Android 5.0 Lollipop on Samsung Galaxy S4

After providing you folks exclusive previews of Android 5.0 test builds running on the Galaxy S5, the day has finally arrived when we shift the spotlight from the Galaxy S5 to Samsung’s last year Galaxy S flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4. Last week, it came to our attention that Samsung had begun testing Android 5.0 Lollipop on the Galaxy S4, and was making remarkable progress with it as well.

After hearing that, we wanted to try it ourselves. So, thanks to our elite friends, we managed to score an internal build of Lollipop for the Galaxy S4. We have been testing the build on our device for a few days now, but as Samsung just started testing it, there are bugs everywhere and the build is nowhere near daily driver material. Keeping that in mind, we can’t leak this particular build, but we can give all of you Galaxy S4 users a sneak peek at what’s coming your way.

As you can see in the video above, the Korean giant has given the Galaxy S4 its latest Lollipop-optimised TouchWiz UI, which is the same one we previewed on the Galaxy S5’s Lollipop builds. Samsung has also ported the Galaxy S5’s TouchWiz launcher with My Magazines and Popping Colours lockscreen effect to the Galaxy S4, and overhauled the look of its proprietary system apps – phone, messaging, contacts, calculator, clock etc – due to Google’s new design guidelines.

The firmware is based on an early Lollipop code (LRX02E), instead of the final Lollipop code base (LRX21M) Google dropped three days ago, hence there’s no Lollipop branding/easter egg in the firmware. As it’s a test build, we can’t really talk about performance, but it feels much faster and responsive than KitKat. Also, memory management seems a lot better than before.

Samsung is still working on TouchWiz and Android Lollipop, so things might change in the final build. If you would like to know the changes Samsung has done to TouchWiz to make it compatible with Android 5.0 Lollipop, check out our Lollipop coverage for the Galaxy S5 because it’s pretty much the same for the Galaxy S4.

Samsung falls behind Apple in smartphone popularity

It is a well-know fact that Samsung is losing its popularity in the smartphone industry as well as its profits. According to a report from China Brand Research Center (CBRC), Apple plunged ahead of Samsung in China when it comes to smartphone popularity. The report was published after polling 13,500 people aged between 15 to 60, across 30 cities, from August 2013 to January 2014. In spite of scoring 566.6 points, 24.6 points more than last year, Samsung fell behind Apple, which scored 568.5 points. Last year, Samsung was the most popular smartphone brand in China while Nokia fared second and Apple was nowhere to be found in the China Brand Power Index (C-BPI) report.

As per the report’s guideline, a gap of even 50 points should be considered as weak so we can safely assume that Apple’s lead of 1.9 points should mean anything but Samsung’s inferiority. But it is commendable as to how Apple appeared out of nowhere to being the number one in the list. Samsung surely knows that it missed consumers’ expectations this year and it is trying to change its entire smartphone lineup with Project Zero andnew series of smartphones which are expected to be unveiled soon. Samsung still ranks the most popular brand when it comes to monitors (3rd year in a row) and TVs (4th year in a row).

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4 great new things about Gmail for Android

Google's Gmail for Android got a new design update that continues to roll out at the time of this post, with a new look and inbox tweaks that should make it easier to use.

Obviously, Gmail is something you get automatically on all Android phones, but new devices running Android 5.0 Lollipop and those running Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and above are getting a new version of the app, with some cool new features worth showcasing here.

New design

The first thing that jumps out at you in the new Gmail is the red stripe across the top. You still have the slide-out menu on the left where you can switch accounts and view by Gmail's categories that include Primary, Social, Promotions and Updates.

But the new Gmail also feels much cleaner, using the new material design aesthetic, introduced in Android 5.0 Lollipop. More white space and the flatter look bring Apple's iOS to mind while remaining decidedly Google. A small tweak to circular icons for your contacts (as opposed to squares in the older version) adds to the feeling of space, making the new version feel roomier.

You'll also notice in the slide-out menu that every category now has an icon associated with it, making it much easier to quickly browse and find with a glance.

Not just for Gmail

Probably the biggest change to the new Gmail is the ability to add email accounts from other services. You'll now be able to add both IMAP and POP accounts like Yahoo Mail, along with your Outlook.com email addresses, right in the app. In the past, you could add these accounts to your Android phone, but you'd only be able to view your mail in the stock Email app, not in Gmail.

This is a big step toward making the Gmail app for Android your go-to email client -- if it wasn't already -- because you get a lot more flexibility with access to all your accounts where you had none before.

Interacting with your inbox

Some of the changes to Gmail are relatively minor on the surface, but will be much more convenient as you use the app daily.

A new compose button now sits right in the lower right of your screen so can jump to writing a new email immediately. There are also new reply buttons at the bottom of every email so when you finish reading a message, you have access to quickly reply.

Another change is how many of the most common actions have been moved out of hidden app menus and into the Gmail app interface. In your inbox, there's a button at the top-right for quickly moving emails (or groups of emails) to a different folder, while in the compose view, a new attachment button now sits in the upper right. These features are not new in the sense that you didn't have them before, but moving them out of a menu and into the interface makes them much more handy and efficient.

New options for swiping

In the old Gmail app you only had the option to delete emails with a swipe. But a somewhat hidden new feature in the settings lets you choose how you want to deal with new messages.

If you go into the general settings, you now have a listing for the Gmail default action. Here you can set it to either Archive, which saves the email in your account, or Delete the email entirely. Once you've made your selection, every time you swipe an email, it will default to that setting. Again, this is not a groundbreaking change, but it's great to finally have the option.

An overall better way to Gmail

The new Gmail app isn't going to blow you away with new features, but instead, many smaller tweaks refine the interface to make things easier to get to. The ability to access other non-Gmail accounts is undoubtably a huge plus, reducing the number of apps you need to open to check your email.

Still the sort of undefinable change here is mostly about overall feel. There's more space and it doesn't feel as compacted as you browse. And with more buttons moved out of menus and into the interface, common actions are fewer taps away, making your daily email reading more efficient.

Samsung Gear S to be available for purchase in the UK

Samsung is slowly expanding the availability of its flagship smartwatch, theGear S, in major markets throughout the world. Samsung announced itsavailability in South Korea yesterday and it will be available in the US starting November 7 through all major carriers. Last week, we had reported that theavailability of the Gear S was delayed in the UK but now, Samsung has announced that the Gear S smartwatch would be a available for purchase in UK starting from November 7. At first, the device will be sold exclusively through Samsung Experience Stores, Samsung.com shop, and O2 stores for a retail price of £329, followed by its availability through other major retail stores in the UK. It also went up for pre-order in India yesterday.

The Gear S, which was announced back in October, features a 2-inch Super AMOLED display, a 1GHz dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage space, and a 300 mAh battery. It is the first smartwatch from Samsung to be equipped with a SIM card slot so that it can function independently, without a need to depend on a smartphone. Its connectivity options include 3G, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.0, and A-GPS. It also features a bunch of sensors such as accelerometer, heart-rate monitor, UV sensor, and is also IP67 certified for water and dust resistance. According to Samsung, the device can last up to 2 days under normal usage after a full charge.