Samsung C-Lab demonstrates FaceSense hands-free VR interface

Five months ago we reported on a patent application from Samsung which detailed a Gear VR headset with extended tracking capabilities. It detailed how the headset would not only track its own position but also the movements of the user’s eyes as well as their facial expressions.

Employees working in Samsung’s experimental C-Labs division have come up with something similar. At the VRLA Expo 2017 in Los Angeles, they demonstrated an experimental, hands-free virtual reality interface called FaceSense.

FaceSense presents an entirely different approach to navigation in virtual reality. It tracks movement in the user’s face. It recognizes and translates the biometric signals in expression changes and translates them into input for navigation. This allows users to maneuver through VR worlds with movements that are intuitive coupled with simple voice commands.

The prototype demonstrated at the exhibition was designed for Samsung’s Gear VR headset. The company says that this may one day lead to the development of more biometric technologies that allow users, including those with usage impediments, to enjoy VR experiences.

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There may be hope yet for a violet Galaxy S8

It was rumored a couple of months ago that Samsung might offer a violet color option with the Galaxy S8. We even saw leaked images of a purported Galaxy S8 in violet before the flagship was officially announced by Samsung. Violet wasn’t among the color options officially confirmed by Samsung on March 29 but it appears that there may be hope yet for those holding out for this color.

Samsung Brazil has listed a Clear Protective Case for the Galaxy S8 on its website. The case is being offered in Black, Silver and Violet colors. It’s not a typo because the color dot is also violet or “Violeta” in the local language.

However, clicking on the dot brings up the Orchid Grey model in the photos instead of a Galaxy S8 in violet. So either this is a placeholder or someone over at Samsung Brazil is just trolling people.

You should keep your fingers crossed if you’d like to purchase the Galaxy S8 in violet, who knows, Samsung might launch it eventually.

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SamMobile Daily Recap: April 25, 2017 — Galaxy S8, Wemogee and more!

We publish a ton of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the majority of news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to keep up. However, we think we’ve come up with a fantastic solution — a daily recap.

Here’s what happened today.

Deals

Daily Deal: Save 55% on a second-generation Gear VR

Phones

Galaxy S8 Device Quality Agent error fixed in urgent software update

Galaxy S8 wireless charging issue being reported by some users

PSA: Some Galaxy S8 firmware might not have ‘quick launch camera’ option

Samsung said to be developing display wth four curved sides

Samsung’s facial recognition tech not secure enough for mobile payments yet

Wemogee is a new communication app from Samsung for people with language disorders

64GB variant of the Samsung Galaxy On Nxt to be launched in India tonight

Tips & Tricks

Follow these 5 tips to get the most out of your shiny new Galaxy S8

Galaxy S8 Tip: Follow these steps to remove the dedicated app drawer for an iPhone-like experience

Galaxy S8 Tip: Here’s how to hide apps or games in the app launcher

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Galaxy S8 Device Quality Agent error fixed in urgent software update

Samsung today released an “urgent” software update which fixes the Galaxy S8 Device Quality Agent error. You might have noticed this software component error if you’re based in the United States or Canada.

Many users who downloaded the day-one software update on the Galaxy S8 in the US and Canada were met with the Device Quality Agent error after every 30 seconds to a minute. The error would inform them that “DQA keeps stopping.” This software component is meant to keep an eye on Wi-Fi quality throughout the device.

The only temporary fix available to users involved force closing the Device Quality Agent app or disabling the Wi-Fi. Both solutions weren’t good for those who want to use their Galaxy S8 as their daily driver.

No wonder Samsung has rushed this software update via the Galaxy Apps Store to fix the Galaxy S8 Device Quality Agent error. Samsung is also going to release another software update for the Galaxy S8 soon which is going to take care of the reddish tint on display issue that some users are facing.

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Follow these 5 tips to get the most out of your shiny new Galaxy S8

If you’ve just got your hands on a Galaxy S8 (or Galaxy S8+, for that matter), we’d recommend following these five tips, which include changing the screen resolution, rearranging the placement of the on-screen buttons and sorting applications in alphabetical order, to get the very most out of it.

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Adjust the transparency of the Edge panel handle

The Edge panel handle that follows you in and out of every application on the Galaxy S8 is a bit of an eye sore, but by opening up Settings, hitting Display, selecting Edge Screen, tapping Edge Panels, then pressing the three dots at the top and selecting Handle Settings, you can disguise it.

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Change the screen resolution

By default, the Galaxy S8′s screen resolution is FHD+ (2220 x 1080). However, by navigating into Settings, followed by Display, then tapping Screen Resolution, it can be changed to WQHD+ (2960 x 1440). Although, we should note that toying with the resolution takes a significant toll on battery life.

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Give your handset a name

Most people fail to give their device a suitable name, which means that when it comes to pairing Bluetooth accessories in a crowded place where it’s likely that someone else will own the same phone, pinpointing your handset is near on impossible.

The good news is: it really couldn’t be easier to give your handset a codename. It’s as simple as pulling up the Settings screen, scrolling down to About Phone, pressing Device Name, assigning it a moniker of your choice, then clicking Save.

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Rearrange the placement of the on-screen buttons

We previously revealed that the Galaxy S8 is Samsung’s first flagship smartphone to ship with on-screen buttons and, instead of opting for the stock Android arrangement (Back, Home and Recents), the company kept its traditional order — Recents, Home and Back.

Fortunately, as they aren’t hard-coded physical buttons, you can actually switch the order of them to suit your personal preference by toggling Settings, hitting Display, selecting Navigation Bar, pressing Button Layout and choosing Back – Home – Recents. 

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Sort applications in alphabetical order

Like most smartphones, the Galaxy S8 displays applications in the drawer in the order they’re installed — and we struggle to see why. A more efficient way of organising applications (especially if you have a lot of them) is in alphabetical order.

Here’s how:

1. Open the App Drawer.
2. Tap the three dots in the upper-right corner.
3. Hit Sort.
4. Select Alphabetical Order.

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Any issues…

If you happen to encounter any issues while following our instructions, feel free to reach out to us in the comments section below (or over on Facebook and Twitter) and we’ll do our best to get you back on track. Otherwise, be sure to check out our other Galaxy S8 tips and tricks.

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PSA: Some Galaxy S8 firmware might not have ‘quick launch camera’ option

Can’t launch the camera on your Galaxy S8 or S8+ by double-pressing the power button? You might not be alone. It seems that the quick launch camera option might not be present on some Galaxy S8 and S8+ units. We received review units of the two devices here in India last week, and realized that the feature is missing from both. We’re not sure if this was an issue out of the box or a result of the software update that we downloaded on the first day, but it’s certainly not available anywhere in the phones’ settings.

The ability to launch the camera quickly with a double-press of the home button is one of the nicest features Samsung has introduced in its smartphones in the last couple of years, and with the S8 and S8+, the removal of the home button means users have to use the power button. It’s not a feature we would want missing, and here’s hoping Samsung will bring it back soon with a software update. Well, unless it’s deliberate, although we can’t think of a reason – legal or otherwise – why such a feature might need to be removed in some markets.

Do you have the quick launch camera option on your Galaxy S8/S8+? You can check if it’s available either from the camera settings or from the Advanced features menu in the device settings.

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Galaxy S8 Tip: Follow these steps to remove the dedicated app drawer for an iPhone-like experience

The newly released Galaxy S8 and S8+ come with a newer user interface that the company now calls Samsung Experience 8.0. It offers plenty of customization options to users, including various layouts, icon grid settings, theme packs, icon packs, and more.

The new app drawer can be accessed by swiping up or down on the home screen as the dedicated app drawer icon isn’t present in the pre-configured layout. However, if you want all your app icons on the home screen, à la iPhone, you can do that as well.

So, here’s how you can place all the app icons on the home screen and remove the dedicated app drawer on your Galaxy S8 and S8+:

Step 1: Long press an empty space on your Galaxy S8 or S8+’s home screen and then click on Home Screen Settings.

Step 2: Now click on Home Screen Layout

Step 3: Select the Home Screen Only option, and click Apply.

Step 4: When a pop-up menu appears, click Apply. Voila! All your app and game icons will be placed on the home screen of your smartphone.

You can rearrange them as per your liking and even place app icons and widgets side by side. You can’t access the dedicated app drawer while using this layout, though.

Note: You can search for any app or game by swiping down anywhere on the home screen. A search bar appears, and you can search not only apps and games, but also other forms of content matching your query.

If you already received your shiny new Galaxy S8 or S8+, you should read all these Galaxy S8 tips and tricks.

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Daily Deal: Save 55% on a second-generation Gear VR

If you own a Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 edge, Galaxy S7, Galaxy S7 edge or Galaxy Note 5 and have been meaning to make an entrance into the virtual reality market for a while, you’ll be pleased to hear that you can now bag yourself a second-generation model of the Gear VR for just $44.99 (55% off).

So what’s different between this particular variant and its successor, the Gear VR (2016). To be honest, not a great deal. Aside from being a little bit more comfortable and sporting some minor cosmetic changes, it’s pretty much the same, making the second-generation Gear VR a pretty solid offering.

Like the sound of the second-generation Gear VR and want to pick one up for the reduced price? Hit the Buy Now button below. You’ll probably want to hurry though, as at the time of publication Amazon only has seven up for grabs, and they’ll likely be gone within the hour.

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Samsung’s facial recognition tech not secure enough for mobile payments yet

Samsung’s new flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S8 and S8+, feature up to five user authentication methods: face recognition, fingerprint, iris, PIN, and pattern. However, only two of them – fingerprint and iris recognition – are being used by Samsung for authenticating Samsung Pay transactions, and there’s a good reason for it. Facial recognition is not secure enough as per experts, and Samsung admits the fact.

The South Korean smartphone giant says that facial recognition is only meant to be used as a quick way to unlock the smartphone and it has a lower security level compared to fingerprint and iris recognition methods, so it’s not secure enough for mobile payments yet. This technology first debuted on the Galaxy Nexus (made by Samsung) four years ago, and it was found that it can easily be fooled using an image of a photograph of the user.

“We do not need to use facial recognition for mobile financial transactions because there are already high-level biometric technologies such as iris and fingerprint recognition. The question that when it will be used is meaningless,” a Samsung spokesperson said to The Investor. However, security experts and industry insiders think that companies will gradually move to facial and voice recognition in coming years due to their convenience and universality.

“Facial and voice recognition will also be mainstream in the future alongside iris and fingerprint. But, it needs more than four to five years for facial recognition to be solely used for financial transactions. For the time being, they will be used as additional certification methods,” Jin Seung-heon, a chief of Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute’s information protection research unit.

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Galaxy S8 Tip: Here’s how to hide apps or games in the app launcher

The newly released Galaxy S8 and S8+ come with a newer interface which also includes a new, Google Pixel-like app drawer. Apart from allowing you open the app drawer by swiping up or down on the home screen, the new launcher also allows hiding apps.

Of course, there’s an option to completely secure apps and files using the Secure Folder feature on both these smartphones (similar to the Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 edge), but if you want to hide apps or games for a short time, hiding apps is a good idea.

So, here’s how you can hide apps or games in the Galaxy S8 or S8+’s app launcher:

Step 1: Open the app drawer by swiping up or down from the home screen. Select the options menu by touching the three dots icon situated on the top right corner of the screen.

Step 2: Select Settings.

Step 3: Select the Hide Apps option.

Step 4: You’ll now be shown the entire list of apps that are installed on your phone. Select all the apps or games that you want to hide, and hit Apply. Voila!

Note: When you hide apps, their respective shortcuts will be removed from the home screen as well, if you had placed them earlier. You can unhide those apps using the same process and deselect the apps that you hid. After unhiding the apps, you have to manually place their shortcuts on the home screen once again.

If you’ve got yourself a new Galaxy S8 or S8+, you should read all our Galaxy S8 tips and tricks.

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64GB variant of the Samsung Galaxy On Nxt to be launched in India tonight

After launching the mid-range Galaxy On Nxt in India exclusively through Flipkart six months ago, Samsung is now launching the 64GB variant of the device through the same retailer. The new variant will be available in Black and Gold, and will go on sale midnight today with a price tag of INR 16,900 (around $265). Customers ordering the Galaxy On Nxt 64GB (SM-G610F) using Axis Bank’s Buzz credit card would eligible for an additional 5% discount.

This new variant of the Galaxy On Nxt features a 5.5-inch 1080p TFT display, a 13-megapixel primary camera with 1080p video recording, an 8-megapixel secondary camera, and a fingerprint sensor. It is equipped with an octa-core Exynos 7870 processor, 3GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, a microSD card slot, and runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It’s an LTE compatible device with a dual-SIM card slot, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, microUSB port, and a 3,300 mAh battery.

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Galaxy S8 wireless charging issue being reported by some users

It’s not uncommon for a new smartphone to face some teething problems. As Samsung puts the final touches on the update that’s going to address the Galaxy S8 display’s reddish tint issue, many Galaxy S8 owners are complaining about a new issue that has to do with the handset’s wireless charging function.

Some Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ owners are complaining that they are unable to charge their device using Samsung’s Fast Charging pad. Some find that the company’s older charging pads are not working even though the devices are on the Qi standard and should work with these pads.

A temporary fix that appears to be working for users involves using a non-Samsung Adaptive Fast Charger with the older pads which will enable them to charge the device at slower speeds. Others just get a notification on their device which says that wireless charging has been paused.

An argument can be made that perhaps Samsung is preventing wireless Fast Charging from working on older pads as it wants to limit the possibility of any issues with the Galaxy S8′s battery. If that is indeed the case the company should make that clear to customers so that they don’t keep thinking that their new device has an issue.

If that’s not the case, it may just be a firmware bug that could be causing this issue and that can easily be addressed via a software update. Have any of you faced this issue? Let us know in the comments below.

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