The Samsung Galaxy Gear theverge.com

Remember how those leaked images were just a prototype, and how the final product would appear much more finished? Turns out that’s not the case. Vlad Savov, the Verge:

There’s a tangible lag to anything you do with the Gear, while the swipe gestures are hard to figure out and do different things depending on where you are in the menus.

A bulky watch with four exposed screws on its face, combined with an unfathomable interface? Sounds great. And there’s more:

Most of all, however, I find it hard to justify spending the $299 asking price on an accessory like the Galaxy Gear. It’s too dependent on its parent device for functionality — which will cost you a fair amount too — and, like all other smartwatches, fails to truly live up to the “smart” part of its name.

I firmly believe that between this and Sony’s SmartWatch 2, also announced today, the smartwatch idea is undercooked. The category right now is full of crappy phones for your wrist which still requires a smartphone for control, and they look extremely ugly. And they’re expensive, to boot.

Lots of people will pay $300 for a watch. Millions of people will pay $300 for a smartphone. I doubt many people will pay $300 for a product that implements both features poorly.