Samsung Galaxy Gear capable of running full Android apps

Samsung’s Galaxy Gear hasn’t received the most positive reaction from users, but it does seem to have a couple of tricks hidden up its sleeve. Ars Technica’s Ron Amadeo managed to figure out that the Gear runs on a visually modified version of Android 4.2.2. Amadeo managed to sideload some apps on to the Gear, which means that the smartwatch is capable of running full-fledged Android apps.

This is achieved by switching on USB Debugging from the Gear’s settings, after which, the Gear can be controlled through the Android Development Bridge (ADB). Thanks to this, users can sideload apps using ADB. Owing to technical limitations, such as the lack of its own source of a data connection, the Gear’s functionality is still a bit limited. Amadeo demonstrated all of this in a video. Check it out:

Amadeo was able to run a bunch of Android apps on the Gear, like Candy Crush Saga, Apollo Music Player to listen to music and MX Player, which allowed him to watch any video he wanted on the tiny 1.6-inch display. He tried running Dolphin Browser, but it didn’t entirely work because of the lack of a data connection. The most interesting thing about all of this is that none of these apps are actually part of the Gear’s core functionality. One can only imagine what is possible with the smartwatch once it gets rooted.

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The Galaxy Gear was launched back in September for Rs 22,990 and is currently only compatible with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, but the Galaxy S4, S3 and Note 2 will be getting software updates for Galaxy Gear support. Eventually, Samsung plans to bring Gear compatibility to the rest of Android as well.

Cover image credit: Ars Technica