Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 review: Slim design, modern look, long battery life; ideal for Android users

Get it for: 31,990
Highlight: LTE support for calls

Samsung’s motto of refreshing its smartwatch range continues with the Galaxy Watch Active 2 -- an incremental update of the Galaxy Watch.

The smartwatch sports the same slim design and modern look. It is sleek, lightweight, has an aluminium body and comes in cloud silver, aqua black and pink gold colours. Our review unit was an LTE version made of stainless steel.

The model looks classy and comes with a leather strap.

The Active 2 features a 1.2-inch Super AMOLED display with 360 x 360 resolution. The South Korean company has neatly placed its first party apps on the display and the new digital dial makes it easy to navigate through menus.

The smartwatch is powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 9110 dual-core chipset and packs 1.5 GB of RAM and runs Samsung’s own One UI. The user interface makes it easier to sift through various apps and notifications. Moreover, users can also answer phone calls using the device.


Coming to the fitness part, the Active 2 has 39 workout tracking modes including swimming, running and walking. The smartwatch also easily connects to Bluetooth headsets of various brands, which makes it easier for the user to listen to music or give vocal commands during workout sessions.

The device also comes equipped with a heart sensor and also offers an ECG feature like Apple Watch 4 and 5 (the feature is not yet active as Samsung needs to have approval to make the feature live in India).

The smartwatch also comes with an IP68 rating, which makes it dust and water resistant. It also has a water lock mode that disables the touchscreen and shakes out excess water by vibrating.

The highlight of the Active 2 is battery life – the review unit lasted two days on one charge. The battery drains at a very low speed.

The Active 2 is ideal for Android users looking for a smartwatch outside the popular iOS ecosystem.

- The writer is with gadgetsnow.com

AI-Powered Kitchens, Smart Plant Pots & Body Gear That Helps You Fly: Innovative Tech At CE...

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Innovation Redefined

CES 2020, the famous annual tech trade show is entering its last leg and needless to say, the innovators at the convention have outdone themselves in comparison to last year. A hotbed of tech innovation, CES saw one-of-a-kind, nifty pieces of tech being introduced to the world.

While you may have heard about flying cars, cocktail makers and rolling robots about a hundred times by now, there were some off-beat pieces of tech introduced at the event that you may not know much about. Here’s a comprehensive list of all the unique and unconventional tech that we got to see at CES this year.

Alexa, Pay My Gas Bill

Going to a petrol pump to get your tank filled is nothing short of a hassle. Waiting in a long queue, getting out of your car to check on the pump attendant and of course, swiping your credit card is a lengthy, painstaking process. The good folks at Amazon are here to make our task a tad bit easier.

The next time you visit a petrol pump, once your tank is filled, instead of swiping your card, you can simply ask Alexa to pay for gas with a voice command, ‘Alexa, pay for gas’. The smart assistant will then ask you what pump you’re using. Once confirmed, your Amazon credit card will be charged.

The new feature is part of Amazon's push to get into more cars. At CES, the online shopping giant announced several deals with automakers, including bringing Alexa to Lamborghinis and its Fire TV streaming service to BMWs.

Hopefully at CES 2021, Amazon will announce a feature that will allow Alexa to pump gas too.

(With inputs from AP)

Gimme Some Water, Please

Plants are just like pets. They may not be fluffy or cute (though some might argue that plants, too, can be cute), but they are living organisms too and require care, much like your pet dog or cat.

Given our hectic schedules and lifestyle, it is possible that we might forget to water our plants. To save us from trouble, Luxembourg startup, Mu Design, has created the Lua smart plant pot to give greenery an animated face. Emotions, such as thirsty, sick or cold, are displayed on a digital screen.

“It transforms the needs of the plant into emotion that you can easily understand,'' said Vivien Muller from Mu Design. ``So you won't be able to kill your plants. You just have to look at it and you'll know exactly what it needs.''

An accompanying app lets users generate information specific to that plant. The pot itself is fitted with sensors to monitor moisture, light and temperature.

Rest assured, with this lifesaving gadget, your plants will be healthier than ever.

(With inputs from AP)

Let’s Fly In The Sky

Samsung is giving all the flying cars and self-driving automobiles a run for their money. After all, going from one place to another in a flying car doesn’t sound so interesting when you can make your body fly, right?

Yes, you read that right. The folks at Samsung have come up with an exoskeleton (an external skeleton) system called GEMS, or Gait Enhancing & Motivating System. It uses small motors connected to your hips or knees to help you lift those limbs and complete exercises.

GEMS can also help people with limited mobility and those suffering from physical disabilities. GEMS is still early in development and doesn't yet have a release date.

Talking about helping people with disabilities,Segway, a company known for its stand-up motorized vehicles, unveiled the S-Pod, a motorized seated scooter on two wheels that somewhat resembles the chairs from futuristic movie Wall-E. Riders sit in the pod and steer with a small controller.

(With inputs from AP)

Bon Appetite!

Futuristic, smart kitchens made their debut at CES 2020 and how! You can now tell your refrigerator about your dietary preferences and it'll magically come up with a recipe plan for the coming week and to top it off, even send a shopping list to your smartphone when it notices you've run out of the right ingredients.

Then there are counter-top robotic arms that will save you the trouble and help chop veggies. Not to forget, the artificially intelligent oven cameras and internet-connected meat thermometers that will keep track of what's cooking and how. The cherry on top of the cake is a stove-top camera that can click a picture to show off your culinary creations on Instagram. Sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?

What’s more? Big appliance-makers like Samsung, LG Electronics, GE Appliances, Whirlpool and Bosch are trying to reinvent the kitchen by introducing internet connectivity. GE Appliances added a third, AI-powered oven camera to its Kitchen Hub system, which includes a 27-inch touch screen for interacting with friends and family or tuning into Netflix or Spotify while a watchful computer makes sure you don’t burn that steak.

Needless to say, smart kitchens are the future and they will change the way we cook and consume our food. Wouldn’t cooking be easy peasy lemon squeezy with these AI-powered kitchens?

(With inputs from AP)