Galaxy S6 Active confirmed through Samsung Plus Program

The Galaxy S6 Active lives!

We’ve shown you an AT&T inventory list, photos, and other juicy details about Samsung’s rumored ruggedized device, but we now have something of a confirmation from Samsung.

Samsung’s Plus Program webpage has been set up to provide the Samsung faithful with device support, additional services, and other benefits (per company decisions) for their devices. It was on this very Plus Program that the Galaxy S6 Active was an additional “plus” that no one could’ve seen coming. In listing various devices, the timeframe in which the devices are listed, and the points system for registered users, Samsung included the “Galaxy S6 Active,” immediately after the Galaxy S6 and before the Galaxy S6 Edge. The Plus Program devices list shows the amount of points awarded for the S6 Active, along with a release date.

The release date is the interesting part of this confirmation, however. Samsung had the confirmation date listed as “4/10/2015” (April 10, 2015), which has come and gone at this point. The date could simply be a placeholder, as Samsung usually launches its Galaxy S Active model in June or July, as it did with the Galaxy S4, GS4 Active, GS4 Mini, and GS4 Zoom (now Galaxy K) models. The April 10 date could also be an indication that Samsung wanted to launch the device earlier, but held off due to the success of the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge sales.

It could also be the case that Samsung delayed the launch of the Galaxy S6 Active to add the long-rumored microSD card slot that some Samsung Galaxy S faithful are hoping to have in their new handset. We know: there are some Samsung fans who are happy with closed storage in their new Galaxy S6 and S6 edge – but some fans are not. They’re a little old-school. They’ve heard the “fixed flash storage is faster storage” argument and don’t see the benefit over the old microSD setup. Old-schoolers, consider the S6 Active as your new favorite. Perhaps Consumer Reports will favor the S6 Active better than the new S6 and S6 edge.

Just as a refresher, the Galaxy S6 Active will feature the same Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440p), 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display, 5MP front and 16MP back cameras, an octa-core, Exynos 7420 processor, but will also come with a rugged design, 3,500mAh battery, and microSD card slot. The Galaxy S6 Active has only been confirmed for AT&T in the US at this point, a trend that started with Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Active and has continued up until now.

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Samsung affirms Tizen is here to say, says it’s “The OS of Everything”

Tizen is a new platform in the smartphone world (though it’s been developing for a few years now), and Samsung’s connection to it gives the fledgling platform a certain amount of publicity – whether good or bad. Tizen has its share of critics who view iOS, Android, and Windows as sufficient for OS choices; “we don’t need another,” some have said.

Well, if you’re one of Tizen’s critics, you’ll be displeased to know that Tizen isn’t going anywhere, according to Samsung Electronics Software Center VP Jong-deok (JD) Choi. We are preparing for the Internet of Things, and Tizen as ‘The OS of Everything’ will be the core platform, Choi told the audience at the SAS 2015 Forum in Seoul, South Korea on Thursday.

The Internet of Things (or IOT) is a phenomenon in the tech space whereby all the mobile devices we use (smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, smart TV, smart fitness bands, etc.) will be connected to the internet along with non-mobile, non-OS devices that we’ve never connected to the internet before.

Samsung’s goal is to have all its devices connected to the IOT by 2017, and to have all devices connected to each other within the next five years (by 2020). The Internet will be at the center of all the excitement within the mobile space, since not only mobile devices, but also the home, will be connected to the Internet. Smart doorknobs, smart refrigerators, smart washers, smart dryers, and smart ovens are part of Samsung’s next big thing.

So, there you have it: whether you like Tizen or not, you’d better get used to it. As long as Samsung’s name stands (and it’s unlikely the Korean manufacturer’s star will fall anytime soon), Tizen will stand with it. Tizen may not be your everything, but it is Samsung’s.

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Samsung Chairman’s succession plan has reportedly been set in motion

The powerful Lee family exercises control over the Samsung conglomerate with Lee Kun-hee positioned as the Chairman despite repeated calls from shareholders to limit his power over the group. The family controls the conglomerate through ownership in key affiliate companies. On the other hand Chairman Lee Kun-hee has often been criticized for being too extravagant on his trips overseas, particularly for staying at expensive resort hotels and the use of a private plane. Shareholders argue that this money would be better spent on the company’s employees, but the Chairman hasn’t been able to publicly take a stand against these allegations given that he has not been able to fully recover from a heart attack he suffered in May last year. Reports suggest that due to his ailing health Chairman Lee Kun-hee has set the very complicated succession plan in motion.

Lee Kun-hee’s son Lee Jae-yong is next in line for the proverbial throne. He’s currently the vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and since his father’s hospitalization he’s already considered as the unofficial chairman of the conglomerate. It has been announced that Lee Jae-yong has inherited the chairmanship of two investment vehicles and charitable bodies from his father: the Samsung Foundation of Culture and Samsung Life Public Welfare Foundation.

This is perceived by many industry watchers as the succession plan in motion since control of these foundations is vital because they hold stakes in key companies of the Samsung Group, they’re actually believed to hold a significant part of the shareholding structure that binds the group’s 74 different businesses.

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Smartglasses patented by Samsung could give Google Glass a run for its money

A patent application from Samsung has been published by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office which reveals that the company has invented smartglasses that are capable of doing much more than what Google Glass was ever capable of. Google Glass was Google’s failed smartglasses project that never made it to a consumer launch, the company has now ended the “Explorer Program” and is now back to the drawing board to come up with the next generation smartglasses. Samsung’s patent application shows that its smartglasses will be able to work with multiple devices such as a game console, cameras, smartphones, tablets, in-vehicle infotainment systems, medical machines and many others. The company even illustrates how the glass of the smartglasses would be able to change from clear to becoming sunglasses when the user steps out in the sun.

Another application could be mirroring live TV or a movie that’s playing on a mobile device, when it’s safe for the user to be distracted by content being projected right in front of their line of sight. Applications proved by Google Glass are also mentioned, such as the ability to bring up messages and emails from a connected mobile device.  Also mentioned in the patent filing are features such as taking pictures and video, ability to interact with a virtual private assistant like Siri or Google Now and even the ability to show subtitles when a foreign film is being watched on another screen through the smartglasses.

Samsung filed this patent back in Q4 2014 and while it reveals that the company has been tinkering around with the idea of smartglasses, it simply can not be taken as a confirmation that Samsung will certainly release a Google Glass rival. It leaves the door open though, Samsung will have the required patent support in place if it ever decides to come out with such a product, which many believe will be called Gear Glass.

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Samsung uses Snapchat to ‘Edge-ucate’ you about its latest flagship

Samsung is going all out on marketing and advertising efforts for the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge, why wouldn’t it since these new handsets are crucial for the company to regain its footing in the global smartphone market. The company now seeks to offer “Edge-ucation” about its latest flagship through Snapchat and for that purpose it has teamed up with popular Snapchat user Shonduras to release a series of videos that subtly promote the Galaxy S6 edge.

For those who don’t know who Shonduras is, he’s a Snapchat user that has gained quite a lot of popularity because of his drawing skills which he uses to embellish the ephemeral photos that he shares with people. Samsung put the Galaxy S6 edge in Shonduras’s hands and made several videos in which he goes through “Snapchat secrets” that will help you up your ephemeral messaging game, and possibly even convince you to purchase the Galaxy S6 edge if you haven’t already. Even if it doesn’t get you to purchase the company’s latest flagship at least you get to learn some cool Snapchat tricks.

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Galaxy S5 mini gets in line for Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update

Samsung Galaxy S5 mini owners have no doubt been waiting for the Lollipop update but so far the company has not revealed when the update will be released for this particular device. We reported a couple of months back that it’s likely that the Lollipop update for the Galaxy S5 mini will be released in the second quarter of this year. Now Samsung Denmark’s website is showing the Galaxy S5 mini in line for the Android 5.0.1 Lollipop update.

Currently the Galaxy S5 mini is running Android 4.4.2, and with most of the company’s high-end devices already on Lollipop, it goes without saying that users are now anxiously waiting to try out all that’s new in Android 5.0. While Samsung Denmark’s website shows that the Galaxy S5 mini is in line for this update it doesn’t point out precisely when the roll out will begin, so users will have to keep their fingers crossed for that information. They might not have to wait for too long though since the update is already expected to be out at some point in this quarter.

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Samsung launches the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge in Blue Topaz and Green Emerald

Samsung had showed off the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge in Blue Topaz and Green Emerald color options when the devices was first unveiled back in March but these options weren’t immediately available in the market. Customers were limited to White Pearl, Black Sapphire and Gold Platinum instead. Samsung today announced the launch of the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge in Blue Topaz and Green Emerald and interested customers will now be able to pick these colors.

Blue Topaz is available exclusively for the Galaxy S6 and Samsung describes the color as a “striking but subtle blue hue.” British Psychologist Dr. Donna Dawson says that people who go with the Blue Topaz Galaxy S6 are more likely to be sensitive, exacting, fastidious, self-confident and intuitive. Samsung is only offering the Green Emerald color with the Galaxy S6 edge and the company says this color exemplifies Samsung’s design philosophy where “beauty meets purpose.” Dawson says people who go with Green Emerald tend to be loyal, balanced, honest, benevolent and concerned for others.

The Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge will be available in the aforementioned colors with 32/64/128GB storage options, Samsung points out that launch date and models will vary by region and distribution channels.

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