Love Samsung’s navigation gestures? They’ll change with Android Q

The navigation gestures on Galaxy phones running Android Pie will change drastically with the Android 10 Q update. To be more precise, Android Q will make it mandatory for manufacturers to use Android’s stock navigation gestures instead of letting them use their own implementations like they’re doing on Android Pie. Android Q will still have the traditional three-button navigation bar, but gestures will be standard across every device running the tenth version of the OS.

Android Q brings iOS-like navigation gestures

This means that Samsung will also have to do away with its current implementation of navigation gestures, which may disappoint many considering how convenient and intuitive those gestures are. That said, Google’s mandate for a single gesture system across every Android device makes sense. It will take away the learning curve that can be involved when a consumer switches from one brand to another and, like the standard software navigation keys, make for a consistent experience.

Google’s navigation gestures are similar to Apple’s on iOS. You swipe up from the bottom of the screen to go to the home screen, swipe up and hold to access the recent apps, swipe horizontally from the left or right to go back, and swipe left and right on the bottom of the screen to quickly switch between two apps. For accessing Google Assistant, one has to swipe from the left or right corner to the middle of the screen.

Google’s mandate makes sense but won’t please everyone

The Android Q rule for navigation gestures is in a similar vein as the Android Pie rule for Multi Window functionality. The latter has received plenty of flak from longtime Galaxy smartphone owners as it removes some of the convenient shortcuts for quickly launching two apps in Multi Window mode. Again, Google’s attempts to streamline basic functionality across every brand and user interface make sense, but that doesn’t mean everyone is going to be happy about it.

Android Q is still many months away from an official release from Google and even further away from coming to Galaxy smartphones, but if you currently use gestures on your Galaxy device, you might want to start preparing yourself for more complex navigation gestures down the line. Of course, that’s if your Galaxy smartphone or tablet is eligible for the Android Q update, something you can confirm with a simple check.

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Samsung is finally getting serious about its fake watch face problem

Samsung got into trouble recently when the Swatch group sued the company over downloadable watch faces in the Galaxy Store. Swatch alleged that some of the watch faces infringed on its IP (Intellectual Property) rights and sought more than $100 million in damages. Watch faces ripping off iconic brands and designs is not a new problem, but the lawsuit put Samsung on notice.

To tackle such IP infringements more effectively, Samsung has now tweaked its watch face registration policy and sent emails to developers notifying them of the changes. Earlier, the Korean company was very lenient and allowed developers to publish watch faces without any stringent checks and balances pertaining to IP rights. It has now changed the watch face registration policy from “open to closed seller” to fight IP infringements proactively.

New Galaxy Store Watch Face Service Terms

As per the new policy, only sellers who consent to the Galaxy Store Watch Face Service Terms are allowed to register a watch face. Sellers can consent to these terms after uploading the watch face binary file to the seller office. If the name of the watch face, tag, description, images, and other components infringes on others’ IP rights, then Samsung will suspend all the apps of the concerned developer and may terminate his/her account without prior notice.

It appears Samsung is suspending even existing watch faces from developers who don’t consent to the new terms. This is bound to have an impact on the number and quality of watch faces available in the Galaxy Store. On the bright side, developers can no longer copy popular brands and designs recklessly. Hopefully, this will encourage them to come up with new and original designs and make Galaxy Store a better place for all.

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Daily deal: 69% off on Samsung’s dual port car fast charger

Nobody likes to wait around for their smartphone to charge. That’s why companies are increasingly pushing the envelope on fast charging technology. What about when you’re in the car, though? Shouldn’t you be able to rapidly charge your phone while you’re on the road?

Samsung’s dual port car fast charger lets you do just that. It can be used to charge microUSB and USB-C devices at 2A speed with the company claiming that it can provide a 50 percent charge in about 30 minutes. The accessory is a bit pricey but if you hurry, you can currently get it for a 69 percent discount on Amazon. $11.99 is an extremely reasonable price for this product.

If you like the sound of this deal and want to take advantage of it, hit the Buy Now button below. We advise you to be fast, though, as Amazon only has a limited amount of inventory available for this deal.

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Galaxy Tab S5e, Tab A, and Tab A 10.1 launched in Malaysia

Samsung has released its three newest tablets in Malaysia. The new Galaxy Tab A with S-Pen, Galaxy Tab S5e, and the Galaxy Tab A10.1 are now available to purchase in the country. The Galaxy Tab A, which is the most basic of the trio, retails for RM1,099 (~$265) including the S-Pen, while the Galaxy Tab S5e is the most costly of the lot at RM1,999 (~$482). The Galaxy Tab A10.1 is priced at RM899 (~$216) for the Wi-Fi variant and RM1,299 (~$312) for the LTE variant.

Affordable tablets with pretty specs

Not only has Samsung released a bunch of aggressively priced mid-range smartphones in the span of just a few months, it has launched a few affordable mid-range tablets as well. The Galaxy Tab S5e, which is the company’s thinnest tablet yet with a thickness of just 5.5 mm, features a 10.5-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1600 x 2560 pixels. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 670 octa-core CPU, coupled with the Adreno 615 GPU and 6GB of RAM.

The Galaxy Tab S5e comes with a massive 7,040mAh battery. It also features a fingerprint sensor, a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera, and quad speakers by AKG. The device is available in gold and black color options in Malaysia.

The Galaxy Tab A 10.1 has a 10.1-inch WUXGA display, and is powered by the Exynos 7904 octa-core CPU. The Wi-Fi variant comes with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage whereas the LTE variant gets 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The device packs a 6,150mAh battery and features an 8MP rear and 5MP front camera. It is also available in gold and black color options in Malaysia.

The new Galaxy Tab A with S-Pen, meanwhile, features a smaller 8-inch WUXGA display, and also gets a much smaller 4,200mAh battery. It has an Exynos 7904 processor with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage. The device comes with LTE support and features the same 8MP+5MP camera setup as the Galaxy Tab A10.1. The S-Pen, which doesn’t need to be charged separately thanks to a supercapacitor inside, slides easily into the body of the tablet. The Galaxy Tab A with S-Pen is available in gray and black color options in Malaysia.

Galaxy Tab A Plus 8.0 (LTE)

• Model: SM-P205
• Dimensions: 201.5 x 122.4 x 8.9mm
• Display: 8.0" (203.1mm) TFT
• CPU: Exynos 7885
• Camera: 8 MP, CMOS

More specifications

Galaxy Tab S5e

• Model: SM-T720
• Dimensions: 245.0 x 160.0 x 5.5mm
• Display: 10.5” (266.7mm) Super AMOLED
• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 670
• Camera: 13 MP, CMOS

More specifications

Galaxy Tab 10.1 (LTE)

• Model: SM-T515
• Dimensions: 149.4 x 245.2 x 7.5mm
• Display: 10.1"(255.3mm) TFT
• CPU: Exynos 7904
• Camera: 8 MP, CMOS

More specifications

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Breaking: Galaxy Fold release date will be announced soon, says CEO

April 26 had previously been confirmed as the Galaxy Fold release date. However, Samsung’s first foldable smartphone had to be delayed due to some issues. While the company recently reminded pre-order customers that they can cancel their orders if they so desire, Samsung mobile CEO DJ Koh has now said that the Galaxy Fold release date will be announced soon.

Samsung had to delay the launch after some review units suffered problems. It was due to user error in most cases. However, the issues did reveal that Samsung needed to do more in order to prevent foreign substances from lodging beneath the display. It appears to have addressed the issues.

Galaxy Fold release date will be confirmed soon

Samsung’s mobile boss DJ Koh confirmed to The Korea Herald that the company has reviewed the defect which had caused the problem and that it will reach a conclusion about the device’s launch today or tomorrow. This means that a confirmed release date should be announced in the very near future.

Koh was asked whether it would be possible for the company to launch the Galaxy Fold in the United States within May. While stopping short of providing an actual date, Koh said “We will not be too late.” This suggests that a May launch will indeed be possible.

The company has completed the internal inspection of the samples that had developed the issues. It has strengthened the durability of the exposed areas on the hinge and reduced the gap between the display and the bezel. This will prevent external substances from entering into the device and causing problems for the display.

Are you excited to see the Galaxy Fold finally hit the market? Don’t forget to check out our Galaxy Fold review to learn more about this revolutionary new product.

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