Android Authority this week – June 28, 2015
Hello Android fans! This week brought us a look at the technology powering the next generation of cars –Android Auto and more; we checked out the new stock-like theme and the new RAW mode of the Galaxy S6; OnePlus continued to reveal key specs of the OnePlus 2; Google launched an ad-supported version of Play Music; BlackBerry’s CEO hinted at a possible Android release in the future; we got a look at the third-gen Moto G; Amazon opened up its Alexa platform to all; and Samsung claimed a major breakthrough in battery technology.
News of the week video
Inside AA HQ
We’re experimenting and branching out in new areas all the time, and this week’s new avenues are Twitch and Periscope.
Game streaming is exploding and Twitch is the biggest channel, even if Google is mounting a strong offensive with its YouTube Gaming initiative. And now we’re a part of it! Join our Joe Hindy on the Android Authority Twitch channel for a dose of mobile gaming and witty commentary.
Periscope seems to be the hot new trend in social media and it’s easy to see why. A simple smartphone and a wireless connection lets you stream anything, in real time, to thousands of followers. We’re applying this powerful concept to the world of Android: follow us on Periscope for live impressions of new devices, Q&A sessions, event impressions, and much more!
Our special Opera Max giveaway is still open: enter for your chance to win three hot Android phones: Galaxy S6 Edge, Galaxy S6 and LG G4. The sweepstakes end June 30 11:59PM EST. Good luck!
The stuff you shouldn’t miss
- Tech talk: Curious how a modern octa-core processor works? Gary takes a close look
- Feature: Google needs to break inside mobile apps – Simon explains how and why
- Feature: Rob goes through the trends and companies driving the close future of Android
- Feature: The debate rages on: metal, plastic, or glass?
- Hands-on: What is like to use a Note 4 without Google services? Matt goes hands-on
- Review: Josh reviews the sleek Oppo R7? Worth it’s price tag?
Top news of the week
Android Auto event
- Android Auto coming to select 2016 GMC and Buick models
- Interview with Chevrolet: Android Auto plans
- Chevrolet Spark running Android Auto: hands-on first look
- Beyond Android: A look at the Chevrolet Bolt prototype
Galaxy S6 news
- Android 5.1 update brings RAW and lower ISO to Galaxy S6
- Hands-on: Galaxy S6 Edge gets stock Android-like theme
- Galaxy S6 ranks first in a “real world” speed test
OnePlus unveiling
- OnePlus confirms next flagship will come with a USB Type-C port
- OnePlus is loud and unashamed of it
- The OnePlus 2 will be officially unveiled on July 27th in virtual reality
Play Music goes free
BlackBerry and Android
- BlackBerry is not against building a secure Android phone, says CEO
- 4 ways BlackBerry can be unique on Android
Moto G 2015
Echo & Alexa
- Amazon Echo now available for everyone, without an invite
- Amazon making its voice technology available for all, announces $100M in funding for devs
Samsung’s battery breakthrough
Sound off
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Happy Sunday!
Samsung tech would nearly double your phone’s battery life
Don’t like that your Galaxy S6 conks out before you’re finished for the day? Samsung might offer some relief in the future. Its scientists have developed lithium-ion battery technology that promises much longer-lasting power packs. They use a silicon anode (which promises much more capacity than a typical battery), but grow layers of graphene on top to improve the density and longevity that would otherwise suffer. In experiments, they got batteries that were 1.5 to 1.8 times denser than what you get today. If your smartphone barely makes it 12 hours before giving up the ghost, this would theoretically give you 21 hours — enough that you wouldn’t have to panic if you forgot to plug in before bedtime.
You shouldn’t count on this upgrade showing up in the Galaxy S7 (or any other gadgets) for a while. This is still a research project, and it could take years before Samsung translates its breakthrough into real-world products. Should everything go smoothly, though, this could be crucial in just about any situation where adding a bigger battery just isn’t an option. Besides mobile devices, you could get electric cars that match the range of their gas-powered counterparts.
Filed under: Cellphones, Science, Mobile, Samsung
Via: PC Perspective
Source: Nature
Samsung PCs will unblock Windows Update ‘in a few days’
Looks like Samsung is finally getting around to patching the SW Update software that has been disabling Windows Update. The company has issued a statement on the issue, which was initially discovered earlier this week, and vowed to correct the problem “in the coming days.”
Samsung:
Samsung has a commitment to security and we continue to value our partnership with Microsoft. We will be issuing a patch through the Samsung Software Update notification process to revert back to the recommended automatic Windows Update settings within a few days. Samsung remains committed to providing a trustworthy user experience and we encourage customers with product questions or concerns to contact us directly at 1-800-SAMSUNG.
Filed under: Laptops, Samsung, Microsoft
Source: Venture Beat
Galaxy S6 takes first place in real world speed test, beating out LG’s G4 and the iPhone 6
A new massive benchmark from Tom’s Guide has put six of the best performing smartphones on the market against each other to see which phone came out on top in a variety of situations. The tests measured everything from real-life performance and tasks you’d typically do on your smartphone every day, to gaming and other benchmarks. The test measured the Samsung Galaxy S6, LG G4, HTC One M9, Google Nexus 6, Asus Zenfone 2, and Apple iPhone 6, so there’s a very wide variety of hardware here.
What’s definitely going to be great news for Samsung, their Galaxy S6 finished in 1st place a vast majority of the benchmarks, including PDF loading times, gaming performance, WiFi speed, and a handful of benchmarks. This can probably be attributed to Samsung’s own zippy Exynos processor, their very fast memory modules, and the insanely fast flash storage they opted to use in the S6. Surprisingly, though, the LG G4 beats out the S6 in camera opening time. Considering how much Samsung mentioned the quick camera shortcut on the home button, you’d think that would have scored better in a benchmark. But hey. props to LG for pulling that off.
The G4 scored 1st in camera opening time, as well as a Basemark OSII Memory test. Interestingly, the G4 pretty typically beat out the Snapdragon 810 powered HTC One M9. Considering the G4 has a higher resolution and only a Snapdragon 808 processor, this is almost irrefutable proof that the 810 has some problems. The only benchmark that the M9 came out ahead in was a 3dMark benchmark.
Another note worth mentioning is how poorly the Nexus 6 runs compared to other devices. It held up fairly well in benchmarks, but in real world tests, it was pretty consistently dead last, beaten by the Zenfone 2 and HTC’s M9. Considering Nexus phone are supposed to run very fast, completely stock versions of Android, that’s more than a little disappointing.
source: Tom’s Guide
via: Android Authority
Come comment on this article: Galaxy S6 takes first place in real world speed test, beating out LG’s G4 and the iPhone 6
Qualcomm to collaborate with Samsung on Snapdragon 820
When Samsung’s Galaxy S6 debuted with their home-brewed Exynos processor, the industry was taken aback. Up to that point, it was usual that Samsung pack their flagship with the latest Snapdragon that Qualcomm has to offer at the time. And then we began to see Exynos show up on other phones. It would seem that a battle was brewing.
But the word we just got would paint a prettier picture between the two giants. Allegedly, the next Snapdragon, 820, will be produced using Samsung’s manufacturing resources. We have heard this kind of tale before, but reinforcement of a rumor always warms our hearts.
According to a Chinese report via Mobile-dad, the Snapdragon 820 will be manufactured on Samsung’s 14nm process, use a 64-bit Kryo architecture, and run at 3.0 GHz. It is also noted that upcoming phones from Sony, HTC, and Xiaomi will be the first to pack the chip.
To compare, the Snapdragon 810 was built on a 20nm process. But plagued with overheating issues, it may be that Qualcomm is desperate to get the chip cooler by reducing the die size. With that said, a frequency of 3.0 GHz on the successor seems pretty ballsy in hindsight.
The post Qualcomm to collaborate with Samsung on Snapdragon 820 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung launches the Galaxy Xcover 3 in the United States
If you’re based in the US and you’re on the look out for a super-rugged smartphone, you may want to listen up as Samsung has finally launched its salt, dust, rain, vibration, solar radiation and thermal shock resistant smartphone, the Galaxy Xcover 3.
Carriers in the United States will not be offering this handset as it’s targeted at a small but significant niche market. However, it is available to purchase through Amazon unlocked for $300. It’s important to bare in mind, though, that this device doesn’t support US LTE bands.
In terms of specifications, the Galaxy Xcover 3 features a 4.5-inch TFT capacitive touchscreen, a 1.2GHz quad-core Armada GPU, 1.5GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable internal storage, a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2,200 mAh non-removable battery.
The Xcover 3 unsurprisingly also comes with IP67 certification, meaning it’s fully-waterproof — so it can be submerged into 1m of fresh water for half an hour and will survive to tell the tale.
If you like the sound of the Samsung Galaxy Xcover 3 and would like to get your hands on one, hit the source link below.
Source: Amazon
Come comment on this article: Samsung launches the Galaxy Xcover 3 in the United States
Samsung breakthrough almost doubles lithium battery capacity
Researchers at Samsung Electronics announced yesterday that they have developed a new technology to produce a silicon cathode material that coats Graphene onto a silicon surface for higher energy density. In other words, Samsung has found a way to almost double the capacity of lithium batteries, which are used to power smartphones and various other gadgets.
As I’m sure you’re aware, smartphone battery capacity has increased slightly over the last decade, but the technology remains limited by the physical size of gadgets and the limitations of the actual materials inside the battery. As we can’t make batteries any bigger, increases in raw capacity are needed, and researchers have been looking to new materials to find the solution.
This is where Samsung’s research comes in. The company has come up with a new coating method for battery cathodes, which overcomes the cycling performance and capacity limitations imposed by current implementations. The new process makes use of that excellent conductive material known as Graphene, which is grown directly onto the silicon coating surface without silicon carbide formation. If this sounds familiar, other groups in the US have been attempting similar ideas.
Samsung’s researchers claim that its technique allows the full cell to reach volumetric energy densities of 972 and 700 Wh l−1 at first and 200th cycle respectively, when paired with a commercial lithium cobalt oxide cathode. This is around 1.8 and 1.5 times greater than commercialized lithium ion batteries, meaning more battery capacity for a given area. Typically, these type of designs reduce the battery’s life span due to more charge and discharge cycles, but this time the researchers also claim good cycling performance, due to its multi-layer design.
Samsung expects that its breakthrough will have important implications for both mobile devices and the electric car industry, with both really need attentional battery capacity. However, like most new ideas, industry observers expect that the technology is at least two or three years away from commercialization.
No Lollipop for the Galaxy Ace 4, says Samsung UK
Samsung has been doing a rather good job at promptly updating its flagship smartphones to Android Lollipop this year, but it looks like the same attention won’t be given to some of its entry level handsets. Responding to a request for information on Twitter, Samsung UK has stated that Lollipop won’t be heading to the Galaxy Ace 4.
@reubenupstone I’m afraid the Galaxy Ace 4 will not be getting the Lollipop update Reuben.
— Samsung UK (@SamsungUK) June 25, 2015
The Galaxy Ace 4 was announced last June and launched shortly after in two variants, one with just 512MB of RAM and another with 1GB and 4G LTE support. The lack of an update for a handset less than a year old is quite disappointing.
Earlier in the year Samsung cancelled a promised Android Lollipop update for Galaxy S4 Mini, citing memory limitations as the primary issue for failing its testing process. The S4 Mini features 1.5GB of RAM, while the Galaxy Ace 4 contains a smaller 1GB of RAM pool. Samsung has not given an official reason for the lack of an update for the Ace 4, but we can imagine that RAM limitations may be a factor.
While not updating lower-end models is a common practise across numerous manufacturers, it is perhaps a little more understandable if hardware limitations are preventing the company from providing a smooth enough experience.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news Galaxy Ace 4 owners.
The low end Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 won’t be getting Android Lollipop
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Given how many devices Samsung puts out every year (somewhat less this year actually), it’s not surprising when they abandon one of them for future software updates, though we’re intrigued to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth this time. A hopeful Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 user asked Samsung UK whether they should be expecting an update to Android Lollipop, since Android KitKat was getting inconvenient. Unfortunately, they were given the worst possible answer as a rep confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 won’t be getting Android Lollipop:
@reubenupstone I’m afraid the Galaxy Ace 4 will not be getting the Lollipop update Reuben.
— Samsung UK (@SamsungUK) June 25, 2015
Unfortunately, due to its low end nature, the development community hasn’t put any time into developing ROMs for the little guy, so this is probably the end of the road for the Ace 4 if you’re looking for something more software-wise. Still, the Galaxy Ace 5 might be announced soon given that the Ace 4 was announced around a year ago, and perhaps that will have Android Lollipop.
What do you think about the news the Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 won’t be getting Android Lollipop? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Twitter via Phone Arena
The post The low end Samsung Galaxy Ace 4 won’t be getting Android Lollipop appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Make your Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge look like stock Android
The Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge are undeniably fantastic phones, supported by the impressive sales estimates by a number of analysts. However, as with all Samsung phones, there is that elephant in the room that you have to deal with – TouchWiz.
That’s all about to change as Samsung have just approved the first Material Design theme to their new Theme Store on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge.
The near stock Android theme is created by Samer Zayer and skins most elements of the operating system to look as close to the Material Design appearance on Nexus devices, without infringing copyright. It doesn’t require root or any customisation, only applying the theme through the official Samsung Theme Store.
Check out MKBHD’s run down of the new theme and how to apply it below:
Now you can enjoy all the great features of the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge without the TouchWiz theme. Let us know what you think of the new Material Design theme in the comments below.
The post Make your Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge look like stock Android appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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