages, unlike on Samsung's Android watches.

Google's absence on Tizen makes it harder since there is no Gmail app on the watch. There is a need to use Samsung's own app both on the watch and on the phone to get full use of email. There is also no Google Maps so users must set-up Nokia Here Maps instead. It's a given that Samsung S Voice Assistant can handle basic commands on Android phones and watches, though it is much slower than Google's Voice Assistant. For Google-centric users, Samsung's smartwatches would be more useful with Android as its platform.

Another important detail for new owners is that they would need an Android smartphone with the Samsung Gear app when setting the Gear S for the first time. A smartphone is also required when installing apps even if the watch has data connectivity, Straits Times reports.