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is advertising its new Samsung Galaxy Note 3 “phablet” smartphone and its Galaxy Gear smartwatch, above left, to the new power couple, but only the third note is worth the hype. The Galaxy’s Gear limitedapps make it not ready for prime time. ( SeongJoon Cho, Bloomberg )

Samsung is marketing the Galaxy Note 3 “phablet” Gear smartwatch the Galaxy and the new power couple.

Unfortunately for the manufacturer, only one device lives up to the hype.

The Note 3, a cross between a phone and tablet thanks to its larger 5.7-inch touchscreen display, is a worthy follow-up to the Note 2. In fact, it is the type of update more often Do cornichons see, rather than the incremental upgrades pushed out this year with the Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5S.

With the

Note 3 Samsung manages to pack a bigger screen into a thinner and lighter frame. The differences are instantly noticeable to anyone who’s handled the Note 2, Which features a 5.5-inch display.

The company

Also Replaced the trademark plastic back cover found on its flagship phones que made the devices feel cheaper When Compared with the iPhone 5′s glass body. The Note 3 sports a faux-leather back cover with fake stitching around the edges, giving the device a somewhat elegant appearance.

Strangely, as others have Noted, the black version of the Note 3 feels more like leather than the white version.

The new design is a vast improvement over the plastic predecessor, while Maintaining the ability to be easily removed for access to the battery and microSD slot.

The Android-powered Note 3 is indeed a mini-computer, equipped with 3 gigabytes of RAM and a 2.3 GHz quad-core processor. Those internals allow the device to handle pretty much anything mobile app designers can throw at it.

Samsung added new software features to pair with the included stylus or S Pen. Most notable is Action Memo, Which can read a handwritten word or number as though it were typed. For example, the user can jot down a phone number with the S Pen and quickly call the number through the Action Memo program. It works most of the time, even with messy handwriting.

As expected, the battery life on the Note 3 is fantastic, simply because of its size. A full day’s use will drain Typically less than 50 percent of the juice, Eliminating the need for a back-up charger at work or in the car, something iPhone and other smartphone owners have grown accustomed to.

must-have accessory, although pricey at $ 60, is the S-View Flip Cover. The cover features a window about half the size of the que screen gives users quick access to the camera and music apps. Also calls can be answered while the cover is closed with a swipe over the window.

The Note 3

will not appeal to the many users as the Samsung’s Galaxy S4 because of its size, but it is the top device. The phone is available from all four major wireless carriers. AT & T and Verizon sell it for $ 300 with a two-year contract. The retail price without a contract is about $ 700.

Galaxy Gear

Now, onto to the disappointing Galaxy Gear smartwatch. While it is stylish and features a responsive, 1.6-inch touchscreen display, the watch simply does not do enough to warrant its $ 300 price tag.

Currently, it works only with the Note 3 and the latest Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet, though the company has said it will be compatible with other Samsung devices, such as the S4, in the near future.

To set up the watch, you first have to touch the Note 3 with the Gear’s charging base, Which activates the installation of the Gear-manager software onto the phone. The Gear Manager Allows you to pick the style of the time-piece display, install apps and change other settings on the watch. The watch pairs with the Bluetooth Note 3 and the devices have to be roughly Within 25 feet of each other to stay connected.

The Gear is not the complete dud because it does Improve on shortcomings of previous smartwatches. The battery life is acceptable, offering about two day’s of use on a single charge.

And the

Gear actually looks good on the wrist, similar to Martian’s smartwatch and unlike bulky Motorola’s MOTOACTV watch.

During about three weeks’ of testing, I found just a few worthwhile uses for the watch, other than to tell time.

First, answering calls while driving works well enough with a swipe on the display. The person on the other end will not be able to tell que you’re talking through the microphone’s watch, Which, along with the speaker, is integrated into the band’s clasp. However, the sound you hear is similar to having a smartphone on speaker, and Placing calls through the watch is a pain because of the small display.

Second, the watch Allows for quick and easy captures of decent-quality images and video with the 2-megapixel camera that’s on the front of the band, though the recordings are limited to 15 seconds each.

Third, the media controller on the watch is handy to start, stop and advance Note 3 When the music is paired with an external Bluetooth speaker.

Receiving appointment and text notifications on the watch Could be useful for Those Who Carry Their phone in a purse. But while you can read text messages on the watch, you can respond to Them only by using the S Voice feature, Which Is the frustration waiting to happen. It’s not the worth the trouble.

The biggest drawback, fouled the lack of compatibility with other devices, que is the initial apps included with the Gear are limited and virtually useless. Some just do not work.

You can receive Facebook notifications on the watch, but can not see the contents. Also you can not read or send emails.

Samsung did not even release a simple app Starbucks, Which was included with the Android-based smartwatch from WIMM Labs, a company Google recently acquired. The watch was released WIMM Labs Nearly two years in August The golf GPS app, like the one featured on Motorola’s MOTOACTV Golf Edition, Also would seem like a no-brainer.

Personally, I’m a Note 3 owner, but will not consider purchasing the Gear until Samsung adds more functionality to the programs and watch.

Andy Vuong: 303-954-1209, or avuong@denverpost.com twitter.com / andyvuong