Samsung’s original Galaxy Gear smartwatch runs Android but that’ll soon be changing. The electronics giant has released new firmware for the first generation device that will replace Google’s mobile operating system withTizen, the Linux-based open-source OS primarily backed by Intel and Samsung, according to a report from SamMobile.
The update will deliver a wealth of improvements and new features for early adopters. In addition to better overall performance and improved battery life, the new software adds a standalone music player, voice-controlled camera commands and customizable shortcuts.
There are also some new health and fitness upgrades like Sleep and Exercise modes which measure sleep patterns and track workouts in real time, respectively.
In short, the legacy wearable now includes almost every feature found on newer offerings with the exception of those that rely on hardware sensors like the heart rate monitor.
Tizen isn’t an entirely new proposition for the Galaxy Gear line as both the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo ship with it. When those devices were first announced, many early adopters thought they’d be left out in the cold and stuck with Google’s OS. Fortunately, that isn’t the case.
Samsung hasn’t yet pushed the firmware out as an over-the-air release but you can pick it up as a manual download. Do note, however, that installing it will result in the loss of any third-party tweaks and it will wipe all of your data so be sure to back everything up beforehand.
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