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Tag: Samsung

  • Samsung Unveils The Galaxy Tab 3 Lite

    Samsung Unveils The Galaxy Tab 3 Lite

    At CES earlier this month, Samsung announced two mega tablets – the Galaxy note Pro and the Galaxy Tab Pro. Both tablets feature a 12.2-inch display and will no doubt appeal to the luxury tech user who demands large displays. What about the user who wants an affordable, smaller option though? Well, Samsung may have just the thing for them.

    Samsung announced this morning that it will be targeting the lower end of the tablet market this year with the Galaxy Tab 3 Lite. As its name suggests, the Tab 3 Lite is a 7-inch entry level tablet that Samsung will no doubt be peddling to the cost conscious tech shopper.

    While there’s no price yet available, the Tab 3 Lite’s specs indicate that it’s gong to be inexpensive. The device sports a 7-inch 1024×600 display, 1.2GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB of onboard memory, 2MP rear-facing camera and a 3,600mAh battery.

    When compared to other 7-inch tablets out on the market, the Galaxy Tab 3 Lite doesn’t seem like it can compete. The Nexus 7 blows it out of the water and is rather inexpensive as well. Unless Samsung can come in under $200 for the Tab 3 Lite, it doesn’t look it will be able to compete with the wide variety of inexpensive 7-inch tablets that sport far superior specs and displays.

    If the Galaxy Tab 3 Lite does come in under $200, it may just have a shot at relevancy. We’ll find out more when the Tab 3 Lite launches globally later this year.

    Image via Samsung

  • CES 2014: LG and Samsung Show Off Flexible OLED TVs

    CES 2014: LG and Samsung Show Off Flexible OLED TVs

    With 3D TV all but abandoned and ultra HD set to take off this year, manufacturers have turned to the odd to impress attendees at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES).

    Both LG and Samsung this week are showing off flexible OLED TVs at their CES booths. Why exactly consumers would want such technology is unclear, but the technology does follow from the curved smartphones that the Korean manufacturers released last year (the Galaxy Round and the G Flex).

    LG’s display is 77-inches and features an ultra HD resolution. The company seem genuinely interested in marketing such a device to consumers at some point in the future. LG claims the display has been tested over “tens of thousands of hours” already and that the range of flexibility on the device has been set to optimize viewing preferences for consumers. LG Home Entertainment CEO Hyun-hwoi Ha even engaged in a bit of hyperbole about the technology, saying, “What curved is to flat, flexible is to curved.”

    Samsung’s marketing for their flexible displays was similarly silly, with Samsung Display SVP Brian Berkeley saying, “This new form factor will really begin to change how people interact with their devices, opening up new lifestyle possibilities.”

    Samsung’s flexible OLED TV is also an ultra HD, but tops LG’s display at 85 inches. As seen in the Samsung video below, the device comes with an automatic system that can bend the TV out from its case:

  • Michael Bay’s CES ‘Performance’ Gets The NMA Treatment

    Michael Bay’s CES ‘Performance’ Gets The NMA Treatment

    Michael Bay must be feeling pretty silly today. After all, he totally bombed his appearance at the Samsung CES press conference. The Transformers director was brought out on stage to talk about Samsung’s latest line of televisions, but problems hit almost instantly. The teleprompter feeding him the script screwed up leaving him without anything to say. He tried to wing it, but improvisation is apparently not one of Bay’s strengths:

    As you can imagine, Bay’s sudden exit blew up on social media. Tweets mocking the director were common, but people also expressed sympathy over what must have been a very embarrassing experience.

    Speaking of mockery, the professionals at NMA have put together a recap of Bay’s CES “performance” in the only way they know how:

    Image via Taiwanese Animators/YouTube

  • Netflix: All Originals (And ‘Breaking Bad’) To Be 4K, 3D Support May End

    Netflix: All Originals (And ‘Breaking Bad’) To Be 4K, 3D Support May End

    All of Netflix’s original shows will be produced in 4K, according to the company. CEO Reed Hastings said as much at the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, where he promoted the company’s use of the ultra HD video format along with partnerships with TV makers.

    We knew that House of Cards: Season 2 was produced in 4K, and a new trailer (also in 4K) was made available this week. Now we can expect upcoming seasons of shows like Hemlock Grove and Orange is the New Black to follow suit, not to mention initial seasons of shows that have yet to debut (like Sense8 and the untitled project from the Damages creators).

    Netflix reportedly has partnerships in place with Sony, LG, Vizio and Samsung for 4K video. The Hollywood Reporter shares some comments from Hastings:

    “Netflix is working with Sony to create a fabulous entertainment experience. When 4K started to be talked about, we saw the Internet as the natural medium to deliver it because most 4K content was going to be available online. We know that content creators are very excited about 4K because of the additional picture range they get to play with. All new original content from Netflix, including season two of House of Cards, will be shot, edited and produced in 4K…and we’ve been working with Sony to show Breaking Bad in 4K.”

    He added that Netflix’ 4K service will require 15Mb/s of in-home bandwidth compressed using HEVC. “This is very practical,” said Hastings. “You can stream 4K over WiFi if you want to. It’s testament to the work we’ve been doing on encoding and what Sony has been doing on decoding.”

    Hastings also appeared at LG’s press conference at CES, which saw the launch of LG’s Web OS-powered Ultra HD smart TVs.

    As Netflix focuses on 4K content, 3D appears to be taking a backseat. A year ago, Netflix launched Super HD and 3D streaming, but now the company is indicating that 3D will likely go away due to lack of interest.

    Giga Om’s Janko Roettgers spoke with Netflix’s Joris Evers at CES, and was told that the company may end support for 3D in the future. Evers also reportedly said that Netflix will not charge consumers any extra money to watch content in Ultra HD.

    Image: Breaking Bad (YouTube)

  • CES 2014: Samsung Officialy Unveils 12.2-Inch Mega Tablets

    CES 2014: Samsung Officialy Unveils 12.2-Inch Mega Tablets

    It seems that at least some of the rumors last fall were entirely true. This week at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas Samsung officially unveiled two mega-tablets with screen sizes of over 12 inches.

    The tablets are part of Samsung’s existing Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab tablet lineups. Named the Galaxy NotePRO (12.2-inch) and the Galaxy TabPRO (12.2-inch), the tablets feature displays with 2560 x 1600 resolution. Both of the tablets are nearly identical, sporting an 8MP rear camera (2MP front camera), a 9,500mAh battery, options for LTE and 3G data, and 3GB of memory. Each of the tablets comes with either 32GB or 64GB of storage and will be running Android 4.4 KitKat, though a whole host of Samsung software will come preinstalled.

    One of the few differences between the tablets seems to be that the NotePRO comes with Samsung’s S Pen stylus. The NotePRO also weighs a slight bit more than the TabPRO.

    The TabPRO has also been announced in two smaller sizes with a 10.1-inch display and an 8.4-inch display. Both of the smaller TabPROs come with the 2560 x 1600 resolution displays of their larger counterpart and the same 8MP/2MP rear and front cameras. The only hardware concession to their size seems to be their 2GB of RAM.

    According to Samsung these tablets will be available sometime during the first quarter of 2014, though pricing information has not been revealed.

    “We created the Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO series to kick-off a year in which Samsung truly establishes its leadership in the tablet market,” said JK Shin, CEO Samsung Mobile. “This new line offers the best-in-class content consumption and productivity, combining a stunning viewing experience with Samsung’s design legacy. The Samsung Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO truly demonstrate our commitment to providing our customers with extraordinarily versatile product offerings, tailored to tablet users of every description.”

  • Samsung Announces Galaxy Camera 2, Will Be At CES Next Week

    Samsung Announces Galaxy Camera 2, Will Be At CES Next Week

    In late 2012, Samsung tried to forcibly invent a new market for smart cameras with the Galaxy Camera. It combined the shooting power of Samsung’s camera lineup with the guts of its Galaxy S III smartphone. It was an interesting idea to say the least, and Samsung thought it performed well enough to deserve a successor.

    Samsung announced ahead of CES that it will be bringing the Galaxy Camera 2 to stores this year. The Galaxy Camera 2 is being billed as a generational leap above the original in hardware and software. It appears that only the innards have been upgraded though as it features the same 16MP lens as the previous model.

    “Consumers love the Galaxy Camera, and this next-generation version was designed to improve on the successful predecessor, with upgraded and new features that will enhance the photography experience,” said Myoung Sup Han, Executive Vice President and Head of the Imaging Business Team at Samsung Electronics. “The result is a more powerful and portable device which continues to embrace the public’s passion for the social features of smartphones, yet also provides superior image control and quality. We are dedicated to making it easier for more people to achieve great results and with the Galaxy Camera 2’s host of creative features, anyone can capture stand out images.”

    Even without the upgraded camera hardware, the Galaxy Camera 2 is a better all-around device. The new device sports a 1.6GHz quad-core CPU, 21x optical zoom, 2 GB of RAM and a 2000mAh battery. All in all, you’re getting a much better device on the hardware side of things with the Galaxy Camera 2.

    As for software, Samsung says it will ship with Android 4.3. There’s no word yet on if the original Galaxy Camera will be upgraded to Android 4.3, but it’s not likely. The original is still rockin’ Android 4.1.2 so the bump up to 4.3 in the Galaxy Camera 2 may be a ploy to get current owners to upgrade their hardware.

    Oh, and if you do decide to pick up the Galaxy Camera 2, Samsung will throw in 50 GB of free storage on Dropbox for two years. The app even comes preloaded on the device so you have no excuse not to use it.

    If you want to get your hands on the Galaxy Camera 2, you’ll be able to take it for a spin at Samsung’s CES booth next week.

    Image via Samsung

  • Gigantic 110-Inch TV Now Sold by Samsung

    Gigantic 110-Inch TV Now Sold by Samsung

    Samsung this week announced that it has begun selling a massive 110-inch TV.

    The TV, dubbed the 110S9, features an ultra high definition (UHD), 800MP display that measures a 110 inches (nearly 9.2 feet) diagonally. The display itself sits in a frame that is similar to Samsung’s smaller UHD TV sets, though obviously much larger.

    According to Samsung, the 110S9 will be targeted at high-end consumers in China, Europe, and the Middle East who evidently thought that the Korean manufacturer’s 85-inch S9 TV wasn’t quite large enough. The 110S9 will also be customizable in some ways to fit with individual consumer needs.

    According to an Associated Press report, the 110S9 currently costs over $150,000, converted from a price quoted in South Korean won. According to Samsung, it has already received ten orders for the gigantic device from the Middle Eastern region. The company expects that companies, governments, and other enterprise customers will be more common for the 110S9 than individual customers.

    “The 110-inch TV has already been attracting attention from VVIP customers around the world.” said Simon Sung, VP of Visual Display at Samsung. “With the existing 55, 65, and 85-inch UHD TVs, the brand new 110-inch product will solidify Samsung’s dominance in global UHD TV markets.”

    Despite manufacturers’ eagerness to move TVs with a new standard, the ultra HD TV market is currently off to a slow start. The market is being hindered by prohibitively high prices, as well as a dearth of content. This could all begin to change next year, however, as analyst predictions show greater market penetration in 2014. This shift will be led by lower-priced components for manufacturers, as well as new 4K content such as the second season of House of Cards.

  • Samsung to Highlight Smart TVs at CES

    Samsung to Highlight Smart TVs at CES

    The new year is almost here and that means one thing for the tech industry: CES is just weeks away.

    This year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will feature technology-driven products, accessories, and services from companies across the world. The convention, held yearly in Las Vegas, is host to a broad swath of announcements and is often the venue where companies show off their most ambitious technologies.

    Though CES is open to companies of all sizes, the focus of the event inevitably shifts to larger manufacturers such as Sony and Samsung, which often showcase products that will not hit consumer markets for years to come. Samsung in particular, with its ever-expanding lineup of products, will be one of the companies dominating the convention.

    Samsung this week previewed its CES showing, stating that it will be focusing on its smart TV technologies. Having already dominated its Android competitors and built itself up as a rival for Apple in the mobile space, the company is now looking to take over consumers’ living room experiences.

    In particular Samsung is touting its voice recognition software, which it says will support 23 different countries by the end of 2014. Its new smart TVs will also have a “finger gesture” capability, allowing consumers to control channel and volume controls with their fingers.

    “Samsung’s 2014 smart TV models deliver significantly improved voice interaction and motion control features so that our consumers will be able to enjoy our smart TV more intuitively,” said Kyungshik Lee, SVP of Visual Display Service Strategy at Samsung. “We will continue to develop content that integrates voice and motion recognition for added convenience.”

    Samsung’s preview makes it even more clear that tech companies believe that consumers want voice and motion controls for their living rooms. Another prominent example is Microsoft’s Xbox One console, which the company was willing to price far above its competitor to include the new Kinect motion and voice sensor.

    However, such Star Trek/Minority Report visions remain just that, as current technologies are both slower and less accurate than standard remotes. What is shown at CES by Samsung and others is likely to be remarkable, but it will take years for consumers to see the benefits – if there are any to be had.

  • Samsung Beats Apple in New Enterprise Smartphone Assessment

    Samsung Beats Apple in New Enterprise Smartphone Assessment

    With 2014 nearly upon us, it’s the time of year for introspection and reminiscing. For the technology industry, each December is surprising for how different situations are compared to the previous January. This year in particular has marked a turning point for the smartphone segment, where Samsung is now competing head-to-head with Apple.

    Market research firm ABI Research this week released a new competitive assessment for the enterprise smartphone industry as it stands now. The report concludes that Samsung has the overall best enterprise smartphone implementation in the business. The Korean manufacturer is followed closely by Apple, which recently added crucial enterprise tools in its latest iOS update. BlackBerry also makes the top three, demonstrating that it could still have some value in its enterprise solutions despite the complete failure of its consumer device division.

    Though ABI scored Apple highest in implementation Samsung was able to edge out its rival in innovation, with the firm stating that Samsung’s security features are better. Samsung this fall began expanding its enterprise solutions business and recently introduced a consumer version of its Knox enterprise security suite.

    “There are two sets of OEM battles that need to be watched closely: Apple and Samsung and Nokia and BlackBerry,” said Jason McNicol senior analyst at ABI. “Apple and Samsung are quite interesting considering Apple’s smartphone innovations drove its lead in the enterprise over Samsung. But Samsung has learned quickly and has stolen the innovator role from Apple.”

  • Samsung Galaxy S5 Will Likely Be Plastic

    Samsung Galaxy S5 Will Likely Be Plastic

    Rumors in recent weeks have excited Samsung smartphone fans with fantastic tales of a metal backing and chassis for Samsung’s next Galaxy S smartphone. Though fans can still hope they should prepare, however, for yet another hard plastic case similar to the Galaxy S III and Galaxy S4.

    A DigiTimes report today revealed that chassis manufacturers in Taiwan (those which almost certainly would create such components for Samsung) have not begun mass production on anything resembling a metal chassis for a Galaxy S5. The report’s unnamed sources stated that Samsung is “still evaluating” using a metal chassis for its high-end smartphones, but that it doesn’t appear to be ready to implement such a solution for its upcoming Galaxy S device, which is expected sometime during the first quarter 2014.

    The metal Galaxy S rumors, according to DigiTimes, had pointed to several manufacturers who could produce such components for Samsung, including Catcher Technology, Ju Teng International, and BYD.

    The report’s sources went on to state that it might actually be a bad idea for Samsung to make its high-end smartphone chassis metal. Production costs are a factor, of course, and would undoubtedly increase with metal components. However, the sources also pointed out that Samsung has managed to seriously challenge Apple’s high-end smartphone supremacy with its current Galaxy S designs, suggesting that consumers might not care that the devices have plastic shells.

    Instead of metal, the DigiTimes report states that Samsung is more likely to use plastic combined with carbon fiber or fiberglass for its smartphone chassis. This suggestion matches industry predictions that plastics will become more important to the overall mobile device industry as it matures.

  • Samsung Reveals Its Own Smartphone Game Controller

    Samsung Reveals Its Own Smartphone Game Controller

    It’s become increasingly apparent over the years that smartphone games are kind of trash unless they’re built specifically for touch. There’s just no way to replicate an analog stick or d-pad on a touch screen. To remedy that, some companies have made bluetooth gamepads for smartphones, but now major phone OEMs are getting in on it.

    Samsung announced today that it will soon be launching what it calls the Smartphone GamePad. It’s a flat game controller that snaps into any Android device, but will better support Samsung devices. It also helps to serve as a mini-game console for devices, like the Galaxy S 4, that can connect to TVs through HDMI.

    As previously noted, the Smartphone GamePad has been optimized for Samsung devices. For those devices, the GamePad has a few extra features, including the Play button. By installing the Mobile Console app on their Samsung device, users can then press the Play button and have instant access to all of their games. It will also list all of the GamePad-supporting titles available for purchase.

    Of course, mobile gamepads are only as good as the support they receive from developers, and it looks like Samsung has lined up some pretty big partners for its launch. Here are some of the games that support the Smartphone GamePad right now:

  • Need for Speed: Most Wanted
  • Asphalt 8: Airborne
  • Modern Combat 4: Zero Hour
  • Virtua Tennis Challenge
  • Prince of Persia: The Shadow and the Flame

    • Samsung notes that the GamePad currently supports 35 titles and that more will come in 2014. It’s currently available to purchase in European markets and will be available in “additional regions” in the coming weeks. It doesn’t say when the U.S. will get it, but we shouldn’t have to wait that long.

    [h/t: DroidLife]
    [Image: Samsung]

  • Top Smartphones: Which Phone Rules The Roost?

    Top Smartphones: Which Phone Rules The Roost?

    With the holiday season well underway, perhaps you’re looking into buying a popular smartphone for a family member. Maybe your current phone hasn’t been so great and you’re hoping to find a new smartphone in your stocking this year. One stand out phone seems to have the most consumers buzzing this Christmas.

    The iPhone 5S is reported to be the top-selling phone for all four major U.S. wireless carriers. The running joke with Apple has long been that just when you’ve gotten good and comfortable with your new phone, another one is released. Regardless of the inevitability of an iPhone 6, many agree that this latest effort is an improvement over the former phone. One of the major features is the ability to use your fingerprint as a passcode for accessing your phone. Talk about high tech security.

    Apple’s success dethrones Samsung stateside, as the company’s Samsung Galaxy S4 was the most popular phone in late summer. But don’t count Samsung out just yet. The company’s product did outsell Apple’s last year. Though they may be edged out by Christmas, there’s a good chance that Samsung will take this as a challenge to improve on future phones.

    Nokia is still one of the most popular global options for low-end phones, though they are struggling a bit. Rumors of an android phone release make some wonder if they’ll end up with a Blackberry type situation: Too little, too late.

    As a consumer, it’s best to not only know which phones are popular, but which phones are best. There are certain top qualities a buyer should be looking for in a phone before they shell out their hard-earned money.

    It should be fast (the newest iPhone has an A7 chip), have a beautiful high definition screen (the Samsung Galaxy S4 has the best screen resolution), and give you the best bang for your buck. That last point is highly subjective. Only you or the person you’re shopping for will know whether it was money well spent after the holiday season is over.

    Image: Wikimedia Commons

  • Samsung Announces the Galaxy Grand 2 Smartphone

    Samsung Announces the Galaxy Grand 2 Smartphone

    Samsung is now shipping well over one-quarter of the world’s smartphones and it isn’t hard to see how. The Korean manufacturer now has dozens of smartphone models in a variety of costs and sizes.

    Today Samsung announced yet another smartphone in its growing Galaxy-branded lineup. The new Galaxy Grand 2 is positioned as an in-between device that is larger than the Galaxy S4, but not so big as the monstrous Galaxy Note 3.

    Though Samsung referred to the Grand 2 as “portable” and “compact” in its announcement, the device is still very much on the larger end of the smartphone size curve. The device has a 5.25-inch screen with a 1280 x 720 resolution.

    Underneath the screen the Grand 2 has a 1.2GHz quad core processor and a sparse 1.5GB of RAM. The device comes with 8GB of storage, though it also has a microSD card slot for storage expansion. It also has a 2,600mAh battery that Samsung claims will give users 17 hours of phone calls.

    The Grand 2 will come running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, though it will also be loaded with Samsung’s proprietary software, including the Samsung Hub. It will come in a basic white color, though black and pink will be available in “selective regions.” Samsung has not announced either pricing or release estimates for individual countries.

    Though the smartphone’s size is nestled in-between the S4 and the Note 3, the Grand’s hardware is noticeably less costly than those other devices. This could suggest that Samsung is seeking to position the Grand 2 as a low-cost, big-screen alternative to its premium smartphone lineup.

  • Samsung Galaxy S4s are Free on Black Friday (Whoa)

    Samsung Galaxy S4s are Free on Black Friday (Whoa)

    The day after Thanksgiving could be your day to finally upgrade your phone: The most recent edition of the highly popular Samsung smartphone, the Galaxy S4 will be free on Black Friday.

    Of course, this is with a two-year contract only. This is still a great deal, especially for those who have been looking at their Galaxy S3s with a little less love since the S4 has been released.

    The Black Friday Best Buy and Walmart ads both explain their unique ways of providing this offer. At Walmart, you pay $99, but they in turn give you a $100 gift card. Yes, it is only a dollar back, but that is still an extra dollar that you didn’t have before! Plus, receiving a gift card could also scratch an item off of your Christmas list. All in all, kudos to Walmart’s ingenious marketing plan to keep the money in-house with a little extra incentive.

    Best Buy keeps it a bit simpler, but with their own advantages: If you get your Galaxy S4 from Best Buy, you have the choice of using Verizon, AT&T and Sprint as your carrier. Best Buy is also the only place where you can get the attractive Blue Arctic color.

    It’s pretty hard to say that this isn’t a great deal. While this probably means that the Galaxy S5 is coming soon, which it definitely is according to some, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a great phone that normally costs over $200. If you or someone you know needs an upgrade, Black Friday might be the best time to do it.

    Image: Samsung

  • Jury Awards Apple $290 Million In Samsung Lawsuit

    Jury Awards Apple $290 Million In Samsung Lawsuit

    The AFP and the San Jose Mercury News reported an important update today on the lawsuit between Apple and Samsung: an eight-person jury from Silicon Valley has awarded Apple $290 million for Samsung’s apparent copying of iPhone and iPad designs, which it used in 13 devices.

    This latest award brings Apple’s total damages up to a staggering $900 million from the entire infringement suit against Samsung. The jury valued the Samsung Infuse 4G at $100 million, and the Droid Charge at $60 million.

    Apple’s first suit against Samsung was filed with Australian courts in 2011. Apple had requested that the country ban the Samsung Galaxy tablet computer on the basis that Samsung violated no less than three copyrights.

    Previously, Apple’s lawyer had asked for $379 million in damages for patent violations on the part of Samsung. They argued that number based on the profits Apple lost, and the profits that Samsung gained from selling the infringing devices. Samsung was portrayed as a hobgoblin that pirated Apple’s designs to keep up in the competitive smartphone and tablet markets.

    Across the aisle, Samsung’s lawyers argued that Apple was portraying their patents as more valuable than they are, and that Apple is overestimating their importance to consumers.

    Where a consumer might buy an Apple iPhone for the brand, Samsung argued, a Samsung smartphone may be purchased for: the larger screen; Android operating system; and affordability,not because it resembles an Apple product. Samsung placed the damages at $52 million.

    The dueling tech-giants are far from finished with one another. Another trial is scheduled in March over more patent violations on Samsung’s part. Unfortunately, by the time that suit goes to court, the case will have fallen even further behind the releases of new devices from both companies.

    Regardless of how the appeals get resolved, Apple and Samsung will continue to battle for their chunk of the smart-device market. According to an IDC survey, Samsung currently has the bigger market share at 31.4 percent while Apple’s share slipped from 14.4 percent to 13.1 percent.

    [Image via Wikimedia Commons]

  • Samsung Has Sold 800,000 Galaxy Gears

    Samsung Has Sold 800,000 Galaxy Gears

    Back in September Samsung announced its first smart watch, the Galaxy Gear. The watch was poorly received in the tech press, with reviewers criticizing the device for its lack of features. Another sticking point with the device is that it was only compatible with Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 3 smartphone until just recently.

    Despite these limitations it seems that pent-up demand for smart watches has made the Galaxy Gear a mild success. Reuters today reported Samsung claims that it has sold 800,000 of its new smart watches in September and October. This outpaces even what were seen as optimistic predictions from analysts, and Samsung has even stated that its own projections have been exceeded.

    These sales come just before the holiday quarter, in which Samsung is expecting to sell even more Galaxy Gears. Reuters quotes the Korean tech company as stating it will soon be pouring even more cash into marketing the device. Samsung has already spent millions marketing the Galaxy Gear, which includes an odd puppet-related ad released in early October.

    This holiday season might be the only one that Samsung will get to market its smart watch while only competing seriously with the likes of Sony. Apple is still rumored to be close to finalizing its designs for a smart watch and smartphone manufacturers are expected to ship millions of the devices in the coming years. Even Samsung itself is already rumored to be developing the follow-up to the Galaxy Gear.

  • Curved iPhone: Will it be Apple’s Newest Design?

    Curved iPhone: Will it be Apple’s Newest Design?

    Wasn’t it just a couple months ago that Apple released both the 5s and the 5c at the same time? Now there are rumors spreading like wildfire that Apple will once again do a double phone release. The news seems to be Apple’s response to both Samsung and LG who have recently released smartphones with a curved display. Now Apple is reportedly designing two separate models which will feature a curved screen and enhanced touch sensors that can detect varying levels of pressure. The main difference from their competitors will be the use of a wraparound display.

    The information, which was first released by Bloomberg, reported that the new iPhones will feature screen sizes of 4.7 and 5.5 inches, which will make them the largest Apple phones to date. The newest Galaxy Note 3 runs 5.7 inches and the Galaxy Round, which was released about a month ago, both feature the latest bigger is better trend in technology. In addition, the new LG model G Flex, features a 6-inch flexible screen with a plastic back that actually heals itself. Yes, you can nick, scratch, ding and maybe even drop it. The phone will reportedly repair itself.

    Apple’s new curved phones can’t come out quickly enough for the company whose revenue growth and current sales are the slowest in five years. When the company released two different iPhone versions at the same time last September, something they had never done before, the iPhone 5s wound up dominating sales over the iPhone 5c. The 5s is the cheaper model.

    When can we expect Apple’s latest foray into the crowded but still overtly competitive smartphone market? No release date has been set and the phone is still at the beginning of the production stage. Whether the latest curved model trend will takeover also remains to be seen.

    Image Via Wikipedia Commons

  • Samsung Notebook Orders Down, Apple Shipping Fewer MacBooks

    Samsung Notebook Orders Down, Apple Shipping Fewer MacBooks

    The PC industry has hit hard times as the tablet and smartphone markets have begun to eat away at PC sales. This is especially true for notebooks, though manufacturers are trying desperately to compete with features such as touchscreens.

    The segment’s downturn has affected even the largest manufacturers. A DigiTimes report today shows that even Samsung and Apple are not immune to the changing tech landscape.

    The report’s unnamed “sources from the upstream supply chain” are cited as saying that Samsung has placed only 40% of the notebook component orders it had expected to during June, July, and October. As a result, those same sources believe that Samsung will miss its notebook shipment targets for the year. The Korean manufacturer is now expected to ship only 13 million notebooks during 2013 – a small drop from the 13.8 million notebooks it shipped during 2012.

    The report also states that Apple is likely to cut back on its PC orders. For the past three months, Apple iMac shipments are reportedly down 50% year-over-year. Though new MacBook Pro models should even out the company’s orders, the segment is now not a focus for Apple.

    If lowered orders weren’t enough of a burden for component manufacturers, a report last week revealed that some of them are now being pressured into partially paying for manufacturers’ cloud computing initiatives. At least some component manufacturers are paying up, fearful that dwindling notebook orders could leave altogether.

  • Samsung Introduces The World’s Thinnest 2TB Hard Drive

    Samsung Introduces The World’s Thinnest 2TB Hard Drive

    The 2.5-inch hard drive is the standard used by small laptops and other small computing devices. Even game consoles like the PS3 and upcoming PS4 use them. The only problem is that these devices can’t take advantage of 1.5TB and 2TB 2.5-inch drives because they’re too tall. Samsung is fixing all of that today.

    Seagate’s Samsung HDD division announced today that it’s shipping the new 2.5-inch Spinpoint M9T to OEMs and retail. The drives are only 9.5mm tall and come in 1.5TB and 2TB flavors. It’s a major win for those who want more storage in smaller devices as 2TB 2.5-inch hard drives generally come in at 15mm tall and that’s much too tall for the drive bays of laptops and game consoles.

    “The M9T combines the highest areal density shipping in a single storage device with an innovative design that fits into mainstream notebook applications. While other 2TB are solutions on the market are 15 mm thick, the vast majority of mobile devices are designed to use a 9.5 mm drive; with the M9T, those devices can now have 2TB of storage, enabling a richer computing experience,” said Dave Frankovich, senior product line manager, Samsung HDD.

    As was the case with Samsung’s Spinpoint M8 drives, the M9T features a 5400 RPM spin speed, SATA 6Gb/s interface support, SilentSeek and NoiseGuard. There’s no price available for the drives just yet, but I’d ballpark the 2TB drive around $200.

    The Spinpoint M9T is a pretty big deal for laptops, but it’s an even bigger deal for PS4 owners. Sony uses the SATA 2.5-inch HDD standard for its next home console, but the company is shipping the PS4 with a measly 500GB HDD. Many PS4 games will require upwards of 50GB to be installed to the HDD and that will take up all your space pretty quickly. With these new drives, you’ll be able to store up to four times the amount of games than what’s possible on a 500GB HDD.

    If you don’t need that kind of storage right away, you also might want to wait. Other HDD vendors will no doubt come out with their own 9.5mm 2TB HDD solutions next year to compete with Samsung, and those drives might just end up being cheaper.

    [Image: Seagate/BusinessWire]

  • Samsung Expands Galaxy Gear Compatibility to Other Galaxy Devices

    Samsung Expands Galaxy Gear Compatibility to Other Galaxy Devices

    As Google is rumored to be preparing its own new smart watch device, Samsung is finally improving the functionality of its Galaxy Gear. Samsung announced today that a software update will soon enable the Galaxy S 4, Galaxy S III, and Galaxy Note II smartphones to interface with the Gear.

    The update will be pushed out to customers sometime “in the coming weeks.” The actual timing of the software update will depend on individual mobile carriers, which are notoriously slow at providing updates for customers. The Gear compatibility update will also be coming to the Galaxy S 4 Mini and Galaxy Mega smartphone “in the coming months.”

    The Galaxy Gear was announced back in September at the IFA conference in Berlin. The watch has a 1.63-inch display, 512MB of RAM and 4GB of storage. Despite the watch’s impressive hardware specs, the device’s features were mainly limited to notification messages, memos, and phone calls. The device was also limited to functioning with Samsung’s Galaxy Note 3 smartphone or the latest version of its Galaxy Note 10.1 tablet.

    The new software update will also come with more than just Gear compatibility. The smartphones will be upgraded to Android 4.3 and “additional features” such as Samsung’s “Easy Mode,” “Mulit Window” support, and new camera options will also be added. The update will also make the smartphones “ready” for KNOX, Samsung’s enterprise security software.

  • Galaxy Tab 3 Kids Will Annoy You With Its Color Scheme On November 10

    Galaxy Tab 3 Kids Will Annoy You With Its Color Scheme On November 10

    Color is one of the most important aspects of any consumer technology. After all, color makes up a consumer’s first impression of any device, and that’s why most companies play it safe with black or white. It seems that all color sense is thrown out the window when kids get involved though.

    Samsung announced today that its Galaxy Tab 3 Kids will launch on November 10 in the U.S. The $230 7-inch tablet packs all the power of a Tab 3, but puts it in a garish yellow/orange package. Check it out:

    Galaxy Tab 3 Color Scheme November 10

    The original press shots show that the device also comes in a more palatable yellow/green color combination, but it still assaults the eyes with colors that even children may find intolerable.

    Color aside, what does this tablet have other just a regular Galaxy Tab 3? For starters, you can boot it up into a special kid’s interface that’s only allows them access to specific content. This content includes educational apps as well as kid-friendly games, like Fruit Ninja and Toca Train.

    As you can tell from the image above, it’s also encased in that ugly orange bumper case to prevent damage caused by butter fingers – a condition that affects nearly 9 out of every 10 children.

    “Today’s kids are incredibly tech-savvy and regularly use technology at home, at school and on-the-go,” said Nanda Ramachandran, vice president of emerging business, Samsung Mobile. “Studies show that 70 percent of tablet owners share their tablets with their children. The Galaxy Tab 3 Kids is engaging, encourages learning and fosters creativity in a safe environment that parents can easily manage.”

    The Galaxy Tab 3 Kids is hardly the first tablet that’s marketed specifically to children. Toys ‘R’ Us makes its own Tabeo tablet that retails for the more affordable $150. Of course, the lower price means you’re getting less impressive specs, but kids rarely care about such things.

    “Samsung is committed to offering products that fit the needs of all consumers and the addition of the Galaxy Tab 3 Kids offers a safe introduction to mobile technology,” said Travis Merrill, vice president of tablet marketing, Samsung Electronics America. “The Galaxy Tab 3 Kids provides a tablet experience that can grow and adapt with the whole family.”

    If you’re interested in the Galaxy Tab 3 Kids, pre-orders open on November 1 for the device. It will be available at retail and online through Samsung.com, Amazon, Best Buy, Fry’s, Office Depot, Sam’s Club, Tiger Direct and Toys ‘R’ Us.

    [Image: Samsung]