July 21 Update: The Tizen software switcheroo wasn't exactly on time in the US, but it is available to Gear owners there starting today.
The update is completely optional, Samsung noted in a press announcement, but it does "bring a number of advantages and new features" to the original Galaxy Gear.
Among those is access to more apps (about 140 worldwide), better battery life and more robust music enhancements like song storage and Bluetooth headphone support. There's also an improved interface, more font, wallpaper and homescreen customization options, and improved fitness and health tracking capabilities.
Downloading Tizen - available through Kies 3.0 software - essentially brings feature parity between the first Galaxy Gear and the newer Gear 2.
Just be warned that once your Galaxy Gear makes the jump to Tizen, there's no going back to Android.
Original article...
Samsung has followed through on its pledge to rid the original Galaxy Gear smartwatch of the Android operating system by updating the device with the home cooked Tizen software.
The update, which as already started to roll out, will bring those early swartwatch adopters up to speed with the current crop of Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit devices, which arrived on Tizen out of the box.
This will mean original Galaxy Gear owners will have access to many of the features present on the second-generation models.
It will earn a sleep mode, which measures your sleeping patterns, and an exercise mode that tracks your movement thanks to the pedometer (no heart-rate tracker though).
Back up first
Tizen 2.2.0 also brings a stand music app, a privacy lock, new font sizes and styles, new clock faces and wallpapers and easier access to key settings.
SamMobile, which got an early preview of the update, has warned that installing Tizen will wipe all data from the wearable and will prevent some of the third-party apps from working.
Users will have the opportunity to back up before installing the update via Samsung's Kies platform.
The Galaxy Gear was somewhat of a commercial and critical failure, but for the limited number of people who jumped on board with the wearables era early, at least your smartwatch gets a new lease of life with this update.
