Samsung Galaxy S5 mini release date tipped for mid-July

Samsung Galaxy S5 mini leak

The Samsung Galaxy S5 mini release date could be scheduled for mid-July, if the latest reports are correct.

Samsung has released a brand new flagship and subsequently a “mini” version of said flagship like clockwork every year, and it looks like this year will be no different.

According to Sammobile sources, the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini release date has been pencilled in for mid-July with the Samsung Galaxy S5 variant going on sale simultaneously across the world.

This would be around the same time as the Samsung Galaxy S4 mini went on sale last year and gives a small break between when the flagship Galaxy S5 was released in early April.

Unlike the S4 mini though, leaks suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S5 mini features will be more in-line with its flagship brother.

Rumour has it that the Galaxy S5 mini will come with a 4.5-inch 720p HD display, upgrading the rather disappointing qHD S4 mini screen.

It will apparently run on an as yet unannounced 1.4GHz Samsung Exynos 3 Quad processor with 1.5GB of RAM and offer the Ultra Power Saving Mode offered by the S5.

In the rear it is expected to feature an 8-megapixel camera partnered with a 2.1-megapixel front-facing option for video calls. Plus you’ll get the usual 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11n, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, IR Blaster, NFC and GPS connectivity options.

What’s also interesting is that the Galaxy S5 mini should also offer the same fingerprint and heart rate sensors as the flagship, along with the IP67 water and dust resistant certification.

It should also benefit from Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS with the latest Samsung Touchwiz UI, which brings software features like Private Mode and Kids Mode among others.

Sadly, it still looks like Samsung’s mid-range flagship alternative won’t be able to compare to the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact, which packed flagship specs into a mid-range, smaller screened smartphone, but has definitely made some big improvements over the S4 mini.

Read more: Best mobile phone 2014

readmore »»  

Facebook apologises for secret psychological user experiments

Facebook has apologised to its users after a secret psychological experiment has sparked outrage in the online community.

The social media giant admitted it had manipulated the news feeds of nearly 700,000 users without their knowledge as part of a psychology experiment.

The experiment was carried out in partnership with two American universities, Cornell University and the University of California, and controlled the emotional expressions selected users were exposed to.

It was used to gauge if "exposure to emotions led people to change their own posting behaviours".

So one half of those tested were subjected to all negative stories on their news feeds, while the other half were presented with only happy, positive posts. Facebook then monitored whether that affected what they themselves posted.

The online community rightly exploded with criticism, with one technology analyst, Lauren Weinstein saying “Facebook secretly experiments on users to try and make them sad. What could go wrong?”

Facbook has said there was “no unnecessary collection of people’s data”, before adding that “none of the data used was associated with a specific person’s Facebook account.”

However, it did not deny that it had been responsible for the manipulation of emotions.

“I can understand why some people have concerns about it, and my co-authors and I are very sorry for the way the paper described the research and any anxiety it caused,” said Facebook’s Adam Kramer, who co-authored the research’s report.

The experiment was carried out on 689,000 Facebook users in 2012 over a period of a week. The outcome was that those who had fewer negative stories in their news feed were less likely to write their own negative posts and vice versa.

Labour MP Jim Sheridan, speaking to The Guardian, said that there should be legislation against this kind of secret emotional manipulation.

“They are manipulating material from people’s personal lives and I am worried about the ability of Facebook and others to manipulate people’s thoughts in politics or other areas,” said Sheridan. “If people are being thought-controlled in this kind of way there needs to be protection and they at least need to know about it.”

However, others include Katherine Sledge Moore, a psychology professor at Elmhurst College in Illinois said this kind of study is fairly routine.

“Based on what Facebook does with their newsfeed all of the time and based on what we’ve agreed to do by joining Facebook, this study really isn’t that out of the ordinary,” said Sledge Moore. “The results are not even that alarming or exciting.”

How do you feel about Facebook performing these kind of experiments? Did you realise you were subject to these just by accepting Facebook’s privacy policies?

Read more: Best TVs 2014

readmore »»  

Steam users top 8m during Summer Sale

Concurrent Steam users broke the 8 million milestone for the first time over the weekend.

At one point during the night, there were over 8 million users on the Steam service simultaneously, which has never happened before in the game service’s history.

Previously, the high point for Steam saw 7.5 million users over the Christmas 2013 period, but on Monday 30 June at 12.03am UK time there were 8,020,834 users on the service.

Steam’s sudden surge in users was spotted by a NeoGaf user and marks a new concurrent high for Steam, which usually has around 6.8 – 7.2 million users at its peak.

This spike is most likely down to the Steam Summer Sale, which is now in its “encore” period ending at 6pm this evening, June 30.

The encore sale offers huge savings of up to 75 per cent on the most popular deals offered during the Steam Summer Sale.

Back in January during the Steam Dev Days conference, Valve announced that Steam boasted over 75 million active users. This figure had grown by 10 million from the previous report submitted in October 2013.

A huge increase in growth was seen over the Christmas period, with the acceleration equating to a user growth of 15 per cent in just three months, despite the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One.

There has been a renewed interest in Steam over the past year also because of the Steam OS and Steam Machine announcements that will see the service make the move into the living room space, hopefully later this year.

Read more: Best laptops 2014

readmore »»  

Google won't allow Android Wear and Android TV UI modification

Google has revealed that it won't permit smartwatch or TV manufacturers to tinker with the company's new unified Android interface.


One of the distinguishing features of the Android OS for smartphones and tablets has been its open nature, allowing third party manufacturers and developers to modify its front end at will.

On the one hand, this has permitted greater differentiation between efforts from Samsung, HTC, Sony and co. On the other hand, it has led to high levels of software fragmentation and an often less-than-optimal user experience.

Google won't allow manufacturers similar freedom with Android Wear, Android TV, or Android Auto.

Talking with Ars Technica, Google engineering director David Burke has revealed that Google is locking down the wider Android experience. All three new Android initiatives announced at Google I/O last week will have their user interfaces controlled by Google rather than hardware manufacturers.

Talking about Android TV in particular, Burke noted that "We want to just have a very consistent user experience, so if you have one TV in one room and another TV in another room and they both say Android TV, we want them to work the same and look the same."

Burke also confirmed that software updates would be handled by Google directly, rather than leaving it to individual manufacturers. He likened the operation to Google's own Chrome web browser for desktop computers, where updates are made quickly and quietly, often without the user even noticing.

Those attracted to Google's open approach to OS design may need to look elsewhere in future, as it looks set to apply tighter constraints to the Android experience.

Read More: Android 5.0 L: What's new?

readmore »»  

Microsoft adding folders to Windows Phone 8.1

Microsoft has accidentally let slip that it is adding a folder system to its Windows Phone OS.

Ever since the launch of Windows Phone 7 in 2010, Microsoft's mobile OS has always done basic things a little differently to its main rivals. But many of those points of differentiation are slowly being removed as the platform matures.

For example, the arrival of Windows Phone 8.1 saw the addition of a full notification menu. It's called Action Center here, but it's really the same drag-down system that can be found in Android and iOS.

Now we can look forward to another common feature making its way to Windows Phone: app folders.

Microsoft has posted (and since removed) a support article revealing that it would be adding a native folder system to the Windows Phone start screen.

This will allow you to drag tiles on top of one another in order to stack them in one place. You can then name the newly created folder something appropriate.

It sounds exactly like the systems found in iOS and Android.

Interestingly, Microsoft notes that in order to be able to do this, "you need to have Windows Phone 8.1 Update installed on your phone." This suggests that the addition of this folder system will come through the next minor update to Windows Phone 8.1 rather than being a feature of the next full version of the OS.

The first Windows Phone 8.1 update is expected to hit in July or August, so we shouldn't have too long to wait for folder support in Microsoft's mobile OS.

Read More: Nokia Lumia 930 vs Nokia Lumia 925

Via: The Verge

readmore »»  

Microsoft smartwatch heading for October release?

Microsoft looks set to join the smartwatch race, with the tech giant tipped to launch its first wearable this October.

With the likes of the LG G Watch and Samsung Gear Live set to hit retailers in a matter of days to offer the smartwatch space a new, Android Wear themed boost – new reports have claimed that Microsoft could be the next big player to enter the smartwatch space.

Although last reports have pegged the unconfirmed Microsoft wearable for an October arrival, given the lack of official word, take these teased details lightly for the time being.

As well as a potential October arrival, a number of claimed Microsoft smartwatch features and specs are said to have leaked.

Unlike the square G Watch or round-faced Motorola Moto 360, is has been suggested that the unnamed Microsoft wearable will reportedly feature a slim, fitness band style design similar to that of the Nike FuelBand SE.

As well as a fitness tracker styled design, the Microsoft timepiece will reportedly host a massive 11 separate sensors – including a heart rate sensor – letting users track all manner of activity and performance metrics.

With the heavily rumoured Apple iWatch tipped to support iOS devices only and the Samsung Gear 2 only working with the Korean manufacturer’s phones and tablets, Microsoft is said to be planning to open its smartwatch up to multiple platforms.

Strangley, unlike most watches which feature their face on the top of the wrist, it has been suggested that the mooted Microsoft smartwatch could feature a display on the underside of the strap.

With the October release window still quite vague and with Microsoft yet to offer any official details, stay tuned to TrustedReviews for all the latest on the Redmond-based company’s future wearable efforts.

Read More: Microsoft Surface 2 Pro review

Via: PhoneArena

readmore »»  

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 tipped to feature 12-megapixel OIS camera

New Samsung Galaxy Note 4 rumours have surfaced, with latest reports suggesting the upcoming phablet will play host to a 12-megapixel, optical image stabilised camera.

Despite last year’s Samsung Galaxy Note 3 playing host to a 13-megapixel snapper and the existing Samsung Galaxy S5 sporting a 16-megapixel rear-mounted camera, the handset’s upcoming phablet sibling will reportedly boast a 12-megapixel offering.

The latest Samsung Galaxy Note 4 rumours, which have surfaced courtesy of Samsung’s native Korean, have suggested the move is being considered due to the company’s difficulties bring OIS to its 16-megapixel camera.

Given the less than official nature of these latest reports, and Samsung’s constant push in the insatiable specs race that is the smartphone market, we must stress that these reports should be taken with a considerable pinch of salt.

A number of recent Samsung Galaxy Note 4 rumours have claimed that the phone’s primary camera will be partnered by a second, 3.7-megapixel offering up front.

Further features tipped to appear on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 specs sheet include a new 5.7-inch QHD display with a stunning 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution to rival the LG G3.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is widely expected to be the highlight of the Korean manufacturer’s IFA 2014 showings this September.



Read More: Samsung Galaxy S6 release date

Via: etnews

readmore »»