Samsung will release a theming tool for Galaxy S6 sometime in April
While we’ve known that the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones will allow users to customize the handsets thanks to the Themes option first seen in the Galaxy A series of phones, it hasn’t been clear exactly how 3rd party theme makers would be able to distribute their offerings for the S6. Until now, thanks to Reddit member, gedankenreich, receiving a reply from Samsung on the matter.
According to Samsung’s reply (below), there will be a new theming tool made available for the international Galaxy S6 sometime in April. It’s possible that it could just be an updated version of the theming tool for the Chinese Note 4, A5 and A7, but that tool is limited to custom icons and wallpapers at the present time. For me, the reply seems to imply that a new authoring tool will be made available for the S6, although as with all hunches, a liberal pinch of salt is required.
Changing themes on our smartphones is such an easy way to customize and personalize our devices, I’m surprised that it’s taken so long for this ability to become a baked-in feature. Especially when you consider how versatile the Android operating system is, and how many different launchers there are available in the Play Store. If you are one of the predicted 55 million future owners of the Galaxy S6, what theme would you like to see on your new phone?
Come comment on this article: Samsung will release a theming tool for Galaxy S6 sometime in April
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge just about survives a dunking
Despite last year’s Galaxy S5 boasting an IP67 rating that meant it was water and dust resistant, Samsung decided not to continue the practice with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge flagship handsets. The S6 Edge has come in for some rough treatment lately, having survived a confrontation with a carpet earlier. Will we see Samsung’s latest and greatest survive a bowl of water?
TechSmartt’s Keaton Keller set out to find if the S6 Edge could survive in a bowl of water for any amount of time and the results were a little better than to be expected. Keller allowed the S6 Edge to remain submerged for 22 minutes, although it was removed a couple of times just to check its status. You can see in the video that water did find its way inside the handset, resulting in the front camera misting up. Although the handset did get stuck in a boot loop initially, after a while it did boot up as normal, although the front camera was out for the count. It’s probably not advisable to go swimming with your Galaxy S6 Edge, but it should be able to survive the odd spillage here and there.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge just about survives a dunking
Samsung is working on a unified web browser for all their internet-connected products
Samsung already has their own browser on their smartphones, but it looks like they are creating a more unified approach for all their devices. The new browser will be called “Samsung Browser” and will be pre-installed on all internet-connected devices such as smartphones, tablets, and TVs.
The new browser, based on WebKit, will also support Web Video Casting, Reader Mode, offline saving, and support for the S Pen. We can only assume that it will sync bookmarks just like Chrome does.
Samsung will utilize Blink web rendering, but they are also working with Mozilla on a new rendering engine called Servo.
source: Tizen Indonesia
via: SamMobile
Come comment on this article: Samsung is working on a unified web browser for all their internet-connected products
T-Mobile introduces the Next-Gen Network Map
T-Mobile with its uncarrier approach has kind of positioned itself as the people’s carrier. With a variety of uncarrier moves, the carrier has gained quite a lot of customers and garnered a lot of attention. Today, the company is tackling something, perhaps, minor, but something we see constantly: carrier maps.
You know, those maps Verizon and AT&T show us in their constant commercials? Well, according to T-Mobile, those maps that we see are produced by carriers based on “predictive coverage estimations.” As such, you’re just getting the carrier’s best guess at their coverage. So T-Mobile decided to do something about it and today it’s introducing maps that are “based on the actual experience of real customers, like you and your family.”
The maps are said to reflect near real-time customer experiences on the network, based on 200 million actual customer usage data points. The kicker is, it’s not done one a year, once a quarter, once a month or even once a week, but rather, once a day. To further bolster the mapping, the uncarrier isn’t just relying on its own data, but is also pulling usage stats from trusted third-party sources including Inrix, among others.
Features include:
- Customer-verified coverage based on actual customer usage, resulting in a vastly more transparent and accurate map, showing, for example, exactly where you can expect 4G LTE, 4G, 3G or other levels of coverage.
- A Verified Coverage icon indicating where the majority of data is provided by T-Mobile customers reporting their actual network experience, providing an added layer of confidence.
- Data that’s updated twice monthly − compared to data presented on the carriers’ maps, which is already dated by the time it’s printed and published and may be months or even years old.
- Speed test data from trusted third party apps showing average download speeds from customer speed tests over the last 90 days.
Those interested in checking it out can head here and take a look. T-Mobile says it will continue to push 4G LTE service to over 300 million Americans this year, and the Next-Gen coverage map will continue to evolve based on billions of data points. So if you’re using T-Mobile or are thinking about switching to the uncarrier, you can sleep easy knowing the coverage you’re getting is based on real-time usage rather than a best estimate practice.
source: T-Mobile
Come comment on this article: T-Mobile introduces the Next-Gen Network Map
The third-gen ZenFone 3 to feature a fingerprint recognition sensor
Despite the fact that the ZenFone 2 was unveiled in early January, many are turning their attention to the ZenFone 3. Even Asus is getting antsy about the next-gen ZenFone. According to CEO Jerry Shen, Asus will release the ZenFone 3 complete with a fingerprint recognition sensor. However, from now until the point that the ZenFone 3 is released may be a long time to wait. But it’s possible we may not have to wait that long at all.
The company also revealed that we may actually see this technology in the second half of this year when the ZenFone 2 gets a facelift. Even so, the third-generation ZenFone, will feature the same tech and is expected to debut in early 2016.
So if you’re an Asus fan, you’ll be happy to know that some of Asus’ phones will be getting even more features.
source: China Times
via: G for Games
Come comment on this article: The third-gen ZenFone 3 to feature a fingerprint recognition sensor
LG G4 benchmarks show a Snapdragon 808 processor
We’re still waiting for anything official about the G4 to come from LG, but in the meantime, expect plenty of rumors and leaks to surface. A recent benchmark has revealed some of the hardware in the device, including a Snapdragon 808 processor, not the Snapdragon 810 that we’re seeing in lots of other new (overheating) devices.
The Snapdragon 808 was announced at the same time as the 810, and it’s still an extremely capable processor. The benchmark scores put it slightly below the 810, though, so it’s not at the top of the heap. With all of the overheating issues surrounding the HTC One M9 and the LG G Flex 2, it makes sense that LG might be willing to sacrifice a negligible amount of performance to keep their device from reaching high temperatures and throttling performance.
Other specs include a 5.5-inch quad HD display, like what’s on the G3, and 3 GB of RAM. Android 5.1 will be shipping with the G4 out of the box.
What are your thoughts on LG using a slightly slower processor in the G4?
source: GFX Bench
via: GSM Arena
Come comment on this article: LG G4 benchmarks show a Snapdragon 808 processor
SK Telecom suspension could potentially hurt Galaxy S6 sales
Korea’s Communication Commission is planning on suspending SK Telecom’s ability to sign up new customers for a seven day period, and it looks like that sanction might hit right on the launch date (April 10th) of Samsung’s Galaxy S6. With SK Telecom accounting for 50% of wireless market share in South Korea, that’s a tough blow to take for Samsung.
SK Telecom was found to have to been offering illegal subsidies for customers, so the KCC will issue this suspension and a hefty fine to deter the company from doing anything similar again. They’ll announce when the suspension will be later on March 30th, so we’ll find out whether or not Samsung’s newest flagship will get caught in the crossfire.
source: Business Korea
Come comment on this article: SK Telecom suspension could potentially hurt Galaxy S6 sales
Apple’s Tim Cook calls state discrimination laws ‘dangerous’
A number of tech executives have decried state laws that promote discrimination against the LGBT community by allowing companies to refuse service on religious grounds, but Apple CEO Tim Cook is taking his opposition to the next level. The executive has written an editorial for the Washington Post that says it’s “dangerous” to enact these laws, which include Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act and Arkansas’ tentative HB1228. To him, these measures not only “rationalize injustice” against fellow human beings (including himself), but are “bad for business” — they could stifle employment and corporate growth.
Cook stops short of taking direct action. He’s not closing retail stores or otherwise scaling back operations in states where these laws exist. However, a mix of cities and companies (including tech outfits like Salesforce and Yelp) have already said they’ll either avoid doing business in Indiana when possible, or shift their growth elsewhere. The editorial shows that there’s potential for more dramatic reactions — it isn’t far-fetched to see Apple, Google or others refusing to set up data centers and offices in states with laws that restrict civil liberties.
Source: Washington Post
Apple now lets you trade in some of its rivals’ smartphones
Yes, the rumors of Apple expanding its trade-in program were true — the company’s stores are now willing to take your competing smartphone in return for credit toward a new iPhone. If you live in France, Italy, the UK or the US, you can trade in certain Android, BlackBerry and Windows Phone devices (the BlackBerry Z10, Lumia 1020 and Nexus 5 are among the examples). We can’t imagine that you’ll be too eager to use this option — you may either remain loyal to a platform, or can find a buyer who’ll offer more — but it could be useful if you’re determined to ditch an old phone in an eco-friendly way. Just be sure to call if you’re going to try this soon. We’ve reached out to a number of stores, and only a few were aware that non-iPhone trade-ins were live. It could take some time before every store is up to speed.
Photo by Will Lipman.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Blackberry
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: Apple, Brightstar
HTC One E9+ quietly debuts in China
A recently discovered plastic flagship smartphone has gone from rumored to real world as the One E9+ quietly makes an appearance on HTC’s Chinese website. Without any real fanfare, the handset has made its way online with specs, but no pricing or availability.
Powered by Android 5.0 with HTC Sense 7, the specifications include:
- 20-megapixel rear camera
- UltraPixel front camera
- 64-bit octa-core MediaTek MT6795M processor
- 5.5-inch 2560×1440 display
- 16GB storage
- microSD expansion card slot
- 3GB RAM
- Dual-SIM support
- 4G LTE connectivity
- BoomSound front speakers
- 2800mAh battery
The E9+ is wrapped in a glossy polycarbonate and figures to come in three color options: Meteor Gray, Classic Rose Gold, and Gold Sepia. It’s not clear where the phone with be sold, but, based on its predecessor, we might expect it to be offered in Asian markets.
The post HTC One E9+ quietly debuts in China appeared first on AndroidGuys.
AIVAnet 