Apple

Note 7 is dead: Samsung permanently ceases production of its troubled flagship phone

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 11, 2016

After temporarily halting production of its troubled Galaxy Note 7 smartphone earlier this week, Samsung confirmed in today's statement to TechCrunch that it's permanently discontinued the production of its flagship Galaxy smartphone over multiple incidents of exploding batteries.

This past weekend, major U.S. carriers AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint stopped offering new units as replacements for those affected by Samsung's global recall. U.S. carriers are now offering Note 7 customers replacement devices from other brands, including Apple's latest iPhone.

US Supreme Court to tackle the outcome of monster Apple vs. Samsung lawsuit tomorrow

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 10, 2016

Samsung is on the hook for $399 million in damages owed to Apple for stealing its patented iPhone designs in what's become the first legal battle over design patents in nearly 120 years.

A typical design patent covers the ornamental look of an object rather than any functional aspect.

According to Bloomberg this morning, the United States Supreme Court will determine the outcome of the monster Apple v. Samsung lawsuit on Tuesday, October 11.

Appeals Court reinstates Samsung owes Apple $119.6 million in slide-to-unlock lawsuit verdict

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 7, 2016

A three-judge panel was actually wrong to toss out of the window the $119.6 million verdict in a longstanding lawsuit that involves Apple's patented slide-to-unlock gesture that the iPhone maker had sued Samsung over a few years back.

As Bloomberg reports, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has now ordered the trial judge to consider whether the judgment should be increased “based on any intentional infringement by Samsung.”

US regulators investigating case of replacement Note 7 going ablaze on a plane

Christian Zibreg ∙ October 6, 2016

Jordan Golson, reporting for The Verge, is writing that the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is opening an investigation into yesterday's incident when Southwest Airlines flight 994 from Louisville to Baltimore was evacuated while still at the gate because of a smoking Note 7.

A spokesperson for the airline told The Verge that all passengers and crew exited the plane through the main cabin door and no injuries were reported.

1 million Note 7 recalled so far, but Samsung has another exploding problem on its hands

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 29, 2016

Following an unprecedented global recall of at least 2.5 million Note 7 smartphones due to faulty batteries causing some of the units to catch fire, Samsung today told Reuters that more than one million people worldwide are now using Galaxy Note 7 smartphones with batteries that are not vulnerable to overheating and catching fire. However, the firm has another problem on its hands: exploding washing machines. It's certainly been a rough month for Samsung.

Yesterday, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission warned owners of certain top-loading Samsung washing machines of “safety issues” following reports that some have exploded.

Video: iPhone 7 running circles around Note 7 in terms of switching apps

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 19, 2016

Apple makes the fastest smartphone chips on the planet and the iPhone 7's in-house designed A10 Fusion chip has given top Android handset makers who buy off-the-shelf processors plenty to worry about. Tight interplay between Apple-designed silicon, operating system, apps and services gives the iPhone a distinct advantage over competitors when it comes to smooth app switching and multitasking.

A non-scientific video put together by YouTuber PhoneBuff, which compares app loading and switching times on the iPhone 7 and Samsung's latest Note 7, highlights the benefits of designing the hardware and software under one roof as Apple's new phone with half the Note 7's RAM runs circles around Samsung's exploding flagship in terms of loading and switching apps.

Bloomberg: Note 7 fires result of Samsung’s rush to beat “dull” iPhone 7 to market

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 19, 2016

After they began hearing earlier this year that the iPhone 7 would look just like the previous two models, the top brass at Samsung Electronics, including its mobile chief D.J. Koh, have made the decision to outmaneuver Apple and move up the launch of the Note 7 to early August. In hindsight, it was a risky, ill-fated move that has backfired and damaged Samsung's brand and reputation.

In its desire to beat the “dull” iPhone 7 to market, Samsung pushed suppliers to meet tighter deadlines which caused problems with the handset's battery, according to a report Monday from Bloomberg citing “people familiar with the matter”.

Samsung considering its own proprietary port to replace headphone jack on Galaxy S8

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 14, 2016

Although Samsung's latest Galaxy S7 flagship smartphone series proudly boasts the 3.5mm headphone jack, the South Korean conglomerate may also remove the industry-standard jack from its next-gen Galaxy S8, reports Digital Music News. Internally code-named “Dream” (Galaxy S8) and “Dream2” (Galaxy S8 Edge), these devices may replace the 3.5mm jack with a proprietary port.

The company is said to be “actively” and “aggressively” exploring the possibility of releasing a proprietary headphone jack to see how viable it would be.

Samsung issues global Note 7 recall after complaints of exploding batteries

Christian Zibreg ∙ September 2, 2016

It looked like Samsung was well poised to steal some of Apple's thunder by releasing its Note 7 phablet with a redesigned appearance and wraparound screen ahead of Apple's iPhone 7 event. But following reports from users around the world about a battery issue that has caused some handsets to catch fire or explode, Samsung has now announced plans to recall every single Note 7 sold in order to prevent further damage and has also abandoned today's scheduled Note 7 launch in the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

Samsung confirms iPhone support for the new Gear S3 smartwatches

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 31, 2016

Samsung recently opened up a beta program to test its upcoming Gear Manager for iOS, and we know from before that the Gear S2 will work with the iPhone—but what about the just-announced Gear S3 Classic and Frontier? Will these new devices support Apple's smartphone, too? In a word, yes. SamMobile was able to confirm with a Samsung representative at today's press event that its latest and greatest smartwatches will also work with the iPhone.

Samsung pulls back the curtain on two new wearables: Gear S3 Classic and Frontier

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 31, 2016

It is no secret that the Gear S2 watches were far from perfect even though they were a step in the right direction for Samsung. Today, the South Korean company has expanded its smartwatch lineup with the introduction of a pair of new wearables—the Gear S3 Classic and Gear S3 Frontier. More elegant and rugged than ever, the new Samsung watches have embedded GPS and cellular LTE connectivity.

Like the 2015 Gear S2, the new S3 range is based on the Tizen operating system that brings some updated software features to the mix. The Gear S3 Classic and Frontier will start shipping later this year.

Samsung allegedly readying dual-camera Galaxy S8 with 4K screen for February 2017 unveiling

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 31, 2016

Samsung's Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, along with the recently launched Note 7, may not be enough to steal Apple's thunder as the Cupertino firm preps to unveil its next iPhone on September 7.

According to the rumors, a sophisticated dual-lens camera system is expected to give the iPhone 7 DSLR-like features with RAW camera capture, optical zoom, better lowlight photography and more.

With that in mind, little wonder that Samsung is now reportedly looking to update its flagship smartphone line with dual cameras of its own.