Articles about Samsung

The camera applications within Google, Samsung and other Android smartphones could be vulnerable to attack, according to some new research.

Researchers at security platform Checkmarx found that in certain circumstances adversaries can take over smartphone camera apps to record videos, take photos, eavesdrop on conversations, and identify GPS coordinates, all without the user knowing.

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Time for more smartphone leaks. This time around it is the turn of Samsung; specifically the Galaxy S11 range of handsets.

Thanks to reliable leakster Evan Blass, we now know that we can expect to see three the phone in three screen sizes: a 6.2 or 6.4-inch model, a 6.7-inch one, and a massive 6.9-inch version. In all, no fewer than five variants are due to go on sale, with mid- to late-February currently pegged as a launch date.

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Following reports that the fingerprint scanners of Galaxy S10 and Note10 handsets can be unlocked with any finger, Samsung is now rolling out a fix.

The security issue was caused by third-party screen protectors interfering with the fingerprint scanners, making it possible for anyone to unlock a phone with an unregistered fingerprint. While the patch is now rolling out, it remains to be seen whether the vulnerability has been addressed fully.

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Less than a year after it launched, Samsung has decided to close down Linux on DeX.

DeX is Samsung's feature that transforms a phone into a (nearly) fully fledged computer when connected to a monitor, and Linux on DeX made it possible to run a Linux distro in this environment. Now the company has decided to knock the project on the head and is killing it off in Android 10.

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As fingerprints are unique to everyone, they would seem like a decent way to secure your phone. But if you have a Samsung Galaxy S10, it is possible to unlock it with any fingerprint -- all that's needed is a screen protector.

With a cheap screen protector over the in-screen fingerprint reader, phones can be unlocked using any fingerprint, not just those registered to the device. Samsung has acknowledged the issue and promises that a fix is incoming.

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Chromebooks used to be glorified web browsers running atop the Linux kernel, but these days, they are far more useful. If you need more than just web apps, you can now run Android apps and traditional desktop Linux programs on Chrome OS. Best of all, you can run them all side by side, making it all feel like a cohesive experience -- it doesn't feel like you are using a mixture of software intended for different platforms.

Today, Samsung launches its latest Chrome OS laptops -- the 11.6-inch Chromebook 4 and 15.6-inch Chromebook 4+. The former weighs just 2.6 pounds, while the latter is a heftier 3.75 pounds. Both laptops are powered by the same Intel Celeron N4000 CPU, and you can choose between 4GB and 6GB of RAM. Strangely, there is no option for 8GB of memory. Storage options are 32GB or 64GB, and sadly, regardless of capacity, you will get a sluggish eMMC drive. Both machines have USB-C and micro SD readers, which is cool, but the Wi-Fi is only 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) -- not the newer 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6).

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Back in April, teardown site iFixit took an in-depth look at the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Following complaints and intervention from Samsung, however, the teardown was removed from the site.

Now iFixit has taken a look at the redesigned Galaxy Fold and, while it found that things have improved since the first version, there is still cause for concern. As well as pointing out that there are plenty of points of entry for dirt, dust and other debris, iFixit also says: "You wouldn't even have to drop this thing to break it, meaning screen replacements seem inevitable, and that's a scary thought".

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Beset by a seemingly endless list of problems and delays, the Samsung Galaxy Fold will surely go down in technological history as one of the most troublesome launches ever.

For anyone who stuck things out and was willing to part with the best part of two grand, there is some good news. Despite the unique technology used in the handset, Samsung has revealed that for early purchasers it has a special, low price for replacing a broken screen... the first time it happens, at least.

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Just when it seems that the Galaxy Fold launch could not be any more chaotic or infuriating, Samsung just managed to annoy would-be buyers even further.

For reasons that have not really been explained, the company has chosen -- at the very last minute -- to cancel pre-orders placed in the US. To soften the blow, Samsung is offering $250 of credit to those affected by the cancelations, but the news may well lead customers to question whether the Fold is really worth all the hassle.

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Depending on where you are in the world, you could get your hands on a Samsung Galaxy Fold as soon as tomorrow -- and it should only be a matter of weeks before it launches in all the markets it will hit.

But what is the newly redesigned Galaxy Fold like? Samsung says it took note of the problems and criticism that cropped up after the first batch of review units were sent out, and now you can see what these changes have amounted to in a new hands-on video.

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It has been one of the most problematic handset launches ever, but the beleaguered Samsung Galaxy Fold finally has a release date.

Just days after pre-registrations for the folding smartphone went live in the UK, Samsung has started to reveal detail of the release schedule. For some people -- those in Korea specifically -- the Fold launches tomorrow, September 6. The launch for other regions follows in the coming weeks.

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After poor reviews, a postponed launch, and something of a redesign, Samsung is readying itself to launch the Galaxy Fold.

If you haven't lost interest -- or faith -- as a result of the problems and delays, Samsung has opened up "pre-registration" once again in the US and UK. While it is not possible to pre-order yet, the move suggests that a launch is imminent, and Samsung promises you can "be the first to see the future".

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Earlier today, Samsung had its big "Unpacked" event in New York, and BetaNews was there to take it all in. As was expected, the Galaxy Note10 was unveiled. Yours truly was in the third row, listening to well-placed Samsung employees loudly "ooh" and "ah" at every little thing shown off on stage. While their feigned enthusiasm was comically overdone, there actually was some exciting stuff revealed, including the removal of the old-school headphone jack -- finally!

This year, there are two new Android 9.0 phones -- Note10 and Note10+. This is the first time a Note smartphone has been offered in more than one screen size. The plus in the name indicates it is the better device, including having a bigger screen. It has a 6.8-inch Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display with 3040×1440 resolution, while the non-plus has a 6.3-inch screen with a 2280x1080 resolution. Both are HDR10+ certified.

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Android tablets have fallen out of favor with consumers, and that's sad. Things have gotten so bad for this device type that Google -- the maker of Android -- has even pulled the plug on making them. Yikes! That is as ominous as it gets, folks. Why did this happen? Well, I blame the influx of cheap no-name tablets from China that crowded the market. Not to mention, smartphones started getting ridiculously large, making tablets a bit redundant. Ultimately, Android tablets became synonymous with crap. With the exception of Samsung and Huawei, quality tablets running Google's mobile OS have been few and far between.

Today, Samsung announces its latest Android tablet, and you know what? It is actually very exciting. Called "Galaxy Tab S6," it is just 5.7mm thin and has a 10.5-inch Super AMOLED screen. The device is outfitted with some really cool technology too. For instance, it has an in-display fingerprint reader and a dual-camera setup on the rear -- one of the lenses is "ultra wide." It features an octa-core processor with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM -- depending on configuration. Storage is either 128GB or 256GB, and yes, you can increase that using micro SD. The super-cool DeX feature, which can essentially transform the tablet into a desktop/laptop experience, is also included.

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Folding smartphones are probably still the future, despite Samsung's epic fail with the Galaxy Fold. It's hard to fault the company for being overly ambitious -- we need the envelope to be pushed for true innovation to come to market -- but clearly, it was not ready for prime time. As reviewers who got an early look quickly found out, Galaxy Fold was ridiculously fragile, and what looked like a screen protector actually wasn't -- peeling it off destroyed the damn thing.

After all the bad press, I actually assumed the Galaxy Fold would be canceled entirely. It would make sense to simply try a folding phone again in the future with a new name. Well, surprisingly, Samsung has decided to stay the course and release the Galaxy Fold this September -- after some revisions, of course.

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