Jun 03
Since it arrived last year, the Galaxy S III
May 17
We heard late last month that Samsung was getting ready to unveil its next-generation TecTile technology, and today the company finally pushed it out to users of the new Galaxy S 4. The phone comes with a newer NFC chip, which makes the previous-generation TecTile tags incompatible. However, TecTile 2 is finally now out available for the taking.
The good news is, these newer TecTile tags are backward-compatible with older Samsung devices that are NFC-enabled, allowing you to use them with your new Galaxy S 4, as well as any other Samsung devices you have lying around, including the Galaxy S III. These tags will allow you to automate a variety of tasks for certain situations, like adjustments to settings and opening up an app with a wave of your phone.
If you’re not all that familiar with TecTiles, they are Samsung-specific NFC stickers that you can program to activate certain phone tasks when the tag and the phone are touched together. You can place these tags all around your house and in your car, which allow you automate tasks, like setting alarms, switching a phone to silent mode, starting up media players, etc.
The downside is that if you’ve invested in the original TecTiles and have upgraded to the Galaxy S 4, you’ll need to grab the newer TecTile 2 tags, which sell for $15 for a pack of five, and are available now online, with availability in stores coming next month.
Currently, the only device that comes with native support for TecTile 2 is the Galaxy S 4, but we’re guessing that future Samsung devices will be utilizing the updated technology as well. As for the advantages of TecTile 2, it seems it’s a bit faster than the previous-generation, with the possibility of extended NFC capabilities, but if you can’t rush out and get new tags now, it won’t hurt you to wait around in order to grab some.
Samsung TecTiles 2 pushed out for Galaxy S 4 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 17
Samsung‘s newest baby is said to soon be crossing the 10 million mark in sales next week, according to co-CEO JK Shin. The Galaxy S 4 has only been on the market for less than a month, which means that the flagship handset would become the company’s fastest-selling device ever if things go as planned next week.
The new phone would even beat out the Galaxy S III, which sold 10 million units in a matter of 54 days, so the Galaxy S 4 would reach that milestone roughly a few weeks ahead of the Galaxy S III. Shin says that the Galaxy S 4 is expected to hit the 10 million mark in less than a month, so be prepared for Samsung to pop open the Champagne bottles once again.
The Galaxy S 4 first became available on April 26, and has since spread like wildfire all over the world. The phone is so hot, in fact, that Google decided to partner up with Samsung on the Galaxy S 4 to release a “Google edition” of the new handset, allowing users to bypass the TouchWiz interface in favor of a stock Android Jelly Bean experience. It’s not a Nexus device, but it could very well be.
Of course, we knew this day would come eventually, so we shouldn’t be extremely surprised that the Galaxy S 4 is hitting 10 million in sales, but we are a little impressed to see it hit that number in such a short amount of time. As for an exact date on when the 10 million mark will hit, Samsung expects to make an announcement on May 24.
In slightly related news, Shin also talked about the upcoming Galaxy Note III, and while he didn’t give away a lot of details on the new device, he says that the phablet-style smartphone will sport a 5.9-inch display, which is right on track with several rumors that we’ve heard in the past that suggested somewhere in the 6-inch range. As for the type of display, it’s rumored that it will come with OLED technology.
VIA: Android Community
SOURCE: Korea Times
Samsung Galaxy S 4 to top 10 million in sales next week is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
May 14
It’s well established that Apple and Samsung have been in a legal cat fight for a while now, and while things seemed to have settled down for a bit, both companies are at it again. Apple and Samsung will be going to court next year in the spring for what will be the second patent trial between the two companies, and the Cupertino-based company is looking to add the new Galaxy S 4 to the mix.
As a part of Apple’s statement recently filed with the US District Court in California, the company said that the Galaxy S 4 “is an infringing device and accordingly intends to move for leave to add the Galaxy S4 as an infringing product.” The Galaxy S 4 now joins a list of 22 Samsung products that Apple believes are infringing on their patents.
Both sides have over 20 products from each company that they claim infringe on each other’s patents. Samsung has included almost all of Apple’s iOS devices, while Apple has focused on Samsung’s Galaxy S lineup, as well as the Note series of phablet-style smartphones.
Judge Lucy Koh will oversee the upcoming patent trial, as she was the judge during the first patent trial that saw Apple win with a whopping $1.05 billion award. However, that was since cut down by $450 million. However, while it seemed Apple was fine with that for the most part, the company claimed the re-calculation is off by $85 million, and thus, another court case will begin in November to re-calculate the damages.
If you’re slightly confused by all that’s going on between the two companies, you’re most likely not alone. Apple and Samsung have been going at it for a couple years now, and both companies are starting to slowly end their partnerships in the industry. For instance, it’s been rumored for quite some time that Apple is completely dropping Samsung from its manufacturing partners, which would cut ties between the two companies. Of course, Apple wants to develop their own chips anyway, but the separation is probably for the best at this point.
VIA: Phone Arena
SOURCE: US District Court Filing
Apple to add Samsung Galaxy S 4 to upcoming patent trial is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 25
The Samsung Galaxy S smartphones are by far the most popular Android smartphones, and are flagship products for Samsung to show off its latest and greatest OLED display technology. The display on the Galaxy S4 is a major enhancement and improvement over the Galaxy S III—it has a full HD 1920×1080 resolution display with 441 Pixels Per Inch. It is also better calibrated, brighter, and bigger. We’ll analyze the Galaxy S4 with an in-depth objective series of Lab tests and measurements included below—and size it up next to the competition. More »
Apr 23
Since it arrived last year, the Galaxy S III has been the world’s best-selling smartphone that wasn’t born in Cupertino. An impressive feat, but one that—along with Samsung’s Megatron-sized hype-machine—has made for sky-high expectations for the sequel. More »
Apr 16
AT&T was one of the first US carriers to announce the pre-order date for the Samsung GALAXY S 4, and customers on Ma Bell can now pre-order the new device directly from their website. As for when the carrier will begin shipping the smartphone, they list a date of April 30, which seems to be when the phone will become available in stores as well.
The 16GB model of the GALAXY S 4 will cost $199, which is quite lower than what AT&T previously mentioned last month, but we’ll certainly take it. If you’re wanting to get the phone off contract, you’ll have to pony up $639 for the privilege. However, it seems AT&T hasn’t yet listed the 32GB model on its website yet, but we should be seeing it soon, most likely at a price of $249 on contract.
The launch of the new phone will come just a couple weeks after the HTC One in the US on AT&T, which gives HTC the advantage in this case, allowing them to put more handsets in the set of buyers before Samsung can. However, we can only assume that the GALAXY S 4 will still be a big hit among avid Galaxy users.
The GALAXY S 4 sports a 5-inch display with a resolution of 1920×1080. The US version of the phone runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor clocked at an impressive 1.9GHz with 2GB of RAM. On the back there’s a 13MP camera with a 2600mAh battery right beneath that, which should be enough to keep you going all day. Check out our hands-on with the device to learn more.
AT&T Samsung GALAXY S 4 open for pre-orders, arriving April 30 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 10
Samsung’s GALAXY S 4 is quickly approaching, and it’s expected to launch at the beginning of next month, with pre-orders starting later this month. In the meantime, Samsung is prepping to launch a television ad campaign for the new phone. Several television commercials have popped up on Samsung Netherlands’ YouTube channel, showing off some of the device’s new features.
There’s three ad spots in the total, all of which are roughly just over 30 seconds long. The first one we see shows off the GALAXY S 4′s “Sound Shot” feature, which allows users to take a picture as well as record surrounding noise in order to give the photo more life and energy. Plus, it makes it feel like you’re actually there.
The second features shown off in the series of commercials is “Group Play,” which allows GALAXY S 4 users to share a song with other GALAXY S 4 users over a wireless connection. However, this method involves turning multiple phones into more speakers, allowing for louder playback of a song, since a single phone can’t output loud volumes all too well.
Lastly, Samsung shows off its S Translater app, which lets users who travel abroad communicate with the locals in the area without needing to know the native language. The feature lets users talk into the phone, and it will repeat the phrase back in a different language. It should definitely come in handy for all the globe trotters out there.
Android Central also got a hold of a one-minute-long GALAXY S 4 commercial that’s a bit different than the three ads above. This one guides you through some of the features of the phone, as well as showing off the exterior and the vivid colors that the display can produce. This ad spot hasn’t been uploaded by Samsung yet, but we should be seeing it show up fairly soon.
[via Android Beat]
Samsung launches GALAXY S 4 TV ads showcasing features is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Apr 08
Mar 29
Hot on the heels of AT&T announcing their pre-orders for the Samsung GALAXY S 4, US Cellular is announcing that they’ll be opening up pre-orders for the new device on the same day of April 16. However, the carrier didn’t say much else. No price is listed on their website yet, but we’re guessing it’ll be right on track with AT&T’s price tag — hopefully a bit cheaper, though.
So far, AT&T and US Cellular are the only two major US carriers who have announced pre-order details, but T-Mobile is actually the only US carrier who has announced availability of the new phone, which is set for around May 1. T-Mobile announced availability of the GALAXY S 4 earlier this week during an event.
Pre-orders for the GALAXY S 4 are actually already live over in the UK, with an availability date of April 26 for UK residents. A handful of carriers will have the phone available, as well as a few retailers, such as Carphone Warehouse and Amazon, where you can grab the new device for £630 without a contract.
The GALAXY S 4 comes with a 5-inch 1080p display and a 13MP camera. The US version of the phone will pack a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor clocked at 1.9GHz with 2GB of RAM, while the UK version will sport Samsung’s Exynos 5 Octa chip. The phone also has a huge 2500 mAh battery. We’ve already gotten our hands on the new toy, but we’ll have a full review coming up soon.
[via Android Community]
US Cellular Samsung GALAXY S 4 pre-orders begin April 16 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
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