Samsung's Galaxy Gear Smartwatch

Well, no wonder we haven't seen too many people sporting the Galaxy Gear since its debut. People keep returning them.

Samsung is planning to release the software update that will allow its other Galaxy devices--the Note 2, Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4, and Galaxy S4 Active, specifically--to sync up with the smartwatch. The dates vary by carrier, however, and they won't all roll out at the same time. 

Work in progress 

It's not exactly hard to see why consumers may be turned off by the smartwatch. It's a mostly proprietary device that only works with Samsung's flagship products--though for now it's limited to the Note 3. And the Galaxy Gear is still a work in progress. It's bulky for most wrists, and its current available features aren't much to write home about. That doesn't necessarily mean that smartwatches are dead on arrival--it could just mean that Samsung's particular incarnation isn't the kind of device that consumers are looking for. Knowing Samsung, it'll probably give it another go next year with a different model but, until then, it might be a wise idea to stifle shipments until the company gets a better lay of the land for the watch.