Galaxy Note 8 gets a ‘Secure Wi-Fi’ VPN feature with the latest update

Probably in response to the KRACK exploit that has affected almost all modern Wi-Fi-enabled devices, Samsung has introduced a new feature on the Galaxy Note 8 called Secure Wi-Fi with the latest update. Secure Wi-Fi is a VPN service directly from Samsung, and it’s been seen on budget Galaxy J series phones before, so it’s not entirely new. With Secure Wi-Fi enabled, the phone will encrypt all outgoing internet traffic and disable apps and websites from tracking you to let you safely browse the internet on unsecured public Wi-Fi networks.

Samsung is offering 250 MB of free secure internet access using Secure Wi-Fi. For unlimited protection, the company is offering paid plans. We’re not sure what those plans are at this point since our Indian Galaxy Note 8 unit doesn’t seem to have Secure Wi-Fi as a feature, suggesting it might not be available in every country even with the latest update (just like those useful new Live Focus camera tweaks). As Samsung notes, Secure Wi-Fi may also reduce your connection speed, lower the device’s battery life, and not work with some networks that have their own security policy, so you will have to test it out to see just what kind of difference it makes when the feature is enabled.

How do I enable Secure Wi-Fi?

To access Secure Wi-Fi, go to the phone’s settings, tap Connections, tap Wi-Fi, then tap the Advanced button at the top right. Here, find and tap the Secure Wi-Fi option, then follow instructions to set it up. If it’s not available on your Note 8, you can hope Samsung will bring the feature to your device with the next software update. Or, well, you can grab one of the many VPN apps available for Android from Google Play.

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Rumor: Galaxy S9 will be accompanied by the DeX Pad

Samsung is working on a newer version of the DeX Station to be launched with the Galaxy S9 next year, and like the company’s original wireless charger, the second-generation DeX dock will be a pad rather than a stand. That’s according to the folks over at GalaxyClub, who say the dock will be called DeX Pad, launch alongside the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, and come in black. Their information reiterates a recent report by popular leakster evleaks (a report that also suggested the S9 and S9+ will make a cameo at CES in January).

The “pad” in DeX Pad isn’t without reason

With Android Oreo, the display of the connected phone can be used as a mouse, and the reports about the DeX Pad suggest it will also get the option of being used as a keyboard. That would negate the need for you to carry around a mouse and a keyboard to properly use DeX as is the case right now. We do wonder how one will go about connecting the phone to the dock if it’s lying flat, though. There will probably be a hinge for the USB (Type-C) port that hides away when unused (like the one on the Gear VR), and it will all hopefully be a convenient process.

Could it also be that the DeX Pad will work both as a stand and a pad like Samsung’s convertible wireless charger? Since the phone needs to be connected physically via a USB port, we’re guessing a convertible DeX dock will involve a not-so-intuitive mechanism, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility. That’s just speculation, however, and there’s no telling what the DeX Pad will look like at this point. Here’s hoping Samsung’s has at least managed to fit in a 3.5 mm audio port, the lack of which is a notable point of contention on the first-gen DeX Station.

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Samsung launches some of its Gear Sport watchfaces for the Gear S2 and Gear S3

Samsung has launched a number of new watchfaces, all of which debuted on the fitness-orientated Gear Sport back in September, for the Gear S2 and Gear S3. They won’t show up on the units right away, though. You will, instead, need to head over to the Galaxy Apps Store—or the Gear Manager application—to download them.

Related: Gear Sport Review

Analog Utility, Color Pie, Dual-Dial and Intrepid

From what we can tell, there are a total of four new watchfaces: Analog Utility, Color Pie, Dual-Dial and Intrepid—and they’re fantastic. But we’d be lying if we said they looked great on the Gear S3 classic. These watchfaces, especially the former and latter, were clearly designed for rugged units like the Gear S3 frontier.

Left to right: Analog Utility, Color Pie, Dual-Dial and Intrepid

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You can now stream Netflix in HDR on Verizon’s Galaxy Tab S3

Verizon has started rolling a much-requested update for its carrier-branded variant of the Galaxy Tab S3 in the United States, following its release in the Netherlands back in October. The upgrade bundles support for HDR video streaming for Netflix, in addition to a handful of miscellaneous bug fixes and stability improvements.

Related: Galaxy Tab S3 now supports HDR video streaming from Netflix

The update, as you’d expect, also transports all of the security patches included in October’s Security Maintenance Release (SMR), which consists of 215 patches for vulnerabilities in the open-source Android operating system and six for the firm’s own modified software, as well as fixes for the BlueBorne and KRACK vulnerabilities.

Here’s the full changelog:

• Netflix High Dynamic Range (HDR) video streaming is now supported
• Fixed Fingerprint Setup Wizard issue
• Latest Android security patches

How do I install the update on my Galaxy Tab S3?

To check to see if the release is ready for your Galaxy Tab S3, open Settings, select Software Update, then tap Download Updates Manually. Alternatively, you can always wait until you receive a push notification prompting you to install the OTA—but be warned: it could take a little longer to arrive if you decide to take that path.

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Galaxy J5 Prime (2017) could ship with Exynos 7570 CPU, 3GB of RAM

The successor to the Galaxy J5 Prime could ship with a 5-inch IPS HD screen, an Exynos 7570 Octa CPU and 3GB of RAM, reveals a dubious-looking specification sheet that was posted on leak aggregator SlashLeaks on Saturday, December 2.

Related: Galaxy J5 Prime (2017) spotted at the FCC

Other notable (purported) internals include a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, an 8-megapixel front-facing shooter and a 2,500mAh non-removable Li-Ion battery. The Galaxy J5 Prime (2017) is also expected to ship running Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

Related: Galaxy J5 Prime (2017) surfaces in benchmark listing

This news comes less than a week after the handset was spotted on the Federal Communication Commission’s online database, leading us to believe that it will hit the shelves in at least one region—India, for example—before the year’s out.

Galaxy J5 Prime (2017) was discovered alongside the Galaxy J2 Pro (2017)

That’s about all we know about the Galaxy J5 Prime (2017). The unit, which was first discovered alongside the upcoming Galaxy J2 Pro (2017), should be priced somewhere in the region of Rs. 16,000 ($250) when it’s inevitably released in India.

Are you looking forward to the release of the budget-friendly Galaxy J5 Prime (2017)? Or do you prefer Samsung’s flagship smartphones? Be sure to let us know in the comments section down below—or over on Facebook or Twitter.

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SamMobile Firmware Update Magazine: December 4, 2017

Welcome to the latest edition of our weekly Firmware Magazine. You can think of it as your go-to resource to find out which of your Samsung devices has received a new update or if it’s going to receive a new firmware update in the near future.

To keep things interesting, we present the Firmware Magazine in new designs every week. It will always include the important details about firmware updates such as the firmware versions, device model numbers, Android OS versions and the country where said update is out already.

Keep in mind, however, that these firmware details are based on the firmware that are available in our database, and in some cases, the latest updates might not show in the same week as the full firmware files take additional time to make it to our database.

The purpose of this magazine is to bring all of that important information about firmware updates to you, the reader, in a manner that’s easy to comprehend—so even if you’re new to the world of firmware, you’ll have no trouble making sense of it all.

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Exclusive: The Samsung Galaxy S9 might launch with these color options

Remember that violet/purple Galaxy S8 that made the rounds in the rumor mill but never made an official appearance? According to what we have been able to glean from our sources, Samsung could be bringing the purple color option for the Galaxy S9 next year, in addition to black, gold, and blue. We aren’t aware of the official color names, but we’re guessing the purple version could be something like the Deep Blue variant of the Galaxy Note 8.

A purple Galaxy S9, you say? We’re in, but only if…

… it’s a dark shade of purple (violet), instead of a color along the lines of the bright and shiny Coral Blue option that was introduced last year with the Note 7 (before ultimately making its way to the Galaxy S7 edge and the Galaxy S8). But it remains to be seen what the actual color will be, at least for the purple variant. The gold, black, and blue are likely to be the same as the paint jobs seen on the Galaxy Note 8. Samsung is welcome to surprise us, and judging by the way the company is going about with its flagship phone colors, the Galaxy S9 will probably have a color to suit everyone’s preference.

Not that Samsung would be launching all color options in every market in the beginning, as dictated by tradition, and the front of every color variant will undoubtedly be all-black like it is on the S8 and Note 8. It’s also a tad disappointing that a red Galaxy S9 isn’t on the cards for the initial launch. As the Burgundy Red Galaxy S8 has shown us, it’s a color choice that really brings out the beauty of the phone’s glass-heavy design, and consumers would no doubt welcome a red Galaxy S9 with open wallets arms.

As we always say, none of this information should be taken as fact until something substantial comes up. These color options for the Galaxy S9 wouldn’t be the least bit surprising, but it’s recommended to keep the proverbial grain of salt handy. After all, that violet Galaxy S8 never saw the light of day, despite pictures of the thing having made an appearance on the internet. There’s also a high chance this isn’t the final list of colors and options like Orchid Gray and Arctic Silver could be a part of the lineup; we will just have to wait and see.

What’s your take on the Galaxy S9 color choices?

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