Hands-on with Samsung’s vastly improved Tizen OS
Samsung’s device lineup may still be heavily dominated by Android, but change is in the air. Tizen, the open-source OS it jointly develops with Intel, now powers the company’s three new Gear wearables, and smartphones are coming later this year. We got the chance to play with Samsung’s latest Tizen phone prototype, which runs a customized build (version 2.2.1) of the platform, allowing us to see what’s changed since the last time we saw a Samsung developer handset. While there’s still plenty of similarities between the prototype and what we’ve seen in the past, Samsung’s worked to incorporate parts of its Android design language, particularly in the apps drawer, notification tray and homescreen widgets. Not only do they look better, each of the elements are more feature rich than before, offering users greater control over the device and making it feel like a complete platform. The company insists the platform isn’t designed to replace Android, affirming that it forms part of its “multi-OS strategy,” but given its recent wearable overhaul, we’ll never say never. Check out the hands-on video below to see what a Samsung mobile future without Google could possibly look like.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Engadget HD Podcast 387 – 2.27.14
The HD news heap has reached a toppling point, so Ben and Richard get to work sifting through all the insanity from the past week. One of the major talking points is the streaming bottleneck of Netflix’s content on various service providers. This prompts Ben to provide an overview of the labyrinthine inner workings of the internet, a tall task for anyone to attempt. In another bold move, Disney Movies Anywhere service launched recently with iTunes on board to help deliver some of its content. There’s definitely some twists and turns, so head to the streaming links below for a bit of navigational assistance on this week’s episode of the Engadget HD Podcast.
Hosts: Richard Lawler, Ben Drawbaugh
Producer: Jon Turi
Hear the podcast:
12:49 – Netflix ISP claims bottlenecks
43:23 – No, Netflix’s deal with Comcast won’t destroy the internet
55:28 – Netflix mocks Amazon Prime Air with hilarious ‘Drone 2 Home’ video
56:39 – Amazon ‘pulls a Netflix,’ revives cancelled BBC detective show
57:41 – Disney Movies Anywhere service launches with an unprecedented link to iTunes
01:04:28 – MLB, NBA, NHL and NASCAR team up on 120 Sports, a 24-hour streaming video channel
01:08:57 – TiVo’s co-founders want you to use internet video for your own TV network
01:15:14 – Aereo strikes out in Utah, preliminary injunction shuts down local service
01:15:22 – Aereo wins a grace period from injunction, keeps Denver and Salt Lake City open
01:15:47 – Sony laser pico projector module beams out focus-free HD images
01:16:55 – Sony to shutter two-thirds of its US stores
01:18:32 – Plex’s new Chromecast features let you watch more content, better than ever before
01:19:48 – Xbox One Media Remote arrives in early March for $25
01:22:32 – PlayStation 4 moves just shy of 350K units in first two days at Japanese retail
01:23:15 – Crowdfunded Veronica Mars movie will hit theaters and your living room simultaneously
01:25:14 – Mike Judge’s upcoming HBO comedy ‘Silicon Valley’ gets its first trailer
01:26:20 – Must See HDTV for the week of February 25th: Oscars, Gravity and Game of Arms
Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).
[RSS – AAC] Enhanced feed, subscribe to this with iTunes.
[RSS – MP3] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator.
Contact the podcast:
Amazon is reportedly working on a music-streaming service
Amazon does much more than dominate the online-shopping space. With its Prime instant video service, complete with original series and exclusives, the company has taken on Netflix — and it looks like challenging Spotify and other music services is Amazon’s next step. According to sources who spoke with Re/code, the company is currently in talks with music labels to offer a subscription-style service. The news is hardly surprising, but it’s unclear when exactly an Amazon music-streaming platform would arrive.
According to one “label source,” the company’s demand for deeper discounts is holding up its talks with labels. When the back-room negotiations come to a conclusion, though, the cost of buying those music rights will likely be worth it, especially considering hints that the annual Prime subscription could increase by up to $40. In theory, at least, customers would be more likely to shell out that fee if they received more bundled features like free music streaming. However, Re/code makes a good point in noting that many Prime subscribers aren’t even aware that they have access to instant video, so perhaps a streaming service would help Amazon highlight the privileges of Prime membership — if the music service is bundled with Prime at all, that is.
Source: Re/code
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