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Samsung, LG Serve Up Yet More Smartwatch Options

Samsung’s latest model -- its fifth of the year -- is its first with a built-in 3G connection.

Samsung

At this point, it seems as though electronics makers are just throwing spaghetti at the wrist to see what sticks.

Samsung on Tuesday night announced the Samsung Gear S, making at least five watches that the company has debuted just this year. Korean rival LG, meanwhile, announced a round Android Wear-based watch, the LG G Watch R. The watch, which will go on sale in the fourth quarter, joins the rectangular LG G Watch that came out earlier this summer.

The Gear S is Samsung’s first watch with a built-in 3G connection, meaning it doesn’t need to be tethered to a smartphone to get connectivity. It also packs a curved screen, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities as well as Nokia’s Here Maps technology for turn-by-turn directions. The Tizen-based watch will go on sale in some markets starting in October.

Details on potential U.S. availability and pricing were not announced for either Samsung or LG’s devices.

For those keeping track, Samsung this year has now introduced the Gear 2, the Gear 2 Neo, the Gear Fit, the Gear Live and the Gear S.

“Samsung is leading this exciting and rapidly developing wearable category through progressive innovation,” mobile unit CEO JK Shin said in a statement.

The products come just ahead of Motorola’s launch of the round Moto 360 watch. Sources tell Re/code that Apple will unveil its first wearable at a Sept. 9 event.

HTC has also said it is working on a wearable, and sources say Microsoft also has a wrist-worn device in the works.

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

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