Today we have stumbled on a collection of screenshots that appear to confirm some previous rumors. Rumors that Samsung has a smartwatch in the works to join their Galaxy lineup. The images you’ll see below are being called the Samsung GALAXY Altius, and certainly look to be a “smartwatch” and not the Galaxy S IV or a smartphone.
The images have appeared on a Korean messageboard that has a conversation going about smartwatches and if they’ll take off and become another successful product in this mobile market. No one appears to be denying the device exists, and instead are talking about how it will compete with the rumored iWatch and other smartwatches we’ve seen over the past 8-12 months.
Multiple rumors have all pointed the codename “Altius” to the Samsung Galaxy S IV smartphone, but could they all be wrong and instead it was a smartwatch? That’s what these look like. The series of screenshots are obviously not a 4.99-inch 1080p display. And instead are 500×500 and square, just like a watch face. Then you’ll clearly noticed multiple mentions of Samsung and Altius both here.
There’s mention of SKT for SKTelecom, so that could be where rumors of a smartphone were mixed up, and that also gives credence to the idea that this smartwatch will have phone or data capabilities aside from the usual Bluetooth and WiFi. Looking over a few of the screenshots we clearly see “AltuisOS” being listed so this could be java-based, but still has that Android look if you ask us. These screenshots are either old – saying beta2 – or this project is still a long ways from ever hitting shelves and being announced by Samsung.
One thing worth noting is that second screenshot above sure looks a lot like Windows Phone OS with those tiles, which will probably be live tiles updating with weather, messages, missed calls, and everything else you’d expect from a smartwatch. The bar below makes us believe it will have a touchscreen, and you can swipe to the next screen. AltuisOS is mentioned more than a few times so we’re still debating whether or not this device will run Android. For now we’re still digging for more details, and feel free to drop us a comment if you can read the information on screen.
Is Samsung preparing a smartwatch? All signs point to yes this afternoon. Would you buy one if it neatly synced to your Galaxy S III or upcoming Galaxy S IV? Maybe Samsung will unveil this alongside their Galaxy S IV as a family of devices. We’ll have to wait and see.
[via SlashGear]
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