Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. yesterday announced the expansion of its flagship Galaxy Note series with the launch of the new Samsung GALAXY Note 4 in Sri Lanka.
Blending an enhanced S Pen with a superior viewing experience, the GALAXY Note 4 provides users with the most unique and powerful mobile experience in the market.
Commenting at the launch, H.K. Chang, Managing Director, Samsung Electronics India – Sri Lanka Branch Office, “The launch of GALAXY Note 4 highlights Samsung’s commitment to deliver iconic and differentiated products. The new device exhibits people inspired innovation with its unique combination of an enhanced S Pen, large and vivid display and superior productivity features to provide the most refined Galaxy experience to our customers. Samsung has significantly contributed to the wearable industry by taking the lead in offering unique smart wearables and the launch of Gear S will further set a new standard in the mobile communication space.”

Powerful performance that matters the most to you
The GALAXY Note 4 embraces Samsung’s heritage of an unrivaled GALAXY mobile experience. Its extraordinary 5.7-inch Quad HD (2560×1440) Super AMOLED display reproduces clearer and more vivid images with deep contrast, better viewing angles, and response times as fast as a millionth of a second, providing an ultimate viewing experience.

S.M. Gotabaya Jayaratne, Secretary, Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology, H.K. Chang, Managing Director, Samsung Electronics India – Sri Lanka Branch Office and Kalpa Perera, Head of Mobile Business, Samsung India Electronics – Sri Lanka Branch Office at the launch

The Note series is much more than the large screen and the advanced Multi Window feature in GALAXY Note 4 enriches the user’s experience by providing them with the key to easier multi-tasking. Users can choose how they access their applications with full, split or pop-up screens, and easily change the size and positioning of apps on the screen with one intuitive swipe.
The GALAXY Note 4 also sports an advanced camera that reproduces brighter and clearer images. The device is equipped with a 16 megapixel rear-facing camera featuring a Smart Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) that counter-balances camera shake and automatically extends exposure time in dark settings. The device’s camera is further strengthened by features like Selective Focus, Rear-cam Selfie, Beauty face, Virtual Tour Shot, Shot & More among others.
In addition, the 3.7 megapixel front-facing camera with an f1.9 aperture offers a default 90 degree shooting. The Wide Selfie feature for the front camera allows users to capture selfies covering angles up to 120 degrees, by seamlessly stitching additional parts around you. The heart rate monitor which sits on the rear side of the phablet can be tapped to shoot a selfie.

S.M. Gotabaya Jayaratne, Secretary, Ministry of Telecommunication and Information Technology, H.K. Chang, Managing Director, Samsung Electronics India – Sri Lanka Branch Office and Nasser Majeed, CEO, Softlogic Retail at the launch

Making everyday tasks much faster and easier, the GALAXY Note 4’s S Pen has been specifically evolved to serve as the primary interface for routine tasks. This new S Pen offers a much more authentic pen experience, with a more natural brush effect that perfectly emulates writing on paper with a fountain or calligraphy pen. The S Pen serves as the key to a more user-friendly Air Command functionality with intuitive features such as Action Memo, Smart Select, Image Clip and Screen Write that allow users to create and collect content with ease. A new Smart Select feature enables users to easily piece together content from different origins, and share or collect it with ease.
The GALAXY Note 4 also provides users with a choice of multiple, seamless note-taking methods integrated with Samsung’s S Note application. In addition to typing and writing, the innovative Photo Note feature allows users to take a picture and convert the image into editable format within the S-Note. They can also further unleash their creativity by jotting down their thoughts quickly with the Voice Memo.
The GALAXY Note 4 introduces a new sleek and stylish GALAXY design language. The device features a premium metal frame with fluid curvature that seamlessly blends with the device display. The GALAXY Note 4’s 2.5D glass screen, inherited from the GALAXY S3, offers extra protection while perfectly complementing the device’s rich viewing experience. The soft-textured back cover gives the device a luxurious finish while also providing a comfortable grip.
Samsung has laid emphasis on the battery life of the GALAXY Note 4 so as to ensure that the users enjoy the host of features without interruption. The Adaptive Fast Charging feature in the GALAXY Note 4 charges the battery from 0% to 50% in 33 minutes, which is 44% faster than conventional charging. The Ultra Power Saving Mode complements the fast charging by ensuring that users don’t run out of power when they need it most. And to top it off, the GALAXY Note 4 consumes less power than its predecessor, thus increasing the battery life by 7.5%.
The GALAXY Note 4’s wide selection of enhanced essential features enables users to get even more from their mobile device. GALAXY Note 4 comes equipped with multiple microphones and an improved speaker phone for better noise cancellation when speaking in loud environments. A built-in Voice Recorder offers eight directional voice tagging and a selective playback capability that allows users to isolate and listen to specific voices in a group conversation. The GALAXY Note 4 also offers an improved Fingerprint Scanner, to secure personal data and the world’s first UV sensor in a mobile device.
The new Gear S redefines the wearable category in both fashion and functionality – it is equipped with independent 3G Voice plus Data SIM connectivity and can therefore independently handle all your communication needs including calling, texting, chatting and e-mailing over both 3G and Wi-Fi.
The Samsung GALAXY Note 4 is priced at Rs. 128,999, Gear S is priced at Rs. 56,900 and the Gear Circle is Priced Rs. 13,000. The GALAXY Note 4 will be available in ‘Charcoal Black’, ‘Frost White’ and ‘Bronze Gold’.

Samsung on Wednesday rejected claims that its new oversized smartphone had a defect, after some customers posted pictures of a gap between the frame and display panel.

The South Korean electronics giant, which had poked fun at rival Apple over reports that its new iPhone model was susceptible to bending, said the “Gapgate” complaints concerning the Galaxy Note 4 were groundless.

After the “phablet” went on sale in China and South Korea on Friday, a number of South Korean users posted or tweeted pictures showing how a business card could be inserted between the display panel and the frame.

Some warned the gap would collect dirt and might even allow fluid into the device.

Samsung insisted the gap was a natural part of design that “does not impact the functionality or quality” of the phone.

“We assure our customers that all Galaxy Note 4 units meet our strict manufacturing and quality control standards,” it said in a statement.

A company spokesman added that the model had passed rigorous tests for dirt protection and water resistance.

The Galaxy Note 4 is important for Samsung, which brought the launch forward, apparently with the aim of getting it into the China market before the new iPhone 6, and larger iPhone 6 Plus.

Samsung initially pioneered the market for the “phablet” devices sized between a smartphone and a tablet computer when it introduced the Galaxy Note series in 2011.

The two rivals have locked horns for years in their battle to dominate the global smartphone market, suing each other for alleged patent violations and using aggressive advertising.

In a recent ad for Galaxy Note, Samsung showed a bent phone bowing to a straight phone with a line “Bend to those who are worthy”.

-NDTV

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 went earlier on sale than originally planned in order to compete with the iPhone 6 Plus. However, it seems that Samsung’s rush has resulted in some defective Galaxy Note 4 units, a report from South Korea suggests.

As you can see, there’s a gap between the Galaxy Note 4′s 5.7″ QHD Super AMOLED display and the metal casing next to it. The report suggests, the gap is wide enough to fit 2 sheets of A4 paper or a business card.

There’s no official comment from Samsung regarding the mishap of the number of affected Galaxy Note 4 customers. We guess if there are more such cases, we’ll be hearing from the company sooner than later.

In South Korea a SIM-free Galaxy Note 4 will run you at approximately $920, which is the cheapest of any Note phablet so far. Pre-orders of the Galaxy Note 4 are already underway in the US. There, the phone is confirmed to launch on AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile on October 14.

-GsmArena

Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Note 4 will be released in two separate variants, one with a curved OLED screen, and the other with a conventional flat display. This is according to the latest report from the company’s native South Korea.

The curved panel may be similar to the one used in the Galaxy Round (pictured below), or it could actually be a three-sided YOUM display, similar to the prototypes Samsung has previously demonstrated.

The sources for the information are said to be a couple of executives at local Samsung partners. These people think the world’s biggest smartphone maker will want to impress the world at IFA in Berlin this September.

The next top of the line Samsung phablet will only be using a curved screen in “niche markets”, while the version with a good-old flat display will take care of the mass-market. This is likely due to issues with making as many of those flashy bent panels as Samsung would need were it to exclusively use the new tech in the Note 4.

Along with the Galaxy S devices, the Notes are the best selling items in the company’s portfolio, so ramping up flexible OLED production to the necessary levels probably isn’t feasible – at least not this year.

Samsung will apparently lease 6000 square meters of the IFA exhibition venue, in which it will showcase many new products.

Aside from the Galaxy Note 4 in its two iterations, we’re also going to see Samsung’s competitor for Google Glass surface. Even more wearables, home appliances, as well as curved OLED TVs will be presented too.

Samsung hasn’t officially confirmed any of this, as you could probably guess.

The recently launched LG G3 smartphone has been selling like hot cakes in its parent country South Korea, where it started selling from May 28.

According to a reports the LG G3 sold more than 100 thousand units within five days of its launch. It has become the fastest selling LG device ever.

According to a different news report, the LG G3 has been selling around 25,000 to 30,000 units per day while its competitor the Samsung Galaxy S5 sold around 7,000 to 8,000 units per day during the launch week. So, the LG G has outperformed its rival the Galaxy S5 in home market.

LG G3 versus Samsung Galaxy S5 is seen as battle between two titans from the same land–South Korea. Launched on May 27, LG G3 is the successor to the company’s well-received LG G2. LG G3 comes with a 5.5-inch Quad HD display with 538ppi with four times the resolution of HD and almost two times higher resolution than a Full HD display.

Samsung has finally launched its first Tizen smartphone, the Samsung Z. The new Tizen smartphone will be available initially in Russia starting Q3, and will be launched in other markets soon after.

The South Korean giant has revealed that it will be offering additional apps for Samsung Z users via the Tizen Store. The company in an attempt to lure more developers to its new Tizen ecosystem has announced a special promotional program for developers which will for one year.

Unfortunately, the company has not announced pricing details of the Samsung Z; though it can be expected to be announced in Q3. Samsung will be showcasing the new Tizen smartphone at the Tizen Developer Conference on June 3 in San Francisco.

Notably, the Samsung Z sports an angular design with lines, providing a differentiated look and feel from company’s Android-based Galaxy range of smartphones. It will be available in two colours – Black and Gold. Much like the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Samsung Z also features the Heart rate sensor, Fingerprint sensor, and S Health 3.0 app.

The Samsung Z is a single SIM device which runs the Tizen 2.2.1 OS out-of-the-box. It comes with a 4.8-inch (720×1280 pixels) HD Super AMOLED display. It is powered by a 2.3GHz quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM.

It comes with 16GB of inbuilt storage, which is further expandable via microSD card (up to 64GB). The Samsung Z sports an 8-megapixel autofocus rear camera with LED flash and BSI sensor, while there is a secondary 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera.

On the connectivity front, the Samsung Z includes 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Micro-USB, Bluetooth, GPS/ GLONASS, and NFC options. The smartphone packs a 2600mAh battery with an Ultra Power Saving Mode feature. The Samsung Z measures 138.2×69.8×8.5mm and weighs 136 grams.

Commenting on the launch of first Tizen smartphone, DJ Lee, President and Head of Global Sales and Marketing Office, Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics said, “Samsung is committed to enhancing the mobile experience of consumers with innovation that is both personal and unique to their needs. The Samsung Z integrates the power and adaptability of the Tizen platform, enabling users to browse the web faster and utilize applications more effectively.”

-NDTVa

Samsung has moved deeper into the wearable technology market with a new wristband it claims can give a range of real-time health and fitness information.

At an event in San Francisco on Wednesday, the world's biggest mobile phone maker announced Simband, a new "investigational" device that can be used to measure body temperature, blood oxygen levels, motion and other metrics on a continuous basis.

The prototype smart band is not intended to be sold as is but serve as a "foundation" for third party developers to build a device that incorporates "optical, acoustic and electronic sensors," Samsung's vice-president of digital health Ram Fish said.

"We want to bring in talent from the outside," said Young Sohn, president and chief strategy officer for Samsung Device Solutions.

Samsung unveiled the Simband at a time when Apple is said to be developing its own wrist device to compete in the wearable technology sector.

The Simband features a shuttle battery, which charges when the wearer is inactive, and is equipped with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

The device was developed in concert with researchers from Belgium-based electronics researcher IMEC and the University of California, San Francisco.

This new platform goes hand-in-hand with Samsung Architecture Multimodal Interactions, or SAMI, a "bank" to store sensitive health data on the Galaxy S smartphones. The goal for SAMI is to gather data from various health and fitness applications, and offer insights to consumers, Samsung said.

"Samsung doesn't own the data, you do," said Fish. "We are a custodian of it."

Samsung plans to market SAMI by hosting a developer challenge and setting aside a $US50 million fund for early-stage digital health entrepreneurs. Sohn said the company has already begun investing, recently providing funding to an early-stage entrepreneur building a non-invasive glucose monitoring solution.

The company has struggled to woo developers in recent years, notably with Tizen, its mobile operating system that competes with Google. Samsung may fail to gain much traction with wearable device makers, sources said.

Sohn declined to comment on Apple, which is rumoured to be building its own wearable smart watch dubbed the "iWatch".

Samsung's announcement could be seen as a pre-emptive move, with Apple hosting its much-anticipated developer conference in less than a week.

Samsung plans to provide more specific information about both new platforms at its own developer conference, which is expected to take place in November. Sohn said the research and development teams are already exploring "locations" for wearable devices other than the wrist.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 successor is in the news again, with two different reports tipping its features and launch date.

Sammobile claims that Samsung is testing features like ‘Swipe to launch Motion Launcher’, ‘Aqua Capture’, ‘Multi Network for Booster’, and ‘Smart Fingerprint’ for the Galaxy Note 4.

Aqua Capture resembles the Aqua Mode seen in Galaxy S4 Active handset that would enable users to click images underwater. This hints the Galaxy Note 4 will be more water-resistant than the Galaxy S5

Swipe to Launch Motion Launcher is another feature under testing that is said to be similar to Motion Launch seen on the HTC One (M8). HTC’s Motion Launcher lets users activate camera, wake up the device and do other tasks just by swiping in different directions on the screen.

Smart Fingerprint, as the name suggests, is said to be the modified version of the fingerprint sensor included in the Galaxy S5 smartphone, with additional capabilities. Multi Network for Booster is likely the same as the Download Booster feature on the Galaxy S5, which combines a Wi-Fi and cellular data connection, the report notes.

Android GS, via an insider from Samsung, adds that the alleged Samsung Galaxy Note 4 phablet could be announced on September 3. The date isn’t surprising given that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3was launched on September 4.The report adds that the Korean smartphone maker will start sending invites for the event around mid-August.

Some of the rumoured specifications of the Galaxy Note 4 that surfaced earlier include 2K display (1440×2560); 64-bit processor; 4GB RAM; 20.7-megapixel rear-facing camera; 4G and dual-band Wi-Fi support, and 3600 or 3800mAh battery. Additionally, the Galaxy Note 4 is  expected to come with Android 4.5, as well as a 128GB internal storage variant.

The device is also rumoured to sport the much-awaited flexible display technology by Samsung, tipped the Youm flexible OLED display.

-NDTV

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, the world’s biggest handset maker, has replaced the head of its mobile design team amid criticism of the latest Galaxy S smartphone.

Chang Dong-hoon offered to resign last week and will be replaced by Lee Min-hyouk, vice president for mobile design, a Samsung spokeswoman said on Thursday. Samsung declined to comment on the reasons for the reshuffle.

Lee, 42, became Samsung’s youngest senior executive in 2010 for his role in designing the Galaxy series, a roaring success which unseated Apple Inc’s iPhone as king of the global smartphone market.

Samsung now sells two times more smartphones than Apple, largely thanks to the success of Galaxy range.

But the South Korean firm has also been battling patent litigation the world over, with Apple claiming Samsung copied the look and feel of the U.S. firm’s mobile products.

The Galaxy S5, which debuted globally last month, has received a lukewarm response from consumers due to its lack of eye-popping hardware innovations, while its plastic case design has been panned by some critics for looking cheap and made out of a conveyor belt. The Wall Street Journal said the gold-coloured back cover on the S5 looked like a band-aid.

Chang, a former professor who studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, will continue to lead Samsung’s design centre which overseas its overall design strategy.

Lee, who acquired the moniker of “Midas” for his golden touch with the Galaxy series, started out designing cars for Samsung’s failed auto joint venture with Renault in the 1990s.