This is how Samsung thinks about design
Samsung said it would launch a website that showed off its design chops, and it’s delivering as promised. The newly launched Make it Meaningful page dives into the inspirations behind the Korean company’s products, complete with an abundance of giant artwork, marketing speak and promo videos. It’s not just breathless prose about “timeless” TVs (the S9) and “sharply refined details” (the Galaxy S 4), though. The tech giant also addresses the more pragmatic concerns behind certain products — Samsung notes that it built one washing machine just for India, where humidity and limited electricity rule out conventional appliances.
The site isn’t limited to discussing individual gadgets. Samsung is eager to talk about its artistic collaborations and design events, and you can get a better sense of its overall design philosophy. There isn’t a lot of content to look at just yet, and the odds aren’t great that you’ll get many pre-release revelations. Nonetheless, the site is worth exploring to better understand the motivations of what’s arguably the world’s most influential technology company.
Filed under: Cellphones, Home Entertainment, Internet, Samsung
Source: Make it Meaningful
Apple, Samsung and more to adopt anti-theft smartphone kill switch
Apple and Samsung are duking it out in court yet again, but there’s at least one thing they (and a host of their smartphone making rivals) agree on: users shouldn’t be helpless when their phones are stolen. That’s why, starting in July 2015, all of the smartphones those companies sell in the United States will come with an anti-theft tool meant to help keep your data out of the wrong hands. The full list of backers includes the usual heavyweights: besides Apple and Samsung, there’s Google, HTC, Huawei, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, along with the country’s biggest wireless carriers. Those parties in total represent a tremendous chunk of the American wireless industry, so your next (or next next) smartphone will almost certainly let you stick it to the sticky-fingered.
And what, pray tell, would such tools do? According to the CTIA, users will be able to remotely wipe and restore their devices (say, from a cloud backup), and prevent them from being reactivated or used by unsavory types. That seemingly simple move wouldn’t just save us all anguish, it could save us a collective total of $2.5 billion a year in replacement costs and insurance fees. It sure sounds like a win for consumers, but some — like Senator Mark Leno, who sponsored a bill to create a kill-switch for connected gadgets in the Golden State — think such tools should be on by default rather than requiring users to opt-in. He’s probably on to something, but at least all these companies have a few months to iron out the details.
Filed under: Mobile
Source: CTIA
The Galaxy S5’s fingerprint reader can be fooled by fake digits
It looks like the iPhone 5s isn’t the only smartphone whose fingerprint reader can be fooled by fake digits. SR Labs has just posted a video (shown below) showing that Samsung’s just-launched Galaxy S5 is susceptible to the same trick: as long as you have a good photo of a latent print (such as one from the touchscreen), you can create a mold that passes for a real finger. The lab also claims that Samsung’s approach may ultimately be less secure than Apple’s, since you’re not forced to enter a passcode under certain conditions (such as a reboot) and can use the fingerprint to make PayPal transactions.
You may not have much reason to panic, though. As with the iPhone, the GS5 vulnerability requires the skill, resources and time to create a fake finger. The odds are low that a street thief will get past your phone’s defenses, or that a talented hacker will get in before you’ve had a chance to remotely wipe your content. PayPal also tells us that it’s easy to block any unwanted payments, since the fingerprint isn’t linked to your account. Even with these caveats in mind, SR Labs’ demonstration remains a friendly reminder that biometric security isn’t foolproof — if intruders are determined to get at your data, there’s a good chance that they will.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Via: 9to5 Google
Source: SRLabs (YouTube)
Samsung explores a stripped-down take on wearable displays
Samsung must want to keep an open mind when it comes to wearable displays. Just a short while after it explored the possibility of smart sports glasses, the company is back with a patent for a heads-up display with a built-in earpiece. In some ways, it resembles a stripped-down version of Google Glass; the transparent screen and camera are familiar, but Samsung is using only the earphone assembly to prop things up rather than a more elaborate frame. Its layout would include a collapsible eyepiece, too. The patent says little about what the company would do with the hardware besides “augmented reality,” and there’s no guarantee that you’ll ever see this in stores. If you find yourself picking up this wearable alongside some future Samsung smartphone, though, you can at least say that you saw it coming.
Filed under: Displays, Wearables, Samsung
Via: SamMobile, Galaxy Club (translated)
Source: KIPRIS (PDF)
This is how Samsung thinks normal people use smartwatches
Samsung’s track record on smartwatch marketing has been, shall we say, mixed. Its nostalgic sci-fi TV spot for the Galaxy Gear was a hit, but its awkward (and slightly creepy) romantic skier ad? Not so much. Give credit to the company for learning quickly, though, as its newly released TV commercial for the Gear Fit (shown below) mostly hits the right notes. The 30-second clip sticks to showing real-world use cases, such as tracking fitness data while running and turning down phone calls. It’s still a bit silly — really, who wears a smartwatch over a fancy bracelet? — but it does make a good case for intelligent wristwear.
Filed under: Wearables, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Samsung Mobile USA (YouTube)
Get the Verizon Samsung Galaxy S5 for $99
The Samsung Galaxy S5, arguably the most anticipated phone this year to date, was launched this week with great reviews around the web. With every flagship launch, there will undoubtedly be early adopter sales and promos. The Galaxy S5 is no exception.
For a limited time, you can pay just $99 for the latest and greatest that Samsung has to offer. Verizon, via Amazon.com, is selling the Galaxy S5 for 50% off the normal on-contract price. Further, Verizon’s own site is offering 2 Samsung Galaxy S5′s for the price of one at $199. Time is of the essence with this promotion as well.
With a grocery bag full of top of the line specs, this is a deal worth looking into if you are in the market for a new on- contract device. With deals like these, Verizon and the Galaxy S5 might even put you in the market for a new phone.
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Samsung’s Kapture the Moment event may bring the “Galaxy K Zoom”
Last night, Samsung announced their Kapture the Moment event at Samsung Media day. It will be held on April 29th at the Red Dot Design Museum in Singapore, and could possibly be the announcement of the Galaxy S5 Zoom we’ve all some of us have been waiting for.
The rumors can’t stop there, though. On the event image sits a giant ‘K’ on the right side, and of course, the word ‘capture’ is spelled with a ‘K’. Could it possibly be the Galaxy K Zoom? Or are they going to get a bit more original with the name? We’ll have to wait to find out!
In case you missed it, the S5 Zoom is expected to bring a 20MP camera with 10x optical zoom, Xenon flash, OIS, with 2GB RAM, and a 4.8-inch 720p display.
Via: CNET, Source: Samsung Mobile (Twitter)
The post Samsung’s Kapture the Moment event may bring the “Galaxy K Zoom” appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung’s ‘Kapture The Moment’ event hints at new camera-centric phone
Samsung just posted a mysterious invitation for an April 29th event, but it’d be more intriguing if we hadn’t already seen alleged specs and a picture (after the break) of the soon-to-be-revealed device. That’d be the Galaxy K Zoom, reportedly an Android 4.4.2 KitKat camera phone with a 20-megapixel 10X optical zoom and Xenon flash. The invite seems to confirm a change from the usual matching of Samsung’s flagship-du-jour name, like last year’s Galaxy S4 Zoom. That may be because the new device bears little resemblance to the current Galaxy S5, with the leaked specs showing a much milder quad-core 1.6GHz CPU and 4.8-inch, 720p screen. In case you missed all the qualifiers, none of this has been verified by Samsung, so don’t get too excited (or not) until the end of the month.
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Samsung
Source: Samsung Mobile (Twitter)
Samsung Galaxy S5 sales were between 30% and 100% higher than Galaxy S4 on launch Day
If Samsung was worried about the popularity of its new flagship device, those concerns have been quelled emphatically. Reports from ZDNet have reported that Samsung Galaxy S5 sales on launch day were up on average by 30% over its predecessor, the Galaxy S4, and that in some countries, the sales increase was closer to 100%. In fact, the above photo was taken in France on launch day there, with scores of people lining up in anticipation of purchasing the phone. There’s definitely some irony in the appearance of lines; Samsung is well known for disparaging Apple for the appearance of lines when they launch new devices.
Many of you will remember that the Galaxy S4 sold 10 million handsets in its first month on the market; it looks like the Galaxy S5 is on track to smash that record and while Samsung probably isn’t worried about the demand for its new smartphone, they will likely be worried about the supply which took several significant hits in the weeks before the Galaxy S5′s release, including a contracted factory catching fire and the assembly of its ISOCELL camera not progressing as quickly as they hoped. Whatever happens in the ensuing weeks, the Galaxy S5′s launch day performance sure makes it seem like Samsung still has a stranglehold on the Android market for the foreseeable future.
Have you got a Samsung Galaxy S5? What are your thoughts on it so far? Let us know what you think in the comments.
Source: ZDNet via Phone Arena
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All 277 apps for the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active leak out
Whilst it’s no secret that the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active is on its way soon since it’s been leaked numerous times, it seems that the leaks have gone one further with every single APK included on the new device being revealed.
277 Samsung Galaxy S5 Active APKs pic.twitter.com/j4WpkXNwwp
— @evleaks (@evleaks) April 12, 2014
The Samsung Galaxy S5 Active offers greater durability over the standard Galaxy S5 device which is more suited for those who are more active.
All 277 APK apps have been leaked out for the upcoming Galaxy S5 Active both confirming the device exists and also provides an insight into what the device comes bundled with.
The post All 277 apps for the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active leak out appeared first on AndroidGuys.
AIVAnet 