Speedtest can now tell you how well your Galaxy device can stream videos

Speedtest is the most commonly used internet speed testing app for Galaxy devices. It can show your internet connection’s download and upload speeds along with other metrics such as ping, jitter, network carrier/ISP, IP address, and location. Now, the app offers the ability to check your network connection’s capability for video streaming.

The latest version (4.6.1) of Ookla’s Speedtest app shows what video resolution you can expect to stream without buffering on your Galaxy smartphone or tablet. The new ‘Video’ tab inside the app streams several videos at varying resolutions and bitrates before showing you what is the highest video resolution that you can stream without buffering.

This new feature can be pretty handy while you are traveling and want to stream videos on Netflix and YouTube. Although you can get an idea of your network connection’s video streaming abilities via the usual speed test, this new feature makes it even easier.

Most video streaming services, including Disney+, Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube, now offer their video content in 4K resolution and HDR. With 5G networks getting common, it should get easier to stream 4K videos on the go. On 4G networks, though, you should not expect to stream 4K videos without buffering.

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Opera is the first third-party web browser optimized for your Galaxy Chromebook

Chrome was pretty much the only web browser choice you had for your Galaxy Chromebook. However, you now have another option. Opera has now announced that it has optimized its popular web browser for Chrome OS, offering Chromebook users an alternative to Chrome.

Opera’s web browser for Chrome OS is actually an enhanced and optimized version of the Android app. The company has added some new features and made a few changes to make it more usable on the Chrome OS. The web browser now features keyboard shortcuts, free built-in VPN, an ad blocker, and even a cryptocurrency wallet.

The company has even added GDPR cookie blocking options that can eliminate annoying pop-ups and dialog boxes. Opera even features direct integration with web apps of popular instant messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and WhatsApp. There is dark mode, night mode (blue light filter), and five themes.

By scanning a QR code, you can sync Opera for Chrome OS and Opera on other platforms. You will also be able to take notes, save images, and share links between desktop and mobile versions of the web browser (called flow sharing).

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These new Good Lock features and wider availability is coming soon

Good Lock is a powerful app that provides exceptional customization options to Galaxy smartphone and tablet owners. Samsung makes many different Good Lock modules that enable users to customize the UI, improve the multitasking experience and further enhance existing Samsung features like Always On Display, one handed-mode, etc.

The team at Samsung that works on Good Lock has said that new features are planned. It has also hinted at the possibility of Good Lock being made available more widely. Good Lock is only available in a handful of countries currently.

Good Lock may soon be available in more countries

We recently pointed out that even five years after it was first launched, Good Lock is still not available worldwide. Only 15 countries are supported currently. To be fair, because of the way Good Lock works, it will be a challenge for Samsung to make it available worldwide.

Given the level at which it enables customization for the OS, Samsung has to update Good Lock every time a major Android OS version is released. This resets all existing customization and then that needs to be redone on the new Android version.

This can end up being confusing for the average user. Samsung may end up having to address countless customer support calls if it were to make Good Lock available for everyone. Despite only being available in limited markets, Good Lock has amassed over 37 million downloads since it was first released.

Park Ki-yong, Yoon Seong-ju and Lee Ah-reum, members of the Good Lock development team at Samsung, said in a recent interview that Good Lock actually provides the developers with a way to communicate with users. They can take in feedback and continue to expand Good Lock features.

They also said that the team is planning to add more features to Good Lock. They may include the ability to make custom stickers in Samsung Keyboard and enhanced theme customization. The ability to further edit app icons is also being developed. Good Lock’s expansion to more markets is under consideration as well.

Despite the significant development challenges involved, Samsung remains committed to Good Lock. The developers said that as long as users want Good Lock, they will continue to develop it. We can expect the next major update for Good Lock to arrive once Android 12 is released towards the end of this year.

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Check out Samsung’s The Serif TV, SpaceMax FamilyHub refrigerator in AR

Samsung has announced that consumers in India can now check out The Serif TV and the SpaceMax FamilyHub refrigerator in AR (Augmented Reality) before making their purchase decision. This is a part of the company’s contactless experience expansion that it is offering to its customers, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

People can use the company’s AR Demo experience to check how The Serif TV and the SpaceMax FamilyHub refrigerator would look like in their homes. They can have a 360-degree look at Samsung’s products, check out their dimensions, and even use them. The AR Demo makes it easier for users to check if a product matches their living room or kitchen and then make an informed purchase decision.

Interested consumers can check out Samsung’s AR Demo by clicking the links at the end of the article via their smartphones or tablets. Once the link is clicked, the user’s smartphone camera gets activated, showcasing their home environment, and then places The Serif TV or SpaceMax FamilyHub refrigerator to scale at the desired location in AR.

People can even open the SpaceMax FamilyHub refrigerator’s doors and look inside for a more immersive experience. After the virtual lookaround, they can request a callback from the nearest Samsung showroom and purchase those products without stepping out of the comfort of their homes. After the payment is done online, Samsung will deliver the product straight to the consumer’s doorstep.

Raju Pullan, Senior Vice President, Consumer Electronics Business, Samsung India, said, “As consumers spend more time at home and continue to look for smarter lifestyle choices, we wanted to ensure they can experience their favorite Samsung products right in the comfort of their homes and close transactions without stepping out. The new AR Demo enables our consumers with technology so they can make an informed decision in an experiential way.”

• Check The Serif TV in AR
• Check SpaceMax FamilyHub refrigerator in AR

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Galaxy Tab A 8.0 gets the July 2021 security update

Samsung was the first Android OEM to release the July 2021 Android security patch. The rollout of the latest security patch started with the Galaxy S10 series last week, and it expanded to the Galaxy Fold and the Galaxy Tab Active 2. Now, the update is rolling out to the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019).

The latest software update for the LTE variant of the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 bears firmware version T295XXU4CUF8, and it includes the July 2021 security patch. This new firmware is currently available in Bolivia, but it could expand to other markets in the next few days. Samsung is yet to reveal the complete list of bugs and vulnerabilities it has fixed with the July 2021 security patch, but it should fix the Android Auto issue that some users were facing.

If you are a Galaxy Tab A 8.0 user in Bolivia, you might have received a notification of the new update. If you haven’t, you can check for the update manually by navigating to Settings » Software update and tapping on Download and install. Alternatively, you can download the newest firmware for your tablet from our firmware section and flash it manually.

Samsung had launched the Galaxy Tab A 8.0 in July 2019 with Android 9.0 onboard. The device received the Android 10-based One UI 2 update last year and the Android 11-based One UI 3.1 update last week.

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Samsung could manufacture Qualcomm’s next flagship processor

Qualcomm’s newest flagship processor, the Snapdragon 888+, is manufactured using Samsung’s 5nm LPE process. And it looks like the company could stick to Samsung’s foundry arm to fabricate its next-gen flagship smartphone chipset, the Snapdragon 895.

According to the popular leakster Ice Universe (@UniverseIce), the Snapdragon 895 chipset will use Samsung’s 4nm chip fabrication process. This information seems believable since most of TSMC’s 5nm foundry capacity is said to be occupied by Apple for its A15 and M1X chipsets that are due to be released later this year. Moreover, TSMC is also said to be manufacturing Apple’s next-gen iPad Pro chipset using its 4nm process, which means that Qualcomm needs to use Samsung Foundry.

Snapdragon 895 could use Samsung’s 4nm process and feature ARM’s v9 architecture

The Snapdragon 895 chipset is rumored to feature the Kryo 780 CPU cores based on ARM’s recently-announced Cortex-X2, Cortex-A710, and Cortex-A510 CPU cores. It could also use the Adreno 730 GPU, an integrated Snapdragon X65 5G modem, and support for quad-channel LPDDR5 RAM.

The report also claims that Qualcomm will switch to TSMC’s 4nm process for the Snapdragon 895+, but it doesn’t seem logical to switch to a completely new foundry for a minor chipset refresh. It was rumored in the past that Qualcomm could switch to TSMC’s 5nm process for the Snapdragon 888+, but that never happened. So, you should take this information with a pinch of salt.

Samsung Foundry currently manufactures the Exynos 2100 and the Snapdragon 888/888+ using its 5nm process. Although the South Korean fab’s 5nm process is said to be inferior to TSMC’s 5nm process, it is still the next best thing available in the market. Samsung will reportedly launch its improved 5nm process as 4nm later this year, which Qualcomm could use for its next-gen chipsets.

Samsung Foundry investing $151 billion to close the gap with TSMC

There has been a major chip shortage over the past year, leading to manufacturing delays across automobile, computing, gaming, home appliances, and smartphone industries. Even Samsung had to delay the launch of the Galaxy S21 FE due to this shortage. The company is trying to close the gap with TSMC in terms of quality and manufacturing capacity by investing $151 billion over the next ten years.

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Google removes apps stealing Facebook passwords from Galaxy phones

Malicious apps continue to be a problem for Android devices. Despite all of its diligence, Google remains unable to completely prevent such apps from being listed on the Play Store. However, when the company does come to know of apps that seek to steal user information it quickly takes action.

Several popular apps with millions of downloads combined were found to be stealing Facebook login information. Google is now removing them from the Play Store.

These malicious apps have over 5.8 million downloads combined

Researchers at Dr. Web discovered nine apps that were tricking users into revealing their Facebook login details. These were fully functional apps that offered photo editing, exercise, junk file removal and even horoscopes. They were no different from the countless other apps on the Play Store that provide similar functions.

Users were prompted that they could remove in-app ads by logging into their Facebook accounts. Those who chose the option would then see a genuine Facebook login form where they entered their username and password.

The login information entered by users would then be hijacked and sent to the attackers’ server. The attackers could have used this method to steal login information for any other online service. However, Facebook was the only target in all of these apps.

The nine apps have more than 5.8 million downloads combined. It’s surprising that the apps were able to carry on without being detected for so long. This is likely due to the techniques used here that the apps were able to fly under the radar.

A spokesman for Google confirmed to Ars Technica that these apps have been removed and that the developers have also been banned from the store. That being said, there’s nothing stopping them from opening up a developer account under a different name since it only has a one-time fee of $25.

If you downloaded any of these apps on your Samsung Galaxy phone, uninstall them immediately and check your Facebook account for any unauthorized activity. Always remember to be careful when downloading apps from relatively unknown developers no matter how many reviews they might have.

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