A fashion show in Taiwan based on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Apparently, Samsung had conducted a fashion show in Taiwan which was based on the recently announced Galaxy Note 4. The models showcased theGalaxy Note 4 on the ramp in various colours variants, matching with the colour their attire. They also showcased the Gear S (and its Swarovski crystal edition) along with the Gear Circle headphones and a Swarovski edition of the Galaxy Note 4. Did Samsung came up with this idea after Apple displayed the Apple Watch during the Paris fashion week? After its announcement along with the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, the Apple Watch was showcased for the first time to the public at Colette, a high-end boutique in Paris.

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 4 early last month and is expected to release it in 140 countries around the world by the end of October. The Galaxy Note Edge however, is said to be a “limited edition concept device” and will be available in a few markets. Various online retailers in the UK have already started taking the pre-orders for the Gear S and it is expected to be available in the US through major carriers in the fall.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lchpx0DIlMc

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 unbox

The people behind the iPhone 6 Plus bending video is back with a new review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4. Unbox Therapy takes a look at the new phone, and verifies whether "Gapgate" — supposedly a design flaw in the Note 4 — is really an issue.

Samsung Galaxy Alpha reveals innards in iFixit teardown: Really thin display and lots of adhesives

The new Galaxy Alpha from Samsung just got a teardown from iFixit. It actually looks like a stretched out iPhone 5s, although a slimmer 6.7mm version.
(Photo : Samsung)

The Galaxy Alpha gives out a solid feel, even though it is surprisingly thin. At 6.7mm, the Alpha is slimmer than the iPhone 6, the Alcatel One Touch Idol X and the Oppo Finder.

In addition to its thin profile, the device is also designed with a 1.4mm display. This measurement is less than half of iPhone 6's own panel display. Since it is so thin and is purported to keep a generous amount of adhesive under the hood, it gives the Alpha a certain level of difficulty when it comes to replacing its screen.

The Alpha is built with 4.7" Super AMOLED display. It runs on the Exynos 5 Octa 5430 system and has a RAM of 2GB coupled with a 32GB of internal storage. Other features include a rear camera of 12 MP, front camera of 2.1 MP, a battery of 1860 mAh, and a slew of sensor features such as Light Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Hall Sensor, Fingerprint Sensor, Geomagnetic Sensor, Proximity Sensor and HR Sensor.

Probing further, one would also find that the device has a visible heart rate monitor found right above the rear camera. This makes it very useful as a health-monitoring device.

One feature akin to the 4th and 5th generation models of the iPhone is the Alpha's straight and smooth metal bezel, which is coupled with a chamfered edge. However, the rear is covered in a rubberized plastic panel, which is where the team from iFixit began when they were tearing down the phone.

After dispatching the cover, the iFixit team was amazed to find out how easy it was to remove the device's battery. It doesn't even require one to use a tool to pull it out of the device. The Alpha is equipped with a lithium ion battery, which rates at 1860 mAh and 3.85 V, enough to achieve a power of 7.17 Wh. This is notably lower than the 10.7 Wh battery found in the Galaxy S5. However, the Alpha's battery feature almost matches the iPhone 6's, which runs at 1810 mAh and 3.82 V.

In contrast to the ease in removing the battery, the iFixit team found it rather difficult to get to the phone's innerparts. They complained that they had to go through all the trouble of starting everything from the display in order to get to the motherboard and other internal parts.

If the user had to seek some servicing on the speakers, buttons, vibrator, and camera, it may become quite an ordeal to the service person since all of these components are found on the far side of the device. That person would need a lot of patience and expertise in applying heat in order to soften the device's front panel adhesive just to sneak in an opening pick in the gap.

from: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/17117/20141004/samsung-galaxy-alpha-reveals-innards-in-ifixit-teardown-really-thin-display-and-lots-of-adhesives.htm

Samsung Made Its Prettiest Phone Yet, But Boy Does It Look Familiar

The Galaxy Alpha is Samsung's first Galaxy phone to use metal.

Samsung consistently pumps out phones with big, beautiful screens, powerful processors, and high-quality cameras. On paper, that seems amazing. These are best-in-class phones. Supercomputers in your pocket.

But for design snoots like me, it's hard to see past all the plastic. Samsung phones may have those gorgeous displays — the best in the world, according to some experts — but they're encased in cheap-feeling, creaky plastic. If the iPhone is a well-designed tool, then Samsung phones are plastic playthings.

Samsung's newest phone, the Galaxy Alpha, is a response to all that design criticism. It's Samsung's first Galaxy phone to incorporate metal — an aluminum band with chamfered edges wrapped around the case.

Oh, and it looks eerily similar to the iPhone 5/5S.

Samsung seems to have been influenced by the iPhone 5/5S design.

Even the antenna cutouts are similar.

AT&T is the only US carrier selling the Galaxy Alpha right now. It costs $200 with a two-year contract, or $613 off-contract.

Feature-wise, the Galaxy Alpha can do pretty much the same stuff as the Galaxy S5, so I'm not going to waste time going over all that. Here's a quick recap: It has a fingerprint sensor embedded in the home button that lets you unlock the phone without entering a passcode, but it doesn't work as well as the iPhone's fingerprint sensor. I often have to try multiple times to get it to work. The Alpha also runs the same version of Android. The screen is a bit smaller at 4.7 inches. It's also not water resistant like the Galaxy S5 is. Still, to make it easy, just think of the Alpha as a slightly smaller Galaxy S5.

The Alpha is all about Samsung testing its design chops. The phone looks good, but it's disappointing to see Samsung using the iPhone 5 design from two years ago for inspiration instead of pushing forward on its own. HTC has been able make phones that are just as beautiful as anything Apple can build without copying the iPhone style. The Alpha looks like Samsung took the iPhone 5, made the screen slightly larger, and added a flimsy, removable plastic back cover.

The iPhone 5S on top of the Galaxy Alpha.

Even with the metal design, Samsung still used a flimsy plastic back cover.

That's what makes the Galaxy Alpha such a strange device. It's supposed to offer a "premium" feel, but the result is a curious Frankensteinish mishmash of plastic and high quality metal. Yes, it looks better than any other Samsung phone, but I wish Samsung had gone all the way and made a unibody, all-metal device.

Other than that, the Alpha performs just as well as the Galaxy S5, which is a good phone if you like Android. The screen on the Alpha isn't as sharp as the one on its big brother, but I doubt most people will notice. It also fits in my hand a lot easier than the Galaxy S5, and the metal band makes it feel more solid and sturdy. The battery can get you through a day and the camera can hold its own against other high-end smartphones.

It's best to think of the Alpha as an experiment, an offshoot of the Galaxy S5 that's more about design and build quality than trying to innovate new features. Samsung will likely wait until its next flagship Galaxy phones launches to wow us with something really new.

Conclusion

If you like Samsung phones, I think you should buy the Galaxy S5 over the Alpha. It has a bigger, nicer screen and costs about the same. But if you've dying for a Samsung phone with some metal on it, choose the Alpha. 

from:http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-alpha-review-2014-10#ixzz3FIBU2MMN

Galaxy S5 Android 4.4.4 Update Release Confirmed for U.S.

Back in June, Google released two new brand new Android 4.4 KitKat updates. First, it was the Android 4.4.3 KitKat update, a massive bug fixer. A few days later, the company pushed out its Android 4.4.4 KitKat update. Both were, and still are, bug fixers aimed at squashing major Android 4.4.2 KitKat problems. Over the past four months, we’ve seen several Android manufacturers make it a point to deliver these two updates to smartphone and tablet users.

Samsung finally joined the Android 4.4.4 KitKat party a few days ago as it, and its carrier partners, work to improve their big name devices ahead of the upcoming Android L release from Google. We’ve seen Android 4.4.4 KitKat updates land for the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S5, Galaxy Note 3, and today, another key Android 4.4.4 KitKat release has been confirmed.