Samsung to offer phone lease, upgrade plans
As wireless carriers move away from two-year contracts to subsidize smartphones, leases are becoming a popular option to help consumers avoid large cash layouts for outright purchases. Many carriers have been creating lease programs that incorporate some early upgrade features to help consumers get their new devices. Seeing all of the activity in this space, smartphone manufacturers are starting to introduce their own options to sell direct to consumers. Recent reports indicate Samsung is the latest to join this march.
Sources say Samsung is planning to announce a program in the next several months. However, they may want to accelerate those plans after Apple recently announced a leasing program for their newly released iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus devices.
Samsung’s pricing for such a program is uncertain at present. Unlike a company like Apple that has a limited portfolio of devices, Samsung tries to sell in many segments, sometimes with multiple devices. Samsung could limit the program to their high-end devices since those are the most challenging to sell.
The advent of manufacturer sourced financing plans may also put pressure on the manufacturers to produce devices that will work on any carrier’s network with nothing more than a sim card switch. Such a move would make sense as consumers will be less likely to want to be locked into a carrier if their lease payments are separate from their service payments.
source: Forbes
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 ad hits YouTube
Samsung’s marketing team has been busy and not all of the fruit of their labors is on display during the Emmys broadcast. While Samsung decided to spend some cash to get at least a couple ads in front of the audience watching the awards show, other efforts may not pop up until later. For now at least, a new ad for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 devices has been released to YouTube only.
The ad follows a young woman around a train station while she tries to stay sane during a delay. These efforts mostly involve attempts to find something to read. Eventually she stumbles upon a Galaxy Tab S2 device in use by another traveler. You can check out the video below.
Click here to view the embedded video.
This ad joins new bits from Samsung extolling their new Samsung Pay service and their curved edge displays that were shown during the Emmys.
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SeatGeek helps you find the best tickets to your favorite events
Football season is in full swing, and if you follow the sport at all you’ve probably looked into getting tickets to a game nearby. Fortunately there are plenty of apps and services to help you scout out tickets and events, and SeatGeek is one of the best available.
The app finds available tickets to events from tons of different sellers and offers an interactive seating chart with tons of photographs of the location. It can also track your favorite artists and teams and offers a quick way to actually purchase the tickets.
Of course, SeatGeek handles more than just football games, so if there are any sports or shows you’re interested in, you should give the app a spin.
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Samsung May Follow Apple by Launching Smartphone Leasing Program
Samsung is planning to follow in Apple’s footsteps by launching its own Galaxy smartphone leasing program in the U.S. over the coming months, according to Forbes.
The South Korean electronics giant is planning to launch a program for leasing its Galaxy phones in the U.S. market, similar to the one Apple announced just weeks ago, according to an industry executive with knowledge of Samsung’s plans. Samsung may be launching this leasing program in the next several months, although that timeline may accelerate, the executive said.
The report does not offer any other details about Samsung’s plans for the rumored smartphone leasing program, but the move would make sense as the wireless industry moves away from subsidized pricing and two-year contracts in favor of monthly installment plans and financing programs for payments.
Apple introduced the iPhone Upgrade Program alongside the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus earlier this month, enabling customers to upgrade to a new iPhone every year with AppleCare+ warranty coverage included. Eligible customers who sign up for the program will have the full cost of their new iPhone broken down into 24 equal payments of around $30 to $45 per month depending on the model, plus a premium for AppleCare+.
After the first 12 monthly payments, the customer gains the option to trade in their iPhone for a new one and enter into a new 24 month installment plan to pay it off. The final cost of an entry-level 16GB iPhone 6s with AppleCare+ purchased through the iPhone Upgrade Program is $777.84, which is ultimately the same price as purchasing a 16GB iPhone 6s ($649) and AppleCare+ ($129) outright — but with less due upfront.
AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile also offer their own carrier financing plans for iPhones and Galaxy smartphones, each breaking down the full price of the device into equal monthly payments.
Just around the Band: Is this Microsoft’s wearable sequel?
When Microsoft introduced its Band wearable fitness device last year, some were impressed that the company had the foresight to make it compatible with Android. Much like the Zune portable music player, Redmond offered its own interesting take on an established format. Rumors have been Surfacing as of late about a Band 2, and MicrosoftInsider has obtained images of what purportedly may be the new device, said to be developed under the codename “Envoy”.
Indeed the first thing that might come to one’s mind upon seeing the above device is just how similar it looks to Samsung’s Gear Fit (below, right):
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Assuming this is the actual product that Microsoft will unveil, it does indeed appear to be making use of a curved display. Traditionally, Samsung might be seen as the most likely supplier of such a component. This past week however, a report out of Korea made reference to an unnamed US company that was heavily investing in LG’s foldable OLED displays operations: many felt this financier was none other than Microsoft and hence -while this is just speculation – the Band 2 could end up being one of the results of such endeavors.
MicrosoftInsider reported that the new device may include the ability to monitor changes in altitude and even track stair climbing. According to Windows Central, the Band 2 is also expected to include the following:
- An optical heart rate monitor
- An Accelerometer/Gyrometer
- A GPS
- A microphone
- An ambient light sensor
- Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) sensors
- A UV sensor
Microsoft is holding a major press event on October 6th where it is expected to unveil new Surface products, Windows Phone offerings, and the Band 2, so the full details will likely remain hidden for a bit longer, barring any major leaks.
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What are your thoughts on the product pictured in this post? Assuming it is the real deal, would you be interested in such an offering from Microsoft?
Samsung’s dual-edge displays are flowing in new Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge+ ad
Tonight during the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, Samsung ran an advertisement to prove that “beauty has no bounds.”
Samsung’s latest ad for the Galaxy S6 Edge and Galaxy S6 Edge+ starts with a caterpillar crawling between the two devices’ displays. Then the two come together and a butterfly appears and ascends through a stack of Samsung devices.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Samsung Pay’s first ad in the United States also debuted during the Emmys broadcast.
Come comment on this article: Samsung’s dual-edge displays are flowing in new Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 Edge+ ad
Does Blackberry “Venice” have what it takes to become your next phone?
Looking back, the past couple years of Android have been incredible for smartphone buyers. We’ve seen amazing devices come from all the major players, all of them desperately wanting their phone to become yours. Samsung’s latest Galaxy phones this year have brought a new level of polish and luxury that we’ve never seen from the company before. LG’s G4 introduced many improvements over last years popular G3 and is a very worthy contender of best flagship of 2015. Motorola recently announced it’s highly customizable and fairly affordable Moto X Pure Edition on top of that. While most manufacturers have announced fantastic devices this year, we can all agree that they’ve been more “evolutionary” than “revolutionary”. Do we have anything more to be excited about for the rest of this year? The new Nexus devices are bound to be announced at the end of this month, but there is something else I’ve been paying even more attention to.
Blackberry has got something very special for Android fans, and it demands your attention. Many leaks have been showing up for Blackberry’s upcoming flagship, code named “Venice”, including a hands-on video, confirming that it is indeed running Android. Right when I had very little hope for the Canadian smartphone maker, the sky started raining frogs, and I’m genuinely hyped for this device.
As I mentioned above, “Venice” is Blackberry’s first commercial phone running Android, a move they presumably hope will draw in more customers afraid of Blackberry’s older OS which lacked many of the apps Android and iOS have. Blackberry is taking a similar path as Microsoft, accepting that Android is not going anywhere any time soon, and that Google’s open-sourced OS might benefit them more if it is utilized rather than fought. Like Microsoft, Blackberry is expanding their powerful software services into Android and other areas, such as their “second-to-none” mobile security software. While Android’s security is as strong as it’s ever been, it still carries the stereotype of being easily susceptible to malware and viruses. Blackberry’s incredible security plus the world’s most popular mobile OS sounds like a match made in heaven.
Besides running Android, Venice is reportedly packing some serious hardware. Blackberry has always constructed very durable and beautiful devices, and Venice is no exception. This device is rumored to sport a 5.4 inch Quad-HD AMOLED display, a 1.8GHz 64-bit Snapdragon 808 processor, 3 GB of RAM, a large 18-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash and a 5-megapixel front facing camera. As for the battery size, we are expecting a 3,000mAh non-removable battery. These specifications alone make this device quite tempting, but what’s even better? The phone’s slide-out keyboard, offering Blackberry’s most signature hardware feature.
Despite nearly every modern smartphone not having a physical keyboard, I miss having one on my messaging phone before I got my first Android. Looking back, I typed way faster with less errors, and it just felt better. Blackberry’s move to bring a slide-out keyboard onto a powerful 5.4 inch Android phone will be one of the boldest things to happen to the market in a while. Thank you, Blackberry, for trying to change things up again.
The “Venice” device is expected to bring all of 2015’s flagship hardware features, a near-stock Android experience with multiple very useful added tweaks and features including a re-tooled launcher, more shortcuts when sliding up from the home button including Blackberry Hub and Blackberry’s universal search feature, improved security features, and a more productive experience. Another feature Blackberry is bringing to this device is the touch sensitive keyboard, allowing you to scroll just by moving your finger over the keyboard like in previous Blackberry devices. The nice thing is, even if you don’t always want to use the physical keyboard, you can also use a software one too. If you’re concerned about the thickness of this device, the leaked hands-on video shows some promising looks of the device, as the actual screen is quite thin on top of the keyboard and body.
So far, does this phone compete with other flagships? A big, not huge 5.4 inch QHD AMOLED (slightly curved on the sides) screen, fast and competitive CPU, a large 18-megapixel camera with OIS, plenty of RAM for serious multitasking, very strong security and productivity features, a large battery, slide-out keyboard, and even expandable storage as confirmed in the video. This is a phone I’ve got my eyes on, and you can definitely expect further updates on it here at AndroidGuys.
What’re your thoughts on “Venice”? Does it have potential to be your next phone?
The post Does Blackberry “Venice” have what it takes to become your next phone? appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple Debuts New Ad Focused On Apple Music Playlists During Emmys
Apple debuted a brand new Apple Music ad during the Emmys tonight. The ad features actresses Taraji P. Henson and Kerry Washington hanging out and enjoying Apple Music with singer Mary J. Blige. The ad has a focus on Apple Music’s playlists.
Playlists, the new mixtapes.
Go ahead ladies!
@maryjblige @kerrywashington @TherealTaraji
http://t.co/cctGZAhwuP
https://t.co/VTnkmeEr4E
— Apple Music (@AppleMusic) September 21, 2015
http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
The ad, which was directed by Selma director Ava Duvernay, features Washington, Blige and Henson hanging out at a home and remembering mixtapes before Blige interrupts them to tell them about Apple Music playlists, which she compares to mixtapes. Washington goes a step further and says that Apple’s curated playlists are like having a boyfriend creating you a mixtape. The rest of the ad features the three having fun listening to the curated playlists before revealing the subscription cost of joining Apple Music.
In early August, Apple launched a worldwide advertising campaign featuring billboards and posters. Shortly after that, they debuted three artist-focused ads highlighting the Apple Music’s ability to introduce people to new artists and music. Additionally, Apple released a two-part ad featuring The Weeknd during the MTV VMAs.
Samsung Pay’s first television ad knocks Apple Pay
Three mobile payments services will be vying for your attention this fall. Google, Apple, and Samsung are all ready store your accounts and cards in phones for easy checkout while shopping just about everywhere with a compatible terminal. Samsung Pay, however, is able to tout itself as the mobile payments service that works in more stores than any other. And tonight during the 67th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, Samsung ran the very first stateside television advertisement for Samsung Pay to promote its advantage over Apple Pay.
The ad, which you can watch below, shows how easy it is to be shopping (almost) anywhere in the United States with Samsung Pay handling the checkout process. The song “My Favorite Things” plays as Samsung’s devices show Samsung Pay at work before being interrupted by Apple Pay getting rejected. Someone with a Samsung device then steps in and the music resumes.
Click here to view the embedded video.
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Amazon’s Echo speaker reads you the top news headlines
Amazon just made it much, much easier to catch up on the news while you’re getting chores done around the home. A newly-added option for its voice-guided Echo speaker, Trove, lets you ask the device to read the top news headlines on a given subject. Want to get the gist of the latest political drama? Just say as much — you don’t even have to glance at your phone or your wrist. This isn’t going to provide insightful commentary, of course, but it could be good for those moments when you just don’t have time (or the free hands) needed to go in depth.
This is also a big update if you use the Echo to stay on time. You now have very fine-grained control over alarms and timers, including the ability to cancel specific alerts (say, your weekend alarm) and asking when multiple timers will run out. In other words, this gadget may now be exactly what you need to juggle multiple meals or sleep in on a lazy weekend.
Source: Amazon
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