Mobile world congress only officially gets started on Monday, but that hasn't stopped Samsung from getting the announcements underway early. While all the focus is understandably on what Samsung's next Galaxy S smartphone will be like, it's the infinitely more wearable Gear smartwatch that has given us the first real news story of Mobile World Congress 2014.
Apple and Samsung is a little more than your average company rivalry. There's genuine animosity between the two tech titans, and you only have to look at the ongoing litigation for further evidence of the contempt each feels for the other. Unsurprisingly, both Apple and Samsung regularly take shots at each other with ad campaigns, and in its latest, Sammy has taken a swipe at its old adversary in a new fleet of commercials for the Galaxy Tab Pro and Note 3. Check them out after the fold!
A little light-hearted mocking of rivaling companies and their products never hurt anybody in the tech industry, and as we've seen through numerous ad campaigns over the years, they're all at it. With MWC not too far away, Huawei has caricatured Apple's Siri voice assistant to rib both the Cupertino company and rival Samsung, while also promoting its new, to-be-announced smartphone and tablet. Check out the humorous clip right after the break!
Samsung is one of the most prolific carriers of Google's Android. Save a couple of half-hearted Windows Phone efforts over the past couple of years, the Korean company has consistently churned out swathes of smartphones running the ubiquitous software, and considering how many hundreds of millions of handsets out there are on Android, the $50 million Google paid to acquire Android nearly a decade ago looks a shrewd bit of business. But it has now emerged that in actual fact, Andy Rubin, one of the founding members of the Android team, actually pitched the product to the Galaxy maker out in Seoul, a proposition that Samsung unequivocally - and perhaps, regrettably - baulked at.
As we keenly await the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S5 later on this month, new reports out of the company's native Korea have implied that as well as the imminent flagship, Samsung plans on releasing a handset with a wraparound display later on this year. Although the TouchWiz maker likes to keep the flow of handsets constant throughout every year, only two - the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note - tend to stand out among the also-rans. However, the prospect of a first Samsung smartphone packing this unorthodox display would certainly grab the headlines, and if it is in line for a launch at some point in 2014, would likely upstage both of the current flagship ranges.
It has already been confirmed that Samsung's Unpacked 2014 event will occur at the opening of Mobile World Congress in a couple of weeks time, with the Korean company having already sent out the invitations last week. And while we've heard much about the device itself, including a recent benchmark leak that has all-but confirmed the existence of two very different versions of the Galaxy S5 handset, new leaked media has given us a flavor of a significantly-revamped TouchWiz interface.
Samsung, as you'll likely be aware, has a colossal advertising budget, regularly throwing tens of millions into new ad campaigns. While some, like the Samsung Style dance, have left us cringing, the company has regularly taken the more traditional approach of involving itself in major sporting events, and having been a major partner in the London 2012 Summer Olympics, the company is also looking to capitalize on Moscow's 2014 Winter Games. But while its tactic of giving away a free Galaxy Note 3 to every athlete may equate to some decent coverage when the TV feeds are beamed worldwide, there's a catch, in that recipients of the free Note must obscure the Apple logo if they plan on using an iPhone during the opening ceremony.
Samsung already took a stab at the Windows Phone 8 market with the ATIV range, and is now back with a bigger, badder model for Windows Phone 8.1. According to a snap posted by the ever-reliable Evleaks Twitter handle, the device is codenamed "Huron" (model SM-W750V), and as well as looking very much similar to the Galaxy S4 (as the ATIV S rather did the Galaxy S3), it will also be carried by Verizon Wireless in the United States.
Apple has won yet another court ruling over Samsung in a hearing in the Northern District of California. Judge Lucy Koh, who has overseen much of the U.S.-based patent suits from both sides, has just dished out a ruling against the Korean company, declaring that Samsung has infringed upon patents pertaining to Apple's AutoComplete keyboard functionality.
We now have additional evidence to suggest that Samsung's recent decision to overhaul the user-interface in its PRO Galaxy Note and Galaxy Tab tablets could soon be followed up with a new look throughout. The fresh and modern magazine based design that graced the aforementioned devices definitely managed to capture the imagination of users, which can only be seen as a positive as it seems that upcoming Samsung smartphones will also benefit from a fresh lick of interface paint, as the latest leaked images show.
