Samsung Gear S2

Samsung Gear S2

Farwell, Android Wear. Hello, Tizen. Samsung's latest smartwatch abandons the Android Wear OS in favor of the company's homegrown Tizen OS, which proves to be a smart choice indeed. The Samsung Gear S2 ($299.99) has a user-friendly interface that's worlds easier to use than Android Wear. And the watch itself has a great design that combines the round face and stainless steel case of a traditional timepiece with a futuristic, rotating bezel that makes navigation even easier. But there's still some room for Tizen to grow, as a dearth of apps and weak voice recognition keep the Gear S2 from nabbing a higher score. 

Pricing and Design
The Samsung Gear S2 comes in two flavors: There's the regular Gear S2 for $299.99, and the $349.99 Gear S2 classic. The regular Gear S2 comes with a black or white silicone wristband, while the classic model has black leather strap. No matter which version you choose, the watch face is made of matte stainless steel. We reviewed the $299.99 model, with a white band and a silver face. 

There are also 3G versions of each watch available with AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon service. Pricing and availability will vary according to carrier; T-Mobile, for instance, offers the option to add the watch to your plan for $5 per month.

The standard Gear S2 model is extremely comfortable and light on the wrist, with a simple clasp and an adjustable buckle to stay in place. No matter which model you choose, you're sure to be happy with the watch's most distinguishing feature, a rotating bezel. Similar to the digital crown on the side of the Apple Watch, you physically turn the bezel around the watch face like a dial in order to make selections. It's precise, quick, and feels very satisfying to use thanks to the little clicks it makes. 

The watch also has a Back button in the two o'clock position, and a Home button in the four o'clock position. The Home button brings you to the default watch face or to your main app library if you're already at your home watch face. The Back button brings you back one step in whatever app you're in. Of course, you can also tap your way through the interface without bothering with the bezel. I'll discuss navigation more in a bit, but the Gear S2 is the most easily navigable smartwatch I've tested.

Left to right: Apple Watch, Samsung Gear S2, Moto 360

The Gear S2's round watch face measures 1.66 inches around, 0.44 inches thick, and weighs 1.7 ounces. The Huawei Watch, by comparison, is slightly larger at 1.7 inches wide, 0.44 inches thick, and 2.13 ounches. The Motorola Moto 360, meanwhile, meastures 1.8 inches wide, 0.44 inches thick, and 3.28 ounces. The variations might seem slight on paper, but you can really feel a difference on your wrist.

The watch is rated IP68 for water-resistance, which means it can withstand splashes at the sink, but you shouldn't take it to the beach or in the shower.

Display
The Gear S2 has a 1.2-inch circular Super AMOLED display with a 360-by-360-pixel resolution that works out to a sharp 302 pixels per inch. It doesn't get quite as bright as the Huawei Watch, but I was always able to see it outside, even with the brightness set to low. The screen is not always-on by default, but there is an option to do so if you wish. Without it on, the screen still activates quickly when you life your wrist, and it never accidentally turned on in my testing, which is very helpful for conserving battery. The screen turns off fast, though—after about five seconds—which can get a little annoying when you're trying to read an email, text, or CNN headline. However, a quick tap or turn of the bezel keeps the screen activated.  

Samsung uses an ambient light sensor to adjust brightness depending on surroundings, without the "flat tire" effect that cuts off the Moto 360's circular display in a horizontal line at the bottom. It's also easy to adjust the brightness on your own: just swipe down on the display and tap the Brightness setting. I didn't detect any prismatic screen aberration here like I did on the Moto 360, unless you count some very slight reflections of light around the edge of the bezel.

The watch can be paired with Bluetooth 4.1 devices, including headesets or speakers for music playback, or mobile devices that run Android 4.4 or later. Unlike Pebble or Android Wear devices, there is no iOS support. To start the pairing process, you need to download the free Samsung Gear Manager app on your Android device and follow the simple on-screen instructions. I easily paired the Gear S2 with a Samsung Galaxy S6. Once connected, you have a number of options at your command, like customizing the watch face, managing apps and notifications, and sending music files to the watch, which comes with 4GB of internal storage.  

Features, Performance, and Tizen

The Gear S2 has an accelerometer, a barometer, a gyroscope, proximity sensors, and a heart rate sensor. Unlike the Sony SmartWatch 3, there is no GPS, but there is Wi-Fi, which extends the range of the watch when connected to a wireless network.

The heart rate sensor here works better than the one in the Huawei Watch or the Moto 360 by automatically measuring your heart rate throughout the day. By default it checks in about five times per day, though you can adjust it to check more or less frequently. You can also check manually, and it lets you know whether your heart rate is average when you're resting, in a state before exercise, or after exercise. The watch reported resting numbers in the low-to-mid sixties while sitting in a relaxed state, which is on par with measurements taken by the Huawei Watch.

The watch counts steps and detects when you're exercising or resting for too long, similar to the Apple Watch. You can also keep track of the amount of water or caffeine you've been drinking. And you can install the Nike+ running app for more detailed fitness analysis. However, like I usually advise, you probably want to go with a dedicated fitness tracker rather than a smartwatch if fitness is your primary concern. The Misfit Flash Link is great if you're on a budget, while the Fitbit Charge HR is worth the splurge.  

Powered by a dual-core 1GHz processor and 512MB of RAM, the Gear S2 uses Samsung's proprietary operating system, Tizen. It has the best user interface for a smartwatch yet, though it does have one annoying flaw. For some reason, the Gear S2 doesn't go back to the app you were previously using after it goes to sleep. Instead, it goes back to the default watch face every time it wakes up. That can be frustrating if you want to keep reading a story, or reply to a text when suddenly the screen shuts off from inactivity. Thakfully, the watch keeps images and headlines loaded in news apps when you finally return to them.

The strength of Tizen lies in its layout, which is a pleasure to navigate. Turning the bezel or swiping to the left brings up any notifications, which you can tap to open or swipe up to dismiss. Swiping or turning the bezel to the right brings up the main menu for Apps, a list of favorite contacts, Settings, or the S Voice assistant. Keep swiping or rotating the bezel and you can see a whole collection of apps around the perimeter of the screen, as if they were numbers on a watch face, including the calendar, heart rate monitor, music playback control, pedometer, or whatever other apps you want to include. It beats swiping through endless vertical lists and cards like in Android Wear. However, you still have to tap on the touch screen to make selections. It would've been nice to be able to push the bezel in to make selections, but since your fingers are already on the watch anyway, it's not a big deal.

Unfortunately, Tizen's selection of third-party apps is weak compared with Android Wear, Apple, and Pebble. There are no music streaming services besides Samsung's Milk Music, little in the way of fitness apps besides Samsung's S Health, and nothing when it comes to note-taking apps or popular social media like Facebook or Twitter. There are some useful apps available, like Bloomberg, CNN, The Wall Street Journal, and Yelp, but Samsung needs to lure many more companies if it wants to compete.

And although watch apps aren't available, you can still receive and respond to phone notifications from Facebook, Google Hangouts, and Twitter on the Gear S2 with a robust set of options. You can choose from some short, canned phrases or send an emoticon. You can also respond with voice-to-text, though unfortunately this feature is hit-or-miss; I never reached a point in testing where I felt like I could rely on it to quickly send an accurate message. Surprisingly, the Gear S2 also offers a phone number pad-style keyboard with three letters assigned to each number so you can type out messages. It's a slow process, but predictive text helps things along. A friend texted me some good news and I was able to type in "Wow, that's great! Congrats!" fairly easily.  

Don't expect to take calls on the Gear S2, though. You can use it to dial a call, but you'll have to take out your phone or put on a Bluetooth headset if you want to take things any further. 

Battery life is (relatively) excellent. Samsung promises up to three days of use, which is accurate if you keep the display set to power off automatically. With it set to always-on, the watched lasted for nearly two days, which is still better than any other smartwatch with a color display I've tested (with the exception of the Pebble Time, which can last for about a week, albeit with a much dimmer, lower-resolution display). The Gear S2 can also be set to go into Power-Saving mode, which turns the screen monochrome when you're running low on battery. It charges with an included magnetic dock and micro USB cable.

Conclusions
The Samsung Gear S2 should certainly sit alongside the Apple Watch and the Pebble family as one of the better smartwatch options on the market. It sports a sleek design, a user-friendly interface that blows the confusing Android Wear out of the water, very good battery life (for a smartwatch), and a unique, rotating bezel. Unfortunately, a paltry selection of apps holds it back, especially when Apple and Pebble have so many to choose from. And underwhelming voice recognition ultimately makes the Apple and Pebble watches easier to use. I'd certainly choose the Gear 2 over Android Wear options like the Huawei Watch and the Moto 360, but it's a harder pick from there.

The Apple Watch remains the smartwatch for dyed-in-the-wool Apple users, with a reliable heart rate sensor that works as you exercise, NFC so you can pay without flashing your credit card, the best selection of third-party apps, and an intuitive interface similar to that of the Gear S2. But our Editors' Choice remains with the Pebble family, which we highly recommended to smartwatch newcomers. The original Pebble is inexpensive, is compatible with both Android and iOS, and works with many useful apps. The Pebble Time adds a color screen and reliable voice-to-text messaging. Or you could wait for the Pebble Time Round, which is the Pebble Time with a traditional round watch face. The Samsung Gear S2 is definitely an intriguing new option, but it's worth waiting for the second generation.

Martian Alpha T10

Martian Alpha T10

The Martian Alpha T10 ($279) is not a Timex, not yet a smartwatch. At first look, it's a military-inspired wristwatch. Look closer, though, and you'll find a small, thin OLED display near the bottom of its face. It's not much of a screen—and it makes reading text messages a longer process than it should be—but the Alpha T10 is good at delivering notifications, locating your phone, and taking calls. It can't run apps, and it has only the most rudimentary fitness tracking features, so it's no  killer. But for an analog device with a foot in the digital world, it's a decent—albeit pricey—option.

Design and Display
The Alpha T10 is about as the same size as most other recent smartwatches we've tested. Its measures 1.69 inches in diameter and 0.55 inches thick. That's roughly equivalent to the , which measures 1.81 inches around and 0.44 inches thick. It uses a 24-hour military-style time dial encased in a nylon resin case (the part of the watch that acts as a base for the watch face) that feels tough to the touch. The watch face numbers look simplistic, but are raised stainless steel, which is a classy touch. The wristband is made of a comfortable and smooth rubbery silicone with a stainless steel clasp. 

The 0.7-inch, 96-by-16-pixel OLED display is located on the bottom of the watch face. It displays text messages and social media updates by scrolling the text left-to-right in a rather slow ticker-style fashion. This was cute at first, but quickly wore out its welcome as I found myself staring at the watch, waiting for a message to finish scrolling by when I could've just reached into my pocket for my phone and read the note in its entirety. Still, it's nice to see the text come in on your watch and know that you can always check it on your phone later. 

Back to the design. The watch has an upper command button, a middle adjustment crown, and a lower select button used for making selections, all on the right side of the watch. The lower button also doubles as a Power switch. Holding it down for about five or so powers the watch on or turns it off. An RGB LED in the watch face's lower left corner indicates the power status and doubles as an ineffective flashlight. 

A micro USB port for charging resides on the upper left corner, and a micro USB cable comes included. Unfortunately, the tiny flap that protects the port fell off almost immediately, under very little pressure, so I don't have high hopes for it lasting a very long time.

The Alpha is rated IPX-4 for water resistance, so it can withstand splashes and even the shower (hence the importance of the charging port protective flap), but it shouldn't be submered in water for long periods of time. I would take it off before going for a swim.

The watch uses a rechargeable lithium polymer battery good for five days of use (which powers all of the smartwatch features), with a seperate analog watch battery that will last up to two years. I obviously couldn't test the analog battery, but the rechargeable battery definitely lasted the full five days without needing a recharge, which is great a great result in this product category.

Pairing, Features, and Performance

To set the Alpha's time, simply pull out the crown and rotate it, just like you would on a traditional watch. Pairing with your phone is pretty easy as well. First download the free, rather bland-looking Martian app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Then enable Bluetooth on your device, and follow the simple on-screen instructions. The Alpha is compatible with Bluetooth 4.0 devices running iOS 7.1 and above, as well as devices running Android 3.0 or later. 

You can control which notifications you receive with the Martian app. iPhone users have the ability to receive every notification that is shown in Apple's Notification Center. Android users, meanwhile, can receive notifications from any installed app that provides push notifications. The app also provides an alert filter, which lets you decide which notifications make it to the watch's display. If you only want to receive text messages, you can do that. But if you want to see everything, you can do that too.

The Martian Alpha also allows you to customize vibration patterns for notifications, so you'll know what kind of message you're receiving without looking at your wrist. You basically program sequences of vibrations and pauses, like Morse code for text messages—it works pretty well. You can also tap the watch glass to dismiss incoming notifications, or to recall the most recent message you received in the last five minutes.  

You can speak into a microphone embedded in the watch case in order to place calls, set reminders, or have text messages read aloud. The mic requires you to speak pretty loudly, so it isn't all that convenient, and the sound that comes back out of the watch is rather tinny. It certainly isn't the greatest microphone/speaker combo in the world, but I was able to carry on entire phone conversations with listeners on the other end unaware that I was using a watch to talk to them.  

By clicking on the side buttons, you can activate the dim flashlight feature, or enter Camera mode, in which you can use the watch as a remote trigger for your smartphone camera, which is pretty useful. A Leash mode causes the watch to vibrate if you travel out of Bluetooth range of your paired phone, and a Find Phone option triggers an alarm to sound on your connected phone, even if the volume is turned off. I was only able to move about 30 feet away from my phone before losing connection, which seems rather short considering Bluetooth 4.0 should reach up to 100 feet. I also found the tone of the Find Phone alarm to be a little too low.

There's an accelerometer, so you can also count steps and track distance by linking the Alpha to health and fitness apps like Runmeter. It's a nice addition, but for more substantial results, you'll want to go with a dedicated fitness tracker like the splurge-worthy  or the inexpensive .

Conclusions
The Martian Alpha T10 is a watch made for those that value a traditional, military-inspired aesthetic, but appreciate modern digital features. And in this regard, it mostly succeeds. The Alpha delivers notifcations to your wrist, and it works well enough as a speakerphone and a remote trigger for your camera. But if that's all you want, $279 is a pretty hefty price to pay, especially when the  is still available. You'll lose the speakerphone, but for $129, that seems like a fair trade.

If you want more advanced options from your smartwatch, like a larger digital screen and downloadable apps, our current Editors' Choice is the . You don't get the analog look of the Alpha T10, but there's a fully digital screen and a thriving app ecosystem.

Activity Trackers and Wearables

Activity Trackers and Wearables

No longer a fad, wearables are here to stay. The Apple Watch made the world pay attention, and now there are almost as many types of smartwatches and fitness trackers as there are grains of sand. Okay, maybe not that many, but there are plenty more options now than there were a year ago.

At CES 2016, the next generation of wearables will be revealed; gadgets that are smarter and hopefully faster. Smartwatches and activity trackers will continue to cross-pollinate and improve, manufacturers will emphasize fashion even more, and a few all-new devices will emerge. Here's what we're likely going to see, and not see, at the show.

New Style, Old Software

Since there's a whole section of the show dedicated to wearables this year, expect every company, large and small, burgeoning and unknown, to display their wares.

Google's widespread smartwatch platform, Android Wear, will likely forego any major updates since it just had one a few months ago that allowed iPhone users to partake in the operating system's clunky interface. We'll definitely see more Android Wear-powered hardware at CES, but whether it's a Motorola Moto 360 or a Huawei Watch, it's the same basic experience. That won't change for a little while. What will change is the style. Huawei, at least, is rumored to be showing off a smaller smartwatch aimed towards women and men with slimmer wrists. That's good, because many current Android Wear watches, like the Fossil Q Founder (below), could use a diet.  

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Other major companies, like Apple, LG, Motorola, and Samsung, will likely sit CES 2016 out. Apple will of course show off the rumored Apple Watch 2 at one of its own events. The Moto 360 Sport will hit store shelves the week of CES. The Samsung Gear S2 just came out although, hopefully, Samsung will announce more support for its Tizen OS. And the troubled LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition will probably not appear at all. If we're going to see anything new from these names it will be at Mobile World Congress.

There's a slight chance Pebble could show off a new smartwatch at CES 2016. The Pebble Steel was revealed at CES 2015, and the Pebble Time not too long after. The Pebble Time Round is fresh out of the oven, but a new announcement could help the company keep momentum. Perhaps a Pebble Time Round with a larger display and longer battery life?

Smarter, Healthier More Accurate Trackers
Expect smarter fitness trackers at CES 2016. They're going to gain more control over your phone, with better functionality for calls, notifications, and social-networking features. The Fitbit Surge (above) already alerts you to calls and texts, so some kind of Facebook or Twitter integration doesn't seem too off the mark, perhaps with more robust, smartwatch-like LCD displays. Basically, the boundary between fitness trackers and smartwatches will continue to blur, with a more fashion-friendly attitude.

Speaking of Fitbit, we know for sure the fitness company will be there with the only wearables-dedicated press conference of the show. The news will undoubtedly be good, but it's uncertain whether it will be a brand-new device, like an upgrade to the Fitbit Charge HR, or some kind of software platform update.

Expect new fitness trackers to include more accurate heart rate sensors, step counters, and GPS. These technologies have come a long way this past year and they will continue to improve. There's no doubt that more partnerships between the tech and fashion worlds will arise, too. As for smart clothing, companies like Adidas, Nike, and Under Armour may have shirts and shoes to show off, but the true emphasis could be on health tracking and coaching that aims to improve your mental and physical states.

Return of the Rings

A blossoming category is "smart jewelry." Misfit already has similar devices, like the Misfit Flash Link that could pass as jewelry, but they've also proven to be functional and worthwhile, and not just for appearances. Smart jewelry tends to focus too much on form, and not enough on function. Like the Neyya Smart Ring, it tends to be a little too out-there to be considered useful, though that could change at CES 2016. Smart rings could have the potential to track your vital signs, such as your body temperature, movements, and pulse, and we'll likely see new variations on that idea at CES 2016.

Timex Metropolitan+

Timex Metropolitan+

The Timex Weekender has been my go-to watch for years. It's inexpensive, classic, and reliable—you don't have to charge it, and you can wear it in the shower. Even after testing plenty of fitness trackers and smartwatches, the Weekender remains my default accessory. The $125 Timex Metropolitan+ might change that. It has the same classic look as the Weekender, along with the added benefit of some fitness tracking capabilities. It looks great, connects to your phone via Bluetooth, and counts your steps and distance traveled. That's about it, though, so it's not quite a replacement for full-fledged fitness trackers like the . Still, if you're just looking for a watch that also tracks your steps, the Time Metropolitan+ is a fine choice.

Design and Features
The case of the Metropolitan+ measures 1.65 inches in diameter and 0.47 inches thick. That's slightly smaller than the (1.69 inches in diameter and 0.55 inches thick), a similar analog timepiece with basic smartwatch features. The Metropolitan+ is thicker and wider than my trusty Weekender, which measures 1.5 inches in diameter and 0.35 inches thick. It contains an accelerometer and a gyrometer, though, so the larger form factor is understandable.

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The Metropolitan+ comes with the black, textured leather band pictured here, but Timex sells a number of different straps for $20 apiece. Slip-through straps won't work with the Metropolitan+ like they do with the Weekender.

From left to right: Martian Alpha T10, Timex Metropolitan+, Timex Weekender 

The watch face, covered in mineral glass and encased in brushed stainless steel, has three separate dials. The center dial is the largest. It tells the time, with your usual hour, minute, and second hands, plus a large red-accented arm that indicates the number of steps or the distance you've traveled. So if the red hand is at four o'clock, for instance, and you have the watch set to steps, you've walked 4,000 steps.

A lower dial, located between between three and six o'clock, shows your daily step or distance progress, from zero to 100 percent. An upper dial, between 10 and 11 o'clock, displays what mode the watch is currently in. There's S for steps, D for distance, a Bluetooth icon for syncing the watch with the smartphone app, and an Off option (this turn off all of the activity tracking to extend battery life). You can select these options using the button located at the two o'clock position.

An adjustment crown sits at the three o'clock position. This turns the watch on when you first take it out of the box (just pull out the plastic battery tab first), and also sets the time when you pull it out and turn it, just like a standard watch. Push it all the way in and the watch face will glow a dull green for about three seconds.

Timex estimates the battery will last a year and a half. Once the battery runs out, you will have to replace it. You can do this at any regular watch vendor. That's a lot better than most fitness trackers, which need to be recharged one or more times per week. 

The Metropolitan+ is water-resistant, but not fully waterproof. You can take it in the shower and wash the dishes while wearing it, but no deep diving. And make sure not to press any of the buttons while submerged. If you expose the watch salt water, you should give it a rinse with fresh water right after.

Connectivity and App
To sync the Metropolitan+ with the free Timex Connected app, you first need to download the app on your Android or iOS device. Then, in the app, tap the watch icon in the upper right corner to start the sync process. The app will tell you to place the watch in Bluetooth mode by holding down the button in the two o'clock position until the upper dial reaches the Bluetooth icon. It takes about 10 to 15 seconds for the synchronization to place.

Afterwards, you'll see your miles, steps, and an estimation of calories burned in easy-to-read bar graphics, as well as numerical values. You can view your daily stats, as well as monthly and yearly. From the main page, you can go to Watch Control, where you can set your age, height, weight, and gender, as well as sensor sensitivity and distance adjustment. The last two options calibrate your stride length and the watch's sensitivity if it does not match your actual walking or running distance. Without doing this, the watch estimates everything based on your height and speed. Also good to keep in mind: The watch only holds your tracked data for seven days, so be sure to sync regularly if you don't want to lose your stats.

The Metropolitan+ yielded results about on par with the , give or take a few hundred steps. That's pretty good, but since these trackers are largely dependent on your stride length to begin with, you're going to get varying results no matter what. With that in mind, the option to adjust stride length and sensitivity in the Timex app is a good one.

From the Settings screen you can give your watch a nickname and adjust your calories, distance, and step goals. You can also remove the watch from the app's memory, factory reset it, or update its firmware. Timex says you'll be able to measure sleep metrics with the Metropolitan+ in the spring of 2016.

Conclusions
The Timex Metropolitan+ is easily one of the best-looking fitness trackers I've seen, and will undoubtedly appeal to those who can't get behind the chunky, unattractive design of most wrist-worn fitness trackers. It's also a bit less expensive and syncs faster than the , a similarly attractive wrist watch/fitness tracker hybrid. That said, the Metropolitan+ is really just a glorified pedometer. If you're looking to get serious about fitness tracking, you're still better off with a dedicated device, like the aforementioned Fitbit Surge and Fitbit Charge HR, or the . Each of these devices track for more stats, from heart rate to various exercises. The , meanwhile, is a solid option if you're on an extremely tight budget.

Asus Teases Augmented Reality Glasses

Asus Teases Augmented Reality Glasses

Move over HoloLens: Asus is building its own augmented reality headset, expected for release next year.

Details are scant; in fact, the Taiwanese company hasn't made any official announcements yet. But CEO Jerry Shen said during a Wednesday earnings webcast that Asus will enter the AR market.

"It should be next year when we come out with a product," Shen said, as reported by CNET. "We think AR will be very important for people's lives."

Shen also revealed plans to release a service robot next year, CNET said, though he did not elaborate.

Asus did not immediately respond to PCMag's request for comment.

Hyundai, meanwhile, is experimenting with AR in the car, tipping a new app that uses the technology to help drivers troubleshoot.

An alternative to the oft-ignored car manual, the Hyundai Virtual Guide (above) turns your smartphone or tablet into a how-to primer on repairs, maintenance, and vehicle features. Watch videos, look at 3D overlays, and read informational guides.

Expected later this year, the iOS and Android apps will be compatible with the 2015 Sonata; more vehicle models are coming soon.

"The Virtual Guide is aimed at educating our owners on how to use the functions and features of their vehicle," said Frank Ferrara, executive vice president of customer satisfaction at Hyundai. "We modernized the idea of an owner's manual to provide the highest-quality user experience for the growing population of tech savvy consumers."

Powered Samsung Gear VR

Powered Samsung Gear VR

Good news, Samsung Galaxy owners: Now you can see for yourself if virtual reality is really worth the hype.

Samsung on Tuesday started taking pre-orders for its new, $99 Oculus-powered Gear VR headset. The device works with Samsung's 2015 flagship smartphones, including the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge+, Galaxy S6, and Galaxy S6 Edge.

The Gear VR uses your phone's display to provide "the color, clarity and performance needed for an amazing virtual reality experience," Samsung said. The new consumer-version Gear VR up for pre-order today is 19 percent lighter than the Innovator Edition, and includes a new foam cushioning to make it more comfy to wear. The new model also includes improvements for the touchpad, which should offer geater control and easier navigation.

The headset can play "dozens of new made-for-VR games" headed to the Oculus platform this year, including CCP's Gunjack and Ustwo Games' Lands End. You'll also be able to watch content from Samsung's premium Milk VR service, Netflix, and Oculus Video, which offers "thousands" of videos and films from Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox, Twitch, and Vimeo.

The Gear VR is now available for pre-order in the U.S. via Samsung, Amazon, and Best Buy, and is slated to begin shipping on Nov. 20. It will also be available in Best Buy stores Nov. 20, T-Mobile on Nov. 27, and AT&T will carry it at some point in the near future as well.

For more, check out PCMag's Hands On With the Oculus Touch and New Gear VR.

Meanwhile on the VR front, Google on Monday expanded its Expeditions Pioneer Program for students to 15 new cities. The program is designed to enhance the in-class experience by letting students visit places they're learning about in school — like the bottom of the sea or the surface of Mars — in VR.

The Expeditions Pioneer Program will now be available in Alexandria, Va.; Baltimore; Cincinnati; Detroit; Indianapolis; Las Vegas; New Orleans; Orlando, Fla.; Phoenix; Portland, Ore.; Salt Lake City; and Washington D.C. Outside of the U.S., Google is also launching the program in Toronto, Canada as well as Denmark and Singapore.

Apple's Other Secret Project: Virtual Reality?

Apple's Other Secret Project: Virtual Reality?

Is Apple going to launch a virtual reality headset alongside that electric car? Don't rule it out. According to the Financial Times, Apple has been growing a large research team in secret.

Tasked with looking into virtual reality and augmented reality, the team has already constructed some prototype headsets. We don't, however, know any details, like whether the company is focusing on standalone virtual reality headsets in the style of an Oculus Rift, headsets that would work in conjunction with an iPhone (like Samsung's Gear VR), or augmented reality headsets like Microsoft's HoloLens. It's possible Apple might be trying out a number of different uses, or that the company has come up with a new, novel way to approach virtual/augmented reality.

If you think Apple is going to spill the beans on what it's working on, well, the best you'll get is this vague statement from CEO Tim Cook during this week's earnings call: "It is really cool and has some interesting applications."

According to the Financial Times, Apple built up its VR team—now numbering in the hundreds—by poaching employees from places like Lytro and Microsoft. The company has also made a number of acquisitions (or acqui-hires) to boost its ranks: Faceshift, Metaio, PrimeSense and, its latest, Flyby Media.

Flyby Media specializes in augmented reality. Its first and singular app, Flyby Messenger, can scan one's surroundings and catalog the various items your smartphone or tablet sees. Friends can then send you messages to these objects—yes, that's right—and the app will notify you when you walk by them (assuming they're in the same place you left them, we gather). Rescan the object to get your message.

Apple likely doesn't care much about the messaging aspect, but it's said to be very keen on the company's recognition techniques—the exact kind of thing that would be useful for, say, a virtual reality/augmented reality hardware device. Flyby has also demoed other applications that can track your movement through a space by dropping dots over your smartphone's picture of your environment as a kind-of breadcrumb trail back to wherever you started from.