Tizen
Latest
Samsung launches first 4G, Tizen-powered smartphone in India
Samsung's experiment with the Tizen operating system hasn't shown up in more than a couple of handsets and some Gear smartwatches so far, but the smartphone behemoth still believes the open-source platform has value for low-cost phones in emerging markets. Case in point: the first 4G Tizen offering, the Samsung Z2 arrives in India next week, with a price tag of around $68 USD (or 4,590 INR) and a range of region-specific features.
Samsung denies giving up on Android Wear for smartwatches
Hold your horses, folks: Samsung hasn't officially broken with up Android Wear just yet. A recent report from Fast Company cited unnamed Samsung executives who said the hardware giant wasn't working on any Android Wear smartwatches, and didn't plan to develop any new ones either. Sounds like a pretty emphatic answer, but Samsung disagreed when asked for comment: "We disagree with Fast Company's interpretation. Samsung has not made any announcement concerning Android Wear and we have not changed our commitment to any of our platforms."
Samsung Gear S2 Classic with 3G reaches US carriers
You don't have to settle for plain Jane looks just to get a cellular-equipped Samsung Gear S2 in the US. Both AT&T and Verizon have started taking pre-orders for a 3G version of the Gear S2 Classic, which should you keep you online while preserving that traditional watch look. On AT&T, it'll cost you $17.50 per month on a 20-month installment plan ($350 total) when the smartwatch arrives on March 11th; you can also use NumberSync to make sure you get calls from your regular phone number. At Verizon, you're paying either $400 up front or $350 if you sign a 2-year deal. Neither option is cheap (especially when this doesn't include the monthly data plan), but they may be your best choice if you want a fairly posh wearable that stays online when your Galaxy S stays home.
Samsung Connect Auto brings LTE data to your car
You didn't think Samsung would stay out of the connected car race, did you? Sure enough, the Korean electronics giant has unveiled its own take on smarter vehicle tech in the form of Connect Auto. The Tizen-powered (and Knox-secured) dongle plugs into your car's OBD-II port and provides LTE data to everyone in the car through a WiFi hotspot. And like other connectors, it should help with your driving. The adapter promotes safer driving habits (including through insurance partnerships), keeps tabs on maintenance, helps you find your parked car and even alerts your contacts if you're ever involved in an accident.
CES 2016: TVs are finally taking a backseat
Where are the TVs? In my ten years of attending CES I've never had to ask this question, and to be fair, this year they were still front and center in a few booths. But Sony pushed TVs and projectors to the fringe of its spacious CES booth (ceding space for headphones and... turntables?) while Panasonic could only spare a couple of tables for the latest Ultra HD TVs. In the same space where Darth Vader stood in front of dozens of flat panels to announce a Star Wars Blu-ray, now Spartan Race athletes wearing action cameras took on obstacles, and electric scooters showed off fast charging. Instead of riding high as the primary electronics device on show, TVs, set-top boxes and Blu-ray players are settling in with wearables, VR, drones and the rest as just another thing that look to your phone for advice.
Samsung's 2016 Smart TV remote controls all your devices
It's not too hard to simplify your home theater if you get a Harmony remote or the right HDMI-CEC gear, but Samsung wants the experience to be even simpler than that. Its 2016 Smart TVs are launching with a Smart Control remote that can recognize and control all kinds of devices, including game consoles, dedicated media hubs and your service provider's set-top box. Theoretically, you only need the one Tizen-powered remote to steer your whole media setup -- a big deal if you're tired of shuffling multiple remotes to start a movie.
Samsung's Gear S2 smartwatch arrives in the UK on November 12th
The Gear S2 is one of Samsung's best smartwatches to date, combining a sleek design and a unique rotating bezel for navigation. The Tizen timepiece has its flaws -- the app selection is a little sparse, for instance -- but it's an intriguing device that's now headed for the UK. From November 12th you can pick up the standard model for £249, which comes with a dark grey or silver case. Alternatively, you can pay an extra £50 for the snazzier Gear S2 Classic, which features a notched bezel and a dressier leather strap. For comparison, the second-gen Moto 360 starts from £229 and the Apple Watch Sport begins at £299. If you're already sold, you can pre-order it online from October 29th -- and if you're unsure how it'll look on your wrist, you can always try it on using augmented reality.
Gear S2 review: Samsung's best smartwatch is still a work in progress
Samsung is learning. After a string of smartwatches that failed to became bestsellers, the Korean company decided to reshape its vision of wearables -- and I mean literally reshape. Its latest, the Gear S2, is a Tizen-powered watch that finally has a round screen and finally works with phones that Samsung didn't make. More importantly, the company dreamed up a circular interface with a neat rotating bezel that doesn't rely as heavily on taps and swipes as its competitors. What we ultimately get in the Gear S2 isn't a perfect smartwatch -- far from it -- but a collection of good ideas that can't quite make up for the shortcomings of its software platform.
Samsung keeps Tizen smartphone dreams alive with the Z3
Tizen leads something of a quiet life. The open-source OS championed by Samsung has received extra attention of late, being the platform of choice for the company's sleek, new Gear S2 smartwatch. Tizen was originally expected to be a much bigger deal, though, reducing Samsung's reliance on Android for all of its many, many smartphones. But after several years of development, only one Tizen-powered smartphone has actually made it to market: the low-end Samsung Z1, which launched earlier this year in India. More were promised, and it seems Samsung isn't quite ready to send its Tizen mobile ambitions gently into that good night, today announcing the mid-range Z3.
Samsung's Gear S2 smartwatch arrives in the US October 2nd
After a number of teases, Samsung finally revealed its Tizen-driven Gear S2 smartwatch earlier this month at IFA. If you've been champing at the bit to purchase one, you'll soon have the chance to do so. The wearable goes on sale this Friday, October 2nd in the US. When it does, you can expect to nab one from Amazon, Best Buy and Macy's in addition to Samsung's own online store. If you're in need of a refresher, there's two models to choose from, the Gear S2 and the Gear S2 Classic, which are priced at $300 and $350, respectively. The difference? The Classic sports a classier look in a smaller size with a black leather strap and a bit more detail around that rotating bezel. If you're willing to hold out for the 3G version, it's set to arrive "later this fall" on AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon.
Samsung finally has an elegant smartwatch in the Gear S2
Few companies have churned out as many different smartwatches as Samsung, so it's little surprise the company is showing off a new one -- the Gear S2 -- at IFA. What is a surprise, though, is how much more elegant, more polished the S2 feels compared to just about all of Samsung's previous attempts. After years of seemingly blind iteration (and just a little bit of hands-on time), Samsung finally seems to have a stylish, if somewhat controversial smartwatch on its hands.
Samsung's Gear S2 is a classy Tizen watch with a rotating bezel
Remember that time Samsung teased a new smartwatch after unveiling some phones we knew were coming? You should! This was seriously only two weeks ago, guys. Anyway, Samsung is finally talking specifics about the watch -- known as the Gear S2 -- ahead of the murky mobile maelstrom brewing in Berlin right now. First off, it's actually even smaller than we thought it would be. Earlier leaks pointed to a round smartwatch with a 1.65-inch screen running at 360 x 360 -- turns out the resolution was right, but the Gear S2's screen is only 1.2 inches across.
Samsung's Gear S2 makes its Instagram debut on an exec's wrist
Samsung showed off its forthcoming Gear S2 smartwatch pretty extensively a few weeks ago at its event introducing the Galaxy Note 5, but now we're getting a look at the device that isn't just a render. VP for Samsung design Dennis Miloseski posted an image of the Gear S2 today to his Instagram feed, simply saying that he's "giving the Gear S2 a test drive." We have to say that it's even more attractive looking in an actual photo than it was in the renders Samsung showed off -- it's too early to tell, but it could be a strong contender for the best-looking smartwatch thus far. (Too bad it's running Tizen.) If that doesn't deter you, we should hear more about the Gear S2 at IFA 2015, which kicks off in early September.
Samsung is launching 'several' more Tizen smartphones this year
It's tempting to think of Tizen as an also-ran in the smartphone world next to powerhouses like Android and iOS, but that's not entirely true when Samsung has sold 1 million Z1 phones in India since January. In fact, there are now signs that the Korean firm is doubling down on its partly in-house platform: Reuters sources hear that Samsung is planning to release "several" more Tizen phones later this year at a range of prices. While there aren't more details yet, the move suggests that Samsung is confident that it can expand Tizen's audience relatively quickly.
Samsung reveals a few facts about its round Gear smartwatch
Samsung hasn't exactly been coy about its new Gear watch having a round screen -- it confirmed as much in an SDK announcement the day the Apple Watch launched -- but we're finally getting a better sense of what it brings to the table. The company released development tools for its new Gear watches to a small pool of early adopters today, and with it came a few details about the so-called "Project Orbis" (or Gear A, if you prefer) watch. Before we go any further, though, it's worth pointing out again that this particular Gear watch isn't going to run Android Wear. It's a Tizen device through and through, and what's been unearthed today corroborates plenty of stuff we've heard before.
Samsung launches its first Tizen smartphone... again
Where were you when Samsung launched its first Tizen phone? That's debatable. The company proudly revealed the "Z" last year, but later scrapped the "high-end" model before it ever reached customers, instead choosing to refocus on creating budget devices. We're now seeing the first fruits of that effort, as Samsung has just announced the Z1, a low-end Tizen smartphone for India. "Budget" is definitely the right word for this phone: priced at 5700 Rupees (a shade over $90), it has a 4-inch WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) display, a 1.2GHz processor, 3.1-megapixel camera (and a VGA front camera), 768MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage (expandable via microSD) and a 1500mAh battery good for 8 hours of talk time. Fitting for its intended market, the Z1 also comes with dual-SIM support, and is available from today in white, black and red.
All of Samsung's new smart TVs run Tizen, stream TV to your phone
This summer Samsung showed off prototype HDTVs powered by its homegrown Tizen OS (pictured above and in the gallery), and things have apparently progressed far enough for the company to go all-in on the software next year. While Tizen hasn't taken over on phones or smartwatches yet, Samsung says every one of its 2015 smart TVs will be based on it. So what can the TVs do? Other than run PlayStation Now for cloud-streamed gaming, they can stream TV to Samsung mobile devices that are nearby. It uses Bluetooth LE to detect devices in range then WiFi Direct for the connection, and can work even when the TV is off. Samsung demonstrated a Google TV once upon a time, but it apparently isn't into helping the folks from Mountain View push Android in the living room. We should get a better sense of how the new platform works, including a revamped Smart Hub UI, next week in Las Vegas -- see you in 2015.
Samsung Gear S review: an ambitious and painfully flawed smartwatch
Samsung's wearables strategy seems to be: "Throw everything at a wall and see what sticks." In a little over 12 months, the electronics giant has launched six -- yes, six -- different smartwatches, each with its own unique personality. The latest is the Samsung Gear S, and its particular claim to fame might be the most ambitious yet: It's the first Gear watch that lets you make and receive calls from your wrist, no phone required. Yep, the Gear S actually has a 3G modem inside it, along with WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS radios. It's basically a watch that's also a phone. You can even respond to emails using a tiny onscreen keyboard. But, at $350 a pop, can it replace your phone? And more importantly, would you want it to?
Samsung's 3G-ready Gear S watch reaches the US November 7th
Itching to strap Samsung's 3G-equipped Gear S smartwatch on your wrist? If you're in the US, you'll only have to wait one more week. The cellular-capable timepiece is now officially slated to reach American stores on November 7th, including Best Buy, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon. Just how much you'll pay depends on your choice of network. Verizon hasn't mentioned pricing just yet, but AT&T will sell the Gear S for $200 on a two-year contract; Sprint and T-Mobile will offer the wristwear on monthly installment plans that have you shelling out respective totals of $384 and $350. That's a lot to pay in the current smartwatch market, but this is also one of the few wearables that lets you leave your phone at home.
Blocks' modular smartwatch will talk to your iPhone
Blocks first unveiled its modular smartwatch with a plan to use Android Wear, much as Project Ara smartphone will use a special version of Android. However, there has been a change of plans -- and it's good news if you're not of the Google persuasion. The team now says that it's using a version of the open source Tizen platform that should support Android, iOS and Windows Phone, so you probably won't have to give up a favorite device just to try this out. The Blocks team also has access to Intel's newest processors thanks to a prize from a recent design challenge, and modules will have removable covers that let you change both the style and functionality of your wristwear. This is still an incredibly ambitious project that may not pan out as planned, but it's evident that the pieces are quickly falling into place.
