Samsung confirms Lollipop for Galaxy Note 2 in some markets
Despite recent confirmation that Galaxy Note 2 wouldn’t be receiving Lollipop, Samsung Danmark took to Twitter that some variants of the device would be getting it.
Samsung Galaxy Note 2’s out of Denmark (CSC code: NEE) will get the update. In another tweet, Samsung Danmark said both the Galaxy Note 2 (GT-N7100) and the Galaxy Note 2 4G (G5-N7105) will get Lollipop. However, the updates will occur at different times, and there is currently no info as to which one will come first.
Updates to these devices are based on different markets, so it’s entirely possible that other models could get the firmware upgrade in the near future. After all, before the confirmation that the Note 2 wouldn’t be receiving Lollipop, the device was on an official update list for it. Samsung definitely had plans to upgrade at least a few of the models out there.
Galaxy Note 2 users aren’t left behind just yet. Let’s hope Samsung gets the ball rolling and we’ll see a larger rollout across markets. Of course, there’s always the option of rooting and flashing your smartphone with the updated firmware, if you’re comfortable with that.
Source: Twitter
Come comment on this article: Samsung confirms Lollipop for Galaxy Note 2 in some markets
Some Galaxy S6 owners are seeing a purple speck on photos taken with the front-facing camera
The new Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge handsets have certainly made a good impression on many folks out there. Along with a premium build and revamped software, these two handsets arguably feature two of the best cameras available on a smartphone to date. However, it looks like for some users, the experience the camera brings to the table is far from perfect. According to a recent thread on Reddit, some Galaxy S6 owners are seeing a purple speck on all photos taken with the front-facing camera. It’s not exactly clear why this is happening, though the thread lists numerous people who have had similar issues.
Related Videos
.rvs_wrapper
width: 335px;
.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;
.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 (max-width : 480px)
.rvs_wrapper
width: 100%;
text-align: center;
#page .rvs_wrapper.cbc-latest-videos ul li
padding: 0 7px;
display: inline-block;
float: none;
vertical-align: top;
The first user in the thread reported that the purple speck began showing up out of the blue since they have photos taken with the same camera from a few weeks prior. And so far, no one has been able to find out whether this defect is due to a software or hardware issue.
Some users who experienced the same problem claim that the issue can be fixed by switching the front-facing camera’s resolution to 3.8MP from the standard 5MP resolution. While that may be true, if you experience the problem with your handset, either Samsung or your mobile provider will be happy to send you a new device in exchange for the defective unit.
If you’re interested, more examples can be found at the Reddit link below. Have you experienced this issue with your Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge? If so, be sure to let us know in the comment section below.
Samsung Gear VR for Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge now available online
The first virtual reality headset for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge is now available online. Owners of those two Samsung devices can head over to Samsung or Best Buy’s sites to purchase the Gear VR Innovator Edition headset. Both are selling the virtual reality headset for $199. If choosing Best Buy’s in-store pickup, the wait is about 3-5 days. The electronics retailer will start selling the Gear VR Innovator Edition in its stores on May 15.
Come comment on this article: Samsung Gear VR for Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge now available online
Three now rolling out Lollipop OTA for the Galaxy S5 in Austria
Three is currently rolling out the Android 5.0.2 update to all its carrier-branded variants of the Galaxy S5 in Austria. This upgrade brings the latest build of Lollipop, in addition to a plethora of bug fixes and stability improvements to the handset.
Hit the break for the full changelog.
- Material Design: You will quickly notice a whole new colorful look and feel to your device – from fluid animations to new application and system themes, colors and widgets.
- Notifications UI & Priorities: In order to alert you to the mosttimely and relevant information, the format and behavior of notifications have evolved:
- notifications will appear on the lock screen and are intelligently ranked by type and who sent them.
- you double-tap to open one, swipe left or right to clear one, or clear all notifications from the bottom of the list.
- you can set the priority and privacy of notifications for each application.
- very high priority notifications will pop up briefly over other applications so that you can take action.
- when you dismiss a notification on one device it will be dismissed on your other Android devices, if they are connected to the Internet.
- you can further tailor how notifications behave with the new Downtime and Ambient Display settings (see below).
- New Interruptions & Downtime Settings: You can tailor how interruptions behave, choosing to allow all, none, or only priority interruptions. You can personalize what counts as a priority interruption (reminders, events, calls, messages) and even tailor them to be from only contacts you specify. The Downtime setting will allow only priority interruptions during the times and days that you specify. e.g. allow only priority interruptions on the weekend.
- Recent Apps (Multi-tasking): The redesigned Overview space (formerly called Recents) will include both applications and separate activities within those applications. For instance, each open tab in Chrome will also appear here along with recent applications; both your Gmail Inbox and a draft email message will appear as separate cards. This provides a consistent way to switch amongst tasks.
- Flashlight: Lollipop includes a new flashlight option as part of Quick settings (swipe down with two fingers from the status bar to see it).
- Pin a view/app: Screen pinning allows you to keep a specific app or screen in view. For example, you can ‘pin’ a game and your child will not be able to navigate anywhere else on your phone.
- Battery: The Battery settings panel now shows an estimated projection for how much time you have left while discharging or charging. You can also enable a new battery saver mode that will save power by reducing performance and most background data operations to extend your battery life.
- Smarter Internet Connections: With Android Lollipop, your phone will not connect to a Wi-Fi access point unless there is a verified Internet connection. This feature improves hand-offs between Wi-Fi and cellular connections, helping to maintain your video chat or voice-over-IP (VoIP) call as you switch.
- Performance: Your phone now uses the new Android Runtime to help optimize application performance. After upgrading to Lollipop, your applications will undergo a one-time optimization process. Note that the optimization for ART requires more space.
- Security: Encryption can now use a stronger 256-bit key to help protect your data. Note that the stronger key willonly be used after you perform a factory reset on Android Lollipop. Otherwise encryption will continue to use 128-bit key. You can turn on encryption in the Security settings menu.
As is customary with all manufacturer updates, the upgrade is being rolled out in stages, but if you don’t feel like waiting for a notification confirming that it’s ready for your S5, you could always search for the update manually.
Come comment on this article: Three now rolling out Lollipop OTA for the Galaxy S5 in Austria
Galaxy S6 getting performance improving update in Europe
The Galaxy S6 has been showered with praise, but that doesn’t mean it’s without flaws. One glaring issue that many users are facing is subpar memory management that causes background apps to be closed sooner than normal. That can get annoying really fast, as you can imagine, especially when you consider the caliber – and price tag – of the Galaxy S6.
The good news is a fix for this software issue should be coming. Last week Samsung UK announced on Facebook that “micro-updates” are in the works to improve the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge’s performance and stability, and now one such update has hit a device belonging to the folks at GSM Arena.
According to the website, the update brings a noticeable improvement in performance and stability. Bearing the G920FXXU1AODG code number and weighing 138 MB, the update reportedly made the European version of the Galaxy S6 run “a lot snappier.”
Unfortunately, the OTA changelog doesn’t specify what kind of stability improvements and bug fixes it brings, so there’s no guarantee that the dreaded RAM-clearing bug has been solved for good.
European Galaxy S6 users, have you encountered the memory issue? Any recent OTA updates?
This is what Samsung’s Gear VR for the Galaxy S6 is like
If you just got yourself a Samsung Galaxy S6 (or its curvier sibling, the S6 Edge) and you happen to be a fan of VR, well good news: the latest Gear VR for the Galaxy S6 is now officially on sale. It’s still in limited rollout but it should be in your local Best Buy starting today for around $199, with availability expanding quickly to even more places. Introduced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the new headset is not only designed for Samsung’s new phones, but also features a number of improvements over the original Gear VR for the Note 4. We had a chance to take a brief spin with the new hardware a few days ago, tried out a few new made-for-VR games and also talked to Max Cohen, VP of mobile at Oculus, for more on Gear VR’s future.
Not much has changed with the Gear VR from our hands-on in March, but we’ll offer a brief recap of the hardware anyway. In comparison with the original, the new headset is definitely smaller and lighter, which befits the S6’s more petite stature. The straps have also been redesigned for better weight balance and there’s now additional padding on the rear strap for a slightly more comfortable fit. And unlike the original, the new headgear has a USB port so you can charge the S6 while it’s nestled in. The focus ring adjustment now goes further in both directions plus there’s mechanical fan to cool you down. From my experience wearing the device, I can also say the picture quality is excellent — really sharp images with hardly any screendoor effect at all.
Now on to the game demos. Cohen had me try out three new made-for-VR games that he thought would best represent the range of VR games that are now available for the Gear VR — remember that you can now purchase and download these games from a paid app store. The first is a unique party game called Keep Talking and No One Explodes developed by Steel Crate Games. The person who’s wearing the headset would be tasked with diffusing a bomb, while other people in the same room would instruct them on how to do so by using an instruction manual.
I played a brief stint of the game with a couple of colleagues at our San Francisco office, and it was a lot of fun, albeit stressful. I had to describe what I saw in each bomb module and then my co-workers would reference a rather thick user manual, ask me questions and talk me through what I needed to do while the clock was ticking. It reminded me a lot of Spaceteam or other collaborative games where players had to help each other, except in this case, I was the only one at the controls. Cohen says that this is a good example of a game that wouldn’t work too well outside of VR, since it would spoil the fun if everyone else could see what you’re seeing.
The next game I tried is Herobound: Spirit Champion, which is actually a sequel to Herobound: First Steps, a game that Oculus made last year. Developed by Gunfire Games, Herobound is essentially a Zelda-type adventure game where you fight enemies and complete puzzles and missions. Unlike the earlier game, I had to use a Bluetooth controller in order to move the character around and swing a sword. That said, I could still do things like look at a target in order to aim an arrow at it, which is something I wouldn’t be able to do outside of VR.
Last but certainly not least is a game called Omega Agent by Fireproof Studios, which is the same outfit behind The Room and The Room 2, a couple of excellent puzzle games for Android and iOS. Omega Agent is basically a secret agent jetpack game where, you guessed it, you get to fly a jetpack and shoot at targets. If that sounds ridiculously fun, well, it is. The visuals are fairly simple cartoony graphics but the sensation of flying around a city with a jetpack is . Cohen recommended that I sit on a swivel chair and turn on a “Swivel Chair” mode in settings (Yes, that’s a real option) where the jetpack turns as you turn in order to reduce motion sickness. But, perhaps due to the somewhat low-res graphics, I still felt pretty dizzy afterwards.
“We believe in designed-for-VR games,” says Cohen of the games I tried. Both Omega Agent and Herobound are available now (the former is $9.99 while the latter is free) while the Keep Talking game’s pricing and release date are still to be determined. “VR builds more of an emotional connection than traditional media. You’re more connected to the character. You get more a sense that you’re there, more interaction,” he says of the experience. “Initial titles were existing IP properties that were kinda mapped over. But the platform is maturing at this point,” he says, adding that there’s a bunch more content now on the app store even though it’s only been out for a few months.
As for the hardware itself, Cohen says that it’s still technically an Innovator Edition, but that doesn’t mean it’s not consumer-ready. “[The Innovator Edition] label shows we still have work to do, but right now it’s not nearly as much work compared to awhile back.” Indeed, from the hardware perspective, Cohen says that they feel very good about the quality. The software is also starting to get there. “During the Gear VR for Note 4 timeline, a lot of the messaging was that the device was great but Oculus was telling you not to buy it. That’s not the message here for the S6.”
But that doesn’t mean you should toss out the old Gear VR either. “Because the software gets updated, the Note 4 gets all the benefits that the S6 has as well.” Some of those benefits include updates to Oculus Cinema, the ability to stream 360 photos and more. “The difference between this Gear VR and the one for the Note is not night and day. I wouldn’t throw my Note away in the trash.”
Indeed, Cohen offered a hint that we could be expecting even more out of the Gear VR team in the near future. “We’re going to make VR accessible to a very large market,” he says. “Our eyes are towards the fall. It’s when we think consumer VR will really take off for mobile.” While he wouldn’t offer specifics, I have to assume there’ll probably a new Samsung handset coming out later this year, along with possibly a new headset as well.
I also asked Cohen if progress on the Gear VR would affect anything over on the Rift side of things (which, incidentally, should finally roll out to consumers in early 2016). “We’ve learned a lot about what people want,” he says. “How do people navigate, how do they purchase apps, do they want to purchase in VR or on their phones … We’re learning a lot on how to make the Rift experience better.” Additionally, he says that a lot of the content on Gear VR can be ported over to the Rift and vice versa.
As far as non-gaming uses go, Cohen told us that Oculus has been experimenting with social cinema, or the ability to watch movies together even though you and your friends are spread out around the world. “I personally think social interaction is one of the most compelling usecases for VR,” says Cohen. “Watching a movie together, going through photos, watching cat videos … Having that emotional connection and presence as if they’re there with you. I think that’s what’s going to drive VR usage.” Indeed, the potential for social VR is one of the reasons Facebook was so interested in Oculus, and it’s also a key reason as to why Oculus agreed to be a part of Facebook.
However, the team’s main focus is still games. “I take it with me when I travel,” says Cohen, adding that he sometimes wears it on the plane. “It lets you escape the confines of your economy class seat and feel like you’re in a huge space.” He did offer a warning if you plan on doing this though. “Just remember that you’re wearing a headset and not to whack the person next to you.”
For even further impressions of the latest Gear VR for the Galaxy S6, stay tuned for our full review.
Samsung’s Gear VR for Galaxy S6 is out today for $199
If you just got yourself a Samsung Galaxy S6 (or its curvier sibling, the S6 Edge) and you happen to be a fan of VR, well good news: the latest Gear VR for the Galaxy S6 is now officially on sale. It’s still in limited rollout but it should be in your local Best Buy starting today for around $199, with availability expanding quickly to even more places. Introduced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the new headset is not only designed for Samsung’s new phones, but also features a number of improvements over the original Gear VR for the Note 4. We had a chance to take a brief spin with the new hardware a few days ago, tried out a few new made-for-VR games and also talked to Max Cohen, VP of mobile at Oculus, for more on Gear VR’s future.
Not much has changed with the Gear VR from our hands-on in March, but we’ll offer a brief recap of the hardware anyway. In comparison with the original, the new headset is definitely smaller and lighter, which befits the S6’s more petite stature. The straps have also been redesigned for better weight balance and there’s now additional padding on the rear strap for a slightly more comfortable fit. And unlike the original, the new headgear has a USB port so you can charge the S6 while it’s nestled in. The focus ring adjustment now goes further in both directions plus there’s mechanical fan to cool you down. From my experience wearing the device, I can also say the picture quality is excellent — really sharp images with hardly any screendoor effect at all.
Now on to the game demos. Cohen had me try out three new made-for-VR games that he thought would best represent the range of VR games that are now available for the Gear VR — remember that you can now purchase and download these games from a paid app store. The first is a unique party game called Keep Talking and No One Explodes developed by Steel Crate Games. The person who’s wearing the headset would be tasked with diffusing a bomb, while other people in the same room would instruct them on how to do so by using an instruction manual.
I played a brief stint of the game with a couple of colleagues at our San Francisco office, and it was a lot of fun, albeit stressful. I had to describe what I saw in each bomb module and then my co-workers would reference a rather thick user manual, ask me questions and talk me through what I needed to do while the clock was ticking. It reminded me a lot of Spaceteam or other collaborative games where players had to help each other, except in this case, I was the only one at the controls. Cohen says that this is a good example of a game that wouldn’t work too well outside of VR, since it would spoil the fun if everyone else could see what you’re seeing.
The next game I tried is Herobound: Spirit Champion, which is actually a sequel to Herobound: First Steps, a game that Oculus made last year. Developed by Gunfire Games, Herobound is essentially a Zelda-type adventure game where you fight enemies and complete puzzles and missions. Unlike the earlier game, I had to use a Bluetooth controller in order to move the character around and swing a sword. That said, I could still do things like look at a target in order to aim an arrow at it, which is something I wouldn’t be able to do outside of VR.
Last but certainly not least is a game called Omega Agent by Fireproof Studios, which is the same outfit behind The Room and The Room 2, a couple of excellent puzzle games for Android and iOS. Omega Agent is basically a secret agent jetpack game where, you guessed it, you get to fly a jetpack and shoot at targets. If that sounds ridiculously fun, well, it is. The visuals are fairly simple cartoony graphics but the sensation of flying around a city with a jetpack is . Cohen recommended that I sit on a swivel chair and turn on a “Swivel Chair” mode in settings (Yes, that’s a real option) where the jetpack turns as you turn in order to reduce motion sickness. But, perhaps due to the somewhat low-res graphics, I still felt pretty dizzy afterwards.
“We believe in designed-for-VR games,” says Cohen of the games I tried. Both Omega Agent and Herobound are available now (the former is $9.99 while the latter is free) while the Keep Talking game’s pricing and release date are still to be determined. “VR builds more of an emotional connection than traditional media. You’re more connected to the character. You get more a sense that you’re there, more interaction,” he says of the experience. “Initial titles were existing IP properties that were kinda mapped over. But the platform is maturing at this point,” he says, adding that there’s a bunch more content now on the app store even though it’s only been out for a few months.
As for the hardware itself, Cohen says that it’s still technically an Innovator Edition, but that doesn’t mean it’s not consumer-ready. “[The Innovator Edition] label shows we still have work to do, but right now it’s not nearly as much work compared to awhile back.” Indeed, from the hardware perspective, Cohen says that they feel very good about the quality. The software is also starting to get there. “During the Gear VR for Note 4 timeline, a lot of the messaging was that the device was great but Oculus was telling you not to buy it. That’s not the message here for the S6.”
But that doesn’t mean you should toss out the old Gear VR either. “Because the software gets updated, the Note 4 gets all the benefits that the S6 has as well.” Some of those benefits include updates to Oculus Cinema, the ability to stream 360 photos and more. “The difference between this Gear VR and the one for the Note is not night and day. I wouldn’t throw my Note away in the trash.”
Indeed, Cohen offered a hint that we could be expecting even more out of the Gear VR team in the near future. “We’re going to make VR accessible to a very large market,” he says. “Our eyes are towards the fall. It’s when we think consumer VR will really take off for mobile.” While he wouldn’t offer specifics, I have to assume there’ll probably a new Samsung handset coming out later this year, along with possibly a new headset as well.
I also asked Cohen if progress on the Gear VR would affect anything over on the Rift side of things (which, incidentally, should finally roll out to consumers in early 2016). “We’ve learned a lot about what people want,” he says. “How do people navigate, how do they purchase apps, do they want to purchase in VR or on their phones … We’re learning a lot on how to make the Rift experience better.” Additionally, he says that a lot of the content on Gear VR can be ported over to the Rift and vice versa.
As far as non-gaming uses go, Cohen told us that Oculus has been experimenting with social cinema, or the ability to watch movies together even though you and your friends are spread out around the world. “I personally think social interaction is one of the most compelling usecases for VR,” says Cohen. “Watching a movie together, going through photos, watching cat videos … Having that emotional connection and presence as if they’re there with you. I think that’s what’s going to drive VR usage.” Indeed, the potential for social VR is one of the reasons Facebook was so interested in Oculus, and it’s also a key reason as to why Oculus agreed to be a part of Facebook.
However, the team’s main focus is still games. “I take it with me when I travel,” says Cohen, adding that he sometimes wears it on the plane. “It lets you escape the confines of your economy class seat and feel like you’re in a huge space.” He did offer a warning if you plan on doing this though. “Just remember that you’re wearing a headset and not to whack the person next to you.”
For even further impressions of the latest Gear VR for the Galaxy S6, stay tuned for our full review.
This is what Samsung’s Gear VR for the Galaxy S6 is like
If you just got yourself a Samsung Galaxy S6 (or its curvier sibling, the S6 Edge) and you happen to be a fan of VR, well good news: the latest Gear VR for the Galaxy S6 is now officially on sale. It’s still in limited rollout but it should be in your local Best Buy starting today for around $199, with availability expanding quickly to even more places. Introduced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the new headset is not only designed for Samsung’s new phones, but also features a number of improvements over the original Gear VR for the Note 4. We had a chance to take a brief spin with the new hardware a few days ago, tried out a few new made-for-VR games and also talked to Max Cohen, VP of mobile at Oculus, for more on Gear VR’s future.
Not much has changed with the Gear VR from our hands-on in March, but we’ll offer a brief recap of the hardware anyway. In comparison with the original, the new headset is definitely smaller and lighter, which befits the S6’s more petite stature. The straps have also been redesigned for better weight balance and there’s now additional padding on the rear strap for a slightly more comfortable fit. And unlike the original, the new headgear has a USB port so you can charge the S6 while it’s nestled in. The focus ring adjustment now goes further in both directions plus there’s mechanical fan to cool you down. From my experience wearing the device, I can also say the picture quality is excellent — really sharp images with hardly any screendoor effect at all.
Now on to the game demos. Cohen had me try out three new made-for-VR games that he thought would best represent the range of VR games that are now available for the Gear VR — remember that you can now purchase and download these games from a paid app store. The first is a unique party game called Keep Talking and No One Explodes developed by Steel Crate Games. The person who’s wearing the headset would be tasked with diffusing a bomb, while other people in the same room would instruct them on how to do so by using an instruction manual.
I played a brief stint of the game with a couple of colleagues at our San Francisco office, and it was a lot of fun, albeit stressful. I had to describe what I saw in each bomb module and then my co-workers would reference a rather thick user manual, ask me questions and talk me through what I needed to do while the clock was ticking. It reminded me a lot of Spaceteam or other collaborative games where players had to help each other, except in this case, I was the only one at the controls. Cohen says that this is a good example of a game that wouldn’t work too well outside of VR, since it would spoil the fun if everyone else could see what you’re seeing.
The next game I tried is Herobound: Spirit Champion, which is actually a sequel to Herobound: First Steps, a game that Oculus made last year. Developed by Gunfire Games, Herobound is essentially a Zelda-type adventure game where you fight enemies and complete puzzles and missions. Unlike the earlier game, I had to use a Bluetooth controller in order to move the character around and swing a sword. That said, I could still do things like look at a target in order to aim an arrow at it, which is something I wouldn’t be able to do outside of VR.
Last but certainly not least is a game called Omega Agent by Fireproof Studios, which is the same outfit behind The Room and The Room 2, a couple of excellent puzzle games for Android and iOS. Omega Agent is basically a secret agent jetpack game where, you guessed it, you get to fly a jetpack and shoot at targets. If that sounds ridiculously fun, well, it is. The visuals are fairly simple cartoony graphics but the sensation of flying around a city with a jetpack is . Cohen recommended that I sit on a swivel chair and turn on a “Swivel Chair” mode in settings (Yes, that’s a real option) where the jetpack turns as you turn in order to reduce motion sickness. But, perhaps due to the somewhat low-res graphics, I still felt pretty dizzy afterwards.
“We believe in designed-for-VR games,” says Cohen of the games I tried. Both Omega Agent and Herobound are available now (the former is $9.99 while the latter is free) while the Keep Talking game’s pricing and release date are still to be determined. “VR builds more of an emotional connection than traditional media. You’re more connected to the character. You get more a sense that you’re there, more interaction,” he says of the experience. “Initial titles were existing IP properties that were kinda mapped over. But the platform is maturing at this point,” he says, adding that there’s a bunch more content now on the app store even though it’s only been out for a few months.
As for the hardware itself, Cohen says that it’s still technically an Innovator Edition, but that doesn’t mean it’s not consumer-ready. “[The Innovator Edition] label shows we still have work to do, but right now it’s not nearly as much work compared to awhile back.” Indeed, from the hardware perspective, Cohen says that they feel very good about the quality. The software is also starting to get there. “During the Gear VR for Note 4 timeline, a lot of the messaging was that the device was great but Oculus was telling you not to buy it. That’s not the message here for the S6.”
But that doesn’t mean you should toss out the old Gear VR either. “Because the software gets updated, the Note 4 gets all the benefits that the S6 has as well.” Some of those benefits include updates to Oculus Cinema, the ability to stream 360 photos and more. “The difference between this Gear VR and the one for the Note is not night and day. I wouldn’t throw my Note away in the trash.”
Indeed, Cohen offered a hint that we could be expecting even more out of the Gear VR team in the near future. “We’re going to make VR accessible to a very large market,” he says. “Our eyes are towards the fall. It’s when we think consumer VR will really take off for mobile.” While he wouldn’t offer specifics, I have to assume there’ll probably a new Samsung handset coming out later this year, along with possibly a new headset as well.
I also asked Cohen if progress on the Gear VR would affect anything over on the Rift side of things (which, incidentally, should finally roll out to consumers in early 2016). “We’ve learned a lot about what people want,” he says. “How do people navigate, how do they purchase apps, do they want to purchase in VR or on their phones … We’re learning a lot on how to make the Rift experience better.” Additionally, he says that a lot of the content on Gear VR can be ported over to the Rift and vice versa.
As far as non-gaming uses go, Cohen told us that Oculus has been experimenting with social cinema, or the ability to watch movies together even though you and your friends are spread out around the world. “I personally think social interaction is one of the most compelling usecases for VR,” says Cohen. “Watching a movie together, going through photos, watching cat videos … Having that emotional connection and presence as if they’re there with you. I think that’s what’s going to drive VR usage.” Indeed, the potential for social VR is one of the reasons Facebook was so interested in Oculus, and it’s also a key reason as to why Oculus agreed to be a part of Facebook.
However, the team’s main focus is still games. “I take it with me when I travel,” says Cohen, adding that he sometimes wears it on the plane. “It lets you escape the confines of your economy class seat and feel like you’re in a huge space.” He did offer a warning if you plan on doing this though. “Just remember that you’re wearing a headset and not to whack the person next to you.”
For even further impressions of the latest Gear VR for the Galaxy S6, stay tuned for our full review.
Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge receiving firmware update, said to fix the RAM management issues
It’s been common knowledge that the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge smartphones have suffered from RAM management issues that affect the handsets performance when users attempt to multitask. Samsung acknowledged the bug a while ago, and now we have news that the Korean company is in the process of pushing out a firmware update to rectify the problem.
The incoming update has build number G920FXXU1AODG and is around 138MB in size. It was first noticed on the Vodafone network in Italy for the Galaxy S6, although it has been reported that the Galaxy S6 edge is also receiving the update on the Vodafone network in the UK. 
As you can see in the image above, the changelog is a little vague but hopefully it will fix the RAM management issues causing the lag. While the update has only been noticed on the Vodafone network in the Italy and the UK so far, I’m sure it won’t be long until a more extensive roll-out is commenced. If you’ve received the OTA on your Galaxy S6/S6 edge, let us know in the comments if the update has improved your handset’s performance.
Source: GSMArena
Come comment on this article: Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge receiving firmware update, said to fix the RAM management issues
Samsung updating Galaxy Tab 4 10.1-inch with Android 5.0.2
If you are the proud owner of a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 of the 10.1-inch variety, good news, you are about to receive the Android 5.0.2 Lollipop update.
Samsung began pushing the update to users via OTA on Thursday. As always, watch for the notification, or head into the System Updates section deep down in your settings.
Included in this update for your tablet, aside from the wonders of Android Lollipop itself, including Material Design, is a new TouchWiz UI, new notifications panel, multitasking menu and a slew of performance enhancements and bug fixes. In addition, there is a new lock screen with improved notification handling. Much the same stuff we see on the recently updated Galaxy Tab S 8.4.
As a reminder, for those that do not have the device, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1 is, as the name suggests, a 10.1-inch device with 1280×800 resolution. It is powered by a 1.2 GHz quad-core processor with 1.5GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. It was first released almost exactly a year ago, and ran for about $349.00.
What aspect of Lollipop are you most interested in experiencing on your Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 10.1?
AIVAnet 