Pricing and availability details are released for the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+
As everyone, everywhere knows, Samsung announced the highly anticipated Galaxy Note 5, and the Galaxy S6 Edge+. The official announcement of the specs have a folks divided about whether Samsung is sticking to their roots with the Note 5. Some believe these new devices are leaving the true Note fans in the dust, while other’s think that the Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ really are the next big things.
We’ve already covered how to get your hands on both devices from Sprint, but the rest of the carriers have announced their pricing, as well as any deals that may be accompanied with the release of the Note 5 or S6 Edge+.
AT&T
AT&T is offering quite a few different perks for using their network. If you’re looking to head to AT&T, and needed a reason, now may be the time to go. AT&T is offering a $100 bill credit and a $200 “buyback” credit if you leave you current carrier and turn in your old phone. In addition to that, current customers taking advantage of the Next Program, will get at least a $200 trade in credit towards the purchase of either device. The final deal that AT&T is offering for purchasing the Note 5 or S6 Edge+ is in connection with their recent DirecTV/U-Verse merger. If you switch your lines from your current carrier to AT&T, and use U-Verse, you will receive a $300 bill credit per line.
Galaxy Note 5
| Storage | Off-Contract | 2-Year Contract | Next 24 (30 months) | Next 18 (24 months) | Next 12 (20 months) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32GB | $739.99 | $249.99 | $24.67/month | $30.84/month | $37/month |
| 64GB | $839.99 | $349.99 | $28/month | $35/month | $42/month |
Galaxy S6 Edge+
| Storage | Off-Contract | 2-year Contract | Next 24 (30 months) | Next 18 (24 months) | Next 12 (20 months) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32GB | $814.99 | $299.99 | $27.17/month | $33.96/month | $27.17/month |
| 64GB | $914.99 | $399.99 | $30.50/month | $38.13/month | $45.75/month |
Verizon
As of right now, it doesn’t seem like Big Red is offering anything special for purchasing either of these devices. However, it does seem that the 32GB variant of the Note 5 and S6 Edge+ are cheaper than everyone, if you purchase the device at full-retail cost.
Galaxy Note 5
| Storage | Full Retail Cost | 24-Monthly Payments |
|---|---|---|
| 32GB | $696 | $29/month |
| 64GB | $792 | $33/month |
Galaxy S6 Edge+
| Storage | Full Retail Cost | 24-Monthly Payments |
|---|---|---|
| 32GB | $768 | $32/month |
| 64GB | $864 | $36/month |
T-Mobile
T-Mobile is running a pretty awesome deal that allows anyone who orders either device, to receive one free year of Netflix. The only requirement is that you pre-register by August 20th, and actually order the device of your choice by September 30th. As an avid Netflix user, this is a GREAT deal that will save you over $100, even if the offer is for the basic Netflix account option.
Galaxy Note 5
| Storage | JUMP! (18 months) | Equipment Installment Plan (24 Months) | Full Retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32GB | $0 upfront, $25/month | $0 upfront, $29.17/month | $699.99 |
| 64GB | $99.99 down, $24.34/month | $99.99 down, $28.34/month | $779.99 |
Galaxy S6 Edge+
| Storage | JUMP! (18 Months) | Equipment Installment Plan (24 Months) | Full Retail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 32GB | $0 down, $28.50/month | $0 down, $32.50/month | $779.99 |
| 64GB | $99.99 down, $27.67/month | $99.99 down, $31.67/month | $859.99 |
Sprint
Sprint is also offering a few goodies for those who are looking to upgrade to the Note 5 and S6 Edge+. If you purchase the device through either the Sprint Lease or Sprint Easy Pay plans, you will be able to upgrade after 12 months and get at LEAST $200 for trading in a working smartphone. For the final fireworks, users will also get a free Galaxy Tab 4 7.0 with a new 2-year activation. Those are some great deals for switching to Sprint. The problem lies within the service, and the fact that Sprint just dropped to the number 4 spot in the list of top US carriers.
Galaxy Note 5
| Storage | Sprint Lease | Sprint EasyPay | 2-Year Contract | Full Retail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32GB | $0 down, $25/month | $0 down, $30/month | $249.99 | $720 |
| 64GB | $0 down, $30/month | $0 down, $34/month | $349.99 | $816 |
Galaxy S6 Edge+
| Storage | Sprint Lease | Sprint EasyPay | 2-Year Contract | Full Retail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32GB | $0 down, $30/month | $0 down, $33/month | $349.99 | $792 |
| 64GB | $0 down, $35/month | $0 down, $37/month | $449.99 | $888 |
US Cellular
Galaxy Note 5
- 32GB for $199 on a two-year contract
Galaxy S6 Edge+
- 32GB for $299 on a two-year contract
Extra Specials
Best Buy is running a couple of specials to entice folks to pre-order and get the Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ from their stores. If you pre-order or purchase either of Samsung’s newest devices, you will receive a free wireless charging pad.
In addition to that, if you trade in a working smartphone towards the purchase of your new device, Best Buy will give you a $200 gift card to be used in store. While the wireless charging pad may not force you to run to your local Best Buy, or jump on their website immediately, getting $200 for free, will definitely make you think twice.
As everyone in the world now knows, we will officially be able to purchase these devices come August 21st. However, if you want to get any one of these extra deals that come with the device purchase, you may want to think about pre-ordering.
The post Pricing and availability details are released for the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Possible promo image for Sony Xperia Z5+ appears
If you were not impressed by Samsung’s announcement today, maybe some good ol’ leaked picture will cheer you up! Coming from a source in China, these are rumored to be press shots of an upcoming Sony smartphone, presumably the Xperia Z5+. At one point, Sony said they may be going away from releasing phones twice a year, but recent rumors are the company is gearing up for a Z5 release later this year.
Little is currently known about Xperia Z5+, but some rumors claim it will run on a Snapdragon 810 and sport a QHD display. A Snapdragon 810 may worry some because of the overheating problems Sony’s newest Z3+ has been experiencing.
For those of you hoping for a major redesign, you need to keep hoping. These shots show a phone that looks very similar to the Z3+, which looks similar to the Z3, which looks similar to the Z2, and so on and so forth.
There is a lot of pressure riding on the Xperia Z5+ after the Z4 failed to impress many users. Sony has been having financial trouble in its mobile division and does not see many phone sales. People have attributed poor sales to Sony’s biannual phone releases in which little changes from phone to phone. Sony needs a drastic upgrade to come with the Z5+, or they could be looking at serious trouble.
We may not have to wait long to see what Sony has in store as rumors say they may reveal the new Xperia Z5 lineup at IFA on September 2.
VIA: Phone Arena
The post Possible promo image for Sony Xperia Z5+ appears appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Improve privacy and device security with Android Lollipop screen pinning – Android customization
With your mobile hotspot under control from last week’s Android customization post, it’s time we move to a new topic. This week we will look at a handy feature in Lollipop called screen pinning.
It’s a pretty simple thing, for when you need to hand your phone over to a friend or family member for a second, but you only want them to use one app, and only one app. Android 5.x Lollipop has a feature to help, screen pinning is exactly what the name implies, allowing you to pin an app to your display, blocking use of other apps.
Let’s look it over and see what Lollipop screen pinning is all about.
Before we begin
It is not often I get to share a project or trick that does not have specific requirements, but today is not one of those days. You will need to have an Android device with at least Android 5.0 Lollipop installed in order to follow along, but that’s it.
Prevent unwanted access to your device using screen pinning
I painted a picture above of locking your device to your child’s favorite game, or locking your friend to just your image gallery, these are great uses, but there are other uses that can be great for business and marketing equipment as well.
There are a couple levels of security available in screen pinning. The first thing that screen pinning can do for you is provide a full screen immersive mode, of sorts. While it does hide the notification bar, it does not hide the navigation buttons, at least it all but disables them. Pressing the nav buttons provides a message reminding you that screen pinning is active. Much better than accidentally jumping out of your favorite game in the heat of battle.
The first level of use does allow the user to long press the Overview button (recent apps button) to exit screen pinning. This may work for your toddler, but not your friend. To really lock things down, you can require your lock PIN or passcode to exit screen pinning. This effectively secures your device and data from browsing when you need to hand your device over to someone.
How to enable screen pinning
Things should be enabled by default, but let’s dive into the settings first, then pin a screen after.
Open your device Settings.
Go to Security.
Scroll down and click on Screen pinning.
If it is off, simply tap the toggle to turn screen pinning on. Then, make the choice now if you are going to require your device lock PIN or passcode to disable screen pinning once started.
Good stuff, now to use screen pinning.
The process is pretty easy, you may have already noticed the icon but weren’t sure what it was for.
Open up the app you would like to pin.
Tap the Overview button (I’ll never get used to that name, it’s the Recents list button, who’s with me?)
Your app will be the first tile in your recent apps list, scroll it upward to reveal a small pin icon in the bottom right hand of the tile. Tap on the pin.
You will be notified that you are entering screen pinning mode, and reminded how to get out again.
Hit Got It to continue.
Hand your device over to your friend, colleague, customer, teacher or family member with no worries of them snooping around.
How to turn off screen pinning
I almost feel like I don’t need to say this, again, so I’ll make it really quick.
Long press on your Overview button.
A message pops up to tell you you have exited screen pinning. Unless you have it locked down with PIN or passcode, then just enter that and you are free to resume your day.
What’s next
Despite the convenience factor, screen pinning was not really designed to be a bulletproof security measure for your device. The user can, for example, still hit the power button to shutdown and restart your device, and this offers little to no defense against USB connections to a PC or other data collecting tools. Basically, you’ll still need to monitor the person using your device if you really can’t trust them.
This, sadly, means that screen pinning, even when password protected, is not enough to protect a tablet for many business applications, like in an unmanned kiosk setting, for example.
Also, if you are one of the few that have your automotive insurance card as an app on your device, please check your local law before handing your phone over to law enforcement. Even though you may now think to use a PIN or passcode protected pinned screen, in some jurisdictions, the act of handing your phone to an officer for any reason at all grants them legal permission to perform a full search of your device.
Please take the time to learn your local laws before handing your phone over to law enforcement, and do be smart about who you hand your device over to aside from the police, just because your phone is locked to a single app, doesn’t mean it won’t up and disappear on you. At least you’ve created our Tasker project to identify intruders attempting to use your device, right?
Next week
I hope you learned a little and have great ideas on how to use screen pinning to protect your data and info the next time you hand your device over. Next week on our Android customization series we will look at something completely different – did you know that you can use almost any internet connected device as a sort of Chromecast for YouTube, controllable from your phone? We’ll dive into it.
Do you use screen pinning at all, or is it just one of those great features that you forget to use when the time arises?
Samsung SideSync 4.0: Mac support and improved connection speeds
We have been going nuts over the new Samsung Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+, but those are not the only things the Korean manufacturer introduced today. The company also announced a new iteration of their SideSync services, taking the software to version 4.0.
If you don’t know what SideSync is, you are missing out. It’s actually one of the biggest reasons why I want to get a Samsung device (even though these are not my favorite). SideSync allows you to link your Samsung smartphone to your computer, creating a seamless connection between these devices. Once connected, you can control your smartphone screen from your PC.
Furthermore, one can even use the phone as a secondary display, as SideSync allows you to drag your cursor from PC to phone. Users ca type on either platform, and even copy/paste content and data. It’s also possible to send text messages and initiate calls from a computer. You can learn more about SideSync features in our original demo post. Or you can watch the video below.
There’s already a bevy of amazing features packed into this awesome software. And though the new updates don’t change the functionality much, they are still quite a big deal. For starters, Samsung is introducing Mac support, which will be a huge deal for all Apple OSX fans. In addition, connection speeds have been improved, making the experience even more seamless than it already is.
We are not exactly sure when the new version will be rolling out, but it was announced along with the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+. These phones are set to be released later this month. Maybe Sidesync 4.0 will be read by then, as well? Let’s hope so!
Watch Samsung’s ‘Unpacked’ event in under six minutes
Unless you’re living under a rock, you probably already know that Samsung announced two flagship phones today and also teased a smartwatch. But depending on what time zone you’re in — or how busy you were at work — you might not have had time to follow our liveblog or tune into the livestream. Not to worry: We’ve condensed the full 50-minute press conference video into our very own sizzle reel, cutting out the fluff and cutting straight to the newsy bits. Have a gander, and then when you’re done check out all our coverage of Samsung’s Unpacked event here.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Tags: mobilepostcross, samsung, samsungunpacked2015, video
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ versus OnePlus 2
Samsung today announced the successor to the Galaxy S6 Edge, the Galaxy S6 Edge+, set to hit stores on August 21. While their aren’t any monumental changes on the hardware side, Samsung has worked hard refining the design, and adding better performance in addition to a handful of awesome software features.
On the other hand, we have the OnePlus 2, a device OnePlus says is intended to be the “2016 flagship killer.” While it may compete well by being offered at a low price point, is it able to stand up to Samsung’s top of the line hardware bundled in a premium package?
Hit the break to find out.
Design
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge+ sizes in at 154.4 x 75.8 x 6.9mm and weighs a meager 151 grams. As is per the norm with most Samsung devices, the volume rocker is placed, power button, and SIM card tray is placed on the sides of the device. The home button is centered on the bottom of the device with capacitive button on each side.
Finally, Samsung is done an excellent job refining the design of the Galaxy S6 Edge+, making it feel like a premium package. It has a glass back that gives it a top-of-the-line feel.
The OnePlus 2’s dimensions are 151.8 x 74.9 x 9.9mm and weighs 155 grams. It employs your standard button layout: volume rocker, power button, and SIM card tray on the sides. However, there’s an Alert Slider offering volume control for notifications. Similar the Galaxy S6 Edge+, there is a home button at the bottom of the device with capacitive buttons placed on the left and right sides.
Winner: Galaxy S6 Edge+ for its premium style.
Display
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ features a 5.7-inch 2560 x 1440 Quad HD Super AMOLED curved edge display with a pixel density of 512ppi. Additionally, it features Corning Gorilla Glass 4 and has a 75.6% screen-to-body ratio.
The OnePlus Two sports a 5.5-inch 1920 x 1080 LTPS LCD display with a pixel density of 401ppi. Similarly, it features Corning Gorilla Glass 4 and has a 73.3% screen-to-body ratio.
Winner: Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge+ wins for its better resolution, Quad HD Super AMOLED display, and a higher pixel density.
Hardware
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge+ features the company’s own Exynos 7420 chipset, a quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 processor and a second quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57 CPU, a Mali-T760MP8 GPU, 4GB of RAM, and 32/64GB of internal storage.
Additionally, it sports a 16-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
Running the OnePlus 2 is a Snapdragon 810 chipset, a quad-core Cortex-A53 processor and a quad-core 1.8 GHz Cortex-A57 CPU, a Adreno 430 GPU, 3/4GB of RAM, and 16/64GB of internal storage.
Finally, it has a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera.
Winner: There’s no clear winner, as both have about the same sheer processing power on paper.
Battery
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ touts a 3,000mAh battery, but due to the big display and high definition resolution, it may not last long on a single charge.
OnePlus’ OnePlus Two has a 3,300mAh battery. While it’s larger than the S6 Edge+’s battery, it should also last much longer, as the OnePlus 2’s display isn’t anywhere near as detailed.
Winner: OnePlus 2
Software
The OnePlus 2 is running OxygenOS atop of Android 5.1.1. It’s a relatively clean skin with little additions aside from some handy features like support for icon packs and icon grid resizing.
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge+ features the latest version of TouchWiz atop of Android 5.1.1. It’s packed full of many extra features, and this time around, Samsung has even added the ability to lifestream to YouTube via the camera app. Another thing to take into account is the software many carriers preload on the device as well.
Winner: It’s a tie, as it comes down to a matter of preference.
Availability and price
The Galaxy S6 Edge+ is available to pre-order as of today, however, the device won’t launch for another week on August 21. AT&T is selling the 32GB model for $299 on a new two-year contract or $815 outright, however, many carriers are selling it at varying price points.
The OnePlus 2 is available to buy in some markets. It costs $329 for the 16GB model and $389 for the 64GB model. Unfortunately, the device has been delayed in North America for a few weeks, due to it being in high demand.
Winner: Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge+ wins, as it has a lot more to offer than the OnePlus 2 and there aren’t any foreseen delays in fulfilling orders.
Wrap Up
Both Samsung and OnePlus have set out to offer a high-end smartphone, but unfortunately, OnePlus has made a lot of cuts that take away from that premium package, such as a lower res display, no NFC, and so on.
On the other hand, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge+ is significantly more expensive, but it offers a lot more features and has an overall premium design.
Who do you think wins? The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ or the OnePlus 2?
Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ versus OnePlus 2
Check out this epic gallery of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+
Samsung didn’t focus much on hardware changes for the Galaxy S6 Edge+. Instead, they focused on offering a fully-featured smartphone while refining the design. And Samsung certainly did a monumental job on the design front.
The device feels comfortable in the hand and it looks gorgeous. Some say the iPhone is too pretty to hide in a case, and that same sentiment rings true for the Galaxy S6 Edge+.
Hit the break for a gallery of Samsung’s latest showstopper.
Come comment on this article: Check out this epic gallery of the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 gallery
Samsung today held its Unpacked event in New York City and London, unveiling not only the Galaxy S6 Edge+, but also the Galaxy Note 5. The much-anticipated Galaxy Note 5 has been speculated about over and over again, but now it’s been made official.
Is it everything we were expecting? Not necessarily. But Samsung took some design hints from the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge and brought it to the refreshed Galaxy Note 5. And boy, does it look gorgeous.
Take a look for yourself!
Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy Note 5 gallery
Samsung has ignored its users’ basic needs
Samsung released its new phablets for the year earlier today, and there is already a plethora of articles out there full of reactions about Samsung’s decision to remove expandable memory and replaceable batteries from its Note line. However, this article is going to focus on something I think is much more important. I am here to talk about one thing and one thing only…battery capacity.
The Note 5 demands more power!
Samsung, you know I am not your biggest fan, and it is times like this that has constantly kept you away from your phones. You claimed today that you listen to your fans and built the Note 5 around what they want. However, you seem to have forgotten to focus also on what they need.
If you do not want to include a microSD card slot or removable battery in your phones anymore, okay. That is your decision, and the only people you are going to upset are they users who utilized those features. However, every customer who buys a Note 5 will be relying on the battery you placed in it.
In the Note 4, you included a 3220mAh battery; in the Note 3, you included a 3200mAh battery; and in the Note 2, you included a 3100mAh battery. But for some reason, you thought it would be a good idea to only put a 3000mAh battery in the new Note 5?
The Note 5 is your fastest, most powerful phone yet, and you decided it needed battery that is smaller than the one in the Note 2. Have you not read all of the complaints about battery life that you received about the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge? And these phones have batteries coming in at only 400 mAh less than the Note 5.
News flash! 400mAh is not enough extra capacity for a phone meant for productivity!
While the S6 and its curved twin have productivity features like multi-window, they become much more usable on a larger screen phone with a stylus. This means that more people will use it on the Note 5, which will require more processing power, which then requires more battery power.
I am beginning to think that you did not consider your users at all when designing the Note 5. If you had, then you would have realized that the Note line has always been praised for good battery life, and people know that.
Now, when a Note 3 user comes into the store to get the Note 5, they are going to be expecting the battery life that they got with their Note 3. Unfortunately, they will find out very quickly that the new Note does not last as long as their old phone.
Normal consumers do not know what battery capacity their phones has, or that the Note 5 has the smallest battery in three generations of the device. It is your responsibility to provide them with a phone that will last the whole day on a single charge, and I am afraid you have failed this time.
Who are the wall huggers now?
I am going to shift my focus from something you obviously do not care about, the users, to something that you obviously do care about, money. It does not take a genius to see that the Note 5 is your attempt to compete directly with Apple, and you have every right to do that. They have created their own phablet and are encroaching on the market you created.
However, you have to compete with them by making a phone that is actually better than theirs. From all indications, the iPhone 6+ has pretty good battery life, and consumers know that. What is going to happen when people start buying the Note 5 and learn that battery life on it pales in comparison? They are going to tell their friends that your phone has awful battery life and that the iPhone 6+ will last much longer on a charge.
I worry that the tables have turned. It seems only yesterday you were making fun of iPhone users who suffered from miserable battery life and had to spend much of their time as “wall huggers.” However, it seems that now you have created a phone that will transform its user into one who constantly searches for the nearest outlet.
You do not have to worry about me, Samsung. I have already decided to stay away from the Note 5 and find a phone that can last a full day.
I am worried about the normal customers; the ones that do not know all of a phone’s specs and just get it because they had the older version. These users may be in for a rude awakening, and it was your responsibility to provide them with a phone worth using.
Hopefully people who are disappointed with battery life on the Note 5 will not think all Android phones suffer the same fate, but they definitely might. Hopefully you will gain users with your new design instead of pushing them towards your main competitor. Hopefully you have optimized the Note 5 like crazy and that battery life is actually good.
Regardless of this, I have to say you have disappointed many fans and even non-fans like me. Anyway, good luck on your future attempts, Apple Samsung.
The post Samsung has ignored its users’ basic needs appeared first on AndroidGuys.
SoundCloud adds Google Cast to its Android app
You can add SoundCloud the list of services that employ Google’s Cast tech to beam tunes to speakers and other devices. With the latest update, the music library not only lets you wirelessly send tracks to your audio gear, but it’ll also play them via Chromecast, Android TV and other Cast-friendly gear. In terms of speakers, options are available from LG and Sony with streaming services and audio apps like Rdio, TuneIn, Deezer, Pandora and Google Play are ready to serve up that Yacht Rock playlist.
.@Android, @Google Cast & SoundCloud: together at last. Stream via Android to your Cast-enabled devices now: http://t.co/oOe0zwQB0V
— SoundCloud (@SoundCloud) August 13, 2015
Filed under:
Portable Audio/Video, Software
Source:
Google Play
Tags: app, audio, cast, googlecast, music, software, soundcloud, update
AIVAnet 