The Gear Fit adds vertical screen abilities
A Samsung Gear Fit update has been rolled out ahead of the fitness tracker’s UK release, addressing the need for vertical screen orientation.
With the Samsung Gear Fit set to hit UK retailers alongside the eagerly awaited Samsung Galaxy S5 this Friday, April 11, the Korean manufacturer has responded to criticisms of the enforced horizontal screen orientation – a flaw which makes reading the display awkward while on the move.
Having previously been spotted on a Gear Fit unit within an official South Korean Samsung store, we have since added the update to our test unit.
With users now set to be able to select between horizontal or vertical screen orientations, the Fit’s full array of menus and homescreens are converted to a vertical stance. Although easier to read, this change means content can look cramped and broken up on the 1.84-inch curved Super AMOLED panel.
Although vertical screen alignment is the main headline of the first Samsung Gear Fit update, the software patch has other treats in store.
What appears to have been another oversight on Samsung’s part prior to launch, the update brings sleep tracking to the fitness band – a feature already on many of its rivals, such as the FitBit Flex and Jawbone Up24.
Featuring an integrated heart rate sensor, the Samsung Gear Fit is one of a new range of wearables for the tech giant, lining up alongside the Samsung Gear 2 and Samsung Gear 2 Neo.
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