Mophie’s $100 Juice Pack for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ available now

You didn’t think Mophie forgot about releasing a charging case for Samsung’s new flagship smartphone, did you? Less than a month after they were officially released, Mophie has made its wireless charging Juice Pack case available for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. Be warned, though, the case isn’t exactly cheap.

You might want to consider a Mophie Juice Pack for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ if you’re the kind of person who can’t get through the day with the device’s 3,000mAh and 3,500mAh battery, respectively. That’s going to be enough for most people, but a case can always be made for extra battery power.

Mophie’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ Juice Pack features a 2,950mAh and 3,300mAh battery respectively. Both are compatible with Qi wireless charging so they can easily be charged wirelessly as well. They are smart enough to prioritize charging of the phone’s internal battery over the case’s battery when it’s plugged in.

That’s all well and good, but paying $99.95 for a battery case seems a bit too much. Mophie has established a solid brand over the years with products like these and that’s why it can sell a battery case for $100, otherwise, there are cheaper alternatives to choose from.

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Tizen’s new features and user interface changes detailed

At the Tizen Developer Conference 2017 today, Samsung announced that the Tizen user interface will soon receive a makeover so that it feels more fresh and efficient than ever before. In keeping with that theme of making the UI look fresh and efficient, app icons will now be minimal and lighter but they will retain the Tizen OS signature with round icon patches.

New themes are incoming as well, they have been inspired from the global and Indian trends for colors. Samsung also confirmed that the 2D and flat icons in the theme style will arrive soon.

All icons and layouts have been redesigned to make them look and feel more modern. This breaks them away from the traditional design that was more spread out with all elements center aligned. The My Galaxy Stories feature will provide exciting content and beautiful wallpapers which will change automatically every third time the screen is turned on.

Users will soon be able to create separate profiles for SIM dependent apps and will be able to manage them on a single device. Additional features include the ability to share Tizen apps from Android or Tizen devices to another Tizen device as well as the option to enhance images taken using the front or back camera.

Voice interactions are coming to Tizen for the first time. No, Samsung hasn’t brought over Bixby just yet, but Tizen smartphones will be able to understand simple voice commands that will help users perform certain actions faster.

All this and more is included in the latest version of Tizen OS.

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Samsung smart TVs get Glympse’s first ever real-time location sharing app for TV

Location-sharing service Glympse today announced that its first ever app for smart TVs is being released for Samsung’s Tizen-powered smart TVs. The app will enable users to see the location of their friends, loved ones or even a food delivery in real-time by using the Glympse app on their Samsung smart TV.

“We look forward to partnering with Glympse to innovate our Smart TV offering, providing relevant in-home experiences that our customers expect from Samsung,” said Mi Young Yoo, vice president of the Visual Display Division at Samsung, adding that the company believes the TV is going to be a hub for family communications.

Samsung and Glympse already have a relationship. Glympse’s real-time location sharing app is preloaded on the company’s new Family Hub refrigerator. Glympse users will now be able to easily share their location in real-time to a Samsung smart refrigerator or smart TV.

Glympse’s family group feature is supported by the app. It enables users to create a private group of family, friends, home devices, connected cars and more that they want to keep an eye on in real-time. Members of the group then just share their location to the group and it will appear on all members’ devices, including the TV.

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Tizen smartphones doing great in India, will eventually be released globally

Samsung’s Tizen Developer Conference 2017 kicked off today in San Francisco. During its keynote, the company talked about all of the improvements that it has made to the Tizen platform over the years and the vision that it has for Tizen 4.0. It also showcased a couple of hardware products at the conference.

The company has shared some interesting stats about its Tizen-powered smartphones at TDC 2017 today. Tizen smartphones were first released in India before gradually being expanded to countries in South East Asia and Africa.

Samsung revealed today that Tizen smartphones are performing really well in India. Sales were up 30 percent in 2016 and over 100 percent in 2017 so far. It sees even faster growth in the future. Samsung also pointed out that while Tizen smartphones got their start in India, they “will be available to all countries in the world eventually.”

That’s a pretty significant statement from the company. It has only released low-end Tizen smartphones so far and that too in only a handful of markets. While there has been speculation about a high-end Tizen smartphone, it may never become a reality unless Samsung is eyeing a global launch for such a product.

If the company really wants to bring its Tizen smartphones to all markets across the globe, then there’s a good possibility that it will expand its Tizen smartphone lineup and we may end up getting a flagship-level Tizen-powered phone as well.

Apps are what makes a platform great today and Samsung certainly knows that. It promises that there will be 10x as many Tizen apps this year than there were in 2016.

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Galaxy J5 (2017) and Galaxy J7 (2017) said to get better cameras, fingerprint scanner

It’s no secret that Samsung has the Galaxy J (2017) series in the pipeline. According to a new report, the Galaxy J5 (2017) and Galaxy J7 (2017) will both receive better cameras and a fingerprint scanner. The report is accompanied by pictures which compare the specifications between the 2016 and 2017 models of the Galaxy J5 and Galaxy J7.

According to the report, both handsets are going to have a metal body, a fingerprint scanner and better cameras than they did last year. The Galaxy J7 (2016) and Galaxy J5 (2016) had a 13-megapixel f/1.9 rear and 5-megapixel f/1.9 front camera while both handsets are now expected to a 13-megapixel f/1.7 rear camera and a 13-megapixel f/1.9 front camera with flash.

If this report is true, then the new handsets should feel considerably more premium than their predecessors. They’re claimed to tout a full metal body while last year’s models only had a metal frame.

As far as specs go, the Galaxy J7 (2017) is said to feature a 5.5-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display, an octa-core 1.6GHz processor with 3GB RAM and 16GB of storage. It may also feature a LTE Cat.6 chip, a 3,600mAh battery and Nougat.

The Galaxy J5 (2017) specs will receive a bump as well. Expect a 5.2-inch HD Super AMOLED display with an octa-core 1.6GHz processor, 2GB RAM and 16Gb of storage. A 3,000mAh battery, LTE Cat.6 chip and Nougat may also be onboard.

None of this has been confirmed as yet by Samsung so take it with a grain of salt. The Galaxy J7 (2017) and Galaxy J5 (2017) are expected to be priced at 339 euro and 279 euro respectively.

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SamMobile Daily Recap: May 16, 2017 — Galaxy C10, Galaxy S6 and more!

We publish a lot 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 we published today.

Firmware News

Galaxy J7 (2015) receives May security patch in India

Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ get a software update in India with May security patch

Nougat update for some Galaxy S6 models also brings the May security patch

Samsung to detail a new version of Tizen at the Tizen Developers Conference

General

ARTIK 053 Module and Samsung Z4 showcased at TDC 2017

Samsung to extend Tizen device ecosystem with Tizen 4.0

Phones

Galaxy C10 dual rear camera and Bixby button rumored

Galaxy S8 camera gets a DxOMark rating of 88, same as the Galaxy S7

Galaxy S8 global sales have crossed 5 million units

Samsung Galaxy S8 Active gets certified by the Wi-Fi Alliance

Third-party LED customization apps could be messing with the Galaxy S8′s notification LED

Samsung Pay

[Update: More details] Samsung Pay launches in the UK

Tips & Tricks

Galaxy S8 Tip: How to sync your Google Chrome bookmarks with Samsung Internet web browser

Virtual Reality

ZeniMax is now suing Samsung over the Gear VR headset

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Daily Deal: Snag yourself a pair of Active InEar headphones for 51% off

You can currently snag yourself a pair of Samsung’s InEar headphones for just $14.69 — and yes, these are the same earphones that ship in the box of the firm’s smartphones. Although, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ an exception as they come bundled with a pair built by AKG.

If you want to take advantage of this particular promotion, hit the Buy Now button below. We’d advise you to hurry, though. Like most of the deals we highlight, Amazon only has a limited amount of inventory available and it’s safe to say it won’t be around for too long.

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ARTIK 053 Module and Samsung Z4 showcased at TDC 2017

Samsung showcased two new Tizen-based products at the Tizen Developer Conference 2017 in San Francisco today. The new ARTIK 053 module is a lightweight Internet of Things chipset that features an integrated real-time processing unit that utilizes Tizen RT.

Samsung is positioning ARTIK 053 as an affordable Internet of Things solution with superior performance and improved security for next-generation products like connected appliances, heath care devices, building products and industrial automation.

The new module reduces development time significantly with its 320MHz ARM Cortex R4 core with 1.4MB RAM and 8MB flash memory. It even features a pre-certified Wi-Fi radio. Samsung will conduct an IoT Hands-On Lab session to showcase how software can be developed for IoT on the new module.

Samsung has also showcased its new Tizen-powered smartphone at TDC 2017. The Samsung Z4 was officially announced a couple of days ago. It’s a low-end device like previous Tizen smartphones with does have features that are focused on convenience and productivity.

The company introduced the Tizen Mobile Incentive Program for global app developers at the Tizen Developer Conference 2017. It’s offering developers a $1 million prize every month when the app is sold and place in the Top 100 on the Tizen Store from February to October 2017.

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Samsung to extend Tizen device ecosystem with Tizen 4.0

Samsung kicked off the Tizen Developer Conference 2017 today in San Francisco with more than 30 partners. Over 1,000 service/content partners and device manufacturers are participating in the conference. Based on the theme “Ready To Connect, Get Involved!,” Samsung is presenting its vision for the future of Tizen at the conference.

The company is working to extend the Tizen device ecosystem with the Tizen 4.0 platform. Key changes have been made to enable Internet of Things developers to easily create and commercialize various applications of the platform.

The existing Tizen platform has been limited in scope to devices like smartphones and TVs. Tizen 4.0 is going to extend its reach to more devices. Tizen RT (Real-Time) will involve products like TVs, mobile devices, thermostats, bulbs, scales and more.

Samsung has also teamed up with Microsoft to enable developers to easily create Tizen apps using popular programming languages, particularly Microsoft .NET and Xamarin UI framework. Developers will now be able to create Tizen apps in Microsoft Visual Studio.

The company is also working with chip makers like Broadlink in China, smart home device manufacturers like Commax in South Korea and location based service provider Glypmse in the United States to expand the ecosystem of Internet of Things devices running Tizen.

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Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ get a software update in India with May security patch

Samsung is pushing out a new software update to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ in India. At 613 MB, the update looks big but doesn’t seem to have any changes or new features other than the May security patch. Our units still have a slight pink/green hue around the top and bottom edges of the display, even after attempting to correct edge color balance, so it’s clear Samsung still hasn’t perfected display calibration on its new flagships. Perhaps it never will, as it’s looking more and more like a hardware issue despite Samsung’s unwillingness to call it so.

We’ll be taking a closer look to see if the update brings anything new, but in the meantime, you can download the update by going into the Settings » Software update menu on your Galaxy S8 or S8+. It’s a big update, so make sure you’re on a Wi-Fi connection so you can avoid using up too much of your data plan. Should you find anything new or different after the update, do let us know in the comments.

Thanks, Abhishek!

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Galaxy J7 (2015) receives May security patch in India

Galaxy J7 (2015) owners in India will soon receive an over-the-air update notification on their handsets. Samsung has released the May security patch for the Galaxy J7 (2015) model number SM-J700F in the country. The handset was previously on the January security patch and it’s jumping straight to the May patch today.

The 144MB update doesn’t bring much in the way of new features. Firmware version J700FXXU4BQE3 is now being rolled out for the Galaxy J7 (2015) in India. It only brings the May security patch.

Samsung detailed the May security patch a couple of weeks back. It includes fixes for 54 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) in the Android OS as well as fixes for 11 vulnerabilities found in Samsung’s own operating system.

As is always the case, no details about the patches were provided as Samsung sought to prevent attackers from exploiting the vulnerabilities until such time as the update makes its way to all users.

The may security patch update is now being rolled out to all Galaxy J7 (2015) owners in India. They should receive the over-the-air update notification soon if they haven’t already.

Thanks, Rahul!

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Samsung Pay launches in the UK

As expected, Samsung Pay has today launched in the United Kingdom. This news comes less than three weeks after the mobile payment platform made its way to Hong Kong, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand and the UAE, bumping the total of supported regions up to more than fifteen.

Unfortunately, Samsung is still yet to provide a list of supported financial institutes (we’ll update this post when it does), but we expect all of the big banks to be compatible from the word go, including Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest and Santander, in addition to American Express.

We should probably point out that while Samsung Pay is available in the region starting today, you may experience some difficulty when trying to register for an account. If this turns out to be the case, simply close the application and try again in a couple of hours.

To get started with Samsung Pay in the UK, download the application from Galaxy Apps.

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Samsung to detail a new version of Tizen at the Tizen Developers Conference

Samsung will detail a new version of its Tizen operating system at the Tizen Developers Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday, May 16. The OS — dubbed Tizen RT — is believe to be a slimmed-down version of Tizen, designed exclusively for vacuum cleaners, washing machines and a slew of other household appliances.

In addition to providing details about Tizen RT at the conference, the South Korean company is expected to share the release schedule for the OS, in addition to holding workshops for developers, explaining how to deploy and maintain the release across different devices.

Online publication PCWorld believes that Samsung will also use the Tizen Developers Conference as a platform to highlight important information about Tizen 4.0; due to be released in September for compatible smartphones, smartwatches and, of course, TVs.

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Nougat update for some Galaxy S6 models also brings the May security patch

Samsung first rolled out the Android 7.0 Nougat update for the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge a couple of months ago. Since then, the update has gradually been hitting more models in different markets across the globe. The update is now being released for some unbranded Galaxy S6 models together with the May security patch.

The Vodafone and T-Mobile branded versions of the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge have both received their Android 7.0 Nougat update already. Samsung is now releasing it for the unbranded version in the country. It has rolled out firmware version G920FXXU5EQE8 for the unbranded Galaxy S6 today and the update brings the May security patch for the handset.

The May security patch brings fixes for 54 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) in Android OS as well as 11 vulnerabilities in Samsung’s own software. Details on most of the fixes were not disclosed as Samsung wants to prevent attackers from exploiting the vulnerabilities until such time as the update makes its way to everyone.

The update is being rolled out over-the-air for this handset so it may take a while for it to go live for all users. They will require ample free space on their handset as well as a good Wi-Fi connection to download the update.

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