Samsung

855 'Samsung' stories September 2010 - February 2014

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Jealous of S5 heart rate monitor? Your iPhone can already measure your heart rate with these apps

Jordan Kahn Feb 25 2014 - 6:54 am PT

17 Comments

When Samsung unveiled its new flagship Galaxy S5 yesterday, the big news was the inclusion of a fingerprint scanner and heart rate sensor. The fingerprint scanning of course brings it up to par with Apple’s TouchID functionality, the standout feature and big selling point for the iPhone 5s. The heart rate sensor, however, is something not included in the current iPhone lineup and something Samsung will spend a lot of time marketing as fitness and health wearables like its new smartwatch lineup become big business in 2014. But did you know you can already measure your heart rate on iPhone using the device’s built-in camera?

A number of apps on the App Store, such the “Heart Rate Monitor” app just launched by PlusSports, allow you to accurately measure your heart rate by simply placing your face or fingertip in front of the camera lens. Another app available on the App Store that we’ve tested and works well is Instant Heart Rate. Popular fitness app maker Runtastic also has its own heart rate monitor and pulse tracker app.

The experience of using these apps is almost identical to the S5, which also forces the user to place a finger over a sensor on the back of the device and wait several seconds for a reading.

It’s possible Samsung would tell you that its built-in heart rate sensor is more accurate or feature-filled, but from our tests and reviews from others, the iPhone apps are remarkably accurate.

As Apple continues development of iWatch, Samsung releases two new second-gen Gear smartwatches

Chance Miller Feb 22 2014 - 6:55 pm PT

12 Comments

Over the past year, many signs have emerged that Apple is working an iWatch centered around health and fitness features. The company has made a plethora of hires in the health field recently, and our sources have said that the device is already well into development. Samsung, on the other hand, albeit to incredibly poor reviews, released its Galaxy Gear smartwatch just five months ago. This evening, the Korean company has taken the wraps off of not one, but two new smartwatches: the Gear 2 and the Gear 2 Neo. The difference between the two models is the lack of a camera on the Gear Neo. As rumored earlier this month, both of the models have ditched Android in favor of Samsung’s Tizen operating system.

According to Samsung, the switch to Tizen will offer many improvements to the end-user. First off, Tizen is much less power intensive, which means battery life has improved to 2-3 days, according to Samsung—much better than the one day life given by the original Gear. Tizen will also offer an “enriched application ecosystem” to the user.

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Samsung mocks iPad Air & iPhone’s screen size in new Galaxy Tab Pro & Note 3 ads (Video)

Jordan Kahn Feb 19 2014 - 7:41 am PT

116 Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fThtsb-Yj0w]

Like it has done on several occasions in the past, Samsung is directly mocking Apple in its latest advertisement for the new Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1. The commercial, posted to Samsung’s YouTube page, is a clear parody of Apple’s Pencil ad for the iPad Air that has been airing on TV since Apple debuted it for the introduction of the new tablet in October of last year. Another ad for the Galaxy Note 3 (below) takes on the iPhone’s small screen size.

In the ad, Samsung mentions that Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 has an even thinner body than the iPad Air and also demos multitasking features that aren’t available on iOS. While Samsung doesn’t get into specifics in the video, we know the new Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 measures in at 7.3mm thick. That’ less than a millimeter thinner than the iPad Air at 7.5 mm. The ad also makes references to the Galaxy Tab’s 10.1-inch HD display, which comes in at a resolution of 2560-by-1600 at 299 ppi compared to the iPad Air’s 2048-by-1536 resolution at 264 ppi.
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Apple’s market share in China started climbing even before China Mobile deal; Russian sales double

Ben Lovejoy Feb 19 2014 - 4:05 am PT

1 Comment

Photo: readwrite.com

While smartphone growth is slowing in China, Apple managed to increase its market share from 6 to 7 percent in the final quarter of 2013, even before the China Mobile deal was struck. IDC figures reported by the WSJ show that Apple is now the fifth largest smartphone seller in the country, behind Samsung, Lenovo, Coolpad and Huawei. Xiaomi sits just behind Apple at 6 percent.

Apple’s share is likely to increase significantly in the current quarter, thanks to finally being sold through China’s largest carrier, China Mobile. The carrier has more than 760M subscribers, and analysts have estimated that the deal will generate between 15M and 30M additional iPhone sales in the course of 2014.

iPhone sales in Russia, meantime, doubled to 1.57M units with a total value of $1B, reports Bloomberg. Apple had struggled to persuade Russian carriers to sell the iPhone due to its high price and laws that forbid carriers from discounting up-front prices in return for signing up to lengthy contracts. After selling through electronics stores, however, three Russian carriers resumed selling iPhones within the past few months.

The so-called BRIC markets – Brazil, Russia, India and China – are of huge importance to Apple now that the U.S. and Europe have reached saturation point. While Apple will never compete in market share with the low-end Android handsets available in these markets, there is still significant growth potential at the high end. In an earlier WSJ interview, Tim Cook said:

I look at the mobile phone market as having three kinds of phones: feature phones, smartphones that function as or are used as feature phones, and real smartphones. I do care about the market share of the last category and you want to be relevant.

The importance of the BRIC markets was illustrated when it was revealed that Apple’s Asian sales had outstripped those of Europe even by Q1 of last year. Next quarter’s China numbers are going to make very interesting reading.

Samsung’s Galaxy S5 said to have fingerprint home button, though less sophisticated than Touch ID

Ben Lovejoy Feb 18 2014 - 5:54 am PT

22 Comments

: The fingerprint sensor is said to be embedded in the home button

If a report by SamMobile is correct, Samsung’s forthcoming Galaxy S5 won’t just have a similar name to the iPhone 5s, it will also have a fingerprint sensor embedded in the home button. The S5 is expected to be officially announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on 24th February, replacing the Galaxy S4, though it may not go on sale until March or April.

It had earlier been rumored that the S5 would have iris recognition, but a KGI Research document pointed instead to a fingerprint sensor, which SamMobile claims to be able to confirm via sources inside Samsung.

We are finally confirming that Samsung’s upcoming flagship device, the Galaxy S5, will be equipped with a fingerprint sensor […]

Samsung hasn’t opted for on-screen buttons and is still using physical buttons, like it has been using in the past on all of its flagship devices. The sensor itself works in a swipe manner, which means that you would need to swipe the entire pad of your finger, from base to tip, across the home key to register your fingerprint properly …

From SamMobile‘s description, the fingerprint technology appears to be less sophisticated than Touch ID, requiring users to pull their finger across the button rather than the one-touch system offered by the iPhone 5s. The ‘swipe across’ type of fingerprint scanner dates back many years.

Reports: A8 won’t feature integrated LTE yet, low yield rates pushing Samsung out of the process?

Zac Hall Feb 17 2014 - 10:21 am PT

21 Comments

Image via iFixit

Two new reports out today are offering a bit of early insight into what to expect from Apple’s next A-series SoC, or system on a chip, that powers its iPhone and iPad devices.

The first tidbit from Fudzilla says Apple will once again rely on Qualcomm for LTE chips in the next round of iOS devices rather than an A8 chip with LTE integrated. So what does this mean? It’s probably safe to assume Apple will save a SoC which includes the LTE modem in a future iteration.

Generally, the fewer chips required in a mobile device, the better optimized for battery life the device is. Apple, of course, must strive to engineer battery life parity, if not improvements, as our devices get more powerful each generation.

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Apple’s Phil Schiller to testify once again in Samsung patent lawsuit, Forstall also a possibility

Mike Beasley Feb 13 2014 - 4:56 pm PT

3 Comments

Update: Zdnet Korea reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook and Samsung’s JK Shin met in the US last week ahead of the companies returning to court in San Jose next month. The unconfirmed, translated report appears to claims the executives were asked by the courts to reach an agreement by Feb. 19, but the case looks set to go ahead after settlement talks reportedly failed.

Apple’s head of marketing will be called to the stands by Samsung in the latest patent dispute between the rival companies. Schiller will testify on topics surrounding the creation and marketing of many of Apple’s iconic products, including the iPhone and iPad, according to a statement released by Samsung. The South Korean company has also said there’s a chance it could call Greg Joswiak, vice president of iPhone marketing, to testify as well.

Apple is also planning to put several of its own executives on the stand, possibly including Scott Forstall, who oversaw the development of iOS until he resigned his position in 2012. This would be Forstall’s first public appearance since he left Apple. Both Forstall and Schiller testified against Samsung in an August, 2012 hearing.

2014 to be a big year for wearables, with 17M devices expected to be sold

Ben Lovejoy Feb 13 2014 - 5:09 am PT

5 Comments

Market analyst Canalys reports that 1.6M fitness bands and smartwatches combined were sold in the second half of last year, and is predicting that more than 17M devices will be sold this year, driven largely by forecast sales of 8M smartwatches.

Though currently a relatively small market serving fitness enthusiasts, wearable bands represent a massive opportunity in the medical and wellness segment. 2014 will be the year that wearables become a key consumer technology, as the smart band segment is estimated to reach 8 million annual shipments. Canalys estimates that this number will grow to over 23 million units by 2015, and over 45 million by 2017 …
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Smartphones are now a 95% Android-iOS global duopoly w/ Android closing in on 80% by itself

Jordan Kahn Feb 12 2014 - 7:54 am PT

10 Comments

Research firm IDC is out today with its latest report on the worldwide smartphone market highlighting shipments and marketshare by operating system for last quarter and all of 2013. Together Android and iOS made up around 95.7% of all smartphone shipments in the last quarter of 2013 (up from 91.2% in the year ago quarter), but the real story is how much Android has grown compared to iOS. As of last quarter, Android made up almost 80% of that 95.7% and shipped close to 800 million of the billion smartphones shipped during 2013.
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iPad Air conquers all in tablet battery test with 11-13 hour showing

Jordan Kahn Feb 12 2014 - 6:51 am PT

9 Comments

Apple boasted about maintaining its 10-hour iPad battery-life in the new iPad Air despite an overall thinner and faster design, but how does it compare to other tablets? Most reviews had good things to say about battery life (many even experiencing more than 10 hours), but it’s interesting to see how the device stacks up against the rest of the tablet market. While battery life largely depends on how you’re using your iPad, an extensive test from Which? shows that iPad Air comes out on top in just about any case and significantly beats out much of the competition.
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Apple speaks out against patent trolls after facing a record 92 lawsuits in three years

Ben Lovejoy Feb 10 2014 - 4:35 am PT

25 Comments

Photo: edudemic.com

arsTechnica drew our attention to some unusually forthright comments from Apple’s lawyers on the subject of patent trolls, in a public FTC filing. Apple revealed that it had been the subject of 92 lawsuits by patent assertion entities over the course of the past three years, more than any other company.

Apple has rarely lost on the merits. But victory figures are small consolation, because in every one of these cases, Apple has been forced to bear its legal fees. This reality is the lifeblood of the patent assertion industry… Indeed, the opening line of many negotiations is some form of, “What we’re asking for is less than it will cost you to litigate this case to judgment.” It should come as no surprise, then, that despite its success in litigating the merits, for business purposes Apple has agreed to a settlement in 51 of the 57 closed cases.

Apple’s legal team used particularly direct language when referring to Lodsys, a company which claims to hold a patent on in-app purchases and which litigates against small developers who cannot afford the legal costs of fighting the case …
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Analyst says iPad tops other tablets in Q4, accounting for a third of all tablets sold in 2013

Benjamin Mayo Feb 4 2014 - 4:01 am PT

4 Comments

Strategy Analytics reported its tablet figures for 2013 and unsurprisingly, iPad remains in first place with 33.9% marketshare. Marketshare growth has dipped slightly, however, year-on-year as iPad accounted for 35.7% of tablet sales in Q4 2012.

In terms of unit growth, Apple rose 14% compared with the year-ago quarter. The second-place position goes to Samsung, with 17.7% marketshare (although this means annual growth was more than 80%). Apple sold just under double Samsung’s shipments for the period, so even though Apple’s growth has slowed, there is still a significant gap between first and second place.

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Jobs biographer Isaacson back-pedals on innovation comments, says ‘execution is what really matters’, Apple is best

Ben Lovejoy Jan 31 2014 - 5:15 am PT

8 Comments

A couple of weeks after describing Google as more innovative than Apple, and suggesting that Tim Cook was vulnerable to a shareholder revolt if he didn’t quickly release disruptive new products, Steve Jobs’ biographer Walter Isaacson has downplayed his remarks in a round-table discussion on Bloomberg TV.

I think [Google is] very innovative. I was not trying to contrast it to Apple or something. I know, all the Apple fans got mad […]

The one thing I will say is innovation is great, but it ain’t everything. It’s not the holy grail. Execution is what really matters, and Apple is the best at execution …
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Apple regains lead over Samsung in US smartphone market thanks to new iPhones

Jordan Kahn Jan 30 2014 - 7:52 am PT

4 Comments

If you jump back to calendar Q3 2013, Apple was falling behind Samsung in US smartphone marketshare with just 34% of the market compared to Samsung’s 38%. The theory at the time was that US buyers were holding out for the new iPhones that launched in September. Fast forward to last quarter, the three month period ended December 31, and that theory appears to be holding up. Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP) just sent over its latest reports showing Apple has once again taken the lead thanks to a strong holiday quarter of iPhone sales.
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iPhone market share continues to fall, but it’s Samsung feeling the pressure

Ben Lovejoy Jan 27 2014 - 4:28 am PT

22 Comments

While Android reaching almost 70 percent of smartphone sales across 12 key markets is the headline, with iOS falling to just under 24 percent, it is Samsung feeling the pressure, says Kantar, reporting sales figures for the final quarter of 2013.

After years of accelerated growth, Samsung is now coming under real pressure in most regions, with European share down by 2.2 percentage points to 40.3% and in China its share ended the year flat at 23.7% […]

Apple has lost share in most countries compared with this time last year, but importantly it has held strong shares in key markets including 43.9% in USA, 29.9% in Great Britain and 19.0% in China …
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iDevices top data usage charts, iPhone 5s users downloading 41 percent more data than Samsung S4

Ben Lovejoy Jan 23 2014 - 4:48 am PT

7 Comments

While Android devices have the greatest market share, the evidence that iOS users do more with their devices continues to grow. The latest survey by analytics company Arieso found that iDevices took six out of the top ten slots in terms of the amount of data downloaded by 2013 devices. All numbers use the iPhone 3G as their base, and exclude the iPad Air which was launched after the survey ended.

Unsurprisingly, the company found that our appetite for data grows with each generation of device, as they become increasingly capable. iPhone 5s owners, for example, download 19 percent more data than iPhone 5 owners.

But tellingly, iPhone 5s owners download 41 percent more data than the Samsung Galaxy S4, Samsung’s current flagship handset (a figure that increases to 54 percent in developing markets). A previous study showed that iPhone users spend more time using their phones than do Android owners.

In a separate analysis by the UK consumer association Which?, the iPhone 5c was found to have the greatest amount of usable storage space after built-in apps were accounted for. Comparing the 16GB models of eight leading smartphones, the 5c was found to leave users with 12.6GB of storage, with the 5s at 12.2GB taking third place behind the Nexus 5. The Samsung Galaxy S4 took bottom place, with just over half of its 16GB space available to the user.

Via TechCrunch

Apple gets more favourable rulings against Samsung ahead of trial in March

Benjamin Mayo Jan 22 2014 - 2:45 am PT

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FOSS Patents is reporting that Apple received two more favourable rulings in their ongoing battle against Samsung in the courts. These judgements increase the chance of Apple winning the March patent trial “not hugely but significantly”, according to Mueller.

In a judgement filed yesterday, Samsung was found to infringe on one of Apple’s asserted patents and one of its own patents in the case was invalidated.

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Analysts estimate Apple sold 55.3M iPhones last quarter, up 16 percent

Ben Lovejoy Jan 20 2014 - 3:59 am PT

4 Comments

With Apple due to report its earnings a week from today, Fortune has run its usual roundup on the numbers analysts are predicting.

The consensus among the 44 analysts we’ve heard from so far — 27 professionals and 17 amateurs — is unit sales of 55.3 million iPhones, up 16% from the same quarter last year.

It’s a near-certainty the numbers will be high …
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Smartphone sales expected to fall for the first time in two years

Ben Lovejoy Jan 17 2014 - 5:12 am PT

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TrendForce is predicting that total worldwide smartphone sales will fall by around five percent in the first quarter of this year. If so, this will be the first fall in two years.

It doesn’t mean demand for smartphones is actually dropping, but rather than the upward trend has slowed to the point that the seasonal effect – people buying smartphones as holiday gifts – is now bigger than the overall growth rate.

Apple and Samsung of course maintain their lead, though Sony saw significant growth in its home territory of Japan, and LG’s share grew 57 percent year-on-year to a 4.2 percent market share thanks largely to sales of the Nexus handsets it makes for Google.

Via re/code

Pegatron will make half of iPhone 6 supplies, says sketchy rumor

Ben Lovejoy Jan 10 2014 - 4:26 am PT

1 Comment

iPhone 6 concept by Nikola Cirkovic

Pegatron, which currently makes the iPhone 5c and iPad mini, is said to be gearing up to make around half of the production run of the iPhone 6 expected to be launched in the fall. It’s a pretty sketchy rumor, based on an anonymous source cited by Taiwanese site Liberty Times, but it is a plausible one at least.

While Apple has so far relied on Foxconn for the bulk of its manufacturing, it’s no secret that supply-chain maestro Tim Cook has been keen to diversify manufacturing in order to reduce risks, a desire reportedly intensified by quality-control issues at Foxconn. As of last August, work for Apple made up 27 percent of Pegatron’s turnover.

The iPhone 6 is, of course, simply the subject of speculation at present. Rumors so far suggest that the iPhone 6 will have a larger screen (possibly in two sizes, though I remain skeptical about that personally), something our own poll suggested would be popular. A completely unverified pair of photos claims the new phone will be slimmer.

It’s also been said that Apple will stick with an 8MP camera, focusing its attentions on low-light and dynamic range rather than the pixel count. Plus, of course, we have the traditional annual rumor that Apple will shift its chip production from Samsung to TSMC.

While nothing is actually known, there are plenty of concept images around to keep us entertained.

The $50 smartwatch will be here by the summer, says Archos

Ben Lovejoy Jan 9 2014 - 4:19 am PT

5 Comments

Photo: engadget.com

When a whole new category of technology arrives, you can usually rely on tech-heads to get excited about them even if the mass-market doesn’t. So far, though, smartwatches don’t seem to have made as much headway as many expected. When a confirmed gadget addict like me is left wondering why I’d want one, something somewhere is wrong.

But where functionality hasn’t persuaded many of us, perhaps price will. Archos is planning to launch a basic smartwatch in the summer for just $50, a price it may be hoping will lead people to stop asking ‘Why?’ and instead ask ‘Why not?’.

Don’t expect too much tech for your fifty bucks: what it will buy you is more of a dumbwatch than a smart one. All it will do is relay notifications from your phone and allow you to control music playback. Oh yes, and tell the time. The display, too, is low-tech: a 1.55-inch non-capacitive e-ink screen.

The styling also looks pretty crude. But for $50, it’s almost cheap enough to try one out just to see whether the idea of a smartwatch grabs you.

Archos also plans a color model with 1.8-inch capacitive screen for $100 and an aluminum-cased version for $130, but these won’t be available until later in the year.

Apple and Samsung agree to mediation in latest patent battle

Mike Beasley Jan 8 2014 - 6:23 pm PT

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Reuters reports that the CEOs of both Samsung and Apple have agreed to sit down with their lawyers and hash out a settlement in the latest of the never-ending patent suits between the two companies. Legal teams from both companies decided on this course of action earlier this week.

The meeting will take place some time next month, ahead of the actual court proceedings scheduled for March. If the two companies managed to reach a settlement, they could bypass the entire court process, saving both sides of the fight from financial and legal headaches.

9to5Toys Last Call: iOttie iPhone windshield mount $12, tons of app price drops, HP 27″ IPS monitor $355, Blu-rays, HDTVs, more

Jan 2 2014 - 9:50 am PT

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Be sure to follow 9to5Toys to keep up with the best gear and deals on the web: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and subscribe to the new Safari push notifications feature.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

Last Call Updates:

Sharp 32″ 1080P LED HDTV display $200, Insignia 32″ 720p LED $150, LG 55″ 1080p Smart HDTV $600 shipped
Amazon Kindle Wifi 6-inch eReader: $50 shipped ($20 off)

Star Wars: The Complete Saga (Episodes I-VI) on Blu-ray $60 (Reg. $140) http://t.co/HAqox7WJd5

— 9to5Toys (@9to5toys) January 2, 2014

iOttie One-Touch iPhone Car Windshield/Dashboard Mount $12 shipped (Reg. $25)

Game/App Deals: Scanner Pro: FREE (Reg. $7), Hotline Miami PS3/PS Vita: $2.50 (Reg. $10), Xbox One games $40, iOS Sonic & All-Stars Racing out now, iOS freebies, 3D Blu-rays, more

HP 27″ LED IPS Monitor w/DisplayPort, Dual-Link DVI & 4-Port USB Hub (refurb): $355 shipped

Other great deals from today:

New! Kingston Digital 120GB V300 2.5″ Solid State Drive $70 shipped (Reg. $194)
New! Free Month of Redbox Instant Streaming + 4 DVD Rentals Free
New! Samsung Galaxy Gear Smart Watch $240 shipped (Reg. $300)
New! Amazon Kindle Wifi 6-inch eReader: $50 shipped ($20 off)

More great deals still alive:

Pad & Quill: $5 off any product
Olloclip 4-in-1 iPhone 5/5s lens kit: $50 shipped (Reg. $70)
Mpow 12000mAh Backup Battery Portable Charger Power Bank $41 shipped (Reg. $66)
Google Nexus 7 (2013) 16GB: $200
Dell ST2421L 24″ 1080P LED Monitor w/HDMI for $110 shipped
OtterBox offers up to 15% off sitewide
HP X2401 24-Inch ultra-thin 1080P LED display with HDMI: $160 shipped

iPhone market share in China more than doubled following 5s and 5c launch

Ben Lovejoy Dec 12 2013 - 5:11 am PT

3 Comments

Data from smartphone market intelligence specialist Counterpoint shows that iPhone market share in China more than doubled between September and October even before launching on the country’s biggest carrier, China Mobile.

Apple’s market share rose from just under 5 percent to 12 percent, taking it from 6th place to 3rd place, behind Samsung and Lenovo …
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