Samsung's Galaxy Gear smart watch responds to voice prompts, takes photographs and video, tracks fitness activities and notifies you when you've received calls, SMSs, or emails on your smartphone. 

Like the Sony SmartWatch, the Galaxy Gear relies on your smartphone or tablet to function and uses its internet connection to connect to the web. The two devices have to be in relatively close proximity to function. You can't use the Gear as a standalone device. If you venture more than 1.5m away from your smartphone, the Gear will automatically lock for extra security.

You can make and receive calls using the built-in speaker on the Gear, making it a good hands-free option. Samsung's S Voice function allows you to make calls, create alerts, check the weather and even draft messages or emails without having to touch the screen. 

You can also use certain apps that you have on your smartphone or tablet via the Gear including Runkeeper, MyFitnessPal, TripIt and Evernote.

The Galaxy Gear has a 1.43-inch screen, 1.9MP camera, 4GB internal memory and 512MB RAM. 

There is no word on price or availability in South Africa at this stage.