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Watch Samsung's 'Unpacked' event in under six minutes
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-703722{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-703722, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-703722{width:629px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-703722").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Unless you're living under a rock, you probably already know that Samsung announced two flagship phones today and also teased a smartwatch. But depending on what time zone you're in -- or how busy you were at work -- you might not have had time to follow our liveblog or tune into the livestream. Not to worry: We've condensed the full 50-minute press conference video into our very own sizzle reel, cutting out the fluff and cutting straight to the newsy bits. Have a gander, and then when you're done check out all our coverage of Samsung's Unpacked event here.
Hands-on with Samsung's clever Keyboard Cover for phones
One of the biggest surprises announced at today's blowout Samsung media event was also one of the smallest gadgets: An $80 accessory called the Keyboard Cover. As the name suggests, it's a cover that also lets you add physical keys to the Galaxy Note 5, S6 Edge+, and the smaller Galaxy S6 phones. It consists of two parts, a rear panel that offers some basic protection, and a keyboard panel that snaps onto the front of your phone. We fought through the crowds to get our hands on the Keyboard Cover, and came away mostly impressed.
Samsung's Galaxy Note 5 isn't coming to the UK
At Samsung's big Unpacked event today, the company unveiled two new flagship phones: the Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Galaxy Note 5. But, as we've learned, only one of them is headed to the UK. The S6 Edge+ -- a super-sized version of Samsung's curved-screen beauty -- will be up for preorder on August 18th, before its official launch on September 4th. No pricing information is available just yet, but one way or another, all the major carriers have effectively confirmed they'll be ranging it, so no great surprises there. What is pretty surprising, though, is Samsung's decision not to release the new Note 5 over here. In fact, S Pen diehards across Europe will be saddened to hear the Note 5 is only slated to launch in the US and Asia -- at least for now, anyway. Samsung told us that it hasn't ruled out a European release entirely, but it certainly isn't happening this year. As to the reason? Samsung hasn't volunteered one yet, but we'll let you know if/when we manage to track one down.
Samsung teases round Gear S2 smartwatch (update: more pics)
Samsung has dropped a surprise at its Unpacked 2015 event by showing off a new Gear S2 smartwatch. The model appears to be a far cry from the original Gear S, however. Samsung has upped the style quotient considerably with a round watch face, metal body and new user interface. Given the naming convention (it lacks the "Galaxy" moniker that generally denotes Android), it likely runs on Samsung's Tizen OS rather than Android Wear, like the original Gear S.
Samsung's Galaxy S6 Edge+ can have apps pinned to its curve
The Galaxy S6 Edge+ is finally official, and with that comes tailor-made features for its curved design. One of those is Apps Edge, which lets users create up to five shortcuts for frequently used apps, offering quick access to them directly from the edge of the screen. It's worth noting that a Samsung patent for Apps Edge was spotted last month; a similar feature was also found on the Galaxy Note Edge, though the same can't be said for the newer Galaxy S6 Edge. At the moment, this appears to only be for the S6 Edge+, but we reached out to Samsung to find out if S6 Edge owners can expect to get it as well.
Samsung's launches a keyboard cover for its newest phones
Those rumors that Samsung would launch an oddball keyboard add-on? They're true. The Korean tech firm has unveiled a Keyboard Cover for the Galaxy Note 5 that, as the name suggests, gives you both a case and a hardware keyboard for those times when you need to punch out long messages. It'll retail for $80 when it launches in a few weeks, and will also be available for the Galaxy S6 Edge+, as well as the smaller S6 and S6 Edge. The case consists of two parts: A rear panel and the front keyboard, which can be snapped onto the back of the phone when you don't need it. Once attached, the screen adapts to the keyboard, and there are conventional navigation buttons to replace the capacitive ones you've lost. We can't imagine too many Note 5 owners picking this up (part of the point is that big screen), but it could hit the spot if you're jonesing for a BlackBerry-like experience on an Android phone.
Meet the Galaxy Note 5: Samsung's most elegant phablet yet
In case the news hasn't already been spoiled for you, Samsung just officially revealed two new phablets, and the updated Galaxy Note 5 is easily the more fascinating of the pair. It's the sleekest, most powerful Note yet (obviously), but -- more importantly -- it's also the most elegant. In fact, after spending a little time with the Note 5, it began to feel like the sort of device that might change a Note naysayer's mind about the "giant screen-writing phone" formula entirely.
Watch Samsung Pay in action, which hits the US on September 28
Samsung Pay, the Korean electronics giant's shiny new mobile payment solution, is finally hitting the US on September 28. Ahead of that, we got a brief look at Samsung Pay in action on its new Galaxy S6 Edge+ and Note 5 phones. We didn't get to try it out ourselves, unfortunately, but Samsung reps were able to show it off in a (heavily scripted) demo. While Samsung Pay offers NFC payments just like Apple Pay, its real differentiating feature is its ability to mimic traditional magnetic card swipes, technology which came over with Samsung's acquisition of LoopPay earlier this year. That means it should be compatible with the vast majority of stores with standard credit card readers -- no need to hunt down NFC-equipped registers. A beta test for Samsung Pay will kick off in the US this month, though details on that are sparse. The feature is also compatible with the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, but you're out of luck if you're running older handsets.
Watch out Periscope, Samsung's new phones stream video to YouTube
A new breed of live video apps like Meerkat and Periscope means just about anyone can become a streaming star overnight, but what about poor little YouTube? Well, it's sure got an ally in Samsung: The new Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge+ can both broadcast live video to Google's cat-video-sharing platform, no extra apps required. The beauty of the formula lies in its simplicity: All you have to do is fire up the stock camera app, hit the "Live Broadcast" button and sign into YouTube.
Watch Samsung's Unpacked 2015 event right here!
Samsung is gearing up to show us... well, we don't know exactly what yet. However, if rumors and leaks hold true, there could be announcements for at least two new smartphones: the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+. If anything, Samsung's invite to today's Unpacked event hints at something big and curvy, which could apply to both of the aforementioned devices. Perhaps there will be a wearable too, what with the company recently confirming the existence of a Gear smartwatch that features a rotating bezel. Whatever it may be, you can watch the keynote as it happens in the video below -- but don't forget we're also liveblogging it from New York City. The action starts at 11AM ET.
Live from Samsung's 2015 Unpacked event in New York!
It's that time again, friends. Samsung wasn't going to let a load of highly descriptive leaks spoil the show it's got planned for us, so let's get the full lowdown on what the company's actually been working on together. Our guesses? Well, a new Galaxy Note, for one, not to mention a super-sized version of the Galaxy S6 Edge just because. With any luck, Sammy's got plenty more in the wings that haven't been spoiled yet -- maybe that Project Orbis/Gear A smartwatch or some juicy Samsung Pay news. Don't worry though: We'll take everything Samsung's unpacking and pack it into this here liveblog (along with an algorithmically prescribed amount of sass for good measure). The event starts at 11am Eastern, but you can join us early for commentary leading up to the big announcements. Let's do this.
Samsung event teaser hints that 'what's next' is a curvy Galaxy
Samsung's pre-announcement clues are sometimes cryptic at best, but it's not being especially subtle this time around. Hours after Tinhte first revealed that something was up, Samsung has posted a "what's next" teaser for a March 1st Galaxy Unpacked event in Barcelona whose centerpiece is the shadowy profile of a curvy-looking device. While it's not perfectly clear what this image represents, it bears an uncanny resemblance to the right-hand side of the Galaxy Note Edge, where the smartphone's signature curved display tapers off. Seeing as how Samsung isn't about to re-unveil a phone, our money's on the teaser alluding to a Galaxy S6 with an Edge-like screen, whether it's optional (as SamMobile rumored earlier) or standard issue. Whatever shows up, it's pretty obvious that March 1st is going to be a very busy day in the Android world -- we'll be sure to attend those events and let you know what Samsung, HTC and others have to offer.
