Samsung will release a theming tool for Galaxy S6 sometime in April
While we’ve known that the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones will allow users to customize the handsets thanks to the Themes option first seen in the Galaxy A series of phones, it hasn’t been clear exactly how 3rd party theme makers would be able to distribute their offerings for the S6. Until now, thanks to Reddit member, gedankenreich, receiving a reply from Samsung on the matter.
According to Samsung’s reply (below), there will be a new theming tool made available for the international Galaxy S6 sometime in April. It’s possible that it could just be an updated version of the theming tool for the Chinese Note 4, A5 and A7, but that tool is limited to custom icons and wallpapers at the present time. For me, the reply seems to imply that a new authoring tool will be made available for the S6, although as with all hunches, a liberal pinch of salt is required.
Changing themes on our smartphones is such an easy way to customize and personalize our devices, I’m surprised that it’s taken so long for this ability to become a baked-in feature. Especially when you consider how versatile the Android operating system is, and how many different launchers there are available in the Play Store. If you are one of the predicted 55 million future owners of the Galaxy S6, what theme would you like to see on your new phone?
Come comment on this article: Samsung will release a theming tool for Galaxy S6 sometime in April
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge just about survives a dunking
Despite last year’s Galaxy S5 boasting an IP67 rating that meant it was water and dust resistant, Samsung decided not to continue the practice with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge flagship handsets. The S6 Edge has come in for some rough treatment lately, having survived a confrontation with a carpet earlier. Will we see Samsung’s latest and greatest survive a bowl of water?
TechSmartt’s Keaton Keller set out to find if the S6 Edge could survive in a bowl of water for any amount of time and the results were a little better than to be expected. Keller allowed the S6 Edge to remain submerged for 22 minutes, although it was removed a couple of times just to check its status. You can see in the video that water did find its way inside the handset, resulting in the front camera misting up. Although the handset did get stuck in a boot loop initially, after a while it did boot up as normal, although the front camera was out for the count. It’s probably not advisable to go swimming with your Galaxy S6 Edge, but it should be able to survive the odd spillage here and there.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Come comment on this article: Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge just about survives a dunking
Samsung is working on a unified web browser for all their internet-connected products
Samsung already has their own browser on their smartphones, but it looks like they are creating a more unified approach for all their devices. The new browser will be called “Samsung Browser” and will be pre-installed on all internet-connected devices such as smartphones, tablets, and TVs.
The new browser, based on WebKit, will also support Web Video Casting, Reader Mode, offline saving, and support for the S Pen. We can only assume that it will sync bookmarks just like Chrome does.
Samsung will utilize Blink web rendering, but they are also working with Mozilla on a new rendering engine called Servo.
source: Tizen Indonesia
via: SamMobile
Come comment on this article: Samsung is working on a unified web browser for all their internet-connected products
SK Telecom suspension could potentially hurt Galaxy S6 sales
Korea’s Communication Commission is planning on suspending SK Telecom’s ability to sign up new customers for a seven day period, and it looks like that sanction might hit right on the launch date (April 10th) of Samsung’s Galaxy S6. With SK Telecom accounting for 50% of wireless market share in South Korea, that’s a tough blow to take for Samsung.
SK Telecom was found to have to been offering illegal subsidies for customers, so the KCC will issue this suspension and a hefty fine to deter the company from doing anything similar again. They’ll announce when the suspension will be later on March 30th, so we’ll find out whether or not Samsung’s newest flagship will get caught in the crossfire.
source: Business Korea
Come comment on this article: SK Telecom suspension could potentially hurt Galaxy S6 sales
Samsung aren’t working on Android 5.1 for the Galaxy Note 4 or any other devices yet
If you are the proud owner of a Galaxy Note 4, you’ve probably been getting more and more excited about the news we keep hearing that Samsung is working hard on an Android 5.1 update that will bring the latest version of TouchWiz to your device. Sadly, it seems that these rumours may well be untrue.
Indeed, the Galaxy Note 4 is still waiting for the Android 5.0.2 update in some regions, instead having to make do with Android 4.4 KitKat. So why isn’t Samsung working hard on bringing Android 5.1 to its vast array of devices? Just that, Samsung’s vast array of devices means that it takes longer to update each eligible device, which means it can’t just move its developers on to next version of Android. According to SamMobile’s sources, Samsung is not working on Android 5.1 for any of its devices at the present time. Nor is there any details available about bringing the latest TouchWiz to the Galaxy Note 4 when Android 5.1 is eventually released. And it could be worse.
Remember when the Note 2 was released with Jelly Bean 4.1, Samsung decided to skip the Android 4.2 update and move right along to 4.3 leaving the Note 2 on the same software for a year or so? It might well happen with the Note 4. While you could understand the reasoning in part, that the Note series is more difficult to update thanks to its additional features and S-Pen functionality, it was cold comfort to those Note 2 owners. I know because I was one of them. Let’s hope that Samsung doesn’t decide to do something similar with the Note 4 with regards to Android 5.1 as it struggles to get through its backlog of scheduled updates for its devices.
Source: SamMobile
Come comment on this article: Samsung aren’t working on Android 5.1 for the Galaxy Note 4 or any other devices yet
Android Authority this week – March 29, 2015
Android fans, this week brought us closer to the release of the hot new Galaxy S6 and One M9; Cyanogen made waves again with its aggressive rhetoric against Google; leaks revealed our first credible look at the LG G4, due in late April; we heard rumors about the One M9+ and the Galaxy S6 Active; Google updated some of its apps and we heard reports about some new ones; a bezel-less Oppo device broke cover; Xiaomi teased a new device for March 31; and finally OnePlus said it’s preparing to unveil a… drone?
Inside AA HQ
Josh worked hard to get the second big review of the season, the One M9, in time for the embargo on Sunday evening (seriously, HTC, weekend embargoes are always a bad idea). You should definitely check it out if you’re interesting in buying the new M9 or just to see how it stacks up.
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All in all, we’re pretty proud of how the M9 and Galaxy S6 reviews came out, and we hope you find them useful and informative. And we’re not stopping here; expect more comparisons and “feature focus” pieces where we look at the marquee features of both devices in the following days and weeks.
As for what’s next, Lanh has the Galaxy S6 Edge and he’ll be bringing his impressions pretty soon, while our resident ninja, Kevin, is about to get his review of the exotic Meizu M1 Note out in no time.
We’re ramping out our sister site, TabTimes. Derek pushed out a fresh new design and Jon is in charge of bringing you steaming-hot posts about iPad, Android tablets, Windows tablets, and everything else. Let us know what kind of content you would like to see more of!
Last week it was a Galaxy S6. Today, it’s a Nexus 9 that we’re putting up for grabs in our weekly international giveaway. It takes just a minute to throw your name in the hat: check it out here!
The Friday Debate Podcast
The stuff you shouldn’t miss
Here are some interesting posts for your Sunday reading:
- Throwback: The One M8 is a year-old – how well does it hold up?
- Review: The One M9 is here: is it more than a refinement to a well-known formula?
- Feature: Cher Wang is now the CEO of HTC – where will she take the troubled phone maker?
- Opinion: There is method in Samsung’s madness: why no SD and removable battery makes sense
- Opinion: Joe continues his series on things Google could do to improve the Play Store: this time it’s IAPs
- Review: Lanh reviews the ZTE Grand X Max+: does the phone match the name?
Top news of the week
And here are the top news in the Android world this week:
Cyanogen news
- Cyanogen CEO: We’re putting a bullet through Google’s head
- Cyanogen receives $80 million in funding from Qualcomm, Twitter, and others
LG G4 rumors
- Report: LG G4 to forgo metal in favor of plastic
- Korea report: LG G4 to come with a curved display
- Could this be our first look at the LG G4?
One M9 and M9+
- New HTC One M9+ mock-up shows the phone compared to the One M9
- HTC One M9+ to be launched on April 8 in Beijing
Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Active
- Samsung explains how it freed the Galaxy S6 from “cumbersome bloatware”
- Watch the Galaxy S6 being teared to pieces in this 17-minute video
- Galaxy S6 system dump available online
- AT&T and T-Mobile reveal Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge pricing
- Rumor: Galaxy S6 Active to include microSD slot and bigger battery
- Report: Samsung to triple Galaxy S6 Edge production
- S. Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge pre-orders start March 27th, sales begin April 10
Google apps updates
- Google might soon let you receive and pay bills from inside Gmail
- YouTube Live will reportedly launch later this year, centered around live streaming games
- Google Keep version 3.1 update brings recurring reminders and label support
- Google Docs, Sheets and Slides updated with UI tweaks
- Google Maps now lets you see maps from Google My Maps
Look ma, no bezels
Xiaomi is not slowing down
- Xiaomi launches new 40-inch 1080p Mi TV 2, costs $322
- Xiaomi teasing new products for March 31. Smartwatch incoming?
OnePlus: no Oxygen, just a drone
- OnePlus delays Oxygen OS, but teases a drone (unless it’s an April’s Fool joke)
- OnePlus’ self-imposed OxygenOS deadline delayed, assures better communication in the future
- CM12S OTA update is coming to OnePlus One users in India
Sound off
We always want to hear your feedback. Whether it’s criticism or praise, feel free to tell us what you think about Android Authority’s content, design, and community. Comment here or get in touch with us on our social channels:
Happy Sunday!
Verizon starts pushing out Lollipop update for the Galaxy S5… Again!
If you cast your mind back to early February, you may remember that Verizon claimed that it was rolling out the much-anticipated Lollipop update for the Galaxy S5. However, it appears the carrier pulled the original upgrade (version number: G900VVRU1BNLC ) with no reason given, and has today started pushing out an identical build of Android 5.0 to the handset, with this new version number: G900VVRU1BOA4.
The two versions seem to be exactly the same, both bringing support for multiple accounts, improved notifications, a smoother multitasking experience, Ambient Display, smarter internet connections and the recently-announced Material Design guidelines.
To start the update, make sure you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network. Then, from the home screen, press the Menu key, followed by Settings. Scroll to the bottom and tap ‘About Device’, followed by ‘Software Update and ‘Update Now’.
Source: Verizon
Via: AndroidPolice
Come comment on this article: Verizon starts pushing out Lollipop update for the Galaxy S5… Again!
How much free space do you actually get on a Galaxy S6?
The folks over at GSM Arena have been lucky enough to get their hands on three of Samsung’s flagship smartphones of 2015, the Galaxy S6, and have taken to their blog to report how much free space you’ll actually be getting when you purchase a 32GB, 64GB or 128GB model.
Straight out of the box, the 32GB model will have a mere 23GB of free storage, with a whopping 9GB being taken up by Samsung’s firmware. More specifically, 6.5GB has been assigned to the operating system, with 2.5GB being allotted to stock applications, which can, of course, be disabled, but not uninstalled.
The 64GB variant will ship with around 54GB of clear space, whilst the beastly 128GB version will have 118GB free for all of your apps, documents, pictures, videos and music.
So which model should you opt for?
I’d recommend picking up the 64GB Galaxy S6 if you can. My reasoning behind this is simple. Most smartphones on the market ship with 32GB of internal memory, but users still find themselves inserting a microSD card in order to store additional files. Seeing as Samsung removed the microSD card slot from the S6, it would be best to opt for a higher capacity, so you don’t risk running out of space.
Source: GSM Arena
Come comment on this article: How much free space do you actually get on a Galaxy S6?
HTC One M9 and Galaxy S6 pre-orders kick off: which are you buying?
The time has come for many smartphone fans around the world to choose which device they’ll pick up next – the Samsung Galaxy S6 or the HTC One M9. Both devices are now up for pre-order on most U.S. carriers, so tell us, which one will you choose?
Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are arguably two of the most beautiful devices the company has ever produced. Both handsets feature a dual-sided glass build with metal trim and a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED Quad HD display. The S6 has a 2550mAh non-removable battery, while the S6 Edge will give you a little more juice with its 2600mAh cell. They’re both powered by a Samsung Exynos 7420 processor, 3GB of RAM, and either 32, 64 or 128GB of on-board storage. Although Samsung has opted to give us higher storage options this time around, the omission of a microSD card slot and removable batteries may stray Samsung fans away from the company’s newest devices. To learn more about the Galaxy S6, check out our full review.
Where to buy:
Since there are multiple different storage options available on each carrier, to save some room, we’ll give you availability info for the 32GB variant of each device.
Galaxy S6
- AT&T – $199.99 with a two-year agreement/$22.84 per month with the Next 24 program
- T-Mobile – $679.91 outright/$27.50 per month over 24 months
- Sprint – $199.99 with a two-year agreement (after $50 mail-in rebate)/$20 per month over 24 months
- U.S. Cellular – $199.99 with a two-year agreement/$34 per month for 20 months
- Verizon has yet to open up pre-orders, but you can sign up on this page to get updates on the device
Galaxy S6 Edge
- AT&T – $299.99 with a two-year agreement/$27.17 per month with the Next 24 program
- T-Mobile – $779.76 outright/$32.49 per month over 24 months
- Sprint – $299.99 with a two-year agreement/$25 per month over 24 months
- U.S. Cellular – $299.99 with a two-year agreement/$39.50 per month over 20 months
- Verizon hasn’t opened up pre-orders for the S6 Edge either, but you can sign up on this page to get updates on the device
Read more:
- Samsung Galaxy S6 hands-on and first impressions
- Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge hands-on and first impressions
- Samsung Galaxy S6 officially announced: here’s what you need to know
- Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Apple iPhone 6
HTC One M9
While Samsung changed just about everything with the S6 and S6 Edge, HTC went for a more iterative approach this time around. Even so, it’s hard denying that the HTC One M9 is one beautiful smartphone. The handset features HTC’s iconic aluminum unibody design language and a 5.0-inch LCD full HD display. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB of RAM and comes with 32GB of on-board storage with microSD expansion up to 128GB. It also has a non-removable 2840mAh battery. HTC decided to move the UltraPixel camera around to the front of the M9, but the device’s 20.7MP rear-facing shooter just doesn’t compare to the Galaxy S6’s 16MP camera. Many HTC fans have been concerned that the One M9 isn’t a worthy upgrade from the One M8, though many would argue the company didn’t need to make drastic changes this time around. For more information on the One M9, check out our full review.
Where to buy:
- AT&T – $199.99 with a two-year agreement/$23.64 per month with the Next 24 program
- T-Mobile – $649.92 outright/$27.08 per month over 24 months
- Sprint – $199.99 with a two-year agreement/$20 per month over 24 months
- Verizon’s pre-orders begin April 1st, and you can sign up here if you’d like updates on the device
- HTC – $649 outright for the unlocked/developer editions
Read more:
- HTC One M9 hands-on and first impressions
- HTC One M9 officially announced: here’s what you need to know
- HTC One M9 vs HTC One M8 quick look
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Samsung Galaxy S6 is still full of bloatware
The hopeful promise that Samsung was doing away with their bloatware applications for the Galaxy S6 is unfortunately an empty one, with no less than 56 pre-installed applications on the device.
According to Gizmodo, the Galaxy S6 has six more apps pre-installed than last years Note 4, which now include Microsoft’s suite of apps. That is combined with Google’s, Samsung’s, the carriers, and even social apps like Whatsapp and Instagram.
For a comparison, the ‘near-stock’ build of the Moto G comes with 33 pre-installed applications.
This means that of the 32GB of available storage on the basic model of the Galaxy S6, only 24GB is available to the user. In addition, the mention of being able to uninstall pre-installed applications is only true for a very slim sub-set of the selection, with most only able to be disabled.
Best get that 64GB model after all.
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