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The Galaxy Note 8's dual camera rivals the iPhone 7 Plus
Samsung may be late to the dual-camera game, but it seems to have put that extra time to good use. The Note 8 is the first major Galaxy handset to sport two rear cameras, with a setup that includes twin 12-megapixel sensors, one with wide-angle lens and one with telephoto. This is arguably the most useful of all the Note 8's new features, which include a refined S Pen, updated software, improved display and a smaller footprint. From my brief time with the phone during a recent demo ahead of today's launch, it's clear that Samsung has a camera setup excellent enough to make iPhone owners consider switching.
Live from Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 event!
After an embarrassing fiasco involving exploding batteries, recalls, apologies and assurances, Samsung is ready to re-introduce the Note line to the world. Thanks to the plethora of leaks, we have a pretty good idea of what the new device will look like. At 11AM ET today, Samsung will be sharing all the details on the highly anticipated Note 8, and we'll be covering the event and all the news as it happens right here in our liveblog. Follow all the latest news from Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 event here!
Google Play’s new feature for Samsung phones isn't so exclusive
Google Play Music and Samsung have a history of exclusives, and now they may have debuted their best one yet. Android Authority reports that Google Play Music's playlist New Release Radio, which is a personalized playlist of new release music with daily updates, has been made available exclusively to Samsung device owners over the last day or two.
Samsung's latest app could help curb your kid's screen addiction
Samsung has an idea for how to encourage kids to use their devices responsibly. With its Marshmallow app (not the outdated version of Android), kids earn points by following their self-set usage plan. With the application installed and running, kids are limited to using eight apps, parents can filter which apps are and aren't appropriate and they can set a bed time for the phone as well.
Samsung's Galaxy S8 arrives April 21st
Now that the Galaxy S8 is finally official, the next most important piece of news is when you can buy it and how much it will cost. The new handset will be available in five colors -- of these, the Midnight Black, Orchid Gray and Arctic Blue options will be offered in the US when the phone arrives on April 21st. Major carriers, including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular and Verizon Wireless as well as low-cost options like Cricket Wireless and Straight Talk Wireless, will all start selling the device that day. If you want to make sure you're not left high and dry in the event those outlets run out of stock, you can pre-order the Galaxy S8 starting tomorrow.
Senators ask for info on Trump's smartphone use
When he isn't addressing matters of national security amongst diners at his Mar-a-Lago resort, Donald Trump is reportedly using an unsecured Android phone for official communications. That's of great concern for more than a few reasons and two prominent Democrat lawmakers want the Department of Defense to address why it's happening.
Samsung's Galaxy S8 won't appear at Mobile World Congress
Clearly, Samsung is still reeling from its Note 7 disaster. In an interview with Reuters, Samsung mobile chief Koh Dong-jin has confirmed that the Galaxy S8 won't be unveiled next month at Mobile World Congress. That's a big departure from the company's usual release schedule, which revolves around a big "S" launch in the Spring and a new "Note" in the fall. The delay isn't a shock, however. Back in November, the Wall Street Journal reported that Samsung's leadership team was considering a later reveal date. It could come "as late as April," the newspaper said at the time.
Samsung begins replacing Galaxy Note 7 handsets in the UK
Although Samsung acted quickly to stop the bulk of Galaxy Note 7s making their way to consumers before its recall in the UK, units were delivered before the official launch. Now that it's had to time to prepare, the company today kicked off its Galaxy Note 7 Exchange Programme, allowing those affected to swap their defective unit for a brand new one.
ICYMI: Smart surfboard, robot hand that can learn and more
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-234543{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-234543, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-234543{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-234543").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: A University of Washington robot hand has an algorithm in it that knows what works and what doesn't when handling things, and can improve itself over time. Samsung Brasil made a smart surfboard for a professional surfer that shows water conditions and incoming texts, and researchers hacked movies to include the visual style of art masters. Mass transit fiends will want to know how the hyperloop test in Nevada went. As always, please share any great tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
Apple wants $179 million more from Samsung after patent fight
Apple and Samsung — or more precisely, their teams of incredibly well-paid lawyers — can't get enough of each other. This time, Apple claimed Samsung owes it an additional $179 million in supplemental damages (and interest!) because five of the Korean company's ancient Android phones violated a handful of Apple's design patents. US District Court Judge Lucy Koh officially granted the motion late yesterday.
Verizon's Samsung Pay update now out for compatible phones
Verizon has started rolling out the software update it promised earlier this October -- one that adds Samsung Pay to the Galaxy S6, S6 Edge, S6 Edge+ and Galaxy Note 5. A Reddit user has posted a snapshot of an email sent to Samsung reps at Best Buy confirming the upgrade, while Android Central's Andrew Martonik has already installed it on his Galaxy S6. The mobile payment app arrived in the US for other carriers in September, but Big Red was a bit late to the party. Take note that it only works with MasterCard, Visa or AMEX issued by a major bank, though, such as Citi and Bank of America. Even if you couldn't care less about Samsung Pay, you may still want to download that update when you get it. It also patches up the Stagefright Android vulnerability, which gives hackers access to your phone just by sending an infected MMS.
Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge review: Samsung's best phones in years
Samsung found itself in sort of a bind last year: Its flagship Galaxy S5 wasn't the blockbuster the company hoped it would be. That, coupled with the news that Samsung was going to focus on a smaller number of devices in 2015, signaled a pretty dramatic change for a brand that seemed like it was unstoppable. As if to silence the doubters, Samsung has not one, but two flagships on offer -- the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge -- and they're surrounded by questions. Can they restore Samsung to its former glory? Has the company figured out how to build a truly interesting smartphone again? It's too early to make a call on the former, but after a week of testing, the answer to the latter is a clear and definite "yes."
Samsung's new cable can charge your watch using your phone
Battery life is one of the most important elements of any mobile device -- it can make or break it, in some cases. And while the majority of Samsung products aren't known to be terrible at that, a little help never hurts. As such, the South Korean outfit recently introduced its Power Sharing Cable, which, as the name suggests, allows you to use it to transmit energy from one Galaxy device to another, like a Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Gear smartwatch, respectively. Better yet though, Samsung's peripheral isn't limited to its own handsets, slates or wearables, with the company claiming that the Power Sharing Cable is friendly with "any device" that can be charged by way of micro-USB. Meanwhile, the companion app lets you select just how much power you're willing to share from the main source, making the process simple to monitor. The Power Sharing Cable is available now for $20, which seems like a small price to pay for something that could be very handy in times of need.
Three more Android devices now support BBC iPlayer app's offline viewing
Only 11 devices supported BBC iPlayer's offline viewing feature when it arrived on Android, but now three more have passed the network's thorough testing process. Samsung's Galaxy Tab 2 10.1, Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy S3 mini are joining that initial list, thanks to the app's latest update on Google Play. The feature lets you download shows and save episodes for up to 30 days on your phone or tablet, although that timespan shortens to 7 days after the first time you press play. If your gadget still isn't included in that slightly longer roster -- a shame if you've been wanting to watch that particular EastEnders episode -- don't worry. BBC says the app will be able to add offline viewing support to more devices in the future without the need for another update. Update: You can also add the Kindle Fire 7 and Kindle Fire 7 HD to that list, assuming your tastes run to Amazon's Appstore. Senior Product Manager David Berlin also provided more context for the slow rollout, stating that some devices experienced bugs that caused hard resets or disabled the iPlayer app entirely. Because of those issues, the network has chosen to test thoroughly before enabling support, even on newer high-powered hardware.
Out of nowhere, Samsung hits us with a gold GS4
And just like that, Samsung Gulf has announced the gold-trimmed Galaxy S 4, complemented by either brown or pink plastic for the guys and girls, respectively (dare we say it). We don't know whether these fresh editions will ever come to markets outside the Middle East, but Samsung's timing couldn't have been better. Meanwhile, we're still waiting on that gold HTC One.
Samsung to pay for Galaxy-specific apps
In its continuing quest for domination in the Android market place, Samsung has announced a global contest for developers to make Samsung-exclusive apps. In particular, they're looking for apps that highlight the Group Play function showcased in the new Galaxy S 4. Group Play allows users to interact and share content like music, photos, and games with other users. In all, 10 winning developers will split $800,000 in prize money as the company looks for the killer app to help it stand out in the pack of Android handset providers. The contest requires developers to use Samsung's Chord SDK media-streaming service to be eligible for the prize money. $200,000 goes to the first prize winner, three second-place winners get $100,000 each, and the remaining six third-place winners pocketing $50,000 apiece. Entries will be judged based on originality, design, functionality, and commercial appeal. Interestingly all entries must be submitted as free apps, though they are allowed to feature in-app purchases. One of the disadvantages facing Android phone producers as they search for market dominance over other hardware companies is the lack of exclusive software. Due to the incredibly wide range of Android devices offering basically the same foundation, Samsung needs a way to narrow down consumer choices to their products. Galaxy-specific apps, or at least apps specific to Galaxy features that will soon be rolled out in other phone models, would provide leverage to help Samsung stand out in the crowded Android market place.
Microsoft ad shows the Apple and Android brawl you've been waiting for
Microsoft was late to the mobile phone game and has struggled to snatch market share away from their competitors at Apple and Android. They face a big problem: every smartphone has their own selling points, but they've mostly got the same basic features. So how do you set yourself apart? Apparently the answer is pointing out how obnoxious your competitors' fans are. In their new spot Microsoft shows a brawl breaking out at a wedding reception as the wedding party, segregated into sides by their choice of iPhone or Samsung Galaxy, fights over who gets to obnoxiously take cell phone video of the service. The captain of Team iPhone snidely asks a Galaxy user if he'd "mind moving his enormous phone," sparking a sea of shouts and put downs. Finally someone acts reasonable, and throws the first punch. As the carnage unfolds the only two people who keep their cool are a couple of waiters, calmly documenting the chaos from their brightly colored Nokia Lumia phones. It's a funny ad, but ultimately the two waiters are just as smug and annoying as their competition is made out to be. The only difference is they're being quietly smug. With the Lumia being the sole bright spot in Nokia's Q1 sales for the year, their fans should sing its praises a little louder. Maybe in this ad, we're all the villains, simply for having our phones out at a wedding in the first place.
IK Multimedia's iRig and iKlip STUDIO mobile peripherals learn to play nice with Android, stay friends with iOS
Ever since IK Multimedia released its mobile music peripherals, Android users have been left to look on their iOS-toting brethren with jealousy. No longer. Today at CES 2013, the company has announced that its iRig MIC, iRig MIC Cast, iRig PRE, iRig MIX and iKlip STUDIO devices will now work with phones and tablets powered by little green bots. The catch? If you don't have a Samsung Galaxy device, you're out of luck. It's unfortunate that not all Android users can partake in IK Multimedia's offerings, but judging by Sammy's sales numbers these days, there's plenty of you out there who can.
Samsung AllShare SDK could bring better connected apps to your Galaxy
Samsung's AllShare apps are the only implementations of the company's DLNA-based platform to date, but now it wants external developers to help realize the tech's potential. The AllShare Framework SDK has been released, meaning its APIs can be integrated into third-party software for the creation of "AllShare-enabled" apps. Developers will be given access to AllShare features including media streaming, screen sharing with compatible devices (or an AllShare Cast dongle), and remote control functions. Now devs can start using these tools, expect to see more AllShare-enabled apps boosting the functionality of your Galaxy device in the near future.
Samsung product page confirms Galaxy Camera coming to Verizon LTE
Well, it was all but confirmed at Photokina, but the release of AT&T's HSPA+ Galaxy Camera threw a few doubts our way. Still, it looks like an LTE version of Samsung's Jelly Bean shooter will be in fact making its way stateside, landing on Verizon's 4G network no less. From a quick glance at the EK-GC120's spec sheet, most of the features seem to be in line with the global variant, with an obvious exception in the network field -- this flavor lists only 700 MHz compatibility, so you might have some trouble hooking up overseas. Pricing and availability info is still up in the air (the "Shop" link currently lands us at a 404), but we've reached out to Verizon and Samsung for those still-pending deets, and we'll pass along the good word as soon as it hits our inbox. For now, at least you can rest assured that the most compelling Android-powered shooter will be getting an LTE boost, so if you're currently in line to snag that lesser-equipped AT&T variant, you might want to step aside and wait for the 16-megapixel shooter to hit Big Red. Update: Just moments after our post went live, Samsung pulled the product page. The specifications list is still active though (for now), so if you want to sneak a peek at the official sheet, you can hit up that respective source link below.
