Samsung Gear 2, Neo smartwatches grow up

It may seem that Samsung has just released the Samsung Galaxy Gear Smartwatch but it is already on to round two and three. I'm Jessica Dolcourt for CNET here at Mobile World Congress 2014. We're gonna talk about the Samsung Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo. You'll know that Samsung has dropped the name Galaxy from these watches and that is because it is switched over from Android to Samsung's own brewed Tizen operating system. Now you're not gonna notice too many differences when you use the watch itself. Instead, you're gonna notice all the small incremental changes that Samsung has made. Now, the most important differences between the Gear 2 and the Neo, is that the Neo doesn't have a camera. It's also a little bit lighter and it's also made out of a plastic polycarbonate material instead of brush metal on the Gear 2. So will be the less expensive device. So what you're gonna notice on the Gear 2 is that the camera and in fact the microphone everything has moved up from the straps to the body of the device. One of the reasons for this could be just ease and another reason is that Samsung wants you to be able to interchange the straps. Now, each of these comes in three different colors but you can really swap out any standard strap. These straps here are a little bit textured and they do have that typical closure that we saw in the regular Galaxy Gear. Now the watches are also rated IP67 for dust and water resistance. And there is an IR blaster that will let you control your TV through the watch on app. Samsung says that is launching over a hundred apps for the Tizen-based Gear 2 and Gear Neo. And that STK is gonna be open to developers so they can develop apps as well. Otherwise, it looks pretty much the same. Has the same size screen as before, bright and colorful with on-screen controls, pedometer. There is also an integrated heart rate monitor so that will hook in to all of your health apps. The camera also gets a really tiny bump on the Gear 2. It's 2 megapixels, and this one with auto-focus. Samsung says that it has extended battery life so your watch won't just last one day. It'll last 2 or 3 depending on your usage. I'm Jessica Dolcourt. For CNET, you can check out the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo at cnet.com.