Samsung Gear VR: A limited edition portable Oculus Rift

Facebook's Oculus VR is creating the Rift. Sony's PlayStation is creating Project Morpheus. Google is... well, Cardboard exists. And now as expected Samsung just unveiled Gear VR. The company’s first virtual reality headset was developed with direct help from Oculus and it works pretty well. The Gear VR is a virtual reality headset powered by the Note 4. Gear VR is a virtual reality headset with a removable front cover where Samsung's newly announced Note 4 slips in, acting as the screen. 

Gear VR Innovator Edition is an add-on to the new Samsung Galaxy Note 4, using the phone’s GPU/CPU to power the device and the Quad HD low-persistence 5.7 inch 1440p AMOLED screen as the display. One of the best aspects of mobile VR is the completely untethered, easy-to-use experience: you connect the Note 4 to the headset, you put it on, and you’re in. That level of accessibility, combined with Oculus software to easily launch and transition between VR applications without taking the headset off, really makes the experience magical. 

The Gear VR is powered by the new Oculus Mobile SDK, and also uses variations of the Oculus Tracker and firmware built into the headset for extremely accurate, ultra-low latency 3DOF tracking. It’s impossible to deliver a high quality mobile experience without this kind of deep end-to-end hardware, software, and firmware optimization. As a result, we’ve been able to achieve sub-20 millisecond motion-to-photons latency, roughly equivalent to the most highly optimized experiences on DK2. 

Using the Gear VR is very similar to using the Oculus Rift: it's a completely immersive experience that detaches you from your real environment. But unlike the Rift, there are no wires tethering you and the Gear VR to a computer, so you can freely move about and walk around.  And since you strap the Gear VR to your head, you don't have to hold up to your face the entire time like Google Cardboard.  

The only information on availability is "this year," and there is no price just yet; it'll be available for purchase online and through "select carriers." Considering how low-tech Gear VR is, and the fact that Samsung's pushing a product into a market that doesn't really exist just yet, I expect the company will aim as low as possible in terms of pricing. 

Read More: OculusVR

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Smartest Smartwatch ever: Introducing Samsung Gear S

So here we are with Samsung's sixth — yes, a full half-dozen — smartwatch, Samsung Gear S but unlike most smartwatches, the Gear S has two very special features. The first is a curved 2-inch, AMOLED display, and the second is 3G connectivity, allowing the smart watch to be used independent of a smartphone. 

A fast look at the specifications, Gear S has a curved display measuring in at a 260×480 resolution, and under the hood you’ll find a GPS sensor, an accelerometer, gyroscope, UV detector, barometer, and heart rate monitor, alongside 4GB of internal storage and 512MB of RAM. It’s all powered by a dual-core 1.0 GHz processor and Tizen, Samsung’s own mobile operating system.  

Sporting its own 3G connection, the watch can be used independently of your smartphone, unlike the majority of smartwatches on the market. Users can receive messages, emails, get directions, and even make calls all with the smartwatch itself, which is being debuted alongside the Samsung Circle Bluetooth headset. 

Samsung says it has more than 1,000 apps in its store that will work with the Gear S. 

The biggest issue with the Gear S, is that it’s too big for most people, and still a little awkward to use. Also the bands the company is offering to go with the Gear S are way too wide and heavy to look very good on your wrist. Beyond its bulk, is that, like Samsung’s initial Gear smartwatches (not the current models that run Android Wear), it works only with Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones. Don’t have a Galaxy phone? Then no watch for you. 

The biggest road bump that Gear S will feel will be form Moto 360, LG G Watch R and the rumoured Apple’s iWatch. Since the first two doesn’t have any restrictions like that of “Galaxy Smartphone” they already have upper hand at Gear S. Although pricing is not announced, Gear S will be available in October in Korea. 

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Samsung introduced one of a kind curved display smartphone: Samsung Galaxy Note Edge

 Samsung introduced a one-of-a-kind smartphone today. After Samsung Gear Fit which included a curved AMOLED display, it has now made its way to the smartphones too. Galaxy Note Edge, has a totally new type of curved AMOLED display for showing notifications and quick info. The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge comes as a pleasant surprise which was kept well under wraps. It is one of the few devices launched recently which left no virtual trail and had no ‘leakster’ tracking its every more. 

The Note Edge is, on paper at least, only the slightest variation on the new Note 4. It has the same metallic design, a huge improvement on anything Samsung’s done before. It has the same soft-touch back, blissfully without the fake stitching. It has the same 16-megapixel camera, the same heart-rate monitor, the same processor, the same memory, the same software, the same new Multi Window feature, the same everything. It's an incredibly high-end, incredibly powerful phone. It even has a Quad HD, 2560 x 1440 display like the Note 4, though this one is slightly smaller at 5.6 inches rather than 5.7. 

Biggest difference is that the right side of the display slopes down at the end to add an extra bit of screen real estate you wouldn’t normally have. It has 7 scrollable panels which Samsung lets you customize with a variety of difference widgets ranging from weather to sports scores to a list of trending topics on Twitter. There’s even a simple matching memory game that you can play along the edge of your phone. Switching between different widgets is as simple as swiping left along the side of the phone. 

how 2 use galaxy note edge with your left hand pic.twitter.com/FkwYuCmtxw
— dan (@dcseifert) September 3, 2014

People are already identifying the device’s biggest flaw, which is that it’s not very friendly to lefties. Just don’t expect to use the Note Edge to its fullest potential if you’re left-handed. That’s just one small obstacle. In terms of specs, it’s about level with the Note 4, though Samsung obviously put more effort into its S Pen-wielding flagship (the Note Edge, incidentally, also sports an S Pen). 

Samsung did not announce pricing for the handset but will be available in US through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and U.S. Cellular starting from October. Availability for other countries is not yet announced. 

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Samsung iterates Note series: Introduces Galaxy Note 4

Samsung just announced the Galaxy Note 4, the latest in its line-up of popular phablet smartphones. The Note 4 leaked out more than a few times over the past several weeks but the device still managed to surprise us in a few ways. 

The Note 4 offers huge improvements over Note 3. It has now quad HD (though it's the same 5.7-inch size) Super AMOLED display which is predictably stunning, with vibrant colours, exceptionally wide viewing angles, and no visible pixels. It has an option for a quad-core or octa-core processor, depending on market, paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, the camera is 16MP with OIS. The Galaxy S5's fingerprint scanner and heart-rate monitor have made their way upstream to the Note line, and the S Pen has been upgraded with better sensitivity and tracking capabilities. Samsung has dropped the clunky USB 3.0 charging port in favour of a more traditional, and much more streamlined, MicroUSB 2.0 port. 

Samsung's new S Pen

On the software side of things, Samsung has made a few changes as well. The Note 4 comes with Android 4.4.4 KitKat and the familiar TouchWiz on top but now there is an emphasis on creating a multi-tasking experience that’s on par with what you can do at a desktop computer. 

The most notable change is the phone’s design, which features a ring of metal around the edge similar to the Galaxy Alpha. The use of metal definitely gives the Note 4 a nicer look, though it does add a bit of weight to the device. The band has sculpted, chamfered edges and improves both the look and feel of the Note 4 over its predecessor. The back of the phone is largely the same, with a textured, soft-touch leather-like finish. Note 4 will be available in 4 colours. 

4 Vibrant Colors of Samsung Note 4

Samsung did not announce pricing for the handset but will be available in US through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and U.S. Cellular starting from October. Availability for other countries is not yet announced.  

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Samsung's Galaxy Alpha with Metal Body is finally Official

After much speculation, Samsung Galaxy Alpha is finally official and  with this Samsung is finally moving on from the all-plastic design to a metal body. The South Korean electronics giant is calling the Galaxy Alpha" the evolution of Galaxy Design", touting its "metal frame, elegantly curved corners, and a tactile soft back cover". 

Samsung Galaxy Alpha has a 4.7-inch HD Super AMOLED display and with its all-metal design it hopes to take on the rumored Apple's iPhone 6. Its been powered by an octa-core or a quad-core processor and would be running the latest Android KitKat 4.4.4 with TouchWiz on top. It will be available starting in September but there has not been any conformation on the price, although a report from PhoneArena about it costing us $689 for an off-contract model. 

On the Connectivity front, its having GPRS/EDGE, 3G, NFC and Bluetooth. Also like other high-end smartphones, it will also be having LTE Cat.6 support. It also inherits fingerprint scanner on the home button and heart rate monitor on the back. 

Also it has a 12MP rear snapper and a 2.1MP selfie camera. The company notes that the Galaxy Alpha at launch will be available in Charcoal Black, Dazzling White, Frosted Gold, Sleek Silver, and Scuba Blue color variants. 

The move to the premium materials isn't unexpected. Amid growing concerns of loosing market share, Samsung Mobiles senior VP Kim Hyun-joon recently told investors for a device with "new materials" is expected soon. And if the previous leaks are to be believed, we are going to see a refresh face of the new Galaxy Note when it's announced in September. 

Source: Samsung

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