Android News

Oculus has announced that its digital marketplace for the Gear VR now features an automated refund policy. The feature automatically refunds (if requested by a user) the price of any content that is purchased through the store. It is now available worldwide, so everyone can use it if they’re not satisfied by apps or games purchased for Samsung’s  virtual reality headset. As per Oculus, customers can request for a refund within three days of purchasing it, provided that they’ve interacted with it for less than 30 minutes. However, content such as movies, bundles, and in-app purchases won’t qualify for this automated refund mechanism. The company says that it takes around five days for it to review, verify, and process refund requests, but it could take more time for the refund amount to hit your payment source. If you’ve purchased an app or a game from the Oculus Store for the Gear VR headset and are unsatisfied by it, you can request for a refund within the mentioned time period

The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge were launched last year with Android 6.0 and the company’s TouchWiz UX. The phones were updated to Nougat at the beginning of 2017, and the update brought with it a newer version of Samsung’s user interface. Unofficially Grace UX, it was introduced to last year’s Samsung devices through the Nougat update, but the Galaxy S8 came with an even newer version of the interface, which the company is calling Samsung Experience. The S8 came with Samsung Experience 8.1, and later, the Note 8 debuted with version 8.5. We have seen Samsung Experience 8.1 make its way to devices like the Galaxy J5/J7 (2016) and the 2017 Galaxy A series phones , but it hasn’t yet arrived on the S7 and S7 edge. We expected it to come to the S7 duo with the Android Oreo update , as it would make no sense for Samsung to spend resources on an update that simply refreshed the user interface, but it looks like the Korean giant will do just that. One of the Samsung Members community admin

Samsung continues to plug a major security vulnerability on its devices. The company today rolled out the Blueborne fix for Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy J3 (2017), Galaxy S5 Plus and the Galaxy Tab S3. Devices like the Galaxy S8 , Galaxy Note 8 , Galaxy S5, Galaxy A5 (2016) and many others have already received the fix. The Blueborne vulnerability affects countless Android smartphones. It enables hackers to completely take over a target’s device even when the device isn’t paired with the hacker’s device or set to discoverable mode. The Blueborne fix for Galaxy Note 4 has been released with firmware version N910FXXS1DQI5 . It doesn’t bump up the device from Android 6.0.1 and also retains the security patch level to August 2017. Download it here . The first device in this year’s Galaxy J series to receive the Blueborne fix is the Galaxy J3 (2017). Samsung has rolled out firmware version J330FNXXS1AQI1 for this device today. It also gets the August 2017 security patch . Samsung has also rel

Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology has announced that it has opened an artificial intelligence lab in the University of Montreal, Canada, which will focus on developing core algorithms that can be used in various AI-related applications such as self-driving automobiles, language translations, robotics, and visual and voice recognition. The company said that SAIT researchers from Korea, such as Yoshua Bengio who has an authority in deep learning and AI, will join the university staff for help in research and development. The lab will conduct research in collaboration with SAIT to improve artificial intelligence-related algorithms. The AI lab and SAIT will research on a long-term basis on the mentioned technologies so that they can be made commercially available in the next five to ten years. The institute has already developed cadmium-free quantum dot materials, which are being used in high-end QLED TVs by Samsung. The company is also said to be working on an AI-powered wirel

We publish  a lot  of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the majority of news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to keep up. However, we think we’ve come up with a fantastic solution — a  daily recap . Here’s what we published today. Business Samsung heir set to appeal his prison sentence Samsung to form an advisory panel to enhance its foundry business Deals Daily Deal: Save 60% on a Gear VR (2016) Firmware News Galaxy Tab A 9.7 Nougat update arrives with version 7.1.1 Phones Galaxy A5 (2018) fan render envisages design assumptions Samsung launches Rose Pink Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ in Europe Virtual Reality Samsung is working on a Windows Mixed Reality headset with AKG audio Watches Samsung selected as a partner for the US FDA’s digital health software program The post SamMobile Daily Recap: September 27, 2017 — Galaxy A5 (2018), Galaxy S8 and more! appeared first on SamMobile .

It’s not surprising that the Galaxy Tab A 9.7 Nougat update has been released. What’s surprising is that Samsung has bumped it straight up to Android version 7.1.1. The update has now started rolling out in several markets. It will soon be available in additional markets across the globe as well. It hasn’t been long since it was reported that the 2015 Galaxy Tab A models will receive the Nougat update . That’s why it’s not surprising to see that the Galaxy Tab A 9.7 Nougat update is rolling out. However, it’s surprising to see that the version number is Android 7.1.1. This makes the Galaxy Tab A 9.7 Samsung’s first device to jump from Android 6.0.1 straight to Android 7.1.1. All of the other devices that are on Nougat now were first upgraded to version 7.0. The only other device that’s running on Android 7.1.1 right now is the Galaxy Note 8 and it just came out like two weeks ago. It’s likely that the devices that are currently on Android 7.0 will not be upgraded to Android 7.1.1.

Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was arrested earlier this year on charges including bribery and corruption . He denied wrongdoing throughout the proceedings but the court found him guilty and sentenced him to five years in prison . Lee Jae-yong, who is also the heir apparent to the conglomerate, is set to begin his appeal against the prison sentence tomorrow. He was convicted by a lower court last month on charges that included bribing the country’s former president Park Geun-hye. Lee’s legal team had said last month that he had every intention of appealing the decision. The process of his appeal starts tomorrow with the Seoul High Court setting the order of witnesses and evidence for the appeal trial. The appeal trial is expected to being by mid-October. Lee has hired a new legal team for the appeal. It’s possible that a ruling on the appeal will be passed by the court by January next year. As per South Korean law, he can only be kept in detention for a maximum of fo

Amazon has cut the price of the Gear VR (2016) by 60%, meaning you can currently pick one up for the modest price of $39.99. But there’s a caveat: the promotion is only available in the United States. To purchase the Gear VR (2016), all you need to do is hit the  Buy Now  button below. You’ll need to hurry though, as Amazon only has a limited amount of inventory available—and once it’s gone, it’s gone. The post Daily Deal: Save 60% on a Gear VR (2016) appeared first on SamMobile .

  Samsung Electronics’ The Frame TV boasts striking 4K UHD picture quality when turned on and displays a collection of dazzling artwork when turned off. Bringing the two together in one device is a certainly a masterpiece in innovation. But how does viewing artwork at home on The Frame square up to the gallery experience?     Round 1 – Price   For 1,799 euros (about $2,130), an art enthusiast can secure a piece by Wolfgang Uhilig and 1,699 euros (about $2,010) can buy a single work by Tommy Clarke at the Lumas Gallery in Berlin. Even official prints can cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Not to mention the cost of protecting and insuring masterpieces – purchasing a work of art is certainly a long-term financial commitment.   By contrast, access to the Samsung Collection’s 100 stunning works from 37 renowned artists is included with purchase of The Frame. To fuel the user’s passion for art, the Art Store offers additional pieces on a curated subscription basis at $4

Samsung is due to launch the new Galaxy A series in a couple of months. We’ve started hearing more rumors about these handsets and while we’ve yet to see any official renders being leaked, a fan-made render of the Galaxy A5 (2018) has surfaced online from South Korea. The render envisages what the handset might look like based on recent reports. According to reports, the Galaxy A (2018) series will feature an Infinity Display . The jury is still out on whether it will be a flat or curved panel. Chances are that it’s going to be the former. The render reiterates this assumption. Since it’s going to have an Infinity Display, the Galaxy A5 (2018) won’t have a home button. This means that the fingerprint sensor will have to be repositioned. The render envisages the fingerprint sensor at the back where it’s likely to be placed. The placement itself will likely be deemed too high by many users so Samsung will end up taking flak for it . While there have been rumors about a dual camera

Samsung has made official the Rose Pink color variant of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ for Europe. The Rose Pink S8 and S8+ will go on sale in the Netherlands and other European markets in early October with official price tags of €799 and €899 respectively. Samsung isn’t saying which markets will see a launch of the pink variants, but availability will no doubt be limited to just a few regions. Naturally, the pink hue will only be seen on the back and sides of the devices; the front will remain as black as ever to make the Infinity Display stand out. As for the specs, those will remain the same, including the 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch Super AMOLED displays, Exynos 8895 processor, 12-megapixel and 8-megapixel rear and front cameras, and 3,000 mAh and 3,500 mAh batteries. Which is to say these are the same excellent flagships Samsung launched a few months ago , remaining a great bet for those who do not need the stylus offered by the Note 8 . Well, you don’t get a dual rear camera on the S

While Samsung is the largest memory chip maker in the world right now, its system-on-chip business is considered as relatively weaker. After the company spun off its semiconductor manufacturing arm from the System LSI division in May last year, it is striving hard to improve the business by forming an advisory panel. It is currently making chips for brands like AMD and Qualcomm . According to a report from Business Korea , the advisory panel for Samsung’s Foundry business would consist of around ten members, and they’ll be organized before the end of this year. The panel members will conduct regular meetings to enhance the business. The global foundry market is expected to show an annual average growth rate of 7.8 percent until 2021. Last year, TSMC had a 50.6 percent market share of the global foundry segment, while Samsung had a market share of just 7.9 percent. Samsung is trying to boost its market share by using 7nm and 8nm process technology for fabricating chipsets. The co

While brands like Facebook, HTC, Oculus, and Samsung are focusing on virtual reality and Apple is focusing on Augmented reality, Microsoft has made Mixed Reality a big part of its Windows 10 operating system. The company is holding a special Mixed Reality event next week where it could launch multiple Windows Mixed Reality headsets, and Samsung appears to be one of its partner brands. Twitter user Walking Cat has uncovered images of what appears to be Samsung’s Windows Mixed Reality headset. It appears to have six degree-of-freedom tracking, like most other Windows Mixed Reality headsets. It has two cameras on the front and AKG-branded headphones, similar to Oculus’ Rift VR headset. Samsung’s headset could ship with Microsoft’s motion controllers. Nothing much is known about the upcoming Mixed Reality headset from Samsung as of now, but it could be unveiled at Microsoft’s event and launch next month alongside Windows 10 Fall Creators Update on October 17. As of now, Asus, Acer, Dell,

The US Food and Drug Administration has announced the names of nine companies that have been selected as partners for its pilot program that will help in revolutionizing digital health regulation in the country. Samsung is a part of the pilot program, and so are Apple, Fitbit, Johnson & Johnson, Pear Therapeutics, Phosphorus, Roche, Tidepool, and Verily. These brands are considered to be the innovators and leaders in the medical device and technology sectors. The program has received interest from more than 100 brands. The FDA’s digital health software pre-certification program will help in taking a tailored approach towards digital health technology’s software rather than focussing on the end product. The FDA will review the software design, validation, and maintenance to determine whether a company has met quality standards, and if it did, it would be a pre-certified. With the information received from the pre-certification program, the FDA will determine key metrics and perfo

We publish  a lot  of stories on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the majority of news breaks during our European hours of operation, which makes it difficult for our readers in the US (and other regions) to keep up. However, we think we’ve come up with a fantastic solution — a  daily recap . Here’s what we covered today. APK Samsung Milk Music being shut down for good, streaming to be integrated in Samsung Music Samsung updates Note 8’s Air Command and Live Message features, other apps Business Samsung overtakes Toyota to become the top brand in Asia Deals Daily Deal: Take 8% off a Fast Charge Wireless Charging Stand Samsung India’s online store offering numerous discounts as part of anniversary sale Firmware News Galaxy A5 (2017) Blueborne fix released Galaxy S8 update brings Blueborne vulnerability fix, other improvements General Samsung is now producing eUFS storage for next-generation cars Phones Samsung’s SM-W2018 enters testing, firmware spotted Someone created a S

Samsung launched its music streaming service called Milk Music in 2014. It wanted to take on established rivals with the service but Samsung Milk never got the response from users that Samsung would have liked. Milk was limited to users in South Korea, United States, China, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia. It decided last year that it was no longer feasible to keep the service up and running. Samsung started shutting down Milk in various markets last year. Samsung has now confirmed that it’s shutting down Milk for good. Samsung Milk Music will cease to exist come October 23. It will no longer own and operate its own music streaming service. However, users in supported markets will be able to stream music from the native Samsung Music app. It’s now opting for a White label solution from Soribada Inc, a Korean company in the online music business. This streaming experience will be offered via the native Samsung Music app on the company’s smartphones. “We decided to remove the M

You may have heard of the Samsung DeX dock but there has never been a Samsung DeX laptop, at least not officially. A member over at the XDA forums has worked on a very cool DIY project to create his very own Samsung DeX laptop. It’s not half bad, to be honest. Samsung DeX was introduced earlier this year with the Galaxy S8 . The dock enables the flagship to power a PC-like experience. It hooks up to an external monitor and peripherals PC-like functionality. DeX is compatible with the Galaxy Note 8 as well. An early 2008 MacBook Pro was used for this project. All of the internals were scooped out to make space. An LCD controller board and backlight inverter were installed to make the display usable with DeX. Some soldering was required to make the laptop’s keyboard work via USB. The trackpad doesn’t work but he’s figuring it out. Once that was done, a couple of batteries were added to power the system. Finally, a fan was added to ensure that the makeshift laptop doesn’t overheat.

It has been rumored multiple times over the fast few months that Samsung has a new flagship flip phone in the pipeline . The company hasn’t confirmed anything about this device as yet. Reports suggest that it’s called the W2018 and that it’s going to have flagship-level specifications. The flip phone, bearing model number SM-W2018, is reportedly going to feature a pair of 4.2-inch Full HD displays, a Snapdragon 835 processor , 6GB RAM, 64GB of storage and a 2,300mAh battery. It may also feature a 12-megapixel rear and 5-megapixel front camera. The latest whispers out of China suggest that the SM-W2018 has now entered testing. A firmware for the device has been spotted as well, it’s version number W2018ZCU0AQI9 . We’ve independently verified this and this firmware does indeed exist. Samsung is yet to confirm when it’s going to unveil its new flagship flip phone. The company’s clip phones are generally reserved for the Chinese markets. It’s likely going to be the same case with the W2

There’s no denying the fact the Infinity Display that debuted on board the Galaxy S8 is fantastic, but ever since Apple took the wraps off the iPhone X, we’ve noticed a number of readers request that Samsung adopts a similar near-bezel-less notch design for the upcoming Galaxy S9 , because they believe it’s more immersive. Until we’ve seen the iPhone X for ourselves, we won’t be able to say whether that’s the case. What we can say, however, is that we’re huge fans of the design of the Galaxy S8 , and there’s a good chance the notch will make it a little less user-friendly, as it eliminates the bezels used to hold the unit when watching videos. We’d love to know whether you’d like to see the iPhone X’s notch on the Galaxy S9, so be sure to cast a vote in the poll below, then feel free to expand on your answer in the comments section. Come on, let’s get a conversation going! As usual, we’ll be responding to comments submitted over on  Twitter . Note: There is a poll embedded within th

Samsung has recently been sending out firmware updates to fix a major security vulnerability known as Blueborne. The company today rolled out the Galaxy A5 (2017) Blueborne fix. Earlier today, Samsung also released the fix for this vulnerability for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. The Blueborne vulnerability is a security exploit that was recently discovered. It affects Android, Windows and even some iOS devices. The vulnerability enables hackers to take over a device completely. The hacker doesn’t need to pair with the device. It doesn’t even need to be in discoverable mode. Samsung is rolling out the Galaxy A5 (2017) Blueborne fix with firmware version A520FXXU2BQIE . It’s a 76MB download that patches this vulnerability. The security patch hasn’t been upgraded from August. That was to be expected since Samsung has been so busy with rolling out the fixes for Blueborne that it hasn’t really focused on the September security patch. If Samsung doesn’t get around to doing that then it