Gimmick of the year: Samsung's smart watch isn't uncool, but wearing it is

I have made plenty of risky phone calls, but this was my first wristy one.

You wear the Samsung Galaxy Gear as a watch. It connects to the Galaxy Note 3, Samsung's latest "phablet", via bluetooth. You use it to make calls, read text messages and, well, tell the time.

You don't have to put the Gear next to your ear to talk. In a reasonably quiet space its speakerphone works well - it's clear and you can talk even with your arm hanging by your side.

Mostly you'll look like Star Trek's Captain Kirk, talking while holding your arm out as if you are checking the time. But don't expect to hear a thing in a mall, a coffee shop or while driving. And if the Note 3 is too far away, more than say five metres, you'll lose reception quickly.

The Note 3 itself is awesome. It feels thinner and lighter than its predecessor and it looks slicker.

Your trousers will likely not have enough room for the device. Carry it in your back pocket or handbag or in your hand. Stunning graphics and a screen almost the size of an iPad Mini makes it the ideal device for you to catch up on series while you are on the train or plane. It is also just about large enough to use as an eBook-reader and is perfect for browsing the internet.

But it wasn't a big leap forward from Note 2 to Note 3. The new model is probably a bit quicker and has a better stylus (the silly pencil-like thing used to write on the screen). But that's it.

Don't upgrade just for the sake of the Gear. The watch-phone is still a gimmick. Having a camera on the wristband is just overkill. The device doesn't look uncool, but the guy wearing it does.