New poll shows Galaxy Note 7 recall hasn’t damaged Samsung’s brand in the US

There were concerns following Samsung’s decision to recall and discontinue the Galaxy Note 7 that it would have a major impact on the company’s brand value. That doesn’t appear to be the case at least in the United States. An opinion poll conducted by Reuters/Ipsos recently shows that customers in the United States are still willing to purchase Samsung smartphones despite the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco.

The poll was conducted by Reuters/Ipsos in English across all 50 states with 2,375 people with Samsung phones and 3,158 iPhone users were included. It found that existing Samsung smartphone users are as loyal to their devices as iPhone users.

It also revealed that people who were aware of the recall were just as interested in buying another Samsung smartphone as people who weren’t. While it was initially believed that the iPhone 7 stands to gain from the Galaxy Note 7′s demise the data shows that it was actually the Chinese manufacturers who saw the most uptick in business in the previous quarter. The iPhone 7 didn’t really absorb the demand that followed the Note 7′s demise.

27 percent of those who knew about the recall said they would first consider a Samsung device if they were looking to buy a new phone. 25 percent of those who didn’t know about the recall said they’d go with Samsung. The survey also found that Samsung customers are quite loyal to their devices with 91 percent of existing users saying that they would purchase another smartphone from the company compared to 92 percent of iPhone users who have the same sentiments about Apple’s smartphones.

We’ve seen Galaxy Note 7 owners opting to exchange their device for a Galaxy S7 or a Galaxy S7 edge instead of obtaining a refund or going with another manufacturer. This shows that they have confidence in the company and are willing to look beyond the ill-fated flagship.

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Casey Neistat teaches supermodel Karlie Kloss and you how to create content with Gear 360

Samsung announced its first 360-degree camera called Gear 360 earlier this year. The little sphere easily enables users to capture their own moments in virtual reality. Samsung released the camera in limited quantities at first but the Gear 360 is now easily available for purchase. If you’re interested in picking one up then you will surely be interested in watching a new promotional video from Samsung which features popular YouTube vlogger Casey Neistat teaching supermodel Karlie Kloss – and you by extension – how to create content using the Gear 360 camera.

Neistat starts off by explaining how just easy the Gear 360 makes it to capture virtual reality content and then provides an overview of the physical attributes of the camera. The Galaxy S7 edge makes an appearance in the video as well when Neistat uses it to show how easy it is to control the camera using the Gear 360 Manager app. The concept of capturing content in 360-degree virtual reality is explained very well so that users can get the most out of their Gear 360.

It’s a pretty informative video that touches a lot of bases in under five minutes. Do check it out if you’re curious to know more about how VR content can be created with the Gear 360.

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Gear S3 sales cross 25,000 units in South Korea

It has been ten days today since the Gear S3 was released in South Korea. Samsung released the new smartwatch first in its home country on November 11 and has since released it in other markets as well. The company today revealed that the new wearable device has done well in its home country by selling more than 25,000 units since its launch on November 11. Samsung did not divide the sales figures between the Gear S3 classic and Gear S3 frontier.

While it’s not easy to tell right now which variant has proven to be more popular among customers, the company does say that more men are opting to purchase the Gear S3 than women, primarily because it looks more like a conventional sports watch with a bit of heft to it. Both variants are essentially the same when it comes to specs with LTE compatibility setting the Gear S3 frontier apart.

If you’re interested in picking up the Gear S3 but can’t seem to make up your mind, check out our hands-on with the Gear S3 as well as our initial impressions of the smartwatch which will make it easier for you to make a decision.

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Android 7.0 Nougat beta for the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge doesn’t have Gear VR support

Samsung launched the Galaxy Beta Program recently to provide builds of Android 7.0 Nougat beta for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge. The program has been launched in the United States, United Kingdom, South Korea and China. Interested users first have to register through the app and it’s only after they’re selected do they get access to the beta firmware. Those who do get selected for the program should keep in mind that Android 7.0 Nougat beta for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge doesn’t have support for the Gear VR.

Firing up the Oculus app once Nougat beta has been installed brings up the “Network error occurred. Try again later” error. It stops the virtual environment from loading so the Gear VR can’t be used with the handset. The reason behind this error is simple. The Oculus app hasn’t been updated for Android 7.0 beta and it’s unlikely that an update will be sent out to enable support while the firmware is still in beta. The update can be expected to arrive prior to the public release of Nougat for the flagships.

Those who want to continue using Gear VR after they have upgraded to Android 7.0 Nougat have no option but to downgrade to the latest version of Marshmallow. They can do that by deregistering from the Galaxy Beta Program through the app, once they do, they will receive a link to a file which lets them downgrade to the most recent stable version of firmware for that device.

Samsung is yet to confirm when Android 7.0 Nougat is going to be officially released for the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge.

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Blue Coral Galaxy S7 edge lands on T-Mobile with the Gear S3 frontier in tow

Samsung confirmed earlier this month that it’s going to soon release the Blue Coral Galaxy S7 edge in select markets across the globe. The handset landed on AT&T first in the United States before making its way to Verizon and Sprint. It was expected that T-Mobile would launch it this week as well and indeed it has. The Blue Coral Galaxy S7 edge can now be purchased from T-Mobile.

Since it’s the same handset that simply got a new paint job, the price remains the same. The Blue Coral Galaxy S7 edge is available from T-Mobile for $69.99 down and 24 equal monthly payments of $30 each. Customers can also pay $789.99 to buy the handset at full retail. Customers who purchase the handset now will also be eligible to receive a free Samsung Gear VR headset as part of T-Mobile’s Black Friday promotion.

The Gear S3 frontier is also available from T-Mobile now. The carrier is selling this smartwatch for $399. Its customers can add the Gear S3 frontier to their existing smartphone plan for $5 per month over and above what they’re already paying for the plan.

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Samsung reiterates absolute confidence in safety of the Galaxy S7 series

Soon after reports of the Galaxy Note 7 catching fire started coming in there was speculation as to whether the same issue existed in some of the company’s other devices. Some viewed the Galaxy S7 series with suspicion as well but Samsung has clarified in the past that the internal battery failure does not extend to the flagship it released earlier this year. The company has now sent out a statement reiterating its absolute confidence in the safety of the Galaxy S7 series.

Several cases of the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge catching fire have been reported but Samsung points out in its statement that these incidents were caused by “severe external damage.” In that case the device can’t really be held accountable when it’s subject to conditions beyond what it’s made to sustain. Samsung has issued the following statement:

“Samsung stands behind the quality and safety of the Galaxy S7 family. There have been no confirmed cases of internal battery failures with these devices among the more than 10 million devices being used by consumers in the United States; however, we have confirmed a number of instances caused by severe external damage. Until Samsung is able to obtain and examine any device, it is impossible to determine the true cause of any incident.”

The Galaxy S7 edge is one of the best smartphones that Samsung has made and I think it’s a bit unfair to view it through the Galaxy Note 7 prism. It’s a device that’s being used by tens of millions of people across the globe with no battery failure issues whatsoever.

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