Samsung may reveal “vibrant” new brand identity at CES 2013

Samsung is reported to be planning a complete brand overhaul for CES 2013, ably assisted by Brandstream and its CEO Scott Bedbury, who was responsible for turning Nike and Starbucks in global phenomenons.

Samsung is planning something special for CES 2013, and although we’re sure many new products will be among them, a rumored overhaul of the company’s branding may take center stage.

The news comes from a report published by Channel News in Australia, and quotes anonymous sources who say Samsung is almost ready to unveil a “more vibrant international brand image.” While the specifics aren’t discussed, the familiar blue Samsung oval will be replaced, and each part of Samsung’s business will get its own individual color that will be used in its advertising.

On the subject of advertising, this will shift from being based around features and benefits, to focus instead on “lifestyle activities.”

According to Channel News’ sources, the man at the helm of this ambitious project is Scott Bedbury, CEO of brand development consultancy Brandstream. This is a fascinating choice, and if anyone can enhance Samsung’s already well-established brand image, it’s Bedbury.

During his time at Nike in the late 80s and early 90s, he directed the launch of the Just Do It campaign, which you’re probably familiar with, and turned Nike around from being a youthful, aspirational American brand to being a global, all-inclusive fitness phenomenon. After Nike, he pushed Starbucks out into the world, and introduced the comfy chairs and CDs.

Since then, he has gone on to work with companies including Nokia, Facebook, Amazon, T-Mobile and Google.

Public perception problem?

A complete brand overhaul means Samsung may have taken recent comments regarding the way it’s perceived to heart. When a judge in the UK says your products aren’t as cool as Apple’s, it’s not only bound to smart, but also raise concerns about the opinion of the man on the street too.

The really interesting thing is, Bedbury isn’t a fan of “cool.” In an interview with FastCompany.com way (way) back in 2002, he warned companies “not to worship cool,” and called it a “false god.” He said (rather prophetically, as it turns out) that companies should “be more concerned with their karma than with being cool,” and closed with the thought that “big doesn’t have to be bad, that profits are only one measure of success, and that great brands can use their unique superhuman powers for good. Now that would be cool.”

An attitude like this makes a major Samsung brand identity alteration intriguing, as it could take a very different route not only to the one it has been on for a while, but the one Apple has chosen too.

Next year’s International Consumer Electronics Show begins on January 8 and ends on January 11.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/samsung-plans-vibrant-brand-overhaul-for-ces-2013/

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Why ARM CPUs look set to end the x86 computing era

ARM's new 64-bit cores are coming next year

Is the era of x86 over? Not yet, but maybe soon if the weight of ARM-related processor developments is anything to go by, including AMD's recent ARM chip announcement.

Adding flesh to the bones of the increasingly scary looking ARM beast are a pair of new processor cores. The first is just becoming available now, the second looks set to raise the bar even higher in late 2013 or early 2014.

First up we have the ARM Cortex A15 core. It's the processor architecture you can increasingly expect to find powering high end phones and tablets over the next six months.

Out of order!

It's a triple issue, properly out-of-order CPU core. If that's just so much digital double speak, the take-home notion is that A15 does much more work per operating cycle than previous ARM cores, including ARM Cortex A9, a current favourite in phones and tablets.

The interesting comparison here is with Intel's ultramobile Atom core. Given Intel's track record for producing chips with epic instructions-per-clock capability, it's ironic to note that Atom remains a simple in-order design at a time when ARM is delivering more complex out-of-order designs.

Anywho, early benchmarks indicate ARM Cortex A15 has Atom soundly beaten. Of course, Intel is planning to finally update the Atom core next year. To date, all Atoms have been built around essentially the same processor core.

Next year's updated Atom is expected to make the move to out-of-order execution and thus bring a big boost in performance. Problem is, by then ARM has something even beastlier planned.

Say hello to 64-bit

I speak of the ARM Cortex A50 series. Two versions have been announced, the A53 and A57. In simple terms, you could say they're just 64-bit versions of existing ARM 32-bit cores. So the A53 is a 64-bit Cortex A7, the A57 a 64-bit A15.

The former is claimed to deliver the same performance as existing ARM chips, but with a fairly epic 4x improvement in power efficiency. Superphones that last a lot longer between charges is the implication.

But it's the top ranking A57 that's really interesting. Tweaks to the existing A15 pipeline, along with wider floating point execution, are said to boost performance by 30 to 40 per cent over A15.

And remember, A15 is probably over twice as fast as existing ARM cores and perhaps 50 per cent or more faster than existing Atom cores. So A15 with a 40 per cent boost is going to be one hell of an ultramobile CPU core.

Setting sights on servers

Actually, it's going to be more than that. With A57, ARM also has server computers in its sights. That's very much Intel's heartland of course.

Another interesting twist is big.LITTLE, ARM's strategy of mixing core types in a single processor. So you could have a smartphone with two A53 cores which provide excellent efficiency for simple tasks, and a pair of A57s for when you need maximum performance.

Put it altogether and you have a package that easily outstrips anything Intel's existing Atom chips can offer. Given that Intel is trying to break into the smartphone and tablet market, currently, that's hardly ideal.

Then again, maybe next year's new Atom will blow the ARMs off everything that came before. One thing's for sure. The desktop CPU war is over. Intel Core versus AMD FX? Fuggedabowdit. It's all about ultramobile.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/mobile-phones/phone-and-communications/tablets/mobile-computing/laptops/computing-components/processors/pc/computing/why-arm-cpus-look-set-to-end-the-x86-computing-era-1109622

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New JB ROM for Samsung Galaxy Note leaks, supports Multi-View

A couple of weeks ago we saw the first Android 4.1 Jelly Bean ROM for the Samsung Galaxy Note leak, version N7000XXLS2, but now SamMobile claim that they have the real deal straight from Samsung's servers and that the previos ROM was a system dump.

The update brings the original Galaxy Note to Android 4.1.1 and gives it the latest TouchWiz with all the bells and whistles. The ROM also has basic support for Air View (detecting the S Pen from a distance and triggering previews), but that isn't ready just yet.

Before you flash N7000XXLS2 on your Note, have a look at this video N7000XXLS7, which some lucky guy in France who got the update early. It updates the phablet to Android 4.1.2 and enables Multi-View just like on the new Note II.

The video is quite long (and in French), but here are the juicy bits - flashing the ROM at 4:00, you can see the Jelly Bean version at 7:30 and 16:50, Multi-View is shown off at 9:00 and texting works too (13:00), suggesting it's a fully featured ROM.

You can't flash this ROM has yet as it still hasn’t made its way to XDA. On the upside, LS2 is from October 9 (nearly a month ago), so Samsung should be testing a newer version internally (possibly the LS7) and the update should be nearly ready (the Galaxy S II update should arrive at the same time too).

Source 1 • Source 2 | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/new_jb_rom_for_samsung_galaxy_note_leaks_supports_multiview-news-5042.php

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Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini UK release date and price revealed

The Galaxy S3 Mini could be priced to fail

The Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini release date and price have been confirmed by a press release sent out by a high street retailer.

Over the weekend Carphone Warehouse released information on the Galaxy S3 Mini, confirming that you'll be able to pick up the handset for free on two year contracts starting at £25 per month.

According to Carphone's website the Galaxy S3 Mini will be available on O2, Orange and Vodafone, but if you don't fancy being tied to one of those networks the retailer is also offering the handset SIM-free for £299.95.

Stiff competition

We had high hopes for the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini, but when it was finally announced the specs were far from blockbuster. The smartphone sports a non-HD 4-inch Super AMOLED display, 1GHz dual-core processor and 5MP rear camera.

Considering the recently-announced Google Nexus 4 will costs £239 for 8GB and £279 for the 16GB version and packs a 4.7-inch 768x1280 display, quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 8MP camera and Android 4.2 we wonder why you'd want the Samsung.

According to the Carphone Warehouse listing, the Samsung Galaxy S3 Mini release date is set for November 9, however we're taking this with a pinch of salt as Phones4U originally had November 2 as its delivery date – which was obviously incorrect.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/phone-and-communications/mobile-phones/samsung-galaxy-s3-mini-uk-release-date-and-price-revealed-1110049

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HTC DROID DNA photo leaks, brings HTC J's screen to the US

Remember the HTC J butterfly and it's 5-inch 1080p, 440ppi display? Well, the device isn't going to stay exclusive to Japan much longer, as evleaks has posted an image of the device's US brethren dubbed HTC DROID DNA.

As the DROID part of the name suggests, the device will hit Verizon's 4G LTE network. While a little late to the phablet party, HTC is entering it with a bang with its 5-inch 1080p HD Super LCD 3 display. In addition, the device will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor bundled with 2GB of RAM.

This lethal combination is further enhanced with 16GB of on-board memory and a microSD card slot. The battery is reprotedly going to be 2,020mAh. Accordin to the leak, the HTC DROID DNA will run Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Source | Via

Source : http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_droid_dna_photo_leaks_brings_htc_js_screen_to_the_us-news-5041.php

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Report: Rift with Jony Ive led to Scott Forstall Apple departure

Apple CEO Tim Cook was forced to choose between feuding executives Jony Ive and Scott Forstall, a Bloomberg report has claimed.

According to a Bloomberg Businessweek article, outgoing Senior VP of iOS Software Forstall had refused to attend meetings chaired by Sir Jony, Apple's design guru, amid tensions between the two.

Bloomberg said the meetings related to discussions over iPhone hardware designs, which Forstall skipped despite being in charge of the software that would be present on the device.

The report read: "Even as Forstall oversaw the group responsible for the software that would run the iPhone, he didn't participate in the meetings, according to people with knowledge of the matter who requested anonymity because the meetings were private. Ive and Forstall were rarely in the same room, the people said."

Divisive

Bloomberg also claimed that, while Steve Jobs was able to keep a lid on the simmering tensions between Forstall and other executives at Apple, the iOS chief had become the most 'divisive' member of the team.

Reportedly, the final straw came this week when Forstall refused to sign an apology over the incomplete Apple Maps app, causing Cook to wield the axe.

Briton Ive, will now assume some of Forstall's duties, putting him in charge of the software and hardware design of future iOS devices.

Source : http://www.techradar.com/news/computing/apple/report-rift-with-jony-ive-led-to-scott-forstall-apple-departure-1109958

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Quick settings and malware protection in Android 4.2

Android 4.2 brings with it some long-awaited features like malware protection and a quick settings menu adjacent to the notification tray. The quick settings can be accessed with a two-finger swipe while notifications continue using one.

For Android users everywhere — or maybe just the ones in our office — Google’s decision to add quick settings to Android 4.2′s notification pulldown is very much appreciated. It’s also a feature Android users have been waiting for since the first third-party developer implemented the feature. You could download an app or install a custom ROM to activate the feature, but that’s not the way it should be. Also in Android 4.2, Google has added some important and necessary security features to crack down on malware, which we’ll get to later.

As we reported earlier, the quick settings can be accessed by swiping down from the top of the screen with two fingers, rather than the one-finger swipe used to access notifications. You can also use the settings button that normally resides at the top of the notification dropdown.

According to Android Central, there are eight settings listed: Google+ profile, brightness, settings, Wi-Fi, mobile data, battery, airplane mode, and Bluetooth. The Google+ button takes you to your profile, settings opens up the full settings menu, Wi-Fi takes you to Wi-Fi settings, airplane mode is a toggle for the feature, Bluetooth takes you to Bluetooth settings, mobile data shows your carrier and signal strength, and brightness brings up the brightness slider, and battery shows a percentage remaining and will take you to the full battery menu if tapped.

All in all, the quick settings are not nearly as useful as some third-party apps out there, but it’s a good start. We would have liked to see the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and mobile data buttons be used as toggles rather than shortcuts, but hopefully this will change in future updates.

As for security, Android 4.2 brings a malware scanner to the platform that screens “sideloaded” apps — meaning software not downloaded from Google Play — for any mischievous code. The new feature has to be enabled in the settings menu and adds another step to installing outside apps. Google compares the app to its own list of “known applications” that includes both apps from Google Play and popular apps that aren’t available in the store. If a threat is discovered, Google will shut down the installation.

There are also new safeguards in place for apps that attempt to automatically bill your cellular account. Now a prompt will show up to request your direct permission for the billing. Android 4.2 also adds some minor improvements to the permission screen that precedes app installation to make it more obvious and easier to understand.

Android 4.2 may be an incremental update, but it’s nice to see Google adding much-needed and appreciated features to its mobile operating system. This attention-to-detail is exactly what Android needs if it wants to continue commanding the world’s attention.

Source : http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/quick-settings-malware-protection-android-4-2/

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