Galaxy Gear update brings full notification support to Samsung’s smartwatch

The Galaxy Gear is Samsung’s first attempt to break into the wearable computing market, but so far reception has been fairly lukewarm.

The Gear is a pretty cool looking gadget with a lot of potential, but the problem is that it also arrived to store shelves feeling  a bit unfinished. Not only did the Gear solely support the Note 3 at launch, it also has been hindered by limited apps and a notification system that often requires you to whip out your phone to actually find out what’s going on...

Read the full story here... Source: Android Authority

Court: Samsung execs told terms of secret Nokia-Apple deal

Samsung executives might have been able to access patent-licensing terms between Apple and Nokia, despite rules disallowing such access.

Foss Patents' Florian Mueller on Thursday published court documents filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Wednesday that suggest Samsung might have been inappropriately given access to a patent-licensing deal between Apple and Nokia...

Read the full story here... Source: CNET

Samsung Again Caught Inflating Benchmarking Scores, Phil Schiller Calls 'Shenanigans'

Like it did with its Galaxy S 4 smartphone, Samsung has once again been caught artificially increasing CPU speeds on its Galaxy Note 3 phone when benchmark apps are running, reports Ars Technica.

Samsung uses special code inside its operating system to identify benchmarking apps by name to boost CPU clock speeds and prevent CPU cores from entering low-power modes. As a result, Ars discovered, Galaxy Note 3 benchmarks report CPU performance roughly 20 percent faster than most apps will experience on the device...

Read the full story here... Source: Mac Rumours

U.S. Cellular confirms it will carry the Note 3, no word on pricing and or exact release date

The Galaxy Note 3 is here, and over the course of the last two days, we’ve already seen all four major U.S. carriers confirm their plans to carry Samsung’s latest flagship. With the exception of Sprint, all these carriers have even stepped forward with their pricing and release details.

But what about U.S. Cellular? At their Unpacked Event, Samsung confirmed that U.S. Cellular would be among the device’s U.S. launch partners, but the regional carrier has yet to say word one about it – until today...

Read the full story here... Source: Android Authority

Samsung shows off tablet-optimized Twitter app at its unpacked event

Samsung had a lot of the world’s attention yesterday when they unveiled the Galaxy Gear and Galaxy Note 3 devices. Both here highly anticipated announcements that have gotten people excited all over again for Samsung products. However, it appears as though Samsung unintentionally announced someone else’s product. We’re talking, of course, about a tablet-optimized official Twitter app...

Read the full story here... Source: Android Authority

Samsung Unpacked 2013 - Live Stream

Join us live at Samsung UNPACKED 2013 Episode 2 from the Tempodrom in Berlin where we will unveil the next-generation products. Livestream begins at 19:00 CEST / 13:00 EDT on 4th September, Wednesday.

Where are Samsung’s high resolution tablets?

Most people would agree that behind battery life and performance, the display is the most important component in a mobile device. Even more so in a tablet, where the display is especially crucial. A screen resolution which looks great on a 4.5-inch smartphone won’t pull off the same effect on a 10-inch tablet. The main reason for that is something called pixels per-inch (PPI). 

The iPad 3’s Retina Display set a bar for other tablets to reach with a pixel density of 264 PPI, but then the Nexus 10 surpassed it with its 300 PPI display. On Thursday, the new Nexus 7 beat them all into a submission with its 323 PPI screen, so we are left a little perplexed by the lack of a high-resolution tablet from Samsung, the biggest Android OEM.

Sure the Nexus 10 is technically made by Samsung, but Samsung has yet to grace its Galaxy Tab range or even its Galaxy Note 10.1 with the same high-resolution display...

Read the full story here. Source: Android Authority

‘Evolved’ Samsung Exynos 5 Octa teased, launching next week

Move over original Exynos 5 Octa, after such a short time on the market, you’re already being replaced by something better! Earlier today, Samsung took to Twitter to announced it will be launching a “more powerful, enhanced” version of the Exynos 5 Octa sometime next week.

Any other details?  No, but we can certainly speculate a little.

As you might already know, the current Exynos 5 Octa doesn’t technically run on eight cores. Instead, the Octa has a 1.6GHz quad-core A15 processor for high-intensity tasks and can switch to a lower-powered 1.2GHz quad-core A7 for situations where less power is needed.

For the next Exynos 5 Octa, the change could be as simple as boosting up the clockspeeds provided by the SoC. Then again, it could also have to do with improving integrated features such as adding advanced LTE, or really anything under the sun.

As for the first device to run the processor? If the rumor mill proves correct, it will likely be in at least one version of the Note 3, though don’t expect Samsung to show off their big-screen phone next week. More than likely the announcement will simply be a release a few new technical details about the upcoming SoC.

Regardless of what Samsung is planning, we only have to wait a week to find out. In the meantime the Korean giant is giving fans a chance to win some brand new Exynos-powered devices through their #ExynosEvolved Giveaway.

Source: Android Authority

Samsung Galaxy S4 on 4GEE from EE

The Samsung Galaxy S4 on superfast 4GEE http://ee.co.uk/s4, featuring the world's first Full HD Super AMOLED display, Smart Pause, Group Play, Story Album, S Health, and Air Gesture. 

We're EE and we've brought you the UK's first superfast 4G mobile network, together with Fibre Broadband. Whether you're streaming HD TV, live multiplayer gaming, or watching a film, it'll be superfast, at home or on the go. Check out full details here.

Will the Samsung Galaxy S4 be King of the Smartphones

The race has been going on for years … which smartphone would be the thinnest? the fastest? or perhaps highest resolution camera? And for 2013 it seems to be all about the screen resolution. With many smartphones all launching with 1920x1080 full HD resolution screens, what could be next?

At the end of April 2013 we will see the Samsung Galaxy S4. Yes, it is fast, has a a nice camera and a full HD screen to top it off. I personally remember when Samsung announced it. With their tongue on cheek presentation they showed us Smart Pause, where the video you are watching pauses when you look away. Next up is Air View & Gesture, where you greasy fingers do not even need to touch the screen to navigate your way around. And then we have S Health which tracks your activity, daily food intake and weight … promising a fitter you.

These features are just a few of the many new enhancements which I termed gimmicks when I first saw them. However, we all need to take a step back and think, what else could Samsung do to move this type of technology forward? And I think they are brave in trying to give us some really unique features. OK, so everyone will use S Translator every day, but if you find yourself in a foreign country, perhaps on holiday, you will be glad to have it at your disposal. I strongly believe that all manufacturers are beginning to realise that things like a high megapixel camera on a tiny phone sensor is not a cutting edge feature. Rest assured, when they react to the Galaxy S4 you will see them all squashing in tonnes of new features to their 2014 products. By then, Samsung may well have the lead that they need to take the top spot in this sector.

As with every new smartphone launch, a good selection of accessories always follow and one that caught my eye is official View Cover. Without even opening the cover you can see the current time & useful notifications, the contrasting colour of the display peeping through is awesome and… it looks very sexy too.

By now you should now that I try new smartphones out practically every day. I am an avid iPhone user, but have been tempted away with the likes of the Lumia 920 and a couple of years back, the Blackberry Bold 9900. I feel very strongly that Apple need to react to their competitors smartphones, with their lovely high res large screens. The App argument is no longer an issue either (at least where Google Android is concerned). With the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4… of course I will be testing & reviewing it. Who knows, if it delivers on performance, as I am sure it will, the SGS4 might find its way into my pocket and if it does the View Cover is mine too.

Samsung 'worried' S4 build quality doesn't match HTC One

Samsung seems a little jealous of the HTC One. That's according to a source who's told SamMobile the Korean company has seen its rival's design and build quality, and is "worried" the Galaxy S4 doesn't measure up.

It's the HTC One's aluminium body that's got Samsung green with envy, not its Sense 5 user interface. Samsung even produced an all-metal Galaxy S4 which was very popular within the company, the source says, but didn't launch it to avoid any delays.

It's worth taking all this with a pinch of salt, of course. But it could indicate a design change for the Galaxy Note 3, according to the source. There's no word on which material Samsung will use, just that it "will not use the design guidelines of the Galaxy S4".

Now, specs. The source reckons the Note 3 will have a 6-inch 1,920x1,080-pixel AMOLED display, Exynos 5 Octa CPU with LTE for 4G browsing, and a 13-megapixel snapper. It'll also run the latest version of Android, which could be Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie by the time the Note 3 launches.

The Galaxy S4 will go on sale in the UK on 26 April, and demand is already off the chart. It's just a shame the version us Brits will get is completely underpowered compared to the octa-core beast released overseas, according to leaked benchmarks. Of course we can't be sure of that until we get the final review unit in our hands, so another pinch of salt is required.

[Source: CNET]

Samsung Allegedly Concerned About Current Plastic Designs

Despite Samsung’s love affair with plastic build materials, the company may finally opt to take another approach later this year. According to SamMobile, the company is reportedly “worried” about the design and quality of its current devices, especially when compared to the lovely engineering of the HTC One. To remedy this, the company is planning to “switch the build quality for its next flagship.”

Samsung has built a reputation for creating some of the most popular devices on the market. But one criticism repeatedly flung at the company is how “cheap” its handsets feel, and the design language is consistent in its cheapest smartphone on up to its most expensive tablet. The Galaxy S4 remedied this slightly, but the build still doesn’t hold a candle to the One.SamMobile’s source claims the Galaxy Note III will change that.

Samsung allegedly hoped to implement a metal design with the S4, but production issues meant the handset, in its planned configuration, couldn’t be built en masse on time. Instead, the Galaxy Note III will debut with a more premium look, though SamMobile’s source couldn’t confirm Samsung’s final material choice. The source did say, however, that the Korean company will introduce even more features, while the device itself will come with a 6-inch Full HD AMOLED display, Exynos 5 Octa CPU with LTE and 13-megapixel camera.

If Samsung manages to inject a more premium design into its next flagship handset, the company could potentially grab even more marketshare around the world. If that does happen, the Galaxy S4 may very well be the last of its kind, at least as far as build goes. We’ll have to wait and see.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]