1,400 Galaxy S6 demo stores open up in Korea

US customers interested in the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge are getting ready to see the two new devices at Best Buy this coming Friday, and, prior to the US announcement, Canada was the only other country whose Galaxy S6 demo units were noted on record. Samsung hasn’t forgotten about its home country, however, which means that the Korean manufacturer has saved the best of its arsenal for its native country.

According to Business Korea, we now know that Samsung looks to open up 1,400 stores in Korea for consumers to test the new devices before they decide to purchase them. Pre-orders have started popping up worldwide, but the GS6 and S6 edge will not appear on the worldwide market for retail store purchase until April 10th. Most consumers will not purchase a device before they try it first, so Samsung wants to appeal to as many customers as possible before expecting them to put down their dollars (or, in this case, won).

The demo stores opened up yesterday (March 23) and will appear in places such as Electronics Land, Hi-mart, Samsung Digital Plaza, and wireless retail stores.

Some Samsung critics see these demo stores as “nothing short of desperation,” but appealing to the consumer hesitancy is one of the best ways to encourage sales. Samsung has done the same thing with its advertising, and demo stores are just another way for the company to flex its marketing muscles.

Source

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1DROZac

via IFTTT

Samsung to bring Microsoft apps to tablet lineup in 2015

If you’ve been keeping up with the news for some time, you’re aware of Microsoft’s lawsuit against Korean manufacturer Samsung. In the end, though, both sides reached an amicable agreement that benefited them both – although the means of resolution has yet to be disclosed by either party involved.

This year’s Samsung smartphone and tablet lineup just might provide the details we’ve longed for.

It’s no secret that the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, Samsung’s newest smartphones, will come preloaded with Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, OneDrive, OneNote, and Skype apps. Samsung announced earlier today that the company’s tablet lineup will also features these same apps:

In the first half of 2015, Samsung is planning to pre-install Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive, and Skype on select Samsung Android tablets.

There are two questions that remain with Samsung’s latest announcement. First, which tablets? We aren’t told which tablets, although it seems likely that tablets such as the Galaxy Note 10.1 2015 (which hasn’t been announced yet) along with the NotePRO and TabPRO will be a few of the fortunate recipients. The next question pertains to whether or not users will be able to un-install apps. Microsoft apps can be deleted on the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, but we’ll have to wait and see if Samsung brings this type of user control to its tablet lineup. We don’t doubt that Samsung will.

Some users may not be so delighted to see Samsung bring more supposed “bloatware” to its tablets, but Samsung’s throwing 100GB of free Microsoft OneDrive cloud storage to sweeten the deal. The OneDrive cloud storage app may be the one app you don’t want to delete – at least for another two years, anyway.

Source

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1DPJBEn

via IFTTT

Samsung announces five new curved TVs for 2015

A rumor at the beginning of 2015 said that Samsung would bring Tizen to every product the company makes. While that seems to be true (and we hope that a Galaxy-like Tizen smartphone contender is on the way), Samsung intends to bring another feature to its products in 2015: the curve.

With the curved Super AMOLED display on the Gear S smartwatch, and the Galaxy S6 edge, it was only a matter of time before Samsung would update its curved TV lineup. Today’s announcement from Samsung adds five new curved TVs into the company’s TV lineup: SE790C, SE590C, SE591C, and the SE510C series.

The SE510C series comes in both 27-inch and 23.5-inch models along with a curved radius of 4000R. The SE591C is similar to the SE590C but has an enhanced curved radius of 4000R (as opposed to the 590C’s 3000R curved radius). The SE591 sports a 27-inch display, but the SE590C offers a 31.5-inch display – for those who can never get enough of the large-screen viewing experience.

The SE590C and SE591C both feature dual, 5-watt speakers. For an enhanced sound experience, you can purchase the SE790C with its dual, 7-watt speakers and 29-inch display. The 790C is the top-tier flagship of Samsung’s TV lineup, with its wide Full HD (2,560 x 1,080p) screen resolution that is somewhat improved over the SE590C’s Full HD (1,920 x 1,080p) resolution.

Samsung’s new curved TVs feature an eye-saver mode to improve user eye activity during the TV viewing experience, as well as a flicker-free mode that reduces screen flicks and eye flicks.

For more information, you can view Samsung’s own announcement below.

Source

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1B9E2e5

via IFTTT

Galaxy S6, S6 edge pricing announced for the Philippines

If you’re a Philippines resident who’s been waiting for your turn to pre-order what many are already calling the hottest smartphone of 2015, you’re in luck.

Carriers Smart Communications and Globe Telecom have announced their retail prices for the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. Smart Communications offers varying price points with its four plans (Plan 999, 2000, 5000, and 8000), and customers could pay as low as P800 ($17 USD) for 24 months for the 32GB Galaxy S6 and P1000 ($22) a month for the 32GB Galaxy S6 edge.

To secure these prices, however, you’ll have to opt for Smart’s Plan 999, which provides 5GB of monthly data allowance. Philippines customers interested in paying a cash-out can expect to pay P19,200 ($428 USD) for the Galaxy S6 and P24,000 ($536 USD) for the Galaxy S6 edge. Keep in mind that these are starting prices for the 32GB models, and purchasing a 64GB or 128GB model will increase the cash-out and monthly fees.

Globe Telecom has also opened up its Galaxy S6 and S6 edge pricing, with as much as PHP24,200 (~$540 USD) for the 32GB Galaxy S6 if you select the 599-899 plans. The 32GB Galaxy S6 can be yours for free with a two-year agreement if you select Plan 2499. The 64GB Galaxy S6 will cost PHP27,900 (~$623 USD) on plans 599-899, and PHP4,800 (~$107 USD) if you get it with Plan 2499.

Early pre-orders could guarantee you free 3-month subscriptions to Spotify Premium and HOOQ, a 15% discount on GS6 accessories, 1GB of cloud storage, and a free month of Gadget Care and Navigation if you’re a Globe customer. Smart had a free wireless charger/pre-order deal available through March 20th, but, as the date suggests, it’s now expired.

The Globe Telecom deals are available on select plans and until April 5th, so visit the link below to find out more. If possible, let us know that you’ve purchased your Galaxy S6 or S6 edge, what color, how many GBs of memory storage, and so on.

Source 1, Source 2

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1ECmWGC

via IFTTT

Android 5.0 Lollipop update for Galaxy S5 now seeding in India

Samsung only recently announced the availability details of the Galaxy S6 series for the Indian market, but the company has made sure it doesn’t let down owners of the erstwhile Samsung flagship, the Galaxy S5, by rolling out the anticipated Lollipop update for the device. According to a tipster, the update starting rolling out earlier today and presumably is still in the process of getting to more and more Galaxy S5 (G900H) units.

The 874MB heavy update brings along a fresher TouchWiz UI, and of course, performance and stability improvements besides better battery life. Do let us know if you’ve received the update already, and how it has held up so far.

Hat tip: Dhivakar!

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1FkdKvV

via IFTTT

UK prices revealed for the Galaxy S6, S6 edge

We reported two days ago that UK pre-orders for Samsung’s latest and greatest would appear eventually. The day has come for UK residents to pre-order the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, and along with it, some insight into pricing for UK residents.

UK carrier O2 has published its pricing for customers who order either of Samsung’s newest devices through the carrier’s Refresh plan: Galaxy S6 customers can expect to pay £99 up-front and the remainder each month, along with their individual phone plans. For someone who purchases a 2GB plan with O2, for example, he or she will pay £38 a month. Pocket-Lint says that O2 customers who order the Galaxy S6 edge can expect to make the same up-front payment as S6 customers but will pay £48 a month in costs. O2 is encouraging sales of the Galaxy S6 edge, knowing that the last thing customers want to do is pay more out-of-pocket for Samsung’s most prestigious Galaxy S flagship.

Carrier EE is charging £49.99 up-front for both the S6 and S6 edge, while Vodafone requires no up-front cost for its S6 models. Carphone Warehouse is giving away a free wireless charger with its pre-orders, and this should relieve the jaw-dropping response to the up-front cost of £259.99 for the 64GB Galaxy S6 edge. The 32GB Galaxy S6 will cost £79.99 up-front.

Tesco Mobile has no up-front cost and is even throwing in a Double Data deal to encourage pre-orders.

Most UK customers can expect to pay the same monthly amount for their wireless plan that they’re paying currently, so the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge up-front costs are a one-time fee required when signing a new agreement. Of course, unless you pay the full amount up-front, you’ll have a monthly payment tacked on to the wireless plan charge.

Have you pre-ordered your UK Galaxy S6 or S6 edge? If so, feel free to let us know.

Source 1, Source 2

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1BWKNT1

via IFTTT

Turkey Galaxy S6, S6 edge pre-orders begin

The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge have not yet arrived at carrier retail stores, but both devices are starting to make their way around the world via pre-orders. We’ve seen pre-orders go live in the UK today, South Africa, Canada, and Italy, and today’s announcement concerns residents of Turkey.

Turkish carrier Turkcell has now opened up its S6 pre-orders, with 32GB Galaxy S6 for $956USD and the 32GB Galaxy S6 edge for $1,147USD.

As a refresher, both the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge feature 5.1-inch, Super AMOLED displays with Quad HD (2,560 x 1,440p) resolutions, 5MP front and 16MP back cameras with f/1.9 aperture, Samsung’s octa-core, Exynos 7420 processor, 3GB of RAM, and a minimum of 32GB of memory storage (with 64GB and 128GB versions as well), not to mention Samsung’s new in-built wireless charging feature that makes both devices compatible with the two top wireless charging standards in the industry. Early benchmarks place Samsung’s Exynos processor at the top of the class when it comes to smartphone performance and speed.

The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge come pre-loaded with Android 5.0 Lollipop and a more scaled back version of TouchWiz than has ever been seen on Samsung smartphones. Both devices look to make their worldwide debut on April 10th, with the United States seeing Samsung’s best the following day.

Source

from SamMobile http://ift.tt/1EAoS4W

via IFTTT