Revealed: Samsung's plans for new phones and tablets in 2014, 2015

Apple debuted an all new 64-bit mobile processor phone as its flagship in the year 2013, and the market which went steadily in favor of the octa-core Galaxy S4, began to shake. Samsung seems to be feeling the heat generated from the 64-bit powerhouse from Apple, and responding fast to it with a similar power performance device.

The Korean company is now planning new ways to get back into full throttle and rule the market again in the coming year. The recently held second ever analyst event of the company in South Korea spilled beans on few new efforts from the company.

We bring you a sneak peak into what’s in store in year 2014 and 2015 from the company. Click on the next page to know more. 



64-bit phones

How can one believe that Samsung will not offer a good competitor to the Apple iPhone 5S. According to an earlier report Samsung is making a 64-bit processor device that is now "almost done". "According to the latest bits of information coming from Samsung’s homeland, the company is pretty much done with developing its in-house 64-bit CPU,” tech blog GforGames also reported around the same time.

Strengthening these rumours, Digitimes today report (based on industry sources) that the company will release “flagship smartphone models equipped with 64-bit CPUs, WQHD displays and 16-megapixel cameras in 2014”. We heard upcoming smartphones with WQHD display (2560 x 1440 pixels display resolution, 560ppi display density) from the Samsung’s analyst event. We can expect a WQHD display on a 64-bit on the Galaxy S5. 




Samsung SM-G7102

This will be a budget phone with a 5.2-inch display with a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. The phone will be a dual sim phone running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS. The phone has just been spotted visiting the FCC. Read the FCC listing here.

“Despite the relatively low pixel density of the screen (288ppi), the processor clockspeed is listed as 2.3GHz, which can only be a quad-core Snapdragon 800 chipset. It's a fairly large device, measuring 147 x 75.1mm” says GsmArena. The phone will ship in for developing countries, as a low-cost alternative to the Galaxy Note 3 speculates this report. 





Ultra High Definition 4K smartphones 

In the recently held Analyst event it was revealed that the company will be making 4K UHD smartphones (that’s just limited to a few TVs today). This means 3840 x 2160 pixels display resolution on the phones. These phones are expected to hit announcement in 2015.




Foldable display device

The company has shown interest in flexible (you can also year curved) display devices. The company plans to go big on it “once it overcomes technology barriers”. The company is working on a foldable display device which we would probably see in 2014.

This appeared as a tri-fold display unit as part of a number of patent applications submitted detailing the intriguing folding display designs for its smartphones. Here’s a pic from the foldable display concept can be seen in the tri-fold display unit.




Also have a look at this fold and carry tablet from Samsung that has been rumoured in 2013. The device did not come in 2013, and can be expected next year.

A Patentbolt report in the Q2 2013 confirmed this in the new images it has made available. "It appears that Samsung is considering building a tablet with a foldable display" says the report. Samsung is also expected to get its OLED factory ready in 2014.





Better camera phones

You should also have a look at this page from the presentation of Stepehn Woo at the Samsung Analyst event. The graph clarifies that the company moved from 13 megapixel to 16 megapixel this year. (Agree, we saw 13 megapixel Galaxy S4 and other devices and 16 megapixel Galaxy S4 Zoom this year.) For the two years to come the company is expected to be working on 16 and 20 megapixel cameras.
 





Taking the Galaxy Round for a round

The company has just announced the smart curved phone, the Galaxy Round for the Korean market. Though the phone seems to have been announced in a bid to become the first in the world to launch a curved screen phone, the phone is expected to cross the Korean boundaries for other countries.

“Australian retailer MobiCity and US retailerNegri Electronics briefly listed the device unlocked at around $1130 (1200 AUD), although both are now backordered. They are still accepting orders, so it's possible that new shipments will be available at some point in the future” reports GsmArena today.


The Galaxy Round is a full HD 1920×1080 pixels display on a 5.7 inch device with a premium look along the lines of Galaxy Note 3. This runs Android 4.3 Jelly Bean on a 2.3 GHz quad-core processor and will get 32 GB or 64 GB of internal memory under the hood.




New tablets

Samsung is also expected to move to bigger tablets for the next year. A 12.2-inch Samsung Galaxy Note tablet will be introduced during MWC 2014, while an even larger 13.3-inch model will land later in the year, reports Trusted Review. 




 

Moto G in India gets Android KitKat OS, download now

Good news for the new Moto G buyers in India! The phone that has just landed in store in India is getting its first Android OS update in form of the latest KitKat 4.4 OS.

The KitKat update is available via OTA. To update you new phone all you have to do is to go to Setting, hit About Phone and go for the System Update section.

If an update is available, follow the instructions on your phone to download and install it. Once updated, your phone will restart to complete the installation. Updates will not affect your contacts, applications, or data. Note that the update will come in phases. So be patient if your phone is still waiting for the update.

You will need a Wi-Fi connection to download the update. For phones purchased in US Google is now allowing a downgrads later. It is now known whether a downgragd will be allowed in India after the installation of KitKat OS.

The Moto G is 4.5-inch display phone with a 720p display and comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core processor. There’s  1 GB of RAM and 8 GB or 16 GB storage.  The phone sports a 5 megapixel shooter and 1.3 megapixel front camera. The phone packs a battery of 2070 mAh that can support you for a whole day, and runs Android 4.3.

Futuristic smartphones to allow customization of camera, RAM... almost every spec

Motorola has announced its new interest ‘Project Ara’ that will allow complete hardware customization using the open hardware ecosystem.

That means, phones with components that can be be easily removed and changed to make new phones that is like building a very own smartphones with personal touch. “The design for Project Ara consists of what we call an endoskeleton (endo) and modules.  The endo is the structural frame that holds all the modules in place. A module can be anything, from a new application processor to a new display or keyboard, an extra battery, a pulse oximeter--or something not yet thought of” says Motorola about the new phones that will come as part of the project.

“Led by Motorola’s Advanced Technology and Projects group, Project Ara is developing a free, open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones. We want to do for hardware what the Android platform has done for software: create a vibrant third-party developer ecosystem, lower the barriers to entry, increase the pace of innovation, and substantially compress development timelines.

Our goal is to drive a more thoughtful, expressive, and open relationship between users, developers, and their phones. To give you the power to decide what your phone does, how it looks, where and what it’s made of, how much it costs, and how long you’ll keep it”, says Motorola about this project.

But, Motorola is not the only one working on this concept. In the year 2013, Phoneblokcs cme out with the same vision which it called ‘modular phones’. “We want a modular phone that can reduce waste, is built on an open platform and made for the entire world. We are keen on finding the right partners and people to build this phone” says this project.

Not only this Xiomi have also been working on a similar project where it is looking at hardware coming together in form of ‘magic cubes’ to form a customized mobile handset. The project has been called ‘magic cubes’, where each ‘brick’ holds a specific part of the phone, i.e., RAM, CPU, camera or battery.

The idea was shared by Lei Jun, Xiaomi’s founder and CEO on his Sina Weibo account. The pics have been removed. We take a shot from GforGames of the pics posted for you here. Have a look in the next pages.



A glimse into the outcome of Project Ara from Motorola.
 




A glimse into the outcome of Project Ara from Motorola.
 



A glimse into the outcome of Project Ara from Motorola. This is just a prototypoe under test.
 




Phoneblocks concept of a customizable smartphone. Motorola is in talks with the Phoneblocks team sharing information on the phones. "We’ve done deep technical work. Dave created a community. The power of open requires both.  So we will be working on Project Ara in the open, engaging with the Phonebloks community throughout our development process" says Motorla.
 



A peep into the the concept of magic bricks by Xiomi.
 

Samsung shifts Gear to Tizen, Galaxy Gear smartwatch to be made compatible to another OS

In year 2013 Samsung launched Galaxy Gear smartwatch that was compatible to Android OS and its devices that are running Android OS. The company might soon come up with a new Galaxy Gear that’s compatible to OS other than Android.

According to a news report in Cnet, people who are familiar with the matter have said that, a new version of Samsung's Gear smartwatch will run the company's Tizen software instead of Google's Android operating system.

Sammy is expected to unveil its new Tizen OS based device at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona beginning in few days now. A compatible Galaxy Gear might appear at the event with the Tizen phone.Samsung since last two year has been looking at Tizen an an open source software and a good alternative to the Android OS. The company has been working on a new devices with the OS, and was rumoured to launch a phone in September 2013. Later Samsung informed that it will launch Tizen based phone in February 2014.


“It sounds like the platform is finally ready to make its big debut, though, as Tizen has sent out invitations to an event at Mobile World Congress on Feb. 23 at which the first devices running the new OS will be put on display” reported Phonedog in a December 2013 news report.

In the last week of January a Tizen based Samsung phone leaked via Moveplayer.net, offering a first glimpse of the new user interface. This new handset called the Samsung ZEQ9000 or Zeke is expected to be a 4.8 inch mobile device with 1280 x 720 pixels display resolution and a 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 processor underneath. The user interface seems inspired by Live Tile base Windows OS interface.

Fingerprint scanner, 2K display, water-proof body confirmed in Galaxy S5

Samsung is aiming to bring a phone which will sell better than Apple’s iPhone 5. The company will pack its next flagship, the Galaxy S5 with a swipe-style fingerprint sensor and a 2K display.

Popular Samsung leakster and informer Sammobile has confirmed that the device will pack a fingerprint sensor in the new phone. In a news report yesterday it said “we are finally confirming that Samsung’s upcoming flagship device, the Galaxy S5, will be equipped with a fingerprint sensor”


More about the Galaxy S5 fingerprint sensor

Not only this, the leakster also confirms other details about the fingerprint sensor in the upcoming phone. The sensor will not come in the actual display but will come fitted in the Galaxy S5’s home button. (sounds like Sammsung will follow iPhone 5S on this?) The phone will show the real-time image of your finger as you scan it across the sensor.

The sensor will work in a “swipe manner, which means that you would need to swipe the entire pad of your finger, from base to tip, across the home key to register your fingerprint properly,” says Sammobile. The swipe should be at a moderate speed for the phone to recognize your fingerprint. The sensor will be sensitive to moisture.

The company will allow you to store 8 fingerprints in the phone where you can assign an independent task, or a shortcut of an app to each of the finger.

Samsung will also focus on your privacy with the new phone using the fingerprint scanner. “A new Personal Folder and Private Mode has been developed by Samsung, where you will be able to hide personal apps, widgets, and content you want to keep private”, reports Sammobile. Users will be able to open and close Personal Folder and Private Mode.

The company is not opting for on-screen buttons and will be making the phone sport physical buttons, similar to its earlier flagship.


2K display in Galaxy S5

According to a fresh leak of a screenshot of the upcoming Galaxy S5’s ‘About phone’ page, the new phone will sport a 2K display. According to this image posted by SamsungGalaxyS5Abonnement It will sport a 5.25 inch display screen with a (qhd) display resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels. The 4-inch display screen iPhone 6S sports a 640 x 1136 pixels display resolution offering it a pixel density of 326 ppi (pixel per inches). The 560 ppi pixel density of upcoming Galaxy S5 will surely take a huge lead over iPhone 5S on this account.




Waterproof Galaxy S5?

Is Samsung also looking to compete with the water and dust proof Sony Xperia Z and Z1 smartphones with the Galaxy S5? Seems so!

The O2’s German store has teased the arrival of a new Samsung phone by the end of February this year. The page says “Anticipation High, Get news about Samsung that can do more.” (That’s the translation of ‘Vorfreude hoch 5 Hol Dir News zum Samsung, das mehr kann,’ via Google translate).

The picture teased shows a handset in water. This will be an obvious indication that the upcoming Galaxy S5 will also be a water-proof phone.


Other specs

The phone is expected to come in two processor variants of Snapdragon 800 and 64-bit octa-core Exynos Octa processor, 3 GB RAM, at least 16 megapixel camera on the back, Android 4.4. KitKat OS, 3000+ mAh battery. The launch is expected on Monday next week at the Mobile World Congress 2014, Barcelona.

Nokia's Rs. 7000 attack on Android, Nokia X to unveil at MWC 2014

Nokia is readying for a big launch on the 24th February at the Mobile World Congress this year. We can expect the Normandy or the Nokia X Android smartphone at the show.

Nokia has been teasing a new launch event at the MWC in 4 days time. Though nothing much about the phone has been revealed, the company has posted 3 teaser images on it’s Weibo site (The Chinese micro-blogging website like the Twitter). The first Image appears to be a treasure map roughly taking shape of an ‘X’.



If this does not sound very convincing you need to look at another teaser pic posted by the company. The root of the tree shows a new DNA (at least the shape indicates so), that reflects the shape of one big green coloured ‘X’. Thispic definitely indicates that we should be looking forward to the Nokia X at the show.

You can also see that there are three ‘X’ shapes in the root part. Can you guess what this can mean?




Now look at another teaser here. The latest teaser shows two monkeys one on tree and one on the ground. Have a close look and you can notice that the two monkeys have different shapes. Look at the nose, the hair and the ears. Looking at this image we might expect two new devices from the company.

The new Android handset is expected to be a budget mobile phone with a price tag of $110. This comes to Rs. 6845 when translated at the rate of $1 = Rs. 62.2 today. Last week the handset made way to a Vietnamese handset store, at a price tag of between 2.2 mil to 2.5 mil VND, or around $110. The post also revealed that the handset will officially named Nokia X A110. (source: WMpoweruser)

Nokia will do live webcast of its event from Barcelona. It has made arrangements to start video of the launch event on Monday at 8.30 AM (Barcelona time, GMT+1). “ Last year’s show saw the announcement of the Nokia Lumia 520 and Lumia 720, and the Nokia 301 and Nokia 105, plus a host of other goodies. What’s new this year? There’s less than a week until you find out…”

To see the webcast go to this webpage on 24th.

The Nokia Normandy aka Nokia X A110 will be a handset is expected to come with WVGA display screen of 4-inches diagonally with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor, 512 MB RAM, 5 megapixel primary camera, 1500 mAh battery, 4 GB internal storage and expandable memory.

Glass-etiquette: Google releases Do’s and Don’ts for Glass Explorers

Google is finally looking into the concerns regarding invasion of privacy via the use of it’s latest wearable gadget- Google Glass.

Google Glass which made a debut in 2013 received severe criticism because of the potential of its use in photographs being taken without users permission. The wearable gadget however was a way to bring more hands free usage of technology. Now Google has released a set of guidelines for Glass Explorers looking, to help them “develop this new technology”.



In fact the guidelines are Google’s attempt to encourage people to welcome Glass wearers and ask them questions. Google asks Glass wearers to be Be patient and explain the features of Glass. “Let’s face it, you’re gonna get some questions. Be patient and explain that Glass has a lot of the same features as a mobile phone (camera, maps, email, etc.). Also, develop your own etiquette. If you’re worried about someone interrupting that romantic dinner at a nice restaurant with a question about Glass, just take it off and put it around the back of your neck or in your bag,” says Google.


Be creepy or rude aka, a Glasshole”warnd Google. It further says “In places where cell phone cameras aren’t allowed, the same rules will apply to Glass. If you’re asked to turn your phone off, turn Glass off as well. Breaking the rules or being rude will not get businesses excited about Glass and will ruin it for other Explorers.”



Google encourages Glass explorers to be careful when clicking or recording pictures via Google Glass, and ask permission before going ahead and shooting pics. “Standing alone in the corner of a room staring at people while recording them through Glass is not going to win you any friends. The Glass camera function is no different from a cell phone so behave as you would with your phone and ask permission before taking photos or videos of others”, says Google.

We must say, (though late) it is a nice attempt, Google!

See the set of Do’s and Dont’s here.

Gionee GPad G4 goes official, here's a comparison with Galaxy Note 3

Gionee has made its newest launch in India with the GPad G4 tablet. The G4 is a 5.7-inch device with a beautiful full metal body.

The tablet has got a 5.7-inch IPS display screen with a display resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels. The phablet sports similar display size like the Galaxy Note 3 from Samsung. The GPad G4 also has 13 megapixel primary auto focus camera with led and a secondary 5 megapixel camera on board. Other specs includes full HD video recording, Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS, 1 GB RAM, 16 GB internal memory, 1.5 GHz quad-core Cortex A7 processor and PowerVR Series5XTgraphics processor.

The phablet can support double sim and sadly does not support expandable memory. The phablet has been pegged as a Galaxy Note 3 competitor at a price of Rs. 18999. The phablet has however, soon dipped by Rs. 1701 in the market. Snapdeal is offering the phablet at a price of Rs. 17298 today. Flipkart has got the phone at Rs. 18374 today.

This Gionee phablet comes as a competitor to the Galaaxy Note 3. We bring you a quick specs comparison here:

	Gionee G Pad G4	Samsung Galaxy Note 3
Display size	5.7 inch IPS	5.7 inch super amoled
Display resolution	HD, 1280 x 720 pixels	FHD, 1080 x 1920 pixels
Display density	257 ppi	386 ppi
Processor	Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex A7	Octa-core Exynos 5 Octa 5420
Graphics processor	PowerVR Series5XT	Adreno 330
Operating system	Android 4.2 Jelly bean	Android 4.3 Jelly bean
RAM	1 GB	3 GB
Internal memory	16 GB	16/32/64 GB
Expandable memory	NA	64 GB
Primary camera	13 MP, Auto focus, LED flash	13 MP, Auto focus, LED flash
Secondary camera	5 MP	2 MP
Battery	3200 mAh	3200 mAh
Talktime, Standby time	14 hrs (3G) 375 hrs (2G)	21 h (3G) 420 h (3G)
Dimensions	163.5×81.3×7.95mm	151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm 168 grams
Stylus support	None	Yes
SIm support	Dual sim	sim
Price	Rs. 18999 (launch price)	Rs. 49990 (launch price)

UN rights chief asks global community to refer North Korea to ICC

United Nations: The top UN human rights official has asked global leaders to refer North Korea to the International Criminal Court following a report documenting crimes against humanity in the country. United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said the international community has paid "insufficient attention" to human rights violations of an "unimaginable scale" which have been ongoing in North Korea.

"Insufficient attention was being paid to the kind of horrific and sustained human rights violations that are reported to be taking place on an ongoing basis" in North Korea, Pillay said.

"...Call on the international community, in line with the report?s recommendations, to use all the mechanisms at its disposal to ensure accountability, including referral to the International Criminal Court," she said.

The report released yesterday will be formally presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on March 17.


It documents crimes such as "extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other sexual violence, persecution on political, religious, racial and gender grounds, forcible transfer of populations, enforced disappearance and the inhumane act of knowingly causing prolonged starvation."

Pillay said there is need for strong international leadership to follow up on the grave findings of the report.

The Indian-origin UN official said there can no longer be any excuses for inaction regarding rights abuses in North Korea.

She said the commission has published a "historic report", which sheds light on violations of a "terrifying scale", the gravity and nature of which do not have any "parallel in the contemporary world."

In 400-pages, the Commission found that North Korea "displays many attributes of a totalitarian State" and reports that the cited crimes against humanity are ongoing due to the "policies, institutions and patterns of impunity that lie at their heart remain in place."

Pillay said it is vitally important to maintain the momentum on addressing the serious violations that the report documents in a comprehensive manner. 

HRW says Syria using powerful new cluster munitions

Beirut: Syria's government forces have begun using a powerful type of cluster munition rocket not previously seen in the country's conflict, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement on Wednesday.

The group said photos taken after a recent attack in the central city of Hama suggested the government had deployed 300 mm 9M55K surface-to-surface rockets, a Russian weapon that carries dozens of submunitions.

It identified the rockets as having being used on February 12 and 13 in attacks that killed at least two civilians and wounded at least 10 others.

The group warned that the rocket is three times as large as other cluster munitions currently in use by Syrian government forces, and said the weapon would add to the country's civilian death toll.


"It is appalling that Syrian government forces are still using banned cluster munitions on their people," said Steve Goose, arms division director at Human Rights Watch.

"Cluster bombs are killing Syrian civilians now and threatening Syrians for generations to come."

Cluster bombs have been banned by 113 countries around the world.

They are particularly controversial because they are indiscriminate and the bomblets they carry are often widely dispersed and continue to maim and kill civilians long after the initial attack.

More than 140,000 people have been killed in Syria since the conflict in the country began in March 2011.

Joe Biden calls Ukraine President to withdraw govt forces in Kiev

Washington: US Vice President Joe Biden has expressed "grave concern" over escalation in violence in Kiev and called on Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to pull back security forces and exercise maximum restraint.

"The Vice President made clear that the United States condemns violence by any side, but that the government bears special responsibility to de-escalate the situation," the White House yesterday said in a statement.

Biden underscored the urgency of immediate dialogue with opposition leaders to address protesters' legitimate grievances and to put forward serious proposals for political reform, it said.


"The United States is committed to supporting efforts to promote a peaceful resolution to the crisis that reflects the will and aspirations of the Ukrainian people," it said.

State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said Secretary of State John Kerry shares the concerns expressed by Biden directly to Yanukovych.

"We call on President Yanukovych and the Ukrainian government to de-escalate the situation immediately, and resume dialogue with the opposition on a peaceful path forward," Psaki said.

Earlier in the day, Department of State alerted US citizens of the increased risks in travelling to Ukraine because of the ongoing political crisis.

"US citizens are urged to maintain a low profile and to remain indoors at night while clashes continue," the travel advisory said.

Obama administration is appalled by the violence that is taking place in downtown Kiev, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters.

"We continue to condemn the street violence and excessive use of force by either side. The force will not resolve the crisis. To restore peace and stability we urge President Yanukovych to deescalate immediately the situation and end the confrontation at Maidan. We also urge him to restart a dialogue with opposition leaders today to develop a consensus way forward for Ukraine," he said.

At least 18 people have been killed since yesterday after riot police launched a fresh assault on protesters in central Kiev.

The protests broke out in November when the President ditched a pact with the EU in favour of closer ties with former Soviet master Russia.