Samsung officially launches the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini with proportionally shrunk Specs
With the release of the Samsung Galaxy S5 earlier this year, we knew it would only be a matter of time before Samsung announced a Mini version of its newest flagship. Sure enough, Samsung has today announced the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini, a device which shrinks the S5′s 5.1-inch display to a 4.5-inch 720p one. Unfortunately, any hope of Samsung going the route of the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact and keeping the S5 Mini’s specs in line with its bigger brother were always slim, and predictably, the specs have shrunk along with the screen size.
The S5 Mini is powered by an unspecified processor clocked at 1.4GHz, 1.5GB RAM, 16GB storage with microSD expansion, a 2,100mAh battery, and will be running Android 4.4. Cameras include a 2.1MP front camera with a 8MP rear companion, and the S5 Mini has been graced with the benefit of an IP67 water and dust resistance rating. Perhaps intriguingly, the S5 Mini will be LTE capable, which puts it right in the crosshairs of the Motorola Moto G LTE. In fact, barring a slight bump in RAM, the S5 Mini mirrors the Moto G LTE pound for pound, so it will be interesting if Samsung can price the S5 Mini aggressively enough to challenge what is still one of the most popular and best value mid-range phones on the market.
What do you think about the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini? Is it your cup of tea? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Samsung Tomorrow
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Samsung and GlobalFoundries to Produce Apple’s 14-nm A9 Chips in 2015
Samsung and GlobalFoundries have landed orders from Apple to produce the 14-nanometer A9 processor starting next year, reports DigiTimes. The 14nm chips will be rolled out of GlobalFoundries’ Fab 8 factory in Malta, New York, which Samsung will also use to produce Apple’s A-series chips.
According to Samsung and Globalfoundries’ roadmap, the two foundries plan to push their initial 14nm LPE (low power early) process, which was verified in February, into risk production in the fourth quarter of 2014 and small volume production in early 2015, the sources indicated.
The report also notes that longtime Apple partner Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) will attempt to secure orders for Apple’s A9 chip by introducing new semiconductor processes by early next year. Apple is also reportedly considering Intel as a partner to produce the A9, according to the sources.
Last year, it was reported that Samsung and TSMC would be sharing production of Apple’s A9 chip in 2015, with the former producing 30% to 40% of the total order. Samsung and GlobalFoundries have aided each other throughout the past year, with Samsung helping set up the Fab 8 factory last year and GlobalFoundries providing the backup location when needed. Samsung and GlobalFoundries announced in April that they would be adopting the same chip production process to prepare for next-generation mobile devices.
Apple’s 14-nanometer A9 processors are expected to be used in the company’s 2015 iPhones and iPads. Meanwhile, this year’s forthcoming iPhone 6, iPad mini 3 and iPad Air 2 are expected to use Apple’s 20-nanometer A8 processor, which is being produced by TSMC. Samsung was said to be splitting the production load for the A8 with TSMC, however the company is said to have dropped out due to low yields.
GE promises smart light bulbs without the usual steep prices
Many smartphone-controlled light bulbs cost a pretty penny, even if you’re not interested in mood-setting colors or other elaborate tricks. How are you supposed to afford enough bulbs to illuminate your entire abode? That’s where GE’s new Link bulbs could save the day. While you’ll need a hub ($30 by itself) to get everything connected, the LED-based white lights cost just $15 to $25 each — in contrast, Philips’ upcoming Lux models are $40 a pop. There’s also a kit that includes two 60W-equivalent bulbs and a hub for $50, or half as much as you’d pay for an equivalent Lux bundle.
Before you start planning your home’s new ambiance, understand that you’re paying less because you get a bit less… so long as you’re only concerned with lighting, anyway. While the necessary Wink mobile app gives you full control over brightness and scheduling, you don’t get luxuries like Philips’ electricity-free control switch or LG’s light-based phone alerts. Link might be a better deal if you don’t want those extras, though, and the Wink support could save you from buying additional hubs (or using additional apps) to steer other household gadgets. No matter what, you’ll have to be patient if you want to try GE’s approach for yourself. Although Home Depot is taking pre-orders today, the Link bulbs don’t ship until the fall — that’s a long time to wait just to save some money.
Filed under: Household
Via: The Verge
Source: GE Reports, Home Depot
Samsung’s new consumer SSDs shoot to the top of the benchmark league
For the last year or so, Samsung has been touting a “paradigm shift” in the way it constructs flash memory: from a horizontal to a vertical arrangement of cells, or what it calls 3D V-NAND. Now, judging from reviews of the first V-NAND consumer SSDs, the 850 Pro range, it looks like this shift has resulted in a geniune and unequivocal boost to performance. Compared to synthetic and real-world scores from rival drives, made by the likes of Intel and Crucial, Sammy’s 850 Pro “led the pack almost across the board,” according to HotHardware.
Then again, Tom’s Hardware noted that Samsung is now pushing the limits of the SATA interface, such that other products are “within a stone’s throw” of the the 850 Pro’s scores (at least until a PCI Express version comes around). What’s more, all the reviews listed below highlighted the fact that the new line-up comes at a significant premium, even when you factor in Samsung’s nice 10-year warranty. The 128GB drive costs $130, while the maxed-out 1TB option costs $730, equating to a cost per gigabyte that is almost twice as high as other recent drives that lack the cutting-edge NAND (such as Crucial’s MX100). Actual street pricing, meanwhile, will only be established over the course of this month, as the 850 Pro starts to become widely available.
Reviews of the Samsung 850 Pro SSD:
Samsung’s Galaxy S5 mini keeps the sensors but not the specs
Samsung has revealed the latest mini update to its flagship smartphone: the Galaxy S5 mini. While it’s often expected that the company will scrimp on sensors to save on price, the S5 mini includes many of the same features as it’s full-sized sibling, including waterproof certification, power-saving modes, a heart rate monitor, fingerprint scanner, and support for the latest Samsung wearables. As expected, there’s also a 1.4GHz quad-core processor, Android 4.4, 16GB internal memory (expandable up to 64), and 1.5GB of RAM, which match what we’ve seen in years past. The display is a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED affair, which powered by a 2,100mAh battery, with the cameras enjoying in 8- and 2.1-megapixel resolutions. The company expects the S5 mini to go on sale in Russia from “early July,” but there’s no word on when it’ll spread to other countries. Samsung plans to expand sales globally, though, offering the device in Charcoal Black, Shimmery White, Electric Blue and Copper Gold.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Samsung Mobile Press
Apple Launches 2014 ‘Back to School’ Promotion with Apple Store Gift Cards Up to $100
As indicated yesterday, Apple today launched its annual Back to School promotion offering qualified educational purchasers an Apple Store gift card of up to $100 with the purchase of a new Mac or a $50 gift card with the purchase of a iPad or iPhone. This year marks the first time that Apple is giving out store gifts cards with purchases, as the company has usually offered iTunes Store/App Store/iBookstore gift cards in years past.
Get a $100 Apple Store Gift Card when you buy a Mac for college. Or a $50 gift card when you buy an iPad or iPhone.* You’ll also save on a Mac or iPad with education pricing.
Eligible devices include all Macs except the Mac mini, all iPads (fourth-generation, iPad Air, iPad mini with Retina Display, iPad mini), and all iPhones (5s, 5c, and 4s). The full eligibility requirements for the program can be found in Apple’s terms and conditions (PDF).
New Apple Store graphics (Image Credit: IFOAppleStore)
Apple has also updated its in-store graphics at its various locations, with IFOAppleStore noting that the photography style of the newer images used are richer and darker than the previous ones. The new graphics are also said to be based on the recent “Your Verse” iPad ads which featured music composer Esa-Pekka Salonen and travel blogger Chérie King.
Apple’s Back to School promotion runs from today through September 6 and is available in the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and United States.
Emojli is a social network composed entirely of emoji
Social networks love emoji. And those better-than-real-words icons love social networks right back. Emojli is possibly the next step in that blossoming relationship: a social network with “no words, no spam, just emoji.” It hasn’t launched yet, but the iOS-bound network already polices a rigorous picture-only username system. (Apologies, “Monkey Train”, “Fireball” and “Kitty Penguin Space Invader” have already been taken). According to its Twitter feed, registrations passed 10,000 earlier today, although it stresses that there are over 250,000 two-icon combinations out there — let alone even longer usernames. Pointless time-waster, a nonsensical joke, or the future of this connected life? Almost certainly one of the former, but if you want that single emoji character that truly sums you up, you’d best rush along to that registration page immediately.
As one of the founders, Tom Scott, put it:
“Matt and I both came up with the idea and figured if we didn’t build it someone else would. We weren’t sold on it until we came up with the idea that even the usernames should be emoji – at which point we both burst out laughing and decided to build it.”
Filed under: Internet
Source: Emojli
VAIO launches its first laptops without Sony and they’re very, very familiar
VAIO’s back. It’s no longer Sony’s PC business, but it’s own independent beast. Teasing its relaunch online, the company says that it’s free and that things are going to change. The Japanese blurb says that’s largely due to the fact that it’s now a “small” PC maker — and it’s the same message the new company is trying to deliver at its launch event today in Tokyo. Unfortunately, its debut range are more than a little familiar, being identical to the Pro and Fit models its parent company launched almost exactly one year ago.
We’re not going to complain too much about either (both were strong laptops from Sony, and the 11-inch VAIO Pro was downright good-looking) but we’re still hoping VAIO will pull something else out of the bag as this press event progresses. To the new CEO’s credit, Takayuki Sekitori admitted that the two initial models were very well received — and that was part of the point. The company says that its work will center “choices” and “focus” — it’s only making PCs now and it vows to maintain that VAIO DNA and attention to detail to whatever it’s got planned next. Minus that old Sony branding, both ranges go on sale today in Japan. Once we here more on its overseas plans, we’ll update this post.
Apple Building its Own Speech Recognition Team to Power Siri
Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal claimed that Nuance, which is responsible for the technology behind Apple’s virtual assistant Siri, was in talks with Samsung Electronics about a possible acquisition. Now, a new report from Wired states that Apple is forming its own in-house speech recognition team to power the next-generation of Siri.
“Apple is not hiring only in the managerial level, but hiring also people on the team-leading level and the researcher level,” says Abdel-rahman Mohamed, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Toronto, who was courted by Apple. “They’re building a very strong team for speech recognition research.”
Throughout the past few years, Apple has hired a number of high-level speech researchers in Nuance, including former vice president of research Larry Gillick. A number of those researchers are working at Apple’s office in Boston, which was also rumored last year to be working on an in-house Siri solution that moves away from Nuance’s technologies.
While the forthcoming version of Siri in iOS 8 still features the same technology provided by Nuance, it is possible that Apple could debut its own in-house voice recognition solution in a future version of iOS. Siri in iOS 8 will feature a number enhancements, including hands-free “Hey Siri” voice activation, music recognition by way of Shazam, streaming voice recognition, and more. Apple will launch iOS 8 this fall.
Android 4.4.2 for the Galaxy Note 2! Android 4.4.4 Hits The LG G Pad GPE! – Device Updates
Your Monday is over with, so let’s see if that device of yours hand an update. Been a couple weeks since I’ve had a Device Updates segment. That’s just because the updates have slowed up lately. Hopefully in the next few months, Android L will make the round either by developer ROM, or the actual update hits the big devices once it is released. Least you Galaxy Note 2 users on AT&T have a tasty Android 4.4.2 update headed your way. Let us know if you have received it.
Galaxy Note 2 Android 4.4.2
Android 4.4.4 Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
Android 4.4.4 LG G Pad 8.3 gpe
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