Exclusive second preview: Android 5.0 on Galaxy S4 brings updated widgets and more

It goes without saying that many Android users who own Samsung devices are anxiously waiting for the company to start releasing Android 5.0 Lollipop update. Unfortunately Samsung has not confirmed the roadmap up till now so there are no concrete release dates available for Lollipop. What can be said for sure though is that many of the company’s recent devices will be updated to Android 5.0 Lollipop at some point in the future.

In case you have been wondering what Android 5.0 on Galaxy S4 looks like, we already provided you with the first ever exclusive preview of Lollipop on this device. Even though the internal build was riddled with bugs we tested it out and gave you an exclusive look at the new optimized TouchWiz UI.

The user interface looks more or less the same as Android 5.0 Lollipop on Galaxy S5, which we have also exclusively previewed. Samsung brought over the latest flagship’s launcher with My Magazines and Popping Colors lockscreen effect to the Galaxy S4, while the improved TouchWiz also brings an overhaul for the look and feel of proprietary system applications.

This is the second internal build that we have received and it shows some of the improvements that Samsung has made over time. There are updated home screen widgets as well as settings toggles, making it easier for users to access essential options in just a few taps.

We cannot leak the build right now due to safety reasons but that doesn’t stop us from showing off the new build to you on video. Samsung has evidently made improvements to Android 5.0 Lollipop for Galaxy S4 and its bound to get even better as the release draws near.

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Milk Video launched, will make it easier to find viral videos on Samsung devices

Less than a year ago Samsung jumped into the world of music streaming by launching the oddly named service Milk Music. Today its expanding Milk’s presence over to video. The aptly named Milk Video has been announced today. its a new service which is going to make it easier for you to search viral videos from your Samsung device. This service is initially being launched in the U.S. only.

The Milk Video streaming service isn’t a Netflix or Amazon Instant Video competitor. It brings in content from a variety of partners which include College Humor, Cracked, Buzzfeed, Funny or Die, Vice, Vanity Fair and many others. Most videos available will be up to eight minutes however some videos might be as long as 20 minutes, that really depends upon the content provider.

It is possible to follow other Milk Video users to see their favorite vidoes. Sharing options include the ability to email links to videos, star links and even share them to Facebook from within the app.

Milk Video is exclusive to Samsung Galaxy devices and available only to users in the U.S. The app is now live in the Google Play Store.

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Galaxy Note 4 display trumps rivals in color accuracy

It goes without saying that the Galaxy Note 4 display is really good but DisplayMate went one step further and pitted it against some of the handset’s rivals. The result is unsurprising. Samsung Galaxy Note 4′s display has trumped its rivals as far as color accuracy is concerned.

DisplayMate put the Galaxy Note 4, Surface Pro 3, Kindle Fire HDX 8.9, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air 2 and the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 through a series of color accuracy tests in a bid to find out which of these displays reproduce colors most faithfully. These devices were then ranked according to color gamut, organic colors, facial skin tones as well as blue reproduction from cyan to magenta.

The table clearly shows that Galaxy Note 4 display performed the best of all, and only the Surface Pro 3 and Galaxy Tab S could match it in the blue color accuracy test. It scored more on skin tone and white point tests as opposed to the competition.

This goes to show that Samsung has done an incredible job with the display for Galaxy Note 4, and its certainly one of those things that’ll draw customers towards this device.

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Samsung’s Black Friday deals include discounts on 167 products

Black Friday is a little over a week away, and Samsung has started taking pre-orders for products that it will be putting up for sale as part of its Black Friday deals. A total of 167 items will be discounted, with discounts ranging from as high as $3,000 to as little as $10. Those $1000+ discounts are mostly available on Samsung’s new TVs, while devices like the Gear Fit and the Galaxy Tab 4 series will be priced at around $50 less as part of the deals. The company is taking pre-orders for all devices right now, but will not charge consumers’ credit cards before November 24th.

Head over to the source link to find the full list of devices.

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Exclusive: First look at Samsung’s low-end Tizen interface, more details on SM-Z130H

Two months ago, SamMobile spilled beans on Samsung’s upcoming low-end Tizen device (SM-Z130H), but at that time we only had a few details about the device. A week ago, the device’s User Agent Profile (UAProf) went online on Samsung’s website, which confirmed a few details we leaked earlier. Today, we have received new information about the device, and have also received a system dump of Tizen 2.3 OS from the device.

Internally, SM-Z130H is codenamed KIRAN. We aren’t aware of the official name just yet. KIRAN sports a WVGA (800×480) TFT LCD display panel, a dual-core Spreadtrum SC7727S CPU with a clock speed of 1.2GHz, ARM Mali-400 GPU clocked at 460.8MHz, 512MB RAM, 3.2 megapixel main camera sensor with an LED flash, and a 0.3 megapixel front facing camera.

Connectivity-wise, the device features Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Wi-Fi 802.11n, Wi-Fi Direct, and a microUSB 2.0 port for charging and syncing the device. The device has dual SIM support, and also features an FM radio as well. KIRAN packs an accelerometer too — the only sensor available on the device.

Now let’s talk about the software. Thanks to the system dump, we were able to extract icons, lockscreen themes, and the default wallpaper; check them out in the gallery below. As you can clearly see, Samsung is making Tizen’s UI look a lot like its TouchWiz interface on Android. Samsung has also ported some special features from Android to Tizen including Private Mode and Ultra Power Saving Mode. Facebook, Twitter, and a few Google services and applications will come pre-loaded on the device as well. And, knowing Samsung, it will make sure that top applications make their way towards Tizen.

Based on the information we have received, KIRAN is an entry-level device with low-end hardware. Initially, the device will only come to India; information on other markets is currently unknown. KIRAN is Samsung’s answer to Google’s Android One initiative, and it will definitely be a hard sell for the Korean giant.

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Samsung addresses Galaxy Note Edge curved display durability

Back in September, Samsung showed off the Galaxy Note Edge. This smartphone stands out from the pack because of its curved display. Many were curious about what Samsung had done with this smartphone and the biggest question they asked was whether or not this curved display was durable. Samsung has addressed those concerns in a new blog post.

Samsung says that it was aware that this question might be asked frequently, which is way more than 1,000 drop tests were conducted to ensure that the display would hold up, apart from dozens of other “vigorous durability tests” to ensure that this device could go through an accidental fall or slip.

The company also touches upon the question whether the Note Edge’s curved display registers unintentional touches frequently? The designers and engineers have configured the touch sensor so that it can recognize the different between finger and palm, so that the device can easily distinguish between an unintentional touch and an intentional tap.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge is a limited edition device that is only being released in a select few markets, in most markets it will cost upwards of $800.

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Dual SIM Galaxy A5 spotted on Samsung’s China website

Smartphones with dual SIM compatibility tend to perform well in emerging markets which is why it is not going to surprise anyone that a dual SIM variant of Samsung Galaxy A5 was spotted on the company’s China website.

Not much is different between this variant and the one Samsung showed off at the end of last month when the Galaxy A5 and A3 were formally unveiled. It appears that in China the A5 is going to arrive first with its dual SIM capability. Rest of the specifications remain the same.

So far Samsung has not confirmed the pricing for this handset, which is why it can not be said for sure right now exactly how much the Galaxy A5 is going to cost. Hopefully that information will come up soon.

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Avengers 2: Age of Ultron extended trailer highlights Samsung products

It is not uncommon to see some of our favorite gadgets in movies and TV shows coming out of Hollywood. Usually its not a mere coincidence that these products find their way in these productions. Companies actually pay to have their products featured and Samsung is one of the companies that takes part in product placements. Extended trailer for Avengers 2: Age of Ultron is a testament to that fact.

This extended trailer was published today on the official Samsung Mobile YouTube channel. It shows more or less what we have already seen in the first trailer of this move that was released a couple of weeks back. However there is an extended shot of the Black Widow checking out Loki’s staff on a tablet. No need to guess, its a Samsung tablet.

You also get to see a Samsung sign in the background as the Avengers fight through a mall, eventually ending up bringing destruction to a Samsung store.

This is the result of the Marvel-Samsung partnership announced back at the Galaxy Tab S premier event in New York back in June. The partnership will also bring content for Gear VR in the future.

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78-inch curved UHD TV with gold covered back will be auctioned for charity

Samsung’s 78-inch curved UHD TV is pretty expensive as it is but if you’ve got more money than you know what to do with then this is going to interest you. The company has teamed up with Christie’s to develop one single unit of the aforementioned TV with the back having a gold lacquer-painted finish.

This TV will be put on display at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Center starting November 20th. After the display it will be auctioned by Christie’s Hong Kong. All proceeds from this auction will be given to Orbis, a global non-government organization, that aims to improve access to high quality eye health.

Sung Yong Hong was commissioned to do the artwork which captures the “Memory of TV” and depicts “iconic scenes that the television shares with the public.”

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Samsung Flow provides seamless content handoff between devices

Yesterday at the Samsung Developer Conference in San Francisco the company made a few announcements ranging from virtual reality to connected objects for the home to health. During the keynote Samsung Flow was also unveiled for the first time. Flow will enable seamless content handoff between different Samsung devices, be it smartphones, smartwatches, tablets and even TVs.

Flow has three core components. There’s Transfer, Defer and Notify. Transfer hardly needs any explanation. As the word suggests, this will allow users to transfer content from one Samsung device to another with a couple of taps, so it can be a picture, a video call or a webpage.

Defer allows users to pause an activity and then pick it up later from where they left off on another device. So for example if you’re using a smartphone to work on a spreadsheet you can defer it until you’re back at your desk where you can pick up working on it through the tablet. This also works with multimedia so it will be possible to pause a movie you’re watching on a smartphone or tablet to pick it up right where you left off on a Samsung TV.

And then there’s Notify, which is pretty self explanatory in itself. This pushes notifications and status alerts about devices. So even if your smartphone is a few feet away your Samsung TV will be able to notify you about an incoming call, or about the battery running low.

All of this is controlled through a single dialog box which apps can pull up. The box will display nearby Samsung devices which are compatible with Flow, and any of its core components. Developers will be able to integrate it into their applications as well. Samsung has not yet revealed when and precisely how Flow will be made available for its various devices.

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Project Beyond 3D camera captures 360-degree footage for Gear VR

The Samsung Developer Conference is taking place today in San Francisco where quite obviously the announcements being made are geared towards developers. During the keynote address the company unveiled Project Beyond. Its a new and rather unique 3D camera which is capable of recording 360-degree video which can then be used for creating experiences for the Gear VR headset.

Project Beyond consists of 16 camera that have ultra-wide lenses capable of capturing video at one gigapixel per second. There’s a 17th camera on top of the device for capturing the overhead shot.

Developers will soon be able to pick one up. Samsung hopes that more developers will come on board to create experiences for the Gear VR, so that end users have a good collection of content to access when they get their hands on the virtual reality headset.

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Samsung Gear S sells 10,000 units in South Korea on first day of launch

Being a smartwatch that doesn’t need a companion smartphone to be able to make calls or let you navigate to your destination, the Samsung Gear S is no doubt the most capable smartwatch out there. Over in South Korea, Samsung’s home country, it looks like consumers have taken a liking to the feature-packed Gear S, as apparently 10,000 units of the smartwatch were sold right on launch day. The Gear S went up for sale in South Korea on November 5 from local carriers SK Telecom and KT, and it’s likely Samsung has been able to sell more than 20,000 units in the last week.

The Gear S features a curved 2-inch Super AMOLED display, a dual-core Exynos processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage, and a 300mAh battery. Running on Tizen, the Gear S comes with inbuilt Wi-Fi and GPS chips, a SIM card slot that supports 3G networks, heart rate and UV sensors, and a barometer and compass. It can be paired with a Samsung smartphone running on Android 4.3 or above, as long as it supports Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy, though as mentioned above, pairing the watch with a phone is optional (though you will need to pair the first time you turn on the Gear S.)

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Samsung products win 40 Good Design Awards in Japan

Samsung Electronics today announced that its products have won the Good Design Award 2014 in Japan. The award spans multiple product categories and includes, but is not limited to, the Curved UHD TV HU9000, Crystal Blue Door Drum Washer WW900, the Gear Fit, MultiXpress X4300 and the Smart Camera NX mini.

The number of products that won the Good Design Award 2014 totals 40, which is the highest ever since Samsung entered this evaluation system.

For those who don’t know the Good Design Award is considered to be the most prestigious design award in Japan. It is organized by Japan Institute of Design Promotion and it evaluates the exterior design of products as well as the innovative idea and user experience. Award-winning products get a “G Mark” which denotes good design, and Samsung’s 40 products now boast that mark.

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Germans can vote to make Samsung launch Galaxy Note Edge

Since it was unveiled back at IFA 2014 in September the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge has only been made available in South Korea and Japan. Just yesterday it was confirmed that the Note Edge will be released in the US later this month. What about other markets? Germany is on the cards, provided that Samsung receives the required number of votes.

Samsung is running a campaign of sorts through Facebook for customers in Germany. They have to meet a goal of 120,210 votes. If the required number of votes come in Samsung is going to launch the Galaxy Note Edge in the German market.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge stands out from the pack because of its quirky display that is curved on the right hand side. It has more or less the same internals as the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, but the company has already mentioned that this is a limited edition device, so it may only be released in a handful of markets. Germany might become one of them if 120,210 votes are received.

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Master Dual is Samsung’s new flip phone

It goes without saying that the world has largely moved on from the clamshell form factor even though it used to be all the range back in the day, but not anymore. Nevertheless there are some companies that are still making these phones, LG recently released one, and today Samsung is out with a new flip phone that’s called the Master Dual. Its not a smartphone so don’t expect Android, rather its a cheap feature phone in the clamshell form factor.

The Master Dual has two displays like most phones of this form factor. Internal display measures in at 3-inches whereas the external comes in at 2.2-inches. Feature set is limited but there is microUSB, FM Radio, GPS onboard alongside a 3 megapixel rear and 1.3 megapixel front camera. The Master Dual also has a feature that can notify preset contacts when it is not used for a certain amount of time.

The Samsung Master Dual is only available in South Korea right now through SKT for 300,300 won.

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SamMobile confirms Android 5.0 Lollipop for the Samsung Galaxy S4

Android 5.0, or Lollipop as most will call prefer to call it, is all the rage these days. It’s the biggest update to the world-dominating OS in years, and users have naturally been wondering which devices will be lucky to make the jump to Lollipop. Well, thanks to our sources, we can confirm that Samsung will be updating the Galaxy S4 to Android 5.0. That shouldn’t come as surprising since the S4 is still under the 18-month update guarantee period, but it’s notable as this would mean that the Galaxy S4 will be getting its third major update after Android 4.3 and 4.4 (though as many will argue, neither were as major as 5.0, and we’d have to agree.)

The Exynos variant (GT-I9500) should receive the update first, sometime early next year, though naturally these plans can always change in the coming months based on how quickly Samsung is able to port everything over, and also on things like carrier and regional delays. In case you missed it, we’ve already given our readers an exclusive look at Android 5.0 running on the Galaxy S5, and we’re guessing Samsung will be aiming to bring the same new look of its software to the S4 as well, and likely other devices like the Galaxy Note 3.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 4 features ported to the Galaxy Note II through a custom ROM

The Galaxy Note 4 is the latest and greatest device in Samsung’s category-defining phablet lineup, and is naturally a major upgrade over the two-year-old Galaxy Note II, both in terms of hardware and software. Well, those who are still rocking a Note II can’t exactly upgrade their hardware without buying the Note 4, but those who have no qualms installing a custom ROM can now have many of the new features found in Samsung’s fourth-generation Galaxy Note flagship. A developer team on XDA has released a custom ROM that includes quite a few features from the Note 4, including Ultra Power Saving Mode, Smart Select (and the new Air Command interface), the Flipboard homescreen, Scrapbook, and the new interfaces from stock apps like the clock and dialer.

There’s quite a few other things that the ROM comes with, and the exhaustive list can be found at the source link. As always, keep in mind that flashing a custom ROM is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly, and that there might be issues that you won’t find on the device’s stock software. We should also point out that the ROM is based on Android 4.4.2, so you will still be waiting on Samsung to release the Android 4.4.4 update that has been going out to other Samsung devices in the past few weeks.

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