Articles about Samsung

The mobile technology market was rocked by the news of Samsung's recall of the explosion-prone Note7. While some people applauded the company for its focus on consumer safety, more cynical people viewed it as nothing more than a way to avoid lawsuits. Quite frankly, the company was likely motivated by both. Regardless of motivation, the recall was the right move.

Consumer Reports, however, is not satisfied with Samsung's recall efforts. The respected consumer-focused publication is calling it deficient, criticizing the failure to make it an "official" recall. In other words, Samsung should have worked with the Consumer Product Safety Commission. This is important, apparently, as it would block the Note 7 from being sold entirely. Shockingly, as of today, the dangerous Note7 can still be sold legally in the USA. This is not theoretical -- Consumer Reports found retailers still selling it yesterday!

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Here at BetaNews, we very rarely report on rumors. With that said, sometimes it is warranted depending on the source and importance. Today, the reputable Verge is reporting that Samsung will recall its newest Android flagship, the Galaxy Note7. The Verge is citing Korean news agency Yonhap. The ramifications of this move, if true, are monumental.

Why is the company rumored to issue this unprecedented smartphone recall? Apparently, the phone has been exploding. No, "exploding" is not some form of slang like "lit" or "woke" -- the phone overheats and goes up in flames. This could potentially injure or kill users, not to mention cause damage to property. While this recall would damage Samsung's brand and cost the company millions -- potentially billions -- the alternative of massive lawsuits could be worse.

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Smartwatches are curious products. Consumers are not flocking to the segment as they did for smartphones and tablets. Why? Some would say it is because the wearables duplicate the functionality of their existing devices. Fitness aside, many consumers seem to be awaiting some sort of "must have" aspect before jumping into the smartwatch waters. With that said, the Apple Watch seems to have the brightest future with its focus on medical conditions and overall well-being. It is not clear if health can drive segment growth, however.

Today, Samsung announces its latest smartwatches -- the S3 Classic (top right) and Frontier (top left). These Tizen-powered wearables feature a 1.3 inch circular Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 360 x 360. The exciting aspect, however, is the always-on nature of the screen. Lifting your arm to see a blank screen is no longer a thing -- it will always display the time. The question becomes, which of the two will you pick? Keep in mind, the differences are not just skin deep.

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The Galaxy Note7 has received some extremely positive reviews. The Guardian described it "as without doubt, the best phablet going" and Engadget declared it "Samsung’s best phone yet". High praise indeed.

If you were hoping to get your hands on the new smartphone there’s some bad news. Shipments of the new devices are being delayed while Samsung conducts additional quality control testing.

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When buying a gaming monitor, there have historically been many things to consider, such as brand, budget, size, and resolution. Nowadays, however, there are even more features to investigate, like whether or not to buy a curved screen and deciding if you need AMD FreeSync or NVIDIA G-SYNC.

Today, Samsung announces some new gaming monitors that check many of the marks -- curved screen, AMD FreeSync, plus respectable resolutions and refresh rate. Stepping things up further, it also has Quantum Dot technology, which should produce remarkable colors.

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Android and iOS are the only two mobile operating systems that matter. That's a problem for consumers. Why? Well, while duopolies at least give them some choice, being limited to just two options isn't ideal. Sure, there are other options like Ubuntu for phones and Windows 10 Mobile, but neither are lighting the world on fire.

Consumers aside, phone manufacturers don't have access to Apple's iOS, leaving Android as the only viable option. In other words, for OEMs, there is almost no choice. Samsung is apparently not satisfied with being limited to Google's mobile operating system. The company has been experimenting with devices running a different Linux-based open source mobile OS -- Tizen. Today, it launches the first ever 4G smartphone running that OS. The catch? Besides a small 4 inch screen and 5 megapixel camera, it is only available in India.

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If you want to get your hands on cheaper Apple products, you can opt for the secondhand market on eBay, or you could go for an official refurbished device from the company itself. Not wanting to miss out on a trick, Samsung looks set to launch its own refurbished smartphone program.

Citing "a person with direct knowledge of the matter", Reuters says the program could launch as early as next year. With Samsung hardware selling for something of a premium -- particularly flagships like the Galaxy Note7 -- consumers are as keen to seek out a saving as Samsung is to ensure ongoing profit in an ever-competitive market.

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Windows continues to lose ground to Android and iOS in the smartphone market, according to a new report from Gartner. Driven by the poor performance of the Lumia line, its share dropped to just 0.6 percent in Q2 2016, down from 2.5 percent a year ago.

Microsoft is the largest platform vendor, selling over 90 percent of the smartphones that run Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile, so its performance has a direct impact on Windows' share in this market. And, since in Q2 2016 it only sold 1.2 million Lumia devices, it dealt the platform yet another blow.

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Barnes and Noble's color-screen NOOK tablets are really just repurposed Samsung Android devices. You know what? That is totally fine. Heck, B and N doesn't even try to hide it. While the company could go the route of Amazon and produce its own hardware and operating system, many consumers don't really want that. Without the Google Play Store, an Android tablet is largely a big disappointment.

Today, Barnes and Noble announces the latest such NOOK Android tablet, which is based on the 7-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab A. While not a top of the line tablet by any means, it is affordable, and overall, a damn good value. Existing NOOK tablet owners can even get a substantial discount when upgrading.

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Samsung announced the Galaxy Note7 earlier than usual, choosing to unveil the new flagship in early-August instead of waiting for the IFA show in September as it has done with previous models. And, by doing so, it had no other option than to release it with Android 6.0 Marshmallow out of the box, even though a new version of the mobile operating system -- dubbed Nougat -- is on the horizon.

There are some potential buyers who are understandably disappointed by this, knowing that Android 7.0 should launch in the coming weeks. The good news is that Samsung plans to release the Nougat update for the Galaxy Note7 soon.

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During the recent Defcon hacking conference, held last week in Paris, a hacker demonstrated how he could make fraudulent payments through Samsung Pay.

Samsung says it knew of this and considers it an acceptable risk. It claims the method is almost too difficult to pull off, and no different than fraud methods we see today with credit cards.

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It is easy to mistake Samsung's new Galaxy Note 7 for a stretched-out Galaxy S7 edge with an S Pen at the bottom. After all, the two flagships have quite a few things in common, like the waterproofing, processors and cameras. Even the display resolution is the same.

The display, however, is not. On top of being bigger, it is also better. In fact, DisplayMate now says that the Galaxy Note7 has the best display in the business. It just goes to prove that you cannot judge a smartphone by its specs.

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Android phones are rarely exciting nowadays, save for a few flagships from the major players. No manufacturer of devices running Google's mobile OS is more popular or celebrated than Samsung. It is not hard to see why -- the company listens to users and creates elegant devices to meet needs.

Some of that company's most popular such smartphones are the Galaxy Note line of productivity-focused phablets. The company recently announced the Note7 and it looks downright amazing. If you choose to purchase it, however, you will probably want to protect it with a case. Luckily, today, Ballistic unveils its new line of cases for the Samsung Galaxy Note7.

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Samsung today unveils one of the most hotly anticipated smartphones of 2016 -- the Galaxy Note7. As the latest flagship in the popular series it builds upon the success of the Galaxy S7 line, featuring similar top of the line hardware, while boasting software enhancements that accommodate the now-famous S Pen.

Quite frankly, no one would blame you for saying that the Galaxy Note7 looks like a stretched out Galaxy S7 edge that has an S Pen at the bottom. Many of the specs are basically the same and, as a first for a device in this series, even the body is waterproof. So what does it bring to the table?

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Back in 1996, I attended the greatest concert of my life. I was only a teenager -- not yet old enough to drive -- so I got a ride from Long Island to Randall's Island in NYC. The show was Lollapalooza, and the lineup was epic -- Metallica, The Ramones, Soundgarden, Wu-Tang Clan, and more.

Back then, concertgoers didn't have smartphones and other such modern technologies -- we stared at the stage, not a screen. In 2016, however, things are very different. The upcoming Lollapalooza concert -- the 25th anniversary of the festival which is being held in Chicago -- will have a more high-tech feel. Why? There will be virtual reality onsite -- and offsite too. The VR technology will be supplied by Sasmung's Gear VR.

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