Samsung Gear S
Samsung Gear SPublic Relations

As many companies have recently begun offering smartwatches - a combination of the convenience of a wristwatch and the technological capabilities of a cell phone - Samsung is rolling out its Gear S, and now it is being officially marketed in Israel.

The gadget runs on the Tizen operating system (OS), and boasts 3G and WiFi for internet allowing full connections even when there isn't a cell phone around to pair with via Bluetooth. It also holds a SIM card to operate as a fully functional phone.

Despite its small size, users can type using a virtual keyboard on the touchscreen, or else use voice recognition to dictate. Calls can either be answered directly or forwarded to a cell phone.

Gear S is no slacker when it comes to processing power either, touting a 1 GHz dual core chipset and 512 MB of RAM, and with 4GB of internal memory users can store and run various apps, although it appears pairing with a separate cell phone will allow access to all apps.

As for the visual experience, the smartwatch features a 2.0” Curved Super AMOLED touchscreen at a resolution of 360 x 480 pixels.

It also is water and dust resistant for the adventurous, and likewise has GPS so you never get lost, although no camera is included.

The watch will run for 2,199 shekels (just over $550) in Israel.