Visa's very own NFC software is about to hit the mobile market, and with Visa being a well-established, world-recognized brand, it's no surprise to see the company has found a mutually beneficial deal with Samsung to implement the software into a fleet of Samsung smartphones. First up for some Visa NFC treatment will be the eagerly-anticipated Galaxy S IV, which is set for announcement in New York next month, on March 14th.
Thus far, it has been a pretty winning formula. Devices created by Samsung, but running Google's Android software, account for 40% of total Android smartphone sales, and have helped Android become the number one ecosystem in terms of reach. With this in mind, you may think Google would be happy that its key manufacturing ally is doing so well, but while the search giant is grateful its partner is shifting such vast quantities, the Mountain View-based outfit is also a little worried the Korean company's dominance is getting a little too big, and wants other vendors to step up their games and offer some competition.
A recent study carried out by the parent company of tech problem-solvers FixYa has found that Apple's iPhone is far and away the most reliable on the market, and compared with arch-rival Samsung, is a full 300% more reliable. Earlier this week, we learned the Cupertino handset was the best-selling smartphone in the world based on Q4 sales figures, but while that is a seasonal affair which often swings in favor of the company which has most recently dropped a flagship, the depth of the FixYa study makes the outcome even more damning. It took into account a total 722,558 combined problem reports, along with market share data from StatCounter, in order to obtain reliability scores; and in short, Apple excelled while competitors faltered.
With March 14th looking increasingly likely to play host to the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S IV, the anticipation level is approaching fever pitch. That day, incidentally, is the day before rival HTC launches its new, impressive 'One' handset to market, which makes the prospect of the fourth Galaxy S device landing on the 14th to bag some thunder even more likely. According to reports surfacing today, the Samsung device may follow in the Taiwanese company's footsteps by placing significant emphasis on the camera, with some reading into Android 4.2's Photosphere feature as a sure sign Samsung wishes to implement its 'Orb' technology to the forthcoming smartphone.
The rumors and speculation pertaining to the Samsung Galaxy S IV has been almost non-stop during the opening six weeks of 2013, and murmurings originating from the Twitter account of Eldar Murtazin, founder of Russian blog Mobile-Review, indicates the highly-anticipated device will be unveiled on March 14th in New York. Of course, it should be taken with a pinch of salt at this point in time, although with a March / April having looked a probable release frame for a while now, it's certainly not beyond the realms of possibility that the handset could be just one month away.
Samsung’s Galaxy lineup of high-end Android smartphones is technically scheduled to receive the addition of a new member to the family, and the hype around that continues to build as we move ahead in the year. While no one yet knows for sure the release date or the actual specifications of the device, so much as been ‘leaked’ that it’s a fairly good guess now that the device will feature an Exynos 5 Octa CPU, coupled with Adreno 320 GPU and a 13-megapixel camera.
Although the notion of Samsung joining the growing list of big-name companies purportedly delving into the smart watch market is not exactly news, yesterday, it was revealed that such a device could debut alongside the Galaxy S IV, whenever that may be. As a follow on from that story, SlashGear has caught wind of a few screenshots floating about a Korean message board which, it is claimed, offer an insight into the supposed smart watch, which is naturally being dubbed the 'Galaxy Watch'.
The Samsung Galaxy S IV is the smartphone nearly every Android fan is waiting to see this year, and according to a report over at SamMobile, the device will launch alongside a “mini” version of the revered handset, as well as a supposed "Galaxy Watch". The latter is being touted as a contender to the as-yet unannounced 'iWatch' from Apple, and with a mini version of the Galaxy S III having been in circulation for a number of months now, it's certainly plausible that both could accompany the main event.
Unless you have been in a dark cave for the last few months, you are likely aware that Samsung is gearing up to release a massive upgrade to its flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S IV. While vague details have been making their way onto the Internet, we now have concrete information on when it might be announced and hit shelves.
The folks of the XDA-Developers forums are old hands at solving problems and limitations with mobile devices, particularly those of the Android variety, and in the latest, one member has come through with a nifty wireless charging solution. The mod, which costs around $25 in supplies, can be completed in around ten minutes, and the final result is a fully-functional, wirelessly juiced Samsung Galaxy S III.
