Wave goodbye to WatchON. Photo: Samsung
WatchON, one of the more useful services that comes baked into Samsung’s TouchWiz user interface for Android, is being wiped out in all but two markets, the South Korean company has confirmed today. Users will be able to keep content they’ve purchased through WatchON, while the Galaxy Note 4’s new Smart Remote app is expected to replace its IR remote functionality on other Galaxy smartphones.
Turn your Edge’s earpiece into a front-facing speaker. Photo: Samsung
Samsung has this annoying habit of putting loudspeakers on the back of its smartphones, meaning they become muffled when you place them down or hold them in your palm; the South Korean company hasn’t yet gotten around to copying HTC’s front-facing BoomSound speaker setup.
But owners of a rooted Galaxy Note Edge can turn their handset’s earpiece into a second loudspeaker themselves with this simple software tweak.
Android 5.0 running on the Galaxy S5. Video: SamMobile
Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S5 has become the latest third-party smartphone to get an Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade. Handsets with the SM-G900F model number — which are typically sold in Europe — are getting the new software first, and it brings a whole host of new features alongside significant performance improvements.
Android 5.0 running on the Galaxy S5. Video: SamMobile
The Samsung Galaxy S5 will get its Android 5.0 Lollipop upgrade by the end of this year, according to one European carrier, while the Galaxy Note 4 will get the same release in January. The rollouts will make Samsung’s flagship Galaxy devices some of the first third-party smartphones to get Google’s latest Android software.
Photo: Samsung
Samsung’s new design efforts aren’t just for flagship devices; the South Korean company is also releasing affordable phones with sleek metallic frames. One of them is the Galaxy A3, which has already been announced but hasn’t yet gone on sale. That hasn’t stopped the handset from making its way into the wild, though, and it bears all in the hands-on video below.
