Samsung named as the fourth largest global investor in AI

It has been revealed today that Samsung is the fourth largest global investor in Artificial Intelligence (AI). The South Korean company has put money into seven startups dedicated to AI to date, with the most recognisable being Idibon — a tool which analyzes different language features to extract keywords without a need for human input. This is particularly useful for businesses that receive large amounts of correspondence as it reduces the amount of time needed to sift through long messages.

Business Korea claims that Samsung has invested in more startups than it’s letting on, though. If we take unknown investments into account, the firm is said to have bought into over ten AI startups during the course of the past five years, which is quite a staggering amount considering AI is still a somewhat unexploited industry with a lot of room for growth.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1pOrJ8b
via IFTTT

The Galaxy TabPro S will be released in the US tomorrow for $899.99

It was back at the Consumer Electronics Show 2016 that Samsung first unveiled the 12-inch Galaxy TabPro S “premium tablet” that’s powered by Windows 10. We’ve already seen it go up for sale in several markets across Europe, the Galaxy TabPro S pre-orders for customers in the United Kingdom went live just yesterday, and today the company has confirmed that this tablet will be available for customers in the United States tomorrow with a price tag of $899.99.

The Galaxy TabPro S is an ultra-thin detachable 2-in-1 tablet that comes with a keyboard case. An optional stylus will be available later this year. It has a 12-inch 2160×1440 pixel resolution display, a dual-core 2.2GHz Intel processor with 4GB RAM and 128GB/256GB SSD storage options. There are two 5-megapixel cameras on the front and back of this device which also features a 5,200mAh battery and runs full Windows 10. Customers in the United States can pick up the Samsung Galaxy TabPro S from Best Buy, Microsoft Stores and Samsung starting tomorrow for $899.99.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1nRe0Mi
via IFTTT

Galaxy S6 getting Marshmallow update in India, just a day before Galaxy S7 release

In what is a good sign that Samsung deliberately delays updates for existing devices until a newer flagship goes on sale, the Galaxy S6 is beginning to receive the Android 6.0 Marshmallow update in India. The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are slated to go on sale in the country tomorrow, which makes it extremely fishy that the Galaxy S6 is getting the update today. It’s certainly what we have suspected, though this could just be us venting out our frustration on Samsung’s slow update rollout.

The update for the Galaxy S6 in India is nearly 1.2GB in size, and it should also be rolling out to the Galaxy S6 edge in the coming days. You can expect the same features and changes as Marshmallow for the device in other regions, such as Google Now on Tap, advanced app permissions, Doze, an updated interface, a new Samsung browser, cross-app functionality, and small things like the ability to disable fast charging and more convenient quick toggles access.

The notification for the update seems to be reaching users’ devices in India today, but it can be a few days before your device gets in line. Try checking for the update in the Settings » About device » Software update menu; the firmware doesn’t seem to have become available on Smart Switch yet and hasn’t hit our firmware section either, but we will update this article once that happens.

Have you received the update? Let us know in the comments!

Thanks, Romy!

 

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1UCNB1F
via IFTTT

User manual of the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro leaks out; launch imminent

Samsung’s Galaxy A9 Pro, which we exclusively revealed earlier, has already passed through the Chinese device certification authority TENAA. Well, it seems like we’re much closer to the release of the handset as our folks over at SamMobile China have managed to get their hands on the user manual of the handset. We can spot all the standard information that one would come to expect from a user manual, so there’s not much of a surprise in here. The user manual also confirms that the handset will be a dual-SIM offering.

The battery standby is revealed to be 429 hours, which means that the company is using the same 4,000 mAh unit as on the Galaxy A9. We’re hoping that an announcement will follow shortly.

Rumored specs of the Galaxy A9 Pro include a 6-inch 1080p display, the octa-core Snapdragon 652 SoC, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, a 16-megapixel camera on the back, an 8-megapixel front camera, Android 6.0 Marshmallow and a 4,000 mAh battery.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1Z4LS5G
via IFTTT

Latest pictures of the Galaxy J5 (2016) show off the metal frame

We’ve been hearing about the Galaxy J5 (2016) for a couple of months now and it’s likely that this mid-range handset from Samsung will be released in the near future. Like its predecessor there’s a possibility that Samsung will launch this handset in China first before other markets. We’ve already brought you the user manual for the Galaxy J5 (2016) which confirmed that this handset has a metal frame and now several pictures of the device have leaked online which show just how the Galaxy J5 (2016) looks with its metal frame.

Specifications of the Galaxy J5 (2016) include a 5.2-inch Super AMOLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor under the hood with 2GB RAM and 16GB internal storage. 13-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front cameras, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC are also said to be onboard alongside Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The Galaxy J5 (2016) is going to be accompanied by the Galaxy J7 (2016). There’s now growing evidence to suggest that these are going to be the first budget handsets from Samsung that sport a metallic frame. Samsung hasn’t confirmed as yet when it’s going to launch the successors to the Galaxy J5 and the Galaxy J7 but seeing as how the devices have received the relevant certifications it may not take long before they’re made official.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1R0Cb5c
via IFTTT

Themes Thursday: 124 new themes dumped into Theme Store

This week’s Themes Thursday is here! Samsung has released as many as 124 themes this week for compatible Galaxy smartphones, but only a handful of them are worth noticing.

The Flat TouchWiz Design theme shows us how TouchWiz would look if Samsung’s UI designers take a flatter approach. Material Blue and Pulse UI themes are for the ones who like Google’s Material design approach.

Check out [V] Silent Night and [FEIT] Simple Metal Compass themes if you want an elegant theme. If you want something bright, have a look at the Strix Light theme. Which theme did you like the most?

[FEIT] Neon_Wine

[FEIT] Simple Metal Compass

[V] Silent Night

Flat TouchWiz Design

Material Blue

Pulse UI

Strix Light

Travel In Iceland – HNINE Design

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1LsB4fG
via IFTTT

Samsung Z1 (SM-Z130H) gets a minor update in India

Samsung updated its first Tizen phone, the Z1, to version 2.4 of the operating system last month. Tizen 2.4 brought many new features to the device, and Samsung is now focusing on stability and performance as it has rolled out a minor update for the Z1 in India today. The changelog is as generic as it can be, and at 2.9 MB the update probably doesn’t make any notable changes.

The build number after the new update is Z130HDDU0CPC2, and you should be able to grab the update from the Settings » About device » Software update menu on your Z1. As the phone periodically checks for updates, you can also just wait for it to pop up on its own in the next day or two. Our firmware section has the full firmware for those interested in doing a manual upgrade. Let us know if you notice anything new or different after installing the update.

Firmware Details:

Model	SM-Z130H
Model name	Samsung Z1
Country	India
Version	Android
Changelist	0
Build date	N/A
Product code	INS
PDA	Z130HDDU0CPC2
CSC	Z130HODD0CPC2

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

Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 4 and Galaxy Note Edge are getting updates with March security patch

It looks like the lawsuit filed by the Dutch Consumers’ Association against Samsung over its software update policy is having a positive effect, as the Korean company is rolling out updates with the March security patch to the Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy S5 over in the UK and the Netherlands. It might sound normal to some, but the update comes at a time when Samsung’s 2015 flagships are still sitting at security patches as old as December in many markets (and are also waiting for Marshmallow).

It’s actually rather great that Samsung is keeping even its older devices up-to-date in terms of security, but we have noticed that most of the company’s strong software support is only present in the European region. It is where the company was sued, though we suppose it isn’t exactly a direct reason for the improved software support. Samsung’s software update policy has always been messed up, and the introduction of monthly security updates from Google seems to have created an even bigger mess. By the way, the company is yet to detail the March security update on its blog.

In any case, it’s always good to see updates rolling out, and you should be seeing one on your Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 4 or Galaxy Note Edge rather soon (head into Settings » About device » Software update if you don’t want to wait). Just don’t get excited as it isn’t Marshmallow, but it is a good time to wonder when the Marshmallow update will arrive on these devices considering they are still just getting regular updates (which do enhance security). We guess it will take a couple of months unless Samsung decides to give us a surprise.

Firmware Details:

Model	SM-N910F
Model name	GALAXY Note4
Country	Netherlands
Version	Android 5.1.1
Changelist	5932638
Build date	Tue, 01 Mar 2016 04:48:57 +0000
Product code	PHN
PDA	N910FXXS1CPC1
CSC	N910FPHN1COI1

 

Model	SM-G900F
Model name	GALAXY S5
Country	United Kingdom
Version	Android 5.0
Changelist	5508620
Build date	Fri, 04 Mar 2016 10:07:07 +0000
Product code	BTU
PDA	G900FXXS1BPC3
CSC	G900FOXA1BOJ1

 

Model	SM-N910F
Model name	GALAXY Note4
Country	Netherlands
Version	Android 5.1.1
Changelist	5932638
Build date	Tue, 01 Mar 2016 04:48:57 +0000
Product code	PHN
PDA	N910FXXS1CPC1
CSC	N910FPHN1COI1

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1pNusi8
via IFTTT

Samsung brings back option to disable fast charging on Android 6.0 Marshmallow

Fast charging is one of the best features to make its way to smartphones in the last couple of years, especially with battery technology failing to progress in any notable way in terms of endurance. After Samsung introduced fast charging to its smartphone lineup, the company built in an option in the software that let users disable fast charging on their device. This option disappeared from TouchWiz last year, but Samsung has brought it back with Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Now, there isn’t exactly any reason one would want their phone to charge slow, especially as fast charging in its current form isn’t supposed to harm batteries. But phones can get rather hot with fast charging, and heated batteries are bound to see their longevity reduce over a long period of time. Furthermore, it’s not always comfortable to use smartphones when they are hot to the touch, which is one reason you might want to turn off fast charge. Of course, you can also turn it off if you mostly charge your devices overnight.

In any case, you can disable fast charge from the Settings » Battery menu on your Samsung device if it’s running Marshmallow. Let us know what you think about turning off fast charging – is it a feature you don’t require, or do you think it’s good to at least have the option?

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

Tizen-powered Samsung Z1 (2016) being tested, import/export website shows

We’ve told you before about a new Samsung smartphone bearing the model number SM-Z150, known as the Samsung Z1 (2016). It’s only been a week since we mentioned the new Z1, but the Z1 (2016) has appeared on an Indian import/export website that confirms the product is indeed headed to market.

Import/export site Eximpulse has caught the phone in question, being used “for R&d purpose and evaluation & not for retail sale,” with the individual parts such as the battery, battery cover, front assembly, and rear case being mentioned. The product list tells us little about what we can expect from the device, however, so we’re still left with little to give in the way of compiling a spec sheet.

While it seemed that the Samsung Z1 (2015) would be retired after the arrival of the Samsung Z3 late last year, it seems as though the second-generation Z1 is the start of a tiered series for Samsung, where the Z1, Z3, and Z5 (with model number SM-Z510FD and possibly a metal chassis) will represent different tiers of the company’s “Z” series – and each tier has varying price points. Samsung said as much about its 2016 Tizen-powered smartphones.

Though Samsung has been criticized heavily for its slow updates on its high-end Android handsets, the Korean giant hasn’t been slow to update its Tizen-powered devices. The Z3 for example, just received a minor update last month in India, around the same time that the Z1 was updated to Tizen 2.4, the latest in its mobile operating system that brings features such as Maps and Geofencing, NFC mobile payments, voice control, and third-party keyboard support. Tizen has now surpassed BlackBerry to become the world’s fourth-largest mobile OS.

Though we’ve yet to see how Samsung’s 2016 Tizen-powered smartphones will fare in the global market, the Samsung Z3 surpassed expectations last year, giving the company hopes that a new year, its global brand value, and improved smartphone specs and features (hopefully, the inclusion of the Galaxy S7′s Always On Display) with the entire Z series will continue to boost sales.

 

 

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1UC5Jsr
via IFTTT

Samsung is skeptical about OLED TVs

Reports came out earlier his year that Samsung may reintroduce OLED TVs in 2017, but the company said that it’s still skeptical about the technology. The company thinks that the market is still nascent for OLED TVs due to higher panel cost and trickier manufacturing technology.

Samsung Display CEO Park Dong-gun said yesterday that the company is continuing research on OLED panels, but there are no plans on mass producing them yet. “We do not think larger OLED has enough potential although it is attracting a lot of attention,” he said. Samsung is trying to further improve the picture quality of LCD TVs, including its Quantum Dot TVs.

OLED is clearly a better technology than LCD because each pixel creates its own backlight, hence it boasts perfect blackness and higher color contrast. However, it is tricker and costlier to manufacture OLED panels. LG and Panasonic have jumped on to the OLED bandwagon, but Samsung is still assessing its marketability.

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1Pdw7Cd
via IFTTT