Samsung’s Apple Pay competitor in the works

Apple Pay could take a long time to get to developing countries where its latest crop of smartphones, the iPhone 6 and the 6 Plus, aren’t very popular. And that’s exactly what Samsung would want to exploit with a possible rival payment system. According to reports, an Apple Pay competitor from Samsung is already in the works, with a launch allegedly due for 2015. As is with Apple Pay, this technology would allow users of Samsung smartphones to use their smartphone to make payments — simply by waving it in front of appropriate hardware. Samsung has already discussed the idea with a payments startup, LoopPay, according to Re/code.

The report also cites a source that points at a prototype that’s already out for testing. Samsung has a strong presence in not only developed markets, but also in the developing ones; if the deal does go through, it could mean that a lot of the users in these developing markets would make use of the wireless (and presumably contact-less) payments system instead of traditional credit/debit cards.

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Samsung Galaxy A3 and A5 launched in Taiwan

If you asked me to pick two Samsung phones that have been making the most noise (besides the mighty Galaxy S6, of course), the Galaxy A5 and the Galaxy A3 would be my picks, hands-down. The phones have been long talked about, and although the Galaxy A5 is already official in some markets, this is the first time we’re seeing the Galaxy A3 in its flesh. Both phones carry the new Samsung design language, which means you’re going to get unibody cases and therefore a build that’s sturdier (and prettier too, in some cases) than most other Samsung phones. What’s more, both these devices carry 64-bit SoCs, something which is fast starting to become standard for mid-range phones.

The Galaxy A5 comes with a 5-inch 720p HD display, and has 2GB of RAM along with 16GB of on-board storage to take care of memory/storage. There’s a 13 mega-pixel camera on the rear, and a 5 mega-pixel sensor on the front for the shutterbug in you, with all this being powered by a 2300mAh battery.

The younger sibling, aka the Galaxy A3 features a 4.5-inch 960 x 540p qHD display along with 1GB RAM and 8GB storage. An 8 mega-pixel camera sits on the rear on the Galaxy A3, along with a 5 mega-pixel front. In more aspects than one, the Galaxy A3 is a knocked-down Galaxy A5… and that’s why it has only a 1900mAh battery. Both phones, however, are powered by the same 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 410, which has a 64-bit CPU baked in.

The Galaxy A5 and the Galaxy A3 are priced at equivalents of $380 and $287 respectively in Taiwan.

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Is this a Samsung Galaxy S6 prototype?

Samsung does everything it can to keep its flagship Galaxy S and Galaxy Note devices, but we often see prototype devices leak in the wild. Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S6 might just have made an appearance in prototype form – Toptienmobiel has published a picture of what is said to be a prototype of the Galaxy S6. The stickers at the top of the device indicate it’s not the final version of the device, which shouldn’t come as a surprise since there are still a couple of months left before the Galaxy S6 is expected to come out.

Keep one thing is mind folks, we can’t confirm if this is the real deal or not, so take this picture with a pinch of salt.

Developing…

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Samsung publishes new Samsung Link app on the Play Store

Samsung is continuing its drive to refresh some of its proprietary apps with a new version of the Samsung Link app that has gone live on the Play Store. The new app is named Samsung Link Platform and has been published separately than the older Samsung Link app – you get a newer design this time around, but the functionality seems to have remained the same. Oddly, Samsung Link Platform isn’t showing up as compatible with the Galaxy Note 4 at the moment, suggesting this might be limited to older devices or to particular markets.

For those unaware, Samsung Link allows users to link all their Samsung devices and access data on them remotely from one device or a computer. Users can share media files from the gallery or video player and view them on any of their Samsung devices or even on a TV, and the app is pretty useful for those looking to easily access files on their Samsung device using an internet connection.

The Samsung Link Platform app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.

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Gear VR sees US launch, $199 price

Even though the date was far from confirmed in the time leading up to its launch, the Gear VR Innovator Edition has gone on sale today in the US. With a general release window revealed during the Samsung Developer Conference a few weeks ago, Samsung made good on a December release; at least in the US. There is still no word on a sale date for other markets, but early 2015 should be a generous suggestion. The virtual reality headset is available for purchase through Samsung and AT&T now.

As mentioned before, the Gear VR Innovator Edition is available in Frost White along with an optional GamePad. It features a 96° FoV (Field of View) optical lens, a touchpad, a back button, and a focus adjustment wheel. It is equipped with accelerometer, gyro sensor, proximity sensor, and geomagnetic sensor. It connects to the Galaxy Note 4 through the microUSB port. See our earlier post for an idea about what kind of content will be made available. The announcement came via Samsung’s email service (screenshot below).

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Samsung becomes second largest LTE smartphones vendor in Q3 2014

LTE connectivity is an important feature on smartphones in this day and age, and every smartphone manufacturer has numerous devices in their lineup offering support for LTE networks. According to the latest report by Strategy Analytics, Samsung was the second largest vendor of LTE-enabled smartphones, beaten only by its arch-rival Apple. LG took the third spot, while Chinese brands Oppo and Vivo rounded off the top 5 vendor list. The market for LTE-enabled smartphones rose by 57 percent between Q2 and Q3 this year, and that prominence is a telling example of why Samsung is equipping devices like the Galaxy A3 and A5 with LTE support.

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Samsung Electronics promotes Pranav Mistry to global vice president

When you’re an enormous company like Samsung and your profits are seeing a steep decline, changes in upper management become a necessary evil, especially if you wish to see yourself remain at the top. Samsung recently said that it was restructuring some of its management, and as part of that reshuffle, the Korean manufacturer has named Pranav Mistry as global vice president of Samsung Electronics. For those that aren’t aware, Mistry – an Indian by origin – was responsible for the design of the original Galaxy Gear, which became the first Android smartwatch to make it to the consumer market, and is currently working at Samsung’s research unit in the US (in the Silicon Valley.)

Samsung’s smartphone unit has seen a considerable decline in profits over the last year, and the company is no doubt hoping that Mistry and other top officials will bring around changes that help it return to its glory days. It’s unclear who will replace Mistry in Samsung’s wearables unit, but we’re guessing the company will be taking a calculated decision in that regard given how important the wearables market is shaping up to be.

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