Year: 2018

Samsung Announces “The Galaxy Watch”

Dan Uff August 9, 2018 0

SEOUL, KOREA – August 9, 2018 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today introduced the Samsung Galaxy Watch, a premium, powerful smartwatch for those who want to do it all — and look good while doing it. Its long-lasting battery and LTE connectivity gives consumers a true standalone experience[1]. With advanced wellness features and fitness tracking, it helps you achieve your health goals. And with Samsung’s signature rotating bezel and more robust lineup of style options including three new watch color finishes in Silver, Midnight Black and Rose Gold, and new watch band colors, you get a smartwatch that looks like a traditional timepiece and is intuitive to use.

“At Samsung, we have a long history of providing consumers with choice, while maintaining innovation within our products, and we are excited to continue the proud heritage of our Galaxy line with our wearables,” said DJ Koh, President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics. “The new Galaxy Watch was designed for all lifestyles to help meet consumer needs, such as more efficient battery life to stay connected longer, and better wellness tracking to help users maintain their goals – we are delivering them with connected experiences, all at the touch of a wrist.”

Connected Health
Everyone has different health, wellness, and fitness goals; no matter what they are, Galaxy Watch helps you meet them. With a new stress management tracker[2], Galaxy Watch tracks your heart rate, and provides breathing exercises to help users stay focused. In addition, the Galaxy Watch’s advanced sleep tracking[3] monitors all levels of sleep, including REM cycles, to help users get the rest they need to take on their day.

The Galaxy Watch’s advanced fitness tracking features keep you motivated, and on track. It automatically tracks six of the most popular exercises — walking, running, cycling, elliptical, training, rowing, and dynamic workouts — and features 21 new indoor exercises from a selection of 39 activities. And because balanced nutrition is as important as exercise, the Galaxy Watch is designed to help users track food and water intake. Input your meals and get personalized alerts from Samsung Health, or, use Bixby on your Galaxy device to automatically count calories, and get a personalized summary on your Galaxy Watch.

Personalization to Match Any Lifestyle

A watch is the classic fashion accessory, and the Galaxy Watch lets users express their own unique style. It offers more sizes and styles with a 46mm version in Silver, as well as a 42mm option in Midnight Black and Rose Gold. Users can further customize with a selection of watch faces and watch band options available on Samsung.com. The Galaxy Watch is designed with Samsung’s signature, circular rotating bezels while embracing the digital look with Always On Display, in addition to improved usability — making it easier to get the most out of the device, with the look of a traditional timepiece. And the Galaxy Watch is ready to go where you go. It is certified military-level durability[4] with Corning® Gorilla® Glass DX+ and 5 ATM[5] water resistance, so it can go from the swimming pool to the shower without leaving your wrist.

Stay Connected – No Matter Where Your Day Takes You
The Galaxy Watch is designed with your active lifestyle in mind and has an improved battery life that gets days of power on a single charge[6] — as well as low-energy architecture, so users can recharge on their schedule, not their watch’s. And with LTE connectivity, Samsung Galaxy Watch users can enjoy a true standalone experience. They can answer calls, respond to text messages, use GPS mapping, stream music, and more, all from their wrist, and all without a smartphone in their pocket. Users can also start and end their day with morning and evening briefings to help stay on top of reminders, weather and their latest schedule.

Experience the Best of Samsung’s Galaxy Ecosystem
The Galaxy Watch is more than a smartwatch, it’s part of the Galaxy Ecosystem. Users can enjoy a
seamless experience with Samsung Health, Samsung Pay[7], Bixby, SmartThings and select third-party partnerships such as Spotify and Under Armour. Easily access and control your IoT compatible devices on the Galaxy Watch with SmartThings — turn on the lights in the morning or adjust the temperature before bed. Samsung makes music and multimedia control even easier on the Galaxy Watch with Spotify, allowing users to listen to songs offline or without a smartphone[8]. It’s also easy to keep information secure thanks to Samsung Knox, and unlock PCs or tablets using Samsung Flow.

Preorder and Availability
The Samsung Galaxy Watch Bluetooth 42mm version will be available for $329.99, and the 46mm version will be available for $349.99 in the US at Amazon, Best Buy and Samsung.com starting August 24, 2018.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch LTE version will be available at AT&T, Samsung.com, T-Mobile, Sprint and Verizon, along with select major national retailers later in 2018.

Pre-orders begin on August 10, 2018, and run through August 23, 2018 on Samsung.com. Consumers who preorder or order Galaxy Watch before September 8, 2018 on Samsung.com will receive a free Samsung watch band.

		Galaxy Watch Specifications
Model	Galaxy Watch 46mm Silver	Galaxy Watch 42mm Midnight Black & Galaxy Watch 42mm Rose Gold
Display	1.3” (33mm), Circular Super AMOLED (360 x 360) Full Color Always On Display Corning® Gorilla® DX+	1.2” (30mm), Circular Super AMOLED (360 x 360) Full Color Always On Display Corning® Gorilla® DX+
Size	46 x 49 x 13 63g (without strap)	41.9 x 45.7 x 12.7 49g (without strap)
Strap	22mm (Interchangeable) Option Color: Onyx Black, Deep Ocean Blue, Basalt Grey	20mm (Interchangeable) Option Color: Onyx Black, Lunar Grey, Terracotta Red, Lime Yellow, Cosmo Purple, Pink Beige, Cloud Grey, Natural Brown
Battery	472mAh	270mAh

		All Models
AP		Dual core 1.15GHz
OS		Tizen Based Wearable OS 4.0
Memory		LTE: 1.5GB RAM + 4GB Internal Memory Bluetooth® : 768MB RAM + 4GB Internal Memory
Connectivity		4G/LTE, B luetooth® 4.2, Wi-Fi b/g/n, NFC, A-GPS/Glonass
Sensor		Accelerometer, Gyro, Barometer, HRM, Ambient Light
Charge		WPC based wireless charging
Durability		5ATM + IP68 / MIL-STD-810G
Compatibility		Samsung: Android 5.0 or later Other: Android 5.0 or later iPhone 5 and above, iOS 9.0 or above

[1] 4G LTE standalone connectivity only available on Samsung Galaxy Watch LTE version. Standalone voice calling on LTE version requires initial pairing with eligible Samsung Galaxy device and separate qualifying wireless plan. Your carrier may not support standalone voice calling, or support may be available only in certain areas. Please check with your carrier for more information. Standalone functionality is limited if paired phone is not powered on or connected to a wireless network.
[2] Measured value is not appropriate for medical use
[3] Measured value is not appropriate for medical use
[4] MIL-STD-810: Environmental Engineering Considerations and Laboratory Tests is a United States Military Standard that emphasizes tailoring an equipment’s environmental design and test limits to the conditions; MIL-STD-810G: + Humidity, Altitude Storage, Altitude Operational, Immersion
[5] Galaxy Watch has an ISO 22810:2010 certification for wristwatches for 5 ATM rating of 50 meters (165 feet) under defined conditions of pressure, time, velocity and temperature. This means that both devices are safe to wear while walking in the rain or showering and may be used for shallow-water activities like swimming in a pool or the ocean. However, Galaxy Watch should not be used for scuba diving, water skiing, or other activities involving sudden temperature changes, high-velocity water activities or submersion below shallow depth. Rinse in fresh water and dry after use in sea water.
[6] Battery life varies by device and usage: Galaxy Watch 46mm (80+ hours with typical usage; up to 168 hours with low usage) and Galaxy Watch 42mm (45+ hours with typical usage; up to 120 hours with low usage). The actual time of battery life may vary depending on the network connection, component, setting, signal strength, noise and many other elements.
[7] NFC support only. Service availability may vary by country.
[8] Requires a Spotify Premium Membership (For more details, please visit www.spotify.com).

※ Activation feature for Mobile Network of Galaxy watch with Non-Samsung smartphones may not be available in some countries

*All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice.

Samsung Announces the “Galaxy Home” Smart Speaker and more

CompuScoop Staff August 9, 2018 1

This morning, Samsung had a product announcement keynote where they announced several new consumer products.

Samsung Galaxy Home:

The company has officially entered into the smart speaker market with this announcement. The device is based on Samsung's Bixby voice assistant, and has eight far-field microphones. Speaker technology comes courtesy of Samsung's AKG, and the device will have a built-in SmartThings hub to connect smarthome accessories.

Little else has been revealed so far, but a partnership with Spotify should make the latter's music easier to move between Samsung devices. An unusual design touch is that the base is supported by three metal legs — most smartspeakers, such as Apple's HomePod, sit directly on a surface.

More details will be announced at a developers' conference in November.

Galaxy Note 9:

The U.S. version of the new phone has a faster Snapdragon 845 processor, a 6.4-inch 2960x1400 OLED display, and louder AKG speakers. Other improvements include a larger, "all-day" 4,000 milliamp-hour battery, and an upgraded S Pen with Bluetooth support. The stylus can be used to do things like trigger photos, control slideshows, and play and pause videos.

The phone also supports Samsung's desktop-style DeX mode without a separate dock. Further making it a potential desktop replacement is an option of 128 or 512 gigabytes of internal storage, which can be supplemented by an upcoming 512-gigabyte micro SD card to hit 1 terabyte of space.

The Note 9 is otherwise a modest evolution of last year's Note8, including previous features such as USB-C, dual rear cameras, a headphone jack, and a front-facing iris scanner. Samsung has however responded to complaints and moved the fingerprint reader from the side of the rear camera module to below it, making it easier to reach while reducing accidental lens smudges.

The phone's "Intelligent Camera" has the same specifications as the Note 8, but can alert people to flaws in images such as closed eyes, and will automatically optimize output in many cases based on scene and object detection.

The product should launch Aug. 24 in four colors, with preorders starting Aug. 10. The 128-gigabyte model will cost $999, while the 512-gigabyte version will be $1,249.

For more information about these products, go to http://www.samsung.com/

Fox News announces FoxNation.com

Dan Uff August 9, 2018 0

During this morning's newscast, Fox News announced a new web site called Fox Nation.com.

According to the information on the web site:

Fox Nation: Where the conversation happens!

Fox Nation is a membership site unlike anything else: your favorite personalities, outspoken opinions, exclusive shows and no-holds-barred conversation. Sign up to stay informed as we build the Nation!

Even though the web site is not officially open, they are taking email addresses so interested parties can be notified when the web site officially goes online.

For more information, go to http://www.foxnation.com/

Apple Getting ‘Carried Away’ with its newest App Store Ban on Gambling

Dan Uff August 9, 2018 0

Apple has added a new guideline for developers that says:

In order to reduce fraudulent activity on the App Store and comply with government requests to address illegal online gambling activity, we are no longer allowing gambling apps submitted by individual developers. The includes both real money gambling apps as well as apps that simulate a gambling experience.

As a result, this app has been removed from the App Store. While you can no longer distribute gambling apps from this account, you may continue to submit and distribute other types of apps to the App Store.

Apple finishes the statement by saying:

Only verified accounts from incorporated business entities may submit gambling apps for distribution on the App Store.

Whoever enforces the above does not understand it, as some companies (such as magazine apps that have nothing to do with gambling at all) are experiencing problems. An example is below via Twitter:

It is not only magazine apps, another example is an app for the Apple Watch called WatchPlay, which allows a user to search and view YouTube videos on the Apple Watch.

The reason that apps unrelated to gambling are being removed appears to be because the ban currently applies to any apps that allow users "unrestricted web access".

When developers submit their app to the App Store, a section called "Rating" asks them to rate their app's content based on a chart and identify how frequently the content appears.

The content marker "Unrestricted web access" in this section applies when a user can access any URL by opening a browser window from within the submitted app.

Ticking it automatically slaps the app with a 17+ age rating if it makes it to the App Store, because it gives users of the app the potential ability to circumvent parental controls.

However, on the face of it, Apple's gambling-related ban today looks to have overreached significantly in this regard.