Samsung’s Tizen TVs take top spot in global market

Samsung’s Tizen TVs have been on a roll lately with greater sales in the manufacturer’s home country than the company expected. A number of reports continue to point out the less-than-stellar Galaxy S5 sales from 2014 (which is a shame, considering that it is still a stellar smartphone), but Samsung’s TV sales were the bright spot in a year of falling fortune.

That’s the latest from Yonhap News, who says that 2014 global marketshare results confirm Samsung’s dominance in the global TV market. First, the company’s home country of South Korea represented half of the TV sales market last year. Next, Global flat TV marketshare for Samsung was 29.2 percent, with the company pulling out in a large way from TV and mobile rival LG Electronics (16.7 percent). Samsung’s Ultra HD TVs, known for their ultra-crisp images, saw the company pull out even further from its second-place rival, with 34.3 percent of the market as compared to LG’s 14.3 percent. Overall, Samsung and LG combined to dominate overall TV marketshare with 43.4 percent (Samsung, 28.2%; LG, 15.2%).

Samsung’s TVs run Tizen OS, the company’s new operating system that Samsung looks to place in all of its products (TVs, smartphones, smartwatches, and soon, tablets and computers). LG’s WebOS has put up a fight in the TV market, and LG has decided to bring WebOS to its new Watch Urbane smartwatch lineup that provides 3G standalone connectivity by which users can send texts and make phone calls. Samsung’s own Gear S was the first Tizen smartwatch on the market to provide 3G connectivity along with phone calling and text messaging capabilities. Tizen has only arrived with Samsung’s Z1, but a new Z2 is rumored to be in the works. Current Gear S owners can use their smartwatch as a remote control for Tizen TV.

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Verizon offers Galaxy S6, S6 edge early upgrade for loyal customers

Are you a loyal Verizon customer? If you are, then it’s likely the case that you’ve received some loyalty perks from the Cadillac of carriers before. Last October, the top carrier in the US offered its users additional data in hopes of continuing to best its competitive rivals T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint.

Now, Verizon’s back with another perk for loyal customers regarding the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. Perhaps you’ve been the lucky recipient today of a message from the company with the following message:

A special EARLY upgrade offer for our loyal customers: For a limited time, get the new Samsung Galaxy S6 with Verizon Edge when you trade in your current smartphone.

We’ve done some investigation into the new loyalty perk to cut through the red tape and find out the caveats that you can expect to encounter should you take advantage of this deal. First, keep in mind that it’s “for a limited time,” which means that the deal won’t last forever (so don’t sit on it and wait too long).

Next, the deal is only for the Verizon Edge plan, but there are two different Edge plans. The first plan, called “Regular Edge,” allows you to pay off the cost of your smartphone each month (with no money down) but doesn’t require you to trade in your device when you get a new smartphone (no early termination fees, either). However, there is also an “Early Edge” plan, and the Early Edge plan is the only one up for grabs here. So, essentially, this means that you can only get the Galaxy S6 with an Early Edge plan – and you must (key word here) trade in your device when you upgrade to say, the Galaxy S7.

There is yet one more obstacle to the deal. In order to take advantage of this plan, you must have already served one year of your two-year agreement. If you’ve served 10 months with a smartphone contract, you’re still not eligible for this deal. Only customers who’ve been in their contracts for 12 months or longer have eligibility for the Early Edge plan.

Other things to keep in mind with the Early Edge plan is that, while you pay no money down for your smartphone (no $249, $299, or $199 up-front payments), you do still cover the activation fee (which can be billed to you, if you’re in good standing with Verizon), and you pay $20-$30 a month extra on your bill. Once your phone is paid off, however, the monthly subsidy for your bill is eliminated, leaving you with paying for only the service along with the usual taxes and fees. Lastly, this offer applies to the S6 edge as well, so Galaxy S5 customers may prefer the Edge to its non-Edge “sibling.”

This is all the information we’ve gathered for now from Verizon about the new loyalty early upgrade. Do you have any questions about the new loyalty deal you’d like to ask us? If so, write in and let us know. If you take advantage of this deal, we’d love to hear from you too.

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Unlocked Galaxy S6 (32GB) available at EBay for $699.99

The Galaxy S6 and S6 edge have now made their worldwide debuts, and carriers and retail stores are sure to have them in stock in the coming days and months if they don’t have them already. Unlike the lucky midnight launch Dubai customers, many customers worldwide may have to wait days from now before their buying opportunity arrives.

If you’re comfortable with the internet scene, you could get your device sooner than a number of customers who’ve signed two-year agreements with wireless carriers. EBay has yet another deal for us, but this time, it’s all about Samsung’s Galaxy S6.

Keep in mind that the device listed on the EBay deal is the 32GB model (no 64GB or 128GB models), and users who aren’t storage-hungry will be fine with the storage space provided. Next, the device is unlocked, and will work with “AT&T, T-Mobile or any GSM carrier,” the description reads. It appears that this phone is international, since it will work with “any GSM carrier” and not just US carriers AT&T and T-Mobile – and the model number of the S6 in question, G920i, is a dead giveaway.

The device will feature all the specs we’ve come to crave in Samsung’s latest: 5MP front camera with f/1.9 aperture, 16MP back camera with f/1.9 aperture, 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with Quad HD resolution (2,560 x 1,440p), octa-core Exynos 7420 processor with 3GB of “low-power double data rate random access memory” or LPDDR4 RAM, and 32GB of storage for Samsung’s lowest storage models (no longer 16GB models). The Galaxy S6 runs Google’s latest Android 5.0 Lollipop, and Samsung’s releasing 5.0.2 to its latest devices that will provide bug fixes that the company already knows about.

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 also has in-built wireless charging compatibility with the largest wireless-charging standard associations worldwide, so you may want to pick up a wireless charging mat while picking up the 32GB Galaxy S6. You’ll pay $699.99 for the unlocked Galaxy S6, just $50 USD more than you’ll pay for a carrier-branded model ($649.99).

If all this sounds like a recipe for a total knockout (we think so), head on over to EBay at the source link below and make the purchase. Needless to say, you may want to check with the EBay seller, breed, before finalizing your purchase.

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Samsung reacts to Apple Watch pre-order launch

Samsung’s been accused of studying Apple too closely.

Even after the Korean manufacturer launched the Galaxy S3 and won Android consumers worldwide to the company’s popular smartphone, Samsung continued to examine Apple lines outside of Cupertino’s own stores on iPhone launch days to see what created the hype surrounding the fruit company. And Samsung took to its own YouTube channel to post a commercial or two surrounding Apple’s product launches.

But those days seem to be gone. Despite Samsung’s hard-hit budget and its share of disappointment in 2014, Samsung’s confidence in its products and the company’s abilities have grown tremendously. And this confidence includes its smartwatches. Samsung was asked about its impression of the Apple Watch pre-order launch in a CNBC interview yesterday. Samsung VP for Mobile Europe spokesman Rory O’Neill responded with the following statement:

There’s a lot of great brands in the industry. You’ve got Apple, Samsung, Amazon, Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and many others. What that does is create obviously tremendous competition. It means brands like ours invest nearly $14 million a day to invent new products, new services, that delight consumers in that market. So it’s great for consumers that you’ve got all these brands investing hundreds of millions and billions of dollars to create new services from their mobile products.

When asked about Apple and what the Apple Watch means for the consumer smartwatch market specifically, O’Neill responded, “We’re delighted that Apple’s followed us into this market.”

Samsung’s response is to be commended. The company made it clear that Apple has made an excellent decision, while acknowledging that Samsung itself has been a pioneer of the smartwatch market as we know it, back as early as 1999. And this becomes even more evident when you consider that Samsung created a smartwatch prior to the Galaxy Gear in 2013: the S9110, launched on July 22, 2009. Samsung referred to the S9110 as a “watchphone” (not a smartwatch), but the world’s first watch that could make phone calls was Samsung’s own SPH-WP10 launched on March 31, 1999. The SPH-WP10 provided 90 minutes of talk time.

The Gear S, launched in 2014, continues Samsung’s proud tradition of staying on the cutting edge of technology.

In the end, Apple Watch sales are ultimately irrelevant. Whether or not the Apple Watch is a success doesn’t change the fact that Samsung was one of the earliest pioneers in the watchphone movement. Apple Watch fans, when you make calls from your wrist, you have Apple’s rival to thank for it.

Source; SPH-WP10, S9110

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Tizen is the new hotness: 1200 Tizen TVs sold in March

Samsung said at the end of 2014 that the company would proceed with Tizen OS on its TVs, that all of the company’s 2015 TV lineup would proudly feature the fledgling OS.

Well, Samsung’s delivered, and the numbers look positive.

Tizen Indonesia says that Samsung’s Super Ultra HD TVs have been bringing the Korean manufacturer promising numbers. According to Samsung (the blog claims), the company’s sold 1200 SUHD TVs in Korea in the month of March alone, with an average weekly sales increase of 30%. And Samsung has been releasing updates for its Tizen devices (including the SUHD TV) in unbelievable fashion. An SUHD TV Tizen update surfaced just this week, the site claims.

Samsung has been criticized for its high-resolution displays that some have said tend to oversaturate color and produce colors that are not true-to-life; however, when it comes to TV sharpness and stunning details, customers care more about the visual aesthetic than true-to-life colors. The true-to-life vs. oversaturation debate seems more like a fight amongst tech enthusiasts than it does the customer base to which Samsung is catering.

Samsung’s Smart TVs have been under some criticism in recent days for consumer privacy violations, but Samsung’s Smart TVs operate like all other Smart TVs that allow you to dictate voice commands. Recently, Domino’s Pizza has partnered with Samsung to provide a pizza ordering app for Tizen TVs.

Tizen is here to stay, and over time, Tizen could become a powerhouse. If you’re thinking about a Samsung TV, you should think about a Samsung model. Oh, and, if you’re a UK customer, Samsung’s 2015 Tizen TV lineup is now available at Curry’s – with prices ranging from £899 to £9,999.

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Galaxy Grand Prime now available at Cricket Wireless

If you’re a Cricket Wireless customer who doesn’t want to shell out $650+ for the new Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, AT&T-owned Cricket Wireless now has a budget-friendly Galaxy device for you.

The 5-inch Galaxy Grand Prime features a respectable 8MP back camera but comes with a 5MP “selfie” front camera that’s sure to please social medialytes. 1GB of random access memory (RAM) is sufficient for light multitasking, as is the 1.2Ghz quad-core processor, although the 8GB of onboard storage and quarter HD display (960 x 540) leave a few stones unturned. The Grand Prime does come with a 2,600mAh battery, so light or moderate users should be satisfied.

The Grand Prime with Cricket Wireless is off-contract and only costs $199.99. It’s not a bad offer for what you’re getting, and we’re glad Samsung’s launched the Grand Prime in the US. Now, Samsung, get on that Z1 America release…

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Galaxy S6 and S6 edge midnight launch in UAE starts Samsung’s new chapter

If you haven’t been living under a rock the last few years (or removed all electronics from your home), you’ve heard of the long-standing Apple lines in New York City for each new iPhone product launch. Seven days before the new Apple iPhone rollout, customers start forming lines to be one of the first to purchase the new devices. Those who can’t afford iPhones get in line and use their line positions in order to “earn” the new iPhone. Some individuals camp out, with tents, small fires, and bags of necessary supplies (food, drink, battery packs, spare chargers, etc.) in order to survive the bitter cold until NYC’s Apple Store doors swing wide open.

Well, Samsung’s famous, but it hasn’t created the long-standing lines that Apple has had for the last several years. At the same time, however, the company just may be on the verge of creating its own stand-in-line fanaticism. The evidence? Today’s midnight launch in the UAE.

According to The National, at least 50 customers stood outside a store in Dubai waiting to get their hands on the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge at midnight, before the rest of the world. One customer noted that he found the line quite unusual. “It’s a bit odd to have to stand in line outside an open shop – but the phone will be great I’m sure,” said an Iranian student. He was headed to a 12:15am movie showing and decided to pick up his new Samsung device on the way.

While we don’t have a more exact number of the crowd that stood outside the Dubai store, it’s reassuring to Samsung to know that its own loyal fan base will go crazy to have the company’s latest. If you stood outside the Dubai store, please feel free to write in and tell more about the stand-in-line experience.

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