Posts tagged: Samsung

Samsung cancels Galaxy Fold pre-orders

The Galaxy Fold will be launched very soon, however those os you who made pre-orders may have had a rude awakening this morning with your pre-orders cancelled by the company.

 

Folks who had made pre-orders for the foldable device earlier this year received an email this morning from Samsung letting them know that their pre-orders, have been canceled. Why? A ‘rethinking of the customer experience’.

 

From the Source:

 

“Ensuring that you have the best possible experience with this revolutionary new technology is our top priority. We are taking the time to rethink the entire customer experience – from purchase to unboxing, to post-purchase service – so in the meantime, we have, regrettably, decided to cancel your existing pre-order. While not an easy decision to make, we believe this is the right thing to do.”

 

So if you’re still up for Samsung’s Customer experience, you’ll need to place orders once again when the Galaxy Fold launches in the United States later in September. Samsung is planning to launch the Galaxy Fold in South Korea on Friday, September 6, but the U.S. rollout is being delayed.

 

The new ordering process will include Samsung’s “Galaxy Fold Premier Service,” which offers customers “direct access” to Samsung experts and an optional one-on-one onboarding session that walks users through the Galaxy Fold features.

 

It’s not all woe and sadness though, as pre-order customers who had their orders canceled will receive a $250 Samsung credit that’s redeemable for anything on the Samsung.com website.

 

 

The Galaxy Fold is Samsung’s first foldable device, and will be launching after pretty significant problems when the device was given out to media before the previous launch date. It’s priced starting at $1,980.

 

 

Will Samsung bring out a foldable phone?

Yes! Probably.

 

Samsung Mobile CEO DJ Koh recently told CNBC that the company was still running on time to reveal its first foldable smartphone later in 2018. The device sounds like it’s probably going to be unveiled at this year’s Samsung Developer Conference, set to be held in November in San Francisco.

 

Samsung first announced its plans for a Galaxy Note smartphone with a bendable display in September 2017, BUT Samsung has already announced this year’s Galaxy Note 9, so it seems likely that this new bendable phone will come with it’s own unique model name and branding.

 

There’s still no details about how exactly the folding screen will work, but many believe there will be no hinge, and instead the screen itself will bend.

 

It also seems like their trying their hardest to make the device not just a novelty, but rather a device that gives users more functionality. According to Koh;

 

“So every device, every feature, every innovation should have a meaningful message to our end customer. So when the end customer uses it, (they think) ‘wow, this is the reason Samsung made it’.”

 

There have been many, many rumors that Samsung is in the lead of the foldable display with competitor Apple, however there has been no concrete evidence or comment by Apple that this is the case, only a few patents with technology that might serve such a device.

 

So, what do you think? Foldable phones… next big thing? Or not so much?

 

You won’t hear the Note7 ban pre-board notification anymore

Last week the Federal Aviation Administration made a statement which said it was dropping the requirement of U.S. flight attendants to make a pre-boarding notification that the Samsung Galaxy Note7 is prohibited.

 

This is apparently because public awareness that the banned Note7 was a fire risk was deemed to have reached a sufficient level. So, like, everyone’s sitting there going, DUH LADY/DUDE, WE KNOW.

 

And no-one needs that in their lives.

 

Samsung has since released a statement claiming that over 96 percent of Note 7 devices have been returned so far. U.S. carriers have sent out an end-of-life software update to handsets that remain in circulation, rendering the devices unable to charge.

 

Samsung will be releasing the details of its investigation into what caused some handsets to explode or catch fire while charging around the end of the month.

 

Smartphone Users, By The Numbers

INFOGRAPHICS! YEAH! These things make everything fun to read what with the colors and the shapes and the little pointy arrows!

 

We give you the best fun of 2014 so far- Smartphone infographics!

 

YEAH!

 

 

 

This Infographic is produced by Coupon Audit (provides Converse promo code) and iPhoneAntidote – Sell Your Cracked iPhone

 

What’s the top selling Smartphone of the last 3 months?

 

 

A dude named T. Michael Walkley, an analyst over at Canaccord Genuity did some counting, as analysts do, and figured out the top selling Smart phone at AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile for the months September, October and November of this year.

 

And the winner is?

 

 

The iPhone 5S!

 

 

 

Here’s the figures! (Via Appleinsider.)

 

 

Carrier Sales

 

 

The figures were following the same trend last year, with the iPhone 5 being the top selling smartphone of the last quarter of 2012, followed by the Samsung Galaxy S III, and then the iPhone 4 and 4S.

 

Yay iPhone 5S!

 

 

 

Images courtesy of  Youtube & Afuntab.

Which celebrities use which phones

 

 

 

 

Yeah, yeah, why should we care what kind of celebrities use what kind of phones? Right? Right?

 

Well, cos they have people to tell them which is the best one to buy according to style and/or function. And they also have lots of money, so no real barrier to entry.

 

OR they get the best sponsorship deal. OR they get all phones for free and choose the best one.

 

Or cos they’re cooler and prettier than people in real life, and we want to be just like them.

 

Or so we can make fun of them cos they suck, and their smartphone choice proves it.

 

Anyway, wanna know which of your favorite celebrities use which brand smart phone?

 

Here’s what our researchers have come up with. Judge away.

 

 

 

Brad pitt uses an iPhone ( Hello ladies) as does Kate Hudson, Sarah Michelle Gellar ( Of course Buffy uses an iPhone. Right? COS SHE COOL.), Selena Gomez, Posh Spice, Denise Richards, Sharon Stone, Miley Cyrus and the Biebs (Uh oh).

 

 

Kanye West appears to have convinced Kim Kardashian to swap to an iPhone from Black berry. Halle Berry is also a big swapperer, having changed from being a Blackberry lover.

 

 

 

 

Speaking of Blackberry lovers, a surprising amount of celebs fit into this category. Who knew?

 

George Clooney, Megan Fox, Demi Moore,  Leo DiCaprio, Reese Witherspoon, Courtney Cox, Ben Affleck, Rihanna, Paris Hilton, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Justin Tiberlake, Snoop Dogg ( Lion?) and Mindy Kaling (Breath), The Olsen’s, Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen all fit in here. As does Justin Bieber, again. What a category lover.
The President is well known to be a fan of the BlackBerry. So much so, that he has two of them.

 

 

Celebrities that use Samsung phones are also different than we expected – a lot less! Perhaps someone in Samsung has to get their celebrity marketing game on!

 

Jay Z is of course endorsed by Samsung and uses the brand, LeBron James lurves Samsung, as does Eliza Dushku, Nicole Sherzinger and Evan Rachel Wood, Robbie Williams, Anna Kendrick and a whole bunch of Ashley’s; Ashley benson, Ashlee Simpson and Ashley Green.

 

 

So the winning phone category if we cared what celebrities like would be Blackberry, then iPhone, then Samsung? That sounds…weird.

 

Color us surprised.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Images courtesy of blah, celebswithcells, cultofmac, sodahead, engadget and Goodreads.

Only 50,000 Galaxy Gear Smartwatches sold!

 

Ruh Roh Samsung!

 

The Galaxy Gear, Samsung’s wearable tech effort has only sold around 50,000 units according to a report from BusinessKorea.

 

Launched a short time ago in September, the watch has not been received well by critics, or as it turns out, by buyers. It costs $299, it is not standalone, and this is what it looks like:

 

 

Samsung were (/are?) impressed with themselves for getting their version of wearable tech in watch form out first. Especially when the perception is that Apple usually play the role of tech innovators. This was their turn to create history with a first, but should they have waited?

 

The people say …mmmmmmmyeahprobably.

 

The customer and critical reviews of the Galaxy gear have mentioned that it is too bulky, it doesn’t sync with all of their smart-phones, and the battery life, at one day, is nowhere near good enough.

 

Apple is among other tech giants said to be working hard on their own version, named in the press the iWatch. A standalone gadget, it is said that a huge priority for the company is in trying to make the battery last at least four days and have a design aesthetic that will make people who don’t wear a watch currently, want to wear the iWatch.

 

So, kinda sucks for Samsung. But you know what this means, don’t you guys?

 

This can only be a fantastic thing for us, the consumers. Wearable tech, in this case specifically watches can and will only get better from here.

 

And if you were one  of the 50,000 peeps who bought the Galaxy Gear, kudos to you! If things continue in the same vein, now you’re the proud owner of some rare tech. Rare tech is good for the wallet!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Images courtesy of Cheezburger.com & digitaltrends.com

Meanwhile, Samsung quietly launched a smartphone with a curved screen

 

 

 

 

Samsung have yesterday launched the first smart phone handset with a curved display screen!

 

It’s called the Galaxy Round, and it’s currently only available in their home country South Korea, with no indication that the phone will be released internationally.

 

 

BUT!

 

 

Could this be a sign of things to come, iPhone Antidote?

 

Why yes, lovely readers, yes it is, you handsome intellectuals you.

 

Both Samsung and LG have released curved screen OLED televisions. LG have recently said that they will begin production of curved-screen phones next year, and there have been rumors swirling of curved screen Apple devices for a while.

 

Samsung got there first, but it’s a great sign of things to come, and it’s a step in the right direction of what smartphone companies are really working towards- flexible, bendy screens.

 

Or is is wearable tech?

 

Talking Teddy bears?

 

Oh, right, we remember, it’s MINATURE AFRICAN ANIMALS THAT ALSO FUNCTION AS YOUR PHONE AND CALENDAR AND YOU CAN PLAY GAMES WITH THEM BUT IN REAL LIFE BUT WITH CARS AND STUFF TOO. AND THEY’LL GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS. AND DRIVE YOUR CAR.

 

 

YEAH.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image courtesy of Engadget.com & tehcute.com

Shenanigans!

 

 

 

Shenanigans!

 

Yes, we really like that word, but also, Samsung and others are totally participating in SHENANIGANS! And so we thought we should tell you about them. The SHENANIGANS!

 

The smart phone market is one wrought with lawsuits, competition edging on plain schoolyard bullying and lots and lot of money. Hence, the top competitors in the smartphone industry put a lot of work into making their product seem the best.

 

‘Seem’ being the operative word.  Sometimes, the competitors just wanna make sure it seem like their product is doing really well. Take Samsung, who recently have been caught artificially increasing the CPU speeds on it’s Galaxy Note 3 smart phone when benchmark apps are running. 

 

Benchmark apps are apps that measure the performance of your device and compare the scores with similar devices, in this case, other smartphones.

 

Ars Technica have found out that inside Samsung’s operating system on their smartphones sits a special little code. this little code identifies when benchmarking apps are being used, and in turn boosts CPU clock speeds and prevents CPU cores from entering low-power modes.

 

 

They’re big fakers, basically. In this specific case, anyway. Allegedly. And stuff.As a result of this special code, the Galaxy Note 3 benchmarks report CPU performance roughly 20 percent faster than most apps will experience on the device.

 

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Benchmarks

 

According to the guys at Ars:

 

“The difference is remarkable. In Geekbench’s multicore test, the Note 3’s benchmark mode gives the device a 20 percent boost over its “natural” score. With the benchmark boosting logic stripped away, the Note 3 drops down to LG G2 levels, which is where we initially expected the score to be given the identical SoCs. This big of a boost means that the Note 3 is not just messing with the CPU idle levels; significantly more oomph is unlocked when the device runs a benchmark”.

 

AND HERE”S THE BEST BIT:

 

According to Apple exec Phil Schiller via Twitter-

 

“shenanigans”.

 

 

Awesome.

 

Now… Anandtech has published evidence suggesting that nearly all mobile manufacturers, WITH THE EXCEPTION of Apple and Motorola, use CPU/GPU optimizations to game benchmark tests.

 

WHAAAAAA? IT’S ALL A LIE!

 

 

“With the exception of Apple and Motorola, literally every single OEM we’ve worked with ships (or has shipped) at least one device that runs this silly CPU optimization. It’s possible that older Motorola devices might’ve done the same thing, but none of the newer devices we have on hand exhibited the behavior. It’s a systemic problem that seems to have surfaced over the last two years, and one that extends far beyond Samsung.”

 

 

Way to destroy our trust and beliefs everyone except Apple and Motorola. What else can we believe in if not technical benchmark data? At least we have Captain Halloween coming soon. Gosh we love Captain Halloween. You know, the guy.

 

 

You know the guy.

 

 

 

 

 

Image courtesy of gsmnation

How many android users switching to Apple?!

 

So, we kinda like Apple. Could you tell?

 

We really like it when other people like Apple too, although anyone can do anything they like. Obviously. And Androids and Samsung and stuff are cool too. and stuff.

 

But, we just thought we’d share this recent study with you. According to Consumer Intelligence Research Partners, Apple has been particularly successful in getting Android users to swap over to using an iPhone.

 

The study, conducted over a year between June 2012 and June 2013, shows clearly that 20% of iPhone buyers had previously owned an Android powered smart phone. Winning, Apple?

 

 

Twenty-six percent of iPhone buyers were updating to Apple’s phone from a basic or feature phone, while 43 percent had already owned an Apple phone and were upgrading.

 

 

 

On the other end, though, only seven percent of Samsung phone buyers were switching from Apple devices.

 

Looking only at customers who had switched brands, fully one third of Apple’s new customers had previously owned Samsung devices. Only 11 percent of Samsung’s customers came from Apple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We like to think that the clash of Fanboys and Fandroids is a little bit silly and tech forums especially can be more than a little bit scary when it comes to the insults flying around between them.

 

But still.

 

 

Go Apple!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image courtesy of Forbes.