Social virtual reality comes to the Gear VR with AltspaceVR

AltspaceVR is a startup that’s all about building social virtual reality experiences and its app has finally been released for the Gear VR headset. The AltspaceVR app is now available for download via the Oculus store on the Gear VR. It allows users to meet fellow users in a virtual environment where they can take part in multiple activities like watching online videos or streaming Netflix, gaming or even just chatting in that virtual space without having to move an inch from the couch.

“Our focus at AltspaceVR is creating the most natural and fulfilling communication experience possible online, and we’re thrilled to bring it to Gear VR,” said AltspaceVR Founder & CEO Eric Romo. While the company does promise an almost desktop-like experience one has to consider the differences in input precision on Samsung’s virtual reality headset when compared to desktop controls. Moving forward the company will continue to focus on specific events and games that people are more likely to enjoy collaborating on with their fellow users.

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Apple attempts to dissuade the US Supreme Court from hearing Samsung’s request for a review

The patent infringement lawsuit between Apple and Samsung has gone on for quite some time now and even though Samsung has announced that it would pay $548 million in damages to its rival it’s trying to get the United States Supreme Court to take up this matter and review an appeal of its patent dispute with Apple. Samsung wants the apex court to set aside all previous rulings particularly those related to design patents that it was found to have infringed on. It argues that the 1887 law relating to design patents is outdated and doesn’t effectively apply to modern devices like smartphones and believes that this is just one reason why the Supreme Court should take up this matter.

Apple is opposed to this and in a recent filing it has attempted to dissuade the apex court from hearing Samsung’s request for a review. Apple has filed its opposition brief some two weeks before the court’s February 16 deadline. It argues that the original rulings in its favor did not break any new legal ground and that they just applied the statute and well-settled law to Samsung’s infringement and copying. “Samsung’s effort to make this case seem certworthy depends on a made-up narrative in which Samsung, not Apple, is the innovator, despite the overwhelming evidence that Samsung copied the iPhone’s innovative design,” lawyers for Apple argued in the filing. Apple’s legal team is trying to downplay the certworthiness of this issue going so far as to call Samsung’s case “legally unexceptional.”

Certworthy means that a case is worthy of certiorari which is a writ that the Supreme Court can issue as per its original jurisdiction to a lower court for review of a judgement for legal error when there’s no recourse to an appeal. Even if the Supreme Court doesn’t consider Apple’s argument when making its decision legal analysts are of the view that Samsung’s chances of getting the apex court to review this case are pretty slim because the court typically does not hear such matters. It hasn’t taken up a patent design case in more than 120 years so the issue has to be really substantial for it to consider breaking that century-long streak.

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ZeroLemon releases 8500mAh battery case for the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 edge+

Samsung was heavily criticized for not offering a removable battery with its 2015 flagship handsets even though it compensated for that with Fast Charging and built-in wireless charging. This gave case makers the opportunity to release products with beefy external batteries. Two months ago ZeroLemon released a 3500mAh battery case for the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 edge+. It has now released a case for both of these handsets which features an integrated 8500mAh battery.

That’s a massive battery and should provide 3X life on a fully-charged case combined with a fully-charged internal battery. The case offers decent protection for the handset itself and features cutouts for all essential functions and ports. Given that the case does feature a massive battery the dimensions of this ZeroLemon case for the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 edge+ come in at 165.1 x 83 x 21.1mm. Not only does it add a big bezel to the handset but almost triples the thickness as well. That’s the price you have to pay for extra battery life aside from the $59.99 retail price. ZeroLemon’s latest case for the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 edge+ is now available for purchase via Amazon.

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Themes Thursday: 13 new themes stumble onto the Theme Store this week

Welcome back to Themes Thursday! If you happen to have missed all thirty-two previous editions of this column, you may be a little confused — so let me bring you up to speed. Every Thursday, we gather a handful of the best-looking overlays released in the Theme Store that particular week and deliver them to you in a simple, easy-to-read guide. This week, thirteen new themes made their way onto the platform. However, only six of them are worth looking at as the others are far too busy, and are priced way too high for what they are.

My favourite theme in today’s edition is Miniature Europe. Although it will set you back $0.99, the skin features a gorgeous color palette made up of blue, yellow, white, purple and light blurs, which allow you to appreciate the urban view of the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe. The custom icon pack also compliments the yellow illumination of both monuments; creating a really unique appearance that will have you repeatedly unlocking your device to take in the images.

Miniature Europe

Flying Donuts

Kung Fu Panda

The Flower’s Name

Kung Fu Panda 3 – Mei Mei

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2-4-2016 Firmware Updates: Galaxy Note 3, Galaxy S6 edge+, Galaxy Note 10.1 2014, and more

Samsung has a plethora of phones and tablets in its lineup, and regularly releases firmware updates for various devices. These can include major updates, which bring a newer version of the OS to a particular device, or minor ones that improve performance and stability and fix bugs. Software updates for Samsung devices roll out in various regions every day, and you can find out which firmware updates were pushed out by the company over the last 24 hours through our firmware list.

As usual, you can download each of these firmware from our firmware section (simply enter your device’s model number to view all firmware for that device) in order to update to a new firmware manually, or as a means to return to your phone or tablet’s stock software.

Country (Product Code)	Model	Model Name	Version	PDA
Argentina (Claro) (CTI)	SM-G531M	GALAXY Grand Prime VE	5.1.1	G531MUBU1APA1
Argentina (Personal) (PSN)	SM-J700M	GALAXY J7	5.1.1	J700MUBU1AOL2
Argentina (Personal) (PSN)	SM-G900M	GALAXY S5	5	G900MUBU1BOL1
Argentina (Personal) (PSN)	SM-N900	GALAXY Note 3	5	N900UBUEBOL1
Baltic (SEB)	SM-P600	GALAXY Note 10.1 Wi-Fi 2014 Edition	5.1.1	P600XXUDOJ3
Baltic (SEB)	SM-P605	GALAXY Note 10.1 2014 Edition LTE	4.4.2	P605XXUDOB1
Baltic (SEB)	SM-P605	GALAXY Note 10.1 2014 Edition LTE	5.1.1	P605XXU1EOI5
Bosnia and Herzegovina (ERO)	SM-A510F		5.1.1	A510FXXU1APA3
Brazil (ZTO)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0APA8
Brazil (ZTO)	SM-G130BU	GALAXY Star 2	4.4.4	G130BUVJU0APA1
Brazil (Oi) (ZTR)	SM-G130BU	GALAXY Star 2	4.4.4	G130BUVJU0APA1
Brazil (TIM) (ZTM)	SM-G130BU	GALAXY Star 2	4.4.4	G130BUVJU0APA1
Brazil (TIM) (ZTM)	SM-G130BU	GALAXY Star 2	4.4.4	G130BUVJU0AOE3
Cambodia (CAM)	SM-J100H	GALAXY J1	4.4.4	J100HXXU0APA5
Cambodia (CAM)	SM-J100H	GALAXY J1	4.4.4	J100HXXU0AOH1
Cambodia (CAM)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0APA9
Caucasus Countries (CAU)	SM-G361H	GALAXY Core Prime	5.1.1	G361HXXU0APA5
Caucasus Countries (CAU)	SM-G361H	GALAXY Core Prime	5.1.1	G361HXXU0AOJ1
Chile (CRC)	SM-J120M		5.1.1	J120MUBU1AOL3
Chile (CHO)	SM-J120M		5.1.1	J120MUBU1AOL3
Chile (Telefonica) (CHT)	SM-J700M	GALAXY J7	5.1.1	J700MUBU1AOL2
Colombia (COO)	SM-J120M		5.1.1	J120MUBU1AOL3
Colombia (Comcel) (COM)	SM-J700M	GALAXY J7	5.1.1	J700MUBU1APA1
Costa Rica (ICE)	GT-I9505	GALAXY S4 LTE	5.0.1	I9505VJUHOK1
Costa Rica (ICE)	GT-I9505	GALAXY S4 LTE	5.0.1	I9505VJUHOF2
Czech Republic (XEZ)	SM-P600	GALAXY Note 10.1 Wi-Fi 2014 Edition	5.1.1	P600XXUDOJ3
Czech Republic (XEZ)	SM-P600	GALAXY Note 10.1 Wi-Fi 2014 Edition	4.4.2	P600XXUDOE1
Egypt (EGY)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0AOL9
France (Orange) (FTM)	GT-I9506	GALAXY S4 LTE-A	5.0.1	I9506XXUDOJ2
France (Orange) (FTM)	GT-I9506	GALAXY S4 LTE-A	5.0.1	I9506XXUDOK1
Greece (EUR)	SM-P605	GALAXY Note 10.1 2014 Edition LTE	5.1.1	P605XXU1EOI5
Greece (EUR)	SM-P600	GALAXY Note 10.1 Wi-Fi 2014 Edition	5.1.1	P600XXUDOJ3
Greece (EUR)	SM-P600	GALAXY Note 10.1 Wi-Fi 2014 Edition	4.4.2	P600XXUDOC1
Guatemala (PGU)	SM-J120M		5.1.1	J120MUBU1AOL3
Hong Kong (TGY)	SM-G9287	GALAXY S6 Edge +	5.1.1	G9287ZHU2APA1
Hungary (XEH)	SM-P605	GALAXY Note 10.1 2014 Edition LTE	5.1.1	P605XXU1EOI5
Hungary (Telenor) (PAN)	SM-A510F		5.1.1	A510FXXU1APA3
Hungary (VDH) (VDH)	SM-G361F	GALAXY Core Prime	5.1.1	G361FXXU1APA2
Iran (THR)	SM-J500F	GALAXY J5	5.1.1	J500FXXU1AOL1
Iran (THR)	SM-J500F	GALAXY J5	5.1.1	J500FXXU1APA5
Iran (THR)	SM-J120F		5.1.1	J120FXXU1AOL4
Iraq (MID)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0APA5
Ireland (Three) (3IE)	SM-G903F	GALAXY S5 Neo	5.1.1	G903FXXU1APA2
Israel (ILO)	SM-N900	GALAXY Note 3	5	N900XXUEBOL4
Israel (ILO)	SM-N900	GALAXY Note 3	5	N900XXUEBOK3
Kazakhstan (SKZ)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0APA1
Kenya (AFR)	SM-A800F		5.1.1	A800FXXU1APA1
Libya (BTC)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0AOL9
Morocco (MWD) (MWD)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0AOL9
Nepal (NPL)	SM-J105H		5.1.1	J105HXXU0APAB
Netherlands (PHN)	GT-I9295	GALAXY S4 Active	5.0.1	I9295XXUDOI5
Netherlands (PHN)	SM-G903F	GALAXY S5 Neo	5.1.1	G903FXXU1APA6
Netherlands (PHN)	GT-I9295	GALAXY S4 Active	5.0.1	I9295XXUDPA4
Panama (TPA)	SM-J120M		5.1.1	J120MUBU1AOL3
Panama (TPA)	SM-G903M	GALAXY S5 Neo	5.1.1	G903MUBU1AOL1
Paraguay (Claro) (CTP)	SM-A310M		5.1.1	A310MUBU1APA2
Paraguay (Personal) (PSP)	SM-J120M		5.1.1	J120MUBU1AOL3
Paraguay (Personal) (PSP)	SM-N910C	GALAXY Note 4	5.1.1	N910CXXU2COJ5
Paraguay (Personal) (PSP)	SM-N910C	GALAXY Note 4	5.0.1	N910CXXU1BOD1
Paraguay (Tigo) (TGP)	SM-G530H	GALAXY Grand Prime	5.0.2	G530HXXU2BOK3
Paraguay (Tigo) (TGP)	SM-G530H	GALAXY Grand Prime	4.4.4	G530HXXU2AOH1
Philippines (Globe) (GLB)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0APA9
Philippines (Open Line) (XTC)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0APA9
Philippines (Sun Cellular) (XTE)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0APA9
Portugal (Vodafone) (TCL)	SM-G800F	GALAXY S5 mini	5.1.1	G800FXXU1BOL4
Russia (SER)	SM-P905	GALAXY NotePRO 12.2 LTE	5.0.2	P905XXUABOL2
Saudi Arabia (KSA)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0AOL9
Saudi Arabia (ACR)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0APA5
Saudi Arabia (STC) (XFU)	SM-J700F	GALAXY J7	5.1.1	J700FXXU1APA1
Saudi Arabia (STC) (XFU)	SM-J700F	GALAXY J7	5.1.1	J700FXXU1AOI1
South Africa (XFA)	SM-G318H	GALAXY Trend 2 Lite	4.4.4	G318HJVU0APA2
South Africa (XFA)	SM-T365	GALAXY Tab Active LTE-A	5.1.1	T365XXU1BOK6
South East Europe (SEE)	SM-A510F		5.1.1	A510FXXU1APA3
Spain (PHE)	SM-G531F	GALAXY Grand Prime VE	5.1.1	G531FXXU1AOI4
Spain (PHE)	SM-G531F	GALAXY Grand Prime VE	5.1.1	G531FXXU1APA1
Sri Lanka (SLK)	SM-J105H		5.1.1	J105HXXU0APAB
Trinidad and Tobago (TTT)	SM-J120M		5.1.1	J120MUBU1AOL3
Tunisia (TUN)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0AOL9
Ukraine (Kyivstar) (SEK)	SM-G361H	GALAXY Core Prime	5.1.1	G361HXXU0APA5
Ukraine (Kyivstar) (SEK)	SM-G361H	GALAXY Core Prime	5.1.1	G361HXXU0AOJ1
United Arab Emirates (LYS)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0AOL9
Unknown (MRU)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0APA5
Unknown (CHX)	SM-G925I	GALAXY S6 Edge	5.1.1	G925IDVU3DOJ6
Unknown (MYM)	SM-J120H		5.1.1	J120HXXU0APA9
Unknown (BNG)	SM-J105H		5.1.1	J105HXXU0APAB
Unknown (THW)	SM-J100ML	GALAXY J1	4.4.4	J100MLDXU0APA1
Unknown (CHX)	SM-G925I	GALAXY S6 Edge	5.1.1	G925IDVU2COGA
Unknown (CHX)	SM-G920I	GALAXY S6	5.1.1	G920IDVU3DOJ6
Unknown (PNT)	SM-J120M		5.1.1	J120MUBU1AOL3
Unknown (CHX)	SM-G920I	GALAXY S6	5.1.1	G920IDVU2COGA
Uruguay (UFU)	SM-G920I	GALAXY S6	5.1.1	G920IDVU2COGA
Uruguay (UFU)	SM-G925I	GALAXY S6 Edge	5.1.1	G925IDVU3DOJ6
Uruguay (UPO)	SM-J500M	GALAXY J5	5.1.1	J500MUBU1APA2
Uruguay (UFU)	SM-G925I	GALAXY S6 Edge	5.1.1	G925IDVU2COGA
Uruguay (UFU)	SM-G920I	GALAXY S6	5.1.1	G920IDVU3DOJ6
Uzbekistan (CAC)	SM-G361H	GALAXY Core Prime	5.1.1	G361HXXU0APA5

 

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Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge pass through the FCC

Unless you have been in a deep slumber the last couple of weeks, you are aware that the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge will soon be made official at Samsung’s Unpacked event on February 21st, with a feature set that could make them the most impressive flagships we’ve seen in a long time. Both devices are expected to go on sale in March, and Samsung has received one of the most important approvals it would need to put the S7 and S7 edge on sale.

The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have passed certification through the FCC; the agency has certified the AT&T models of both phones, with model numbers SM-G930A and SM-G935A. The FCC listing doesn’t offer any important information except for the general shape of the devices, but that’s not really a problem since we already know nearly all there is to know about either of the upcoming flagships.

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Source code of Unpacked teaser page hints at Gear 360 launch

Earlier this week we confirmed Samsung will launch a 360 degree camera named Gear 360. A teaser page for the upcoming Unpacked event now indirectly confirms this.

Those of us nerdy enough to, you know, read the source code of web pages rather than the accessible rendered versions, will find one very interesting tidbit in the source of the freshly launched teaser page Samsung put up for its February 21st Unpacked event. Among the listed keywords the phrase ’360 video’ stands directly next to more obvious terms like ‘launch’ and ‘mobile’.

Earlier we predicted that the Gear 360 could turn out to be an important centerpiece during this Unpacked edition, since nearly all aspects of both Galaxy S7 devices have already leaked. This leaves Samsung room to put the spotlight on something else than its smartphone lineup, with something else likely being the Gear 360.

There is, of course, a chance the ’360 video’ keyword merely hints at the Unpacked event streaming live in full 360 degree glory. In fact, this would make for a very nice PR move to highlight the possibilities offered by Samsung’s Gear VR. However, there would be no point in being secretive about it, unless the Gear 360 is indeed scheduled to meet the press then and there.

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Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro with 6-inch display imported to India for testing

We exclusively reported that Samsung is working on a Galaxy A9 Pro for the Chinese market, and we are today getting more confirmation that the device exists. The Galaxy A9 Pro (model number SM-A9100) was recently imported to India for testing; the device is listed with a 6-inch display, the same as the regular Galaxy A9 that was launched late last year.

The price for a single unit is rather low (around $360), but that shouldn’t be taken as an indication of the actual price of the device. Unfortunately, the import listing doesn’t reveal anything other than the screen size (even that doesn’t come as a surprise), so we’re still in the dark about what the Galaxy A9 Pro will over the Galaxy A9. As some of our readers had suggested, the A9 Pro might just be a Windows 10 variant of the A9, though given how Microsoft’s mobile operating system has been losing its popularity on phones in recent times, we’re not sure Samsung will waste resources on making a Windows 10 Mobile smartphone.

But then, the two companies did team up last year to bring Microsoft services to the Galaxy lineup, so we shouldn’t completely dismiss the possibility of a Windows variant of the Galaxy A9. In any case, we will need more information on the Galaxy A9 Pro to get a better picture of what the device will offer.

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Samsung launches the Galaxy A5 (2016) and Galaxy A7 (2016) in India

Two of Samsung’s new Galaxy A series phones, the Galaxy A5 (2016) and Galaxy A7 (2016), have been launched in India today. The original Galaxy A series was somewhat successful in the country (you could see more Galaxy A devices in the wild than the company’s flagships); the Galaxy A3 (2016) isn’t part of the launch, but that is likely because Indian consumers have an affinity for large displays.

The A5 (2016) is priced at Rs. 29,400 (roughly $435) while the new A7 will cost Rs. 33,400 (roughly $495). Both phones will go on sale in India on February 15; retailer Snapdeal will exclusively sell the handsets in gold, black and white color options. The phones will come bundled with 30GB of free data for six months for Airtel subscribers. The pricing is in line with previous Galaxy A devices in the country, though the A7 (2016) offers a better overall package for a very slight increase in price over the Galaxy A8 from last year.

The Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7 (2016) are metal and glass beauties with 5.2-inch and 5.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED displays, 1.6GHz octa-core processors, 2/3GB of RAM, and 13-megapixel rear cameras with f/1.9 aperture and optical image stabilization. They also have 16GB of expandable internal storage, fingerprint sensors (along with support for Samsung Pay, though the company’s payment service isn’t available in India), 4G LTE connectivity, and dual SIM slots. The large batteries are a major highlight – the A5 and A7 (2016) have 2,900 mAh and 3,300 mAh batteries with support for fast charging. Both handsets run Android 5.1.1 Lollipop with the latest iteration of Samsung’s TouchWiz skin.

SamMobile’s reviews of the entire Galaxy A (2016) series will be online soon. In the meantime, check out our Galaxy A5 (2016) and Galaxy A7 (2016) previews here and here.

 

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