Render The Metaverse entries can now be viewed without Gear VR

In April the OTOY studio which makes rendering software for virtual reality announced a new contest called Render The Metaverse that was sponsored by Oculus. The idea behind this content was to get the community involved in creating immersive 360-degree panoramas using OTOY’s software. The finished images were then viewable on Oculus development kits and the Samsung Gear VR, those who don’t have the virtual reality headsets need to worry, the entries have now been released online and can be viewed without the Gear VR.

Artists who create 360-degree panoramas using OTOY’s software can win up to $35,000 in this contest which closes on July 26. The third round of entries will be accepted next month. Oculus CTO John Carmack has signed on to judge the content along with comic book artist Alex Ross and OTOY CEO Jules Urbach. Creations of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners as well as the runner-ups will then be showcased in Oculus 360 Photos. All of the entries that have been submitted so far can be viewed without the Gear VR here.

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Verizon releases first Galaxy S6 and S6 edge update

Verizon Galaxy S6 and S6 edge customers, congrats on your first update on Samsung’s latest and greatest devices.

Verizon decided to drop a little maintenance update to the new device customers this morning, with some saying as early as 6:00AM that they had a new update on their devices (both the S6 and S6 edge). The new update brings the software version to VVRU1AOD5 and affs a drawing feature to the Photo Editor, an emergency call button, and an alarm popup message that tells you the amount of time you have before your alarm sounds.

Big Red has also provided bug fixes with the new update (as to be expected), but there are some nice enhancements also. First, the call quality has been improved. Next, the rejected and auto-rejected call buttons have been slightly tweaked. Other enhancements include moving around the Bluetooth, “add call,” and “location” buttons, removing the “no internet connection” message, the preloading of Google Wallet now (which wasn’t merged with Android Pay, as rumors strongly indicated), as well as the addition of “hide/show,” “mute” and “speaker,” and “drop” buttons for conference calls. S6 edge users now have an “edge” cue on the home screen, which will encourage users to “engage the edge.” It would be unfortunate to own the “edge,” be on the cutting-edge, and never put it to good use.

Some users are currently reporting problems with their battery life on the S6 and S6 edge, so hopefully, the new update will fix battery life while eliminating other problems as well.

For those of you who were hoping for an Android 5.1.1 update, you’ll be disappointed. Big Red hasn’t brought it yet, but at least Verizon’s improving its devices with small maintenance updates. Verizon Galaxy S6 and S6 edge customers, count yourselves fortunate that you’re not experiencing the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi problems of Nexus 5, 6, and 9 users with Google’s latest “icing” to Lollipop.

Have you downloaded the new Galaxy S6/S6 edge update? If so, are there any noticeable changes? Has your battery life improved? We’d love to know what you’re thinking.

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Samsung brings its 4K Tizen-powered TVs to India

While smartphones are just starting to showcase the new Quad HD, 2K display standard in their respective space, Samsung’s televisions are ushering in an area in which 4K displays will become the norm. Current Quad HD screens have 2560 x 1440p resolution, as can be seen in Samsung’s Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, but 4K displays bring a 3840 x 2160p screen resolution. For those that’re keeping count, that’s well over 8,000,000 pixels for your viewing experience (double that of Quad HD displays currently).

Samsung’s 4K TVs just launched in the Philippines early last month, after making their first appearance at CES 2015, and they’re now making their way to India. The India market will now get to choose between the 55-inch and 65-inch variants of the JS9000 series. The 65-inch model will cost Rs. 4,40,900, while the 55-inch variant will set you back Rs. 3,14,900.

Samsung’s 4K TVs will be powered by its proprietary Tizen OS, a long-developed operating system that is said to be easy on battery life. The 4K TVs are Super Ultra High-Definition (SUHD TVs), said to provide better color contrasts and brightness (up to 2.5 times better) than traditional television sets. While Samsung’s 4K TVs are not the prestigious AMOLED displays Samsung is known for, its LCDs are crystal-clear.

Either of these 4K TVs powered by Tizen will help users share content between their Samsung smartphones and their new TV, with Samsung’s Smart TVs recommending shows and movies that may be of interest to you in addition to providing news, weather, the time, and your daily schedule. As to be expected, these new 4K Smart TVs will be available in any major electronics store or Samsung Smart Plaza in your area. If you’re ready to see what the hype in SUHD is all about, feel free to visit the link below.

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This is what Samsung is doing for Galaxy S6 units scratched by the Clear View cover

Samsung hasn’t done a good job with the quality of its accessories for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, that much is for certain. Perhaps the biggest mishap that has been caused by the company’s poor quality control is the scratching of the phones’ displays for those using the Clear View cover. Samsung officially acknowledged that the Clear View cover has caused issues for some users, and we now know what it is doing to fix the problem thanks to a document that we have gotten our hands on (download it here.)

Basically, Samsung is giving affected users a free screen replacement, and is also returning the phone with a protective film on top so that the screen is protected from damage against further use of the Clear View cover. The repair procedure will be initiated once a user has provided the necessary information and once Samsung has confirmed that the scratches have been caused by the cover, and will only cover a one-time free screen replacement.

To be honest, we don’t think this is a very useful solution. Sure, the protective film will probably be enough to prevent damage, but it doesn’t solve the larger issue here, which is the poor way in which the cover has been designed. There really is no excuse for an official accessory to be causing damage on flagship devices that costs an arm and a leg, and if Samsung can’t nip the problem in the bud, removing the Clear View cover from market entirely would be the best thing to do.

Do you have a Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 edge with a display damaged by the Clear View cover and have managed to get it repaired? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks, E!

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Exclusive: Galaxy S6 and S6 edge Android 5.1 update will bring RAW support, lower ISO values in camera

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge will be getting a couple of new features with the Android 5.1.1 update, some of which we have detailed in recent weeks. The camera app will gain new functionality, including iPhone-like exposure control, and we can now confirm that support for shooting in RAW and lower ISO values will also be added to the camera app with the upcoming update.

RAW support is a default part of Android 5.0 Lollipop, but it isn’t present on the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge for now. The Pro mode in the camera app already allows for customizing the ISO values, with 100 the lowest the setting can go at the moment. However, unless Samsung changes something in the final Android 5.1 build, the update will add the option of selecting an even lower ISO value (possibly around 50, which is the lowest on many digital cameras.) For those unaware, ISO is the sensitivity of the camera sensor to light, and a low ISO value usually helps a camera take crispier photos with less noise than a photo taken at high ISO levels.

Lower ISO does have a flip side though – the camera can take longer to capture an image as a low ISO setting decreases the shutter speed and as a result is much better for taking pictures of stationary objects. Talking of shutter speed, that’s another feature we’re hoping the Android 5.1 update will introduce, but at this point we don’t have information on whether that will actually be the case.

The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge should get the Android 5.1 update sometime between June and July.

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Galaxy S6 edge Iron Man Edition available for insane prices on eBay

It doesn’t matter how old you are – the Iron Man edition of the Galaxy S6 edge is a smartphone that you simply cannot not want. But when you have to pay a couple thousand bucks to actually get your hands on one, that’s when it is a good time to draw a line between wanting something and being sensible about it. The Galaxy S6 edge Iron Man Edition was launched as a limited edition device of which only 1,000 units were produced, and it seems like some of the lucky buyers are now trying to sell off the device on eBay at some insane prices.

Searching for the device on the e-commerce site will get you some pretty interesting results, with prices starting from around $2,900 and going up to a whopping $9,000. Well, the $9,000 listing does get you the Avengers Special Briefcase along with the phone, but that doesn’t do much to negate the fact that these prices are absolutely nuts and shouldn’t even be allowed to be put up. But hey, maybe you are like Tony Stark and can afford to splurge all that cash, in which case you can feel free to find and hit the source link below.

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Samsung reveals some of its new NEXTGEAR partners

It was first reported a couple of months back that Samsung was working on a next-generation Gear smartwatch with a circular display. We exclusively reported that this smartwatch is internally referred to as Orbis and that it will be unlike any smartwatch that Samsung has ever released. A few weeks back when Samsung released the next-generation Gear smartwatch SDK to developers it revealed more details about the device, which is going to have a round watch face with a metal crown and a metal frame. It will have a 1.18-inch circular display with a resolution of 360 x 360 pixels. Also present on the smartwatch are various sensors such as gyrosensor, pressure and magnetic sensor, accelerometer and heart-rate monitor. Connectivity options include cellular radio, GPS and Wi-Fi.

The SDK for the “#NEXTGEAR,” as Samsung calls it, is already available to developers who can use it to get their apps ready for the new smartwatch. Samsung today revealed some of the new partners that have committed to creating apps for the next-generation Gear, these include News Republic, Groupon, tripcase, Kimgisa and Komoot among others, such as Yelp, CNN and Baidu. So far Samsung has not revealed when it will officially launch the next-generation Gear smartwatch.

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Counterpoint Research expects Samsung Galaxy S6 sales to reach 50 million by year-end

Yesterday, an Oppenhiemer analyst claimed that the sales of Samsung’s flagship devices are imploding, making us think about the legitimacy of the report. Now, Counterpoint Research, a leading technology market research firm has stated otherwise. According to the firm, Samsung managed to sell around 6 million units of the Galaxy S6 and the S6 edge by the end of April, making them the most popular smartphones this year behind Apple’s iPhones.

The research firm also stated today that it expects the sales of these devices to reach 50 million by the end of 2015. If that happens it would be a new sales record for the Galaxy S series of smartphones. There have been varying expectations by research firms and analysts worldwide about the sales outlook for the Galaxy S6 and the S6 edge, but we’ll only know for sure when the South Korean smartphone giant makes a public announcement about the sales numbers during its earnings call.

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Samsung introduces five new designer cases for Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge

Samsung has introduced five new designer cases and covers for the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge that add even more style to the already gorgeous devices. Samsung says on its official blog that it has worked with handpicked designers – Swarovski, Montblanc, Romero Britto, Rebecca Minkoff and Burton – who share the company’s vision of combining technology with fashion.

The Swarovski case resembles high-quality jewellery that reflects different shades of glass in which the Galaxy S6 is being offered. Swarovski also made accessories for the Galaxy S5 and the Gear Fit in the past.

Montblanc has designed a series of high-quality leather cases and flip covers for the device that are manufactured in Italy. If you remember, Montblanc previously worked with the South Korean smartphone giant to bring high-quality cases and stylii for the Galaxy Note 4.

International pop artist Romero Britto has collaborated with Samsung for the first time to design a clear cover with vibrant colors. Rebecca Minkoff, a luxury handbag, accessories, footwear, and apparel designer, has developed protective covers and leather pouches with edgy flower prints.

Burton, a large high street clothing retailer from the United Kingdom, has brought two of the brand’s most popular print designs to the cases meant for the Galaxy S6 and the S6 edge.

 

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Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4 now available for just $199.99 from Best Buy

Samsung’s premium compact tablet that was released last year, the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4, is now available for just $199.99 from Best Buy. That’s $100 off its regular price tag, making it a discount of over 30 percent for the 16GB Wi-Fi only variant.

Just to refresh your memory, let’s revisit the specifications of the device. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat, and features an 8.4-inch Super Clear LCD display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels, a quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor with Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, microSD card slot, and a 4,800 mAh non-removable battery. It features an 8-megapixel primary camera and a 2-megapixel secondary camera, and both of them can record videos in 1080p resolution.

Refurbished units of the tablet were on a sale through Amazon last month for $210, but we’ve never seen a brand new device being offered for a price this low. We don’t know if this is a permanent price drop for the device or a limited-time offer, but if you need a compact tablet with a high-resolution display on the cheap, you can definitely consider the Galaxy Tab Pro 8.4. What do you think? Is this a good price for the tablet?

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Samsung Galaxy Core Prime 4G quietly launched in India

Samsung has quietly launched the Galaxy Core Prime 4G in India today. Priced at INR 9,999 (~ $157), the device was to be launched back in March, but the plans got delayed.

An Indian mobile device retailer, Mahesh Telecom, has revealed that Samsung has launched the device through brick-and-mortar stores. Samsung has tied up with a prominent carrier in India, Airtel, and is offering 3GB of LTE data for free with the device. The device also comes bundled with free premium three-month subscriptions to Hungama and VuClip media streaming services.

The Galaxy Core Prime 4G is an LTE variant of the Galaxy Core Prime, and features a 4.5-inch PLS LCD display with WVGA resolution, a 1.2GHz quad-core Spreadtrum SC8830 processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, microSD card slot, 4G LTE connectivity, and a 2,000 mAh battery. It is equipped with a 5-megapixel primary camera with autofocus and LED flash, and a 2-megapixel secondary camera. It runs Android 4.4.4 KitKat out of the box, but since the Galaxy Core Prime has started receiving Android Lollipop update, we hope that it would be released for this device as well.

The company has previously mentioned that all Samsung mobiles that will be launched in India will feature 4G LTE connectivity due to increase in the demand. All the major carriers in the country have started upgrading their networks to support LTE connectivity.

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Galaxy S6 Plus launch expected in the coming weeks

We exclusively confirmed some more details about the Galaxy Note 5 and the Project Zero 2 recently, many of you will remember that we pointed out that Project Zen has been internally renamed by the company to Project Zero 2. It’s going to be a bigger version of the Galaxy S6 edge, carrying model number (SM-G928). Contrary to previous rumors Project Zero 2 is not going to have the S Pen functionality.

It was previously said that Samsung will launch Project Zen 2 at IFA 2015 in September but according to a new report the company is going to unveil this device called the Galaxy S6 Plus in the coming weeks. The Galaxy S6 Plus is believed to have a 5.4-inch or 5.5-inch Super AMOLED dual-edge curved display, 32GB internal storage, a hexa-core Snapdragon 808 processor, a 5-megapixel front and a 16-megapixel rear camera. Project Noble on the other hand, which will be unveiled as the Galaxy Note 5, is on track for a launch at IFA. It’s likely going to have a 2K or 4K Super AMOLED flat display, an octa-core Exynos 7422 processor and the S Pen.

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