الأربعاء، 17 مايو 2017

Galaxy S8 will become a Google Daydream-ready device soon

Google I/O 2017 commenced a few hours ago, and the search giant announced a number of things it’s working in, ranging from Android O to AI-powered Google Lens. However, there was one particular announcement that caught our eye, and it’s regarding Google’s Daydream VR platform coming to Samsung smartphones.

The Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+ will become Daydream-ready VR devices before the end of summer this year, following a software update. As we already know, high-end Galaxy smartphones support Samsung’s Gear VR headsets, but they will also be compatible with Daydream View VR headsets in the coming months, which is always great for end consumers.



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Wallpaper Wednesday: Abstract

Welcome to the latest edition of Wallpaper Wednesday. This week we’re highlighting four abstract backgrounds. All of the images are available in a suitable resolution for the Galaxy S8Galaxy S8+ and just about any other smartphone (or even tablet) on the market.

If any of the following images float your boat and you want to download and set one as your wallpaper, simply tap on the photo to maximise it, then click and hold to save it. Once the picture is stored locally, open up Settings, locate and select Wallpaper, then just press the image to set it as your background.


Grooves

Grooves


Shapes

Shapes


Smoke

Smoke


Splat

Splat


Download

Note: We’ve tried our best to identify the creators of all of the wallpapers featured in this week’s column. However, the images appear to lack copyright information, artist signatures or any real trace of origin. If you created a wallpaper we’ve posted and would like credit, or would rather we remove the image, kindly contact us.



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SamMobile Daily Recap: May 17, 2017 — Galaxy C7 Pro, Tizen 4.0 and more!

[Poll] Are you using a microSD card with your Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+?

In Europe and the US, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ ship with 64GB of internal storage as standard. While that’s enough for most people, there are some users who store a lot of data on their handset. The good news is: Samsung’s equipped its latest smartphones with a microSD card slot, providing customers with the facility to expand their storage to up to 256GB.

This bodes the question, are you using a microSD card with your Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+? Be sure to let us know by casting a vote in the poll below, and dropping a comment in the section at the bottom of the page to elaborate on your response. As usual, I’ll be responding to all comments submitted over on Facebook and Twitter.

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

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Daily Deal: Take 15% off a pair of Samsung’s Gear Icon X wireless earphones

Good news for folk looking to improve their fitness: Amazon has wiped 15% off the price of Samsung’s Gear Icon X wireless earphones, so you can pick up a pair for just $169.99 — and we’re sure you’d agree that’s a great price to pay for a set of solid earbuds that not only bundle real-time voice feedback for workout progress, but also have 4GB of integrated 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, and if you’re not entirely sold, be sure to check out our comprehensive review. You’ll probably need to hurry though, as Amazon has only assigned a small amount of inventory for this specific promotion, and — like usual — once it’s gone, it’s gone.



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Refurbished Galaxy Note 7 may actually be called the Galaxy Note FE

Samsung has already confirmed multiple times that it will soon release a refurbished variant of the Galaxy Note 7 with a smaller battery. The handset is only going to be sold in select markets. Samsung is yet to confirm what it’s going to be called and how much it’s going to cost.

Previous reports have suggested that it could be called the Galaxy Note 7R. That makes sense, given that the letter “R” in that moniker would stand for refurbished. Leaked images of the device also reveal that it’s going to have a big “R” printed at the bottom of the back to signify that it’s the refurbished model.

However, if a new report out of South Korea is to be believed, the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 might actually be called the Galaxy Note FE. The FE reportedly stands for “Fan Edition.” I’m pretty sure many would think that Samsung should have gone with Galaxy Note 7R instead.

Perhaps the company is trying to ditch the bad reputation associated with the Galaxy Note 7 so it has decided to make no mention of that ill-fated flagship. The FE moniker also suggests that this handset is really meant for fans who want to hold on to the Galaxy Note 7 even if that means settling for a smaller battery. All other specs are going to remain the same.

Still, since nothing has been officially confirmed by Samsung as yet, take this with a grain of salt. Reports suggest that the refurbished Galaxy Note 7 might cost half of what the original handset did.



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Samsung Galaxy S7 starts getting May 2017 security patch

Samsung has started pushing out the May 2017 Android security patch to the unlocked variant of the Galaxy S7 (SM-G930F). The update has started rolling out in the Netherlands, but the rollout should quickly expand to other markets soon. It should also make its way to the Galaxy S7 edge shortly.

The May 2017 security patch for the Galaxy S7 comes with firmware version G930FXXU1DQE7, and has a file size of 373MB. Obviously, the update also includes bug fixes, stability and performance improvements, which is the usual fare for such updates. Have you received the update on your Galaxy S7 yet? If not, you can see if it’s available by going into the Settings » Software update menu on your phone.

Samsung Galaxy S7 May 2017 Security Patch



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Review: Spigen Thin Fit case for the Samsung Galaxy S8+

I like thin phone cases. I see everyone around me using fat, thick cases for their phones, and it makes me shake my head because I don’t see the reason of increasing the heft of my phone for daily use. I know thicker cases mean you get better protection from the really devastating drops, but I find thin cases like the Spigen Thin Fit case do a great job of protecting a device while being sleek, minimalist, and nice to hold.

I ordered Spigen’s thin fit case for the Galaxy S8+ as soon as I got the phone, and I’ve now been using it for more than two weeks. If you like thin cases, it’s one case you should take a look at if you’re looking to protect your phone. Hopefully, this review will help you decide if it’s the case you should be buying; we’ll have reviews of other Galaxy S8 and S8+ cases in the coming weeks.

spigen-s8-3 spigen-s8-9

If you’ve used one of Spigen’s Thin Fit cases in the past, you’ll feel right at home with the one for the Galaxy S8+ (or Galaxy S8). It has a smooth matte coating that makes it feel great in hand and also stick well to your palm so that there’s no slippage, and it also snaps tightly into place once you slide the phone inside. Well, maybe a bit too tightly, which makes me feel the phone might get scratched when I put the case on, but that thankfully doesn’t happen.

spigen-s8-10

On the back, protection is as complete as possible; the camera, fingerprint sensor, and heart rate monitor sit well below the case, so there’s no chance of them coming into contact with a surface. Sadly, the fingerprint sensor doesn’t have a separate cutout, so if you haven’t yet gotten used to the odd position of the sensor, the case won’t help. This in stark contrast to Samsung’s official cases, which separate the fingerprint sensor for easier use.

spigen-s8-8

The case has cutouts for all the buttons as well, although they are not exactly cutouts, as the buttons and the display around them remains completely open. This means you risk banging your phone and getting scratches around where the buttons are, so that’s one area where the Thin Fit case doesn’t offer any benefit. But it does mean you can easily get to the buttons when you need. As for the ports at the bottom of the phone, there’s a separate cutout for each. The one for the USB Type-C port is also wide enough, so you shouldn’t have issues using a fat cable.

spigen-s8-4

There’s one thing I don’t like about the Thin Fit case, and it’s more of a visual niggle than an ergonomic one. For some reason (or maybe because it’s easier to make that way), the case has cutouts at each corner of the phone. These cutouts are slight and very thin, but they don’t seem to make a lot of sense. It’s entirely possible not everyone will mind these, but they do stand out for me in an otherwise well-designed case.

spigen-s8-5

An even bigger problem is that the non-black color options don’t seem the same rubberised material on the back. The Orchid Gray version, for example, is made of slippery plastic that defeats its purpose. The color also looks somewhat cheap, so you might want to stick to the black version of the case. Thankfully, unlike last year with the S7 and S7 edge, Spigen isn’t putting the words “Auto Focus” at the back of the case, instead opting for just its logo at the bottom right.

What about those edges and the beautiful Infinity Display, though? Does the case protect them well enough? Well, yes and no. The display itself sits slightly below the case, so you can set it face down on a table and the display will not touch the surface. I even dropped my S7 edge on rough tarmac once; the phone fell face down and skidded a few centimeters, but the display remained unharmed.

Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ reviewSamsung brings us the future, but it’s not perfect yet

Where the problem arises – and this is not exactly Spigen’s fault – is with the edges. There is nothing stopping them from banging on a surface in everyday usage, and the edges next to the volume and power buttons also remain open to contact as there is nothing around those buttons. This remains true of the entire display, of course, so this is where you need to use something like Samsung’s Clear View cover if you intend to keep the display as good as new down the line.

spigen-s8-1 spigen-s8-2

Overall, though, I find the Spigen Thin Fit case to be a nice compromise between protection and feel. There are downsides, such as the lack of any protection around the buttons or the unnecessary cutouts on the corners, but other than that, thin cases don’t get any better than this. It’s certainly not the right case if you think the S8 or S8+ are too thin and could do with some heft, and they certainly aren’t as protective as other cases out there. But for everyone else looking for a Galaxy S8 or S8+ case, the Spigen Thin Fit case warrants a good hard look.

Grab the Spigen Thin Fit case from Amazon; click here for the S8, and here for the S8+ (you can find it on your country’s local Amazon website as well). Also, take a look at our list of the most value-for-money cases for Samsung’s new flagships. Have something you want to point out about the case? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.



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Samsung and VMware partner up to simplify Internet of Things for business customers

Samsung and VMware have announced a new partnership to simplify Internet of Things for both information technology and operational technology teams. They will work to expand end-to-end IoT solutions for industrial and enterprise customers. Both companies will demonstrate a combination of the Samsung ARTIK Smart IoT platform with VMware Pulse IoT Center to offer a secure, enterprise-grade, end-to-end IoT solution.

This partnership combines Samsung’s IoT hardware and software as well as VMware’s IoT infrastructure management from the edge all the way to the cloud. This combination thus provides an end-to-end solution to monitor and manage IoT products over their lifecycle.

Mimi Spier, vice president of IoT at VMWare, said that the companies have a common goal of helping enterprises speed their time to market with their IoT devices, adding that “we are collaborating with Samsung to help enterprises simplify their approach to deploying, managing, monitoring and securing their IoT infrastructure and connected devices.”

Samsung and VMware are going to showcase the integration of Samsung ARTIK 530 module with Liota (Little IoT Agent, which is a vendor-neutral open source software development kit that has been developed by VMware to help business customers with management, monitoring and security of their IoT devices.

The two companies are going to demonstrate their Internet of Things solutions at booth #210 during the Internet of Things World 2017 at the Santa Clara Convention Center until tomorrow.



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First hands-on video of the Samsung Z4 appears online

Samsung announced its fourth Tizen-based phone, the Samsung Z4, earlier this week. It is the first device running the new Tizen 3.0 operating system. The new OS comes with slightly newer UI and interesting features like Quick Reads, Quick Switch, and Quick Talk.

Quick Switch lets users swipe up from the bottom of the screen to switch between last two apps. The Quick Talk feature lets users call their favorite contacts or open apps installed on the phone using voice commands. The phone also features the double-click home button shortcut for opening the camera.

Quick Reads is similar to the dedicated Flipboard pane that you get on Galaxy smartphones. It can be accessed by swiping to the leftmost screen on the Samsung Z4, and it displays top new stories from various categories. You can look at how all the new Tizen features in the video embedded below.



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Samsung launches the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ in Nigeria

Almost a month after their release in Europe and the United States, Samsung has launched its (very impressive) latest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, in Nigeria. The handsets are available in three colors – Midnight Black, Orchid Gray and Maple Gold — in the region, each shipping with 64GB of storage.

“Samsung consistently pushes the boundaries of possibilities with a focus of unlocking value by delivering products that are not only stunning to look at, but also comfortable to hold,” said Paul Lee, Managing Director at Samsung Electronics West Africa.

Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ review: Samsung brings us the future, but it’s not perfect yet

For those in need of a refresher, the Galaxy S8 features a 5.8-inch display, an Exynos 8895/Snapdragon 835 processor, a 12MP rear-facing camera, an 8MP front-facing camera and a 3,000mAh battery. The Galaxy S8 Plus packs almost identical internals, though it has a larger 6.2-inch display and a 3,500mAh cell.

Want to find out more about picking up the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ in Nigeria? Simply head over to Samsung’s website.



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