Curved OLED wraps Samsung’s Galaxy Note Edge

Samsung's Galaxy Note 4 may not have been a surprise, but its Galaxy Note Edge sibling is, taking the S Pen equipped phablet and giving it a curved display that wraps around the right side of the phone. Revealed at Samsung Unpacked at IFA 2014 this week, the Note Edge trims the Note 4's 5.7-inch screen down to 5.6-inches - though keeps the Quad HD resolution - but tacks on a curved Super AMOLED piece that can be used as a shortcut bar and notification ticker.

The concept, so Samsung says, is to give users a place to launch apps and check notifications without intruding on the main body of the display. So, if you're watching a full-screen movie, you can still have playback controls, see SMS and email alerts, and other statuses without it interrupting the film.

Like the Note 4, the Note Edge gets a sleek metal edged casing similar to what we saw on the Galaxy Alpha, with a textured plastic back and a "2.5D" glass front with tapering edges. In the hand it's sturdy and premium-feeling, and you also get all the same functionality as on the Note 4.

That means a 16-megapixel main camera with OIS, choice of Snapdragon 805 quadcore 2.7GHz or Exynos 5233 Octacore 1.9GHz processors, and an updated S Pen with twice the sensitivity as before.

However, it's the curved Super AMOLED that separates the two phones. That can be customized to show different icons, colors, and backgrounds, and is navigated by swiping the thumb across and "rotating" the UI. Samsung has engineered a special engine that ignores taps and swipes when you're just holding the phone; in practice, you need to be a little determined when you actively want to control the touchscreen slice.

There'll also be an SDK for third-party developers to tap into the screen, adding features for their own apps. Samsung, meanwhile, will offer a special case that protects the Note Edge but keeps the side-screen accessible, too.

Like the Galaxy Round before it, there's a little of the gimmick about the Galaxy Note Edge, but it's an altogether more appealing frippery than its curved forebear.

Unlike the eye-catching-but-vaguely-pointless Round, the Note Edge does open up some interesting possibilities: a discrete alarm clock you can see from side-on when it's on your nightstand, for instance, or subtle notifications that only power up a small portion of the screen (saving battery in the process) when the phone is in your bag.

Pricing and availability are yet to be announced.

There's more on the Samsung Galaxy Note Edge over at SlashGear.

Hands-on with Samsung’s Gear S smartwatch

Is a smartwatch even smarter when it can get online itself? Samsung believes so, hence the new Samsung Gear S, which we've been playing with at Samsung Unpacked at IFA 2014. Pairing a curved 2.2-inch Super AMOLED touchscreen with a 3G modem, the Tizen-toting wearable only plays nice with Samsung's Galaxy range, however.

Build quality is good, with Samsung opting for platinum plating on the shiny parts and the same sturdy black or white plastic we saw on the Gear 2 elsewhere. The silicone rubber strap isn't, unfortunately, a standard size, but Samsung will be offering replacement bands for those who like to mix things up.

On the wrist, it's certainly not a small timepiece. However, thanks to the curved shape, it does at least make an attempt to fit the contours of your arm, though those with smaller wrists might still find it clunky.

Next to the nanoSIM slot on the inside edge there's a heart rate sensor, while inside along with 3G you get WiFi, Bluetooth 4.1, and GPS. There's also a pedometer function and a sleep tracker, though the latter is only rudimentary, simply starting to count how long you've been asleep when you tell it you're going to bed, and then stopping when you tell it you've woken up. There's no automatic detection, as you'd get on a Jawbone UP24 for instance.

What has changed is how the results of that fitness tracking are displayed, with Samsung using a new UI which can show graphs for heart rate over time, along with path tracking courtesy of the GPS chip. The companion app store will offer more software, too; Samsung envisages a rudimentary browser to end up there eventually, for instance, while from launch there'll be Nike+, HERE Maps, and Facebook apps.

The interface as a whole has been tweaked to make it simpler to use, too, with a leftward swipe bringing up the notification area - with response shortcuts, such as "Reply" for an SMS, or "Call" for a missed phone call - while a right swipe brings up the customizable widgets page. Text entry is either via a rather fiddly onscreen keyboard or voice recognition, the latter requiring an active data connection since it's cloud processed.

What we couldn't test out was Samsung's "two days of use" prediction for the 300 mAh battery, which seems on the presumptuous side. The Gear S will come with an updated version of Samsung's charging cradle, complete with a built-in battery for mobile rejuicing, though it'll only apparently manage a halfway top-up of the smartwatch's own power.

While the Gear S will work on its own, paired with a Samsung Galaxy smartphone - though not any other Android device - you'll also get notifications for any app running on your handset, just as per the Gear 2.

Samsung says the Gear S will hit shelves in October, though pricing and specific carrier support is yet to be confirmed.

There's more on the Samsung Gear S over at SlashGear.

Story Timeline

• Samsung Gear S goes stylish with Swarovski strap

Verizon to bring Android 4.4.3 update to HTC One (M7)

Verizon promised subscribers that they would be bringing the latest Android 4.4.3 update to the HTC One (M8) sometime mid August. Well they made an announcement on Twitter through their VP for Product Management, Mo Versi, that they are bringing the update, but not to their current flagship yet, but for the older HTC One (M7).

At first, people were wondering if he made a mistake in saying that it was the One (M7), since the newer model usually gets the update first. But he replied to one irate One (M8) user who was expecting his smartphone to be updated first, saying that 4.4.3 will be rolled out to to HTC’s flagship device by next week. It’s been known to happen that older versions get updated first, and maybe they’ve run into some problems with the newer one, so Verizon subscribers with the One (M8) have to be patient a little longer.

The Android update brings the all-important Extreme Power Saving Mode that will enable your almost-drained device to last a little longer (if you still don’t have a power bank by now). There aren’t any groundbreaking new features to 4.4.3 but it has also optimized the Camera, Gallery, Settings and HTC Sync manager apps and plugged some security holes. Also, the last time Verizon updated the 2013 flagship was back in May, so it’s due for an upgrade of sorts.

T-Mobile users with the HTC One (M8) were lucky enough to be the first to receive the Android 4.4.3 update last month. At that time, Verizon said they needed to “re-spin” the update and it looks like they’re still trying to figure that one out, but hopefully, users don’t have to wait that long.

VIA: Droid Life

Story Timeline

• Verizon HTC One (M8) initial hands-on


• HTC One M8 gets 4.4.3 update with some 4.4.4 fixes


• T-Mobile HTC One M8 gets 4.4.3 update, Verizon soon

Firefox Mobile update: customizable language, home screen

Since more and more people access the Internet through their smartphones and tablets, mobile browsers are now in a race to capture the users’ loyalty. While most people prefer the ubiquitous Chrome or Opera or even their smartphones’ built-in browser (although why you would do that is a mystery), the Firefox for Android has been making strides to vastly improve its mobile browser. The latest update brings more customizable features and better access to clear history.

Firefox now has 55 languages available for its mobile browser and they are making it easier for you to switch between them, if you are a bilingual or multi-lingual user. You can switch from one language to another as often as you want, wherever you are, without having to restart your browser every time. Some new languages supported from the new update are Armenian, Basque, Fulah, Icelandic, Scottish, Gaelic and Welsh. You can also now have home screen pages on your Firefox for Android so you can easily customize which sites, services or feeds you can have easy access to. So if you want that the first thing you see on your mobile browser is your Instagram, Twitter, Feedly, Pinterest or Zite, then you can just add them to your home screen.

You also now have easier access to your clear history option, if you don’t want other people to see what you’ve been browsing (naughty, naughty!). There is a clear browsing history option at the bottom of your History home screen page and you can click on it at the end of your session. Firefox Sync will also now work with the mobile browser, so all your bookmarks, passwords and open tabs can be accessed across all devices, as long as you’ve set it up to sync.

Of course there are still the usual complaints about Firefox, when it comes to crashing and the usual bug errors. But if you feel like giving their mobile browser a try, you can download it for free from the Google Play Store. The updates are still slowly rolling out, so you might not have the features mentioned above when you’ve just installed it in your device.

SOURCE: Mozilla

Beautiful Design Summer Collection 2014 includes 12 apps

Google’s Beautiful Design collection has been a great curated find of the best designed apps among the thousands you can find on the Google Play Store. The Summer Collection 2014 includes 12 old (but newly updated) and new apps that have “exquisite detail” in their user interfaces. Some of the apps have also incorporated Google’s material design, which of course would please the tech company and secured the inclusion on this collection.

Flight Track 5 has beautifully designed interactive charts, flight information and maps to help you keep track of the flights that you want to check. Oyster has been giving other reading apps a run for their money with its minimalist and cleanly designed reading interface and experience. Gogobot has numerous city guide apps that make it more fun to explore the place you’re visiting with its colorful and detailed guides. Airbnb has gained even more traction with travellers, not least because of its beautiful app that makes looking for a place to stay in easier and more user-friendly.

Other apps that were included in the collection are personal training app Lumosity, wine scanner Vivino, the football governing body’s official app FIFA, language learning app Duolingo, TV show and movie manager SeriesGuide and fitness app Runtastic. Music streaming juggernaut Spotify and Yahoo News Digest also made it to the list due to their updates’ continuos improvement on design.

All of these apps are available for download at the Google Play Store. You can also check out Google’s previous Beautiful Design collections if you’re on the lookout for apps that are not just functional but also pretty.

VIA: Android Developers

Story Timeline

• Beautiful Design Winter 2013 Collection highlights masterfully crafted apps


• Google Play Store gets a partial Material makeover

Lenovo steps up its game with new Intel-powered Tab S8

Lenovo has been considerably expanding its presence in the smartphone market but its Android tablet lineup hasn't exactly left a mark yet. That, however, could soon be changing now that its Tab S8 is out. This tablet, the first from the company to bear an Intel processor, combines a decent set of specs with a price to beat.

Lenovo's previous Android tablets, like the more recent "A" series, ran on MediaTek's affordable chips, making this new Tab S8 a new venture for the company. Lenovo has put in an Intel Atom Z3745, a quad-core chip that runs at 1.33 GHz but can be pushed to 1.86 GHz in burst mode. This is the very same chip that is now being used by more recent tablets from ASUS and Acer. Intel's track record in the mobile market isn't exactly record breaking, at least compared to Qualcomm for example, but it has been making considerable strides especially in tablets.

In addition to the processor switch, the Tab S8 also marks a considerable upgrade from Lenovo's previous Android tablet line. The RAM, for one, has been bumped up to 2 GB, though data storage is at a rather lowly 16 GB, most likely remedied by a micro SD card slot. Lenovo's tablets has also finally entered the FHD age, with the Tab S8's 8-inch screen sporting a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels. This panel employs Lenovo's One Glass Solution, which eliminates the gap between the touchscreen and the display to deliver a clearer view. The tablet also has a standard pair of cameras, 1.6 megapixels on the front and 8 megapixels on the back, the latter toting an aperture of f2.2. Dual Dolby-enhanced speakers flank the front of the tablet, giving a better listening experience even when the tablet lies flat on a table. The Tab S8 runs Android 4.4 out of the box, weighs only 0.65 lbs (295 g) and is almost as thin as a pencil at 0.31 inches (7.87 mm).

The upgraded specs would perhaps justify a slightly upgraded price tag. The Lenovo Tab S8 is slated to launch this September, available from various retailers, with a price tag of $199. Lenovo mentions an optional 4G connectivity in addition to WiFi, though it doesn't say how much that model would cost.

And speaking of stepping up its game, Lenovo is also unleashing two gaming computers this IFA 2014. The Lenovo Y70 Touch is a 17-inch touchscreen laptop that bears a powerful Intel Core i7 CPU and an equally powerful NVIDIA GTX graphics card. On the other hand, the Erazer X315 is billed as an affordable gaming PC running on a quad-core chip and driven by an AMD Radeon R9 GPU.