Samsung to Launch Smartwatch Next Month

　　It’s offficial:
　　Samsung Electronics Inc. will launch its first wristwatch smartphone early next month, people familiar with the plan say. The move would allow Samsung to potentially beat rival Apple Inc. on what is expected to be the next major battleground for mobile phone makers.
　　The world’s largest smartphone maker will unveil its first device worn around the wrist called Galaxy Gear on Sept. 4, ahead of Berlin’s IFA, a consumer electronics show where technology companies showcase their gadgets. It will go on sale this year, the people said.
　　But, one person said the device won’t have flexible displays, contrary to the company’s patent filings in the U.S. and South Korea earlier this year that suggested a device with a bendable screen was in the works.
　　Analysts had cast doubts about mass producing flexible screens for a couple of years, making the possibility of wristwatch smartphones grim.
　　Wearable smart devices have been tipped as the next jackpot niche for leading handset makers such as Samsung and Apple as the lucrative high-end segment of the smartphone market worldwide is saturated. Samsung wrested the world’s largest smartphone maker title away from Apple last year and has pushed to widen the lead with a portfolio covering a wide array of smartphone and tablets.
　　Though the concept of a phone wrapped around one’s wrist has been a widely known concept for a decade or more, the hype has been building around “smart watches” recently with both Apple and Samsung prepping devices. Sony in June showed off a wristwatch-like device that connects with most smartphones running on Google Inc.’s Android operating system.
　　It’s still unknown whether Samsung’s new gear will also work via a conventional smartphone or as a standalone product.
　　Samsung’s earlier invitations for the same-date product launch was widely expected to be the next iteration of its phablet device Galaxy Note with a larger 5-inch screen.
　　The company also plans to showcase the Galaxy Note 3 at IFA.
　　Bloomberg reported earlier that Samsung will launch the wristwatch device at its “Unpacked” event on Sept. 4.