It’s unlikely that Samsung will launch Project Valley this year

Last year, we exclusively reported that Samsung was developing a foldable smartphone that had been internally codenamed Project Valley. Shortly after, a report was published claiming that the handset would hit the shelves towards the end of this year. However, it doesn’t look like that’s going to be the case as Samsung Mobile chief D.J. Koh has explained to The Korea Times that the firm isn’t rushing to release its first foldable smartphone and is, instead, going to take its time in ensuring that the technology is ready to be distributed to consumers.

“We need more time to provide meaningful innovations and convenience considering the current status of technology. We need serious changes in software and user experience to build foldable smartphones and this will certainly take time,” said Koh. He then went on to reveal that he expects bendable devices to have a “ripple effect in the industry”, but refuses to “distribute the technology until the accompanying software has been developed to make it worthwhile.”

So there you have it, folks. It doesn’t look like we’re going to be seeing a foldable smartphone from Samsung this year. We’re still extremely excited to see what the firm has come up with, and if it’s anything similar to the patent that were spotted back in June, we’re going to be in for a treat. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like Project Valley is going to launch in every market, though. Instead, it’s expected to make its initial debut in France, Germany, Italy, Poland, South Korea and the UK.

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Samsung Z2 to launch in India on August 11 for Rs. 4,499

Samsung has been working on its third Tizen-powered smartphone for a little over a year now. We first caught wind of the Samsung Z2 when it surfaced in a series of leaked pictures back in July 2015, then just five days ago another set of images of the handset were captured at the South Korean company’s Galaxy Note 7 announcement event in Africa, suggesting that a release is imminent. However, it now looks like we know exactly when the device will hit the shelves.

If a new report published by PhoneHorn is anything to go by, it would appear the firm is planning to launch the Samsung Z2 in India on August 11 at an event alongside the Galaxy Note 7 and Galaxy A9 Pro. The unit is believed to carry a price tag of Rs. 4,499 ($68) and will be available to purchase in two colors — Black and White. Unfortunately for us, Samsung has done a pretty good job at keeping the Z2 under wraps as we don’t have any new leaked specifications to report.

 

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Samsung wants you to know that Olympians are really digging the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Olympic Games Limited Edition

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S7 edge Olympic Games Limited Edition handset a few weeks ago. It created this handset to commemorate the Rio 2016 Olympics in Brazil. It’s the same Galaxy S7 edge but with some cosmetic changes that are in line with the Olympic spirit. The company also announced recently that it has gifted 12,500 units of this limited edition handset to all athletes who are taking part in the games this year. Samsung said it was handing out the units to help Olympians expand their experiences in Rio and communicate with their friends and family across the globe.

Not all of the 12,500 Olympians who received a free limited edition Galaxy S7 edge would have taken a liking to the handset but Samsung does want you to know that many of those athletes are really enjoying using their new Samsung smartphone. It has shared pictures of Olympians representing nations including France, Brazil, the United States, and South Korea capturing the spirit and excitement of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony using the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge Olympic Games Limited Edition. They certainly would have taken some amazing pictures and videos as the Galaxy S7 edge has one of the best smartphone cameras on the market. You don’t have to be an Olympian to get your hands on one. The handset is being sold in select markets across the globe, it’s available in the United States for $849.99 – $100 more than what the normal Galaxy S7 edge costs.

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Samsung Pay vulnerability enables hackers to steal credit cards wirelessly

A vulnerability has been discovered in Samsung Pay which can be exploited by a hacker to wirelessly steal credit cards. The way Samsung Pay secures transactions involves translating credit card data into tokens so that card numbers can’t be stolen from the device. However, security researcher Salvador Mendoza discovered that those tokens aren’t as secure as one might believe them to be. He presented more details about this vulnerability at a Black Hat talk in Las Vegas earlier this week.

He discovered that the tokenization process is limited and that the sequencing of the tokens can be predicted. He explains that the tokenization process becomes weaker after the Samsung Pay app generates the first token for a specific card which means there is a greater chance that future tokens could be predicted. A hacker who knows how to do this can steal the tickets and use them in another device to make unauthorized transactions. Mendoza said that he proved his theory by sending a token to one of his friends in Mexico who was able to use it with magnetic spoofing hardware to make a purchase using Samsung Pay despite the fact that Samsung’s mobile payment service has not been launched in Mexico yet.

Mendoza explains more about his discovery in the video that’s posted down below. Samsung hasn’t confirmed yet if it has taken care of this vulnerability but did say that “If at any time there is a potential vulnerability, we will act promptly to investigate and resolve the issue.” It also wants to remind all users that “Samsung Pay is built with the most advanced security features, assuring all payment credentials are encrypted and kept safe, coupled with the Samsung Knox security platform.”

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Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime (2016) possibly in the pipeline

Samsung appears to be working on yet another mid-range handset. It has nearly been two years since the Galaxy Grand Prime was launched and it appears that the handset might be up for a refresh. The original Galaxy Grand Prime bearing model number SM-G531 had a 5-inch qHD (540×960) display, a quad-core 1.2GHz processor with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage with a microSD slot, an 8-megapixel rear camera, dual-SIM support and a 2,600mAh battery.

The latest from import tracker Zauba shows that Samsung has imported several samples of the SM-G532F in India for testing. This device first appeared on the import tracker back on July 12 and recently on August 6. A total of eight units of the Sm-G532F have been shipped to India so far and all of them have a 5-inch display of unknown resolution. Chances are that this could very well be the Galaxy Grand Prime (2016) and it may just be another mid-range handset that Samsung adds to its lineup just to counter its rivals in this segment of the market. It’s unclear at this point in time what the full specifications of this handset will be, how much it will cost and when it’s going to arrive.

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Samsung delays Gear IconX release in the US

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 7 last week and it also confirmed that day when the Gear IconX activity tracking earbuds will be released in the United States. They have already been released in a handful of other markets and customers in the US have been waiting to find out when they will be able to purchase Samsung’s first activity tracking earbuds. The company was previously supposed to release them on August 15th but it has now delayed the Gear Icon X’s release date in the country.

Fortunately, it has only pushed back the release by a couple of days and that too for what could be described as theatrics. Instead of releasing the Gear IconX on August 15th as it had previously announced, Samsung has now updated its website to reflect that the earbuds will be out on August 19th. The date is of significance because on that very day the Galaxy Note 7 will be released in the United States and many other markets across the globe. Samsung basically thought that it would look better if its first activity tracking wireless earbuds were released on the very same day as its new flagship Galaxy Note handset.

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Galaxy Studio now open in Olympic Park for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio

Samsung has opened the doors to the Galaxy Studio in Olympic Park for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio. The studio is open to everybody who is interested in Samsung’s latest products and technologies, like the new Samsung 4D kayaking VR experience. The company has also launched a Galaxy S7 Rental program which allows visitors to experience the Galaxy ecosystem.

Samsung has had a long association with the Olympics. It is the Worldwide Olympic Partner in the Wireless Communications Equipment category. It made its arrival in Rio felt by handing out 12,500 units of the limited edition Galaxy S7 edge Olympic Games Edition handset to all athletes taking part in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.  The Samsung Galaxy Studio is located inside the Olympic Park and it has been specifically designed to get excited about the games and celebrate the Olympic spirit. The company has also opened two additional Galaxy Studios in the Olympic Village and the Main Press Center while more locations will be added across Brazil to expand the experience to as many people as possible.

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Samsung may stop making flat Galaxy S handsets in the future

Samsung shook up its Galaxy S series with the Galaxy S6 last year as it introduced two models of the same flagship, one with a flat display and the other with a dual-edge curved display. Even Samsung wasn’t expecting that the latter would prove to be more popular even though it was priced higher so the company lost out on sales as it tried to get yields up to match demand. It was better prepared this time around with the Galaxy S7 edge and sure enough, the curved flagship proved to be the more popular model this year as well. Now that production yields for the curved display have stabilized Samsung has hinted that it may stop making flat Galaxy S flagships in the future.

“Samsung has considered that it would make the edge display as the identity of the Galaxy S smartphone lineup,” said the company’s mobile chief Dong-jin Koh, while pointing out that this also depends on Samsung being able to provide customers with differentiated user experiences through features and software for the curved display. He hasn’t said outright that the flat model will get the axe but it’s evident that the company is opening to ditching it if it makes sense. One might even say that Samsung is testing the waters with the Galaxy Note 7 which has a dual-edge curved display. If market response is largely positive perhaps it might go down this road with the Galaxy S8 next year but this is just pure speculation at this point.

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