Android News

Samsung has been granted a number of new design patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), reports Patently Mobile —and they include everything from a foldable smartphone to a 360-degree speaker. Related:  Samsung foldable smartphone listed on company’s own website It’s worth noting, however, that nothing outlined in these (minimalistic) design patents is set in stone. They merely provide an insight into what the firm could be working on behind the scenes, so don’t get your hopes up. Design Patent #1 — Foldable Smartphone 1 Design Patent #2 — Foldable Smartphone 2 Design Patent #3 — Radiant 360 R5 Speaker The post Samsung’s latest design patents probably won’t see the light of day appeared first on SamMobile .

The SeeColors app, compatible with all QLED TVs, allows viewers with Color Vision Deficiency to truly enjoy the experience of seeing accurate color through their adjusted displays   Samsung Electronics announced today the launch of SeeColors app for QLED TV, which is compatible with all Samsung QLED TVs. The SeeColors app for QLED TV helps people with Color Vision Deficiency (CVD) diagnose their personal visual deficiencies through the app. Based on individual diagnosis results, QLED TVs, featuring 100% color volume, adjusts the color settings on the display, allowing viewers with CVD to enjoy a viewing experience in accurate color.   “Samsung is committed to making people’s everyday lives smarter and more convenient through technology and innovation,” said Hyeongnam Kim, Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics. “The launch of SeeColors for QLED TV embodies this mission by providing users with a way to address one of the world’s biggest optical chall

  Can you see the letter C? No? Well, you may have a form of color blindness. Color blindness – or color vision deficiency (CVD) – affects approximately 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women. The problem is, although nearly 300 million people suffer from CVD, many are not aware of their condition. And if they do know, they may not realize they are missing out on the fullest spectrum of color.     Samsung Electronics and scientists at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics have invented a way for people with the condition to see the world in full, true color for the first time. Unlike older tests, the unique Colorlite ® Test or C-test diagnosis doesn’t just recognize the condition, it measures the exact degree of the deficiency to identify the most precise correction, opening up a new world of possibilities for those with CVD. The new test is at the heart of an innovative app called SeeColors, which is available on Samsung QLED TVs globally for the first time.     The C

Samsung Electronics, a leader in medical imaging technology, will debut its OmniTom ® mobile 16-slice computed tomography (CT) scanner at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2017 Annual Meeting at McCormick Place in Chicago. OmniTom ® received 510(k) FDA clearance for the U.S. market on August 18 of this year, and attendees will get to see it for the first time at RSNA booth #2543 (South Building, Hall A).   The release of OmniTom ® is the latest demonstration of Samsung’s leadership in CT imaging. OmniTom ® features an array of improvements from Samsung’s award-winning CereTom CT scanner, including:   Improved workflow: OmniTom ® is the world’s first mobile imaging device with omni-directional wheels, maximizing mobility and allowing easier and quieter movement in small spaces. Superior image quality: 16-slice (0.625 mm per slice) advanced data acquisition system with a 50 percent increase in CNR versus other portable CT technologies. Expanded use: Maintain

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. Firmware News Samsung reps say the Galaxy S6 will be updated to Android 8.0 Oreo What’s New With Android 8.0 Oreo Part 12: Enhanced video player functionality Laptops Samsung Chromebook Pro may get a backlit keyboard soon Phones Microsoft Edition Galaxy Note 8 now available from Microsoft’s online store TV Samsung adds Amazon Prime Music to its Smart TVs Watches New Gear S2 software update targets battery optimization Watchface Friday: Here are four of this week’s best watchfaces The post SamMobile Daily Recap: November 24, 2017 — Galaxy S6, Gear S2 and more! appeared first on SamMobile .

It’s Friday, which means it’s time for another edition of Watchface Friday! For those unaware, every Friday, we highlight a selection of our favorite watchfaces for the  Gear S3 classic  and  Gear S3 frontier . All of the offerings are available to download through the Galaxy Apps Store, so you can rest assured that you won’t have to search all over the Internet to find something we’ve listed. Gear S3 classic Mr. Time: Backlight  by Mr. Time Vakta SB01  by Vakta Gear S3 frontier DQS006 Lime Sports Watch  by DQS SMZ ‘Master’  by SMZ The post Watchface Friday: Here are four of this week’s best watchfaces appeared first on SamMobile .

Whether the Gear S2 will ever be updated to Tizen 3.0 is unknown (it probably won’t, given it’s two years old at this point), but Samsung is continuing to support it with minor updates, with the latest one having gone live today. The update brings optimization for increased battery life and enhanced security, and that’s about it. Gear S2 gets new update The update is available on our Gear S2 in the Netherlands, but we’re guessing it’s also gone live in other regions or will do so in the near future. To grab the update, open the Samsung Gear app on your connected phone, go into settings, and then into the About gear section. It’s only 22 MB in size, so you should see it installed in a matter of minutes. The build number after the update will be XXU2EQJ2. Should you discover anything new on your Gear S2 after the update is installed, do let us know in the comments. Also let us know if you’re seeing the update in your country. The post New Gear S2 software update targets battery o

Will the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge get the Android 8.0 Oreo update ? Going by Samsung’s tradition of only releasing two major Android updates for every flagship, that would seem unlikely. But according to a couple of Samsung customer care representatives (from India, if we look at their names) who were asked the question by Reddit user CyberConCoder, Samsung is working on bringing Oreo to its first glass and metal flagship. Now, Samsung customer care executives are probably the least accurate source for such information, but at least one of the contacted reps seems very confident. Android 8.0 Oreo for the Galaxy S6 on the cards? Could it be that the company is finally doing what every Android manufacturer should be doing and extending the support period for its flagships for major Android upgrades to more than two years? No one can tell, although with even the mid-range Galaxy A series devices getting two Android version updates, it could be that Samsung wants customers paying

Samsung Electronics announced today that the company has been awarded a contract for the supply of smartphones and related accessories by the Home Office for use on the emergency services network (ESN), which will see a new communications network rolled out to all police, fire, ambulance and other public safety users across the UK.   The LTE smartphones which will be supplied by Samsung were developed through extensive R&D to provide the most suitable solution for the challenges which currently affect communication within the emergency services. Fully optimised for the emergency environment, it will have a rugged design, be water resistant and both hardware and software features that will support emergency services functionality and critical voice services.   The new network will replace the current Airwave system which is mainly limited to voice radio. ESN will provide mobile broadband data services based on LTE, allowing a huge range of additional capabilities for frontline s

With Android 8.0 Oreo , Samsung is building in enhanced functionality on its default video player app. Samsung’s video app has long been a feature-packed offering, even taking on some third-party apps, and while Oreo doesn’t bring changes that will be meaningful for every user, the video app is getting more customization option for video playback. What’s New With Android 8.0 Oreo: Enhanced video player functionality The first thing we noticed is a new Auto repeat option in the video player settings. When toggled, it will play the current video on loop. Samsung has also added a faster playback speed option. Videos can now be played 2x faster than normal, as opposed to only 1.5x on Nougat. The minimum playback speed, meanwhile, remains the same at 0.5x. Oh, and one change that many will welcome is that the back button will now exit the video app on a single press. On Nougat, it requires two taps of the back button. There’s a lot more in Android 8.0 Oreo, and we’re sure Samsung will

Samsung unveiled the Chromebook Plus/Pro at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year. The company released the new Chromebooks a couple of months later. The Chromebook Pro is particularly popular given its decent specs and brilliant display. However, many customers feel that it should have had a backlit keyboard as well. It appears that Samsung is going to address this customer pain point soon. Some evidence has surfaced to suggest that the company is going to add a backlit keyboard to the Chromebook Pro . Backlit keyboard for Chromebook Pro Chrome Unboxed has discovered the addition of a keyboard backlight to the Samsung Chromebook Pro device board. This suggests that Samsung has decided to make amends for the oversight. A backlit keyboard might help Samsung win over potential customers who decided not to purchase the Chromebook Pro for this reason. However, it’s unclear if Samsung is producing a second run of the existing Chromebook Pro with the new backlit keyboard or i

London, UK – 24 November 2017 – Samsung Electronics announced today that the company has been awarded a contract for the supply of  smartphones and related accessories by the Home Office for use on the emergency services network (ESN), which will see a new communications network rolled out to all police, fire, ambulance and other public safety users across the UK. The LTE smartphones which will be supplied by Samsung were developed through extensive R&D to provide the most suitable solution for the challenges which currently affect communication within the emergency services. Fully optimised for the emergency environment, it will have a rugged design, be water resistant and both hardware and software features that will support emergency services functionality and critical voice services.  The new network will replace the current Airwave system which is mainly limited to voice radio. ESN will provide mobile broadband data services based on LTE, allowing a huge range of additi

India is one of the markets where Samsung is running behind with security updates for flagship phones right now. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ were updated with the October security patch in early November in the country, while mid-range phones like the Galaxy A7 (2017) followed soon after with the November patch. Well, Samsung is now rolling out the October patch to the Galaxy S7 , its 2016 flagship, in India. Galaxy S7 October security patch rolling out in India The update is only available for the regular Galaxy S7, but the Galaxy S7 edge will probably join the party soon. There’s nothing on this update other than the November security patch from what we know right now. The November patch fixes the KRACK Wi-Fi exploit , 61 Android vulnerabilities (KRACK is a Wi-Fi issue that is not exclusive to Google’s mobile operating system), and six Samsung vulnerabilities. The update is available over the air and bumps the build number up to G930FXXU1DQJB . The OTA is slightly more than 40

Now, before you reach for those pitchforks, let me say that the words in the title aren’t mine or one of my colleagues’ at SamMobile. They come straight from Samsung, or at least from the company’s Samsung Members app, from a section on official performance tips for the Galaxy Note 8 . And, frankly, if we consider what happened last year, Samsung isn’t entirely wrong, but it’s not entirely correct, either. Somewhere between fact and fiction The Galaxy Note 7 had a 3,500 mAh battery, but that phone was officially cancelled after its tendency to burn up was found to be the norm rather than an exception . The Galaxy Note 8, therefore, does have the largest battery on any Galaxy Note flagship that didn’t meet a premature end. But, I’m not sure it has the most generous battery capacity of any Note device. That statement would be 100 percent correct if the Note 8’s battery capacity were notably higher than any Note flagship before it, but that’s not true. The Galaxy Note 4 had a 3,220

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. Firmware News Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ Android 8.0 Oreo beta 3 now rolling out Galaxy S8 November security patch update is finally rolling out Phones Rumor: Galaxy S9 screen-to-body ratio may be as high as 89-90 percent Samsung is the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in the UK The Bixby button is here to stay, as evidenced by Samsung’s latest flip phone Themes Themes Thursday: Here are this week’s best themes The post SamMobile Daily Recap: November 23, 2017 — Bixby, Galaxy S9 and more! appeared first on SamMobile .

It’s Thursday, which means that it’s time for another exciting  edition of our weekly  Themes Thursday  segment. This week, a number of new themes found their way onto the Store. Unfortunately, they aren’t all worth of your attention, because the majority are priced too high. Check out four of the best new themes below: Catkiss Honeycomb & Arrows Night Sky Van Gogh Waterfall The post Themes Thursday: Here are this week’s best themes appeared first on SamMobile .

There’s been a fair bit of talk about the Galaxy S9 in the rumor mill recently, with even a near-final version of the phone supposedly appearing in case renders . The source of those case renders had said that the bezel above the display might be narrower than what is portrayed in the renders, and we have received a tip to support that claim. In fact, our tipster tells us the Galaxy S9’s screen-to-body ratio may be as high as 90 percent, nearly six percent higher than that of the Galaxy S8+. Galaxy S9 bezels could be a lot smaller than the S8’s Now, Samsung has made a point of not mentioning an exact number for the screen-to-body ratio on its flagships, but if we look at the available data, the Galaxy S8+’s ratio is around 84 percent (for beginners, screen-to-body ratio is an indication of how much surface the screen takes up compared to the whole device). With the “bezel-less” designs of smartphones today, companies have been on a mission to offer as big a screen as possible on as

Well, it looks like a good day for Galaxy S8 updates. Samsung just released a new Android 8.0 Oreo beta for the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, and it has also started rolling out the November security update for the millions of regular consumers not taking part in the beta program. In fact, it seems Samsung has used the same official changelog for the beta and standard update, with both mentioning improvements to Bluetooth connectivity and the latest Google security patches. Galaxy S8 November 2017 security patch update The November security patch brings a fix for the widespread Wi-Fi KRACK exploit , along with fixes for 61 other Android vulnerabilities and six exploits found only on Samsung’s software. The latest security update, as is usually the case, seems to have gone live in the Netherlands first, but it shouldn’t be long before it spreads to other markets. It’s rolling out over the air right now as a rather big 545 MB download, and carries build number G950FXXU1AQK7. Your Galax

Samsung is rolling out the third Android 8.0 Oreo beta to the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ in the UK, with the update now available for download over the air. It’s a 600 MB+ update for at least the Galaxy S8, and it looks like the only major improvement here is to Bluetooth stability. The November security patch is also included, but that’s about it according to the update’s changelog. Galaxy S8 and S8+ Android 8.0 Oreo beta 3 now available Of course, there may be quite a few other changes, fixes, and even newer features not mentioned in the OTA changelog. Samsung will hopefully be listing a more informative changelog in the Samsung Members app soon, as it usually does for these beta releases (especially since one of the Samsung community members posted earlier this week that the company is working to make the third beta as good as possible ). We are downloading the beta right now and will report on any notable stuff we discover ourselves. If you’re on the Oreo beta program, go ahead

Samsung has secured its position as the second-largest smartphone manufacturer in the United Kingdom , trailing Apple, according to Counterpoint Research. Smartphone sales remained flat in the third quarter, while the overall market declined by eight percent year-on-year, it added. Related:  Can Samsung reclaim the Indian smartphone market from Xiaomi? “Huawei was the third largest brand, with consistent double-digit market share, leveraging a diverse portfolio across all price-tiers, but still some distance behind Samsung and Apple that represent something approaching a virtual duopoly,” said Parv Sharma, Research Associate at Counterpoint Research. Galaxy S8 was among the best-selling smartphones The iPhone 7 was the best-selling smartphone, accounting for 15 percent of  all smartphones sold during the third quarter, with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ coming in second and third, respectively. Samsung’s extensive budget-friendly line-up helped it maintain its position, Research