Samsung launches Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ Experience apps

Like it does after every flagship launch, Samsung has launched apps that will let you experience the features of the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ on your current smartphone. These “Experience” apps basically offer a interactive demo of the top features of both devices, such as the new Air Command menu for the S Pen on the Note 5, Apps Edge on the Galaxy S6 edge+, and the fast wireless charging support on both phones.

You can try out the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ experience apps on any Android device powered by Android 2.2 and above. Download the apps from the Play Store here and here, and let us know if these demos influence you into buying either of Samsung’s latest “big things.” Oh, and also check out our hands-on experience with the two phablets.

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Samsung now offering 30-day Galaxy Note 5, S6 Edge & S6 edge+ test drive in the US

Samsung is now launching a promotion called ‘Ultimate Test Drive’ for iPhone users in the US over the age of 18 to take one of its latest devices for a spin. The offer includes three devices: the Galaxy Note 5, Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge+. Basically all you have to do is visit SamsungPromotions.com on your iPhone and activate the option by selecting a device and a carrier. If you like the new device after those 30 days, you have the option to fully upgrade. All you need is an iPhone, an activated SIM card and $1 after which you can have the phone shipped straight to you.

In addition to the offer, Samsung wants to make switching simpler for iPhone users which is why they’re including a ‘Smart Switch’ cable in the box, which can help you transfer data easily from one side to the other. Keep in mind that if you fail to return the phone after the five-days grace period you will have to pay the full price of the device, for instance failing to return a Galaxy S6 edge+ will cost you $820, and if you deliver a damaged phone with scratches or cracks or anything related, you’ll have to pay $100.

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Peel doesn’t seem to be too happy that the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 edge+ don’t have IR blaster

All flagship smartphones released by Samsung over the last couple of years have had the IR blaster, the infrared sensor allows users to control TVs, set-top boxes and other remote controlled devices. Imagine how fans felt when they found out that the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 edge+ don’t feature an IR blaster even though both the Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 edge have it. Earlier today we conducted a poll here on SamMobile and asked our readers if they use the IR blaster on their Samsung smartphone, 89% of readers who participated in that poll say that they do.

Our poll has caught Peel’s attention, it has been a major partner of Samsung since its Smart Remote app comes pre-installed on the company’s devices. The app is pre-installed on both the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge as well, it can use the IR blaster to allow users to control TVs, set-top boxes, DVD players and even air conditioners. Peel tweeted that 89% of the people who took our poll use the infrared blaster on their Samsung phones and it doesn’t seem to happy about the fact that Samsung didn’t include this component on the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 edge+ thereby depriving it of huge potential user base.

Many count the absence of the IR blaster as one of the reasons they won’t purchase any of the two new handsets, aside from the obvious complaints that they have with no microSD card slot and no removable battery. The fact is that this will certainly be a factor that potential buyers will consider before they decide to spend their money on the new handsets and if they really can’t live without the IR blaster perhaps they might even take their business elsewhere.

Poll by @SamMobiles reveals 89% use IR infrared blaster on #Samsung phones. Samsung skips IR on new Note 5, S6 Edge+ https://t.co/sMOOZF7AFU

— Peel (@peeltv) August 20, 2015

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Samsung reportedly working on a 12-inch Windows 10 tablet

It has been a while since Samsung launched a new mobile device powered by Windows but if a new rumor is to be believed the company might be working on a 12-inch tablet powered by Windows 10. Microsoft released the new software back in July and it’s likely that the company is pushing OEM partners to come out with new products, perhaps the rumored 12-inch tablet might be a result of that.

Rumor has it that this 12-inch tablet will feature a 2560 x 1600 or 3840 x 2400 pixel resolution display, there might be a  13nm Intel Core M chip under the hood with 4GB RAM. The tablet may come with an S Pen which would certainly boost its productivity credentials among power users, according to the rumor this tablet will be 6.2mm thin and will weigh about 600 grams. Samsung has said nothing yet about a new Windows 10 tablet so the only thing we can do right now is wait and see if more evidence comes up to confirm that this tablet really is in the pipeline.

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Samsung needs to work on software consistency across devices

With the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge came the best version of Samsung’s software. After years of complaints, Samsung finally realized it needed software that is fast and visually appealing, and aside from a couple of issues, the company delivered on both fronts. Since the launch of the two S6 phones, the new Samsung software has been seen on a couple of other Galaxy smartphones, but it looks like the Korean manufacturer is still not working on delivering a consistent experience across all devices.

The Galaxy J5 and the Galaxy A8 are two Samsung phones that come with Android 5.1.1 Lollipop out of the box, but unlike what we would expect, the two have some software inconsistencies compared to the Galaxy S6. To be more precise, it’s the Galaxy A8 that doesn’t seem to have been properly tested before being released, as it is missing a couple of functions that are present on both the costlier S6 and the considerably cheaper (but excellent) J5.

To quote examples, the Galaxy A8 only has one screen unlocking effect in the lockscreen settings, and it’s also missing the battery power optimization menu that Android 5.1.1 introduced on the Galaxy S6 (this menu let you stop background apps to save battery life.) In fact, this menu seems to have been removed from the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge as well with the second 5.1.1-based update that was released earlier this month.

Another change on the A8 is that when you press the Update now button in the Software updates menu, the phone goes to a new screen to check for updates instead of doing it in a popup. Meanwhile, that wallpaper motion effect setting from the S6 is missing on both the Galaxy J5 and Galaxy A8, though we’re guessing this was a deliberate move to keep the feature limited to a flagship smartphone.

Now, none of these changes/missing features make any difference in day-to-day usage, but they do indicate that Samsung is not being very particular about making sure that its software works and behaves the same across all devices. What is worse is that these missing things look like they got left out because of incomplete implementation rather than being left out on purpose. After all, why would Samsung take away a screen unlocking effect from a phone that is already overpriced for the hardware it offers?

At the end of the day, Samsung is doing a good job at the software side of things on its smartphones, including bringing features from newer devices to existing ones extremely quickly, but we certainly long for the day the company will start focusing on consistency as well. What do you think?

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Themes Thursday: Twelve new themes make their way into Samsung’s Theme Store today

This has been a busy week for Samsung as it unveiled two new high-end phablets, the Galaxy S6 edge+ and the Galaxy Note 5. Both these devices are compatible with Samsung’s new themes, and the company’s Theme Store comes pre-installed on both these devices.

Coming back to themes, twelve new themes have been released in the Theme Store today. Six of these themes are free while others are paid. I personally liked the Dark_Ad_Balloon_Design theme as it has a nice color combination and well designed icons and other UI elements. Which themes did you like?

Gurumi Theme

Vintage Cafe With Milky

Relaxing Time

Dark_Ad_Balloon_Design

Egypt Pharaoh

Kenya Forest Rhino

Night Sky – Paid

Shine Black _Mindon Design - Paid

Afternoon Momo-Tea - Paid

Apple Yammy - Paid

Red Onyx - Paid

Spiders - Paid

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[Poll] Do you use the IR blaster on your Samsung phone?

The Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 edge+ don‘t just skip on two major features that Samsung consumers have become accustomed to over the the years, but also remove a small but sometimes very useful feature. That’s the IR blaster (or an infrared sensor, in less dramatic terms), which we have seen on all of Samsung’s flagship smartphones in the last couple of years.

This year, the Korean giant has been cutting down on some of the cruft in its smartphones, and it apparently decided that not many people were using their phones to control their televisions or set-top boxes (or one of the many remote-controlled devices third-party apps can let you control using the infrared sensor.) Here at SamMobile, none of us have been regular users of the IR blaster on our devices, but we would certainly say it comes in handy the few times you can’t find your TV’s remote or just don’t want to suffer the inconvenience of getting off your sofa to grab it.

Many of our readers have been vocal about Samsung axing the IR blaster on its newest flagships, so we thought we would ask them what they think. Is the IR blaster something you frequently use on your smartphone, or do you think it’s a feature we can all do without without it affecting our daily lives? Vote in the poll below!

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

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