Why I will not upgrade to Samsung Galaxy S8
Samsung just unveiled what are likely the best Android smartphones of the year -- the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. They have novel displays, impressive cameras, the fastest hardware, superb build quality, and cutting edge software. If you're looking to get one of the new flagships, you can pull the trigger right now because, chances are, you'll be super happy with it...
...except if you have a Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 edge, that is. As attractive as the new flagships are, and as much as I like having the latest and greatest smartphone, there simply aren't enough reasons to upgrade. Here's what I mean.
Yeah, you should buy Samsung Galaxy S8
If you are in the market for a new Android smartphone, you will undoubtedly consider Samsung. After all, the company makes some of the best smartphones running Google's mobile operating system. In fact, without Samsung, it can be questioned if Android would even be as popular as it is today.
Earlier today, the manufacturer officially unveiled the Galaxy S8 (and a larger "plus" variant). The world was excited for this announcement, as it is Samsung's first true flagship since the Note7 fiasco. You may be wondering if you should buy the new Galaxy smartphone, and I have a very simple answer for you. Yes. Buy it. Pre-order it ASAP.
Samsung announces new Gear 360 camera and Gear VR headset
To prove that it's serious about becoming a major player in the virtual reality market, at today's Unpacked event which saw the unveiling of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, Samsung introduced a new Gear VR headset and Gear 360 camera.
Samsung changed the port on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, opting for USB Type-C this time round, which meant that it also had to introduce a new Gear VR headset to work with the latest flagships. Meanwhile, the new Gear 360 is promised to be more refined and easier to use.
Samsung DeX lets Galaxy S8 and S8+ owners turn their smartphones into a desktop
It's something that Microsoft has already tried with Continuum, and now Samsung is ready to give it a bash: transforming a smartphone into a desktop. For the South Korean company, today's events in NYC and London are primarily about the launch of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, but this is certainly not all that's being revealed.
The company also spoke about Samsung DeX, described as a way of "extending the smartphone to a desktop environment." What this means is that, with a DeX Station, Galaxy S8 and S8+ owners can transform their smartphones into a desktop system that can be controlled with a regular keyboard and mouse, benefiting from a larger HDMI display.
Samsung unveils Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ -- here's what you need to know
At the first Unpacked event of the year, Samsung today officially takes the wraps off its new flagships, the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8+. They're arguably the most important Android smartphones to launch this year, featuring drastic changes in terms of design and cutting-edge internals that set it apart from the competition.
The highlight of the Galaxy S8 line is the display, a 5.8-inch panel on the standard model and a 6.2-inch screen on the plus version. Both are taller than before, with an aspect ratio of 18:9, nearly filling up the front panel -- just like on the new LG G6.
Watch the Samsung Galaxy S8 launch live, here
As you’ll know, today is a big day for Samsung, as it will be taking the wraps off its latest, and greatest flagship smartphone. This is a massive launch for the South Korean tech giant, following the well documented problems with the Galaxy Note7.
There have been a lot of leaks surrounding the Galaxy S8, so you’ll probably have a good idea of what it looks like (see above), and what features it will offer, but even so the launch is guaranteed to be interesting.
Samsung Galaxy S8 will be available to pre-order starting March 29
In less than 24 hours, Samsung will take the wraps off the much-awaited Galaxy S8. The South Korean maker is expected to announce two models, one featuring a 5.8-inch screen and a larger 6.2-inch version, and make them available to pre-order shortly after -- what we don't know exactly is when.
Rumors suggest that the Galaxy S8 will actually be offered for pre-order on launch day, at least in some markets, which would make sense given the fact that Samsung did the same thing last year with the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge. Well, this is now officially confirmed by a European carrier.
Samsung will sell refurbished Galaxy Note7
Shortly after we learned that Samsung is getting ready to remotely kill Galaxy Note7 units still in use in its home market, the South Korean maker announced that the Galaxy Note7 is going back on sale. Talk about a turn of events...
What Samsung has actually decided to do is sell refurbished Galaxy Note7 units, not produce new ones. It makes sense for the company to want to recoup some of the lost revenue from recalling millions of Galaxy Note7s across the globe.
Samsung is finally ready to remotely kill the Galaxy Note7
Samsung would almost certainly prefer people to be concentrating on the upcoming Galaxy S8 and virtual assistant Bixby, but the disastrous Galaxy Note7 is still etched in memories. After the phones kept catching fire due to a battery problem, the Korean company started to push out OTA updates to cripple them slightly.
But this and even a ban on taking the handsets on flights, was not enough to discourage everyone from using their Note7. Now, in a bid to complete kill of the troublesome phone, Samsung is pushing out another update that completely disables charging.
Ahead of the Galaxy S8 launch, Samsung officially announces its virtual assistant, Bixby
There have been so many leaks about Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S8 that, come launch day, there will be nothing new to learn. One of the features that slipped out a little earlier than planned was news of Samsung's own virtual assistant called Bixby. Now Samsung has officially unveiled its take on Siri and Cortana.
Drawing on artificial intelligence and deep learning, Samsung describes Bixby as "a new intelligent interface." But what makes Bixby any better, or different, than any other virtual assistant on the market? Samsung says that "completeness", "context awareness" and "cognitive tolerance" are the keys to its success.
Your Samsung, LG, Xiaomi, or other Android smartphone could be pre-loaded with malware
Despite being based on the very secure Linux kernel, Android isn't necessarily a very secure operating system. Unlike iOS which does a great job of shielding its users from installing apps from outside Apple's own App Store, it is far too easy to do so on Google's mobile OS. Also, there is nothing requiring manufacturers to issue device updates, meaning many users are forced to use outdated and vulnerable versions of the operating system.
For the most part, however, Android users can remain safe by acting intelligently, such as only installing apps from the Play Store. Well, that might not be so true anymore. You see, it has been discovered that many models of Android smartphones -- from manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, and even Google's own Nexus line -- are being sold with malware pre-installed. This is particularly bad malware, as it can steal user information. Some devices even came pre-loaded with ransomware!
Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge receive Android 7.0 Nougat
If you look at Google's Android distribution chart you will see that very few devices run Nougat. Despite the fact that it was officially introduced in late-August last year, it is only found on 2.8 percent of Android devices. However, things are slowly improving.
Manufacturers, like Samsung, are starting to release software updates to bring Nougat to their flagship offerings, which will help it gain more traction among Android users. The Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge, for instance, got Nougat in mid-January and their predecessors, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, are now receiving a similar treatment.
Microsoft and Samsung react to Vault 7 CIA leaks -- Google, Linux Foundation and others remain silent
The Vault 7 document and code cache released yesterday by WikiLeaks revealed that many big software companies were being actively exploited by the CIA. Apple, Microsoft, Google, Samsung, and even Linux were all named as having vulnerabilities that could be used for surveillance.
Apple was one of the first of the companies mentioned in the documents to speak out and address concerns and security. But while the iPhone manufacturer has quickly indicated that it has fixed "many" of the vulnerabilities, Microsoft and Samsung have merely said they are looking into the issues raised. Other companies and groups mentioned have made no comment at all.
Samsung Galaxy S8 revealed a month early
In addition to launching some new tablets, Samsung also used MWC 2017 to tease us about its forthcoming Galaxy S8 smartphone. The tech giant even released a little video announcing that the eagerly awaited flagship will be unveiled on March 29.
If you’re wondering what the new device will look like, and what changes it will deliver, the good news is you don’t have to wait until the end of the month to see the new phone in all its glory.
Like Google, Samsung is ready to further embrace RCS messaging
It is really starting to feel as though the days of SMS and MMS are well and truly numbered. Google has already updated its Messenger app, renaming it Android Messages as it aims to branch out into Rich Communication Services, and now Samsung has announced that it's ready to jump in too.
After new tablet announcements at MWC 2017, Samsung says that its acquisition of NewNet Communication Technologies' RCS solution means it is ready to expand its messaging services. Samsung's embracing of RCS will bring features such as group messaging, file transfers and video calls to users and Samsung says its RCS cloud will help mobile operators to quickly roll out new services.
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