Tizen
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Data-saving Opera Mini browser to land on Samsung Gear S watch
While Tizen's smartphone future remains foggy, it's slowly gaining street cred in the wearable space courtesy of Samsung's smartwatches and their handful of apps. The latest brand to help push this young ecosystem is none other than Opera, who is bringing its Mini browser to the Gear S due later this year. Of course, it'd be impractical to squint at a two-inch touchscreen all day long, but Opera Mini does offer a major advantage: its renowned data compression technology that can shrink web pages to as little as one-tenth of their size, thus making more efficient use of the Gear S' integrated 3G connectivity. As an icing on the cake, this app also offers private browsing mode and a "Smart Page" that aggregates social updates plus the latest news. Opera Mini will already be available for download by the time the Gear S hits the stores.
Samsung shifts 500 engineers from mobile to other areas
Samsung may be focused on smartphones, but it apparently doesn't want to become a one-trick pony. The Korean tech giant has just moved 500 engineers from its mobile division to a host of other groups, including its home electronics, networking and software sections. The company says it's shuffling people around to both boost its "competitive edge" in the internet of things and "increase synergies" for the Tizen platform it primarily uses on its wearable devices. We've reached out for more details, but it's safe to say that Samsung's software priorities are changing -- it's less concerned about its problematic Tizen phone efforts and more about adding smarts to a wide range of gadgets, whether they're TVs or printers.
Samsung Gear S preview: What's it like to type emails on a 2-inch screen?
Six. That's how many smartwatches Samsung has unveiled in the past 12 months. If these devices were Friends episodes, there'd be the original Galaxy Gear ("The one announced last year at this time"), the Gear 2 ("The one with fewer bugs"), the Gear Fit ("The one designed for fitness tracking"), the Gear 2 Neo ("The one that didn't cost as much") and the Gear Live ("The one that ran Android apps"). If nothing else, it shows that Samsung is willing to experiment -- and maybe even listen to feedback from users, and reviewers like us. Now, as the original Gear turns one, Samsung is showing off its sixth watch, the Gear S: the one that can run without a smartphone. Thanks to its very own nano-SIM card, the Gear S can make calls, as well as show you emails in full, with the option to reply directly from the device using a tiny on-screen keyboard. To Samsung's credit, it's unlike any other device it's made before. But the age-old question still remains: Was anybody asking for this?
Nokia's Here Maps is coming to Android as a Samsung exclusive
Relations between Google and Samsung are already a little tense, but the Korean smartphone maker may just have elevated those frustrations a little further. Extending its existing deal to provide mapping data on Samsung's Tizen wearables, Nokia (the part that wasn't sold to Microsoft) today confirmed that it will bring Here Maps to Android for the first time, giving Samsung Galaxy smartphone owners advanced access to its own Google Maps alternative.
Samsung's Gear S smartwatch doesn't need a phone to get online or make calls
Samsung is taking the wraps off of yet another new smartwatch, but the Gear S (not Solo) has a twist: there's a 3G modem inside. While it may not be especially fast, that means that even when outside the range of a Bluetooth-connected phone or WiFi, it can still send and receive messages or make calls. It has a 2-inch AMOLED screen plus a dual-core 1GHz CPU inside along with GPS, heart rate and motion sensors, all powered by a 300mAh battery Samsung says can last up to two days. It runs Tizen instead of Android Wear, with pedestrian navigation available from from Nokia's HERE and support for Facebook. In the run up to IFA next week Samsung is also bringing the Gear Circle headset (yes, we also figured they'd save that name for a round watch) that pairs with a phone over Bluetooth, letting users hear notifications, use voice commands or listen to music through the earbuds.
Huawei boss says Tizen has 'no chance' of success
Fans of mobile operating systems not called "Android" or 'iOS" might be sad to hear what Huawei's head honcho just told the Wall Street Journal. In an interview, Richard Yu spoke about the company's plans regarding Tizen, Windows Phone and a long-rumored homegrown OS, and basically said they were all doomed. According to the executive, unnamed mobile networks had asked Huawei to make Tizen smartphones, but Yu feels that the platform has "no chance to be successful." It's a bit of a u-turn, since the company has previously had a research unit looking into the Samsung-made software, but Yu said that he shut it down.
Google reportedly confronted Samsung over its approach to smartwatches
The strained relationship between Google and Samsung over Android customization has been apparent for a while, and it now looks like this discontent has spread to the wearable world. The Information claims that Google CEO Larry Page confronted Samsung last week over its decision to invest more in its Gear 2 and Gear Fit smartwatches than the Android Wear-packing Gear Live. While the details of Page's discussions aren't available, it's clear that Google wants its biggest hardware partner to devote more attention to its Android-based platform. Reportedly, Google had even wanted Samsung to avoid dipping into wrist-worn technology until Android Wear was ready. As we know now, the Korean company didn't exactly honor that request -- instead, it released the Galaxy Gear (initially using a heavily customized Android) and quickly threw most of its energy into peripherals running Tizen and other platforms.
Samsung's first Tizen phone slips further into the future (update)
Samsung's Tizen mobile OS already powers a pair of smartwatches, but what about those smartphones we've been promised for so long? Well the company's first consumer-ready Tizen phone -- the Samsung Z -- was supposed to make its official debut at a developer event in Moscow yesterday. Of course, the key words there are "supposed to". To hear the folks at the Wall Street Journal tell the tale, there was a Tizen event for enthusiasts, but Samsung quietly pulled the plug on the Z's launch days earlier.
Samsung Z is Galaxy on the outside, Tizen on the inside
While Samsung has been a loyal proponent of Android for quite some time, it's also spent the past few years cooking up its own open-source mobile operating system called Tizen. After several prototypes and revisions, the company finally saw fit to unveil the Samsung Z -- its first ever Tizen smartphone -- a couple of days ago. It was easily the star of the show at the Tizen developer conference here in San Francisco, so we were eager to take it for a spin.
Samsung's Tizen graduates from phone to television with smart TV prototype
Yesterday, Samsung released a developer kit that shows it's planning on releasing a version of its open-sourced Tizen platform to run on smart TVs, not just wearables and smartphones. At the Tizen Developer Conference in San Francisco yesterday, the company unveiled its first ever Tizen TV prototype to show off exactly that. Installed on what appears to be a Samsung TV with a curved screen, Tizen's smart TV interface is still in its early development stages, so it's entirely possible that the interface on display at the conference might not make it to the final version. Yet, it's a good indicator of Tizen's potential, so naturally we had to take a closer look.
Samsung lets you make apps for Tizen-based TVs that don't exist yet
The open source Tizen platform may only just be making its way on to wristwear, but Samsung has much bigger plans... in a very literal sense. The company is releasing a developer kit that will let you create apps for Tizen-based smart TVs, including software that supports hand gestures, mobile device pairing and voice commands. And unlike some TV development tools, you won't need a real set to try things out; you can replicate many core features from the comfort of your PC.
Samsung breaks from Android with its first ever Tizen phone
Samsung has been teasing a Tizen-based prototype phones for quite awhile now, but it has finally launched an honest-to-God retail device: the Samsung Z. It's Samsung's attempt at a homegrown non-Android OS (first featured on its Galaxy Gear smartwatch), though it developed Tizen jointly with Intel. The Samsung Z will feature a 720p HD, AMOLED display with a quad-core, 2.3GHz CPU (from Intel we presume, and possibly based on the new "Moorefield" architecture) with 2GB RAM, 16GB memory, LTE, an 8-megapixel camera, a heartrate sensor and fingerprint scanner. Expect to see the same design language featured in its Android-based Galaxy S devices, especially in the app drawer, notification tray and homescreen widgets. Samsung has also promised a "slim, angular design," and will launch it in black and gold on June 3rd at its Tizen developer conference in San Francisco. It'll be available in Russia and other markets shortly thereafter -- expect more details (like the price) soon.
Samsung Galaxy Gear update switches it from Android to Tizen
When Samsung debuted its new line of Tizen-powered wearables, it looked like the original Galaxy Gear had been put on notice. Instead of leaving early adopters in the cold, the Korean smartphone maker has decided to make good on its promise to bring the wearable up to date -- by switching it from Android over to its own OS. The update includes improvements to performance and battery life, a new standalone music player, customizable shortcuts, and voice-controlled camera commands. By installing the update, which at the moment is available as a manual download or via Samsung's Kies software, you will lose any third-party tweaks or unsupported Android features that you've previously installed. However, you will gain many of the features present on the Gear 2 (except those dependent on additional sensors). Samsung hasn't pushed an over-the-air update out yet, but that may not be a bad thing. It means some that may have accepted the update out of hand are less likely to make a decision they might regret later.
Samsung expected to unveil a call-making smartwatch in June
Unlike cellphone-tethered models like the Pebble or Galaxy Gear 2, "Dick Tracy" watches that make calls haven't set the world on fire -- probably because they're still clunky as hell. The WSJ, though, has added fuel to a previous rumor that Samsung will try to crack that market soon with its own watchphone. The Tizen-based device will reportedly make calls, send messages and take photos, while packing a GPS, heart-rate monitor and other whiz-bang tech. The Korean company is said to have spoken to US and Asian carriers about such a device, and may announce it in June or July. We're quite sure Samsung has the technical chops to pull it off, but such a device would need a very appealing design -- and its savvy there is questionable.
Samsung may soon launch Tizen phones in Russia and India
Remember the Tizen operating system? It's not a household name, but it did make an appearance on the second wave of Samsung Galaxy Gear devices. We're still waiting for a full-fledged phone running the open-source OS, though, and we may just see one this year. According to sources who spoke with the Wall Street Journal, Samsung will launch a Tizen handset in Russia "in the coming weeks," and a Tizen device will reach India soon after. While that's about it in terms of details, one thing is clear: Samsung will look outside the US and Europe to get the fledgling operating system off the ground and into phones.
Samsung Gear 2 review: much improved, but that doesn't mean you should buy it
2013 was the year of the smartwatch. In promise, anyway -- maybe not delivery. Of the many, many different, colorful and unusual timepieces that would populate our blogroll, it was perhaps Samsung's Galaxy Gear that made the most headlines. Why? Partly because it was a new product from one of technology's biggest players, and partly because it was just so bad. Poor battery life, an unpopular design and limited apps meant that the $300 accessory never had a chance of catching on. But, resilient as ever, Samsung is having another crack at it. In fact, it's having another three cracks at it with the release of the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit smartwatches. The big question this time around: Is the second-gen Gear any better than its predecessor? Spoiler alert: Yes, it is. But enough that you might actually want one? That question is a little more complex.
This music service wants to be the first on Samsung's smartwatches
7digital really wants to put its music store on Samsung's new Gear smartwatches. Really badly. Need proof? The company has announced plans to release a hybrid shopping and streaming app for Tizen devices in the second quarter of the year, and it's eagerly highlighting the app's support for wearables -- at last check, Samsung is the only major firm producing wearable Tizen gadgets. The music provider isn't being subtle about its intentions, then, even though it's not making any official connection between its software and the Gear line. If nothing else, 7digital would be a logical fit for the hardware. The company has a history of being the first to offer music services on young platforms, and it was the backbone for Samsung's Music Hub. Don't be surprised if you can buy a hot new song from the Gear 2 on your wrist this spring.
Hands-on with Samsung's vastly improved Tizen OS
Samsung's device lineup may still be heavily dominated by Android, but change is in the air. Tizen, the open-source OS it jointly develops with Intel, powers the company's three new Gear wearables, and smartphones are coming later this year. We got the chance to play with Samsung's latest Tizen phone prototype, which runs a customized build (version 2.2.1) of the platform, allowing us to see what's changed since the last time we saw a Samsung developer handset. While there's still plenty of similarities between the prototype and what we've seen in the past, Samsung's worked to incorporate parts of its Android design language, particularly in the apps drawer, notification tray and homescreen widgets. Not only do they look better, each of the elements are more feature rich than before, offering users greater control over the device and making it feel like a complete platform. The company insists the platform isn't designed to replace Android, affirming that it forms part of its "multi-OS strategy," but given its recent wearable overhaul, we'll never say never. Check out the hands-on video below to see what a Samsung mobile future without Google could possibly look like.
Samsung's new Gear watches are now open to third-party support
Among the many frustrations we had with Samsung's first smartwatch, the Galaxy Gear, was the limited number of apps available for it. While the company offered premium access to select partners, it never came out with a software development kit (SDK) for anyone and everyone to submit their own app. When the Gear 2 was announced earlier this week, Samsung also promised that it would deliver an SDK for its latest series of wearables. At the company's developer keynote at MWC this morning, that's finally changed -- Samsung has announced the "immediate availability" of kits for the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit, as well as another SDK for S-Health. There's a bit of a difference between the Gear and the Gear Fit kits, however. The Tizen-based Gear SDK will make it possible for developers to create applications that run on both Gear 2 watches (using both Android apps and web apps), while the Gear Fit version offers an emulator and the ability to control the device from an Android app. We'll continue to update you as we get more information at this morning's keynote. Update: we're not seeing the kits live on the site quite just yet, but Samsung just stated that it'll be available today.
Meet Samsung's new smartwatch family: the Gear 2, Neo and Fit
Samsung's new Gear smartwatches are no longer card-carrying members of its Android Galaxy. That's because Tizen, the company's open-sourced OS, has taken over the reins for the line begot by the barely five-month-old Galaxy Gear. And, in typical Samsung fashion, the company hasn't released just one new Gear, but three with very specific areas of focus: the fashionable Gear 2, the functional Gear Neo and fitness-focused Gear Fit. The newly announced trio was on display here at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, giving us a chance to get acquainted with their particular quirks and let you know whether or not to free up some space on your wrist.
