Here’s a secret about Android Wear: at the moment, even more than a year after the first Wear devices hit the market, most of these smartwatches use the same Snapdragon 400 system-on-a-chip. That means that outside of screen resolution and quality, and of course the cosmetic changes implemented by the different manufacturers, there isn’t much difference from the latest models and the originals. That being the case, the first Samsung Gear Live (the square one) is still a pretty good way to get into the Android Wear, if only to see if you actually like it.
So a Gear Live for $80 is still a great deal, even if it’s not quite the rock-bottom price we’ve seen on similar models like the G Watch. One eBay vendor is offering just that. This is a new device, not refurbished, and it runs the latest version of Android Wear (at least at the moment). the warranty is the standard one-year variety, and frugal buyers who are fine with standard economy shipping can get it free, at least in the US. The eBay shipping section says that the seller ships “worldwide,” but the exclusion list is the longest I’ve ever seen – let’s call this one “US only” by default.
That’s stretching the definition of “worldwide” a bit.
If you’re a developer, a curious Android enthusiast, or (just for example) an Android blogger who needs to occasionally report on Android Wear even though he prefers watches with just one face that don’t require recharging every day, this is a pretty good price. It’s also decent if you want an interesting gift for that tech nerd, but don’t want to bust out $150-300 for something they might not actually use.
- Source:
- eBay
