Friday, 28 February 2014

Samsung Galaxy S5: Everything you need to know (FAQ)

We've peered deep within the Galaxy S5 to answer your burning questions about Samsung's next superphone.

BARCELONA, Spain -- Unless you were dead-set on a metal design and futuristic features, then Samsung's Galaxy S5 is a worthy successor in the evolving Galaxy S line.
Here at Mobile World Congress, where Samsung introduced its marquee phone to the world, I dove deep into the phone's new fingerprint scanner and heart-rate monitor, tested out the new 16-megapixel camera, and uncovered a few new features of our own.
I know you still have questions, so I've put together a list of some answers. If you've got more, shout them out in the comments below.

The fundamentals

When and where does it go on sale?
Samsung will sell the Galaxy S5 on April 11 in over 150 countries. Samsung's US PR outfit told us that it will come to these carriers: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, MetroPCS, and U.S. Cellular. You'll also be able to pick it up at these retail stores: Best Buy, Amazon, Costco, RadioShack, Sam's Club, Target, and Walmart.
How much will it cost?
Individual carriers and stores will announce pricing on their own, but look for the handset to cost the same amount as the Galaxy S4 did last year. In the U.S., this should be about $200 with a carrier contract and around $600 to $700 unlocked.

Design

Why isn't it made of metal?
Rumors that the Galaxy S5 would be made of metal, or that there would be a metal variant, picked up steam in the run-up to the big unveiling. So you may be a bit disappointed to learn that the GS5's body is all plastic. In the past, Samsung has used reasons of durability, weight, and price to defend its decision.
What's up with the fingerprint scanner?
The Galaxy S5's fingerprint scanner is an optional biometric measure you can use to unlock your phone, and also to pay for services through PayPal. You can log up to three fingerprints.
The swipe zone sits above the phone's home button, and you pull straight down to unlock the phone, which I found easiest to do with my index finger. For even more, check out the photos, video, and extra details here.
Why did Samsung add a heart-rate monitor?
We've seen Samsung update its S Health app, release various fitness bands, and integrate a heart-rate monitor in to the Samsung Gear 2 smartwatch and Gear Fit band. They're clearly banking on the growing convergence of personal health and personal technology.

Galaxy S5: Check out Samsung's new superphone (photos)

A clever little sensor on the back of the phone is what logs your vitals, which you can track over time. Samsung isn't trying to replace medical equipment, so the feature is more of a niche one. It doesn't get in the way, and it may give the company a slight competitive advantage over fitness buffs, though I'd think the market for fitness bands and other small wearables is where they'll make the most impact there. (Read more about the heart-rate monitor here.)
Why did Samsung make the phone water- and dust-resistant?
Waterproofing the Galaxy S5 was a bit of a no-brainer, really. The Galaxy S4 Active variant proved that Samsung could make a phone like this, which only raised the question: why not just implement this in the first place? And so Samsung did.
So what does water-resistant really mean?
Military spec IP67 means that the phone is rated to stay underwater for up to 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter, or about 3 feet. You'd better make sure your important ports are sealed, too. Some phones can spend more time under the surface without damage, but the standards are there as legal protections and guidelines. (Here's a cool little tidbit on the future of device waterproofing, by the way, with a neat little demo to go with it.)
Does it have wireless charging
There's no wireless charging integrated into the phone, but you can buy an accessory.

Features

Is there anything new to the interface?
Yes! Some details are more subtle than others, but Samsung has sprinkled refreshed bits of its TouchWiz interface throughout. You'll notice this most in the camera app, the notifications tray, and the Settings menu. The virtual keyboard also gets a tweak, and there's some good-looking new wallpaper. You'll also notice that Samsung renamed an app or two, and pulled the Samsung Hub completely. I'm largely a fan of these changes.
Is the Samsung Hub gone for good?
Yes and no. It won't come preloaded on the phone, but you can still download plenty of Samsung apps yourself. The company said it's making a concerted effort to reduce bloatware right out of the gate, so removing the Hub as a preinstallation is a small concession to balance out all of the other space-hungry features that Samsung includes as part of the S5's ouvre.

Is the camera really as fast as Samsung claims?
Samsung claims that the Galaxy S5 performs feats of autofocus in 0.3-second. I didn't notice much lag with autofocus, but I can't say that I was cognizant of lightning-fast performance when I tested the camera. It just didn't stand out for me. This is a feature I'll definitely revisit when my review unit comes in.
What does the Ultra Power Saving Mode do?
Samsung claims that its new Ultra Power Saving Mode can keep the phone running 24 hours on 10 percent battery. That's a huge claim, and one I'll have to test over the course of a couple days when the device comes in. A software feature, this works by changing the display color to grayscale, limiting the processor, cutting off GPS, turning off Wi-Fi when the screen goes dark, and putting the kibosh on most of your extraneous apps.
Will Ultra Power Saving Mode come to other Samsung phones?
Samsung is at least considering releasing a software update to give other Samsung phones Ultra Power Saving Mode, and S Health 3.0 as well -- though you wouldn't get the Galaxy S5's baked-in heart rate monitor.

Versus other phones

Is the Galaxy S5 better than the iPhone 5S?
I really don't like answering this question, because "better" is so very subjective. Instead, let me say that I do think the Galaxy S5 is shaping up to be a really excellent smartphone -- though I'm withholding final judgment for the full review. Until then, you can compare the specs, along with the LG G Pro 2, in this detailed comparison chart.
Will there be other GS5 variations?
Samsung hasn't said for certain that it will introduce other phones in the Galaxy S5 family, but history indicates yes. This would be the third generation of a scaled-back Mini, and the second generation of both the niche Zoom and Active -- though the GS5's built-in water-resistance makes that Active seem less likely. Look for variants several months after the flagship hits stores.

Shooting with the Samsung Galaxy S5's 16-megapixel camera (pictures)

Do you have any more questions about the Samsung Galaxy S5? This FAQ will likely expand, so pitch in your own in the comments below.
Catch all the mobile news from Mobile World Congress 2014.

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Wednesday, 26 February 2014

One year on, Tizen has its sights set on smartwatches and cars

A year after Samsung first showed Tizen on a phone, CNET looks at where the open-source OS stands now and where it's headed next.

(Credit: Andrew Hoyle/CNET)

Samsung made a splash at last year's Mobile World Congress by showing off the first reference device running not Android, but Tizen OS, an open-source operating system created by Samsung and Intel, among others. A year on at MWC 2014, what has changed for Tizen?

Samsung and Intel show off Tizen for phones and cars (pictures)

The year has seen big changes, not in the look and design of the software, but in its application. While last year, headlines shouted about Samsung running Tizen on its phones, Tizen has since become something of a poster child as the OS of choice for various connected devices and wearable tech.
This week, Samsung unveiled its latest smartwatch lineup, the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo. Both devices shunned the Android software of the first generation Gear, instead running on Tizen software.

You'll also find Tizen inside Samsung's NX300M camera and Intel is using Tizen as the software behind its next-generation of in-car entertainment services which will see its way into Land Rover cars, among other yet-to-be-announced manufacturers. Samsung has also announced that its first Tizen-based phone will be released later this year, although no further details have been discussed.
That's not all though. Tizen explained that we'll likely see the OS pop up in connected home technology from fridges to thermostats. Being installed on such a wide array of product categories might seem like a pretty big challenge, but Tizen is confident that it's the right choice for companies to make.

Intel is working with Tizen to bring the software to in-car entertainment systems.

(Credit: Andrew Hoyle/CNET)

The main benefit of Tizen on these devices, the company told me, is the open-source nature of the software. The Tizen Foundation does not hold strict control over the software, meaning that any manufacturer can bend the OS to its needs, be it for a phone, a car, or a microwave. It's highly customisable too, allowing for a wealth of design tweaks on the interface -- indeed, Samsung's demo of its version of Tizen shared various aesthetic cues to its TouchWiz interface found on its Galaxy range. Tizen's open approach also means that manufacturers are not obliged to include certain apps or services.
That customisation has attracted a whole host of interested companies. Since November last year, Tizen has acquired 51 new partners, including big names like eBay, ZTE, Sprint, Namco, and Sharp, working both on putting Tizen into products as well as developing apps for the platform.

Full CNET coverage of the 2014 Mobile World Congress

I went in for a closer look at the software running on a Galaxy-lookalike phone from Samsung. Like Android, the interface is based on various home screens, with app icons and live widgets -- called dynamic boxes -- being placed down. These boxes allow you to swipe down on them to bring up more information without needing to load an app.

Tizen running on a Samsung phone.

It has a clean and functional look, and Samsung has added in a few tweaks such as the ability to bring up the camera app in a window floating over the top of the interface -- similar to the Pop Up Play feature on the Galaxy S4. Samsung is yet to officially confirm when Tizen will make an appearance on its phones, only saying that it'll be some time this year. While Tizen might be relatively unknown to the general public, having the biggest name in mobile pushing the software is bound to give Tizen a shot in the arm.
Whether Samsung and Intel's support of Tizen allows it to rise up and give Android a serious bit of competition remains to be seen next year.

Mt. Gox says it will close all Bitcoin transactions...for now

The exchange's Web site is back online, but only with a statement that it's closing all transactions for the time being.

Beleagured Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox has finally resurfaced with a message aimed at its users.
Mt. Gox's Web site vanished Monday night amid reports that the exchange was insolvent after losing hundreds of millions of dollars. A look at the HTML code behind Mt. Gox's blank site on Monday revealed the following text: "put announce for mtgox acq here," a sign that Mt. Gox could be an acquisition candidate. Now that formerly blank Web site displays the following message:

Dear MtGox Customers, In the event of recent news reports and the potential repercussions on MtGox's operations and the market, a decision was taken to close all transactions for the time being in order to protect the site and our users. We will be closely monitoring the situation and will react accordingly.
Best regards,
MtGox Team

Mt. Gox triggered fears in the Bitcoin community earlier this month after it halted all withdrawals, a move it blamed on a technical bug. The exchange then claimed that the bug affects all Bitcoin transactions, a claim disputed by the Bitcoin Foundation, which laid the blame solely at Mt. Gox's customized implementation of the virtual currency.
Seeking to calm anxious Bitcoin users, a group of Bitcoin companies issued a statement on Monday distancing itself from Mt. Gox. That statement opened with the following language:

This tragic violation of the trust of users of Mt.Gox was the result of one company's actions and does not reflect the resilience or value of bitcoin and the digital currency industry. There are hundreds of trustworthy and responsible companies involved in bitcoin. These companies will continue to build the future of money by making bitcoin more secure and easy to use for consumers and merchants. As with any new industry, there are certain bad actors that need to be weeded out, and that is what we are seeing today. Mtgox has confirmed its issues in private discussions with other members of the bitcoin community.

Initially entitled "Joint Statement Regarding the Insolvency of Mt.Gox," the statement was later renamed to simply "Joint Statement Regarding MtGox." But a spokesman for the group told Recode that "Mt Gox has confirmed it will file bankruptcy in private discussions with other members of the Bitcoin community."

Apple finally fixes 'gotofail' OS X security hole

After a multiday delay that irked users, Apple has released a system software update for OS X Mavericks that fixes what's become known as the "gotofail" security vulnerability.

An excerpt from Apple's published source code. Note the repeated "goto fail" lines.

Apple has finally fixed a serious OS X security vulnerability that had left millions of users exposed to potential eavesdropping or account hijacking.
In a terse note this morning accompanying a system software update, the company acknowledged that "an attacker" could "capture or modify data" transferred with Safari, Mail, iCloud and other Apple-created applications even though the communication streams were supposed to be securely encrypted.
The security vulnerability quickly became known as the "gotofail" bug after a review of Apple's publicly posted code showed an errant duplicate statement created the glitch. Apple previously released a fix for iOS devices Friday.
By not releasing the iOS and OS X fixes simultaneously, Apple left laptop and desktop users vulnerable during that time -- and security experts aghast at the company's delays. Ryan Lackey, a longtime Apple user who founded CryptoSeal, said on Twitter yesterday that: "Whoever at Apple decided to wait 4+ days for 10.9.2 to patch the OSX vulnerability needs to no longer be in that position."
The security vulnerability arose out of Apple's custom implementation of a security standard known as SSL/TLS. By including the "goto fail" line twice in a row, the normal error check for some types of encryption signatures fails.
It did not, however, affect software that does not rely on Apple's custom implementation of SSL/TLS. Google's Chrome and Mozilla's Firefox browser, for instance, do not have this vulnerability.
This is not merely a hypothetical security hole. Aldo Cortesi, a New Zealand security consultant, posted a version of the mitmproxy utility that gives access to encrypted traffic when, he said, the computer is using "Apple's broken implementation" of SSL/TLS. Cortesi added: "It's difficult to over-state the seriousness of this issue. With a tool like mitmproxy in the right position, an attacker can intercept, view and modify nearly all sensitive traffic."
Adam Langley, a Google software engineer who has worked on Chrome's network stack, wrote in a blog post that: "Since this is in SecureTransport, it affects iOS from some point prior to 7.0.6 (I confirmed on 7.0.4) and also OS X prior to 10.9.2 (confirmed on 10.9.1)."

Tuesday, 25 February 2014

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Galaxy S5: Hardly Samsung's be all and end all

The new flagship Galaxy S5 will capture the spotlight, but cheaper smartphones for emerging regions could really make a difference for Samsung this year.

Samsung's Galaxy S5

BARCELONA, Spain -- The Galaxy S5 may be Samsung's flashiest device of the year, but it won't be the only important one.
The Korean electronics giant on Monday unveiled its newest flagship phone with all -- or at least most -- of the bells and whistles that consumers have come to expect. The device, with a fingerprint scanner and heart rate sensor, is sure to attract plenty of buyers in developed markets like the US and Western Europe. However, it's the cheaper smartphones for emerging regions that could really make a big difference for Samsung this year.
Increasingly, the battleground for mobile won't be waged on the streets of New York or London but in the alleys of Beijing and Mumbai. The market for low-end phones should grow about 17 percent each year through 2018 while the high-end smartphone segment -- the category the Galaxy S5 calls home, along with Apple's iPhone -- will increase only 4 percent annually, according to ARM Holdings, the chip company whose technology powers most of the mobile devices in the world. In mature regions, the biggest markets for high-end phones, essentially everyone who wants a smartphone has one.
"There's no question that emerging markets will provide a very large growth opportunity for mobile," Cristiano Amon, Qualcomm's president of mobile and computing, told CNET.

That means Samsung, Apple, and all of the other handset makers must adjust. They have to keep developing their high-end devices to boost their brands and attract buyers in markets like the US. But they also need to put more focus on their cheaper smartphones and figure out how to compete in places like Brazil. For Samsung, that's not too much of a stretch. The company already is the top smartphone vendor in mainland China and other developing markets. It has long followed the strategy of releasing a wide variety of devices at different price levels, and that has helped buoy its position in many regions.
However, it's also seeing more competition from mobile up-and-comers such as Huawei, Lenovo, and Xiaomi. Right now those companies are gaining in China, but they also have plans to aggressively expand outside their home country. Lenovo, for one, will do that partly through its Motorola acquisition. That's something that should have Samsung worried.
"Samsung is still doing fairly well in most emerging markets," Jackdaw Research analyst Jan Dawson said. "But it's not growing share in most markets, just holding onto its position."

The Galaxy S5 comes in five colors.

Chinese vendors won't be the only phone makers targeting price-sensitive markets. Countless companies are showcasing their newest devices this week during the Mobile World Congress trade show here, and along with new flagship devices, most also have some sort of offering for developing markets with more limited features and lower pricing. For instance: LG, which showed off its G Pro 2 and G2 Mini, also unveiled an entry-level LTE device called the F70. And Nokia, the predominant Windows Phone maker, launched an Android device -- the Nokia X -- intended to garner attention, and buyers, in emerging markets. Even software giant Microsoft showed off a Qualcomm reference design that would help handset vendors make smartphones quickly and cheaply. The company has been benefiting from Nokia's strong position in developing nations.
"We're open for business on Windows Phone to anyone who wants to build a Windows Phone," said Nick Parker, the Microsoft executive who handles the company's relationship with hardware companies.
Of course, selling a bigger percentage of lower-priced phones than high-end devices comes with its own problems. The volumes will be much higher, but handset vendors don't make as much from those cheaper devices. Apple, in a bid to protect its high level of profitability, has decided not to play in low-end or even midrange devices, at least for now.
Samsung won't be following the same strategy as Apple, but it will have to decide just how far it's willing to go. The company's first course of business this year will be getting the Galaxy S5 into the market and convincing consumers that its tweaks are worth the upgrade. But after that, emerging markets await.