Best Buy cuts Gear VR Innovator Edition price

Samsung has released a couple of variants of the Gear VR headset, though initially it only started selling the “Innovator Edition” which was more geared towards developers and enthusiasts instead of the average consumer. Nevertheless the Innovator Edition virtual reality headsets were sold through retailers like Best Buy so really anyone who wanted one could easily buy one. If the $200 price tag seemed a bit too excessive perhaps you might want to pick one up now from Best Buy because the retailer has cut the price of the Gear VR Innovator Edition.

This particular headset works with the Galaxy Note 4 as well as the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge. It previously sold for $199.99 but right now Best Buy has the units for sale at just $149.99, that’s a sweet $50 discount. Don’t confuse this headset with the consumer version of Gear VR that Samsung announced recently, that particular headset is going to sell for $99 when it arrives later this fall, and it will only work with the Galaxy S6, the Galaxy S6 edge, the Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Note 5.

Source 1 Source 2

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1LuKx5E
via IFTTT

Samsung’s smart glasses may offer features Google Glass can only dream of

Google Glass was launched with much fanfare, the company tightly controlled how many people could purchase the wearable device and in what markets. However the device failed to take off, instead Google had to discontinue sales and accept that it needed to rethink the entire strategy behind this product. That’s what it’s doing right now and there’s no saying when another Google Glass might be launched. On the other hand it has been reported multiple times that Samsung is mulling over the idea of smart glasses as well and it has multiple patents to support the effort should it ever wish to jump on the bandwagon. Several new patents filed by the company show that its smart glasses might have features that Google Glass can only dream of.

One major feature that Samsung has patented would allow users to interact with 3D images projected by the smart glasses, for example users can project keypads in mid-air to dial phone numbers, punch in messages and perhaps even take a shot at a virtual piano keyboard. A recent patent application by Samsung explains that the smart glasses will use two cameras to project 3D images in mid-air so as to create a virtual input interface, this will allow users to interact with apps and services the way they would on a smartphone.

Samsung engineers have also come up with a way to visualize how users could project augmented reality objects on physical objects and then use them to interact with apps and services. For example if a user wants to make a phone call or send a message they can project the keypad on their hand, held just 10cm away from the glasses, and then use the fingers of the other hand to dial in the number and make the phone call. The same technique can be used for sending messages and even playing keys on a virtual piano keyboard. This technology only exists in patents right now and it’s not known for sure if and when Samsung intends to come out with its own smart glasses, but when it does and if they have this feature, they’re going to be so much more appealing than Google Glass.

Via

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1hngaQs
via IFTTT

T-Mobile lists Samsung devices slated to receive Android 6.0 Marshmallow in the first round

Google released the much awaited Android 6.0 Marshmallow update for Nexus devices yesterday, whenever there’s a major Android release people can’t help but ask when the update is going to be released for their devices. Many folks who own Samsung Galaxy smartphones are no doubt wondering the same thing, and if they’re on T-Mobile, at least they can now be sure whether or not their handset will receive Android 6.0 Marshmallow in the first round of updates.

T-Mobile has listed on its websites the smartphones which will receive Android 6.0 Marshmallow in the first round, the list includes handsets from LG, HTC and Samsung of course. Currently all handsets are listed in “Manufacturer Development” phase which means that the OEMs are working on the update after which they will provide it to T-Mobile for testing on the carrier’s network and it’s only after that the end users receive it. As you can imagine, this process is going to take some time. Samsung handsets that have made it to this list include the Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note 5, the Galaxy S5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Tab S2. It is only after the first round is done will the carrier start rolling out Marshmallow for other compatible devices on its network.

Source

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1M9cY7Q
via IFTTT

US presidential candidate Donald Trump uses a Samsung Galaxy smartphone to tweet

Donald Trump is many things, he’s a big fan of golf, he has been on a reality TV show, he’s a real estate mogul and these days he’s also one of the Republican candidates vying for the office of the president of the United States in 2016. All candidates are heavily relying on social media to get their message out to potential voters with Facebook and Twitter being the most popular tools being used in this fight for the White House. A new profile on Trump by The New York Times reveals that the presidential hopeful uses a Samsung Galaxy smartphone to fire out his (often controversial) tweets.

The way that Trump’s Twitter account is run makes it seem like he himself is sending out the tweets most of the time, it’s not uncommon for such personalities to have entire teams looking after their social media presence. The Time reveals that while Trump doesn’t have a laptop in his office it’s usually he who is tweeting from his account, sometimes he will dictate a tweet to a staffer who will type it out and sometimes he’ll use his Samsung Galaxy smartphone to send one out on his own. Unfortunately The Times doesn’t reveal precisely which Samsung Galaxy the man uses, but at least we know that Samsung makes phones good enough for the Trump!

Source

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1j9hBDV
via IFTTT

Samsung Galaxy A9 components land in India for testing

As we reported last week, Samsung is prepping the Galaxy A9, along with the spiritual successors to the Galaxy A3, the Galaxy A5, and the Galaxy A7. Now, we have found out that accessories for the Galaxy A9 have landed on the Indian shores for testing and evaluation purposes.

Samsung is testing various components of the Galaxy A9 (SM-A9000), such as the cover glass, the SIM tray, and the main board. This is yet another sign that the Galaxy A9 is in the works, but since Samsung is only testing individual components at the moment, the launch of the phone could be a couple of months away. Not that that would be a bad thing, as the Galaxy A8 has barely had enough time on the market for the Korean giant to be launching its successor so soon and bloating its smartphone lineup with too many choices faster than it usually does.

Source

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1LdFbcR
via IFTTT

Interbrand ranks Samsung as the seventh best global brand for 2015

Interbrand releases a list of 100 best global brands every year, and it has released a refreshed list yesterday for this year. As per the brand consultancy firm’s new list, Samsung is the seventh best global brand for 2015, ahead of the likes of Amazon, BMW, and Intel.

When compared to last year’s ranking, Samsung has held its own staying at the seventh place, while Toyota, GE, and Cisco fell down in rankings. Samsung’s brand value is valued at $45 billion by Interbrand, which takes into consideration a brand’s financial performance, it’s ability to influence consumers purchase decisions, and the extent to which it can support premium pricing.

Apple ($170 billion), Google ($120 billion), and Coca Cola ($78 billion) stand at the podium position of this list, and they have been doing so for the past three years. PayPal and Lenovo are the new entrants in this list of 100 global brands on 97th and 100th positions respectively, while Nokia and Nintendo fell out of the list. You can hit the source link to visit Interbrand’s report and see the complete list.

Source

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1MTZTxD
via IFTTT

Samsung-made A9 chipset for Apple iPhone 6s is smaller than the one made by TSMC

Earlier this year, it was being reported that Apple was in talks with Samsung as well as GlobalFoundries to manufacture its A9 chipset, and that Samsung had finalised the deal. Now, it is being reported that the recently released smartphones from Apple, the iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus, are equipped with A9 SoCs that are supplied by two vendors; Samsung and TSMC.

The guys over at Chipworks have taken apart the iPhones and decapped the Apple A9 SoCs used in both the devices, and surprisingly found that the A9 chipset supplied by Samsung is physically smaller than the one supplied by TSMC. The A9 chipset with part number APL0898 has a surface area of 96mm², while the one fabricated by TSMC with part number APL1022 has surface area of 104.5mm².

AnandTech states that the size difference in the physical size of these chipsets might be the result of different manufacturing processes used to fabricate them. Apparently, Samsung has used its 14nm FinFET technology, which was also used to manufacture the company’s own Exynos 7420 processor, while TSMC might have used 16nm FinFET process to manufacture the A9 chipset.

Via Source

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1L1roTn
via IFTTT

Samsung rolls out Android 5.1 Lollipop to Verizon’s Galaxy Core Prime

When Samsung released one of its entry-level smartphones, the Galaxy Core Prime, late last year with Android 4.4 KitKat onboard, many thought that it would not receive any major Android update. However, the South Korean smartphone giant surprised everyone by rolling out Android 5.0.2 to the device a few months ago. Now, the Galaxy Core Prime that was released on Verizon’s network has received yet another major Android update.

Samsung has released Android 5.1.1 Lollipop update with version G360VVRU3BOH3 for the Galaxy Core Prime (SM-G360V) on Verizon’s network in the US. Along with all the enhancement that Android 5.1.1 brings to the device, Samsung has also added a fix for the security related Stagefright bug that was in the news recently. Please note that this update will not be released through Kies, so you’ll have to wait for the OTA to hit your device. If you’ve installed the update already, let us know how it is working out for you.

Source

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1Mazitu
via IFTTT

Samsung Galaxy Grand On, 3G-only Galaxy J2 pass the FCC

The Galaxy Grand On is set to be one of the phones that leads the debut of Samsung’s Galaxy O series of smartphones, and we’ve exclusively detailed what we can expect from the device in terms of hardware and software. We saw the Grand On enter India for R&D purposes last month, and it seems the phone is getting closer to an official launch as it has now been certified by the FCC.

According to the FCC, the Grand On will come with support for LTE, a feature we weren’t made aware of by our sources. Speaking of LTE, the FCC has also certified a variant of the Galaxy J2 (SM-J200H) that won’t feature that fast form of connectivity. The Galaxy J2 has only been launched in the Indian market, and the model available in the country is 4G-enabled, so we will likely see the 3G variant make its way to emerging markets where 4G networks aren’t a major part of the equation.

As a refresh, the Grand On will feature a 5-inch HD screen, Exynos 3475 CPU clocked at 1.3GHz, 1GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera, 5-megapixel front-facing camera, 8GB internal storage, a microSD slot, a 2,600 mAh battery, and Android 5.1 Lollipop. The Galaxy J2 comes with a 4.7-inch qHD AMOLED display, 5-megapixel rear camera, and a 2,000 mAh battery; the rest of its specs are similar to the Grand On’s, and we’re currently working on a full review of the device.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1L12cw1
via IFTTT