Market watchers suggest that the Galaxy Note 7′s iris scanner could fail to satisfy consumers

Over the course of the past few weeks, we’ve heard an awful lot about Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note 7, and its integrated iris scanner. The speculation first kicked off when a couple of screenshots taken on the device were leaked online with the option to “Use Iris” as a method of unlocking the handset. Following the flurry of leaks that emerged shortly after, the manufacturer confirmed the existence of the emerging technology in invitations it sent out to members of the press for an event it’s holding in New York on Tuesday, August 2, where it will finally take the wraps off the latest iteration in its smartphone-tablet hybrid range.

It’s safe to say that I’m very excited to try out the iris scanner. I’ve never had any experience with any feature of the sort, and to have it built into my smartphone will result in a more convenient user experience. However, it would appear that many market watchers don’t share the same mindset as me as they believe that the service may “fail to satisfy consumers” because “speed, distance setting, vulnerability to lighting conditions and other specifications of use have raised resistance to the technology [in the past].” The interest is certainly there from consumers, though, but it all comes down to whether Samsung can overcome such shortcomings to create a scanner that can analyze an iris in just a couple of seconds, and I see no problems with it doing so.

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Samsung fixes Galaxy S7 Active’s waterproofing issue

A couple of weeks ago we reported on tests conducted by Consumer Reports on the Galaxy S7 Active’s waterproofing claims. Samsung says that the Galaxy S7 Active can survive in up to five feet of water for up to 30 minutes. Two Galaxy S7 Active units went through a similar test and both of them failed. A few days later Samsung issued an official statement on the matter and said that it “stands behind” the waterproofing certification.

CNET conducted a couple of tests on its own a few days ago and found that the Galaxy S7 Active wasn’t as waterproof as Samsung as claiming it to be. The company has followed up with another statement saying that it has discovered an issue to a production line that exclusively manufactures the Galaxy S7 Active. It says that the issue has been resolved and that it has received “very few customer inquiries.” Those who own a Galaxy S7 Active with water damage can claim a replacement from Samsung under its standard limited warranty.

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Samsung finally starts distributing Marshmallow OTA for the Galaxy Note 4 in Australia

Two months after it started rolling out the long-awaited Marshmallow update for unlocked variants of the Galaxy Note 4 in Europe, Samsung has today started distributing an identical upgrade for unbranded models of the handset in Australia. This release marks one of the last continents to receive the firmware, so it should now be live on just about every non-carrier branded version of the device to grace the planet.

The full changelog for the upgrade can be seen below:

• Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)
• Exercise greater control over app permissions
• Purchase easily and securely with Fingerprint support
• Experience enhanced battery-life through Doze
• Redesigned App Drawer

If you happen to own a Galaxy Note 4, reside in Australia and would like to see if the update is ready for your handset, simply head into the following menus: Settings > About Device > Software Update > Update Now. Before following these steps, however, we’d recommend that you have at least 50% of battery, and are connected to a stable, secure Wi-Fi network that pulls somewhat decent download speeds.

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Samsung patents ‘artificial muscle’ for flexible smartphones

Samsung has been awarded countless patents that detail its technological inventions concerning flexible and foldable smartphones. We spotted some more Samsung patents a couple of weeks ago that detailed both foldable smartphones and tablets. Samsung has now filed for two patents in the United States, the patents are for flexible smartphones that can bend using ‘artificial muscle,’ which is basically an internal controller that can take any shape when voltage is applied through it.

One patent describes a device that has a flexible display panel and a flexible image processing board connected with at least one artificial muscle that’s configured to be deformed so that the shape can be changed when voltage is applied. Samsung details the artificial muscle as a matrix of small connected plates – when bent by an external force – seek voltage from a controller in the image processor board so that the artificial muscle can maintain the bending state. The second patent details a display panel that’s segregated into a top and a bottom region allowing the two to be bent in half. It’s obviously too soon to speculate if and when this technology will see the light of day. Samsung patents many technological inventions and not all of them make it to market.

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Wallpaper Wednesday: Water

Welcome to the latest edition of Wallpaper Wednesday. This week we’re focusing our attention on nine great water-based backgrounds. All images are available in a FHD resolution, which is a perfect fit for the Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge, Galaxy Note 5 and other flagships, but they can, of course, be used on different smartphones, too.

If any of the following images float your boat and you want to download and set one as your wallpaper, simply tap on a photo to maximise it, then click and hold to save it. Once the picture is stored locally, open up Settings, locate and select Wallpaper, then just tap the newly-saved image to set it as your background.

Alternatively, you can download a ZIP file containing all of this week’s backdrops by hitting the Download button at the very bottom of this post.

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Balloon Ride

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Condensed Leaf

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Deep Splash

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Firework Reflection

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Paradise Sunset

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Pebble Beach

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Sea House

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Sea Port

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Venice Gondola

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Download

Note: We’ve tried our best to identify the creators of all of the wallpapers featured in this week’s column. However, the images appear to lack copyright information, artist signatures or any real trace of origin. If you created a wallpaper we’ve posted and would like credit, or would rather we remove the image, kindly contact us.

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Samsung may launch the Gear S3 and Galaxy Tab S3 at IFA 2016

Samsung traditionally releases new devices at the IFA trade show in Berlin every year and in 2016 the company is expected to unveil a new tablet and smartwatch. Samsung has previously unveiled new Galaxy Note flagships at IFA but given that the new phablet is being unveiled in New York on August 2, it means that Samsung will have some other devices for us at IFA 2016.

Italian technology journalist Antonio Monaco, who has been right on many occasions in the past, says that Samsung will be unveiling the Galaxy Tab S3 and the Gear S3 smartwatch at IFA 2016. He says that the Gear S3 is going to look more like a conventional wristwatch and that it will feature built-in GPS. Not much information is available about the Galaxy Tab S3 right now. Samsung launched an updated version of the Galaxy Tab S2 earlier this year so a proper high-end tablet is due from the company but it’s unclear right now what the specifications of this tablet are going to be. It’s more likely that Samsung will unveil the Gear S3 at IFA 2016 as there’s no conclusive evidence available at this point in time to support the theory that a new high-end tablet will be unveiled by Samsung in the coming weeks.

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Leaked video shows the Galaxy Note 7 in action

By now you have already seen several leaked renders of the Galaxy Note 7, including the absolutely gorgeous one in Blue Coral that we reported on earlier today, but now you can get your first glimpse of the Galaxy Note 7 in action. A leaked video has been posted online which shows the Galaxy Note 7 in action during testing for Olixar, an accessory maker for mobile devices.

The video shows off the Galaxy Note 7 in all its glory. The dual-edge display of this handset wraps around the edges very nicely and gives it a  unique feel, unlike any previous Galaxy Note handset. The video was recorded when the handset was being tested for Olixar’s Curved Glass Screen Protector, from the looks of it the protector works very well with this dual-edge curved display. Samsung is due to unveil the Galaxy Note 7 on August 2 and will soon start shipping it out in launch markets.

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Blue Coral Galaxy Note 7 looks fantastic in new leaked render

Leaked renders have already shown us the colors in which Samsung is going to offer the Galaxy Note 7. The new Blue Coral color is a nice addition as its very understated yet eye-catching as well as a great alternative to the conventional silver and black color options. A new render has been leaked online which gives us a close look at the Blue Coral Galaxy Note 7 and it’s certainly a sight for sore eyes.

The new leaked render of the Galaxy Note 7 comes from @evleaks who was behind previous leaks as well. It gives us a great look at the Galaxy Note 7 in Blue Coral. Even the S Pen looks positively, for lack of a better word, graceful in this new color option. The render also reiterates what we have already told you multiple times before, that the Galaxy Note 7 has a dual-edge curved display. Samsung is due to formally unveil the Galaxy Note 7 on August 2nd and it might even release the handset on the very same day. What do you think about this new color option for Samsung’s upcoming flagship ? Let us know what you think about it in our poll for the Blue Coral Galaxy Note 7.

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Samsung rolls out July SMR for the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+

Samsung has already started pushing out the July 1 version of this month’s Security Maintenance Release to all unlocked variants of the Galaxy S7 located in Europe, and now it’s in the midst of distributing an identical update for all unbranded models of the Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge and Galaxy S6 edge+ in the region. The upgrade itself weighs in at approximately 350MB and is primarily aimed at fixing a critical error that results in the Jack audio service enabling malicious applications to access or modify values in shared memory.

As we’ve come to expect from SMRs, the update is being rollout out in stages. However, if you’d like to see if its ready for your device, all you have to do is head into Settings » About Device » Software Update » Update Now. Alternatively, you can wait until you receive a push notification prompting you to download the upgrade, but you’ll need to have at least 50% of battery to receive the alert. We’d also recommend being connected to a strong, reliable Wi-Fi network as this will result in your handset automatically scanning for the firmware on a more frequent basis.

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