Samsung files patent for Apps Edge, puts edge to good use

The Note edge and now the Galaxy S6 edge show us that Samsung’s got an affinity for “curves,” whether it be a curved display like the Gear S, or the curved “edges” of its Galaxy S6 edge. The “edges” and “curves” of its products are excellent, but consumers want to have more function. After all, a pretty aesthetic (as is the case with most smartphones) with little significance in daily life is hardly worth getting excited about.

To this end, Samsung has filed a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for an Apps Edge that will provide quick access to a user’s regular apps. The patent, filed on July 6th, says that the Apps Edge is “for use in organizing and allowing quick access to frequently used applications.” In other words, Samsung looks to make the edge more mainstream in the future. The edge seems to be Samsung’s golden ticket to new form factors (thank goodness for something other than the typical thin “brick” slabs in which Android, iOS, and Windows Phone devices live), and adding utility to it will only make it better.

A number of reviewers have said that the Galaxy S6 edge is the smartphone to beat in 2015, but needs more developers to get onboard and develop apps to take advantage of the curved sides so that Samsung’s apps are not left alone on the “edge.” Samsung intends to give APIs to developers who will start to create apps that are edge-eligible from the outset, but Samsung may have other plans. Phandroid says that Samsung will bring an Apps Edge store to the S6 edge and the Note edge, and this seems likely – considering that the “edge” apps will have a different functionality than the S6 edge’s non-edge sibling and the upcoming Note 5. We’ve reported that a Note edge 2 may be MIA this year, and along with Samsung’s desire to increase edge appeal with the upcoming S6 edge+, the Apps Edge patent seems to breathe some new hope into the Note edge series for the future.

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We never said the Galaxy Note 5 won’t have a microSD slot

Earlier this week, we published a column talking about how the Galaxy Note 5 might not have a microSD slot. It turns out that what was clearly an opinion piece was considered news and covered by a lot of publications out there, and it seems many took our article to be somewhat definitive proof that the Note 5 will not feature expandable storage. So we just wanted to clear things up with this post, and tell everyone that what we wrote about the Note 5 and a microSD slot was strictly an opinion and not a piece of information from Samsung or any of our insiders.

That article was based on the fact that Samsung’s UFS 2.0 storage is too fast for a microSD slot to be able to keep up, and one of our readers also chimed in with another technicality that would make it impossible/difficult for Samsung to include a microSD slot on its next Galaxy Note flagship. We still think that we won’t be getting that revered slot on the Galaxy Note 5, but we would also like to point out that it’s simply what we believe and not what could come to pass. It’s certainly not coming from someone at Samsung, so it would be great if people would stop taking that article as confirmation on what the Galaxy Note 5 may or may not have in the storage department.

We would also like to say that even if you don’t get expandable storage on the Galaxy Note 5, you shouldn’t write it off because of that single reason. Samsung’s new optimized TouchWiz coupled with the productivity features on the Note lineup, plus the company’s top-notch hardware - its processor, displays, cameras and new-found design chops – are sure to make for a phone that is notably better than the Galaxy S6 and possibly the best on the market at launch. Removable battery is another feature that might be killed off with the Note 5, but those unwilling to look past the lack of these features is bound to be left on the wayside while the rest of us enjoy the excellent flagships we know Samsung will continue to launch in the future.

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Galaxy Note 5 now rumored to be launching in mid-August

Samsung officially shot down rumors of the Galaxy Note 5 getting announced in July, but it looks like rumblings of the company’s next Note flagship being on track for an earlier unveiling might not be completely false. Reuters is citing an unnamed source as saying that the Galaxy Note 5 will be made official in mid-August, around two weeks before Samsung usually holds its Unpacked event.

We always hear rumors of the next Samsung flagship being launched earlier than when one would expect, and they have pretty much always turned out to be just that: rumors. However, given this is coming from Reuters, it’s possible there is some truth to the matter. People are saying that one reason for the early launch could be because the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge haven’t managed to make a huge mark on the company’s earnings, and also because Samsung intends to make sure it can out the Galaxy Note 5 before Apple comes up with the iPhone 6S Plus.

But with all such rumors, it’s best to take this one with a pinch of salt. Regardless of when the Galaxy Note 5 will come out, we can be certain it will be yet another masterpiece in the vein of the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, even though it might do away with an important feature that is revered by a lot of consumers out there.

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Samsung reportedly developing 11K smartphone display with 2250 ppi

According to a new report Samsung is working with 12 other companies to develop an 11K smartphone display with very high resolution and a staggering 2250 pixels per inch, to put things in perspective the best displays right now don’t have ppi above 600. Development is said to have started on June 1 with Samsung Display leading the pack. The Galaxy S6‘s 5.1-inch display has 1440×2560 pixel resolution and 577 ppi, an 11K display would be almost quadruple of that.

It would take at least three years for this display to be completed and Samsung would want it to be ready before the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang so that it can show it off there. It could take even longer for these displays to make their way into mobile devices. It would be a huge achievement for Samsung and all other companies involved if they’re able to get this display ready in time for the Olympics in Pyeongchang.

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