Samsung throws hat into wearable tech ring

Vendor's inaugural smartwatch set to launch tomorrow

Samsung is set to become one of the first vendors to launch a wearable technology device as it prepares to launch its first smartwatch tomorrow.

The Galaxy Gear watch is expected to be unveiled in Berlin tomorrow ahead of the IFA tech show to pre-empt possible rival offerings from the likes of Apple and Sony.

While the exact specifications of the device are top secret, VentureBeat claims an anonymous source tipped them off with prototype designs – which may or may not resemble the actual product.

VentureBeat said the device measures three inches diagonally, comes in a dark grey and black colour scheme and is both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled. It also claims the device has a built-in camera to take photos of food as part of a health-monitoring feature it may include.

Samsung's entrance into the smartwatch market comes after the Pebble device kicked off action in the space. Hardware giants such as Dell and Apple are thought to be next to join the wearable tech party, as Google pursues its Google Glass product too.

The wearable technology market is expected to kick off in the coming months, with analyst Canalys claiming vendors need to get on board quickly to avoid missing a wave of early adopters. It claimed that only 500,000 smartwatches shipped this year, but in 2014 the figure is expected to skyrocket tenfold to five million.

Gartner placed wearable technology as close to 'the peak of inflated expectations' on its annual hype cycle last month.