Samsung to bring the upcoming Galaxy Tab E quartet to the United States later this year

Following the release of the Galaxy Tab E 8.0 in Taiwan last week and the hordes of leaks surrounding the upcoming unveiling of the company’s refreshed Galaxy Tab E lineup, we now have some pretty solid information which suggests that Samsung will launch the Galaxy Tab E 8.0, along with the unannounced Galaxy Tab E 7.0, Galaxy Tab E Lite and Galaxy Tab E Lite Kids in the United States later this year.

All four slates have made an appearance in a series of listings on the US-based independent retailer United Office’s website. Unfortunately, no information was given with regards to the specifications, pricing or availability of the devices. However, this is a good indication that the quartet is en route to the region.

Word on the street is that the Galaxy Tab E 7.0 will sport a 7-inch display, a 1.3GHz processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 8GB of expandable storage and 4G connectivity, while the Galaxy Tab E Lite is set to pack slightly less impressive internals. The Tab E Lite Kids, on the other hand, will be almost identical to the standard model, but will come encased in a more ruggedised body and run the new version of Samsung’s Kids Mode straight out of the box.

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Nokia and Samsung settle patent dispute

Nokia has announced that it has settled a patent dispute with Samsung, and the Finland-based network equipment manufacturer says that this will boost its patent sales by hundreds of million euros. After this patent settlement, the revenue of Nokia Technologies would increase from €578 million in 2014 to around €1.02 billion (around $1.1 billion) in 2015, which includes catch-up payments from the past two years.

Nokia and Samsung entered into a binding arbitration in 2013 to settle additional compensations for Nokia’s phone patents for a five-year period, which started in early 2014. Nokia expects to receive at least €1.3 billion cash during 2016-2018 related to settled as well as ongoing arbitrations. Samsung’s shared rose by over 1.1 percent following the news of this deal.

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Galaxy J7 (2016) will be powered by new Exynos 7870 SoC

The Galaxy J7 (2016) has made unofficial appearances a couple of times in the last month; its specs were listed on the GFXBench benchmark for all to see, and we recently came across kernel sources for the device that reiterated those specs (and even suggested the presence of a fingerprint sensor on the mid-range phone). The original Galaxy J7 came in both Exynos and Snapdragon processor variants – Samsung seems set to do the same with the 2016 iteration, and it looks like the company is working on a new Exynos CPU for the device.

The Galaxy J7 (2016) went through the Geekbench benchmark with the Exynos 7870 under the hood (model number SM-J710FN), which should succeed the Exynos 7580. The Exynos 7870 is an octa-core chip with a clock speed of nearly 1.7GHz on the tested unit, but unlike the Snapdragon variant, the Exynos model seems to have only 2GB of RAM instead of 3GB. On the flip side, the phone is running Android 6.0.1 this time around, and it’s likely there are a couple of prototypes under development with differing specs.

To be honest, the 2GB of RAM seems far more likely considering the Galaxy J7 (2016) will be a lower mid-range device. As for the benchmark performance, the Exynos 7870 performs slightly better in both single-core and multi-core tests, which is to be expected considering this is a newer chip. All in all, the new Galaxy J7 could be a notable upgrade over the original, unless Samsung decides to make other changes to the hardware while it continues development on the device.

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Exclusive: Gear 360 virtual reality camera is real, to accompany the Galaxy S7

Only a few weeks ago, the first hints pointing to a new 360 degree camera named Gear 360 surfaced. Now, with only a few weeks until Samsung’s next big Unpacked event, we can exclusively confirm the Gear 360 VR camera is real, and coming soon.

The Gear 360, likely an offshoot of Samsung’s Project Beyond, is a compact spherical camera capable of capturing 360 degree imagery using two 180 degree fisheye lenses. It can pair with a phone via Bluetooth, through the Gear 360 Connect application. The device might work with recent Galaxy flagship devices, though for now we can only confirm Galaxy S7 compatibility.

The Gear 360 (SM-C200) has its own battery, so it does not need to be connected to an external power source. Also, the device packs an unknown amount of onboard storage.

Software-wise, the package includes the Gear 360 Gallery, and a seperate remote viewfinder application. In the latter we find all the usual camera features: HDR, exposure control, white balance and ISO settings, a Liveview option, and the ability to switch between recording a 360 (dual lens) or 180 degree (single lens) front or rear view. Other view types include a mode called VR view, dual view, panoramic view, and time lapse and looping video. Maximum resolution seems to be 3840 x 1920 pixels when shooting in dual lens mode, or 1920 x 1920 pixels in single lens mode.

It is possible to watch the Gear 360′s video feed live on a connected phone, though we can not confirm the possibility to stream video to other devices. Whether streaming directly to a phone that is docked in a Gear VR is possible remains unconfirmed for now.

With the Gear 360 Samsung is once more expanding its presence in the fast-growing VR market. The Gear VR headset brought virtual reality content to a large audience at a very attractive price point. The Gear 360 could seriously lower the threshold for VR content creation, to the point where ordinary users can capture their holiday experiences as a full 360 degree immersive VR experience. Of course, how low that threshold will be, depends entirely on the pricing of the device. Unfortunately, no information regarding the Gear 360′s price is available to us at this moment.

We do, however, expect the camera to make its debut back to back with the Galaxy S7 on February 21. And considering the quantity of information already available about the new flagship phones, we would not be surprised to see the Gear 360 take centre stage, rather than play the role of modest sidekick. After all, Samsung is explicitly hinting at VR in its brand new Unpacked teaser video.

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Be a kind soul, put SamMobile on your ad blocker’s whitelist!

Ads. We all hate them. Especially if they are in-your-face and take away from the experience of using the actual product those ads are showing up in. Getting the ability to block ads is one of the top reasons for many for rooting their Android smartphones, and getting an ad blocker on a desktop browser like Chrome, Firefox or Opera is pretty simple. With the whole “see ads and use our product for free” tradition that has permeated much of the web, those ad blockers can be a boon when you just want to do what you want to do without being distracted by those flashy ads.

But while ads can be a nuisance, they are also what keep sites like SamMobile and others afloat. After all, we all need that cash to go about our daily lives as we spend every day writing about all the information on Samsung that you get on SamMobile, right? Our ads are not obtrusive, and our actual article content is fully free of any ads in between, letting you read everything without any distractions in between.

Today, Samsung officially launched a way to disable ads on the browser on its devuces, and we thought it would be a good idea to ask our readers to take a minute and put us on the whitelist on whatever ad blocker they are using. We’re not sure how things will work on the official ad blocking app from Samsung, but if you’re using Chrome or another browser, simply open SamMobile.com, find the icon for your ad blocker plugin/extension somewhere on the top right, click it, then select the Exclude option.

Some plugins/add-ons might require you to manually enter a website’s name to whitelist it – in that case simply click on the add-on’s button in your browser and copy and paste sammobile.com in there. This will make sure your ad blocker doesn’t block ads whenever you are visiting SamMobile, and in turn help us continue to get the revenue we do from ads on the site.

SamMobile will never have obtrusive, in-your-face ads that take your focus away from the topic at hand (of course, if something interesting catches your eye, feel free to look at the ad by all means.) But taking some time to whitelist us would go a long way in making sure we never have to turn to other avenues of income and continue offering the best of everything related to Samsung on the internet.

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SlamdunQ Golf arrives for the Gear S2 to perfect your golf swing

Golf, like any other sport, mandates practice, study, and examination. Not only must you practice your golf swing and how you hit the ball, among other things, but you must also examine the distance between you and the hole, weigh the intensity at which you hit the ball (so that it goes in the goal, not past it), and so on. It looks easy when champions emerge, but only practice makes perfect.

SlamdunQ has already brought the game of cricket to the Gear S2, but the company now looks to bring its own golf game app to Samsung’s latest smartwatch and Tizen to perfect your golf swing. The app requires that you have the Samsung Gear Manager app installed on your Android Wear smartphone and pair your Gear S2 with your Android or Samsung smartphone before downloading the game on the Gear S2.

The SlamdunQ Golf game is free at the Samsung Gear Apps Store.

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Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge pass through China’s certification authority

As it appears, the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge have passed through China’s 3C (China Compulsory Certification) certification authority on January 28. Although we didn’t have any doubts regarding the launch of these devices in China, this certification gives us some sort of confirmation.

The Galaxy S7 (SM-G9300 and SM-G9308, the unlocked and carrier variants of the device) and the Galaxy S7 edge (SM-G9350) have been certified by 3C. Other than the bits that explain about fast charging (9V 1.67A and 5V 2A) capabilities of these devices, nothing else was revealed in the certification documents.

In case you missed it, Samsung has released a teaser video today for its Galaxy Unpacked 2016 press conference where it will officially introduce the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge. This press conference will be conducted on February 21 at MWC 2016 in Barcelona, Spain, and we’ll be there to cover the launch.

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Crystal ad-blocker released for Samsung Internet 4.0 web browser

Earlier today, we reported about Adblock Fast, the first ad-blocker app for the new version of Samsung’s internet browser. Now, the ad-blocking app Crystal has been released on Google Play for Samsung Internet 4.0. This app has become quite popular in Apple’s App Store since it was released for Safari web browser sometime last year.

This app is can not only block ads banners and pop-ups, but also user tracking and malware. It is compatible with Samsung Internet 4.0 web browser. The app claims that it can load web pages upto four times faster, save upto 50 percent data, and improve battery life while browsing the web.

Samsung Internet 4.0 web browser has been rolled out today, though it hasn’t gone live for everyone at this point. Samsung has introduced an ad-blocking API, which is built right into the latest version of its web browser. This version of Samsung’s web browser is only compatible with Android 5.0 as of now, but it will soon work with Android 4.x.

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Introducing SamMobile China

All of us here at SamMobile are incredibly proud to introduce SamMobile China. The new site is dedicated to all Samsung news and updates in Chinese so that our readers in one of the fastest growing markets can be better informed and can easily follow up on local news related to the Korean giant. Building on our commitment to develop SamMobile China into a one-stop solution for all Samsung fans and users in the country, later this quarter we will also be adding firmware pages with Chinese firmwares.

With SamMobile China we expect to reach out to even more Samsung fans with the latest news, reviews and updates.

DANNY DORRESTEIJN – FOUNDER SAMMOBILE

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Samsung loans Galaxy Note 5 to tourists, brings business to home country

There’s an understood, though implicit, idea that says that a man’s character is determined by how he treats his mother, sister(s), and family. The same concept applies in business: a company’s character is judged not by how much money it makes or how much money sits in the bank, but how it gives back to its community, its home country. Samsung makes millions each year in sales, but the company’s never too preoccupied to give back to its home country, South Korea. The latest deal is designed to draw tourism into South Korea with a gift for those who make a trip to Samsung’s hometown.

Samsung, in partnership with SK Telecom, will loan a Galaxy Note 5 to each tourist who visit South Korea for five days (max), up to as many as 250 tourists each week who arrive in the country by way of South Korea’s Seoul-Incheon International Airport.

Samsung is partnering with SK Telecom and the Korea Tourism Organization to promote the best of South Korea’s mobile technology. It only makes sense, in this vein, to see why Samsung would loan Galaxy Note 5 smartphones to tourists: it is one of the best smartphones worldwide, not to mention South Korea.

The Galaxy Note 5 comes with a 5.7-inch, Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440p) display, Gorilla Glass 4 wrapped around the display and back cover, its own octa-core Exynos 7420 processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB/64GB of storage, 5MP wide angle selfie front camera, 16MP back camera, and a 3,000mAh battery, with the Korean giant’s S Pen to boot.

Hopefully, these 250 weekly tourists to South Korea take advantage of Samsung’s latest Galaxy Note 5 features such as 1) Write on PDF, 2) Off Screen Memo, and 3) Samsung’s new Theme Store, which changes the Note 5’s visual impression of its icons and background. Additionally, Samsung’s award-winning 16MP back camera (ranked second according to photography and videography expert DxoMark Mobile) should provide excellent images in any setting.

Samsung is interested about bringing business to South Korea, but the Korean giant’s latest device (just before the Galaxy S7 is announced on February 21st) will, if all goes as expected, bring business to Samsung.

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Samsung drops out of the top 5 smartphone vendors list in China

Samsung has made no secret of the fact that its mobile business is struggling. Time and again the company has pointed towards increased competition from Chinese vendors as one of the reasons why it’s mid-range and low-end devices aren’t performing as well as they used to. The effect is visible in Samsung’s position in China’s smartphone market as it no longer ranks on the list of top 5 smartphone vendors in the country.

Data from Strategy Analytics shows that in Q4 2015 Huawei was the top smartphone vendor in China with 15.2% market share. Xiaomi came second with 14.8% and Apple bagged third place with 13.1% of the market. Vivo and Oppo close out the top 5 with 10% and 9.2% of the market respectively. Samsung ranked fifth in Q3 2015 but that position has now been taken by Oppo and Apple remains the only non-Chinese vendor in the top 5 list. Samsung was leading the field as recently as 2014 but the meteoric rise of local vendors has shrunk its market share as Huawei, Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo alone now account for almost 46% of China’s smartphone market.

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