The recently-unveiled Samsung Gear S is now getting its first browser, as Opera Mini is ready to hit the device.
Samsung took the wraps off its new Gear S smartwatch a little over a month ago, drawing plenty of interest. While the Gear Live runs Google's Android Wear OS, the Gear S is Tizen-powered and comes with one great capability that makes it stand out from the crowd.
More specifically, the Gear S is able to make calls and go online independently, without necessarily relying on a paired smartphone to do the heavy lifting, thanks to its 3G connectivity. Samsung even promised full turn-by-turn navigation via Nokia HERE for its Gear S, but so far the company made no mention of an Internet browser gracing the device. Since the Gear S is able to surf the web all on its own, the addition of Opera Mini should come as a great benefit.
"The Internet is something we are used to accessing wherever we are and on practically every device we use. But, for some reason, the smartwatch has been stripped of an internet browser - until today," Opera boasts in a new blog post on Tuesday, Oct. 7. "We're happy to announce that Opera Mini has become the first web browser on a Tizen-based smartwatch, the new Samsung Gear S."
As a reminder, Opera Mini is the mobile-centric version of the popular Opera Web browser, and it is now ready to hit the Samsung Gear S. Opera Mini comes as the very first browser to be available for Samsung's new Tizen smartwatch, and it comes customized to offer a proper experience.
While browsing the Web on a tiny gadget on your wrist may not sound like a great experience, Opera claims that it its browser will work well on the smartwatch due to some intuitive tweaks. Web shortcuts from the Speed Dialer, for instance, will appear as large buttons to make everything easier. Users will be able to zoom in simply by double-tapping or pinching, while a smooth swipe will allow them to navigate back or forward a page or two. Moreover, users will also be able to save Web pages for later reading when offline.
The Samsung Gear S is set to officially hit retail later this month and, when it does, it will run Opera Mini version 7.5, with all its features and functionality. Opera Mini will be available as a free download from Samsung Gear Apps.
