Samsung begins IoT.js development for expanding interoperability to devices

Looks like Samsung isn’t just innovating with their unique hardware, but also with their software. Samsung has recently opened development of a platform called IoT.js which is a platform for the Internet of Things that means to expand the interoperability of lightweight devices.

What is the internet of things? Well, it’s basically a more efficient way to interconnect devices by assigning a certain ID to it. An object in the IoT can be anything from a pacemaker to a lamp to a car assistant. It’s a very clever way of representing things but Samsung wants to use it in order to establish a better network of their Tizen devices. Samsung ships a variety of electronics and with this new addition you could potentially control them all with your smartphone. For instance you could control the temperature in your room, or the mood of your lights. It’s all inter-connected, but this news is mostly addressed to developers as Samsung is working on a framework called IoT.js. Here’s Kyeongwoon Lee’s view on this matter:

We will look to expand interoperability among more devices through the IoT.js project. IoT.js is a platform that will be built together with developers, and it is our hope that many developers will actively participate in this project with us.

Samsung is planning to expand its Tizen base this year and we could be hearing more about this IoT platform at the Tizen Developer Summit this year. If you’re a developer you should know that IoT.js is written in JerryScript, which is a JS engine for the Internet of Things with the main advantages being portability and a lightweight code base.

This is one of the most exciting projects we’ve seen from Samsung lately and it could be a total changer. How do you think it will affect the tech industry once it becomes more widely used?

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Latest Galaxy S6, LG G4 camera shootout keeps the camera king on the throne

The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge have been prized for their cameras, and this still remains true some three months after both devices made their debut onto the world market. Tech enthusiasts like to place competing devices against each other, and market demand continues to show that a stellar camera experience is paramount for tech-savvy consumers.

PhoneArena is known for its blind camera tests, and the site has once again provided another head-to-head blind camera test for the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the LG G4. In five scenes, with blind votes, its readership voted the Galaxy S6 the winner in 3 out of the 5 scenes represented, with the G4 winning the other 2 scenes and thereby, a close second.

In scene 1, the Galaxy S6 wins easily, with its accurate sky blue representation as opposed to the too-blue sky color of the G4. The orange flowers in the G4 photo for scene 1 are too washed out, while Samsung’s Galaxy S6 keeps the detail and vivid orange color intact. A close-up photo of the flowers shows that, in addition to the washed-out orange color for the orange flowers, the G4 also has a deeper purple than should be the case (meaning the G4 oversaturates at times and undersaturates at times).

In scene 2, users preferred the more true-to-life colors than that of the Galaxy S6 (which oversaturated the photo, apparently). In scene 3, the G4 and the Galaxy S6 do an excellent job of giving accurate colors of flowers from afar, but close-up zooms show that the Galaxy S6 has greater detail and less noise than that of the G4.

In scene 4, both do a decent job at a distance, but close-up zooming shows that the Galaxy S6 nails the intricate details such as the outline of the bricks themselves. Scene 4 belongs to the Galaxy S6. As for scene 5, LG’s f/1.8 aperture is what lets the Korean manufacturer beat out its native rival. You may not know it, but the additional f/0.1 aperture plays a huge role in the differences between photos. Most users voted for the more accurate green grass and night lighting, showing that LG’s G4 may beat Samsung’s Galaxy S6 in low-light situations.

Overall, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 is the winner with its balanced and excellent shots in high-light and low-light circumstances. LG’s G4 is good, but its moments of oversaturation (too dark colors) and undersaturation (washed-out colors) show that it’s got some ways to go before it topples the Camera King.

You can find the results at the source link below.

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New photos show the Galaxy S6 edge on top of a prototype S6 edge+

If you needed more proof that the Galaxy S6 edge+ will be a bigger version of the Galaxy S6 edge, then the latest batch of leaked photos should give it to you. The photos show a Galaxy S6 edge sitting atop a prototype of its bigger sibling, and reveal a couple of small changes in the hardware. On the Galaxy S6 edge+, the microphone at the bottom has shifted its position, and the phone seems to be missing an infrared sensor at the top.

The infrared sensor is probably missing because this is a prototype and will most likely be there on the final device. The rest of its hardware will be the same as the Galaxy S6 edge as well, except for the screen size seeing an increase to 5.7-inches. As we had exclusively revealed, the Galaxy S6 edge+ will be officially announced alongside the Galaxy Note 5 on August 12, and could replace the Galaxy Note 5 as the latest phablet from Samsung in Europe, at least initially.

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Samsung planning to add touch controls on the side and backside of its future smartphones?

A new Samsung patent registered in 2014 shows an interesting new concept regarding touch controls. It appears that they intend to bring more touch actions to their Edge devices which involve the side and the back of the device.

The Galaxy S6 Edge and the Note 4 Edge brought forth a lot of interesting new actions based on their funky new design. The curved area of the display can display smart notifications and flash different colors based on who is calling you, and Samsung is going to take this design in a new direction. The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) recently published Samsung’s patent which is actually very interesting if you take a closer look. There’s no clear explanation on how the patent works but Samsung is basically experimenting with different grips and actions that could perform various actions. It’s worth noting that the new grip involves your palm as well, not just your fingers, which is interesting.

There are many uses for such a patent, for instance using your fingers to swipe on the side of your screen could turn the volume up or down faster than any physical button, not to mention it would wear off much slower. Scrolling up or down should also be much more flexible and easier, but what’s really interesting here is the potential for keyboard controls. Figure 12B of the patent shows an interesting concept where your palms are somehow involved in the process of typing, and the keyboard is rendered in the old style where one key represents three symbols. It could be that applying pressure on the side of the display makes the keyboard show up, whereas your thumbs are used to type. This leaves the rest of your fingers available for other controls on the back of your device.

In any case, it looks like an exciting concept and we could see it in production pretty soon, given that it was registered last year. What are your thoughts on the possibilities of this concept?

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This infographic shows Samsung’s eccentric color choices for its smartphones

Ever wondered how Samsung decides what color options would accompany a particular smartphone? Did you know that the selection of the right colors for a device is almost as important as the device’s design, and that the colors and material used for a smartphone go hand in hand? Well, some of you probably knew it wasn’t a very simple process, but for those who didn’t, Samsung’s new infographic does a good job of detailing how its color choices have evolved over the years.

Samsung uses the term CMF, which stands for color, material and finish, to describe how the color development process takes place. From the get go, product designers, CMF designers, and engineers sit down and decide the color, material and finish depending on the product. The next step is for researchers to analyse current trends to find out the grip and color preferences of consumers, followed by the selection of materials that suit each color. We can’t exactly say Samsung has done a good job of this all the time – the Galaxy S5 was a clear misstep in terms of the combination of material and color, but it does seem to be working out quite well when you talk about the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge.

From bright and overbearing yellow that will hurt your eyes to sober and classier colors, Samsung has done it all in its long history of making mobile devices, and the infographic shows all the eccentric paint jobs it has used over the years. It’s a long infographic so you might want to wait for it to load fully before you start scrolling down on the image below; do let us know which one do you think is the best or worst of the lot in the comments section.

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MetroPCS is offering Samsung Galaxy Core Prime 4G for free with $40 or higher plans

The Galaxy Core Prime 4G, an entry-level smartphone with 4G LTE connectivity, is being currently offered for free by MetroPCS through its ‘Switch to MetroPCS’ campaign. The offer is applicable for those who are willing to take up the carrier’s $40 or higher plans.

Apart from the Galaxy Core Prime 4G, MetroPCS is also offering additional 1GB of free 4G LTE data every month as long as the user stays with the carrier. It is a limited time offer, and is available only through the carrier’s stores.

The Galaxy Core Prime 4G is upgradeable to Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, and features a 4.5-inch WVGA LCD display, a quad-core Snapdragon 410 processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB internal storage, microSD card slot, and a 2,000 mAh battery. There’s a 5-megapixel primary camera with 720p HD video recording, and a 2-megapixel secondary camera.

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New entry-level Samsung smartphone found in UAProf, could be the Galaxy Young 3

A new entry-level Android smartphone from Samsung, the SM-G150NL, has surfaced on the Internet. A user agent profile of the device was discovered on Samsung’s own website by the guys over at NapiDroid.hu. Going by its model number, the device appears to be a successor to the Galaxy Young 2 (SM-G130).

It device will have a screen resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, which points towards an entry-level device. According to the source, the Galaxy Young 3 might have a 3.8-inch display, which is a good improvement over its predecessor’s display. The device was discovered in Bluetooth SIG certification as well as in the Indian import listings about a month ago.

Samsung started restructuring the naming scheme for its smartphones earlier this year, so it is possible that the device might not called the Galaxy Young 3, but we will keep you updated on the matter.

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Samsung market share ahead of Apple in Q2

Samsung’s smartphone shipments in the second quarter covered 26.8% of the market share as opposed to 16.4% for Apple. While these numbers are very positive the tech company might see an overall diminished growth this year as opposed to 2014 which is due to smartphone sales stagnating.

The Galaxy S6 has sold a lot of units and it’s estimated to reach 50M units sold by the end of this year. This is a great prospect for Samsung and it’s almost double than the amount of Galaxy S5 units sold. According to TrendForce the smartphone sales growth is actually facing a serious threat this year, estimated to be merely 8.2% in 2015 as opposed to 26.5% last year. Huawei has reached a surprising position this year according to the study, reaching 100M units sold this year. This makes Huawei the #1 mobile brand in China and this forecast marks a 40% annual shipment growth.

Vendors are going to face a serious difficulty in selling smartphones this year. According to TrendForce this plateau of smartphone shipments is owed to the global economic situation which makes things highly unpredictable. All eyes are currently on the Galaxy Note 5 which is expected to turn things around. Samsung can avoid a negative shipment growth in 2015 by delivering a highly anticipated device with improved tech specs. In the meantime Apple has some new devices on its way which will add some serious competition.

Do you think the Galaxy Note 5 will improve the situation? Let us know by leaving a comment.

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Silicon Valley companies take Samsung’s side in Apple lawsuit

A new development in the Samsung-Apple patent battle now involves the biggest companies of Silicon Valley. Facebook, Google, Dell, HP & eBay are all taking Samsung’s side in this lawsuit with a petition to the federal appeals court. The petition is meant to spare Samsung from paying the patent infringements caused by the Galaxy devices.

It’s surprising to see other companies join this eternal battle between the two biggest mobile tech companies on the market. Samsung has to pay a total of $548M which is the total profit earned from its Galaxy devices that, according to Apple, ripped off their design. It’s a huge amount of money which according to these Silicon Valley magnates is unfair. Their point is that the products made in this field are far too complex to generalize. Each smartphone is a unique combination of bits and pieces which are all working together to deliver quality, so you can’t say two devices are identical.

Google has a strong interest in this particular case, is not an impartial ‘friend of the court,’ and should not be permitted to expand Samsung’s word limit under the guise of an amicus brief

It doesn’t look like this battle is going to end anytime soon, but as more sides join the story we might see a decision eventually. It would be interesting to see more views on this lawsuit, which is currently in Samsung’s favor. They initially had to pay $1.05B which was then lowered to around $930M and then to $548M.

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