Samsung patents Gear VR sensor that picks up in-air gestures to trigger clicks

A newly published patent application from Samsung reveals that the company has invented sensors which will be fixed to the side of the Gear VR headset and will be able to detect in-air gestures to trigger clicks. This will enable users to move and click using a cursor without requiring any physical buttons on the headset, they will easily be able to click on an item, photo or movie to open it using just in-air gestures.

The patent details that when presented with an app users can move their head left, right, up and down to control the cursor. When they have to click on an image to focus on or an icon to activate they just have to move their hand across the side of the Gear VR where the new sensors are located and they will automatically pick up the signal to trigger a click. Samsung doesn’t describe if different in-air gestures can be used to control the Gear VR in ways other than the one detailed in the patent but it wouldn’t be surprising if that becomes possible over time. Samsung filed for this patent back in August 2014 and it was published by the US Patent & Trademark Office late last month.

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Benchmark reveals that Samsung is testing Helio X20 and X25 variants of the Galaxy S7

At present, the Galaxy S7 is available to purchase with either an Exynos or Snapdragon chipset. The former chip is only available in China and the United States, whilst the latter can be found in the rest of the world. However, if a new benchmark is anything to go by, it appears that Samsung is currently testing two MediaTek-powered variants that are destined for shelves in Canada.

A GeekBench results sheet for two unidentified Samsung smartphones carrying the model number SM-G930W8 have surfaced online. After studying this identification code, we can deduce that G930 refers to the Galaxy S7, whilst W is typically the letter reserved for Canadian variants of smartphones and tablets, thereby indicating that these are unannounced Galaxy S7 models intended for use in Canada.

The results also reveal that both handsets were tested with a MediaTek Heli X20 (MT6797) and X25 (MT6797T) chipset. These CPU’s are almost identical, but the X25 is overclocked by default, which matches the performance of Samsung’s Exynos 8890 chip. It’s also worth bearing in mind that the X20 comes with 3GB of RAM, while the X25 ships with 4GB.

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Samsung Pay launches in China with support for 9 banks

Samsung has today announced that its mobile payment platform, Samsung Pay, is now available for use in China. The firm’s teamed up with card issuer China Union Pay to introduce support for nine banks in the region, which are: Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, China CITIC Bank, China Construction Bank, China Everbright Bank, China Guangfa Bank, China Minsheng Banking Corp. Ltd, China Merchants Bank, Hua Xia Bank and Ping An Bank.

The South Korean company also revealed that it has plans in the pipeline to introduce compatibility for the Bank of China, Bank of Beijing, Bank of Communications, China Bohai Bank and Industrial Bank. Unfortunately, the firm failed to provide a timeframe for the inclusion of support for these six additional banks, but it doesn’t seem like it’s too far off.

It’s worth noting that at present Samsung Pay is currently only available on the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy S6 edge+ and Galaxy Note 5 in China, but Samsung stated that it may bring the service to mid-range models in the very near future. If you own a compatible device and would like to register for a Samsung Pay account, simply open the dedicated application on your handset and follow the step-by-step instructions presented on screen.

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Samsung explains everything you need to know about the Always On Display of the Galaxy S7

The Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge both feature an Always On Display (AOD) which enables users to check the time and date at a glance without having to wake up the display. They can even use the feature to keep an eye on message alerts and missed calls even when the phone is on standby, and customize the AOD to their liking. There’s a lot more that you need to know about this feature and Samsung has put it all on its website.

The company writes that it began developing this feature about three years ago, the decision to develop this feature was based on users’ needs to check information quickly and to differentiate themselves from other users. One of the most important factors that went into the decision was power consumption. Samsung explains how the AMOLED display of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge was beneficial for implementing this feature as the black pixels of an AMOLED display are actually turned off thus they consume less power. Samsung managed to reduce power consumption in sleep mode to less than one-fifth of previous rates, that’s just half of the power consumption of the Night Clock feature on the Galaxy S6 edge which only utilized the edge screen of the display to show the time.

Samsung goes into detail on its website about how it was able to manage the power consumption and how it was able to make the Always On Display feature smarter by using special proximity, RGB light and accelerometer sensors to automatically disable the feature in situations when users are unable to glance at the screen, like when the phone is in the pocket or a bag. Hit up the source link below to find out everything you need to know about the Always On Display feature of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge.

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Gold Platinum Galaxy S7 and S7 edge finally arrive in Canada

Last year customers in Canada had to wait for about two extra weeks before they were able to purchase the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge in Gold Platinum. This particular color option arrived a bit late in Canada and history repeated itself this year. Canadians have had to wait longer to get their hands on the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge in Gold Platinum.

As per a report out of Canada, the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge are now available in Gold Platinum north of the US border. Inventory is said to be incredibly low for both flagship smartphones in this color and it’s said that units will first be made available to customers who placed a pre-order at Samsung Experience Store locations across the country. It’s believed that inventory will improve significantly in Canada by mid-April. Customers who don’t want to wait for this color option can easily pick up the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge in Black or Silver from major carriers.

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Samsung Internet version 4.0 now released for older Galaxy devices

Samsung Internet version 4.0 was released about two months ago, it brought several new features including but not limited to support for adblocking extensions and popup video player. The app has now been updated with support for older Galaxy devices and it finally brings these features to those devices. The full list of supported devices has been published on the app page in the Google Play Store.

Other features in Samsung Internet version 4.0 include a Secret Mode which cloaks browsing data, tight integration with Samsung Internet for Gear VR, ability to view online videos in a popup window to browse the web while playing videos, support for third-party content blockers and much more. Samsung Internet is available as a free download from the Google Play Store. It’s compatible with devices like the Galaxy Note 3, the Galaxy S4 and others running Android 5.0 Lollipop and above.

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There’s a feature for that: the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are pocket-proof and bag-proof

The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are the finest devices Samsung has ever crafted, and two of the top devices on the market for 2016 (yes, we’re confident of this though it’s quite early in the year), but you’ll still find smartphone reviewers have their share of problems with them. Some criticisms are what you’d expect, such as “it doesn’t run as fluid and fast as vanilla Android,” “there isn’t much customization for the Always On Display,” “battery life is excellent though you’ll still need to charge the device at night,” “the edge still isn’t functional enough,” or “there is still some yellowish tint that appears in photos taken with the 12MP back camera.”

Claims of lag in the Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are rather unjustified with the fluid smooth experience on the Galaxy S7 series, but this is to be expected from Nexus fans who believe vanilla Android offers a faster, better-performing experience than Samsung’s TouchWiz. As for battery life criticisms, the case can always be made that battery life is dependent upon a number of factors (network strength, and home Wi-Fi performance, among others). Despite these devices’ premium build, many of the same reviewers who complained about Galaxy S5 plastic are now criticizing these devices because they’re made of glass and can be “somewhat slippery in the hand,” one reviewer said.

Whether or not these criticisms are valid will be left up to you to decide, but some reviewers are misinformed and haven’t done their homework. One criticism I’ve heard from a video review of Samsung’s latest is that “the Galaxy S7 edge’s screen turned on while in my pocket, which burns battery life even more, and I wish Samsung would do something about that.” The most humorous part of it all is that Samsung has already done something about it – and the answer is closer to the reviewer than even he knew.

The Galaxy S7 and S7 edge are already waterproof (broadly water-resistant), meaning that they can survive up to 1.5 meters of water for 30 minutes, and dustproof, as we’ve said numerous times, but these two devices are element-proofed in yet another way. Yes, for those who need a pocket-proof and bag-proof Galaxy S7 or S7 edge, “there’s a feature for that.” To find the pocket-proofing and bag-proofing feature, you need only perform the following steps:

• First, visit your Settings, then select “Display and Wallpaper.”
• Next, in your display and wallpaper settings, scroll to the very bottom of the page and select “Keep Screen Turned Off.” As Samsung says with this feature, it’s designed to prevent your Galaxy S7 or S7 edge from turning on while in your pocket or bag.

That’s it. That’s all you need to do to ensure that your Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge is pocket-proof and bag-proof. We’re glad that we can advise you on how to get the most out of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge (read our review for more details), but we also want reviewers of these devices to be fair and do their homework. Students who don’t study don’t get good grades; reviewers who don’t give due diligence to reviewing devices can’t evaluate them fairly. The logic is simple.

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SK Telecom partners with Samsung to build an IoT hub in South Korea

SK Telecom, Korea’s largest network operator, announced today that it will team up with Samsung to build an IoT (Internet of Things) hub in the city of Daegu, South Korea. Both the companies signed a MoU (memorandum of understanding) earlier today to transform the whole city into a state-of-the-art IoT hub.

Samsung and SK Telecom will deploy latest network systems and connected devices in the proposed IoT hub. SK Telecom hopes that the IoT hub will help startups and new ventures in growing. It could also improve South Korea’s declining economy. The networking giant wants to create an ecosystem to help budding startups that are seeking to infiltrate the global market.

Daegu, South Korea’s fourth-largest city, is known for its textile businesses. However, Samsung wants work with the country’s largest networking provider to transform it into a global IoT city. The city plans to make some areas regulation-free so that IoT startups could test and roll out innovative products without restrictions.

Also read: Samsung is developing an operating system for Internet of Things

Samsung, which ranked ninth in a list of global IoT companies last quarter, will provide required network equipment. SK Telecom will offer its big data and cloud computing technologies in this partnership. Local businesses will be tasked with finding promising IoT startups. After setting up the IoT test bed, the technology will be installed in every nook and corner of the city.

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Samsung starts mass producing 18nm DRAM chips

According to a report out of Korea, Samsung has started mass producing 18nm DRAM chips at its production facility in Hwaseong, south of Seoul. Initial volume is said to be small because Samsung Electronics had converted around 70 percent of its DRAM capacity to 20-nanometer level just last year. Thinner is always better in chip-making which means that 18nm DRAM chips will be better in efficiency and power consumption than a 20nm chip. Samsung is said to be the first in the industry to commercialize 18nm DRAM chips.

It appears that Samsung wants to extend its lead over its rivals in this market by steadily improving its chip-fabrication technology. SK Hynix, a major Samsung competitor, has plans to commercialize 18nm DRAM chips early next year while Micron Technology of the United States has currently halted a move from the 20nm process. Samsung is reportedly going to ramp up production of its new DRAM chips in the second half of this year, Apple is said to be one of the customers sourcing 18nm DRAM chips from Samsung.

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Samsung to construct a $300 million R&D center in Vietnam

Samsung is investing $300 million in Vietnam to set up a research and development center in Hanoi. The Vietnamese government has approved Samsung’s plan to build a mobile communication research and development facility, the government has allowed the company to operate the center without having to pay rent for the next five decades.

The company already operates a R&D center in a leased building in Hanoi, however, due to limited space the company couldn’t increase the number of employees at the facility as required following the expansion of its business in Vietnam. The new R&D center will enable Samsung to expand its staff as per its requirements. Samsung already operates multiple production facilities in the country located in the Bac Ninh province near Hanoi and the Thai Nguyen province.

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Samsung turns down offer from Netflix to include dedicated button on smart TVs

Samsung Electronics has reportedly turned down an offer from Netflix to include a dedicated button on all its upcoming smart TVs. It’s believed that the button, once pressed, would instantly open the Netflix application, which is home to over 20,000 instantly accessible movies and shows.

It’s unclear why Samsung rejected the offer. However, Business Korea’s sources suggest that it’s because the South Korean firm wanted to maintain a partnership with the streaming giant without changing the design of its TV products.

An industry official writes:

Netflix is to imprint its logo on TVs just like Intel did in the PC market in the past. But, Samsung thinks that it is not desirable for a manufacturer to directly choose the priority list of various contents, such as cable, TV, Internet, YouTube and game, for consumers.

It’s also quite feasible that Samsung turned down the partnership opportunity because it’s working on its own platform that will be exclusive to its devices.

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Samsung SM-C5000 spotted, upcoming C series to target Chinese market

Samsung is working on a new C series of smartphones. An SM-C5000 is undergoing testing in India, and thanks to our insiders we can confirm that a C7000 is also in the works. Both phones will target the Chinese market, though we’re told that it won’t necessarily be exclusive to China. The C5000 has a 5.2-inch display according to its import listing, but no other details are currently available.

The Galaxy A5 (2016) also has a 5.2-inch screen and is accompanied by a 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch Galaxy A3 (2016) and Galaxy A7 (2016), and if we were to hazard a guess the C series might also feature the same screen sizes, at least on the C5000 and C7000. A C3000 with a sub-5-inch display probably won’t be on offer, given Chinese consumers’ affinity with large smartphones. In terms of other specs, the C series could be positioned just a bit lower than the A series – perhaps as a cheaper alternative in the mid-range segment?

It’s all speculation until more information on the new lineup crops up. Yet another smartphone series is certainly in the works over in Samsung’s R&D centers, and we can only hope that it will be different enough to warrant a place in the company’s galaxy of mobile devices.

Samsung SM-C5000 in India w/ 5.2 inch screen: either they're starting a Galaxy C Series or it's a new Galaxy Cam http://pic.twitter.com/AlpCz7X7P5

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) March 28, 2016

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Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge to double upload and download speeds using next-gen LTE

According to a new report published by Business Korea, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge are set to be the first smartphones to support the next-generation of LTE connectivity. Samsung will start implementing category 12 LTE on the Galaxy S7 and category 11 LTE on the Galaxy S7 edge later today in South Korea.

The report states that both the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge have optimized upload speeds for social networking services, and it should only take around 15 seconds to download a 1GB file from a stable Internet server, whilst other LTE-enabled smartphone take approximately 20 seconds. When compared to the Galaxy S6, Samsung’s latest flagship’s download speed has increased by a whopping 33%, whilst upload speed is up 50%.

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Samsung India teases new smartphone that will ‘change the way you ride’

Samsung India is teasing the launch of a new smartphone, one focused on motorcycle riders, in the country. Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor is part of the teaser, suggesting the new device will be the Galaxy J3 as the actor was involved with advertisements of the Galaxy J2 on Indian television.

The Galaxy J3 is expected to be launched in several markets in Europe in the near future, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see it make its way to India at the same time as the J series has been rather popular in the world’s second most populous country. According to Sammy Hub, the phone will come preloaded with a “Bike Mode” feature that will let motorcyclists keep their focus on the road by muting notifications and calls and providing automatic replies for incoming calls and messages.

Given the low-end nature of the Galaxy J2, Bike Mode on the J3 is unlikely to offer any advanced functionality, though at this point there isn’t a hundred percent guarantee that it is the Galaxy J3 that will be going official. Indian retailer Snapdeal is expected to be the exclusive seller of the new handset (the Galaxy J2 was exclusive to Amazon at launch). We’ll let you know as more details come our way and Samsung makes an official announcement.

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Samsung app confirms the presence of the Galaxy S7 Active

The Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge are not resistant to water or dust particles, so the company later released the Galaxy S6 Active for those who wanted a high-end smartphone suited for their active lifestyle. This year, Samsung made the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge water- and dust-resistant, but that is not stopping the company from making the Galaxy S7 Active.

We had reported last week that Samsung could be working on the Galaxy S7 Active (SM-G891A), and it looks like someone from the company has jumped the gun to confirm the presence of the device. The latest version of the Samsung Level app lists the Galaxy S7 Active in the changelog, thereby confirming that the company has a more rugged version of the Galaxy S7 in the works.

We think that the Galaxy S7 Active could come with all the features of the Galaxy S7, but with a different design and military-grade protection (MIL-STD-810G) from liquids, particles, drops, and other things. If the Galaxy S6 Active was anything to go by, its successor could feature a larger capacity battery than the Galaxy S7, but the smartphone could be limited to AT&T’s consumers in the US.

Thanks for the tip, @Nico792000 (Nicolas B)!

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One-in-three customers who purchase a Galaxy S7 in South Korea also sign up for Galaxy Club

Seoul-based technology journalist Vincent Lee stated earlier today that one-in-three customers who purchase a Galaxy S7 in South Korea also sign up to Samsung’s Galaxy Club upgrade program.

For those unaware of what Galaxy Club is, it’s a premium scheme which enables its members to trade in their Samsung smartphone after just 12-months of ownership in order to receive one of the company’s latest handsets. It also offers many exclusive benefits, such as fast track customer service and reduced repair rates.

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Samsung to face threat from a Chinese firm in the memory chip segment

Samsung is one of the largest chip makers in the world. The company already holds big-name clients like Qualcomm and Apple, and many firms use memory and storage chips made by Samsung. However, the company is set to face a strong threat from Tsinghua Unigroup Ltd., a Chinese government-affiliated firm that is aspiring to become the countries largest chipmaker.

Zhao Weiguo, the billionaire president of Tsinghua Unigroup Ltd., told Bloomberg in an interview that the company plans to invest a whopping $30 billion in the coming years to grow its semiconductor business. This figure is more than twice as large as Samsung’s investment budget of $11.5 billion for the current year. Experts believe this investment to fuel an already stiff competition in the chip industry.

Tsinghua Unigroup has already purchased chipmakers Spreadtrum and TRA Microelectronics. It has also been eyeing to take over Western Digital and Micron Technology. It was reported last quarter that several Chinese display and chip manufacturing brands were trying to acquire Samsung’s partner firms, which could negatively affect the South Korean smartphone giant.

Samsung’s operating profit is expected to fall to KRW 4.9 trillion ($4.9 billion) in the first quarter due to stiff competition in the DRAM market. The estimated profit would be a record low for Samsung since Q3 2014. Tsinghua Unigroup, which is funded by Tsinghua University, attempted to invest in SK Hynix but failed.

China’s aggressive move to increase its foothold in the global chip business may become a threat to Korean firms like Samsung and SK Hynix. These companies jointly have a market share of 74 percent and 43.7 percent in the memory (DRAM) and storage (NAND flash) markets, respectively.

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