Of all the recognized companies in the smartphone game, Samsung is the most active in terms of devices released, and as well as a large inventory of mid and low-end handsets, it offers two flagships in the form of the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note ranges. It's a fair assessment to make that both series have become a little stale, with both the S4 and Note 3 seeming very similar to their respective predecessors, and this point has been underlined with sales of each falling below the company's high expectations. This places a little extra importance on next year's major releases from the South Korean outfit, and we may just have an insight into the Galaxy S5 thanks to a leaked metal frame purporting to be a legitimate component of the forthcoming device.
What started out rather amicably has somehow managed to evolve into one of the most interesting and long-drawn out patent battles in tech history. This week's judicial decision to allow Apple the right to go after a total ban on a variety of Samsung's smartphones has been followed up today with a verdict that will see South Korean based Samsung liable for an additional $290 million in damages.
It has been well documented that neither Samsung's Galaxy S4 nor its 'phablet' Note 3 have exactly surpassed expectations in terms of reception and sales figures, when compared to its direct rivals out in the market, of course. Many have complained that both series have become stale and in need of some rejuvenation, but as the Korean outfit prepares the S5 and Note 4 for release at some point next year, there's a little treat for those in ownership of the Galaxy Note 3. For current owners and those planning to purchase the larger-than-life handset, the company behind it is offering $50 of Play Store credit to load up on goodies, and although it does happen to be one of the priciest devices on the market, fifty bucks for apps, games, music and such is still a pretty decent offer.
Just when you thought the patent litigation saga between Apple and Samsung was beginning to dwindle into obscurity it has returned with a vengeance. The discontent between the two companies may not have been hitting public headlines as much in recent months, but it has still been simmering away nicely in the background with legal teams from both entities doing their best to represent their sides. In a ruling that has been passed down today, the United States Court of Appeals has ruled that Apple can have yet another stab at trying to get certain offending Samsung smartphones banned from sale.
The Galaxy Note 3 is a beast in every sense of the word. Samsung may have been caught out trying to tweak up its performance when running certain benchmark apps, but even without this rather unnecessary tactic, the handset still leaves most other smartphones in the shade. Those accustomed to using the phablet through previous models will be more than clued-up on how everything works, but for those looking to familiarize themselves with the almost endless reel of features, the Korean company has released a very useful and informative Galaxy Note 3 Experience app.
The Galaxy S and Galaxy Note line of smartphone / phablet have both been very successful for Samsung, but while they are both a couple of the mobile industry's most powerful devices, neither of their cameras are particularly awe-inspiring. The Korean company, it has been reported, will looking to atone for this issue with next year's flagships, and just this week during its analyst day, Samsung confirmed that the cameras of the Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Note 4 will be significantly improved.
The great thing about Google's Android, is that it's inherently hackable, and even those bits of exclusive software specific to one device invariably wind up dissected and ported through to other smartphones and tablets on the market. The Galaxy Note 3 may well be Samsung's latest premium handset, but the Galaxy S4 remains the flagship, and with so many more consumers in ownership of this summer's blockbuster, it's good to see work being done to bring the Note 3's exclusives over to the main event. The latest feature to make its way to the S4 is the camera app, and thanks to the work of the guys at XDA-Developers, installing it on your own handset is fairly painless. Details, as ever, can be found after the break.
You'd have thought, given that Samsung has recently garnered negative press for its benchmark faking tactics, that the Korean giant would be keeping its nose clean, but after an investigation by Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission (FTC), the company has to pay a fine of hundreds of thousands of dollars for negative comments made about competitors. As with the benchmark scandal, the issue dates back some time, and with Samsung having also been caught out paying for positive reviews, the investigation will now see Samsung pay the penalty.
Waiting for a new version of Android to hit all of the devices set out upon release can become rather tedious, and although things are now a lot quicker than in the days of Ice Cream Sandwich, the only way to really guarantee staying up-to-date is to pick up a smartphone or tablet running on stock Android. During Unpacked Episode 2, Samsung made it known that Android 4.3 Jelly Bean would finally be coming to the LTE version of its flagship Galaxy S4, which carries the model number GT-I9505. After a relatively short wait, the update is finally here, in-keeping with the projected October release date. Details can be found after the break.
The recent speculation surrounding South Korean based Samsung and the potential for a Galaxy S5 release date for January 2014 may prove to be nothing more than chit-chat, but one thing is for sure - the current Galaxy S4 model isn't selling as well as Samsung would have hoped.
