Samsung just revealed the innovative new way its next smartwatch will operate
Almost all smartwatches released so far have relied on touchscreen taps and simple button presses to navigate around their operating systems (OS), which can be a somewhat cramped, awkward, and limiting experience on small-screened devices.
Apple was the first to release a rotating crown on a smartwatch, which adds an additional input for controlling and navigating the Watch OS.
Samsung's rotating bezel could add additional methods on input to make navigation around its Tizen smartwatch OS easier. For example, it can help with scrolling or potentially switching between applications.
SamMobile has a few diagrams from the SDK documentation worth taking a look at here.
In a departure from its signature square and rectangular designs, we've also seen hints from Samsung that its next smartwatch will indeed have a round design, which could be an effort to differentiate itself from Apple's square design. This is similar to the way the Moto 360 looks, with a round design.
When choosing their next smartphone, people could start factoring in their potential smartwatch options as well. And that could lead Android users to switch to iOS. While Android customers have more choice when it comes to smartwatches, none reach the quality offered by the Apple Watch's design and Watch OS.
Since Samsung's smartwatch runs its own Tizen OS rather than Android Wear, the company is not only aiming for iOS users to make the switch to Samsung devices, but it's also hoping to attract Android users with competing Android phones from LG, Motorola, and HTC to make the switch to the Samsung ecosystem.