Samsung’s bringing back the TV ‘set’ with the Serif TV
The humble television wasn’t always the ultra-thin, wall-mounted “appliance” we know today — it used to be a piece of furniture, wrapped in an elegant case of wood, plastics and metal. Now, Samsung is bringing the idea of a stylized ‘TV Set’ back, introducing a an expensive, font-inspired television called the Serif TV.
The name is a wildly overt nod to the television’s shape — a thick chassis with ledges that jut out from the top and bottom of the screen. When viewed in profile, these ‘serifs’ give the TV the distinct shape of a capital letter ‘I.’ This charming design can stand up on its own, but add a pair of retro-looking legs and the design becomes shockingly nostalgic. It’s all about looks: there’s even a fabric panel on the TV’s backside to hide connectors and ports.
Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, the design firm behind the Serif TV, also revamped Samsung’s Smart TV interface into something it calls “curtain mode.” This pulls a fabric-like filter over whatever the TV is showing and offers a simple menu with Bluetooth speaker functionality, apps, a photo gallery and a simple clock mode.
Samsung says the Serif TV will come in three models: a large UHD model (about 40-inches) a medium sized Full-HD model (30-inches) and as well as a smaller 24-inch set. All of the sets will have built-9in WiFi and Bluetooth, as well. They’re fancy, but not cheap — when the 40-inch set hits stores in the UK, Sweden, Denmark and France on November 2nd, it’ll cost £1,199 (about $1860). There’s also no word yet if these TVs will be hitting the international market at all, but we’ll let you know if we hear anything.
Via: Engadget Germany, Daily Mail
Source: Samsung
Samsung is failing to hit anticipated Q3 2015 profit target
Samsung has had a great year so far. They have launched some amazing phones like the recent Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+, as well as some cool upcoming smartwatches. Unfortunately, they are still coming up a little shorter in Q3 profit than expected.
They are expected to bring in $5.68 billion for Q3 2015, which is a lot, but it’s 6% lower than anticipated. The mobile business itself does not seem to be growing much, making up only $1.7 billion of the $5.68 billion.
The problem seems to be that the majority of consumers are going for budget friendly phones and not high-end handsets, especially in key markets like China and India. Samsung have a huge range of devices, all at different price points, but the competition in those areas seem to always find a way to undercut Samsung, giving consumers an even better deal.
Luckily for Samsung, it has many other areas of business where it can increase profit and doesn’t have to only worry about the mobile division. However, that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be concerned. The last thing it wants to do is turn into HTC.
Via: KoreaTimes
Come comment on this article: Samsung is failing to hit anticipated Q3 2015 profit target
Monument Valley developer Ustwo Games creates ‘Land’s End’, a virtual reality experience exclusive to Samsung’s Gear VR
If you’ve played Monument Valley before, you might be interested in this new title coming from the same developer, Ustwo Games. Land’s End is a first-person virtual reality adventure game that’s been designed exclusively for Samsung’s Gear VR headset.
It’s certainly a risky move creating a title for an accessory that has a limited audience. And interestingly enough, it didn’t even start out as a virtual reality game, according to Peter Pashley, Ustwo’s technical director. You can find out more about that story in Engadget’s interview with Pashley.
Land’s End is a first-person virtual reality adventure game that takes on elements of classic point-and-click games. Engadget calls it a “look-and-stare adventure” due to how it functions in virtual reality. You move your head around to look at the scenery, stare at a certain point, and you begin moving.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Ustwo Games outlines the title as a “adventure through spectacular landscapes to awaken a lost civilization.” And if it’s anything like Monument Valley, it’ll be a beautiful game. It’ll be available on October 30. No pricing details have been released yet.
For those of us that have a compatible Samsung phone, I guess it’s time to pick up a Gear VR!
source: Ustwo Games (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: Monument Valley developer Ustwo Games creates ‘Land’s End’, a virtual reality experience exclusive to Samsung’s Gear VR
Samsung reportedly planning to launch its own phone leasing program
Along with the recent announcement of the iPhone 6S, 6S Plus and iPad Pro, Apple unveiled its own phone leasing program. Dubbed the iPhone Upgrade Program, this is Apple’s way of cutting out the mobile carriers and encouraging customers to purchase devices directly from Apple. In all, the program does offer quite a bit to consumers, as it also includes Apple Care+ and gives folks the freedom to activate their device on any carrier they wish. If you’re thinking you’d like something like that for your next Android phone, you may not have to wait much longer.
According to a new report from Forbes, Samsung is planning to launch a similar phone leasing program for its Galaxy phones for the U.S. market. The program could launch within the next few months, though an exact timeframe was not given. The report unfortunately didn’t offer up any other availability or pricing details.
Related: Would you like to see an Android OEM directly offer its own upgrade program?
As the smartphone market continues to stray away from the standard two-year contract through mobile service providers, it’s no surprise to see other OEMs think about launching services like this. Samsung has already launched its big flagship devices for the year, including the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, Note 5 and S6 Edge+. This could definitely be a good way for the company to sell more devices at a time with no forthcoming product announcements.
Samsung’s newest devices
.rvs_wrapper
width: 350px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
font-size: 24px !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (min-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
width: 100% !important;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos
width: 100%;
float: none !important;
overflow-x: auto;
overflow-y: hidden;
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
overflow: auto;
max-height: none;
body .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: left !important;
clear: none !important;
It should be noted that part of the draw to Apple’s leasing program is the inclusion of Apple Care+, which offers users expert support for their smartphones for two full years, and also provides some accidental damage coverage. There was no mention of Samsung launching a similar service for its Galaxy phones in the report, though it’s not too farfetched to think that the company could launch something along these lines.
So tell us, if the pricing structure is similar to Apple’s iPhone Upgrade Program, would you be more inclined to purchase a Galaxy phone directly from Samsung? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
Samsung offering €75 cashback on purchase of Galaxy S6 lineup in the Netherlands
It is not surprising that Samsung is now using “price adjustment” tactics to boost the slumping sales of its Galaxy S6 lineup. In addition to price cuts, the Korean electronic conglomerate is also offering various promotions and deals to make the purchase of Samsung mobiles as lucrative as possible. If you happen to live in the Netherlands, you can pick any current Galaxy flagship and get a whopping €75 cash back.
Just before the launch of the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and the Note 5 in August, Samsung had reported poor Q2 earnings and announced a new pricing strategy to keep the sales momentum going. The cash back offer is available on the Galaxy S6, the Galaxy S6 Edge as well as the Galaxy S6 Edge+. It means that you can buy the newest Galaxy flagship with an internal storage of 32GB for €724 instead of €799 if you apply the cash back offer. The basic model, the Galaxy S6 can be bought for just €430, while the Galaxy S6 Edge will only cost €545.
To avail the offer, you should first buy the device online or from any offline retailer. Then go to Samsung’s promotion and fill our the registration form mentioning your IMEI and EAN numbers, and attach the copy of the receipt. After verification, the discounted cash will be deposited to your bank account. The offer starts today and runs through 1st November, 2015.
Source: Samsung
Come comment on this article: Samsung offering €75 cashback on purchase of Galaxy S6 lineup in the Netherlands
Samsung could offer phone leasing in the near future in the US
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
Phone leasing is a part of the mobile market that is showing some positive signs of growth – and naturally, the world is now taking notice after Apple announced their iPhone Upgrade program which leases their phones to users with the option of upgrading to the next iPhone in a year’s time. In the US, the big four networks offer phone leasing programs, however, it appears Samsung could offer phone leasing itself sometime in the near future.
The report says that Samsung originally planned to start its programs sometime over the next few months, but will have gotten a wake-up call when Apple announced the same thing. While Apple only has a couple of devices, we’d expect Samsung to restrict its leasing programs to only its flagship devices. Like subsidized phone plans, these phone leasing programs break up payments for the consumer so that they can have the latest hardware without needing to shell it all out at once – and the benefit for Samsung in this scenario is that it doesn’t lose out on the subsidies if they bypass the carrier with these programs. We’ll have to keep an eye on this one and see if it happens in the near future.
What do you think about the news that Samsung could offer phone leasing? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The post Samsung could offer phone leasing in the near future in the US appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Samsung expected to post another disappointing profit in Q3
Samsung has remained subdued about its financial outlook this year, but sources and analysts from South Korea are expected that the company may post another quarter that falls below already reduced expectations. The reason is again said to stem from struggling profits in Samsung’s mobile division.
According to an averaged earnings guidance from 22 brokerage houses, Samsung is expected to have generated 6.61 trillion won (US$5.68 billion) as of September 17th. This figure is down 6.4 percent from the month earlier, when the company was estimated to have produced a result closer to 7.06 trillion won.
Overall for the third quarter, Samsung is expected to bring in around 50.17 trillion won in quarterly sales, resulting in a net profit of 5.4 trillion won. If accurate, this would result in more revenue than Q2 2015, but net profits would be slightly lower than earlier in the year. This comes despite the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ smartphones, which don’t seem to have helped haul the company back on track.
“Operating profit at Samsung’s mobile business will remain at 2 trillion won, a decrease of 12 percent from earlier expectations,” – Lee Jae-yoon, analyst at Yuanta Securities
Looking particularly at Samsung’s mobile division, the group pulled in a profit of 2.74 trillion won ($2.34 billion) in Q1 and 2.76 trillion won ($2.36 billion) in Q2 2015. Analysts are expecting around 2 trillion won for Q3, which would be a notable decline from the earlier results in the year. Oddly enough, Samsung’s mobile shipment are expected to have increased this quarter.
Some analysts are pinning the problem down to a lack of demand for expensive high-end products, where the margins are better. Instead, Samsung has seen some success in grabbing additional customers at the budget price tiers, but the profits here are much thinner. The company has also seen its market share fall from last year, leaving the company trapped in tight competition with Apple at the high-end and with competitive low cost manufacturers biting into Samsung’s mid-range line-up.
See also: Report: Samsung to focus on profits rather than growth
2015 was expected to be a tough year for Samsung and any return to previous profitability is going to take time. Despite launching some promising high-end products this year, the smartphone market may simply have moved on from the conditions that favoured Samsung just a couple of years ago.
It’s not a phone, it’s a Galaxy: Samsung’s latest ads take it to Apple
One of the big secrets behind Apple’s considerable mobile success is the Cupertino company’s marketing department, which coined the iconic “if it’s not an iPhone… it’s not an iPhone” phrase and transformed what mobile technology marketing should be like. In its latest ads, Samsung has sought to follow suit, with three ads showing off key unique selling features of the new Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ that aren’t possible with the iPhone.
The new adverts all have the same tag line “It’s Not a Phone, It’s a Galaxy” and if there was any doubt about Samsung’s intentions with the adverts, each one features the iPhone 6 attempting (and failing) to do what the Galaxy smartphone pictured does. From wireless charging to an immersive dual edge display and the wide support for Samsung Pay, the adverts are certainly different to what we’ve seen from the Korean manufacturer in the past.
Here’s the three short adverts:
Naturally, these adverts are designed to showcase the key features of all of Samsung’s new flagship Galaxy devices and for the most part, they certainly seem to deliver. If you were a consumer watching any of these, it would be immediately clear that the iPhone doesn’t support wireless charging and Samsung Pay is more widely accepted than Apple Pay.
The question remains whether this is enough to convince die-hard iPhone users to switch over but even if these adverts don’t work, Samsung’s trial program might yet persuade some users. What do you think? Do these adverts make you want to buy a Galaxy such as the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 Edge Plus or Galaxy S6? Let us know in the comments below guys!
Samsung Galaxy in video:
.rvs_wrapper
width: 350px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left
float: left;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none
width: 100%;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center
text-align: center;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: none;
display: inline-block;
vertical-align: top;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos:not(.align_none) ul li:nth-child(2n+1)
clear: both;
.rvs_title
font-weight: 600 !important;
margin: 0 !important;
font-size: 24px !important;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right .rvs_title
padding-left: 20px;
.rvs_title a
font-family: ‘Roboto Condensed’;
color: #3a3a3a;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
padding-top: 10px;
.rvs_wrapper.align_left.cbc-latest-videos ul li,
.rvs_wrapper.align_none.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 15px 0 0;
.rvs_wrapper.align_right.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 0 0 15px;
float: right;
.rvs_wrapper.align_center.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a
font-weight: 400;
.rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li > a .yt-thumbnail
margin-bottom: 0;
@media only screen and (min-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
width: 100% !important;
@media only screen and (max-width : 480px)
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos
width: 100%;
float: none !important;
overflow-x: auto;
overflow-y: hidden;
body #page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul
overflow: auto;
max-height: none;
body .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
float: left !important;
clear: none !important;
[Deal] For the next 12-hours you can pick up a Verizon-branded Galaxy Tab S 10.5 for just $359.99
If you’re in the market for a new tablet, you may want to check out the deal eBay is holding on the Verizon-branded LTE model of the Galaxy Tab S 10.5. The slate is available to purchase for $359.99, which is a whopping $90 off the standard price of $449.99. However, the promotion is only live for the next 12-hours — so if you want to get in on the money-saving action, you better act fast.
For those in need a refresher on its specifications, the Galaxy Tab S is a pretty solid device, packing a 10.5-inch Super AMOLED display, a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, an Adreno 330 GPU, 3GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable internal storage, an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera, a 2.1-megapixel selfie shooter and a beefy 7,900mAh Li-Ion battery.
It’s also worth noting that eBay is throwing in complimentary International economy shipping, so if you live in North or South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand or South Africa, you can take full advantage of this, too. All you have to do is hit the source link below and fill in your card details to pay!
Source: eBay
Come comment on this article: [Deal] For the next 12-hours you can pick up a Verizon-branded Galaxy Tab S 10.5 for just $359.99
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
Come comment on this article: Samsung to offer phone lease, upgrade plans
AIVAnet 