Samsung bags 35 CES 2017 Innovation Awards in multiple categories

Samsung today announced that it has won 35 prestigious International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017 Innovation Awards which bring the company’s 11-year total up to almost 350. Products entered in this awards program are judged by a panel of independent industrial designers, engineers and members of the trade media. The aim is to highlight outstanding design and engineering across 28 different consumer electronics categories.

“We are honored that CTA and the industry have recognized our ongoing commitment to innovation in many areas, and we look forward to showcasing our latest offerings at the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show,” said Gregory Lee, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics North America.

Samsung’s award-winning products span across many categories such as TV, Mobile, Home Appliances, Wearables, Memory and Computer Technology. They include the Gear S3 smartwatch, Samsung’s ArtPC Pulse desktop computer, the Gear VR headset, Samsung Gear 360 VR camera, the 960 Pro SSD 2TB and 850 Pro SSD 4TB as well as Samsung’s PM971 512GB BGA NVMe SSD which has been designed for use in ultra-slim PCs.

The company is going to showcase some of these products at its booth in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center at CES 2017 which runs from January 5-8, 2017. Some of the award-winning products will also be showcased at Samsung’s CES press conference on Wednesday, January 4, 2017.

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Blue Coral Galaxy S7 edge now available in South Korea

As expected, Samsung has today launched the gorgeous Blue Coral color variant of the Galaxy S7 edge in South Korea. All three major carriers in the region — KT, LG U+ and SK Telecom — currently have inventory of the handset in both 32GB and 64GB storage options, but judging by the amount of excitement leading up to its release, I’m guessing the shelves aren’t going to be stocked for long.

The Blue Coral model of the Galaxy S7 edge packs identical specifications to all of the other variants of the handset. The changes made are purely cosmetic. For this reason, it continues to carry the same price tag of around $750. Its vibrant 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display, Snapdragon 820/Exynos 8890 CPU, 4GB of RAM and 12MP rear-facing camera make it well worth the money, though.

from SamMobile http://www.sammobile.com/2016/11/11/blue-coral-galaxy-s7-edge-now-available-in-south-korea/
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Samsung launches the Gear S3 Classic and Gear S3 Frontier in South Korea

Samsung has today kicked off the rollout of its much-anticipated Gear S3 smartwatch in South Korea. The device, which is available in two variants — the Gear S3 Classic and Gear S3 Frontier –, will make its way to additional markets, including the UK and US, next week on Friday, November 18.

It’s only pre-order customers that are getting their hands on the Gear S3 in South Korea at present. Although, the wearable is expected to be available to purchase from select brick-and-mortar stores in the region later today — so if you’re in the market for a unit, be sure to keep your eyes peeled.

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What’s New With Nougat Part 4: Blue Light filter banishes sleeplessness

In part 4 of our What’s New With Nougat series we’re taking a look at one feature that users request quite often. Blue light, the kind that comes from electronic displays, isn’t really good for the human eye when there’s overexposure. Most of us are surrounded by notebooks, tablets, smartphones, TVs and other electronic devices all day long. Many of us have a habit of using some of these devices in the dark even though continued usage, particularly at night, induces sleeplessness.

Blue light filters are a great way to control this exposure and while there are countless apps available, a stock option is always preferred. Google itself added a blue light filter to stock Android 7.0 Nougat while Samsung added the same to the Marshmallow-based firmware for the Galaxy Note 7. After playing around with the Android 7.0 Nougat beta for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge we can now tell you that this update will include a blue light filter. Scheduling features are built right in so you can configure the filter to turn on and off automatically with the sunset and sunrise or even set your custom schedule.

The screenshots posted below show just how the filter can be turned on and how overexposure can be controlled. It’s great that Samsung has finally added this as a stock option, wouldn’t you agree?

from SamMobile http://www.sammobile.com/2016/11/10/whats-new-with-nougat-part-4-blue-light-filter-banishes-sleeplessness/
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What’s New With Nougat Part 3: App folders are now transparent

It’s time to get excited about Android 7.0 Nougat for Samsung’s flagship smartphones. The company has started a beta program for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge and it’s allowing users in select markets to take the beta for a spin. We’ve had our hands on the beta firmware for a couple of days now so we thought it would be a nice idea to put together a little series which tells you just what’s new with the upcoming release.

In part 3 of the What’s New With Nougat series, we’re looking at app folders. If you look at app folders as they are right now you’ll find that they don’t lend an air of clarity and openness to the user interface. It’s like you’re boxed into this view of a list of applications. That changes with the new UX that Samsung will offer with Nougat. As you can see in the screenshots posted below, app folders are now transparent, you get to see the background and the entire arrangement looks very clean and tidy. That’s really how it should be, don’t you think?

from SamMobile http://www.sammobile.com/2016/11/10/whats-new-with-nougat-part-3-app-folders-are-now-transparent/
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Samsung starts rolling out October security patch for the dual-SIM Galaxy A8

Samsung has today started pushing out October’s security patch for the dual-SIM variant of the Galaxy A8 (SM-A800F). The upgrade transports fixes for a total of 68 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) in the Android OS and 7 for bugs present in firm’s latest smartphones.

The Galaxy A8 is likely one of the final devices in Samsung’s lineup to receive the October security patch. The company recently began distributing this month’s Security Maintenance Release (SMR) for its flagship handsets, and we can expect it reach its budget-friendly range of phones around this time next month.

If you own a Galaxy A8 and would like to see if the OTA is ready for your unit, head into Settings » About Device » Download Updates Manually. Alternatively, you can always wait until you receive a notification prompting you to upgrade, but you’ll need to have at least 50% of battery to receive the alert.

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Samsung takes the top spot in the American home appliances market

Samsung has recorded a market share of 18.8% (Q3 2016) in the U.S. home appliances market, giving it the top spot in the region. While the home appliances market is heavily populated, Samsung’s products have been popular with the masses. The Korean manufacturer is planning to launch home appliances equipped with the SmartThings Hub next month, which should further add to its success in the industry.

Samsung is leading the American market in consecutive quarters as it posted a market share of 16.7% in Q2 2016. The company’s home appliances division includes items like refrigerators, microwave ovens, washing machines etc. The results were posted as part of a quarterly survey by TraQline. Samsung is no doubt one of the key players in the industry and its dominance is expected to continue in the months to come.

Much of Samsung’s success can be attributed to its research and experience in the field. The company recently acquired luxury appliances manufacturer Dacor, which will give it a leg up over the competition. The company has announced that new premium appliances will be released in the market under the Dacor brand.

from SamMobile http://www.sammobile.com/2016/11/10/samsung-takes-the-top-spot-in-the-american-home-appliances-market/
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What’s New With Nougat Part 2: Battery usage indicator cleaned up

Part 2 of our What’s New With Nougat series puts the spotlight on the battery usage indicator in the Android 7.0 Nougat update that Samsung is working on. Samsung’s New UX has tidied up the entire look and feel which is why you immediately notice just how better the indicator looks. You still get the familiar graph that tracks power consumption over time as well as a breakdown of the percentage consumed by apps and services.

Aside from getting an estimate of the battery life based on usage patterns, users can also choose between two power saving modes – Mid and Max – to exercise more control over just how much power their device uses. The app power monitor list can be used to stop particular apps from not using battery power when they are not being used. It’s not like these are all new features but the biggest improvement here is surely just how clean and tidy the entire OS looks.

Samsung has now kicked off the beta program for Android 7.0 Nougat, it’s open to Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge owners in select markets.

from SamMobile http://www.sammobile.com/2016/11/10/whats-new-with-nougat-part-2-battery-usage-indicator-cleaned-up/
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Daily Deal: Pick up a pair of Gear Icon X wireless earphones for just $179.99

Looking for a new pair of earphones? Look no further! While stock lasts, you can snag yourself a brand new pair of Samsung’s Gear Icon X wireless earphones for just $179.99. That’s $20 off their recommended retail price of $199.99.

We recently reviewed the Gear Icon X and came to the conclusion that they’re a well-designed, lightweight pair of earphones that are great if you can overlook their steep price point and lack of iOS compatibility.

They’re also packed full of extremely useful features, which enable users to track a whole host of different fitness data, receive real-time voice feedback on workout progress and play music from either a paired smartphone or from the earphones’ internal storage.

If you like the sound of the Gear Icon X and want to take advantage of the deal, simply hit the Buy Now button below. You will need to hurry, though, as Amazon has only assigned a small amount of inventory for this specific promotion and once it’s gone, it’s gone,

Buy Now

from SamMobile http://www.sammobile.com/2016/11/10/daily-deal-pick-up-a-pair-of-gear-icon-x-wireless-earphones-for-just-179-99/
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What’s New With Nougat Part 1: Phone app gets a splash of color

Samsung officially announced the Android 7.0 Nougat program for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge today. We’ve already had the beta firmware running on one of our devices since yesterday and have shared dozens of screenshots. We’re now sharing some of the observations that we have made after spending a lot of time using the beta firmware.

While playing with Nougat on our Galaxy S7 edge, we found that the Phone app adds a splash of color to the dialing screen. It’s interesting to note that the colors are picked from the contact photo, assuming they have one, and you’ll find a different color picked from the photo every time you dial that contact. The full-color dialing screen does look very nice, don’t you think? Samsung is introducing an entirely new look and feel with the Android 7.0 Nougat update and we’re really liking what we’ve seen so far. Do share your thoughts about these new improvements in the comments below and stay tuned for the next parts of our What’s New With Nougat series.

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Galaxy Note 7 users are buying the Galaxy S7; now it’s time for Android Nougat

The number “7″ has been said to be a number of completion, a number of perfection, a “lucky” number (hence Samsung’s Project Lucky that brought us the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge this past March 11th), but unfortunately, the Korean giant ran into a disaster with the Galaxy Note 7. For users who felt a strong connection to what will go down in history as the best (short-lasting) smartphone of 2016, they are now victims of a second Note 7 recall. Some have parted ways with their devices while others continue to hold out – even in the face of a new charge-limiting update and New Zealand’s decision to disable the phone’s operation from all its carrier networks.

Those who have sent their Galaxy Note 7 back to their carrier or shipped their recall unit back to Samsung have had to select a substitute phone. Many Samsung users have opted for “the next best thing,” the Galaxy S7 series, but the S7 edge does not yet have the Grace UX or the slight cosmetic changes Samsung made to its Note 7 software, among other things. Since these former Note 7 users are having to “make do” without the S Pen and its additional functionality, Android Nougat is the only software comfort possible.

Samsung just launched its Galaxy Beta Program on November 9th for Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge users, with some lucky users getting a “taste” of Android Nougat ahead of the rest of the Galaxy S7-toting crowd, and these users will get to enjoy Nougat for the next few weeks while providing critical feedback to Samsung about the user experience – including any software bugs they encounter along the way. This process is important for the performance of Android Nougat when it finally lands in the hands of diehard Samsung users, but some believe Samsung should not make former Galaxy Note 7 users wait too long.

The Galaxy Beta Program, for those who may be wondering, is no longer accepting registration requests in my home country, for example, due to the fact that Samsung has already met its small quota. Samsung could, however, open up the Galaxy Beta Program again in open-registration countries and accept more users. After all, in light of the Galaxy Note 7 recall, this may be a way to appease some Note 7 users who find themselves carrying around an S7 edge because it’s the second best smartphone from Samsung and the second best smartphone on the market.

There is one other alternative, though: if Samsung maintains a small number of beta users, it can always choose to roll out Android Nougat earlier than expected. Samsung’s normal course of update rollouts has occurred historically after the launch of its next-generation “Galaxies” – sometimes, the day before the new phones go on sale.

This year, however, in an effort to make amends for Note 7 users who have been forced to give up their device(s), Samsung could always give them an update surprise a few weeks earlier than expected. Some don’t want to wait on Android Nougat any later than December, but I see January as the earliest possible update release rollout for Nougat. Android Nougat, in this scenario, would arrive a few weeks shy of Mobile World Congress 2017 (MWC), early February at the latest, and would appease S7 and S7 edge owners who may decide to stick with their current Samsung device for one more year.

Now, there are a few perspectives on this. Some think that Samsung waits to release the new Android update after its new phone announcement each year in order to encourage users to buy the latest smartphones from the company. Others believe that waiting for Android Nougat to land in February would give Galaxy S8 buyers something to look forward to. If someone is trading in or selling their S7 edge, why care about the S7′s Nougat update? I am a participant in Verizon’s Annual Upgrade Program and am due for my new Galaxy S8 as soon as the phone is announced and launched at Big Red, so I remain neutral in the discussion.

Other users don’t seem to care either way. Due to the Galaxy Upgrade Program Samsung has launched in South Korea as well as Singapore and the UK, users can get the latest Galaxy every 12 months with the latest OS update and UI pre-installed without worrying about the update release schedule. Some want Samsung to take its time making sure the Nougat experience is as smooth as possible and are willing to wait patiently for the update without complaint.

Others want Samsung to roll it out as quickly as possible – preferably, before their Christmas presents start arriving under the tree. Some think Google waited too late to release the Pixels and could’ve helped Samsung release Nougat earlier if the search engine giant had made an August announcement instead of a September one.

Samsung’s practice of waiting until a new phone announcement to release the latest for its former-generation smartphones is one that the company believes is wise for business, but there are some Samsung users who would love for the company to release updates earlier than in the past. Of course, Samsung has done a great job releasing security patches in record time, and this gives us hope regarding future update releases.

For those who are waiting for Android Nougat, let me say that the Pixel and Pixel XL are great venues into what the next “sweet treat” holds. Since Samsung isn’t touching up Nougat too much these days, you’re looking at new features for Android such as MultiWindow Mode (Samsung users have had this feature since 2012), Bundled Notifications that group together notifications from the same app, Notification Direct Reply that lets you respond to text and chat messages from the notification shade, and a “Deeper Doze Mode” called “Doze On The Go,” not to mention Daydream VR compatibility and more.

These are new features that enhance your Android experience, but are they enough, along with Samsung’s UI touchups, to rush the development of Nougat for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy s7 edge? You be the judge.

Did you miss out on the Galaxy Beta Program? Wish you could’ve been part of it? Anxious for Android Nougat, or content with TouchWiz as is?

from SamMobile http://www.sammobile.com/2016/11/10/galaxy-note-7-users-are-buying-the-galaxy-s7-now-its-time-for-android-nougat/
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Samsung is reportedly hesitant to bring foldable smartphones to the market

Samsung has been continuously developing technologies that could one day pave the way for completely foldable smartphones. The company recently filed a patent application that gave us a closer look at what a foldable smartphone from Samsung could end up looking like. However, it is now being reported that the South Korean smartphone giant is hesitant to bring foldable smartphones to the market.

According to a report from Korea Herald, Samsung is cautious about the launch of its first foldable smartphone as the company is unsure as to whether there is enough demand in the market for such high-end smartphones. Moreover, a source within the industry claims that Samsung is becoming increasingly cautious in rolling out new hardware-related features after the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco.

“Samsung is already capable of mass producing foldable phones — although premium models are usually made in small quantities — by late next year. But, the company is not sure whether there is market demand for the costly, foldable devices. If (the market condition is) confirmed, foldable tablets — instead of smartphones — are likely to be unveiled with panels facing outward,” a source told Korea Herald.

There are two ways to make a foldable smartphone: outward bending and inward bending, and the latter is harder to implement due to a more pronounced curvature. However, there are other things which are causing a hindrance, and some of them are glass sheets and batteries. Kolon Industries will reportedly start mass production of bendable CPI films that will replace hard glass sheets.

Even though Samsung isn’t able to mass produce bendable batteries just yet, experts say that batteries don’t need to be bendable or flexible as of now. Chung Won-Seok, a researcher at HI Investment & Securities, said, “Batteries can still be placed in the flat sides instead of folded areas. In order to place the battery in the folded area, it should be rollable, for which the technology is still in the research and development stage.”

Right now, Samsung’s concerns regarding foldable smartphones are yield and market demand. The company isn’t sure whether people would buy foldable or bendable smartphones, which would come with sky-high price tags, especially after the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco. This is why the company has reportedly shifted its focus to offer an artificial intelligence-powered digital assistant for the Galaxy S8.

 

from SamMobile http://www.sammobile.com/2016/11/10/samsung-is-reportedly-hesitant-to-bring-foldable-smartphones-to-the-market/
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[Poll] Are you happy with Samsung’s implementation of Android 7.0?

Samsung started allowing some lucky customers to get an early taste of Android 7.0 on their Galaxy S7 and S7 edge smartphones earlier this week. The update brings a lot of features that were earlier exclusive to the now discontinued Galaxy Note 7, but most importantly, it also brings along a brand new user interface design.

If you haven’t checked out the new UI yet, browse through dozens of screenshots that we published yesterday. The update introduces newer and smoother animations, an improved Always On Display mode, Blue Light Filter, various performance modes, Device Maintenance, and some other new features to Samsung’s current flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge.

Let us know what you think about the new Android 7.0-based UI design. Are you happy with Samsung’s iteration of Android 7.0 (Nougat)? Cast your votes in the poll below.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

from SamMobile http://www.sammobile.com/2016/11/10/poll-are-you-happy-with-samsungs-implementation-of-android-7-0/
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Samsung files a patent with the USPTO for a TV that can be rolled up

Samsung’s been expected to introduce a TV that can be rolled up like a scroll for a while now, and now the South Korean company has filed a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for a display that can do just that.

It’s currently unclear how the firm envisages the technology being used in day-to-day life, but industry analysts expect it to improve user convenience as you’ll be able to roll up TVs when they’re not in use. They’ll also be easier to transport.

Personally, I’m not sold on the idea. I wouldn’t like to roll up my TV into a scroll-like object at 4:30 AM on a Saturday after a long night on Gears of War 4, then unravel it the next morning. I can, however, see how it’ll be useful for transportation, but I just don’t think there’s enough demand.

“This rollable display device can be used for TVs, monitors, game devices, multimedia devices and so on,” says Samsung. “Displays in devices can be liquid crystal display (LCD) displays, light emitting diode (LED) displays and organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays.”

As always, there’s a high possibility that the technology outlined in this patent could never come to fruition. Samsung reserves the rights to a lot of designs, names and components on a daily basis and only a small portion of them ever make their way onto the market.

 

 

from SamMobile http://www.sammobile.com/2016/11/10/samsung-files-a-patent-with-the-uspto-for-a-tv-that-can-be-rolled-up/
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