Samsung’s next smartwatch, which is codenamed Orbis and will be sold as the Gear A, will allow you to make NFC-based mobile payments, according to a Reuters report which cited a South Korean newspaper.

The report also said that the South Korean company’s mobile payments service Samsung Pay, which supports NFC, will be available with “select partners” next month. Read more »

Apple finally allowed the Pebble Time smartwatch iOS companion app to make its way to the App Store. Pebble delivered the good news via its weekly Kickstarter update.

Yesterday, Pebble blamed the Cupertino giant took a while with its app review process despite its request for an expedited procedure. Read more »

In case you are a Moto 360 owner wondering where your Android Wear 5.1.1 update is, Motorola has news for you. Rollout of the new firmware has been delayed due to performance issues.

The news arrived via Motorola’s official Twitter feed, after a user inquired about the status of the update. Read more »

Today Apple has announced a few important details if you’re craving its first wearable. First off, all Apple Watch orders placed through May will be shipped to customers within the next two weeks, as the company is trying to clear its backlog. The sole exception to this is the 42 mm Watch in Space Black Stainless Steel with Space Black Link Bracelet. It’s unclear when orders of this particular model will ship.

In around two weeks from today, Apple will also finally start selling the Watch in its physical stores. You probably shouldn’t expect all versions of the wearable to be available in all stores, however. The company says “some models” will be making it to Apple retail locations, though. Read more »

While the initial batch of the Pebble Time started shipping last week, those hoping to use the smartwatch with their iPhones will have to wait as its companion iOS app, which allows users of the wearable to install software updates, new apps, and watch faces, isn’t yet available for download on the Apple App Store.

Pebble is blaming Apple for the situation, saying that the Cupertino-based company’s App Store review process is responsible for the delay – the smartwatch maker had requested an “expedited” review of the app, which was last submitted on May 22. Read more »

Now that LG has launched the new Watch Urbane (which we’ve just reviewed), the Korean company seems to be ready to simply let the G Watch R go. Its previous wearable has started disappearing from retailers, and it looks effectively like it’s been discontinued at this point.

Asked about the situation, LG officials have apparently confirmed that the G Watch R is being wound down. Existing stocks will be sold, of course, but production may have already stopped. Read more »

Huawei unveiled the second generation TalkBand. The TalkBand B2 now integrates with the Jawbone UP Smart Coach app and is smarter about tracking your exercise.

It will be available very soon in three styles – black and white sports versions, plus a classier gold-tone and leather model. Read more »

Microsoft has updated its Skype for iPhone app to version 5.13, bringing web link previews for chat, as well as more ways to manage conversations from Apple Watch.

The updated app now shows you a preview of the content whenever you send or receive a web link, thus making it “much easier to see the cat video or information that’s been shared before you open the link,” the company said in a blog post. Read more »

AT&T cut off $200 from the price of the LG G Watch R smartwatch today and you can now have it for just $99. The offer is available via the AT&T online store, but you can opt for picking up the watch in-store.

LG G Watch R runs on Android Wear and features a P-OLED circular display, elegant sport looks and a beefy 410 mAh battery. It supports smartphones running on Android 4.3 or later. Read more »

While we already know that TAG Heuer – which is one of Switzerland’s best known watch brands – is working on a smartwatch which is set to be launched in October/November this year, there was no information on what it would be called. However, that was until now, as in a recent interview with Wearable, CEO Jean-Claude Biver revealed that the smartwatch would be called Carrera Wearable 01.

“There is no other choice for Tag Heuer than to have all its DNA, all its watchmaking emotion and flair into the connected watch,” he said. “Somehow, one should not see from a certain distance the difference between a Carrera Heuer 01 and a Carrera Wearable 01.” If you aren’t in the know, the Tag Heuer Carrera – Heuer 01 (see image above) was unveiled at Baselworld in March this year. Read more »

Pebble has opened pre-orders for its Time smartwatch to anyone and the team even sent a unit to iFixit. The Pebble Time is rated for 30m water resistance, but even so it earned a surprisingly high repairability score.

Some heat was all that was needed to pop the top open and reveal the rather simple internals. Read more »

Apple Watch was announced last September and went on sale this April. However stock quantities are very limited, and even waiting times are down, it is still hard to purchase one.

Many apps now support the Apple Watch, but since there is no official SDK, those apps actually run on the iPhone and transmit the data wirelessly. This often makes the Apple Watch lag, stutter or even crash, as we reported in our Apple Watch review. Read more »

Sony SmartWatch 3 is now getting the latest available Android Wear OS – 5.1.1. The update was officially announced by Google a month ago and it introduced numerous improvements and features.

Android Wear 5.1.1 adds support for Wi-Fi connectivity, which will allow the SmartWatch 3 to stay connected to your phone and do all major stuff (calls, messages, emails, fitness tracking), even when you leave or forget your Android smartphone at home. Read more »

Smart wearables have definitely gotten a long way in the last year or so, but, the new class of devices is still frantically searching for an identity and comfy place in the consumer’s lives. A definite testament to this fact is the numerous and sometimes strange concepts that have appeared in some smartwatches of late. Like the integrated camera on the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 or cellular connectivity and sometimes even LTE.

But, this all seems to fade in comparison to what Lenovo showcased at the Tech World show in Beijing. The company’s latest smartwatch concept is dubbed Magic View and, at first glance bears a striking resemblance to the Moto 360, which is only natural. It does, however, have one quite distinctive feature – a second display on the bezel facing the user. Read more »

If you were’t a participant in the most successful Kickstarter project to date and were wondering when will you be able to pre-order a Pebble Time, we have some good news. Pebble’s latest smartwatch will be available for pre-order to general public in less than a month, on June 22.

Prospective Pebble Time buyers can leave their contact information on a dedicated sign up page set up by the manufacturer. Read more »