Latest Galaxy Note 9 update brings the December 2018 security patch

The latest Galaxy Note 9 update being rolled out today by Samsung brings the December 2018 security patch for the device. Samsung detailed the latest security maintenance release for the handset last week and has since been rolling it out.

The Galaxy S9+ has already received it and so have a couple of affordable devices. This update is only out in just one market at this point in time. However, it goes without saying that it will be arriving elsewhere in the not too distant future.

Latest Galaxy Note 9 update rolling out in Hong Kong

Samsung is rolling out firmware version N9600ZHU1ARL1 for the Galaxy Note 9 in Hong Kong. The firmware update will be available over-the-air. It’s also available for download from our firmware section. These updates normally don’t more bring than just the security patches.

It’s meant for Note 9 units running on Android 8.1 Oreo, not the One UI (Android Pie) beta. The security patch for the month of December 2018 includes fixes for six critical Android OS vulnerabilities and over a dozen high-risk vulnerabilities.

This update is only available in Hong Kong at this point in time. However, it won’t be long before Galaxy Note 9 owners in other parts of the world start receiving update notifications as well. It won’t be long now before the update goes live in other markets as well.

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Galaxy J6 gets AR Emoji with the latest update

More budget phones are getting Samsung’s AR Emoji feature. The company is rolling out an update for the Galaxy J6 bringing the camera feature to the device. The update also includes the November 2018 security patch.

First launched on the Galaxy S9/S9+, Samsung has been introducing the AR Emoji to a number of its mid-range and budget phones lately. Devices like the Galaxy J7 Duo, Galaxy J8 and the Galaxy A6+ are some of the recent ones to get the feature. And we can rest assured we will see AR Emoji on more Galaxy devices in the coming months.

Galaxy J6 gets AR Emoji

The Galaxy J6 is getting a new update which brings the firmware version J600FNXXU3ARK3 to the device. It is an Android 8.0 Oreo based update that adds the AR Emoji feature to the Camera app. While the feature may not work as smoothly as it does in flagships, you’ll certainly find a good use of it to make emoji based on your own face. If you are not sure, you may read our post about what AR Emoji is and how to use it.

Samsung is rolling out the update in the Netherlands, UK, Germany and many other European countries. It is an over the air (OTA) update and may take some time to reach your device. When available, you should get a notification to download the update which weighs 360.18 MB. You can also manually check for updates under the Software update section of the Settings app on your device. Alternatively, you can also download the update file from our firmware database.

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Fresh Galaxy S10 case renders highlight the lineup’s design

Some fresh Galaxy S10 case renders have come in today. They’re from Olixar, a case manufacturer that often releases renders of its products for upcoming Samsung flagships months before the announcement. That’s what it has done for the entire Galaxy S10 lineup as well.

Samsung is expected to launch three models of the Galaxy S10. An entry-level model possibly called the Galaxy S10 Lite, the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy S10+. The fourth model will be a variant of the Galaxy S10+ with 5G support.

Fresh Galaxy S10 case renders show off the entire lineup

This initial range of Galaxy S10 cases from Olixar reiterate the 5.8-inch, 6.1-inch and 6.4-inch Infinity-O display sizes for the lineup. Interestingly, it shows three rear cameras on both the Galaxy S10 Lite and Galaxy S10. Earlier reports have suggested that the Galaxy S10 Lite may only have a dual camera. The Galaxy S10+ is already expected to feature a quad camera system. It will also be the only model with a dual front camera.

Those who were worried that the Galaxy S10 may not have a 3.5mm headphone jack would be happy to see it in these renders. Samsung has been toying with a headphone jack-free Galaxy S10 but it may not make the switch just yet. That’s despite the fact that it has already launched the Galaxy A8s with an Infinity-O display and no headphone jack.

The bezels in these renders don’t appear to be as symmetrical as suggested by a leaked Galaxy S10 screen protector today. That’s understandable because these renders often don’t tell the entire story. Olixar has a good track record with them, nonetheless, the ones it released for the Galaxy S9/S9+ accurately depicted the vertical camera setups.

We can expect to see similar renders from other case manufacturers in the coming weeks. The device itself isn’t due to be announced until the Mobile World Congress 2019. It will take place in February next year.

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Bixby is now available in more languages but with a catch

Samsung confirmed at its developers’ conference last month that Bixby will soon receive support for five new languages. The announcement was well received as many have long waited for Bixby’s language support to be improved.

It was actually due to support four new languages: Italian, Spanish, German and French. UK English was the fifth which just complements existing support for US English. Support for these new languages is now live but there’s a catch.

Additional Bixby language support limited to the Galaxy Note 9

You can start using Bixby in German, Spanish, French and Italian right away if you’re using it on the Galaxy Note 9. The assistant clearly mentions in the list of supported languages that these options are currently in beta. So expect to encounter some hiccups but it should work nonetheless.

Support for these languages isn’t available on the Galaxy S9 because Bixby 2.0 hasn’t arrived for this device as yet. The Galaxy Note 9, on the other hand, ships with Bixby 2.0. These options are also available to those running the One UI (Android Pie) beta on the Galaxy Note 9. Even though the Galaxy S9 gets Bixby 2.0 on Pie, you won’t find them even if your device is on the beta. Clearly, the rollout of these languages has nothing to do with the Pie beta. Samsung updates Bixby separately so it’s keeping these options limited to the Galaxy Note 9 for now.

We have confirmed that these language options exist in Bixby on the Galaxy Note 9 running both Android Oreo and the Pie beta. They may only arrive for the Galaxy S9 once Pie is publicly released for the handset. Fortunately, users won’t have to wait for too long. Samsung has confirmed that it will release Android Pie for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 next month.

What language are you the most excited to try out on your Galaxy Note 9?

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Galaxy A8s hands-on brings more information about this unique device

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy A8s yesterday. It’s the most unique handset in the company’s lineup right now as it has an Infinity-O display. A Galaxy A8s hands-on report from China brings us more information about this device. Samsung has not yet confirmed if the Galaxy A8s will be offered outside the People’s Republic.

The Infinity-O display punches out a hole in the actual display area for the front camera. This implementation of the front camera has allowed for one of the highest screen-to-body ratios on a Samsung smartphone yet. The device also happens to be Samsung’s first Galaxy A series smartphone with an LCD display.

Galaxy A8s hands-on details Samsung’s first Infinity-O phone

The Galaxy A8s has a 6.4-inch 2340×1080 pixel resolution 19.5:9 aspect ratio display. The Infinity-O display allowed the company to stretch the display panel even further. Therefore, the Galaxy A8s has a screen-to-body ratio of 91.56 percent. The display hole houses a 24-megapixel f/2.0 aperture front camera. Samsung has also changed the earpiece design so that it does not occupy too much space at the top.

We’ve already told you that the Galaxy A8s does not have a 3.5mm headphone jack. What it does have is a dedicated button for the Bixby smart assistant. It has the same triple camera system as the Galaxy A7 at the back. Additional specs include the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor with up 6/8GB RAM and 128GB storage. The device is backed up by a 3,400mAh battery.

Samsung makes interesting use of the front camera cut out. You’d normally find a camera icon at the bottom right of the lock screen on a Samsung smartphone. Tap on it and swipe up to launch the camera without having to unlock the phone. You can do that on the Galaxy A8s as well but there’s no button. Just swipe down dragging your finger over the front camera on the lock screen and the app will launch. An animated ring also illuminates the sensor when switching between the different camera modes.

Samsung is now taking pre-registrations for the device in China. It will be available online starting December 21st.

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New Galaxy S9 and Note 9 Pie beta makes a few camera UI changes

Samsung released an update for the Android Pie beta on both the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 this week, bringing a number of fixes for known issues. And it turns out the company is also playing around with the camera app interface a bit. Pie brings major changes such as a dedicated video recording mode and features like Scene Optimizer for the Galaxy S9, and the latest beta is changing the way the latter works.

Scene Optimizer no longer a dedicated shooting mode

On recent devices and on Android Pie for the Galaxy S9 and Note 9, Samsung had spun off Scene Optimizer as a separate mode. On the new beta that was released this week, it’s back to being a toggle in the camera settings, but it does something different. Enabling Scene Optimizer in the camera settings now adds a switch for it in the main camera interface (the viewfinder), and you can now use this switch to turn Scene Optimizer on or off on the fly. The icon for the switch is a bit confusing, but it turns green when Scene Optimizer is enabled. And, once the feature detects the type of scene you’re trying to capture, the icon will change to reflect that.

Here’s a comparison of Scene Optimizer in the camera app interface from the last beta (left) vs the new beta (right):

Here’s the Scene Optimizer icon indicating the type of scene (landscape, in this case):

Basically, on the latest beta, the Scene Optimizer toggle in the camera’s settings menu decides whether you see the toggle for switching the feature on or off in the main interface, almost like toggle-ception. The update also changes the icon for enabling the full-screen viewfinder (it now says 4:3 instead of Full), and inside the camera settings, Scene Optimizer and Flaw Detection are now the first options, in keeping with One UI’s focus on having the most important functionality above everything else.

Things could change with further beta updates

Of course, whether this is how things will be in the official stable Android Pie update that releases in January remains to be seen. The very purpose of the beta program is for Samsung to play around with various features and UI elements and take user feedback, so the camera app may yet go through more changes.

What do you think about this new way for accessing Scene Optimizer? Would you prefer a dedicated mode instead, or do you have an even better suggestion (not excluding the removal of the feature altogether considering it doesn’t many any meaningful differences?

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Galaxy A5 (2017) receives December 2018 security patch

Samsung may not be as fast as some other OEMs in pushing out Android version updates, but when it comes to monthly security patches, the company often does a good job. Thankfully, this is not limited just to the company’s flagship devices as it also updates many mid-range and budget devices to the latest security patch.

After releasing the December security patch for the Galaxy S9, Galaxy Tab S4, Galaxy J5 (2017), and Xcover 4, Samsung has now released it for the Galaxy A5 (2017) – a mid-range offering from last year. Galaxy A5 (2017) users on Telcel in Mexico have started receiving the A520FXXU7CRK7 update which bumps the security patch to December. It appears the December patch is also available in Canada as per our firmware database, with software version A520WVLU5CRL1.

Doesn’t bring any new features

The update doesn’t seem to pack any new features and just includes the December 2018 SMR, which patches six critical vulnerabilities in the core Android operating system and 40 Samsung Vulnerabilities and Exposures (SVE) items.

As is the practice, Samsung will probably release the update in stages, and so not all the variants and regions may get the OTA immediately. If the update is available to you, but you haven’t received the notification yet, you can try to manually trigger it by clicking the Download updates manually option under Software Update in the Settings app. Alternatively, you can also download the update from our database if you are too impatient for the OTA.

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Galaxy S10 Lite protective film reveals flat Infinity-O display

A new leak showing a protective film for the Galaxy S10 Lite has surfaced online. It’s not too different from what we’ve been seeing and hearing about the S10 Lite before. The device will presumably come with a flat Infinity-O display and the latest leak reiterates the same. But then, screen protectors or films don’t always tell what a smartphone will look like.

Galaxy S10 Lite protective film shows flat Infinity-O display

Samsung will reportedly be offering as many as four variants of the Galaxy S10. We’ve already seen renders for the Galaxy S10 and S10+. While the regular S10 render featured a triple rear camera setup, the S10+ render showed off four cameras at the back and two at the front. Samsung also has an S10 model with six cameras in total and 5G support.

Now the protective film leak for the S10 Lite reveals a flat Infinity-O display. This particular model will have a single front camera. Zoom-in on the image below and you’ll see a circular cut-out for the front camera on the top left corner.

Interestingly, the S10 Lite protective film leak shows symmetrical bezels on all the four sides. It’s something different from the previews ones which showed slightly wider top and bottom bezels. The bezels look really slim and if the end product does look like this, the Galaxy S10 will wow many.

Samsung has already launched its first smartphone with an Infinity Display. It unveiled the Galaxy A8s in China yesterday. It’s the first device from Samsung with a hole punched in the LCD display for the front camera. The Galaxy S10 would obviously not have an LCD display but the camera cutout may look a lot similar.

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[Sponsored] Software Christmas Madness: Windows 10 Pro $11.47, Office 2016 Pro $25.98 and Office 2019 $53.32

Christmas holidays are just around the corner and everyone is already looking for the best Christmas deals out there! Just in case you have been looking to upgrade your computer software lately, there are some pretty good offers available for you.

Software licenses are currently one of the most popular online goods, and with the usual sales campaigns around Christmas, now is totally the best time to pick up some cheap legal ones without draining your wallet in the process!

Goodoffer24.com is no exception to this and has launched a Mega Christmas Promotion Campaign, with incredible jaw-dropping deals on Microsoft’s most popular software: From today and up until Christmas day, everyone who purchases Windows 10 Pro, Office 2016/Office 2019 or any other software product will have up to 30% chance to get a full refund on their order – getting it for FREE! On top of all that, all products in the software section will also have up to 18% EXTRA discount, offering the top prices you deserve!

Grab these Christmas deals on GoodOffer24 now!

Extra 18% off discount on all software products for the Christmas Madness: TGO24XMAS18

Note: This special Christmas promotion will end on December 26, 2018.

• Windows 10 Pro Professional CD-KEY (32/64 Bit) at $11.47
• Microsoft Office 2016 Pro Professional Plus CD-KEY (1 PC) at $25.98
• Windows 10 Pro + Office 2016 Pro -Bundle at $31.99
• Microsoft Office 2019 Professional Plus CD-KEY (1PC) at $53.32
• Microsoft Office 365 Professional PLUS Account For 1 Device (32/64 Bit) at $19.39

Fast delivery and best service

At Goodoffer24.com, you can expect the best service. Shortly after ordering, you will receive the goods simply and quickly by email, so you do not have to wait for days for the messenger. And if it comes to problems or you just have a question, the customer service is there to help you with both words and deeds.

How to order from Goodoffer24.com?

Shopping at Goodoffer24.com is as easy as it gets. Here’s a brief explanation of how to buy the OEM version of Windows 10 Professional with the discount code TGO24XMAS18. Just click on the “Add to cart” button in the product description of the item (see the image below).

Then, in the shopping cart, simply click on “Apply coupon code” and enter the discount code TGO24XMAS18. If you then click “Apply Discount”, the discount will be deducted from the order value.

If you click on the “Proceed To Checkout” button, you only have to select the desired payment method (better to choose PayPal as the payment option), enter your data, and confirm your order. After the payment, you will then receive the ordered product within a very short time by email – fast and uncomplicated!

You can send emails to info@goodoffer24.com to get any kind of help.

What are you waiting for? These offers are only available for a limited time and are only valid while stocks last! So go ahead and grab yourself one of their mad deals for this Christmas – before it’s too late!

We should remind you that you first have to download the software on your computer and then activate it with the key you purchase on Goodoffer24.com. We have added the download links for Windows 10 Pro, Office 2016 and Office 2019 below for your convenience.

• Windows 10 Pro – [Download Link]
• Microsoft Office 2016 Professional Plus – [Download Link]
• Microsoft Office 2019 Professional Plus – [Download Link]

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Exclusive: Samsung bitcoin app to offer a cold wallet for cryptocurrencies

After hearing about the trademarks for Samsung’s blockchain and cryptocurrency software, we decided to dig around a little deeper. We can confirm that the company is indeed developing one and that it may be launched with the Galaxy S10.

Samsung’s cryptocurrency service will essentially have two parts. A cold wallet for saving cryptocurrency, public and private keys as well as signing private keys for cryptocurrency transactions and a crypto wallet for transfers, viewing account information and transaction history. Names for Samsung’s cold wallet and crypto wallet have not yet been finalized.

Samsung bitcoin app will securely store cryptocurrencies

Cryptocurrencies are stored in hot and cold digital wallets. They hold the public and private keys required for moving the digital currency. Cold wallets are considered to be more secure as they are kept offline. Hackers can’t access the keys in those wallets remotely and physical access to the device having the cold wallet is required to retrieve them.

Samsung’s cold wallet app will enable users to import their existing wallets from third-party services like Metamask or TrustWallet. They will also be able to create a new one in the app itself. The cryptocurrencies and tokens supported initially may include Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ethereum-derived token ERC20 and Bitcoin Cash.

Accounts created using the app are stored on the blockchain network with complete anonymity. Samsung won’t have access to the data. The only way for users to access it would be through the recovery phrase. The 12-24 word phrase is a standard recovery method for all wallet services. Therefore, the user is responsible for storing this phrase safely because their cryptocurrency account cannot be restored without it.

The Samsung Bitcoin app will offer an additional layer of security by requiring authentication. The security options only include PIN and fingerprint at this point in time, yet another indication that Samsung may ditch the iris scanner on the Galaxy S10.

There’s not a lot of information available about the cryptocurrency wallet app right now, the one that would presumably allow users to transfer cryptocurrencies. However, We’ll keep digging into this to find out more.

Does the possibility of having a cryptocurrency service on the Galaxy S10 excite you? Do you think that it’s going to be a good differentiating factor for the next flagship? Let us know in the comments below.

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Samsung has sold 110,000 units of the Notebook 9 Pen in Korea so far

Samsung unveiled a couple of new notebooks late last year. The Notebook 9 Pen aimed to provide a powerful, portable, connected and secure experience to customers. It seems to have been very well received in Samsung’s home country. According to local reports, the company has sold 110,000 units of this notebook there so far.

The Notebook 9 Pen was released in South Korea back in December 2017. As the name suggests, it comes with support for the S Pen. This allows users an additional input method to get work done on the move.

Notebook 9 Pen does well despite shrinking laptop market

Local media reports claim, citing industry sources, that Samsung has sold 110,000 units of this laptop since last year. It seems that the device is still quite popular down there. Samsung is now expected to sell an additional 120,000 units of this notebook in the coming months.

This is quite a significant achievement for Samsung. The Korean market for laptops has been decreasing steadily over the previous quarters. IDC Korea’s data shows that laptop shipments in South Korea were down 7.2 percent in January-September 2018 compared to the same period last year. Samsung’s Notebook 9 Pen has been able to perform well despite that pressure.

The Notebook 9 Pen has a 13-inch display, an 8th Gen Intel processor with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. There’s a 39Wh battery in the premium magnesium aluminum chassis. It even has a 360-degree hinge for enhanced flexibility. The S Pen brings the Air Command menu to this device which comes up with the stylus is removed from the notebook. It also has Windows Hello support for integrated secure authentication.

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Second Galaxy Note 9 Android Pie beta update released

Hot on the heels of the third Android Pie beta release for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, the Galaxy Note 9 is now receiving its second Pie beta update. The update comes with software version N960FXXU2ZRL6 and seems to be available in all countries where the beta program is available.

New Galaxy Note 9 Pie beta update similar to the Galaxy S9’s

The changelog for the Note 9 update is the same as the one for the Galaxy S9, a good indication that work on both devices is progressing at the same pace. Issues such as autofill not working, freezing of the Dialer app, the YouTube app closing when you enter the recent apps screen, response delays during calls, and more have been fixed in the new release. The December 2018 security patch is along for the ride as well. The December patch has also been released for the Galaxy S9 and S9+ on Oreo, so Galaxy Note 9 owners not on the beta should soon be getting the new security fixes as well.

You can grab the new Note 9 Pie beta from the Software update menu of the Settings app on the device. Just tap the Download and install button in there and the 553.88 MB update should start downloading. Don’t forget to follow our One UI (Android Pie) feature focus series to find out what’s new with Android Pie. And if you want Samsung to finish work on the Android Pie update as quickly as possible, don’t forget to enable this important setting in the Samsung Members app.

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Trademarks reveal Samsung’s cryptocurrency plans for its Galaxy devices

In the European Union, Samsung has filed three trademark applications revealing plans for blockchain and cryptocurrency software for its phones. The terms Blockchain KeyStore, Blockchain key box and Blockchain Core leave little to the imagination.

Samsung blockchain trademarks surface

Over at the European Union Intellectual Property Office, three notable trademark applications have surfaced that reveal Samsung’s fresh blockchain plans, as per Galaxy Club. Paperwork for the applications for Blockchain KeyStore (PDF), Blockchain key box (PDF) and Blockchain Core (PDF) was filed yesterday, with publication following this morning.

The applications do not reveal any real details, other than the fact the trademarks indeed belong to phone-related software or services: ‘Smartphones; Software applications for use with mobile devices; Computer software platforms; Application software.‘

Recently, HTC launched a ‘blockchain phone’ called the Exodus 1, which can only be bought with Bitcoin. That device’s main purpose is to keep your cryptokeys safe. Samsung’s new trademarks (KeyStore in particular) seem to suggest similar functionality. Though Samsung is looking to jump on the crypto bandwagon, it does seems unlikely the South-Koreans will launch an entire device just for this purpose.

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