Bixby Marketplace opens up for developers and their Bixby Capsules

The Bixby Marketplace announced by Samsung along with Bixby Capsules last year appears to be open for developers. With the Marketplace going live, third-party Bixby Studio developers finally have a way of submitting their Bixby Capsules before they’ll reach the users.

Described by the company as “a central repository for Bixby’s Capsules,” Bixby Marketplace is the gateway connecting third-party developers with end users, but it is not the actual storefront for Capsules.

Developers will need to go through a submission process on the Bixby Marketplace. They can also opt for private submissions in order to perform on-device testing before their Capsules go live. Once a Capsule is approved in the public channel, it will become available for download by Bixby users.

What are Bixby Capsules?

Bixby Capsules are skills for Samsung’s smart assistant, and you can think of Amazon Alexa skills as a direct comparison. For third-party developers, they open up new possibilities to bringing their APIs into the Bixby experience. Capsules have been around for developers in the Bixby Developer Studio since last year and we’re hoping that developers have tinkered with the concept and already created new skills for the platform.

For end-users, they should expand the capabilities of Bixby with new voice commands, and essentially make Bixby a more customizable smart assistant with the addition of new skills from the marketplace. Essentially, Bixby’s vocabulary, knowledge base, and interactivity will grow thanks to these third-party creations.

When will you be able to download Bixby Capsules?

At the moment, the Bixby Developer Center has been updated with the necessary information for third-party developers to submit their Capsules. The latest Bixby update, meanwhile, brings the Marketplace to folks in the US, but it’s unclear how it looks or works as we do not currently have any US-based team members.

But if you live stateside, you can help us out with a few screenshots of the Bixby Marketplace from your Galaxy device by sending an email to our email addresses mentioned here. You will have to grab the latest Bixby update from the Galaxy Store (tap the three-dot button on the top right, select My Page, and then select Update to see all the updates available) and then scroll to the Bixby Home page on the home screen (swipe right from the first home screen) to see the Marketplace section.

The post Bixby Marketplace opens up for developers and their Bixby Capsules appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2FDqGCg
via IFTTT

US Galaxy S10 June update doesn’t include dedicated Night mode

Samsung rolled out a big Galaxy S10 update last month which brought a dedicated Night mode for the camera. What the update basically did is allow manual access to the Night mode which would previously only trigger automatically. The results remained more or less the same, but at least you could now choose when you wanted the Night mode to work its magic.

The feature has since trickled down to devices like the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy Note 9 with the June 2019 update. Unfortunately, the Galaxy S10 didn’t get the feature in last month’s update, and it’s not getting the dedicated Night mode with this month’s update either.

US Galaxy S10 isn’t getting a couple of new features

T-Mobile today started rolling out the June 2019 security update for the Galaxy S10 on its network. While the update firmware version G973USQS2ASF7 does bring the latest security patch for the month of June 2019, it doesn’t bring the dedicated Night mode. This is hardly surprising. The June update that T-Mobile released for the Galaxy Note 9 three days ago didn’t come with these features either.

The June update for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 even added the ability to scan QR codes from the camera app itself without having to use Bixby Vision. This feature wasn’t present on the Galaxy S10 series initially but the June update for the Exynos variant added it. Since US customers get the Snapdragon variant, they won’t be happy to hear that this update doesn’t include the built-in QR scanner as well.

Other models of the Galaxy S10 will soon receive this update as well. T-Mobile’s rival carriers will also be rolling out the update for the Galaxy S10 series on their networks in the near future. It’s going to be the same situation for everyone and users will certainly not be happy about it.

This means that it may not be until when the July update starts rolling out that the Snapdragon-variant gets these features. Even that can’t be said for sure, but many will keep their fingers crossed for it nonetheless.

The post US Galaxy S10 June update doesn’t include dedicated Night mode appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2xekgFb
via IFTTT

Galaxy Tab S5e and more Galaxy A phones now support ARCore

The Galaxy A30 and Galaxy A50 were certified with ARCore support by Google a few months back. Now the tech giant is expanding the list of supported Samsung devices with the addition of the Galaxy A40, A60, A70, and the Galaxy Tab S5e. The Galaxy A80 has also been added to the list, even though the smartphone only recently became available for pre-order and isn’t out just yet. But it’s good to know that once released, it should support ARCore out of the box.

Adding ARCore support means that all of the aforementioned Galaxy devices should now be compatible with Augmented Reality-based applications that rely on the ARCore API. This includes Google’s own Playground (previously known as AR Stickers), which adds a new camera mode that allows users to drop AR characters called Playmoji into the viewfinder. There’s also Google’s Measure app, which works similarly to Samsung’s Quick Measure. With it, you can measure the length and height of objects in the real world using the device’s camera.

The end result may not be entirely accurate and it depends on each device’s cameras, but it’s worth noting that Google tests the camera capabilities of each device before giving it the ARCore certification.

Users will first need to install the ARCore application itself from the Play Store, in order to be able and use first and third-party Augmented Reality apps that rely on it.

The post Galaxy Tab S5e and more Galaxy A phones now support ARCore appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2FEZgMy
via IFTTT

Fresh Galaxy Note 10 case renders give a better view on the cutouts

A couple of fresh images showcasing a clear protective case for the alleged Galaxy Note 10 have emerged. They feature the rendered device at an angle and thus they give a better idea of what the purpose of all the cutouts might be.

According to these images, the bottom edge of the device will accommodate the S Pen slot, a loudspeaker, along with a USB Type-C port and microphone. Two additional cutouts are to be found on the top edge of the device – one of them should be for a microphone, but it’s unclear what the other one is for. At the back, the upper-left corner has a vertically-aligned cutout which is large enough for three cameras, as well as a small circular cutout for the LED flash.

This configuration suggests that the case renders at hand depict the standard Galaxy Note 10 because the Pro variant is rumored to feature two additional ToF sensors next to the LED flash. These types of sensors are capable of depth mapping in 3D space and can unlock more Augmented Reality possibilities.

The cutouts seem to match an earlier CAD render leak, and once again, they indicate that the next-gen phablet will lack a 3.5mm headphone jack. This standard feature won’t become a Pro exclusive, either; instead, it will allegedly be missing from the Note 10 lineup altogether, at least according to other previous leaks.

Samsung is expected to introduce the Galaxy Note 10 in early August at a launch event reportedly set to take place in New York City.

The post Fresh Galaxy Note 10 case renders give a better view on the cutouts appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2Xe6O3u
via IFTTT

Daily Deal: $0.99 for this Micro USB Mobile Phone Mini Fan

Summer is around the corner and that means temperatures are rising. To cool down, you could jump into a pool or sit in front of the air conditioner all day. However, if you’re commuting or happen to be someplace where neither of those options is possible, you could take care of yourself by using a mini fan, powered by your smartphone. You can plug this in and it will start to blow a cooling breeze at you right away. For just under $1, this could be a cool gadget for this summer season!

Use the Buy Now button below to claim your discounted fan, but hurry up as prices could go up again!

The post Daily Deal: $0.99 for this Micro USB Mobile Phone Mini Fan appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2KF6a8A
via IFTTT

Samsung may launch Mate X-like out-folding smartphone before Huawei

It became evident soon after the Galaxy Fold was sent to reviewers that the device needed more work if Samsung wanted it to survive the rigors of daily use. Nobody would buy a $2,000 device just to use it sparingly. Many think that Samsung simply rushed the April 26 launch of the Galaxy Fold because it wanted to beat Huawei to become the first company with a proper foldable smartphone on the market.

Samsung has made some changes to the Galaxy Fold to address the reliability issues. However, it hasn’t confirmed when the device will be released. A lot has changed for Huawei in the meantime. The company has been banned by the United States so releasing a foldable smartphone before Samsung is the least of its problems right now. A new report from South Korea claims that Samsung is going to capitalize on this by releasing a Huawei Mate X-like out-folding smartphone before its Chinese rival this year.

Samsung wants to beat Huawei to another title

Samsung and Huawei went in different directions for their first foldable smartphones. The latter opted for an out-folding design whereas the Galaxy Fold folds inwards like a book. We have already talked about the merits and demerits of both their approaches in detail. Samsung did have an out-folding prototype as well but it went the other way with the Galaxy Fold because it believes that the in-folding design seems more natural.

Subsequent reports have suggested that Samsung is working on more foldable smartphones which will eventually follow the Galaxy Fold. The two models are said to include an out-folding and a clamshell-like folding mechanism. There has even been talk of a new Galaxy Fold with an 8-inch display and S Pen support.

A report out of South Korea claims that Samsung is now planning to release its out-folding smartphone before Huawei releases the Mate X. Suppliers have reportedly started mass producing the parts already and “possibly even the phone itself.” Apparently, the company wants to beat Huawei to the market with an out-folding smartphone as well.

Huawei confirmed earlier this month that it’s delaying the Mate X’s release from June to September. It said that this was being done to conduct additional testing to ensure that there were no problems with the device. A Huawei spokesperson said that the company was taking a more cautious approach with the release after Samsung’s troubles with the Galaxy Fold. “We don’t want to launch a product to destroy our reputation,” came the subtle shade from the Chinese behemoth.

Whether Huawei is able to launch the Mate X in September still remains to be seen. The ban against it prevents the company from licensing the full version of Android. It also cannot source components from companies based in the United States. The question remains whether the Mate X will ship with Android or Huawei’s own operating system when it does arrive. Huawei evidently has more hoops to jump through right now than Samsung if it wants to put a foldable phone on the market.

Samsung already has a lot to prove with the Galaxy Fold before it can even begin to sell people on a second foldable smartphone. People need to know if all of the issues have been addressed and that the Galaxy Fold can be used as a daily driver. Unfortunately, it has not been forthcoming with information about the relaunch of this device.

Furthermore, there has been no circumstantial evidence to suggest that a second foldable smartphone could be released this year. So despite the claims in the report, it seems unlikely right now that an out-folding smartphone will come from Samsung in the next few months.

The post Samsung may launch Mate X-like out-folding smartphone before Huawei appeared first on SamMobile.

from SamMobile https://ift.tt/2YgcSFf
via IFTTT