NEXT flagship device from Samsung could be full of power, but might also break your budget too.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 - could this be Samsung's next powerhouse device?
The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 could be set to be the company's dearest handset to date, according to reports that suggest a huge price tag could be coming.
Reports have claimed that the upcoming phablet could start at an eye-watering €849 (£715), significantly more that many of the other competing devices on the market today.
This includes the company's existing flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S7 edge, which is currently available on Samsung's online store for £639.
This is also far more than the iPhone 6S Plus, Apple's top device, which is available to buy for £539 from the company.
Samsung is hoping for great things from the Galaxy Note 7
Sources speaking to Sammobile said that a price drop is likely soon after release, but that this high initial cost will put off many customers.
However those who choose to shell out that amount of money, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 does look like it will provide a huge step up from current devices.
This includes possibly featuring an entirely new build of Google's Android software, which was spotted in a benchmarking test last week.
The as-yet-unknown 'Android 6.1' does not fit in with any current Android naming or release structure, as Google has confirmed that the next version of Android, version 7.0, will be named Nougat.
Also set for the Galaxy Note 7 is a powerful Samsung Galaxy Exynos 8893 chipset and 4GB of RAM.
The device will also do away with a fingerprint scanner, replacing it with an iris scanner that looks into your eyes to unlock your phone, and can also give access to protected apps, files, folders, and documents.
Another rumour claims that the Galaxy Note 7 will come with some amazing new translation features.
The new Dictionary and Speaking services will let users quickly translate words from one language to another, as well as finally introduce a reliable text-to-speech functionality.
They just need devices that actually support them first
We all knew microSD cards wouldn’t be around forever, and Samsung has confirmed our suspicions by introducing the world’s first removable Universal Flash Storage (UFS) cards.
The cards are able to offer storage capacities of 32, 64, 128, or 256 gigabytes and they’ll provide a significant performance boost compared to the microSD cards we know and love.
In fact, according to Samsung, the UFS cards will have a read speed that’s five times faster than your typical microSD card, reading sequentially at 530 megabytes per second. A high read speed means that you’ll be able to move photos and videos from the card onto your laptop or PC even faster, perfect for transferring high-resolution video files.
Write speeds are better on these cards, too, performing almost twice as fast as microSD cards. If you do photography that involves high-resolution files or you’re interested in shooting HD videos, these higher writing speeds mean that the moments you capture will be saved to the card even faster, reducing the risk of lag.
With everyone capturing increasingly high-quality and high-resolution content on everything from their smartphones to their action cams and even 360 degree cameras, Samsung says that more powerful removable storage will be needed to keep up with this and that their UFS card “significantly reduces multimedia data downloading time, photo thumbnail loading time and buffer clearing time in burst shooting mode, which, collectively, can be particularly beneficial to DSLR camera users.”
However, this increased power is only actually going to be useful when we have devices to support it and as of right now there aren’t any. Though it's not unreasonable to expect that removable UFS card compatability is something Samsung is considering for its future smartphones, particularly as it already has UFS standard specifications as embedded memory in its Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge devices.
Samsung hasn’t revealed just how expensive these cards are going to be or when they’ll be available for commercial release either. Whilst it’s clear that as far as removable storage technology goes they’re a big improvement, we wouldn’t throw our microSD cards away just yet.
SAMSUNG looks set to unveil its new Galaxy Note 7 in August and it could include some super-powered software.
UPDATE: Samsung's next smartphone could include a mystery new feature
Samsung has already produced the best smartphone of the year with the launch of its awesome Galaxy S7 edge.
Now the Korean tech giant looks set to unveil another flagship phone which could include a mystery new feature.
The Galaxy Note 7 is likely to be unveiled next month and rumours are rife that this smartphone could be Samsung's fastest to date.
Reports have claimed that a brand new version of Google’s Android software could be specially installed on the device, giving it a super-powered advantage over rival smartphones.
That’s according to a leaked benchmark listing spotted on hardware database Geekbench, which seemed to suggest the device is running software identified as “Android 6.1”.
What's strange about this software is it's never existed before with Google saying that its next version of Android Nougat will be have the code 7.0.
LEAK: This picture may show how Samsung's Note 7 will look
Even the device used in the Geekbench test is a mystery, as it appears to contain several pieces of hardware from previous Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones to build a hybrid Note 7.
The device used in the tests conformed to many of the rumoured expectations for the Galaxy Note 7, including a powerful Samsung Galaxy Exynos 8893 chipset and 4GB of RAM.
REVIEW: Samsung Galaxy S7 is the best phone of 2016
Earlier this week, several official-looking renders of the Galaxy Note 7 were revealed on Twitter.
The pictures show a polished-looking device that bears a strong resemblance to Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S7, which was released back in March.
The Galaxy Note 7 will also do away with a fingerprint scanner, replacing it with an iris scanner that looks into your eyes to unlock your phone, and can also give access to protected apps, files, folders, and documents.
SECURITY experts have warned about a growing number of cyberattacks on televisions – which lock out the viewer until they pay a ransom. Here's everything you need to know about the terrifying trend.
Dangerous new malware could halt your watching time by locking you out of your TV
Your television could be the next major target for computer hackers.
Security experts have warned that a dangerous new form of virus aimed at smart TVs is on the rise.
Hackers are increasingly looking to attack television sets from abroad, locking users out of their device and leaving them unable to watch unless they pay a sizeable ransom.
The attacks, known as " ransomware", make the lockdown appear like an official organisation, such as police or law enforcement agency has shutdown the affected device.
The warnings often claim illegal content or connections have been made from your TV. This block will then only be lifted when the victim pays a certain ransom to the criminals.
The FLocker ransomware poses as the police to scare users into paying out
That's the warning from security firm Trend Micro, which says it has seen a dramatic increase in the number of attacks targetted at televisions and other smart home products.
This includes viruses that previously only affected smartphones. Android devices in particular have become popular targets for hackers and other cybercrime firms.
The latest attack spotted by Trend Micro claims to be an official warning by the US Cyber Police.
It hijacks a TV set and delivers a warning that the device will remain locked until the victim hands over $200 worth of iTunes gift cards.
As television attacks are such a new form of attack, there's not much that can immediately be done until more security firms understand how the attack works.
If you are attacked, however, Trend Micro recommends contacting your TV's maker for assistance, and only installing apps onto your devices from well-known sources such as Google Play.
Hackers are turning to ransomware for big payouts
Ransomware is one of the fastest-growing cybercrime trends as cyber-criminals look to target more victims than ever before.
The tactic has even begun to hit Apple's Mac devices, as a campaign discovered back in March was affecting a number of users who downloaded software from an unauthorised source, and were then forced to pay a ransom of 1 bit coin ($400).
And hackers have increased their attacks after several victims paid out big money to free themselves from ransomware.
One of the most lucrative payouts saw a hospital in Hollywood shell out more than £11,000 in bit coins after its computer systems were left crippled after an attack.
Android users were also warned about the security of their devices earlier this year following a campaign that threatened to wipe users' phones simply by opening a text message that then downloaded dodgy software to the device.
A new Samsung patent has revealed a foldable phone with a flexible OLED screen
A new patent filed by Samsung has revealed the company is working on a foldable smartphone.
However, rather than using a clamshell design like the Motorola Razr , Samsung's new design looks like a normal smartphone that can be folded when not in use.
The new design owes its acrobatics to one of Samsung’s flexible OLED screens and, according to Patently Mobile , the new technology has improved leaps and bounds over the last year.
When folded in half, the patent shows a port connector which would presumably be used for charging.
That suggests the new phone could have no exposed ports when in use – potentially making it very water resistant.
Along with the phone, the patent also shows what looks like a charging cradle, though it only appears to work when the phone is folded in half.
Samsung has been threatening to make a flexible mobile device for a while now, and even released the rather cringe-worthy video below in way back in 2014, showing just how flexible screens could be used.
This patent shows that Samsung is still keen on the idea, and is gradually preparing to take it to market.
Who is phone this for?
It's easy to dismiss this patent as a solution to a problem that doesn't exist, but Samsung may just be onto something.
Lots us want larger-screened phones, but we lack the pocket size to carry them around - one of the reasons many people choose a standard iPhone 6 over a 6 Plus .
If Samsung can give us a gorgeous, large, OLED screen, and then put it in a package that’ll easily fit in our back pockets, it’s on to a winner.
Incredible device can be worn like a very expensive bangle or held flat like a normal mobile phone
Bendy smartphone will go on sale this year (but it's not made by the company you're expecting)
A Chinese firm is preparing to release the world's first bendy mobile phone.
Samsung was expected to be the first firm to release a pliable phone , but it looks like it'll be pipped to the post by the Moxi Group.
According to Bloomberg , the company will ship 100,000 units of its devices this year, which will cost 5,000 yuan (£522).
Initially, the gizmo will only feature black and white screens but a colour version is likely to come afterwards.
If the bendable gadget sells well in the People's Republic, then it could be sold in the rest of the world.
"Black and white phones are much easier to make," said Chongsheng Yu, executive vice president of Moxi.
Samsung was expected to release the world's first bendy mobile
"The colour model power usage is also much higher than that of the black and white unit. We’ll sell in China and if there’s demand overseas, we’ll look into it."
The movable phone uses graphene technology to enable its wibbly wobbly ways.
Its processor and battery are stuffed in one side of the gadget, which means its free to bend into a circular shape.
The phone will use an advanced version of e-ink, which many people will be familiar with from Amazon's Kindle.
The cashless society moved another step closer this week with the launch of Android Pay, which allows users to conduct simple transactions using their smartphones.
Android Pay allows people to make payments easily using their smartphones
This is the latest stage in the mobile payments revolution, with Apple Pay for iPhone users launching last year and Samsung Pay due shortly.
Millions of Britons also use contactless payment cards, which let shoppers make low-cost purchases without entering their PIN. They spent a record £1.5billion on such cards in March alone, accounting for one in six high-street card purchases, according to the UK Cards Association.
Head of policy Richard Koch says: “Paying with contactless is second nature for millions of consumers now, who see it as an alternative to cash.”
Is it time you signed up to the mobile payment revolution?
Many smartphones run on Android
Paranoid Android
Android is the mobile operating system developed by Google and works with popular smartphones such as Samsung Galaxy and Sony Xperia, plus handsets from Nexus, LG, Huawei and HTC.
This week Google announced that Android Pay is now live in the UK, allowing Britons to make contactless payments at more than 460,000 terminals here and millions worldwide.
Android Pay is actually late to the mobile payments party, trailing Apple Pay by nearly a year, while Pingit from Barclays and Paym Mobile Payments, which allows family and friends to send and receive money using their mobiles, are also popular.
Android Pay therefore has some catching up to do and even after this week’s launch not every user is eligible. To use it you need to download the free app onto a phone using the Android 4.4 (KitKat+) operating system or higher, and a near field communications (NFC) wireless data transfer chip.
Halifax, Lloyds and Visa customers will be able to use the app
Pay Day
Many of the major banks have signed up to Android Pay. Customers of Lloyds Banking Group, Halifax, Bank of Scotland, M&S Bank, MasterCard, Visa, First Direct, HSBC, MBNA and Nationwide Building Society can now download the app.
London Underground will also accept payments this way. Stephen Noakes, managing director, retail customer products, at Lloyds says: “Contactless payment capability will be made available to the majority of our customers who want to use their smartphones to make payments.”
Britons have been early adopters of this payment technology, with one in four saying they would even change their phone to take advantage, according to research from Nationwide.
Head of payments Paul Horlock says using your mobile to pay for goods and services is fast, secure and convenient: “With our lives becoming ever-more reliant on mobile phones, we believe the service will be a valuable addition.”
It found mobiles have replaced landlines for more than two out of five people, while nearly a third say they use their phone instead of wearing a watch. Ultimately, the mobile could replace your wallet, though only one in 20 has reached that point today.
Security can be a concern for people using contactless payment technology
Mobile Wallet
Dan Howdle, technology specialist at broadband and mobile phone comparison site Cable.co.uk, says switching to mobile payments is pretty straightforward. “Once you have downloaded the app from the Google Play Store and keyed in your debit or credit card details, you can tap your phone in any shop that has a contactless terminal.”
The big worry for many is that a thief could steal their phone or contactless card, and use it to go on a shopping spree without having to know the PIN.
However, Howdle says these fears may be overblown: “It is no different to losing your wallet; you phone up and cancel your cards as soon as you have discovered your loss, then your smartphone can no longer pay for anything.”
Also, most people protect their phone with a security lock, which can only be unlocked with a passcode or fingerprint ID. Howdle says the biggest drawback is that the maximum spend on smartphones and contactless cards is just £30.
“For larger sums, it is back to chip and PIN. At present, few of us can leave our wallets at home, but that it is unlikely to be the case for long.”
Way back in October 2015, Google officially released Android Marshmallow, the latest version of its smartphone and tablet operating system. It’s packed with cool, useful features like Now on Tap, an interactive service that helps you do more with whatever is on your screen. But most Android folks can’t use it: Only 7.5 percent of devices have actually been able to upgrade to it, according to new statistics.
Those same statistics reveal that a significant portion — 32.5 percent — of Android devices are still on KitKat, a version of the operating system that came out in fall 2013. More than 24 percent of Android devices are on even older versions.
Things are different in Apple’s walled garden. The company reported last month that 84 percent of iPhones and iPads have updated to iOS 9, which came out in September 2015. Only 11 percent are on the previous version, iOS 8, and a meager 5 percent of devices run an earlier version.
The takeaway is clear: Apple can get people to upgrade their phones, but Google can’t. Why that is — and what the difference ultimately means — can help you understand a lot about the two companies and inform your smartphone purchases moving forward.
Google’s Android phones are created by a variety of companies. You can get a sleek new Samsung device with a high-end camera, or you can try the budget-friendly (and less sexy) Moto G. There are options from LG, Sony, HTC and a slew of other companies, meaning you can find a phone that matches your price range and your personality.
The iPhone is created by Apple. Period. Full stop.
When Google releases a new version of its software, it has to distribute it to manufacturers that are ultimately responsible for pushing it to your device. When it comes to a significant overhaul like Marshmallow, a phone maker like Samsung might decide to reserve it for its premium models — the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, for example — while neglecting older models like the Galaxy S4.
If you bought a phone in 2013, when KitKat was cutting edge, it’s possible that your manufacturer never gave you the opportunity to update your software. That doesn’t mean your hardware is inadequate, though: A lot of people are happy with technically “old” devices.
In recent years, Google has offered its own Nexus line of phones that can receive speedier updates directly from the tech giant. But these devices may have to be purchased outside of your wireless carrier’s stores and don’t necessarily compete with devices offered by other manufacturers in terms of screen quality, camera and so on. They’re far from a standard option, in other words.
Because Apple is the only manufacturer of the iPhone, it can roll out updates across devices simultaneously. The drawback is that those iOS upgrades can slow your phone and make you more inclined to purchase a new device. Of course, the upside is that any security problems can be patched immediately — not so with Android.
So, next time you’re shopping for a phone, remember that an Android device purchased today is less likely to receive a software upgrade than an iPhone is, but you’ll also be able to choose from a variety of manufacturers and price points.
Apple Pay is alive and kicking in the US. Now Samsung wants a piece of the action with... wait for it –– Samsung Pay
A lot of people have a preferred method of payment; many enjoy the freedom of paying for everything with a card, especially if it's contactless, while others still rely on the reassurance of cold, hard cash for their transactions. The elderly still often like to use cheques, while Paypal allows you to do everything digitally. But ultimately, it doesn't matter what you or I prefer when it comes to payment; it's always the decision of the powers that be, namely banks, governments, and retailers, that decide what stays and what goes when it comes to spending options. Take the introduction of Chip & Pin, for example, plenty of people didn't like it, but it was tough, you had to put up with it. Mobile payment via your smartphone is something that's been brewing for a while, between the advent of wireless technologies such as NFC, and the introduction of biometric scanners for your fingertips, face, or eyes, the pieces of this payment puzzle have been slowly coming together. It's taken a while to get going, however, because big banks, credit card companies, and perhaps most importantly, retailers at the end of the chain, have been somewhat hesitant to get fully onboard. But major tech companies have a lot of muscle to flex driving some of the biggest consumer trends on the planet, and ultimately have persauded everyone to get involved by formulating big payment structures; Apple has Apple Pay, Samsung has Samsung Pay, Google has Android Pay, and between them all they are effectively saying "this is happening".
In order to get even more people using Apple Pay, Apple has now confirmed those with older iPhone handsets –– iPhone 5s, iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c –– will be able to access the service. The catch? You'll need to buy an Apple Watch. This is a very clever move and one that is typically Apple. But the added bump it'll bring cannot be understated; there are literally tens of millions of iPhone 5s/5/5c users in the US and elsewhere.
“The way it works is that the Apple Watch also has an NFC chip that makes mobile payments possible,” says CNET, “but the watch itself doesn't have TouchID, the fingerprint reading function used to authenticate users of an iPhone paying for items via Apple Pay. Instead, Apple Watch users will either enter a password on the watch or touch their fingerprint sensor on their iPhone after they've put on the wearable, which unlocks Apple Watch. (TouchID is supported on smartphones, the iPhone 5S, iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, as well as tablets, the iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini 3.)”
“When Apple first introduced Apple Pay back in September, the company proudly boasted that you could use its safe, contactless payments solution for iPhone in about a dozen different retailers. But, just a few months later, during Apple's Q4 earnings call in January, CEO Tim Cook said Apple Pay accounted for two out of three dollars spent via contactless payments,” reports Business Insider.
But it’s not just Apple and Google that want a piece of the mobile payments space. Nope. Samsung does too… and it’s hoping to cash in big time with its mobile payments solution in the second half of 2015. Samsung Pay, as it's known, is already live in South Korea, but is expected to arrive in Europe very shortly.
In fact, as of February 12 2016, the head of Samsung Pay Europe has revealed that the service will land in the UK and Spain "very soon," promising that further details will be revealed at MWC 2016 in Barcelona later on in February. In other words, we're expecting everything to become clear when the firm announces the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge just prior to the Spanish mobile expo!
But it's not just Apple, Google and Samsung that are doing mobile payments. NOPE! LG is getting in on the action as well:
"LG customers will soon be able to use their phones to pay for everyday items after the firm announced it was developing its own mobile payment system," reports The Mail. "The firm has signed an agreement with Shinhan Card and KB Kookmin Card to bring contactless payments to its customers in South Korea. LG did not reveal when LG Pay will launch, if it will be expanded to more regions or any more details about the system but it is expected to rival the likes of Apple and Samsung Pay."
In order to complete with Apple Pay, Samsung spent $250 million on payments start-up, LoopPay. Samsung acquired the Massachusetts-based startup last year as the basis for its Samsung Pay service which launched alongside the Galaxy S6.
“LoopPay invented a technology that originally allowed shoppers to pay for purchases in stores by placing a special piece of hardware — such as a fob or a smartphone case — near where you would normally swipe a credit card. With the acquisition, Samsung is embedding the LoopPay technology into its new phones, so shoppers can tap and pay with a new Samsung Galaxy 6 rather than whipping out a credit card or cash,” reports re/code.
As you may have guessed from the name, Samsung Pay is a direct competitor to Apple Pay. Samsung's new service has A LOT in common with Apple’s, but there’s also a few differences that set it apart. Here’s what you need to know.
Apple Pay vs Samsung Pay: Tokenization & Authentication
The first thing you need to understand about Samsung Pay and Apple Pay is that the underlying technology is virtually the same thing. Both use a tokenization process that allows your store credit and debit cards in your phone to keep their card numbers private and instead send a digital ID, or token, to the merchant’s terminal. This token pretty much ensures no one can lift your card details during transfer. The tokenization system in both Pay platforms is the Mobile Digital Enablement System (MDES) built by MasterCard.
On top of tokenization both Apple Pay and Samsung Pay require that any payment is confirmed by fingerprint identification. This biometric ID is how your phone knows it’s you making the transaction and not someone else. On an iPhone you use Apple’s Touch ID; on a Galaxy S6 you use Samsung’s new and improved fingerprint reader. I say “improved” because you simply now only have to tap your finger to the reader on the S6 instead of needing to swipe it along the reader as you did on the S5.
Apple Pay vs Samsung Pay: Transfer Technology
When we talk about the way both Pays transfer your card details is when the two systems begin to diverge. Both support NFC, but Samsung Pay goes a step further by supporting a system called Magnetic Secure Transmission, or MTS. If MTS sounds familiar it’s because it’s how credit and debit cards have been transferring your data for decades: by magnetic stripe swipes.
So in addition to an NFC chip Samsung devices that support Samsung Pay also have a special wire inside the phone that enables them to send a MTS transmission to any magnetic card reader. So even though you don’t need to swipe your phone (how awkward would that be?) you can use Samsung Pay at any terminal that accepts swipe cards. Simply hold your phone near the magnetic card reader and the MTS wire inside the phone will transfer the data just as the magnetic strip on the back of your physical cards do.
Apple Pay vs Samsung Pay: Supported
Apple Pay is only supported on the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus for terminal payments and on the latest iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 for payments made in apps. Apple Pay will also be supported on the Apple Watch. Samsung Pay is only supported in the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge.
Apple Pay vs Samsung Pay: Supported Credit and Debit Cards
Both Apple Pay and Samsung Pay are supported by the biggest card issuers including Visa, MasterCard, and American Express.
Apple Pay vs Samsung Pay: Supported Banks
As of today over 90 banks and credit institutions support Apple Pay. Apple Pay has the advantage here as the big banks like Chase and Capital One support it as well as many smaller, local banks. Samsung Pay, when it launches this summer, will only support bigger banks like Chase and Bank of America at launch but, as with Apple Pay, is expected to add more institutions as time goes on.
Apple Pay vs Samsung Pay: Supported Merchants
This is an area where Samsung Pay is going to have the clear advantage. Why? It’s thanks to their support of MTS. NFC is still a fledgling technology and many merchants simply don’t have terminals that support it. But virtually EVERY merchant supports MST. Right now Apple Pay is only supported at about 200,000 stores in the US (including major chains like McDonald’s, Subway, Walgreens and more).
Samsung Pay, theoretically, on the other hand will likely be supported at all those stores and millions more thanks to MST. But MST should matter less as time goes on. Laws are coming into effect in the US this year that will require merchants to upgrade their terminals with newer NFC technology, so Apple Pay’s locations will grow. Still, it’s nice that Samsung Pay is “backwards compatible”.
HTC hopes its new angular 10 smartphone will help the company celebrate a decade of smartphone manufacturing and make it competitive at the high-end again.
HTC, the manufacturer of the very first Android phone, is betting on speed, battery life and the world’s first optically stabilised selfie camera with its new flagship HTC 10 phone it hopes will relaunch the company.
The latest in its long line of top-end Android smartphones resembles the best of the rest with a all-metal body, all-glass front, 5.2in quad HD screen, 0.2-second unlock fingerprint scanner, Qualcomm’s latest top-end Snapdragon 820 processor and USB-C.
HTC’s build-quality and premium materials have always been top flight, but its recent flagship phones have been uninspiring, failing to attract buyers, something the company must address.
The HTC 10 has a 5.2in quad HD LCD, and angular aluminium design that the company says is ‘crafted by light’.
Celebrating a decade of making smartphones, Darren Sng, head of product marketing for HTC said: “We appreciate that in recent years we haven’t been great. If you ask most people where we’ve failed, it’s been our cameras. We’re going to be better, faster and solve problems.”
The HTC 10 has a new 12-megapixel camera dubbed “UltraPixel 2” after the company’s large pixel, low-light technology first introduced with the HTC One M7 in 2013. It has a 0.6-second launch time, laser auto-focus and f1.8 aperture, which the company said should rival the best in low-light performance from Samsung.
But the 5 megapixel “UltraSelfie” front-facing camera breaks new ground with optical image stabilisation - a first for selfie cameras, which with its f1.8 aperture should help remove camera shake and blurry photos. It has 32GB of storage, microSD card support for adding more and 4GB of RAM for multitasking.
The HTC 10’s ‘UltraSelfie’ front-facing camera with optical image stabilisation - a feature that isn’t common on main, rear cameras, let alone the small selfie cameras.
Sense 8.0
HTC is also taking a new approach to its customisation of Android, called Sense, removing duplicate apps and bloat from the phone and optimising the software so that apps launch faster, the touchscreen responds faster and the device lasts longer between charges. It has also introduced freestyle homescreen customisation options that allow users to place icons or stickers for apps and actions anywhere on the screen, at any size or orientation, rather than in a fixed grid layout.
The company said it worked with Google to add support for more image formats to the Android-maker’s Photos app, as well as optimise both HTC’s and Google’s apps on the smartphone. The HTC 10 will also have the company’s Boost+ app that promises to combat phone slowdown - a common criticism of smartphones over a year old - and keep the phone running as fast as when it was first switched on.
The fingerprint scanner on the front acts as the home button like many other smartphones, and has capacitive back and recently used apps buttons to its left and right.
HTC has also added support for Apple’s AirPlay audio streaming service, becoming one of the first Android manufacturers to do so, through its HTC Connect app, which supports myriad of wireless streaming protocols including Bluetooth, DLNA, Google Cast, Miracast and others.
The Taiwanese manufacturer faces a battle with both the incumbent players, Samsung and Apple, who dominate sales of high-end smartphones, as well as rising Chinese manufacturers such as Huawei, which recently became the third-largest smartphone manufacturer in the world.
The angular, hard metal design and curved back produce 3mm deep sides, making the HTC 10 feel thinner than it really is in the hand.
Whether HTC can regain a strong foothold in the highly competitive market remains to be seen. It was recently removed from the Taiwanese Stock Exchange’s top 50 list after years of declining sales and revenue. The company has bet big on its partnership with Valve for the Vive virtual reality headset, as well as partnerships with US sportswear manufacturer Under Armour for wearable devices.
But the company needs to stop the decline of its smartphone sales if it wants to survive in its current state.
Samsung has filed a patent on 'smart' contact lenses, which can project images straight into the users' eyes.
Wearing the lenses would allow users to experience 'augmented' reality, with computer-generated images superimposed over the real world.
As Samsung blog SamMobile reveals, the South Korean patent shows a drawing of the lens, which is fitted with a miniscule display, camera and antenna.
Designs for the contact lenses are included in the patent (Samsung/Korea Intellectual Property Rights Information Service)
It's also fitted with a number of sensors that can detect eye movement and blinking, which is how users would control the display.
Since the device is so small, it's designed to connect to a smartphone for processing power.
According to the patent application, written in Korean and translated by SamMobile, the contact lenses would provide much better image quality than existing smart glasses, as well as being far less bulky and intrusive.
Google is also reportedly developing similar devices, and is even currently testing one set of smart lenses, which can help people with diabetes by measuring the glucose levels in their tears.
Samsung's patent was filed in September 2014, and we still haven't seen any similar devices make it to market. It's not quite clear whether the lenses are an actual planned product, or just a concept to hold on to for the future.
However, Samsung also trademarked the name 'Gear Blink' in the US and South Korea, around the same time the lens patent was filed. So it's possible the company is serious about making this product a reality.
Flexible screens have been a long time coming, and a recent South Korean report indicates that Samsung may commercialize them in 2017.
Everybody knows that flexible screens for smartphones are on their way. However, they still haven’t made an appearance on the commercial market, despite being hyped as early as 2011. At that time, however, there was nothing more than rumors and concept art to skim through; hardly enough to convince consumers that the technology was anywhere near ready for production.
Fast-forward to 2016 and there have already been proof-of-concept demonstrations and reports of mass production. Still, a commercial product is yet to be seen. But according to a recent report, and recent developments in the mobile market, all of this could change next year.
According to the report, an industry source revealed Samsung’s related plans on March 31. The device will essentially be a 7-inch tablet if opened, but fold it and it becomes a 5-inch smartphone. Foldable hardware available commercially has existed in the past, but it’s been clunky at best. Users could have two separate screens that could be folded together to display only one screen. Unfolded, there could be metal separating the two screens, making for an unpleasant viewing experience. Examples of this include the Kyocera Echo and Sony Xperia Tablet P.
The source also says that a working prototype of the display is already finished. Samsung is said to have plans to mass produce the foldable display by the end of this year, and will begin selling the device next year.
Samsung Electronics and Samsung Display, the division responsible for the production and development of Samsung displays, is said to have partnered with domestic and foreign businesses to develop the device.
Even given the uncertainty that surrounds information provided by an anonymous source, there are still reasons to believe these displays could be commercialized next year. Most obvious of all is that Samsung has invested even more in flexible OLED production facilities. And LG has expressed a desire to let their own flexible displays out on the market in 2017, something Samsung isn’t likely to idly stand by and observe. Another indication is the company’s recent patent filing for a flexible display that could be rolled out to increase the viewing size. It seems the company is looking for viable design solutions that will allow consumers to put the devices into their pockets. Nobody’s looking for a need to iron out the folds on their smartphones.
The mobile tech industry is certainly at a threshold, with many manufacturers opting for resolutions that top out at 1080p. At this point only a limited selection of phones feature displays at QuadHD, and even fewer target 4K. Delayed innovation will result in reduced incentive to invest in new phones, and the industry is hoping that foldable displays will offer consumers enough of a reason to go forth and buy. Combined with Virtual Reality (VR), it’s possible that mobiles will be able to provide a high enough Field-of-View (FoV) to make sure consumers don’t feel like they’re wearing goggles during their virtual experiences.
Ofcom has revealed EE is the most reliable mobile network, achieving the fastest mobile data speeds in Cardiff, Edinburgh, Liverpool and London.
The regulator tested EE, O2, Vodafone and Three's mobile networks in December 2015 to see which offered up the best performance over both 3G and 4G in the four UK cities and presented its results in the Smartphone Cities report(see below).
The report revealed that web pages on EE's network successfully loaded 98 per cent of the time, taking around five seconds to load, while download speeds were revealed to be an average 20Mbps.
Three came second in the tests, with pages loading 95 per cent of the time and taking six seconds to load - the same as both Vodafone and O2. However, its network boasted average speeds of 15Mbps - much better than Vodafone's 12Mbps and O2's 10Mbps.
London suffered from the slowest web browsing speeds of all cities across all four networks, while Cardiff's were most impressive, especially for EE, where Ofcom was able to take advantage of 23Mbps. The only city where EE didn't come top of the charts was in Norwich, where Three performed best.
However, at the time of the data collection, Ofcom admits that some of the networks may have been undergoing maintenance in some places and therefore, additional metrics should be used when a customer is choosing which network to use.
"The range of metrics featured in the report, and the analysis provided, give consumers an insight into the performance of their mobile network according to how and when they use their smartphone," Ofcom said.
"Network performance is only one of the factors that a consumer is likely to take into account when choosing a mobile phone service. This report is part of a wider programme of work by Ofcom into mobile quality of service, which includes our interactive coverage maps."
Ofcom's Mobile Coverage and Broadband Coverage Checker allows customers to check the coverage and speeds of web browsing and downloads where they live, helping them make an informed choice about which network to sign up to.
Samsung plans to release an Active variant of the Galaxy S7 — at least if one of the company’s own apps is any indication.
In the most recent update to Samsung Level, the app’s revised list of supported devices adds a mention to the Galaxy S7 Active. Based on that information, it seems like the Active is definitely coming. What we don’t is how the device will be different from the company’s two recently released devices.
When Samsung adopted an all-metal design with the S6, it dropped waterproofing as a feature. As a result of that decision, one of the selling points of the S6 Active was that it was waterproof.
Obviously, that’s no longer the case; with the S7 lineup, both the standard and edge models are IP67 certified. If an S7 owner wants to pour champagne on their new device a la Lil Wayne, they don’t need to get the more rugged active to do so. According to SamMobile, which first noted the mention of the Active in the new version of the Level app, the Active could feature a larger battery and a rugged, military-esque exterior that’s also shock proof.
Another possibility is even better waterproofing.
In a tweet posted last week, VentureBeat editor and serial device leaker Evan Blass said Samsung’s codename for the S7 Active is Poseidon, a name that suggests the phone could feature more comprehensive waterproofing than the company’s two more consumer-facing handsets.
As always, we’ll have to wait for Samsung to announce the Active before we know all the details, but for fans of more rugged phones, the good news is that the company hasn’t forgotten about you.
The case back to a 2011 dispute where Apple accused Samsung of copying some basic design features of the iPhone in competing devices.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook has said he's willing to take the company's battle with the FBI over a smartphone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters all the way to the Supreme Court, but it looks like another one of the company's legal disputes will make it there first.
The Supreme Court said that it will take up a lengthy patent battle between Apple and rival smartphone maker Samsung - a case that could help determine just how much companies have to shell out if they rip off patented design elements from other products.
In a statement, Samsung said it hopes that the justices' review "can lead to a fair interpretation of patent law that will support creativity and reward innovation". Apple declined to comment.
This will be the first design patent case to make it to the Supreme Court in more than 120 years.
It dates back to a 2011 dispute where Apple accused Samsung of copying some basic design features of the iPhone in competing devices.
A jury sided with Apple in 2012, initially awarding the company more than US$1 billion - the figure was reduced in appeals, but a panel of judges upheld an award of more than US$500 million in damages to the tech giant last year.
The damages basically amounted to Samsung forfeiting all of its profits from the devices that allegedly infringed on Apple's patents.
That's because of how the court interpreted a specific part of the law covering design patents that allows a patent-holder to go after an infringer's "total profit".
Samsung agreed to pay the figure last December, but on the condition it could get money back in the event of a successful challenge or appeal.
Then Samsung petitioned the Supreme Court to review the case - and now the justices will take up a question the company raised about damages: "Where a design patent is applied to only a component of a product, should an award of infringer's profits be limited to those profits attributable to the component?"
Or, in plain English: Does Samsung have to give up all of its money it made from devices that infringed on some of Apple's design patents, or just money it made thanks to parts of the devices that infringed on the patents?
Just exactly how that might be broken down is a tricky question. But under the current decision, "even if the patented features contributed 1 per cent of the value of Samsung's phones, Apple gets 100 per cent of Samsung's profits," Samsung said in its request to the high court to look at the case.
Samsung's bid garnered support from a wide range of other tech companies.
A brief supporting Samsung's challenge filed by industry giants including Facebook, Dell and Alphabet subsidiary Google called the damages decision in the case "deeply flawed" and said the precedent will "lead to absurd results" with a "devastating impact" on companies that develop complex technological products.
Some public interest groups including Public Knowledge and the Electronic Frontier Foundation also sided with Samsung.
If it stands, the total damages awarded to Apple in the case could lead to a new wave of patent trolling focused on design elements because makers of multi-component technology may end up on the hook for all their profits due to one minor infringing feature, according to Charles Duan, director of Public Knowledge's Patent Reform Project.
But in a filing opposing Samsung's bid for the Supreme Court's attention, Apple said that "Samsung blatantly copied the iPhone's design" and the case didn't break "new legal ground", but instead applied accepted legal standards to an "extraordinary record of infringement and copying".
The case is expected to be heard before the high court later this year. But while one of the companies will emerge with some sort of victory, Duan argues that everyday people are ultimately hurt by extended patent battles.
"The losers here are the consumers" who end up effectively subsidising patent disputes by paying higher prices for phones, he said.
Samsung has just launched its new flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S7 , and its battery life is seriously impressive.
Compared to last year’s flagship phone releases, it trounces the competition.
That's more than 17 hours of video-watching time if you opt for the Galaxy S7: four hours more than the Samsung Galaxy S6 and a whopping six-and-a-half more hours than the iPhone 6s .
While numbers are nice to look at, let’s put that into real-world terms.
That’s six-and-a-half episodes of Game of Thrones you can watch – meaning you can catch up on Season 5 faster ahead of Season 6 in April.
Or, if Game of Thrones isn't your thing, you can watch the entire new series of House of Cards in one sitting. That’s a lot of Frank Underwood.
Samsung has recently introduced the new Galaxy S7 handset, and with the accompaniment of the Galaxy S7 Edge this may be the biggest impression that it makes on the smartphone marketplace in 2016. However, the highlight of the Samsung product range in recent years has not been its flagship device, but instead the Galaxy Note handset, which is notable for its outstanding specifications.
China reports emerge
Reports on this year’s Galaxy Note 6 suggest that the Samsung phablet could be an extremely impressive addition to the series. Media in China has indicated that the flagship smartphone will include many of the upgrades that were already part of the portfolio of features included in the Galaxy S7.
Based on the technology that Samsung integrated into both the Galaxy S7 and and Galaxy S7 Edge, it is possible to conclude what upgrades are likely for the Galaxy Note 6. In particular, it has been reported that the Galaxy Note 6 is likely to follow the example of the Galaxy Note 5 in screen size, but feature a more compact build, in line with the general desire to produce ever sleeker devices. The Galaxy Note 6 will also be significantly water-resistant; a major feature of the Galaxy S7 earlier this year.
Dual-pixel to migrate
Samsung is also expected to include the camera technology that formed part of the Galaxy S7 armory when the Galaxy Note 6 is released. This will see the dual-pixel technology included in the snapper migrated to the phablet, with the technology intended to ensure improved shooting in low-light conditions.
The Galaxy Note 6 is also likely to be fitted with the same 3,600mAh battery used by the S7 Edge, at least according to reports in China. Samsung will also reintegrate the micro SD technology that it had excluded from recent device releases when the Galaxy Note 6 hits the stores. This would be particularly welcome as storage is increasingly at a premium in such high-end devices as the Galaxy Note range.
In accordance with this, it is also anticipated that Samsung will support the native Android Marshmallow feature of adoptable storage, which had not been included in the Galaxy S7. This would be a welcome inclusion that could really make the phablet considerably more convenient for both consumers and the business marketplace. With Apple rumored to be considering an iPhone Pro release in the coming years, Samsung will have to work harder and produce more in order to attract the corporate sector.
Branding issues
The difficulties that Samsung has experienced over the last few years are perhaps most succinctly underlined in its phablet Range by the confusion that the Korean corporation has instigated over branding. In previous years, Samsung has released Galaxy Edge+ devices, and seemed to make these central to its plans for the future. However, it seems that the corporation has abandoned this branding completely, and that the Galaxy Note 6 will be its sole premium phablet in 2016.
This is indicative of the problems that Samsung has had with its product range. After the share price of the company slumped over a year ago, the hierarchy of the corporation was forced to admit publicly that it had made mistakes with its device range. But the strategy of Samsung does not seem to have become significantly clearer since then, and there seems to be some confusion over how to market Samsung products in comparison to the rather straightforward approach of the market-leading Apple.
S7 Edge+ buried
TechRadar has indeed reported that Samsung has no plans to launch a Galaxy S7 Edge+ handset, so the hopes of the corporation will be invested strongly in the Galaxy Note 6 in 2016. It has been noted that Android fans may actually welcome this, as those who were loyal to the Galaxy Note series were in fact critical of the decision by Samsung to introduce the Edge+ in the first place.
So Samsung really needs to impressed with this latest Galaxy Note release, and thus it is perhaps not surprising that the phablet is being linked with some truly outstanding specs. In particular, the 6GB of RAM that is expected when the Galaxy Note 6 is released is rather noteworthy, as this quantity of memory would be a first for the mobile marketplace. Reports have also emanated recently that Samsung is working on a system to rival the 3D Touch that Apple introduced last year.
The Galaxy Note 6 camera will feature a 12-megapixel rating according to reports, although some analysts have suggested that Samsung will not necessarily have to downgrade the megapixel rating from the Galaxy Note 5 in order to include the new dual-pixel low-light shooting technology.
Hybrid laptop feature in Galaxy Note 6?
Another rumor has emerged since a patent depicted a particularly interesting concept that Samsung is currently considering for the Galaxy Note 6. The patent in question would enable the corporation to deliver a hybrid Galaxy Note 6, effectively turning the phablet into a temporary laptop when required. The Samsung device would then be docked with a keyboard in order to become a desktop computer.
With Samsung needing to close the gap on Apple rather rapidly, it is possible that the Galaxy Note 6 could launch earlier in the year than previous iterations of the series. There is no doubt that the Korean company will be following Apple extremely closely at present, with the latter possibly due to release an iPhone Pro before the end of the year. However, other reports have suggested that Apple will delay the iPhone Pro, owing to the fact that it wishes to include OLED technology in the smartphone for the first time, and this could also influence Samsung’s strategy.
Regardless of this, the Galaxy Note 6 could be the most powerful and revolutionary device in the history of Samsung, and it will be intriguing to see what the corporation ultimately delivers.
New Samsung Galaxy S7: Featuring waterproof technology
We knew just about everything there was to know about the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge long before Samsung made them official, but we were still pretty blown away once we finally got our hands on them. In our Galaxy S7 hands-on preview, we noted how impressive the new phones were, particularly their cameras. Of course, there’s another feature that’s certainly worth focusing on as well because it stands to save users a ton of money and heartache over the next few years: Water resistance.
But can the new Galaxy S7 survive the ultimate test of its water resistance?
YouTube user Harris Craycraft decided to see just how water-resistant Samsung’s latest flagship phone really is. We all know that Samsung managed to score an IP68 rating, but it’s one thing to read about it and another to actually see it in action.
So Craycraft filled a bowl with water and dunked the Galaxy S7 for 20 minutes. Boooooring.
Samsung’s new smartphone continued to operate just fine after sitting in shallow water for a short while, but then it was time to try something a little more intriguing. So Craycraft slapped on a bathing suit, headed to a pool, turned on the Galaxy S7’s camera and dove in.
Did the phone come out alive? Did the camera keep recording? You’ll have to watch the video embedded below to find out.
As an added bonus, here’s a video of a guy dropping a Galaxy S7 and an iPhone 6 into boiling water for no reason:
The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge are here - but they're not cheap
A Samsung executive has revealed that pre-orders for the company's new devices, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge , are "stronger than expected" ahead of the official launch of the handsets on March 11.
Koh Dong-jin, president of Samsung's handsets business, did not give a figure or disclose sales targets during a press briefing on Thursday, Reuters reports.
But he did say that Samsung expects the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge to help revive sales in China - the world's top smartphone market.
The company's statement comes after media reports in Samsung's home country of South Korea claimed that the company's Galaxy S7 was showing lower pre-order sales than its previous models.
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge
One report in Business Korea claimed that "consumers have not shown dramatic responses, which overwhelm that of the Galaxy S6 released last year".
However, the report put this down to consumers in South Korea moving away from the pre-order system, preferring to see and touch handsets before they buy.
In an attempt to boost pre-orders, Samsung is offering a free Gear VR virtual reality headset for anyone who orders one of the devices before the release date.
The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge will go on sale in the UK tomorrow, featuring a new water-resistant design, an SD card slot for expandable memory, and a big enough battery to watch 13 hours of HD video on a single charge.
The S7 is available SIM-free, from a price of £569, while the S7 Edge price will start at £639 for a SIM-free handset. A range of contract deals are available from local operators.
The Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has a curved display
Samsung is banking on the new devices to reinvigorate its smartphone sales figures, which have been flagging for several months.
However, some prospective customers may be put off by the fact that Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge models that ship in the UK will contain Exynos 8890 chips , which are inferior to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chips that other countries' units will get.
This could mean the Galaxy S7 is slower than its biggest rival, Apple's iPhone 6s - particularly when it comes to playing graphics-intensive games - according to analysts from AnTuTu.
Samsung's hotly-anticipated new smartphones, the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge, will go on sale this Friday, March 11, sporting improved specs and refined designs that are bound to get Android fans salivating.
The South Korean technology company is banking on this device to reinvigorate its smartphone sales figures, which have been flagging for several months.
But with a new iPhone rumoured to be on the way from Apple, and growing competition from the likes of Android smartphone makers LG, Sony and HTC, has Samsung done enough to beat off its rivals?
Here's our verdict on the Samsung Galaxy S7:
Design
While the design of the Galaxy S7 isn't miles away from its predecessor, the Galaxy S6, Samsung has made a few tweaks that make it a more attractive device overall.
The Galaxy S7 has a 5.1-inch display and a shiny metal and glass body that looks good but picks up fingerprints easily.
The Galaxy S7 has a curved glass back
The most noticeable design difference is that the back is slightly curved rather than completely flat, meaning it sits more comfortably in the hand and is less likely to slip off the table.
Samsung has also shrunk the size of the camera module on the rear of the smartphone, meaning that it doesn't stick out as much from the case.
Despite being water resistant to a depth of roughly 1.5m for 30 minutes - a classification known as IP68 - there are no ugly rubber caps over the charging ports, like there were on the Galaxy S5.
Instead, the ports are sealed internally, so the water resistance is integral to the design of the phone.
There is a fingerprint reader over the home button, suggesting that the Galaxy S7 will offer support for Android Pay and Samsung Pay when they come to the UK later this year.
Unfortunately, the fingerprint reader seems to be much less reliable than Apple's Touch ID, and during testing I found myself having to revert to using my passcode a couple of times.
The tapered edges give the impression the phone is slimmer than it really is
Display
The Galaxy S7 has an excellent display that is brighter than and more vivid than that of the Galaxy S6, making it easier to view pictures and text on the phone in sunlight.
It also has a handy always-on display feature, that allows users to check the time, date and battery power without having to "wake up" their phone.
Samsung claims that, unlike some other devices that have always-on displays that drain the battery power, the S7 and S7 Edge have super-AMOLED screens, which are much more power-efficient and only use 1% of the battery every hour.
In my tests, having the always on-display switched on had no noticeable effect on the battery life.
Camera
Samsung caused some controversy among fandroids by including a 12-megapixel rear camera on the S7, because it was perceived to be a step down from the 16-megapixel on the Galaxy S6.
However, there's more to cameras than megapixels, and Samsung claims that other enhancements to the camera module mean this doesn't have a negative impact on photo quality.
The camera's F1.7 lens supposedly makes it particularly well-suited to low-light photography, and the auto focus function allows the lens to instantly focus on moving objects, resulting in blur-free photos.
I compared the Galaxy S7's camera to that of an iPhone 6s, which also has a 12-megapixel sensor.
Taken on a iPhone 6s
Taken on a Galaxy S7
While the most noticeable difference was that the Galaxy S7's default setting is a lot more zoomed-in than the iPhone 6s, the Galaxy S7 was also able to capture more detail in low-light conditions.
The Galaxy S7 pictures also appeared more vibrant, with more true-to-life colours than those taken on an iPhone 6s.
Taken on an iPhone 6s
Taken on a Galaxy S7
Battery
Samsung has stepped up its game in terms of battery life with the Galaxy S7.
While the S6 had a 2500 mAh battery, the S7 has a 3000 mAh battery, which Samsung claims has enough juice to watch an entire season of Game of Thrones on a single charge.
We weren't able to test this theory out in the time we had with the smartphone, but we can confirm that the battery was still going strong after a day and a half of moderate usage.
The Galaxy S7 also comes with a fast charger that allows you to charge the battery to 50% in just 10 minutes, and reach full power in 130 minutes.
Power and memory
One important feature that Samsung has also reintroduced with the Galaxy S7 is expandable memory
In order to squeeze expandable memory into the phone without increasing the size, Samsung has expanded the SIM tray to include an SD card holder.
The Galaxy S7 has expandable memory via an SD card
The phone supports all SD cards that are currently available, up to a capacity of 200GB, and Samsung said that they should also be compatible with future SD cards that offer a higher capacity.
However, the one big catch is that Galaxy S7 smartphones sold to customers in the UK and Europe will reportedly contain a slightly slower processor than the one fitted into units sold in other countries.
Phones in the UK will contain Exynos 8809 chips, which are inferior to the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chips that other countries' units will get
This could mean performance is slower than the iPhone 6s, according to analysts from AnTuTu claimed - particularly when it comes to playing graphics-intensive games.
In my tests, there was no obvious lag from the Exynos 8809 chip. Apps loaded quickly and the phone was more than capable of running two apps side-by-side in split-screen mode.
However, there's no guarantee that this won't become more noticeable as the phone ages - and it feels like a rip-off, given that Brits will be paying the same price for inferior technology.
Verdict
The Galaxy S7 is an extremely attractive phone that presents strong competition to the iPhone 6s.
It shows a progression from the Galaxy S6 range without deviating too far from the design that earned Samsung so much praise last year.
Is it worth the money?
With an almost identical price to the iPhone 6s, it may struggle to win over price-conscious customers who are weighing up which handset to buy.
Moreover, the bad press Samsung has received around its decision to offer the phone with in inferior processor in the UK may deter some customers from buying.
