Samsung’s HomeSync media hub will play nice with non-Samsung Android devices
If ever a product needed to work harder to justify its price tag, it’d be Samsung’s new $299 HomeSync box. Fortunately, the manufacturer seems to be self-aware enough to make some changes: the Android-powered storage, streaming and mirroring hub will soon offer full support for Jelly Bean phones and tablets even if they’re outside of the Galaxy stable. This should allow an average household with numerous, diversely-branded devices to store and share their photos, music and videos using the HomeSync’s 1TB “personal cloud,” while also using their handsets as remote controls and as sources for mirroring via the box’s HDMI input. As things stand, however, only a handful of non-Samsung phones, like the Sony Xperia Z and HTC One, are listed as compatible over at the Google Play store, and it could be a while before the HomeSync becomes truly brand-agnostic. In the meantime, there are plenty of other mobile-friendly NAS solutions around that are worth a look.
Filed under: Cellphones, Storage, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Samsung
Samsung’s Galaxy GamePad brings precision Android controls to Europe first
Well, that took awhile. Remember the first-party gamepad Samsung trotted out at the Galaxy S4 unveiling? It’s finally ready for release — in Europe. The months of extra development don’t seem wasted, at least: The revised pad sports a new facade that thankfully discards the odd Xbox 360/Wii hybrid look that the prototype flaunted, and there’s a rechargeable battery pack too. What’s more, the outfit says that the controller can handle devices from 4-inches to 6.3-inches running Jellybean and up. The controller’s “play” button will also launch the company’s new Mobile Console app on certain Samsung devices; a sort of virtual game shelf, if you will. At launch, that button promises to foster a list of some 35 compatible titles, with Need for Speed: Most Wanted and Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame leading the pack. We’ve reached out to Samsung for pricing and North American availability and will update this post if we hear back.
Filed under: Cellphones, Gaming, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Samsung
Galaxy S5 to See an Eye Scanner and Two Different Versions?
The rumor mill has begun to spin, and the first bit of news to spin out of it this Monday morning, is in regards to the Galaxy S5. Seems that ZDNet Korea is stating that the Galaxy S5 will come in two relatively different models. The first model will be your standard Samsung plastic phone, and the second model will be your premium metallic phone with better specs than the plastic version. Guess Samsung is taking a page out of Apple’s book.
If that wasn’t enough to tickle your Samsung fancy, Sammy also seems to be working on having an iris scanner built within the new flagship. I guess they figured the fingerprint scanner is old news, so why not collect user’s retina to go along with the already collected fingerprints. To me, it seems a bit much, and I wasn’t even onboard with the whole fingerprint extravaganza.
Specs to the Galaxy S5 are looking mighty tasty, as Samsung is striving for a beautiful display on their new device. Rumors suggest that the Galaxy S5 will sport a quad HD display probably in the 5 to 5.5 inch range, 2,560 x 1,440 resolution, 3GB of RAM, and a 16 MP camera. It will either be supporting the latest Snapdragon processor, or their very own 64-bit Exynos octa processor.
Let us know your thoughts about these rumors. You like the idea of having an eye scanner in your phone? Think Samsung is smart for having two different versions of the new phone? Let us know.
Source: ZDNet.co.uk
Via: Droid-Life
Physical buttons make a comeback in Samsung’s low-end Galaxy Core Advance
The rugged Galaxy S 4 Active had them, and so did the lesser-known Xcover2. But all-physical navigation buttons are becoming rarer on Samsung phones nowadays, and that’s why our eyes were drawn to the manufacturer’s latest low-end offering, the Galaxy Core Advance. In addition to the obvious trio on the front, the handset also finds room for dedicated camera and voice recorder buttons on the side. Specs-wise, however, we’re still in deeply unexciting Galaxy Core territory, with Android 4.2 and TouchWiz running on a 480 x 800 display (now slightly bigger at 4.7 inches), a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of onboard storage (expandable via MicroSD) and Europe-friendly 3G data bands. The phone will be out early next year, although we’re not sure exactly where it’ll be sold or for how much. What we can say, though, is that Samsung will have to drastically undercut the superior Moto G (which has a 720p display and Android 4.3) if it plans to go up against Motorola in the same markets.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Samsung
Weekly Roundup: Instagram Direct, Jawbone Up24 review, Samsung’s EMC lab and more!
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Qualcomm’s Raj Talluri on wearables
Engadget sat down with Qualcomm SVP of Product Management, Raj Talluri, earlier this week to chat about the company’s Toq smartwatch. Click through to read the rest of the story.
Jawbone Up24 review
Jawbone’s latest fitness tracker, the Up24, touts much-needed upgrade: wireless syncing. But is that improvement enough to win back the hearts of those disappointed by the original Up’s performance? Click the link for our review and find out.
Instagram Direct announced
CEO of Instagram, Kevin Systrom, took the stage at a New York press event last week to announce Instagram Direct. This new feature allows users to limit certain videos and photos to groups of up to 15 friends. Follow the link for all the details.
Samsung’s EMC lab (video)
Engadget’s Mat Smith took a stroll through Samsung’s EMC lab where future products are tested for interference levels. Click on through for the video tour.
Samsung And Robin Thicke Continue To Show Us How To #DesignYourLife
Last week we heard about some advertisements by Samsung for which they employed the services of Blurred Lines star, Robin Thicke, to advertise how you can “#DesignYourLife” with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear. That ad was to be the first of three, which teams Samsung and Robin Thicke together to showcase some of the things you can do with the Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear if you’re Robin Thicke. Now, Samsung has rounded out the set with another 2 videos which so Thicke yet again employing his charm, with the opportune help of his Note 3 and Gear smartwatch. Check it out:
Neither app really delves into the abilities of either the Note 3 or the Gear too much, but at the very least you get to see them in action, albeit in very embellished situations. While the ads do make great use of star signing Thicke, it pales in comparison to some of Samsung’s previous ads to advertise their flagship phablet, like this:
In any case, it’s obvious these star endorsements from Thicke, soccer stud Lionel Messi and many others are working as Samsung is churning these out in much greater numbers than any other manufacturer. What do you think about these ads and do you suddenly feel like a buying a Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear?
Source: Samsung Tomorrow
Daily Roundup: New Nexus 5 hardware, Amazon Pantry, next-gen console sales and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Nexus 5 production tweaks
New Nexus 5 owners are noticing a few design improvements over the original launch day model. Follow the link for all the deets.
November’s next-gen console sales
The Xbox One and PlayStation 4 went head to head last month, and according to NPD, Sony’s sales came out on top. Click on through for the numbers.
Samsung promises ‘differentiated’ smartphones
By merging its digital imaging and mobile divisions, Samsung is taking a PureView-like approach to improve its smartphone camera technology. Click the link for details.
Amazon Pantry tipped for 2014
According to USA Today’s anonymous sources, Amazon may be expanding into the grocery business. Click through for more details on this intriguing online service. Watch out, Costco!
Samsung merges camera and mobile phone divisions
When we think about Samsung, we think about the Galaxy line of smartphones, but actually Samsung is a huge company – also known as the Samsung Group, with total assets of US$ 590.4billion. Their one of the most successful divisions is the Wireless Business Division – the one that controls smartphones and the tablets. Samsung is planning to make some changes in their internal structure, as they decided to merge their Digital Imaging Business Division with Wireless Business Division.
The DIB team will report to the Wireless division, and they will work together to help each other out, and the conclusion will be help improve imaging capabilities of the company’s smartphones, as well as improve wireless powers of its digital cameras.
We will transplant the brand, sales networks, software competency and manufacturing competitiveness of the Wireless Business Division into the Camera Business Division, and integrate the technical know-how of the two business divisions into competency for differentiating our smartphones.”
The change went into effect on December 12. I am sure the merger will be great for both divisions, and as we deal with smartphones, I think we can expect future Samsung smartphones with better camera result and interface, hopefully.
What do you think about it, is it a good move? Tell us about it in the comment box below.
Source: ET News
The post Samsung merges camera and mobile phone divisions appeared first on AndroidGuys.
The best tablet deals of the week: 12.13.13
With Engadget’s new tools, you can track price drops on thousands of devices every day, and once a week we feature some of the best deals right here. But act fast! Many of these are limited-time offers, and won’t last long.
Tablets may not be on your shopping list this holiday season, but there are a few tempting specials that may make you reconsider. This year’s Nexus 7 model sees a $50 price cut with three other options for slate-style media consumption to help avoid annoying relatives in a couple weeks. Be sure to visit our product database to monitor prices on these gadgets and more as they move around. Join us and add the gadgets you’re shopping for to your “Want” list; every time there’s a price cut, you’ll get an email alert!
Price: $179 (regularly: $229)
Buy: Office Depot
Google’s 7-inch slate has had the attention of the Android faithful since its arrival a few months back. Unskinned Android and solid performance earned the tablet a 91 Engadget Global Score. And the device just got an update to 4.4.2, bringing all KitKat’s features.
Price: $400 (regularly: $450)
Buy: Amazon
We first caught a glimpse of the Transformer Pad Infinity back in June, and our editors were immediately smitten with the tablet’s crisp 299 PPI display for viewing Android apps. Once more, a current-gen slate has nabbed a $50 discount — in case the recipient craves the freshest tech.
Price: $149 (regularly: $269)
Buy: Office Depot
Shopping for someone special who isn’t concerned with the latest and greatest but is after a reading device with a bit more to offer? The Nook HD+ is worth a look, especially at this price. In addition to sorting that personal library, apps from Google Play are available on-screen as well.
Price: $130 (regularly: $250)
Buy: MacMall
For those after a smaller slate, the Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 ‘s price tag is now checking in at a 90-day low. Reliable performance and solid battery life are in play for all of those Android-powered exploits. However, you’ll want to keep in mind that Samsung has discontinued this particular model.
Filed under: Tablets
Samsung promises ‘differentiated’ smartphones based on its camera expertise
Samsung has instigated a small corporate reshuffle that could potentially have big implications for its future smartphones. The company has shunted its digital imaging unit sideways so that it sits under the giant umbrella of the mobile division, in the hope of combining “technical know-how” in these two areas and ultimately “differentiating” its smartphones with better camera technology. At the same time, Samsung expects expertise to flow in the opposite direction, allowing its engineers to create cameras with better wireless connectivity. It’s a move that makes plenty of sense given the recent spate of Galaxy-branded hybridized products, such as the slightly awkward Galaxy S 4 Zoom and hugely over-priced Galaxy NX mirrorless shooter. It also suggests that Samsung has paid attention to what Nokia has achieved by re-thinking mobile camera technology for its PureView phones, instead of using standard off-the-shelf parts.
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile, Samsung
Source: Yonhap News, ET News
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