Samsung’s Galaxy S5 is here with more power, more pixels, and a refined design


What do you do when you’re one of the world’s largest smartphone makers and it’s time to update your flagship device? If you’re Samsung, you trot out the new Galaxy S5, a refined and updated take on last year’s wildly successful Galaxy S4. Like the new Gear wearables, the Galaxy S5 looks and feels familiar, but offers a number of improvements over last year’s edition.

The Galaxy S5’s design is a minor evolution of the Galaxy S4 — in fact, the two are almost indistinguishable from the front. The S5’s display is ever so slightly larger at 5.1 inches, but it’s still a 1080p, Super AMOLED panel that doesn’t look very different from the S4’s screen. Below the display is a new home key with integrated fingerprint scanner and capacitive keys for multitasking and Android’s back button.

Samsung has retained the familiar metal-looking plastic surround on the S5, though the charging port (now USB 3.0) comes with an integrated port cover for waterproofing. The S5 is IP67-rated for water and dust resistance, meaning it can be submerged in 3 feet of water for up to 30 minutes at a time.

Though the S5 is extremely familiar-looking from the front, things take a turn around back, where Samsung has replaced the S4’s slimy, glossy plastic battery cover with a dimpled soft-touch finish. The company is calling this a "modern glam" look, though if you’re familiar with the original Nexus 7 released in 2012, it’s very similar to that. The new back offers a significant upgrade in they way the device feels — it’s much more comfortable to hold and doesn’t slide off of surfaces nearly as much as the S4 — but it doesn’t look as tacky as the fake-leather patterns used on Samsung’s Note line of devices. Samsung is offering the S5 in four different colors — black, white, blue, and gold — but the black and white are the most attractive options. The first complaint usually levied at Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones is their abundant use of glossy, cheap feeling plastic, but the S5’s new finish reverses this trend and is one of the most significant upgrades introduced this year.A FAMILIAR DESIGN, BUT WITH LESS GLOSSY PLASTIC

But despite the refined design and new patterned finish, the S5 is unmistakably a Samsung smartphone. The S5 is launching with Android 4.4.2 KitKat with Samsung’s user interface fully intact. Though earlier reports had said that Samsung intended to tone down its software due to pressure from Google, the S5 retains much of the signature pieces of the Galaxy line. There are S-branded apps in many places, including the S Voice personal assistant, and Samsung’s signature bloops and whistles are present every time you interact with the device. The My Magazine feature, Samsung’s Flipboard-like news reader that debuted on the Note 3, is accessible directly to the left of the home screen, but the main display is a very familiar assortment of folders, app shortcuts, and a weather widget. The most notable change is found in the settings menu, where Samsung has swapped out the tabbed interface for a single, vertical scrolling screen with round, flat icons.



Samsung is making a huge push into fitness tracking this year, and the Galaxy S5 benefits from a revamped S Health app and new heart-rate sensor on its back. The new S Health app can sync with Samsung’s Gear line of wearables, including the Gear Fit fitness band, and it offers guided coaching and feedback while you work out. Developers will be able to tap into the data offered by the service through an SDK that will be out later this year.

The heart rate monitor is a unique addition and is located just below the camera and reads your fingertip to grab your pulse in about five to ten seconds. In our brief tests, the sensor worked as advertised and was able to give me a reading in just a few seconds.
HEART-RATE MONITORS AND FINGERPRINT SCANNERS

Less successful is Samsung’s take on the fingerprint-unlock system made popular by Apple with the iPhone 5S. Like the 5S, the S5’s home key features an integrated fingerprint scanner, which can be used to unlock the phone or authenticate purchases online (Samsung is partnering with PayPal to enable this feature, though it doesn’t validate purchases from the Google Play Store). Samsung’s version requires a vertical swipe over the home button to activate the scanner, and we found it to be quite unreliable and virtually impossible to activate when holding the phone in one hand. It can store up to three different digits, but it was very particular about the speed and orientation of the swiping motion used — if we weren’t doing a perfectly straight swipe down, it would refuse to unlock the phone.

Samsung didn’t ignore the other vital components of the S5 — it has a faster, 2.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a larger battery with the promised 20 percent better stamina, as well as a new low-power conservation mode to get the most battery possible when you’re running low. The S5 is as fast as you’d expect — Samsung has ensured that its flagship phone is one of the most powerful on the market for a number of years now, and the S5 is no different.

The camera has been upgraded to a 16-megapixel sensor with 4K video capabilities, and it now supports real-time HDR processing for better photos in mixed lighting. It’s now possible to apply Samsung’s unique camera effects after a picture has been taken, so you don’t have to worry about what mode you’re in when shooting pics. Samsung has also greatly simplified the camera interface, and in our brief tests, it was pretty snappy and responsive.

"With the Galaxy S5, Samsung is going back to basics to focus on delivering the capabilities that matter most to our consumers," said JK Shin, president and head of IT & mobile communications division at Samsung. "Galaxy S5 represents an iconic design with essential and useful features to focus on delivering the ultimate smartphone in the market today through people inspired innovation." 

While acknowledging the market murmur about lesser-than-expected sales of Galaxy S4, Shin revealed that Samsung had so far sold over 200 million Galaxy phones. Galaxy S4 was launched in the summer of 2013. It has faced tough competition from the likes of Apple iPhone 5 and 5S, LG G2, HTC One and Sony Xperia Z1. 

Usually, Samsung launches flagship Galaxy phone every year after World Mobile Congress (MWC). But, this year, the company announced Galaxy S5 at the MWC because it wants to replace Galaxy S4 as soon as possible. 

In Galaxy S5, Samsung has introduced several unique features aimed at fitness conscious users in a bid to steal Apple's thunder. It is widely rumoured that the iPhone maker will launch the successor of iPhone 5S with a clutch of health and fitness-related features. 

"With the enhanced S Health 3.0, the Galaxy S5 offers more tools to help people stay fit and well. It provides a comprehensive personal fitness tracker to help users monitor and manage their behaviour, along with additional tools, including a pedometer, diet and exercise records, and a new, built-in heart rate monitor," said a Samsung spokesperson. 

"Galaxy S5 users can further customize their experience with an enriched third party app ecosystem and the ability to pair with next-generation Gear products for real-time fitness coaching," 

Another highlight of the phone is a new iPhone-like fingerprint sensor integrated with the phone's home button. The finger scanner will offer a biometric screen-locking feature and mobile payment experience to consumers. 

The Galaxy S5 sports a 16MP rear camera and a 2.1MP front-facing camera. The rear camera is capable of capturing 4K video at 30 frames per second. Samsung claimed the Galaxy S5 offers the world's fastest auto-focus speed up to 0.3 seconds. 

The smartphone runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat, the latest version of Google's mobile operating system. It is IP67 certified dust and water-resistant. The back panel of the phone sports a dimpled soft-touch cover, similar to the Nexus 7(2012) tablet. 

In terms of connectivity options, the Galaxy S5 offers Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n and ac, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 3.0, NFC and InfraRed. The phone supports a large number of 4G LTE frequency bands with LTE Category 4 standard. It comes with accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, RGB ambient light, Gesture (IR), and heart rate sensors. 

The phone packs in 2800mAh battery with a claimed standby time of 390 hours and talk time of 21 hours. It will be available in four different colours: charcoal black, shimmery white, electric blue and copper gold.

THE S5 BUILDS ON WHAT WORKED WITH THE S4

Samsung had a successful formula with the Galaxy S4, and for the most part, it looks like it has retained that with the S5. Things are faster, nicer feeling, and easier to use, but it’s still a Samsung smartphone through and through, and will likely be just as successful if not more so than its predecessor.

The Galaxy S5 is scheduled to launch globally on April 11th and will be available on all major US carriers, though Samsung isn’t yet ready to talk pricing. Chances are, the price won’t matter — Samsung has built a very recognizable and successful brand with its Galaxy smartphones, and there’s no reason the S5 won’t continue the company’s success.


Nokia X, X+, XL: Nokia launches its first Android-based Budget phones

Nokia introduced a new family of smartphones, the Nokia X series of phones. The first three phones in the family - the Nokia X, X+ and XL - run on the new Nokia X software platform, that is based on Google's Android.

The phones under the Nokia X family are not pure Android phones; these phones instead run a forked variant of Android, similar to the way Amazon does for its Kindle Fire lineup. Nokia has taken the open-source elements of Android and has pulled in other elements of Asha and Windows Phone to offer users a different experience.

The downside here is that Nokia X users can't have access to the Google Play Store for apps. However, the phone will run Android apps, but Nokia will curate a list of such apps. A recommended source for the apps is the Nokia store, says the company. In other words, the new platform, Nokia X, is based on the Android Open Source project (AOSP).


CEO of Nokia Corporation Stephen Elop presents the new Nokia XL at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, on February 24, 2014.

All three phones are dual SIM phones and are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor.

Nokia ditches many of the Google services that come with Android, which Google lets phone makers customise at will. Instead, the new Nokia X phone announced will emphasise Microsoft services such as Bing search, Skype communications and OneDrive file storage. Its home screen sports larger, resizable tiles resembling those on Windows phone.

Nokia X, Nokia X+ and Nokia XL form a new family of Nokia's affordable smartphones. The Nokia X is the entry-level model in the family, will cost 89 euros, and will be available immediately in select markets. The Nokia X+ offers more memory and storage. It's priced at 99 euros and will be available in early Q2 2014. Finally, the Nokia XL packs a 5-inch screen, 5 megapixel rear-facing and 2 megapixel front-facing camera. It will be priced at 109 euros and be available in early Q2 2014.

These phones feature a brand new, tile-based home screen. The new OS also reintroduces a redesigned version of its Fastlane notifications centre - a second Home screen if you like - from the latest Asha devices.

"The X family boasts Nokia's exciting, high quality hardware design and a range of bright colours. The brand new, tile-based Home screen offers you a simple, elegant way to manage your apps and phone functions and also reintroduces a redesigned version of the enormously popular Fastlane notifications centre - a second Home screen if you like - from the latest Asha devices," said Nokia.

Here Maps with turn-by-turn navigation and offline maps are also included. Free cloud storage from Microsoft OneDrive with 7GB of space for free is included out of the box. There's also access to Outlook.com as your email service. And there's Skype with a month's free calls to international landlines in selected markets.

All three devices are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor and are dual-SIM phones. A range of third-party apps comes pre-installed, including BBM, Plants vs Zombies 2, Viber, Vine and Twitter.

At launch, leading global apps will be available for the Nokia X family of devices, including Facebook, LINE Free Voice and Messages, LINE Camera, LINE Bubble, Picsart, Plants vs Zombies 2, Real Football 2014, Skype, Spotify, Swiftkey, Twitter, Viber, Vine and WeChat, among others. And in a first for Nokia customers around the world, BBM will also be available on the Nokia X family of devices in addition to Windows Phone.

Jussi Nevanlinna, Nokia's vice president for product marketing, said the Finnish company is positioning the Nokia X as a bridge to high-end Windows smartphones under the Lumia brand.

Everyone Who Thinks Facebook Is Stupid To Buy WhatsApp For $19 Billion Should Think Again!

Facebook made a breathtaking move yesterday, buying messaging app WhatsApp for $19 billion.

Even for Facebook, that's a staggering amount to pay for a company with estimated 2013 revenue of only $20 million. It represents almost 10% of Facebook's overall value.

And in the wake of the announcement, the usual chorus of armchair pundits took to Twitter to snicker together and pronounce Facebook and its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, brain dead.

But Facebook buying WhatsApp for $19 billion isn't brain dead.

It's just bold.

Very bold.

Like other bold moves, Facebook's WhatsApp deal could end up looking brilliant.

Or moronic.

That's what makes it bold.

If it were guaranteed to end up looking brilliant, it wouldn't be bold. It would be obvious.

I don't know how Facebook's WhatsApp deal will end up looking - and neither, it's worth noting, do any of the pundits who are pronouncing it brain dead. Based on everything I do know, though, I think the odds are that it will end up looking brilliant.

Here's why:


WhatsApp has both offensive and defensive value to Facebook.WhatsApp is the fastest-growing company in history (in terms of users). If the company's growth continues, and it can continue to "monetize" its users, it will be worth an even more mind-boggling amount of money someday. At the same time, WhatsApp's growth is gobbling up user messaging and connection time that once could have belonged to Facebook. Now those users and their time do belong to Facebook. So buying WhatsApp allows Facebook to both own "the next Facebook" and prevent "the next Facebook" from eating Facebook's lunch.


WhatsApp's growth and usage is absolutely mind-boggling. Five years after its founding, the company has 450 million active monthly users, of which a staggering ~315 million use it every day. WhatsApp is adding 1 million new users a day - 1 million! Facebook thinks WhatsApp could have 1 billion users in a few years, and this estimate seems conservative. (Facebook itself only has 1.2 billion users.) WhatsApp also does a lot more than "text-messaging." It allows users to send photos, videos, and voicemails to each other and keep the conversations forever. In short, it allows users to do a lot of what Facebook does. So, again, Facebook really does appear to be buying "the next Facebook."


WhatsApp already has a powerful revenue model, and other successful messaging apps are showing the potential for it to add many more. WhatsApp ostensibly charges its users $1 per year after the first year. ("Ostensibly" because I've never heard of anyone actually paying this $1). Assuming most current users end up paying the $1/year, that's a potential revenue stream of several hundred million dollars a year from WhatsApp's current revenue model alone. Meanwhile, other messaging apps like Line and WeChat have demonstrated the power of "stickers," user-to-user payments, ecommerce, and other revenue streams. When you have as many users as WhatsApp, generating even only a few dollars per year per user creates a massive business.


WhatsApp has very low costs, so it should eventually be wildly profitable. WhatsApp currently has only 55 employees. Assuming an all-in cost of $200,000 per employee, that's a total cost base of $11 million. Let's assume WhatsApp grows to, say, 300 employees over the next few years. Then it will have a cost base of only $50-$75 million. Meanwhile, if the company's growth trajectory continues, it could easily be pulling in more than $1 billion a year of revenue in a few years. Almost all of that would be profit.


The names of all the smart people who pronounced Facebook itself a "fad" or "worthless" and dissed every new investment in the company as "moronic" could fill a book. Most people have consistently underestimated the power, growth potential, and value of the leading social platforms, including Facebook. Facebook's $1 billion acquisition of Instagram, for example, which was then a revenue-less company with 13 employees, was seen as proof that Mark Zuckerberg was a clueless kid who had no business running a major company. Meanwhile, Facebook is now valued at $175 billion, and Instagram is considered one of the smartest pre-emptive acquisitions in history. $19 billion for WhatsApp is a much bolder bet than Instagram, but it, too, could end up looking a lot smarter than most people think.

The bottom line:

This is a very bold move.

Like other bold moves, it might end up looking stupid, but it also might end up looking brilliant.

It's also a long-term move, a bet on what the future will look like 5-10 years from now, not next quarter.

In that way, this deal is a vintage Mark Zuckerberg move.

Zuckerberg continues to be one of the few CEOs in the world (Jeff Bezos is another) who is willing to sacrifice near-term earnings and expose himself to short-term ridicule in order to make bold long-term bets. This approach has worked out great for Facebook so far. And it has worked out great for Amazon.

In short, Facebook buying WhatsApp for $19 billion isn't stupid. It's just bold.

How to determine whether a USB 3.0 device is operating at SuperSpeed?

How to know whether you are using USB 2.0 or USB 3.0? How to determine whether a USB 3.0 device is operating at SuperSpeed?  TechProceed will let you know the differences.

Note: The information provided in this blog post applies to Windows 8.

In this blog post, I will describe some ways in which you can determine whether a USB 3.0 device that is attached to a PC running Windows 8 version of the operating system, is operating at the optimal connection speed - SuperSpeed.

USB 3.0 introduces a new operating speed called SuperSpeed. Compared to USB 2.0 bandwidth of 480 Mbps, SuperSpeed supports 5.0 Gbps making it 10 times faster than USB 2.0. USB 3.0 also supports lower operating speeds: high speed, full speed, and low speed. Along with increased bandwidth, USB 3.0 host controllers and devices come with the promise of compatibility. USB 3.0 controllers are required to work with all existing USB devices. The fact that current PCs ship with both USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 ports presents an interesting challenge: how should you determine whether a USB 3.0 device is indeed operating at SuperSpeed?

Here are some ways to determine the operating speed of the USB device:
  • Make sure that you have USB 3.0-capable hardware
  • View device information in Device Manager
  • Look for Windows 8 UI messages
  • Use USBView to view the bus speed
  • Determine the bus speed programmatically
  • Troubleshooting
  • Make sure that you have USB 3.0-capable hardware



Typically, newer PCs with USB 3.0 support have both USB 3.0 and USB 2.0 controllers, and both those ports are exposed. The receptacles on USB 3.0 ports are usually blue to distinguish from the receptacles on USB 2.0 ports, which are black. So, if the PC has a blue port, that is a good indication of USB 3.0 support. Note this is not a requirement of the official USB specification, rather a convention adopted by some PC makers.

Figure 1 shows a typical USB 2.0 port.


Figure 1. USB 2.0 port with a black receptacle

Figure 2 shows a typical USB 3.0 port.


Figure 2. USB 3.0 port with a blue receptacle

If the PC does not use blue receptacle for the USB 3.0 ports, it might have a USB 3.0 logo () next to the port.

Figure 3 shows the USB 2.0 logo.


Figure 3. USB 2.0 logo

Figure 4 shows the USB 3.0 logo.


Figure 4. USB 3.0 logo

You should also look for the logo on USB 3.0 devices and cables. Figure 5 shows the USB 3.0 logo on the connector of a USB 3.0 cable.


Figure 5 USB 3.0 logo on USB 3.0 cable
View device information in Device Manager

Next, confirm that Windows enumerated the host controller as a USB 3.0 controller. To confirm that, open Device Manager and locate the controller under the Universal Serial Bus controllers node. If Windows recognized it as a USB 3.0 controller, USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller is appended to the device description as shown in Figure 6.


Figure 6. USB 3.0 eXtensible Host Controller in Device Manager
Look for Windows 8 UI messages to determine whether the USB 3.0 device is operating at SuperSpeed

To indicate whether the USB 3.0 device is operating at SuperSpeed, Windows 8 shows UI messages in specific places. If the PC has USB 3.0 controller to which a USB 3.0 device is attached, Windows 8 shows Connected to USB 3.0 when the device is operating at SuperSpeed. If the operating speed is lower than SuperSpeed, the message isDevice can perform faster when connected to USB 3.0.

You can view those UI messages in PC Settings.
Open the Charms Bar by dragging the cursor to top right of the screen or by pressing Win + C.
Select Settings and then Change PC settings.
Select the Devices under PC settings application.

Figure 7 shows the UI message when the USB 3.0 device is operating at SuperSpeed.


Figure 7. PC settings – UI message for a USB 3.0 device that is operating at SuperSpeed

Figure 8 shows the UI message when the USB device is operating at a bus speed that is lower than SuperSpeed.


Figure 8. PC settings – UI message for a USB 3.0 device that is operating at a speed lower than SuperSpeed

You can view similar messages in Devices and Printers, as shown in figures 9 and 10.


Figure 9. Devices and Printers - UI message for a USB 3.0 device that is operating at SuperSpeed


Figure 10. Devices and Printers – UI message for a USB 3.0 device that is operating at a speed lower than SuperSpeed

If the USB 3.0 device is a storage device, Windows Explorer shows similar messages when the volume label is selected, as shown in figures 11 and 12. Note that the View -> Details pane must be selected for the message to be visible.


Figure 11. Windows Explorer - message for a USB 3.0 device that is operating at SuperSpeed


Figure 12. Windows Explorer - UI message for a USB 3.0 device that is operating at a speed lower than SuperSpeed
Use USBView to view device information about the bus speed

If you are writing a device driver, the USBView tool might be more useful for verifying the bus speed. The tool is included in the Windows Driver Kit (WDK) 8 Release Preview (RP), which is available for download at this Web site. USBView in this release has been updated to display SuperSpeed information.

Figure 13 shows a USB 3.0 device operating at SuperSpeed in USBView.


Figure 13. USBView – Message for a USB 3.0 device that is operating at SuperSpeed
Determine the bus speed programmatically

If you are a device driver developer, the USB driver stack exposes a new IOCTL,IOCTL_USB_GET_NODE_CONNECTION_INFORMATION_EX_V2, which you can use to query speed information for USB 3.0 devices.
Troubleshooting

Here are a few things to try if you find that your USB 3.0 device is capable of operating at SuperSpeed but is operating a lower bus speed:
Make sure that you do not have a USB 2.0 hub between the device and the PC. That is because USB 3.0 devices that are attached to a USB 2.0 hub can only operate at high speed. In this case, either switch to a USB 3.0 hub or attach the device directly to the USB 3.0 port on the PC.
Ensure that the USB 3.0 hub that your device is attached to appears correctly in Device Manager. For certain unsupported USB 3.0 hubs, Windows may disable the SuperSpeed portion of the hub and report it as “Non Functional” in Device Manager.


Figure 14 shows a non-functional hub in Device Manager.

Figure 14. SuperSpeed USB Hub is not functional


Make sure that the cable that is used to connect the device is a USB 3.0 cable. It is also possible that the USB 3.0 cable has signal integrity issues. In that case, the device might switch to high speed. If that happens, you must change the USB 3.0 cable.

Update the firmware for the USB 3.0 device by obtaining the latest version from the manufacturer site. Some USB 3.0 device manufacturers release fixes, for bugs found in the device, as firmware updates.

Update the firmware for the USB 3.0 controller by obtaining the latest version from the manufacturer site. Some USB 3.0 controller manufacturers release fixes, for bugs found in the controller, as firmware updates.

Update the BIOS for your system by obtaining the latest version from the manufacturer. On some motherboards, the BIOS can incorrectly route a device that is connected to a USB 3.0 controller to a USB 2.0 controller. That incorrect routing allows the USB 3.0 device to operate at high speed but not at SuperSpeed. A BIOS update might fix such a problem.

Summary

In this blog post, we discussed ways of making sure that you get optimal experience with your USB 3.0 device attached to a USB 3.0 controller on a PC. If you have any questions, please leave us a comment.