SOUTH AFRICA: SAMSUNG LAUNCHES GALAXY S5 MINI

Samsung Electronics South Africa has revealed the local availability of the Galaxy S5 Mini. The device is set to retail at a recommended retail price of R6 699.

According to Samsung, the device features a 4.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display. Similar to the Galaxy S5, the new addition to the range features a perforated pattern on the back cover creating a modern and sleek look, along with a premium, soft touch grip. The device also features IP67 certification, Ultra Power Saving Mode, a heart rate monitor, fingerprint scanner and connectivity with the latest Samsung wearable devices.

The Galaxy S5 Mini comes equipped with a Quad Core 1.4 GHz processor and 1.5GM RAM. The device has a 8MP rear facing camera and a 2.1MP front facing camera. According to Samsung, the Galaxy S5 Mini also supports LTE in order to provide a faster internet connection.

Craige Fleischer, Director of Mobile Communications at Samsung SA stated that: “The Galaxy S5 Mini allows consumers to enjoy the iconic design, essential and useful features of the GALAXY S5, through a maximised minimalism approach. We strive to develop a variety of devices in order to appeal to our consumers’ taste and style.”

IT NEWS AFRICA

SAMSUNG Z CONFIRMED TO BE DELAYED INDEFINITELY

The Samsung Z finally got unveiled as the first ever Tizen-running smartphone at the beginning of June, after many months of rumors and speculation. The new phone was supposed to make its debut in Russia earlier this month, at a developer event, but it actually went missing in action on that occasion.

Samsung hasn't officially commented on the situation until today, believe it or not. The company abruptly canceled the aforementioned developer event in Moscow, so we all assumed the Z was delayed. And now that's been confirmed by Samsung itself.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 MINI WILL HIT STORES IN UK ON AUGUST 7

Samsung launched its Galaxy S5 Mini smartphone in Russia earlier this month. The mini variant of the company’s flagship smartphone is already up for grabs in Germany and the device will soon be available in the United Kingdom, too.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini will hit the stores in the UK on August 7. The S5 Mini will also be available from Samsung’s online store as well as from retailers like Phones 4u. Samsung’s latest Mini device comes in gold, blue, black and white color options.

Samsung has announced an expected retail price of £389.95 for its Galaxy S5 Mini smartphone, which is quite expensive considering the fact that the device is retailing for about €380 in Germany.

To refresh your memory, the S5 Mini sports a 4.5-inch HD display and is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core processor along with 1.5GB of RAM. It features an 8 megapixel rear shooter with LED flash, 2.1 megapixel front facing camera and 16GB of internal memory. The IP67 rated smartphone runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and packs a 2,100mAh battery.

GSM ARENA

VODACOM NAMED OFFICIAL SAMSUNG KNOX RESELLER

Vodacom has been appointed as the official KNOX reseller by Samsung South Africa. The reseller agreement is expected to enable the service provider to offer its clients a seamless experience, providing a single point of contact for KNOX licenses and Samsung enterprise services.

As mobile communications become more important to business, it has never been more challenging to keep company data and devices safe and secure. The combination of Vodacom’s expertise in mobile communications together with carefully selected security partners provide a constantly evolving range of services to protect customer’s mobile communications.

Introduced locally six months ago, the mobile platform for enterprise continues to evolve the offering to protect and respond to the dynamic enterprise mobility and security challenges. “We are delighted to have Vodacom join our Samsung KNOX reseller programme, as the first mobile telecommunications company to offer Samsung KNOX licenses to customers,” said Paulo Ferreira, Head of Enterprise Mobility at Samsung SA.

APPLE DRAGS SAMSUNG TO COURT OVER STOLEN iOS FEASTURES

According to Apple, Samsung has stolen a number of key iOS features and design elements, and used them when making its Galaxy smartphones and tablets. Back in 2012 a jury agreed to some extent, and Apple was ultimately awarded nearly $1 billion in damages as a result. Now, Apple and Samsung find themselves in Judge Lucy Koh’s California court once again to argue over whether or not Samsung stole a different set of patents owned by Apple.

Wondering exactly what Apple is claiming Samsung swiped in its Galaxy smartphones this time around? Here’s everything you need to know:

9to5Mac on Tuesday put together a nice quick list of the five patents Apple is suing Samsung over right now. There’s plenty at stake in this new trial; Apple is seeking about $2 billion in damages in this trial, which means we’re talking about an average of $400 million per patent.

What does $2 billion worth of patents look like? Here are the five patents Apple is suing over:

Patent 5,946,647: “System and method for performing an action on a structure in computer-generated data”

This patent covers iOS’s ability to recognize certain text strings and automatically add links. For example, if you get a text message that says “Meet me for a drink tonight,” the word “tonight” will automatically have a link applied. Tapping the link will prompt you to add a new entry to your calendar.

Patent 6,847,959: ”Universal interface for retrieval of information in a computer system, a patent that Apple claims is central to universal search”

SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 MINI TO HAVE 4.5" 720P DISPLAY, 8MP CAMERA

We all know Samsung is going to release mini and Zoom versions of its Galaxy S5 flagship, just like it did for the Galaxy S4 last year. There is even a rumor Samsung is prepping an Active version, but this is yet to be confirmed.

The Galaxy S5 mini has leaked recently via a case maker, but today we got some info on its specs. As the rumor has it the Samsung SM-G800 Galaxy S5 mini will pack a 4.5" 720p Super AMOLED display and will run on a Snapdragon 400 chipset with quad-core CPU.

Other leaked specs suggest the Galaxy S5 mini will come with 1.5GB RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, 8MP rear and 2MP front camera, IR blaster and a 2,100 mAh battery. Android 4.4 KitKat skinned with TouchWiz should come pre-installed out of the box.

There is no info on whether the mini flavor of the Galaxy S5 will be dust and water proof or not. There is nothing on the heart rate sensor too. We hope Samsung doesn't drop the water/dust protection, because it is certainly a handy feature.

[GsmArena}

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: SAMSUNG GALAXY S5

Samsung is back with a new flagship Galaxy phone - Galaxy S5. This is going to be the best, most powerful and most feature-rich Galaxy phone for around a year. While we will have the full review of the device in the coming weeks, we checked it out today at the launch event in New Delhi.

Here is what we think of Galaxy S5 based on the brief time we spent with the device:
The first thing you notice about Galaxy S5 is that the glossy plastic cover - much hated by users but much loved by Samsung - found on previous galaxy phones is finally gone. In its place, Samsung is using a back cover made of plastic that has a matte finish and that feels soft - almost like velvet - to the touch. The back cover also has a dotted pattern, but the dots are small.

We feel the change in the design and material of back cover is for the good. Galaxy S5 does look and feel better than Galaxy S4. However, it still can't match iPhone 5S or Xperia Z1 in terms of looks.

The other striking bit about Galaxy S5 is how light it feels despite packing in a large screen. With its rounded edges, it fits in the hand very well and due to its relatively low weight it is easy to hold and use it.



The build quality of Galaxy S5 looks top notch, though there is still not much of metal in the body. Mostly it is plastic, but to give the device a premium look, Samsung is using a frame in metal finish that fits around the phone.

The three buttons - two touch-sensitive buttons for Back and Menu options and one physical button for Home - sit below the screen. There are no onscreen buttons in Galaxy S5.

Galaxy S5 has a dust and water proof design. The USB 3.0 port on the device is covered with a flap.

SAMSUNG UNVEILS GALAXY S5 IN INDIA, AVAILABLE FROM APRIL 11

Samsung on Thursday announced its plans for India launch of Galaxy S5, the company's flagship Android phone. Samsung said the price of Galaxy S5 will be between Rs 51,000 and Rs 53,000. It will be available in the market from April 11, though consumers can already pre-order it through the Samsung India online store or select retailers in eight cities by paying Rs 1500.

Samsung said that more information on pre-ordering of Galaxy S5 will be made available to consumers through Galaxy 5 advertisements which will start appearing soon.

In India, the Galaxy S5 will be available in four colours - black, white, blue and gold.

"The Galaxy S5 is yet another great proof point of people-inspired innovation. Designed to be both effortlessly smart and intuitively simple, the Galaxy S5 has been created to maximize consumer benefits by integrating superior hardware with enhanced smartphone usability and an iconic design," said Vineet Taneja, country head, IT & mobile division at Samsung India.

Just like the earlier versions of the top Galaxy phones, Samsung is selling the Galaxy 5 with an 8-core Exynos processor in India whereas the international version is powered by a 4-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. In terms of theoretical processing power, both processors are quite close and hence users are not likely to notice any difference in performance.

SAMSUNG TO LAUNCH GALAXY S5 ON MARCH 27

Samsung has confirmed that it will be holding an event in Delhi to launch the latest flagship Galaxy S5 in India. A company source told Tech2 that the launch event will take place on March 27, the coming Thursday, though it’s unlikely that the phone will go on sale that day.

What’s possible is that Samsung will kick-off pre-orders for the S5, along with some introductory discounts, and operator and services tie-ups specific to India. The company is already bundling in a bunch of apps with the phone. As was announced during the Samsung Unpacked 5 event last month, the company will start selling the phone from April 11, and

INTRODUCING THE SAMSUNG Galaxy TabPRO 8.4

The Galaxy TabPRO 8.4 is first portable-sized high-resolution Android tablet that also features Android 4.4 KitKat, the very latest version of the operating system.

With an incredibly slim, light and sophisticated design that follows the rest of the PRO family, it’s more portable and stylish than ever before. You can easily take the light and compact Galaxy TabPRO 8.4 in a bag wherever you want to go. Hancom Office allows you to work or study on the move, while the 8.4” display gives you vivid and clear viewing.

In my opinion, this is one of Samsung's finest tablets. Wanna read more reviews?

Review link 1

Review link 2

WHITE HOUSE TESTING SAMSUNG AND LG PHONES

BlackBerry has been a byword for security. A statement which is testified by a number of United States Government agencies and administrations using it, including the White House. According to a report by the Wall Street Journal the troubled company might lose even that stronghold however as the White House is currently researching Samsung and LG smartphones for its employees to use

This is a major change for the White House, whose employees have been using BlackBerry OS for ages. The Wall Street Journal reports that the tests are in their early stages. A Department of Defense spokesman confirmed to the newspaper that the White House "is piloting and using a variety of mobile devices".
There are also rumors floating around that Apple's iOS has been dismissed from the testing plans altogether. That's President Barack Obama's choice for his personal smartphone, but it seems Apple's mobile OS hasn't been considered due to its some unspecified limitations.
If testing ends successfully then BlackBerry will be in even more unenviable position. Previously, the Pentagon denied rumors of it ordering 80,000 BlackBerry phones and with the latest development, there's an indication that administration will be joining consumers in rejecting the brand.

Seems everyone is moving on. What the heck? BBM was the only reason we joined the Blackberry bandwagon in the first place.