Samsung commits to loading Microsoft apps on future devices
Samsung says it plans to install a number of Microsoft apps on its upcoming smartphones and tablets. Starting with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung’s lineup will come loaded with OneDrive, OneNote, and Skype. Both smartphones come with 100GB free cloud storage for two years through Microsoft OneDrive, allowing extra storage space for media. Looking ahead, Samsung will pre-install Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, OneNote, and Skype on some of its tablets.
“Great things happen when you converge services and devices,” said Peggy Johnson, executive vice president of business development, Microsoft. “Our partnership with Samsung is emblematic of our efforts to bring the best of Microsoft’s productivity services to everyone, on every device, so people can be productive wherever, however and whenever they want.”
In related news, Dell and a host of other hardware makers have confirmed similar intentions.
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Samsung is planning to manufacture the S6 and S6 Edge in India
Samsung has today announced that it will begin manufacturing the recently-announced Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge in India as early as next month. This move presumably is an effort to combat the nasty import fees the company has to pay annually and leave more room for profit.
Although both flagship smartphones will be manufactured in India, they won’t face a price drop just yet. The Galaxy S6 units produced there will merely be used to meet the rapidly-growing local demand, and, seeing as Samsung will need to hire more workers, it should also receive a TNC (Transnational Company) tax reduction.
So, as it stands, this decision looks like an effort on Samsung’s part to reduce its expenditure when producing smartphones to send to the Asian market, by simply manufacturing them there. This results in higher profit margins, which the company needs desperately as it didn’t do as well as it hoped last year.
Samsung is scheduled to release the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge in India on April 10.
Source: TechPP
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iFixit publishes the first teardown video of the Galaxy S6
In what’s now become its usual fashion, the folks over at iFixit have managed to get their hands on another smartphone prior to its official release to disassemble and show us just how easy or difficult it is to fix and rebuild. This time we’re looking at the Galaxy S6, which can be taken apart in just 12 steps, but due to incredibly small parts would be somewhat tedious to repair at home.
Hit the break to see the full teardown video.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Source: iFixit
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Galaxy S6 axes bloatware; most apps can be removed
Over the years, phone manufacturers have put more and more pre-installed applications on every new device with no ability to remove them. It got to the point where it would not only take up precious space, but it would hurt performance. Most notably, Samsung was dubbed the bloatware kings as their phone featured every Google app alongside their in-house apps which did the same functions. The good news with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge is that Samsung seems to have changed their approach and most of the pre-installed applications will be removable.
The Galaxy S6 has brought a radical new approach from Samsung in every aspect of the phone from design, hardware, and even software. Long ago, it was rumored this would be true and it seems as if an XDA user got his hands on a pre-release version of a Galaxy S6 edge to confirm those rumors.
While not every app is removable, such as the Galaxy app store and other phone specific applications, a good chunk are. Apps from Samsung that are removable include S-Health, Calculator, and even the ever annoying S-Voice app. It also seems as if every pre-installed Google app is removable and so are the new Microsoft apps.
Now that the Galaxy S6 features a radically different design and software combination, is that enough to tip your opinion over the edge (no pun intended)? Will you be picking up Samsung’s next device? Let us know!
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Microsoft apps coming to more Samsung devices this year
Samsung and Microsoft are extending their software partnership this year, in a bid to improve productivity services for regular customers and business users alike. To wit, Samsung will pre-install additional Microsoft services and apps on its upcoming Android devices.
The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge already come with Microsoft’s OneNote, OneDrive and Skype applications pre-installed and upcoming Samsung tablets, scheduled for a H1 2015 release, will come pre-packaged with Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint in addition to the S6’s software.
The aim appears to be to make Samsung’s products more appealing to the enterprise market, but general consumers may not take as kindly to the pre-installed “bloat” that they may never use. Businesses that purchase devices through Samsung’s business-to-business sales channels will be offered Business, Business Premium, and Enterprise Office 365 packages, coupled with Samsung’s KNOX security solution.
“Our goal is to meet the ever-evolving needs of both consumers and business customers and give them more power to discover new mobile experiences.” – SangChul Lee, Samsung Electronics
Microsoft appears to be increasingly receptive to opening up its software to competing operating systems and hardware, most likely in a bid to keeps its name relevant and to potentially lure customers back around to its operating system. Microsoft is currently a small player in the mobile market and risks losing software sales to unsupported platforms. Earlier in the year, Microsoft released its office software suite for Android tablets along with an Excel optimized keyboard. Rumors are also pointing to Cortana heading to Android in the future, not to mention the planned Windows 10 support for Xiaomi products.
Along with the Microsoft deal, Samsung also has an arrangement with BlackBerry to enhance its enterprise software suite. Samsung is looking to make itself stand out above the crowd in the business segment this year, with an extended range of applications and security features tailored to that market.
What do you think about the partnership?
Samsung, Microsoft expand partnership to bring more services to Android devices
Samsung and Microsoft have announced they are expanding their partnership, a move that will lead to more Microsoft services and apps being pre-installed on Samsung Android devices. The cornerstone of the new plan will be a Microsoft Office 365 and Samsung KNOX Business Pack which will be available as soon as the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge are released.
Consumers will discover that new Samsung smartphones will come with Microsoft’s OneNote, OneDrive and Skype pre-installed. The first devices to get this new stack will be the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge. Samsung is planning to provide a similar stack of pre-installed Microsoft apps, with the addition of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, on Android powered tablets hitting the market in the next few months. Samsung and Microsoft will also provide 100GB of cloud storage space through OneDrive for up to two years after a device is purchased.
The companies are also targeting business users by making three versions of Office 365 available that have been configured to work with Samsung’s KNOX security platform. Business buyers will even be able to get setup service provided to help get things up and running smoothly.
Samsung executive vice president of the Strategic Marketing Office, IT & Mobile Division, SangChul Lee, says “We believer our suite of premium mobile products coupled with Microsoft’s productivity services will offer users the mobility they need in both their personal and business life.”
Anyone out there looking forward to seeing Microsoft expanding their offerings via their partnership with Samsung?
source: Samsung
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Download the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge wallpapers
So you can’t wait for the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge to come out? Well how about enjoying their wallpapers early?
Below are the default bundled wallpapers for Samsung’s next flagship device and can be yours today. They come courtesy of XDA and a direct download link to grab the whole bunch of Galaxy S6 wallpapers is here.
Source: XDA
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Samsung explains how it freed the Galaxy S6 from “cumbersome bloatware”
Bloatware is a loosely defined term that’s thrown around quite liberally on Android forums, but it’s not often you hear a company using it, and much less in relation with its own products.
That’s why it’s surprising to see Samsung effectively bragging about how it removed “cumbersome bloatware” from the Galaxy S6 in this post from its official blog.
Samsung explains how it refined the software on the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge with a focus on simplicity. Steps like replacing icons with text, reducing the number of features by 40%, and cutting down the aforementioned “bloatware” create, according to Samsung, a “simple and powerful structure” designed with the user in mind.
Another thorny issue that Samsung touches on is lag. The company tacitly admits that its previous phones suffered from sluggishness, but the simplified UI and the “powerful processors” inside the S6 should “eliminate lag in responsiveness.”
Our Josh Vergara highlighted the Galaxy S6’ newfound smoothness in his review. One aspect that Josh particularly appreciated is the removal of the many popups and tutorial screens that Samsung previously used, which is enough to make the Galaxy S6 feel much nimbler.
As for bloatware, it looks that indeed, Samsung is serious about leaving its bad reputation behind. Many of the apps pre-installed on the Galaxy S6 are removable, allowing users to further streamline what is already the lightest implementation of TouchWiz in years.
Other software features that Samsung highlights are the powerful theming system and the edge features of the Galaxy S6 Edge.
For more on the Galaxy S6 software, make sure to check out our in-depth review. From what you’ve seen so far, are you happy with what Samsung did with TouchWiz?
iFixit’s teardown of the Samsung Galaxy S6 looks challenging
Although the Samsung Galaxy S6 was announced earlier this month, a person has gotten his hands on the device and has taken it apart. As phones like the Galaxy S6 become more streamlined, tearing apart the device for hardware maintenance becomes more difficult.
The full teardown can be viewed at iFixit, a site well-known for these disassemblies, and the video it produced is embedded below:
Source: 9to5Google
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Samsung to borrow from Xiaomi, adjusts Asia strategy to online marketing
Samsung introduced a few beneficial changes with its new Galaxy S6 smartphone and appears to be turning a new page across its broader mobile business this year as well. According to industry sources, Samsung is looking to adjust its marketing strategy for budget handsets, in a bid to compete with rival Chinese manufacturers in low cost markets.
Contractors and components suppliers state that Samsung is to borrow from Xiaomi’s successful strategy of marketing and selling smartphones through e-commerce partners located in specification regions, alongside its own online presence. India, Vietnam and China specific focuses are said to be in the works, and this strategy is unlikely to apply to Western markets.
“If Samsung sells more of its smartphones via its online channels, then it can save a huge amount in costs. This is also good for consumers as Samsung may provide handsets with more of a discount,”
It has become increasingly clear over the last twelve months that Samsung needs a new strategy to tackle the growth of brands like Xiaomi, which are impacting Samsung’s own sales levels and market share. Samsung saw profits tumble last year due to weakening global sales, although net profits are expected to level off this year, according to early estimates. The Asia market accounted for 53 percent of global smartphone shipments in 2014, but Samsung only took a 13 percent share, behind Apple’s 16 percent, which is lower than the company’s global average share.
“Xiaomi only sells its handsets via its official websites. Samsung management believes this strategy was one reason that helped the Chinese smartphone producer improve its bottom line in such a short time,”
However, this shift in strategy would not be without risk. Bang-for-buck in the hardware department is the other half of Xiaomi’s dominance in the online retail market, as is an extensive brand line-up and broader eco-system.
Samsung would be underestimating Xiaomi it believe that online marketing was the only major aspect of its business’ appeal. The company will have to match hardware, price and send the right consumer message if it wants to seriously compete with the low-cost brands. The move is also likely to cut profits from local carries, which could damage Samsung’s existing retail relationships in the region. This could be quite the gamble.
Samsung declined to comment on the matter, so we will have to wait and see exactly what the company has planned for Asia this year and whether or not it can rise to the low-cost competition driving the booming Asian smartphone market.
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