Amid Reports of High Return Rates, Samsung Expands Galaxy Gear Smartwatch Compatibility - East Idaho News
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Amid Reports of High Return Rates, Samsung Expands Galaxy Gear Smartwatch Compatibility

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GETTY 102813 GALAXYGEARSMARTWATCH?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1382999167999Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg via Getty Images (NEW YORK) — Samsung is eliminating one of the major complaints about its Galaxy Gear smartwatch, which launched last month for $300. In the coming weeks, the watch will work with more Samsung phones, the company announced today. Instead of working only with the Galaxy Note 3, it will be updated to work with the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 smartphones.

The added compatibility will surely make the watch available to a greater number of people — the Galaxy S3 and S4 are the most popular Android smartphones around. But it will likely still not appeal to them. The update won’t address a number of other complaints that reviewers (ABC News included) and users have had about the device, including its dependence on the phone, short battery life and confusing interface.

According to a report from technology website Geek.com, one in three buyers who purchased the smartwatch from Best Buy have returned it. Samsung did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment on the return rate of the new wearable device. Still, the broader support of the Gear should help drive sales of the device.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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