Samsung’s Batman Galaxy S7 Edge has Alfred on speed dial
What better way to celebrate the third anniversary of the popular mobile game Injustice: Gods Among Us than with a Batman-themed phone. Samsung created the Galaxy S7 Edge Justice Edition for the occasion (rather than the release of a certain movie), mixing black and gold accents for the new version. This special model “enhanced hardware and software capability” alongside larger battery capacity which should make the mobile gaming experience a bit better.
This isn’t the first time Samsung has gone full superhero. When The Avengers: Age of Ultron debuted a year ago, the company crafted an Iron Man Galaxy S6 Edge. In certain locales, the Batman handset will come bundled with a Gear VR headset for more immersive views. The phone will be available next month in China, Singapore, Korea, Latin America and Russia, but Samsung says more locations will be announced in the future.
Via: The Verge
Source: Samsung
The Wirecutter’s best deals: 20 percent off Samsung’s SmartThings Hub
This post was done in partnership with The Wirecutter, a buyer’s guide to the best technology. Read their continuously updated list of deals at TheWirecutter.com.
You may have already seen Engadget posting reviews from our friends at The Wirecutter. Now, from time to time, we’ll also be publishing their recommended deals on some of their top picks. Read on, and strike while the iron is hot — some of these sales could expire mighty soon.
Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader
Street price: $32; MSRP: $33; Deal price: $20
This recently expired deal is back and once again matches the low price we saw set in October. It tends to be stubborn about staying right near the MSRP with brief drops to the $20 range every few months.
The Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader is our pick for the best card reader. The Wirecutter staff wrote, “The folks at Camera Memory Speed got read/write speeds above 250 MBps, a feat no other card reader could match in their tests. By comparison, the cheapest USB 3.0 model they tested, the SD-only Transcend RDF5, managed an average of just 93 MBps. The Lexar can copy from both card slots simultaneously and supports UHS-II and UDMA 7 card protocols. It comes with a 42-inch USB 3.0 cable and a five-year warranty—most of its rivals have coverage for only one or two years.”
Patagonia Lightweight Tote
Street price: $80; MSRP: $80; Deal price: $63 with code MAY20
Make sure to use the code MAY20. There’s a small “Promo code” option inside your shopping cart page. It drops this tote down to $63 and you get 2-day shipping for free as well. The code only works on a single item, so you won’t be able to get discounts on the rest of your order.
The Patagonia Lightweight Tote is our packable daypack pick in our travel gear guide. We said, “This Patagonia Tote works great as a tote but makes no compromises in backpack performance. It has all the padding and straps you’d expect on a normal daypack.”
Samsung SmartThings Hub
Street price: $100; MSRP: $100; Deal price: $79
We just published our smart hub guide and already we’re seeing a solid deal. This Samsung hub has dropped to $79 once in the past, prior to us tracking it, but has consistently been in the $100 range otherwise.
The Samsung SmartThings Hub is our pick for the best smart hub. Jon Chase said it’s “a polished, powerful option for tech-savvy DIYers who have a desire for an integrated smart home but lack the budget for or interest in a professionally installed system. It’s easy to set up on your home network, and pairing it with other smart devices is largely seamless.”
SONOS PLAY:5
Street price: $500; MSRP: $500; Deal price: $500 with $50 gift card
This is the first time we’ve seen a good deal on this pick, though you’ll still be paying $500 initially. You’ll receive a $50 gift card with one-day or free Prime shipping afterwards. This is part of a sale on multiple Sonos items, and while we’ve seen a better price on the Sonos Play:1 before, this is also the first time we’re seeing a sale on the Sonos Playbar, which also includes a $50 giftcard.
The SONOS PLAY:5 is our “bigger sound for larger rooms” pick in our best multiroom wireless speaker system guide. Chris Heinonen said, “The Sonos PLAY:5 uses six drivers and amps to easily fill large spaces with full-range, detailed sound. They also sound great paired.”
Deals change all the time, and some of these may have expired. To see an updated list of current deals, please go to The Wirecutter.com.
Samsung denies giving up on Android Wear for smartwatches
Hold your horses, folks: Samsung hasn’t officially broken with up Android Wear just yet. A recent report from Fast Company cited unnamed Samsung executives who said the hardware giant wasn’t working on any Android Wear smartwatches, and didn’t plan to develop any new ones either. Sounds like a pretty emphatic answer, but Samsung disagreed when asked for comment:
“We disagree with Fast Company’s interpretation. Samsung has not made any announcement concerning Android Wear and we have not changed our commitment to any of our platforms.”
Yeah, not exactly the most compelling response, is it? Still, it adds a little color to what seemed like a black-and-white situation — Samsung hasn’t officially given up on Android Wear yet, but it might not make another Wear watch, either. The future, as they say, is still unwritten.
Of course, what made Fast Company’s report so compelling is just how plausible it was. After all, if you’ve been keeping tabs on the rise of Android Wear, Samsung bailing on the platform wouldn’t be a stretch. The company launched its first (and only) Wear watch at Google I/O two years ago, and it immediately failed to capture people’s imaginations the way wearables like the Moto 360 did. Even when it was brand new, the Gear Live felt more like an experiment than anything else — Samsung launched three Tizen-powered watches before it, and went full speed with Tizen after. Hell, the relatively recent Gear S2 actually wound up being pretty impressive. Didn’t see that one coming.
Tizen offers its share of advantages — those unnamed Samsung execs said it was more power-efficient, and would bring some cohesiveness to the company’s wearables lineup. More importantly, though, Tizen gives Samsung something it lacks with Android Wear: control. While the Android Wear 2.0 update packs some long-awaited improvements, device makers still can’t customize a Wear watch’s software as extensively as they can Android on a smartphone. That means Android Wear’s core aesthetic remains out of their reach, making hardware design and component choice the main differentiators between models. With Tizen, Samsung has fuller control over hardware and software, and it’s that unity that might — might — give Samsung something of an edge as the wearable war rages on. Then again, Android Wear enjoys much more popularity as a platform, and Samsung might not be done trying to capitalize on that yet. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Huawei sues Samsung over cellphone patents
No, the fighting between top smartphone makers isn’t done just yet. Huawei has sued Samsung in both China and the US for allegedly violating its patents on cellular technology and software through its cellphones. Unlike what you see in many such lawsuits, though, the Chinese tech leader isn’t demanding a straight financial penalty — it wants a cross-licensing deal where the two sides share patents, much like the ones it has with “dozens” of other partners.
Samsung hasn’t commented yet (we’ve reached out for its take). However, you might not see this turn into a knock-down-drag-out courtroom battle. Huawei’s demands hint that the lawsuit is more of a bargaining chip than an attempt to punish a competitor. Unless Samsung outright refuses to make a deal, it’s entirely possible that the mobile rivals will settle this out of court.
Via: 9to5Google
Source: BBC
This is what Samsung’s Gear Fit 2 (probably) looks like
As much as it’s possible to know anything about a company before it’s had the press conference, we know Samsung’s got wearable ambitions. In addition to a pair of Bragi-like wireless earbuds, the firm is putting the finishing touches to an updated version of the Gear Fit smartwatch it released in 2014. If this leaked publicity shot is to be believed, then the Gear Fit 2 will look smaller and sleeker than its predecessor. It chimes with earlier rumors that claimed the device would pack a 1.84-inch AMOLED screen, integrated GPS and 4GB of built-in storage. As for a release date, it’s pegged for June, but take everything written above with the traditional pinch of salt.
[ #타이젠 카페 ] 기어핏2 사진 모음 6월 부터 판매 시작 #기어핏 #기어S2 #스마트밴드 #스마트워치 #기어핏2 pic.twitter.com/DOvDIkR5pV
— 타이젠 카페 (TIZEN CAFE) (@esse1000k) May 23, 2016
Via: The Verge, SamMobile
Source: Tizen Cafe (Twitter)
Samsung Pay now works with your loyalty cards in the US
Samsung Pay can substitute for your credit and debit cards, but those probably aren’t the only hunks of plastic you’re looking to replace. What about the points program card for the grocery store, or the discount card for the pharmacy? Relax. Samsung Pay now supports loyalty and membership cards in the US, so you can make the most of those price drops and freebies without bulking up your wallet.
The service is a bit late to the party, since both Android Pay and Apple Pay have supported loyalty cards for a while. However, it’s potentially more useful due to Samsung Pay’s more universal terminal support. After all, it’s not as likely that you’ll run into a store that both supports NFC payments and loyalty cards — as long as you have a compatible Samsung phone, you can shop in most places knowing that all of your cards should work.
Source: Samsung
Gesture control is coming to phone-based VR
Right now, gesture control in virtual reality typically requires an expensive PC and specialized sensors. But what if you can only afford (or simply prefer) VR on your phone? Don’t worry, you’re covered. EyeSight Technologies has developed gesture control that uses your phone’s rear camera to allow touch-free input. It should work with any Android or iOS device, and it isn’t picky about headsets. Anything from Gear VR to Google Cardboard should work, although we can’t imagine Cardboard owners having much luck if they don’t have a head strap.
There’s no mention of just when you’ll see this gesture input in practice, although its hardware-independent nature makes it more a matter of integrating with the right apps. Also, more advanced experiences are in the pipeline. EyeSight is bringing its control scheme to phones with built-in 3D sensors, so you might get top-notch VR navigation without ever touching a computer or special controller.
Source: EyeSight, YouTube
Fitbit’s lead in the wearable world shrinks due to newcomers
Fitbit has ruled the wearable roost for a while, but it’s clear that the activity tracker maker can’t become complacent. IDC has released estimates which show that Fitbit lost a significant amount of market share in the first quarter. While its shipments were up 25.4 percent (to 4.8 million), its share plunged from 32.6 percent a year ago to 24.5 percent at the start of 2016. Simply put, the market is much more crowded than it was a year ago — it has to contend with the Apple Watch, China’s BBK and Lifesense, as well as a slew of smaller brands jumping into the field.
Not that some of the other incumbents can complain too loudly. Xiaomi and Garmin also lost share (they’re down to 22.8 percent and 5 percent respectively), but their shipments surged by more than a third.
As for smartwatches specifically? Apple was still out in front by a hefty margin, with 46 percent of the high-end wearable market. The next closest was Samsung, which fell to 20.9 percent. With 1.5 million shipments, though, Apple had less than a third of Fitbit’s clout — and that number was a sharp drop from the 3.9 million watches it shipped in the last quarter of 2015. Such a dip isn’t surprising (there was no holiday demand to boost sales), but it’s notable that Fitbit’s unit count didn’t fall. It’s clearly easier to justify a relatively inexpensive tracker like the Alta outside of gift-giving season than a smartwatch that costs more than twice as much. Apple’s price cuts weren’t in effect for much of the first quarter, mind you, so it’s too soon to say whether or not you’ll see a repeat performance this spring.
Source: IDC
Fitbit Continues to Outpace Apple Watch in Broader Wearables Market
The latest data from market research firm IDC reveals that the Apple Watch remained the most popular smartwatch in the first quarter, with an estimated 1.5 million sales and 46 percent market share through the first three months of 2016. Meanwhile, basic wearables unsurprisingly continue to outpace smartwatches.
Samsung was the closest threat to Apple Watch among smartwatches in the quarter, with an estimated 700,000 sales and 20.9 percent market share, followed by Motorola, Huawei, and Garmin with estimated 400,000, 200,000, and 100,000 shipments respectively for a combined 18.6 percent market share.
Apple finished third in the overall wearables market with 7.5 percent market share, behind lower-price fitness tracker vendors Fitbit and Xiaomi. Fitbit commanded a leading 24.5 percent market share off an estimated 4.8 million shipments, while Xiaomi had 3.7 million shipments for 19 percent market share.
Apple does not disclose Watch sales in its quarterly earning results, instead grouping the device under its Other Products category alongside iPods, Apple TVs, Beats Electronics, and accessories. IDC and Strategy Analytics estimates place total Apple Watch sales at nearly 16 million from April 2015 through March 2016.
Fitbit began 2016 the same way it finished 2015: as the undisputed leader in the wearables market. The launch of its new Alta and Blaze devices resulted in million unit shipment volumes for each, pointing to a new chapter of fashion-oriented fitness trackers. It also points to significant declines for its previously successful Surge, Charge, Charge HR, and Flex product lines. Still, with a well-segmented portfolio, pricing strategy, and a strong brand, Fitbit’s position is well-established.
IDC’s data supports the notion that Apple continues to cede market share to Android Wear smartwatches and other wearables as the market evolves. Strategy Analytics data from April, however, had a higher Apple Watch sales estimate of 2.2 million for 52.4 percent market share in the first quarter.
Many prospective buyers are now holding out for the Apple Watch 2, which is rumored to debut in the second half of 2016 and could feature a FaceTime camera, expanded Wi-Fi abilities, cellular connectivity, and thinner design. New bands, finishes, and models are always possibilities as well.
Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 2
Tags: Samsung, IDC, Fitbit, Xiaomi
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
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Samsung smartwatch concept projects an interface on your hand
Smartwatch makers have tried a few ways to overcome the limitations of a tiny wrist-worn screen, such as gestures, pressure sensitivty or voice commands. Samsung thinks there might be a better way, though: moving the display beyond the watch. It’s applying for a patent on a concept that would project a wearable’s interface on to everything from your hand to the wall. It’d use sensors to detect those outside-of-the-wrist interactions, and it could even detect the geometry of your hand to adapt the interface to that area. You might see extra buttons on your fingers if your palm is open.
Don’t be too quick to toss out your existing smartwatch. Like any other patent, this is more of an idea than a product roadmap. There’s no certainty that Samsung will decide to implement this, or that it even has the technology necessary to make this a reality. Even so, it’s good to see companies still exploring watch input ideas that involve more than just a touchscreen. It’s still a young category, and the chances are that there’s plenty of room for interface breakthroughs.
Via: PhoneArena, The Verge
Source: USPTO
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