 Samsung has been trying to figure out smartwatches for as long as anyone. Its earlier efforts have been disappointing, but the new Gear S2 promises to be different. And in many ways, it is. It's got a sleeker, more attractive design, a completely new interface, and finally works with more than just Samsung phones. The Gear S2 is far from perfect, but it demonstrates some really great ideas about how a smartwatch should look and work, and can be a learning tool for the rest of the industry. The Gear S2 is the first round smartwatch from Samsung, and it's by far the best looking wearable the company has ever made. It's not too big, not too thick, and it's comfortable to wear. I've been testing the $299 standard Gear S2, which has a rubber strap and smooth brushed metal finish. It's not the design I choose, the $349 Gear S2 Classic with its leather strap and darker finish is more my speed. Unfortunately the standard S2 uses a proprietary strap mount, which means that you can't go into any jewelry or watch store and swap it out for something else. The round design is there for more than just looks. It enables the rotating bezel control, which is the smartest way to interact with a smartwatch I've ever used. Sure you can swipe through the screens with the touch screen, just like an Apple Watch or any Android Wear model, but once you use the bezel to control the watch, you'll wonder why nobody else has done this before. The rotating ring is predictable and reliable, unlike Apple's somewhat confusing digital crown, and it lets me navigate the interface without blocking any of the content with my finger. That great experience is helped by the fast and easy to use interface on the S2. Turn the ring to the right from the main watch face and you access widgets of information. Turn it to the left and you see your notifications. Use it to scroll through text when reading a message or a list, and it behaves exactly like you'd expect it to. A button on the side of the watch jumps back one level, while another button takes you back to the main watch face. It's all very simple to understand and use, and I never felt lost or confused. The Gear S2's display is great. It's bright and sharp and easy to read indoors and out. You can turn on an ambient mode to always display the time, but that will have an impact on battery life. I was able to go two days between charges with the ambient screen off, but only one with it on. Neither option is great, you'll still be charging it at least every other day, and you shouldn't travel without its charging dock, but at least the Gear S2 doesn't die halfway through the day. But here's where I run into some big issues with the Gear S2. It's great for checking and even replying to some notifications, and tracking your physical activity. But beyond that, there isn't much else you can do with it. While Apple and Google boast thousands of apps for their watches, including useful ones like Citymapper, Dark Sky, and Google Maps, the Gear S2 lacks both quantity and quality apps right now. That's not likely to change anytime soon. The Gear S2 runs a different platform than Android Wear or the Apple Watch, and it's not likely that developers are going to devote much effort to supporting it. Even some of the apps Samsung demoed at its launch with the S2, such as Uber, aren't available for it yet. There are a number of attractive watch faces included with the S2, but third-party options, like the apps, left me wanting. And while the Apple Watch and Android Wear will let you do a bunch of things with your device, the Gear S2's voice actions are slow and really limited. I can't even use it to set a reminder, for example. And that really is what has me worried for the Gear S2. It's a fine-functioning and looking smartwatch today, but I'm not confident that it will get the support needed from developers to turn it into something really special tomorrow. I want a smartwatch that looks good, it's easy to use, shows me notifications, tracks my activity, and lets me do certain things without pulling my phone out of my pocket. The Gear S2 gets a lot of those right, but that last one? That's what really separates a great smartwatch from the rest, and the S2 doesn't yet fulfill that need. Samsung came awfully close to making a brilliant smartwatch this time, but its journey isn't over.
 Samsung has been trying to figure out smartwatches for as long as anyone.
 Its earlier efforts have been disappointing, but the new Gear S2 promises to be different.
 And in many ways, it is.
 It's got a sleeker, more attractive design, a completely new interface, and finally works
 with more than just Samsung phones.
 The Gear S2 is far from perfect, but it demonstrates some really great ideas about how a smartwatch
 should look and work, and can be a learning tool for the rest of the industry.
 The Gear S2 is the first round smartwatch from Samsung, and it's by far the best looking
 wearable the company has ever made.
 It's not too big, not too thick, and it's comfortable to wear.
 I've been testing the $299 standard Gear S2, which has a rubber strap and smooth brushed
 metal finish.
 It's not the design I choose, the $349 Gear S2 Classic with its leather strap and darker
 finish is more my speed.
 Unfortunately the standard S2 uses a proprietary strap mount, which means that you can't
 go into any jewelry or watch store and swap it out for something else.
 The round design is there for more than just looks.
 It enables the rotating bezel control, which is the smartest way to interact with a smartwatch
 I've ever used.
 Sure you can swipe through the screens with the touch screen, just like an Apple Watch
 or any Android Wear model, but once you use the bezel to control the watch, you'll wonder
 why nobody else has done this before.
 The rotating ring is predictable and reliable, unlike Apple's somewhat confusing digital
 crown, and it lets me navigate the interface without blocking any of the content with my
 finger.
 That great experience is helped by the fast and easy to use interface on the S2.
 Turn the ring to the right from the main watch face and you access widgets of information.
 Turn it to the left and you see your notifications.
 Use it to scroll through text when reading a message or a list, and it behaves exactly
 like you'd expect it to.
 A button on the side of the watch jumps back one level, while another button takes you
 back to the main watch face.
 It's all very simple to understand and use, and I never felt lost or confused.
 The Gear S2's display is great.
 It's bright and sharp and easy to read indoors and out.
 You can turn on an ambient mode to always display the time, but that will have an impact
 on battery life.
 I was able to go two days between charges with the ambient screen off, but only one
 with it on.
 Neither option is great, you'll still be charging it at least every other day, and
 you shouldn't travel without its charging dock, but at least the Gear S2 doesn't die
 halfway through the day.
 But here's where I run into some big issues with the Gear S2.
 It's great for checking and even replying to some notifications, and tracking your physical
 activity.
 But beyond that, there isn't much else you can do with it.
 While Apple and Google boast thousands of apps for their watches, including useful ones
 like Citymapper, Dark Sky, and Google Maps, the Gear S2 lacks both quantity and quality
 apps right now.
 That's not likely to change anytime soon.
 The Gear S2 runs a different platform than Android Wear or the Apple Watch, and it's
 not likely that developers are going to devote much effort to supporting it.
 Even some of the apps Samsung demoed at its launch with the S2, such as Uber, aren't
 available for it yet.
 There are a number of attractive watch faces included with the S2, but third-party options,
 like the apps, left me wanting.
 And while the Apple Watch and Android Wear will let you do a bunch of things with your
 device, the Gear S2's voice actions are slow and really limited.
 I can't even use it to set a reminder, for example.
 And that really is what has me worried for the Gear S2.
 It's a fine-functioning and looking smartwatch today, but I'm not confident that it will
 get the support needed from developers to turn it into something really special tomorrow.
 I want a smartwatch that looks good, it's easy to use, shows me notifications, tracks
 my activity, and lets me do certain things without pulling my phone out of my pocket.
 The Gear S2 gets a lot of those right, but that last one?
 That's what really separates a great smartwatch from the rest, and the S2 doesn't yet fulfill
 that need.
 Samsung came awfully close to making a brilliant smartwatch this time, but its journey isn't
 over.