Samsung’s Galaxy S5 won’t be considered a medical device in South Korea
Samsung’s shiny new Galaxy S5 packs quite a stats monitoring punch with the help of S Health. While the FDA has approved the software companion for the US, it seems the same label won’t be applied in South Korea. The app does meet the criteria laid out by the regulations, but the governing body cited the confusion that could surface from classifying a consumer device like a smartphone as a medical gadget as the main reason for the denial. In order to clarify the formal requirements, regulators will rework to the law to be more precise in its parameters. S Health was approved as a “cardiology signal transmitter” by the FDA in the States back in January and originally debuted alongside the Galaxy S III in 2012. Back then, it monitored glucose levels, blood pressure and body composition via a Bluetooth-equipped scale. However, those functions weren’t a part of S Health when it finally debuted stateside on the GS4 — despite another lot of health-minded accessories that were available abroad.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Samsung
Via: Talk Android
Source: Yonhap News (Korean)
Samsung Galaxy S5 ISOCELL camera is suffering some production issues; delay Imminent?
The story of early 2013 was the titanic battle between the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One for the Android smartphone crown, however, the conflict was marred by debilitating supply issues that befell HTC. The issues stemmed from a lack of HTC One camera modules which would eventually go on to severely impact HTC’s bottom line in the weeks after its release. While Samsung won that battle in terms of handsets sold, the tables have turned on Samsung in 2014 as the Samsung Galaxy S5 ISOCELL camera that was shown off earlier this week is apparently suffering from production issues.
This time, it’s not the camera sensor itself which is the problem; it’s Samsung’s new six-element lens which is constructed in an extremely complex and intricate process in which “even the slightest flaw results in a considerable optical distortion”. While the results of a successfully assembled lens are likely phenomenal, the current production yield of these lens is approximately 20-30%, even with Samsung outsourcing the assembly to a third party lens supplier. That’s definitely not a good sign, particularly with the April launch date looming, but hopefully some breakthroughs will happen in the near future to help Samsung meet its supply targets instead of delaying the Galaxy S5′s release in some regions.
What do you think about these new reports of delays for the Samsung Galaxy S5? Has Samsung bitten off more than it can chew with this new ISOCELL camera, and opened the door for HTC? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Source: ETNews via Phone Arena
IRL: Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1
Would you believe that as much as we obsess about speeds and feeds, many of we Engadget editors are still making do with ancient products? What if those products were three years old? And what if we told you that by “ancient,” we were referring to the original Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1? Yep — let’s just say some of us are a little stubborn when it comes to upgrading.
It wasn’t easy finding a decent tablet other than the iPad 2 back in 2011, but I was set on using Android with a bigger screen, so I persisted. I spent copious amounts of time wading through cheap devices with displays that could barely register presses. Then, the first Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 came along, and I knew I found the one.
Of course, the first GTab was nowhere near perfect (which gadget is?), but it used to work smoothly — buttery enough even for Paula Deen. However, like any other gadget, it started to lag over time, and Ice Cream Sandwich only aggravated its stuttering performance. Its battery life turned into a joke, too — even worse than what iOS 7 did to my iPhone’s runtime. To make matters worse, it also freezes and crashes regularly. Even so, my tablet continues to live a productive life. I’ve yet to replace it, because it works well enough for casual web browsing and comic/e-book reading, which is what I mostly need a tablet for anyway. The GTab’s game selection was never as large as the iPad’s, but it’s run every game I’ve downloaded thus far.
More importantly, I can’t let go of it, because I’m a penny-pinching sentimental fool. A year ago I dropped it while going down a flight of stairs and the screen popped out. When it continued to work after I stuck the display back in, I promised the God of the Tablets I’d take care of my GTab for years to come.
Despite my loyalty, I have to admit it’s almost time to put the ol’ 10.1 to rest. The iPad Air’s lightness and outstanding battery life are calling to me like a mermaid to a sailor, and I can’t wait to get a glimpse of the second Nexus 10 (assuming there is one). One thing’s for sure, though: even if I snag a new tablet, my GTab will stay. I’ll either keep it as a backup or give it to my mom, but only after I give its plastic body a good scrubbing and resuscitate it with a custom ROM.
– Mariella Moon
Leaked press images show Samsung’s ATIV SE for Verizon
Samsung’s upcoming Windows 8.1 smartphone for Verizon, the ATIV SE, passed through the FCC last month, and now we’re getting a look at the actual device. The leaked press photos above show a phone that strongly resembles the Windows Phone-powered ATIV S, with a physical home button. The alleged ATIV SE appears to share design elements with Samsung’s Galaxy handsets as well, from the rounded edges to the textured finishes on the back and front. It’s still unclear when the ATIV SE will launch on Verizon, but we know it’ll arrive some time this year following the debut of the Windows Phone 8.1 operating system. Expect a 5-inch, 1080p display and LTE capability when the SE hits store shelves.
Filed under: Mobile, Samsung, Verizon
Source: @evleaks
Who said the Galaxy S3 was dead? Here’s the Samsung Galaxy S3 Slim in all its low spec Glory
While most of the world is now awaiting the retail release of the Samsung Galaxy S5, Samsung continues to pad out the rest of its device line-up, this time with the Samsung Galaxy S3 Slim, a low specification model which presumably looks a lot like the original Galaxy S3 but has very little similar on the inside. As far as I can tell from the dimensions given on the product page, the S3 Slim is actually a little thicker than the original S3 at 9.7mm compared to 8.6mm; Samsung marketing strikes again it seems.
The S3 Slim is going to be packing a quad-core processor clocked at 1.2GHz with 1GB RAM, 8GB storage and a 2,100mAh battery. It will also feature a 8MP rear camera and VGA front camera, as well as a 4.5-inch 960×450 resolution display. Unfortunately, the S3 Slim is going to be launched with Android 4.2 so there are not really any benefits to this device over the original S3, though the device appears to be targeted for a Brazilian audience so far; no word on whether other regions will see the device as well.
What do you think about device releases like the Samsung Galaxy S3 Slim? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Source: Samsung via Phones Review
Lego Cubestormer robot solves Rubik’s Cube in less time than it takes to read this headline
Until yesterday, the world record for fastest time in solving a Rubik’s Cube was 5.27 seconds, which was set in the fall of 2011 by a Lego robot named Cubestormer 2. Thanks to the machine’s successor (aptly named Cubestormer 3), the time to beat is now 3.253 seconds. The robot, which is the third in a series of automatons designed solely for the purpose of solving the Rubik’s Cube ASAP, is powered by an octa-core Samsung Galaxy S4; it’s got four high-performance ARM Cortex-A15 cores and four lower-intensity Cortex-A7 cores running the show, each one managing its own Lego Mindstorms actuator.
Essentially, the phone is responsible for analyzing how the cube is arranged, outlining the steps necessary to solve it, and then instructing the robot what to do. We can’t help but wonder how different the end result would be if a high-end Snapdragon, Intel, NVIDIA or Apple chipset had been used, but we’ll leave it up to the brilliant minds of designers David Gilday and Mike Dobson to tackle that challenge with the Cubestormer 4 when the time is right. And in case you want a reference point as you watch the video below, the fastest human time is 5.55 seconds. (We’d be happy if we could solve it in less than 10 minutes.)
Filed under: Cellphones, Robots, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung
Via: Gizmodo
Source: BusinessWire
Samsung Galaxy Beam successor spotted with metal exterior in China
At Mobile World Congress in 2012, Samsung announced a pico projector smartphone known as the Galaxy Beam. Although it was a cool concept, the phone’s downfall was its middling specs, aging OS and large chassis. Two years later, it appears that Samsung’s working on a successor to the Beam called the SM-G3858, according to China’s government database. The Tenaa entry even comes with a few pictures, most of which offer an indication of a projector: there’s clearly a bump on the upper back which opens up to a wide lens on the top, and we also saw an extra button that models after the original Beam — in fact, the icon above the button looks eerily like the one seen here. Curiously, Samsung has shed the sporty misshapen look in favor of a sleek metal build, which certainly seems a better fit for professionals.
The database also gives us a glimpse at its specs, some of which are an improvement over the original Beam; the China Mobile-branded phone reportedly packs a 4.66-inch WVGA (800×480) display, Android 4.2.2, a quad-core 1.2GHz chipset with 1GB of RAM, microSD slot with up to 32GB external storage, as well as TD-SCDMA and GSM connectivity (no LTE on this model, although there’s a chance this is simply a 3G-only variant of a global model). It’s also 11.6mm thick, which is much thicker than most Samsung smartphones but still is nearly a full millimeter thinner than the original. It’s still too early to determine whether this is going to be exclusive to China Mobile or available to a global market, but at least we know the phone exists for now; Samsung, we’re hopeful, will provide us with the rest of the story at some point down the road.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Samsung
Via: WeAnd, Engadget Chinese
Source: Tenaa
The week’s best Android rumors: Google Smartwatch, Nexus 8, LG G3, and more
Samsung Galaxy S5 Zoom
The first details for Samsung’s camera-centric Galaxy S5 experience have surfaced in new benchmarks. Assuming they’re accurate, the SM-C115 should employ a hexa-core Exynos chip, a 4.8-inch 720p display, 2GB of RAM, internal storage, and microSD expansion. As for the camera aspect, we could be looking at a 20-megapixel sensor for the back and 2-megapixels up front.
Amazon Set-Top Box
Although rumors of a set-top Amazon experience have been floating around for months on end, we’re finally starting to “see” movement. An image of the alleged Bluetooth controller has emerged, leading many to assume the device could focus heavily on gaming. The button configuration shows the popular Android functions so we might expect easy navigation for apps, perhaps like a Roku.
LG G3
The upcoming LG G3 could be waterproof and dustproof, according to Korean news outlet ETNews (translate). Although there’s no indication as to when the device will arrive, it’s likely to land with a big bang. Recent chatter also suggests the G3 will be the basis for the Nexus 6, due later this year.
A user agent discovered on LG’s website tells us that the G3 could employ a 2,560×1,440 resolution display, or 2K picture.
Google Smartwatch
The picture for the long-anticipated Google smartwatch gets clearer thanks to a new set of alleged specifications obtained by evleaks. According to his source, the LG-made device will feature 1.65-inch LDC (280×280 pixels), 512MB RAM and 4 GB of internal storage. Processor and battery are still unclear but we expect that to surface in the coming weeks.
Amazon “Project Aria” Smartphone
Amazon’s rumored first smartphone is expected to debut later this year, according to The Information. While this isn’t the first time we’ve heard such chatter, there’s a bit more to add to the story. Reports indicate the device is under the code name of “Project Aria” and Amazon is evaluating various markets for its eventual release.
Project Tango
Google’s recently announced 3D mapping project, Project Tango, has shown up on Chromium, the Chrome issue tracker. It has been revealed that the 5-inch phone will feature a 4-megapixel rear camera with 180 degrees Field of View (FOV), a depth camera 320×180@5Hz and a front-facing camera with 120 degrees FOV.
Nexus 8
Google could turn to Intel for the processor of the next-gen tablet experience. Rumored to be the Nexus 8, it may feature Intel’s Moorefield processor which offers 4 cores of 2.3GHz worth of power. Should this prove accurate, it may spur development of apps written with compatibility for Intel chipsets.
HTC One
In what must be the most solid leak to date, the second generation HTC One has been leaked out in sales guide showing Snapdragon 801, 2600mAh battery, touch-to-wake functionality and more. Also, Spigen have prematurely listed cases for the second generation HTC One.
The post The week’s best Android rumors: Google Smartwatch, Nexus 8, LG G3, and more appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Samsung’s new phone case uses ultrasound to detect people and objects
Samsung’s Galaxy S5 may be getting lots of smart new accessories, but the Korean smartphone maker is also making sure its lower-powered phones get some love too. After including various software usability functions in the Galaxy Core Advance at the end of last year, the company today introduced three new accessories that have been designed specifically to help disabled or visually impaired users do more with their Android device. First up is the Optical Scan Stand, a raised bracket that automatically triggers the phone’s OCR features to recognize and read aloud text placed in front of the phone. There’s also Voice Labels, which are similar to Samsung’s NFC-equipped TechTile stickers, but let visually impaired users make voice notes or record short explanations on how to use various devices around the home.
Perhaps the most impressive accessory of the three is Samsung’s Ultrasonic Cover: a specialized case that uses sound waves to detect people or objects (in a two-meter radius), helping users navigate new surroundings by sending vibration or spoken alerts. Even without the accessories, the Galaxy Advance Core features a trio of physical buttons on the front and dedicated camera and voice recorder buttons on the side, assisting smartphone owners that don’t want to rely solely on on-screen controls.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Samsung Mobile Press
Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 Edition arrives on Verizon for $600 on contract, $700 without
The focus right now might be on Samsung’s Pro tablets, but the South Korean company also has a little something called the Note 10.1 2014 Edition. Introduced back last summer, this LTE-ready slate is available on Verizon starting today, featuring a sharp 10.1-inch, 2,560 x 1,600 display, 32GB of internal storage (up to 64GB via microSD), a 8,220mAh battery and Android 4.3. Naturally, you can also expect to see a lot of TouchWiz, with features like Multi Window and My Magazine — hey, gotta use that S Pen sometime, right? Just be prepared for your wallet to take a hit: Verizon is selling the Note 10.1 2014 Edition at $600 with a two-year contract. And if you’re not interested in signing on the dotted line, then you’ll have to pay $700 if you wanna take home the tablet, no strings attached.
Filed under: Tablets, Samsung, Verizon
Source: Verizon
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