Samsung's Galaxy Apps store and its Gear Apps store have been estranged for some time, with Gear S2 users having to have the Gear Apps store for their smartwatch apps and the Galaxy Apps store for everything else. The Korean giant has started streamlining its experience so as to make its own software and services more easily accessible to users old and new, with the Gear Apps store being relocated to the Galaxy Apps store (though the Gear Manager app remains separate) not too long ago. With the Gear 360 having been announced at MWC 2016 and launched in the company's home country, Samsung has added the Gear 360 Manager app to the Galaxy Apps store.
The Gear 360 Manager app is named after the Gear 360, Samsung's new 360-degree VR camera that was launched in South Korea today for $350 with pre-orders starting a week ago (and bringing a free battery pack for early adopters). The device features IP53 water and dust resistance, two 15-megapixel fisheye lens cameras that produce 30MP images and 360-degree videos, a microUSB port for charging, a microSD card slot that provides up to an additional 128GB of storage, and a 1,350mAh battery. Samsung intends to roll out the Gear 360 to 450 brick-and-mortar stores nationwide by May, but Europe pricing with a May 22nd shipping date and US pricing for B&H only (for now, anyway), indicates the company's plans for a worldwide rollout by the end of Q2 2016.
If you've gotten your hands on a Gear 360 or want to understand how it all works, Samsung has provided an info graphic as well as a 2-minute clip to satisfy your curiosity.
