MWC 2014: Samsung Galaxy S5 could get new Exynos 5422 octa-core processor soon

Samsung has shown off its new Exynos processors at the ongoing Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona. The South-Korean tech giant revealed the octa-core processor Exynos 5422 and the new hexa-core processor Exynos 5 Hexa (Exynos 5260), which we already experienced in the Galaxy Note 3 Neo.  In addition to this the company has confirmed that it will launch a Galaxy S5 variant with the new octa-core variant.



According to Engadget, Samsung has already shown off such a variant at the MWC. Samsung had also put up an infographic on the Tomorrow blog detailing the evolution of the Samsung Galaxy S series. The infographic initially showed the S5 in two variants, which Samsung has since replaced with another that shows a single Galaxy S5 mode. You can view the original here.



The Exynos 5422 octa-core processor is based on ARM’s big.LITTLE architecture comprised of four ARM Cortex- A15 cores clocked at up to 2.1 GHz and four ARM Cortex- A7 cores up to 1.5 GHz. This is the same configuration that was seen in the last-gen Exynos processor, but there’s one major difference. The 5422 comes with Heterogeneous Multi Processing (HMP) technology, which allows it to use all eight cores or any combination of them at the same time for improved performance. According to Samsung, the chip delivers up to 34 percent higher performance than previous Exynos Octa models.



To ensure that the chip supports  bigger screen resolutions WQHD (2560 x 1440) and WQXGA (2560 x 1600), Samsung says it has adopted new solutions with proprietary mobile image compression (MIC) and adaptive hibernation technology. It also supports 4K Ultra HD resolution.With MIC, display data is compressed into half to minimize memory bandwidth requirement. The chip has been developed using a 28 nm manufacturing process; Samsung promises up to 10 percent lower power consumption than 32nm chips.  The Exynos 5422 is scheduled for mass production in the first quarter of 2014.

The 10 Best Products at MWC 2014

Best of MWC 810

If you think there's nothing exciting left to invent in mobile tech, you haven't seen anything yet. And the biggest things are happening at MWC 2014. Mobile World Congress, the world's largest mobile industry exhibition, takes place each year in Barcelona, Spain, and plays host to more than 70,000 visitors from 200+ countries.

We spent the first part of this week hitting the show floor and in behind-the-scenes meetings, learning everything there is to know about the upcoming year for the wireless industry. Fortunately, it turns out there's much more going on in mobile devices than incremental spec increases and dubious software add-ons.

MWC Bug ArtFrom online privacy and OLED displays to wearables and tactile touch displays, there's plenty of innovation at MWC. So with that, here are the 10 best products we've seen at the show this year. We're still waiting for prices and release dates for a lot of these products, and a few may not even make it to the U.S. market. But every one of these products is significant in some possibly game-changing way. We can't wait to test them all out in our labs.
Check Out the Best Photos From MWC 2014!

Best Phones

Yotaphone
The dual-screen Yotaphone debuted at CES last year, but this second-generation version warrants a much closer look. The new Yotaphone features a 5-inch 1080p AMOLED screen on one side, and a 4.7-inch, 960-by-540 E Ink display on the other. The E Ink display is now fully capacitive touch-enabled; you can use it to browse the Web or text in addition to reading ebooks. A 2.26GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and Android 4.4 KitKat round out the specs. The retail version will launch globally for €499; no word yet on a U.S. version, but we're certainly intrigued.

Blackphone
If you're sick of hearing about privacy violations, malware, and NSA spying, the SGP Technologies Blackphone could be your next phone. It's a distinctive, $629 unlocked handset that puts security first and foremost—including your texts, phone calls, and local storage, thanks to the custom-built PrivateOS built on top of Android, plus third-party services and built-in tools for managing app permissions and Wi-Fi connection protection. It also packs a 2GHz quad-core CPU, a 4.7-inch IPS panel, 2GB RAM, 16GB of internal storage, and an 8-megapixel camera. No guarantees on actual protection from the NSA, though—especially with regard to email, which is out of Blackphone's hands entirely. Nonetheless, it's available for pre-order now and ships in June.

Samsung Galaxy S5
Samsung obviously wasn't going to ride on the Galaxy S4's$49.99 at Amazon popularity for more than a year, and the long-awaited Galaxy S5 delivers. It features a blistering 2.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8974 processor, a slightly larger 5.1-inch display with adaptive color and contrast depending on ambient lighting, a fingerprint sensor, and a revamped 16-megapixel camera that emphasizes simplicity and autofocus speed. (For more, read The Most Intriguing Samsung Galaxy S5 Features.) Samsung also tones down the custom TouchWiz UI a bit, which is even more welcome news. We can't wait to get our hands on review models; look for the Galaxy S5 to begin landing in the U.S. in April, on all the major carriers.

Best tablet

Sony Z2 tablet
Sony's new Z2 tablet is super-slim and yet still waterproof, measuring just 0.25 inches thick. It features a 10.1-inch display and a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with an Adreno 330 GPU. Sony said the Z2 charges 75 percent faster than competing devices, and its 6000mAh lithium polymer battery delivers 10 hours of video playback. You get 8.1 and 2.2-megapixel cameras on the back and front, respectively. The Z2 also comes with OfficeSuite Pro 7 for slicing and dicing Microsoft Office files, while a companion Bluetooth keyboard and tablet cover stand converts the Z2 into a laptop. The Z2 is landing sometime in March; pricing hasn't been announced.

Huawei Mediapad X1
The Huawei Mediapad X1 was quite the attention-grabber at MWC, and justly so. It's a super-slim, 7-inch Android tablet with a tiny 0.12-inch bezel; it weighs just 8.4 ounces, which is several ounces under the Nexus 7$239.00 at Amazon and iPad miniA$324.21 at BIG W. Even so, it packs a giant 5000mAh battery for up to five days of regular usage. Under the hood is a 1.6GHz Hisilicon Kirin920 SoC with a Mali450GPU and 2GB RAM, plus support for 16 mobile data bands, and even a built-in earpiece and mic for voice calls. A tablet game-changer from Huawei? Don't count the company out.

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Sony Xperia Z2

Now that Sony and Samsung have unleashed their high-powered next generation of flagship phone, it’s high time to compare them across the board: design, specs, features and value.

Which of these Android range-toppers should you opt for? Let’s take a detailed look…


Plastic vs metal

There’s no doubt about it: Samsung Galaxy S5 is the best built of the S series yet. Its dimpled matte backside (initially available in four colours) is easy on the eyes and comfy in your hand, and a welcome change from the ill-advised fake stitched leather look of recent Galaxy Note models. It’s a solidly put together phone despite its light weight (145g) and boasts IP67 protection to keep out dust and water. The signs are there that Samsung’s engineers are definitely getting their act together.

And yet, it’s still a phone with a plastic back. The Sony Xperia Z2 on the other hand is a gloriously seamless fusion of metal and glass. True, it’s a little heavier than the S5 (163g) but grasp it in your mitt and its cool weight screams “Yes, I’m a premium phone”. Samsung still hasn’t got there yet. The Z2 has IP67 protection and like the S5 can survive a rainstorm or a dunk in the bath totally unscathed.

Winner: Sony Xperia Z2

Display case

On the surface there’s very little difference between the two phones’ screens. The Galaxy S5 sports a 5.1in 1920 x 1080 Super AMOLED display while the Z2 rocks a 5.2in 1920 x 1080 Triluminos IPS screen.

Without having compared them directly yet, we’re loath to call this one. The size difference and pixel density difference are negligible so the real battlegrounds here are colour reproduction, contrast and viewing angles.

AMOLED typically excels in all three areas, but Sony’s smartphone displays are always a treat for the eyes and the Z2’s new Live Colour LED tech, which uses custom filters and phosphors to produce a more even backlight and deeper colours, should make this the best yet. IPS also offers stellar viewing angles.

It’s just too close to call at the moment. This is an area we’ll have to revisit after our Z2 and S5 review samples arrive.

Winner: Undeclared for now
Camera capabilities
Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Sony Xperia Z2: the weigh-in - Camera capabilities 1

Both the S5 and Z2 have significantly improved cameras in comparison to their predecessors.

The Galaxy S5 has a 16MP rear camera with the fastest autofocus on a phone (as little as 0.3 seconds), an improved High Dynamic Range mode that shows you the effects of HDR in real time, and Selective Focus, which allows you to blur the background while keeping a subject in sharp focus (it’s not true shallow depth-of-field, but rather a piece of trickery in which two shots are merged). On the video front, it can shoot in 120fps for smooth slow motion playback. There’s also a 2.1MP front-facing camera.

Like the Xperia Z1, the Z2 boasts a 20.7MP rear camera – but the sensor in the Z2 is physically bigger (1/2.3in) which should mean better light-gathering abilities and thus cleaner, sharper photos. On the camera app front, it offers Background Defocus (similar to the S5’s Selective Focus). It also comes with SteadyShot image stabilisation, which smooths motion and panning when capturing video. Oh, and speaking of video, the Z2 can record it in 4K quality (3840 x 2160 pixels), not to mention 120fps for 720p slo-mo playback.

The specs clearly suggest that Sony is the winner here, but we’ll find out for certain when we get our hands on both phones.

Winner: Sony Xperia Z2
Power: two beefy bros

These two are just about the most powerful smartphones on the planet right now, and there’s very little between them.

The Sony Xperia Z2 has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor clocked at 2.3GHz, plus 3GB of RAM. The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a slightly faster Snapdragon 805 quad-core chip running at 2.5GHz, but 2GB of RAM. Neither is 64-bit compatible.

We haven’t had the chance to benchmark or real-world test them yet, but our gut feeling is that (a) the Z2 might be a bit better at multitasking (b) the S5 might be slightly quicker overall and (c) both handsets are going to be blazingly fast and capable of handling anything you might care to throw at them.

The S5 sports one speed-related feature we really like the sound of: Download Booster, which uses 4G and Wi-Fi simultaneously to help files download much faster.

The Z2 features a 3000mAh battery delivering (according to Sony) 19 hours of talk time, up to 880 hours of standby and up to 10 hours of video playback. Samsung claims the S5’s 2800mAh battery provides up to 21 hours of talk time and 390 hours standby time.

Both phones have the Android 4.4 KitKat operating system with their own UI embellishments laid on top. Both of which have their own merits and equally irritating bloatware to deal with.

This one is just too close to call until we get a chance to use both phones extensively and run benchmark tests. For now, we’ll have to call this one a dead heat.

Winner: Undeclared for now

Fingers and ears

On the feature front, the S5 seems a length ahead of its Sony rival. It’s the first phone to come with a heart rate monitor (which integrates into the phone’s new S Health 3.0 app) and also features a fingerprint scanner for screen unlocking, document protection and even friction-free PayPal payments. You also get hold-overs from the S4 like Siri competitor S Voice and air gestures, which allow to you to swiftly scroll through images without even touching the screen.

Sony doesn’t really offer anything in that vein on the Z2, but music fans will find its bundled noise-cancelling headset very handy on crowded public transport, not to mention the stereo speakers on the handset itself.

Still, we think the S5 has this round comfortably sewn up.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S5
Verdict

On paper, there’s little to no daylight between the Xperia Z2 and the Galaxy S5. The former looks better equipped in certain areas (camera, build quality), the latter in others (features) and in many areas, they look pretty much the same.

Both, it’s clear, are likely to be killer smartphones with more than enough power to deal with anything you throw at them. Any differences in capabilities will almost certainly be minuscule – but when we get our hands on them properly in the coming weeks, we’ll be able to give you the definitive answer on which is the best. For now, it’s a tense standoff.

Apple take note: Developers can use the Galaxy S5's fingerprint scanner in apps, killing off passwords for good

Samsung has unleashed its software development kit for its freshly unveiled Galaxy S5 flagship, and it allows developers to take full advantage of the S5's built-in fingerprint scanner

The iPhone 5s' fingerprint scanner is closed off to developers and only works with Apple's own apps, but Samsung's latest move means that your fingerprint could kill off entering your password for good. Assuming you've got a Galaxy S5 that is.

The Galaxy S5 already has PayPal fingerprint scanning security backed into it, and the prospect of protecting sensitive information and logging into apps and services without nothing but our fingertips sounds very appealing.

We're still not entirely sure exactly where fingerprint details will be stored. If they're uploaded online each time you scan in then that will pose a security risk in itself, but we expect to find out how Samsung will tackle such challenges in the near future.

Blippar is first to bring real-time image recognition to Google Glass

Blippar has unveiled what seems to be the first true image recognition app for Google Glass.

Blippar’s mobile app (currently available for Android, iOS, BlackBerry and Windows Phone) uses your smartphone’s camera to unlock “exclusive content” from images, adverts and even people, but with the version on Glass you won’t even need to pull out a mobile – Glass’ camera will automatically recognise Blippar-compatible images and objects as you look at them.

You're in the future now

For better or worse, it’s all very Minority Report. Cutting out the smartphone step makes augmented reality all the more accessible to the average man or woman on the street (well, as long as they’re wearing Glass). It’s something that advertisers and marketing companies are sure to be looking at very excitedly.

Blippar CEO Rish Mitra said at the app’s launch: “Glass today can be likened to what mobile phones were in the early 90s. We at Blippar anticipate that if Glass reaches a couple million users in its first year of launch, it will be a good opportunity for us to develop in the space. We are investing in the potential of Glass.”

The app is currently being demo’d at MWC 2014, but should be available to Glass users in the near future.

Fujitsu's tablet with ultrasonic haptic feedback is the most amazing thing at MWC

You simply have to try Fujitsu's ultrasonic tablet to know what the fuss is about.

Although there have been dozens of attempts to enhance the touchscreen experience over the years, this is the first I've tried that does so effectively. It's capable of truly incredible things.

The Fujitsu uses ultrasonic inducers on the screen to vibrate it at different frequencies, creating a cushion of high-pressure above the screen that can be varied based on your fingertip's position on an X-Y axis. Match that with an onscreen image and you have something pretty magical - different 'surfaces' in images feel different to the touch.
Smoother than the smoothest glass
Fujitsu ultrasonic tablet

I ran through a series of demos, starting with two images of elastoplast-like bands, one split down the middle to show two different surfaces, the second with three horizontal lines bisecting it. The top of the first elastoplast felt more slippery than any touchscreen I've used before (the ultrasonics can make the screen feel smoother than it is in real life), but the bottom slowed my finger almost to stopping, such was the change in friction. In the second elastoplast I could feel the bumps as I rubbed my finger down the screen.

Other demos included a slick-feeling pair of DJ decks, an image obscured by rough 'sand' that could be rubbed off, a strokable crocodile and, my favourite, a Japanese zither that allowed me to pluck the strings individually.

Such is the power of the ultrasonics that a paper receipt placed on the other end of the strings bounced as I ran my finger over them.
Very much a prototype
Fujitisu haptic tablet

Aside from the feeling of different surfaces, the ultrasonic inducer also buzzes and clicks faintly at different pitches based on the type of surface you're touching. In many ways the demo is a little rough around the edges - the tablet needed to be plugged in to work, too, which suggests that either the demo eats a lot of power, or the prototype tablet is jury rigged together and the ultrasonic emitters aren't hooked up to the tablet's battery.

The technology currently works only with a single point of contact, too - the whole screen reacts to that point of contact, and feedback can't be more accurately localised  - but it's very early days and will undoubtedly evolve. Down the line, a version that could replicate a two-thumb control pad on screen would transform mobile gaming.

Fujitsu's track record with bringing its technology experiments to market, either in its own products on licensed to other vendors, is excellent - about 90% see manufacture. It hopes this one will hit retail in 2015.

Honestly, that's excellent news - this is a technology everyone will want to get their hands on.

Samsung Galaxy S5 takes Best In Show in TechRadar's MWC 2014 Awards

Competition for the biggest honours at MWC 2014 has been fierce, but our dauntless team of phone experts have scoured the show floor for the biggest and best tech of the year.

What will be crowned best tablet? At a phone show, which handset could possibly take best phone? And what's the tech that's got tongues wagging both at MWC and on the internet?

Meet the winners of TechRadar's MWC 2014 Awards:
Best phone: Samsung Galaxy S5

While some were left underwhelmed by Samsung's latest flagship, we judged the Samsung Galaxy S5 to be the best phone on show as well as the most improved.

Phones and tablets editor Gareth Beavis explains, "This was easily the hardest category to judge, as there were a lot of great choices on show. Both Sony and Samsung's phones have lots of really great features and will be big hitters this year, while HTC managed to offer something impressive at a mid range price point.

"But the overall combination of power and features users actually want over the useless, gimmicky 'innovation' seen on S4, swung it for us."

HTCHTC CEO Peter Chou accepts his 'commended' award

Best tablet: Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet

Sony Xperia Z2 TabletSony has won the Best Tablet award two years in a row

It's Best Tablet two years on the trot for the Xperia range - will Sony ever let another company have a look in?

Beavis said, "Last year's winner made a lot better, with beefed up internals and a greatly enhanced screen. The iPad Air has set a high bar to beat, but the technology on the Xperia Z2 Tablet, like powerful front facing speakers, means it has a great chance."
Best in show: Samsung Galaxy S5

Commended: Samsung Gear 2 Neo

Samsung Galaxy S5The S5 wins TechRadar's prestigious Best In Show award

No other device managed to beat the S5 in terms of desirability. It's the best of the best. As Gareth puts it:

"It's only fitting a phone should win Best in Show at MWC, and the Galaxy S5 is a phone that a lot of people will be proud to own.
"The Galaxy S5 is a phone that a lot of people will be proud to own."

"The need for a standout feature on a new smartphone has diminished in recent times, and now users are getting phones that actually do what they need them to, which the S5 embodies well."

Commiserations to the runner-up, which shows that smartwatches are on the up but still have a way to go.

Gareth says, "The other big story this year was wearables, as we expected. The Gear 2 Neo is the best of the bunch simply because it's last year's Galaxy Gear made much more usable.

Samsung Gear 2 NeoThe Samsung Gear 2 Neo was a smartwatch highlight

"It should be cheaper and is lighter than the main Gear 2, plus still has all the excellent fitness features we're looking forward to testing out."
People's choice: Nokia X

Commended: Samsung Gear Fit

Nokia XNokia's first Android phone is an award winner

Cinderella story. Out of nowhere. A former Windows Phone fixture, now about to become an Android champion. It looks like a mirac... Nokia X is the people's choice! It's the people's choice! It's the people's choice!

"The Nokia X is getting people interested in the low end again," Gareth told us, explaining the buzz.
"The Nokia X is getting people interested in the low end again."

"Sure, the story is Android being used, but really it's Nokia looking to penetrate the budget market with whatever OS works best, so it's great to see this is a hot topic."

And on the runner-up: "The Gear Fit is a strong device too, as it's got a beautiful curved OLED as it's display and focuses just on fitness, while also pushing well into the smartwatch territory by showing off notifications."

Congratulations to all the winners - see you again, same time next year!

بعض روايات أهل البيت حول ليلة الجمعة ويوم الجمعة

 قيل للرضا (عليه السلام): يا بن رسول الله !..
ما تقول في الحديث الذي يرويه الناس عن رسول الله (ص) أنه قال: إنّ الله تبارك وتعالى ينزل كلّ ليلةٍ إلى السماء الدنيا ؟..

فقال (عليه السلام ) : لعن الله المحرِّفين الكلم عن مواضعه ، والله ما قال رسول الله كذلك إنما قال (ص) :
إنّ الله تبارك وتعالى يُنزل ملكاً إلى السماء الدنيا كلّ ليلةٍ في الثلث الأخير ، وليلة الجمعة في أول الليل ،

فيأمره فينادي هل من سائلٍ فأعطيه ؟..
هل من تائبٍ فأتوب إليه ؟..
هل من مستغفرٍ فأغفر له ؟..
يا طالبَ الخير أقبل !..
يا طالبَ الشرِّ أقصر !..

فلا يزال ينادي بهذا حتى يطلع الفجر ، فإذا طلع الفجر عاد إلى محلّه من ملكوت السماء ،

حدثني بذلك أبي عن جدّي عنآبائه عن رسوله (ص) .

تعقيب الصلوات ليوم الجمعة

روي انّ مَنْ قال يوم الجمعة قبل صلاة الصّبح ثلاث مرّات :
اَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ الَّذي لا اِلـهَ إلاّ هُوَ الْحَيُّ الْقَيُّومُ وَاَتُوبُ اِلَيْهِ.
غُفِرَتْ ذنوبه ولو كانت اكثر من زَبَد البحر .

روي عن الامام الصادق عليه السلام انه قال: من قال يوم الجمعه بعد صلاة الغداة (اللهم اجعل صلوات ملائكتك و حملة عرشك و جميع خلقك وسمائك و ارضك و انبيائك و رسلك على محمد و آل محمد ) لم يكتب عليه ذنب سنه.

جاء في كتاب اعلام الدين مرويا عن الإمام جعفر بن محمد الصادق (ع) عن ابائه عليهم السلام قال : من قرأ (3) مرات هذا الدعاء في تعقيب فريضة الصبح أو الظهر يوم الجمعة يكون له صك أمان الى يوم الجمعة التالي وهذا هو الدعاء :
((اَللّـهُمَّ اجْعَلْ صَلاتَكَ وَصَلاةَ مَلائكَتِكَ وَرُسُلِكَ على مُحَمَّد وآلِ مُحَمَّد))

قال سيدنا ومولانا أبي جعفر الإمام محمد الباقر عليه السلام :
إذا صليت العصر يوم الجمعة، فقل :
[ اَللّـهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلى مُحَمَّد وَآلِ مُحَمَّد الْاَوْصِياءِ الْمَرْضيّينَ بِاَفْضَلِ صَلَواتِكَ وَبارِكْ عَلَيْهِمْ بِاَفْضَلِ بَرَكاتِكَ وَالسَّلامُ عَلَيْهِمْ وَعَلى اَرْواحِهِمْ وَاَجْسادِهِمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكاتُهُ].
فإن من قالها في دبر العصر كتب الله له مائة ألف حسنة ومحا الله عنه مائة ألف سيئة، وقضى له بها مائة ألف حاجة ، ورفع له بها مائة ألف درجة ".

أقرأ قصة حياة صاحب تطبيق الواتس اب , من فقير عاش على التبرعات إلى ملياردير

من جد وجد ومن طلب العلا سهر الليالي، هذا ما طبقه الشاب الأوكراني جان كوم (37 عاماً)، إذ لم يمنعه الفقر والحرمان من تحقيق أهدافه ورؤيته في الحياة، واختار لنفسه صديقاً وفياً عملا معاً على اختراع خدمة رسائل متطورة أثمرت اليوم عن إبرام صفقة بالمليارات مع كبرى شركات التقنية.

تصدر جان كوم نهاية الأسبوع الماضي الصفحات الأولى للصحف العالمية بعد بيعه تطبيق "واتس آب" لفيسبوك بمبلغ 19 مليار دولار. يوم الخميس الماضي اجتمع كوم وصديقيه  بريان أكتون وجيم جويتز من شركة سيكويا في مبنى أبيض مهجور كان سابقاً مؤسسة  للخدمات الاجتماعية حيث كان كوم يقف في الطابور في انتظار دوره لاستلام كوبونات الإعانة الحكومية. ولكن موعده هذه المرة في ذلك المكان كان لتوقيع صفقة بالمليارات يبيع من خلالها خدمة واتس آب التي حققت 20 مليون دولار إيرادات في العام الماضي - إلى أكبر شبكة اجتماعية في العالم "فيس بوك".

ولد كوم، الذي يمتلك 45% من حصة واتس آب وفقاً لفوربس في قرية صغيرة خارج كييف، بأوكرانيا، وهو الابن الوحيد لربة بيت ومدير لمشاريع البناء عمل على تشييد المدارس والمستشفيات. عاش كوم في بيت صغير دون ماء ساخن ولا كهرباء ولا هاتف ولكنه اليوم يتوق إلى تلك الحياة البسيطة التي صنعت منه رجلا مثابراً.

في سن الـ 16، لجأ كوم ووالدته إلى الولايات المتحدة الأميركية وأقاما في مدينة ماونتن فيو بكاليفورنيا، هرباً من  البيئة السياسية المعادية للسامية والمثيرة للقلق، وحصل على شقة صغيرة من غرفتي نوم بفضل المساعدات الحكومية ولكن والده لم يتبعهما قط. وقبل التوجه إلى أميركا عملت والدته على حشو حقائبه بالأقلام والدفاتر لتجنب دفع ثمن اللوازم المدرسية في الولايات المتحدة. عند وصولهما عملت والدته جليسة أطفال وعمل هو على تنظيف أرضية محل بقالة للمساعدة في تغطية نفقاتهم. عندما تم تشخيص والدته بمرض السرطان، حصل على إعانات حكومية  إضافية.

كان كوم طفلا مشاغبا في المدرسة ولكن عند بلوغه سن الـ 18 أظهر اهتماما بعالم التقنية وتعلم بنفسه علم شبكات الكمبيوتر من خلال إعارة الكتب من متاجر الكتب المستعملة. ومن ثم انضم إلى مجموعة من القراصنة على شبكة الانترنت عبر شبكة الدردشة EFnet، حيث تجاذب أطراف الحديث مع شون فانينغ المؤسس المشارك لخدمة نابستر الشهيرة وهي إحدى خدمات الموسيقى التي يمكن الوصول إليها عن طريق شبكة الإنترنت.

التحق كوم بعدها بجامعة سان خوسيه ستيت وكان يعمل في المساء حارساً في شركة  إرنست ويونغ وهي إحدى أكبر الشركات المهنية في العالم. وبعد سنة أي في عام 1997 ، حصل على منصب في ياهو لتفقد نظام الدعاية للشركة. في عام 2000 توفيت والدته بعد معاناة من مرض السرطان وكان والده قد سبقها إذ توفي عام 1997.

شعر كوم بالأسى والوحدة ولكنه سرعان ما لقي الدعم والسند من زميله في العمل بريان أكتون الذي كان يدعوه إلى منزله وللخروج معاً للتزلج ولعب كرة القدم ونشأت بينهم صداقة كبيرة.

في شهر سبتمبر من عام 2007 قدم كوم وأكتون على العمل في شركة فيسبوك ولكن تم رفض طلبيهما. ثم في يناير 2009 ، اشترى كوم جهاز آي فون وبدأ مع صديقه في التفكير لإطلاق تطبيق جديد للدردشة يكون مجاني وأفضل من خدمة الرسائل النصية SMS. وكانا يعملان على تطويره في منزلهما وفي المقاهي.

أطلق الثنائي اسم "واتس آب" بمعنى "ما الجديد" للخدمة الجديدة والتي كتب لها النجاح منذ إطلاقها، فبعد خمس سنوات بلغ عدد المشاركين 450 مليون مشارك وبلغت قيمتها نحو 6.8 مليار دولار.

وقد دفعت فيسبوك الأسبوع الماضي 12 مليار دولار على شكل أسهم و 4 مليار دولار نقدا لشراء واتس آب، وسيتم منح المؤسسين و الموظفين 3 مليارات دولار على شكل أوراق مالية مقيدة سيتم استحقاقها على مدى أربع سنوات بعد إغلاق الصفقة على 19 مليار دولار.

في تغريدة له على حساب تويتر قال كوم أن فيسبوك رفضت توظيفه في وقت مضى وحتى تويتر رفضت طلبه مرة ولكنه نجح في الوصول إليهما بطريقته الخاصة. وأكد في حسابه أن فيسبوك ستبقي تطبيق واتس آب مثل ما كان في السابق ولن تلجأ إلى إضافة الإعلانات وستجعل منه خدمة منفصلة تماما كما فعلت مع إينستاجرام الذي اشترته بمليار دولار.

وتعتبر صفقة فيسبوك مع واتس آب أغلى صفقة تدفعها شركة تقنية لمشغل مبتدئ، إذ تجاوزت صفقة سكايب التي اشترتها  مايكروسوفت بـ8.5 مليار دولار عام 2011.

يشار إلى أن واتس آب تستقبل حوالي 450 مليون مشارك شهرياً، مقارنة بـ 241 مليون مستخدم لتويتر في نهاية عام 2013 .

إشاعة الفواحش

إنّ فعل الفاحشة وكثرتها في المجتمع يتوقف على شياعها، وكلما كانت الفاحشة شائعة ومتداولة على اللسان وفي وسائل الاتصال الاجتماعي الحديثة كلما كثر فعلها وممارستها وتعلمها، بل إنه حتى عملية إنكارها في أوساط المجتمع الذي شاعت فيه تخبو وتقل؛ لأنّ السمع والبصر قد اعتاد عليها، وقسى القلب، فإذا قسى القلب لا يستطيع أنْ ينكرها.

وقال تعالى في أمر إشاعة الفاحشة: ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَة فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونََ﴾.

• طرق إشاعة الفاحشة المحرمة:
١/ أنْ يتحدث المكلّف عن الفواحش حديث الناشر، كأنْ يقول: حدث الزنا بهذه الطريقة أو غيرها مِن الفواحش.

٢/ أنْ يقوم بتأسيس موقعٍ أو صحيفةٍ او نشرةٍ ويخبر الناس عما يحدث مِن فواحشَ، حتى وإنْ كان ذلك باسم التحذير، فإنّه لا يجوز؛ لأنّه سوف يخبر مَن لا يعلم بها ويقربها إلى ذهنه وإلى قلبه.

٣/ بعض الأخوات أو الشباب، ومِن غير قصد، عندما يرى أنّ هناك مواقع خلاعية يقوم باستنساخ الرابط ونشره إلى أكبر عدد ممكن، أما للتحذير منه أو للطلب من الآخرين إرسال طلب إغلاق الموقع للمختصين، فهو في الواقع يشيع هذه الفاحشة ويقربها إلى الناس مِن حيث لا يعلم.

٤/ بعضهم عند قدومه مِن السفر يتحدث هنا وهناك وينقل حجم ما رآه مِن مفاسد وانحرافات وفواحش في تلك البلدان مما يسهّل ويفتح طريقًا للآخرين ليرتكبوا الفاحشة في تلك المناطق.

فمن هنا نضع القاعدة الشرعية:
إنّ أيّ حديث أو تناقل لأي خبر أو فعل مِن شأنه أنْ يعلم الناس ما لا يعلمونه من الفواحش، أو أنْ يقرّب الفاحشة إلى قلوبهم وعقولهم، أو يجعلها أمرًا عاديًا ومقبولًا في المجتمع بحيث يضحك الناس منه ويتداولونه حديثًا غيرَ مستنكر فإنّ ذلك لا ينبغي.

ففي معتبرة منصور بن حازم قال: قال أبو عبد الله (ع): قال رسول الله (ص): "مَن أذاع الفاحشة كان كمبتدئها، ومَن عيّر مؤمنًا بشيء لا يموت حتى يركبه".

وعن الإمام الصادق (ع): "مَن قال في مؤمنٍ ما رأته عيناه وسمعته أذناه، فهو مِن الذين قال الله عزّ وجلّ:﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالآخِرَةِ وَاللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنْتُمْ لا تَعْلَمُونَ﴾".

هواوي تزيح الستار عن هاتف وسوار ذكي وحاسبين لوحيين في MWC 2014

استغلت شركة “هواوي” مشاركتها في معرض MWC التقني، المنعقد حالياً في مدينة برشلونة، لتكشف عن عدة أجهزة ذكية جديدة من بينها هاتف وسوار ذكي و حاسبين لوحيين.

وكشفت “هواوي” عن الهاتف الذكي “آسند جي 6″ Ascend G6، وهو الجهاز الذي يملك شاشة قياس 4.5 بوصة، بدرجة وضوح تبلغ 540×960 بكسل، ومدعوم بمعالج رباعي النواة يعمل بسرعة 1.2 جيجاهرتز.

ويدعم الهاتف الجديد تقنية اتصالات المدى القريب NFC، كما يضم “آسند جي 6″ كاميرا خلفية بدقة 8 ميجابكسل بالإضافة إلى كاميرا أمامية بدقة 5 ميجابكسل.

وتبلغ ذاكرة الوصول العشوائي في الهاتف الذكي الجديد 1 جيجابايت، فيما تبلغ ذاكرة التخزين الداخلية 8 جيجابايت قابلة للزيادة عبر بطاقة ذاكرة خارجية من نوع “ميكرو إس دي”.

وسوف يعمل الهاتف بنظام “أندرويد 4.3″ المعروف اختصارا باسم “جيلي بين”، وسوف يطرح الهاتف بنسختين الأولى تدعم الاتصال بشبكات الجيل الثالث فقط وأخرى للاتصال بشبكات الجيل الرابع.

وأهتمت “هواوي” بالتصميم في الهاتف “آسند جي 6″ حيث يتميز بحواف معدنية وجهة خلفية بلاستيكية ذات ملمس مطاطي، كما قدمت الهاتف في سٌمك لا يتجاوز 7.9 ملم في كلتا نسختيه.
وفي المقابل، أزاحت الشركة الستار عن الحاسبين اللوحيين “ميديا باد إم 1″ MediaPad M1، و”ميديا باد إكس 1″ Media Pad X1، اللذان سيصلا أسواق الشرق الاوسط قبل نهاية مارس المقبل.

ويملك الحاسب اللوحي “ميديا باد إم 1″ شاشة بقياس 8 بوصة تدعم تقنية IPS لزوايا العرض الواسعة، وتعمل بدرجة وضوح تبلغ 800×1280 بكسل، كما يملك الجهاز معالج رباعي النواة يعمل بسرعة 1.6 جيجاهرتز.

وتبلغ دقة الكاميرا الخلفية في الحاسب اللوحي 5 ميجابكسل فيما تبلغ دقة الكاميرا الأمامية 1 ميجابكسل، وينتظر أن تدعمه “هواوي” ببطارية سعة 4800 ميلي أمبير/ساعة، وأن تقدمه في هيكل لا يتميز بسماكه عاليه، حيث سيبلغ سُمك الجهاز 7.9 ملم فقط.

وعلى عكس “ميديا باد إم 1″ يملك الحاسب اللوحي “ميديا باد إكس 1″ شاشة بقياس 7 بوصات فقط بدقة Full HD، ويعمل الحاسب بمعالج رباعي النواة بسرعة 1.6 جيجاهرتز، مدعوم بذاكرة عشوائية سعة 2 جيجابايت.

ويضم الحاسب اللوحي ذاكرة تخزين سعة 16 جيجابايت، وكاميرا خلفية بدقة 13 ميجابكسل، وأخرى أمامية بدقة 5 ميجابكسل، إضافة إلى بطارية ذات سعة 5000 ميلي أمبير/ساعة، وهو الجهاز الذي يبلغ وزنه 240 جراما، فيما سيطرح بسُمك لا يتجاوز 7.1 ملم.

هذا، وأعلنت “هواوي” عن سوارها الذكي TalkBand B1 الذي يضم شاشة OLED مرنة بقياس 1.4 بوصة تعرض أبرز البيانات حول مرتدي السوار إضافة إلى الساعة والأرقام المتصلة.

ويملك سوار “هواوي” الذكي الجديد كذلك مميزات لإحصاء البيانات الخاصة باللياقة لمستخدمه مثل عدد الخطوات التي يخطوها خلال اليوم، وكمية السعرات الحرارية التي يحرقها.

ويستطيع السوار الذكي أن ينبه مستخدمه بمواعيد محددة خاصة مواعيد النوم، حيث يملك ميزة “المنبه الذكي” وخاصية لمراقبة نوم مستخدمه؛ ويقدم السوار المعلومات للمستخدم عبر الهاتف الذكي حيث يستطيع الارتباط بالأجهزة الذكية عبر تقنية اتصالات المدى القريب NFC او “بلوتوث”.

وتقدم “هواوي” السوار TalkBand B1 في سُمك يبلغ 14.6 ملم، وهو السوار الذي يتكون من قطعتين الأولى هي رباط المعصم والثانية هي الشاشة التي يمكن نزعها من الرباط وتحويلها إلى سماعة للأذن للرد على المكالمات الهاتفية.

يذكر أن “هواوي” سوف تطرح السوار الذكي الجديد خاصتها خلال الربع الثاني من 2014 في عدة أسواق عالمية منها أسواق الشرق الأوسط بسعر يبلغ 99 يورو، فيما ستطرح الشركة نسخة اتصالات الجيل الثالث من الهاتف “آسند جي 6″ خلال الربع الأول فيما ستصل نسخة الجيل الرابع في أبريل.

“بلاك بيري” تُعلن أن BBM قادم إلى نظام “ويندوز فون” وهواتف “نوكيا إكس”

أعلنت شركة “بلاك بيري” اليوم الإثنين أنها تعتزم خلال الأشهر القادمة جلب تطبيق التراسل الفوري التابع لها “بلاك بيري مسنجر” BBM إلى نظام التشغيل المخصص للهواتف الذكية “ويندوز فون” والتابع لشركة “مايكروسوفت”.

وقالت الشركة على مدونتها، “قلناها منذ البداية، إننا متلزمون بالإصغاء إلى مايريده عملاؤنا، ومستخدمو ويندوز فون يريدون بي بي إم”، وكشفت “بلاك بيري” أيضًا أن التطبيق سيدعم أيضًا منصة التشغيل التي تعمل بها هواتف “نوكيا إكس” و “نوكيا إكس بلس” و “نوكيا إكس إل” الجديدة، والتي هي عبارة عن نسخة معدلة من نظام التشغيل “أندرويد”.

وستعمل الشركة على توفير التطبيق مجانًا على “متجر ويندوز فون” خلال الصيف القادم، في حين ستكون النسخة الخاصة بهواتف “نوكيا إكس” متاحةً لدى إطلاق الهواتف الجديدة التي كشفت عنها اليوم “نوكيا” خلال مؤتمر الجوال العالمي “إم دبليو سي 2014″ المقام حاليًا بمدينة برشلونة الإسبانية.

يُذكر أن تطبيق “بي بي إم” الذي يوفر العديد من أدوات التواصل مثل “مجموعات بي بي إم”، وخدمة “بي بي إم فويس”، و “قنوات بي بي إم”، يشهد منافسة شرسة من قبل تطبيقات التراسل الفوري الأخرى، وخاصة “واتسآب” الذي أصبح مؤخرًا يعمل تحت مظلة “فيسبوك” بعد صفقة استحواذ، وهو الذي يملك أكثر من 450 مليون مستخدم نشط حول العالم، وهو الذي سيدعم ميزة المكالمات الصوتية قريبًا، حسبما أعلن مؤسسه “جان كوم” اليوم.

ويبدو، وفقًا للمراقبين، أن “بلاك بيري” بدأت بإصلاح خطأها الماضي، ذلك أنها كانت ولفترة طويلة تحرص على جعل تطبيق “بي بي إم” حكرًا على أجهزتها وترفض إطلاقه لأنظمة التشغيل الأخرى، حتى قامت العام الماضي بإطلاقه لنظامي “أندرويد” و “آي أو إس”، وجعل التطبيق على هذه الأنظمة على قدم المساواة من النسخة الخاصة بأجهزتها.

تجدر الإشارة إلى أن “بلاك بيري” كانت قد أعلنت يوم الجمعة الماضي عن عزمها جلب ميزة “الملصقات” Stickers إلى تطبيق “بي بي إم”، لتجعله أهلًا للمنافسة مع تطبيقات التراسل الفوري التي تدعم هذه الميزة.

mwc 2014: LG G Pro 2 review

Big is beautiful, or at least that appears to be the case in the smartphone market as every manufacturer seems to be pushing supersized devices on us at a rate of knots, and the LG G Pro 2 is no exception.

The main feature on the G Pro 2 is its 5.9-inch full HD display, making it bigger than the phablet of choice, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, but smaller than HTC One Max and the huge Sony Xperia Z Ultra.

There's currently no word on price (spoiler: it won't be cheap) or whether the G Pro 2 will actually make it out of Asia, but we're keeping our fingers crossed that it will considering the success of Samsung's Note series.

As well as the big screen the G Pro 2 also has some other decent specs, including the 2.26GHz quad-core processor it's borrowed from the LG G2, 3GB of RAM, 16/32GB of internal storage and the latest version of Google's mobile platform, Android 4.4 KitKat.

LG G Pro 2 review

LG has stuck its own overlay on top of KitKat, but it's a relatively inoffensive offering adding some useful extra features to the handset.

The main addition is Mini View - a feature which sees the phone's screen shrink and shift to one side of the display, making it easier to use the G Pro 2 with one hand.

A quick swipe either left or right across the navigation bar and the screen minimises into a smaller area, allowing your thumb to reach all areas - you can even adjust the size of the Mini View window to suit your digits.

LG G Pro 2 review

You can still see the faded full size operating system running in the area of the screen which isn't taken up by Mini View.

Impressively there was no lag experienced during my play with Mini View, which is surprising as the G Pro 2 was rendering the same thing twice - once in Mini View and once in the full size faded area.

I can see this being a very useful feature and it trumps other phablets which may provide a keyboard floated left or right, but none shrink the whole user interface like the G Pro 2.

LG G Pro 2 review

That said, those with smaller hands will still struggle with the G Pro 2 as there's no getting away from the fact that it's a big handset and more often than not you'll probably want to use both mitts to steady the ship.

As with the G2 Mini, the G Pro 2 has inherited the rear volume and power/lock keys from the G2, and they are still pretty tricky to hit, especially here as you need to shuffle the phone slightly to get your fingers in the right place.

LG does offer a solution to this issue with its Knockon screen wake function, allowing you to wake up and lock the handset with a double tap of the screen (or notification bar if you want to lock it).

LG G Pro 2 review

The G Pro 2 takes things a step further though with Knockcode, allowing you to not only wake the screen by tapping it, but also unlock the handset in just a few finger presses.

Knockcode requires you to tap out a pattern of between 2 and 8 knocks in length, reducing your reliance on the rear keys while also improving security on your device.

I did find that the G Pro 2 didn't always register my knocks, which forced me at times to have two or three attempts at unlocking the smartphone.

LG G Pro 2 review

These errors could well fade with time as you adapt to the new functionality, or the system may be a little flawed. You'll have to wait until the in-depth LG G Pro 2 review to find out the answer to that one.

Even though the LG G Pro 2 is all plastic it still has a premium look and feel to it, although it's never going to match the all metal body of the One Max.

The metal mesh pattern applied to the rear of the G Pro 2 does provide some much needed grip, ensuring you have a tight grip of the mammoth mobile.

LG G Pro 2 review

The screen is bright and full of detail, making text easy to read and videos standout - this is a device you could easily watch a movie on, or play some intense Real Racing 3.

There wasn't a moment when the G Pro 2 appeared to struggle and it still performed perfectly when I opened up pretty much every app on it.

This performance also finds its way into the web browsing, loading mobile sites in a flash, while content heavy desktop websites appeared in just a few seconds over a decent Wi-Fi connection.

LG G Pro 2 review

You can also split the browser into two windows - with each taking up half the screen - in much the same way as Multi-Window does on the Galaxy Note 3, allowing you to view two websites at the same time.

This function isn't available with any other applications and I struggle to see the real appeal of this particular feature.

When held in two hands the G Pro 2 is easy to type on, if not a little top heavy, and if you've only got one hand free Mini View provides a handy way of tapping out a missive with relative ease.

LG G Pro 2 review

LG has done a lot of work on the G Pro 2's 13MP rear camera, which not only features the firm's new OIS+ (optical image stabilisation) technology, but also allows you to record in Ultra HD 4K quality.

If slow motion is more your thing then you can also record at 120fps with a full HD resolution, and the G Pro 2 will give you three slow motion speeds to choose from in post-production.

The new OIS+ tech means images will still come out crisp and clear even if you're on a bumpy bus ride, or just walking down the street.

LG G Pro 2 review

It also allows for better low light images, although I was unable to put this to the test in the brightly light demo area.

A clever camera feature you'll find on the LG G Pro 2 is something called "Magic Focus", which allows you to choose the depth of focus after taking a picture.

Want to focus on something in the foreground? No problem, just use the slider on screen to ensure the object in question is in focus, while the rest of the image is blurred.

LG G Pro 2 review

For all you selfie fans out there the G Pro 2 also has you covered, with a smaller viewfinder on screen when using the front facing camera allowing for a bright background to illuminate your face - smashing.
Early verdict

The LG G Pro 2 is a decent supersized smartphone and if it does manage to make it out of Asia then it will give the current crop of phablets a real run for their money.

The various camera enhancements will attract a certain crowd, while we could see the innovative Mini View crop up on rival devices as manufacturers look to squeeze every last bit of usability from their smartphones.

The LG G Pro 2 is definitely one to watch, and one to hope for.

Samsung Galaxy S5 owners will be able to use fingerprint authentication to pay with PayPal

Following Samsung’s official unveiling of the Galaxy S5 at Mobile World Conference 2014 in Barcelona, PayPal has announced it will be the first global payments company to support the device’s mobile fingerprint authentication technology. As a result, Samsung Galaxy S5 owners will be able to use their fingerprint, no passwords or logins required, to shop at any merchant that accepts PayPal on mobile and in-stores. The feature will be available in 26 markets, including Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, Russia, the UK, and the US, when the device launches on April 11.

As you can see, a simple swipe of the finger will let you log into your PayPal account to shop and pay while on the go. PayPal says it will provide a secure wallet in the cloud and won’t store personal information on the device. This might just end up being the killer feature Samsung is hoping for.

Nokia X is a phone made for India

The Finnish handset maker has finally unveiled its much talked of Android phone, the Nokia X, at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2014.

Nokia has launched a family Android phones with three variants--Nokia X, X+ and XL--at affordable prices. All three Nokia X variants are going to be low-cost phones with the Nokia XL expected to be priced around Rs.9,000. For now, the prices that have been revealed are: Nokia X for 89 euros, the X+ 99 euros and the larger LX carries a price tag of 109 euros.

Nokia X
Specs-wise, these are basic level phones. All three devices are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon Dual Core processor and are dual SIM. The Nokia X comes with 4-inch display, the X+ has a bit of more storage options and the XL variant comes with 5-inch LCD screen and and 5-megapixel rear and 2-megapixel front cameras.

The Nokia X phones do not come with pre-installed Google Play Services. As a result the Play Store isn't available on the Nokia X or Nokia X+. Though, Android apps can be downloaded through Yandex Store.

Once, Nokia was the leader of Indian mobile industry. Nokia feature phones used to be first choice of the Indian consumers. But it could not keep pace with the emergence of smartphones. Its competitors like Samsung, Sony and Micromax took away the markets from the Finnish handsets maker with innovative smartphones at affordable prices.

With affordable Android phones, the world's largest smartphone maker, Samsung, is dominating the Indian market. Even, the home grown tech company Micromax made a market for itself with range of affordable Android phones having great features.

With its budget prices and widely used Android OS, the Nokia X series of smartphones will target the consumers looking to upgrade themselves from feature to smartphones. As the smartphone market is growing in India, given its brand reputation in the country, Nokia phones are going to give its competitors a run for their money in the sub Rs.10,000 segment. An Android phone from the Nokia at affordable price will be a good deal.

Well aware of its advantageous positing in the price-sensitive Indian market, Nokia has listed the X series devices on its India website as coming soon just after unveiling the devices at the ongoing Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona.

Been: Feyenoord uitgesloten

    Zijn ontslag hing door de tegenvallende resultaten al weken in de lucht. Zondagavond laat viel het doek bij Racing Genk voor trainer Mario Been. Maandagochtend stond hij samen met het clubbestuur de pers te woord.

"Ik sluit mijn ogen niet voor de mindere resultaten", sprak Been op de persconferentie. "Tot dusver bleef ik het vertrouwen krijgen, maar ik wist dat het een keer voorbij kon zijn. Ik heb vanmorgen de spelers nog toegesproken en gevraagd om donderdag (tegen Anzji) een vervolg te geven aan het succes in Europa. Ik heb bij het weggaan applaus van hen gekregen. Misschien niet van iedereen even gemeend, maar toch. Het is nu aan hen."
Woord aan de spelers

Volgens Been is het woord nu aan de spelers. "De club heeft mij geslachtofferd, maar nu moeten de spelers laten zien dat ze uit het goede hout zijn gesneden. Dit is dezelfde ploeg als die waarmee we de beker wonnen en zo veel andere successen boekten. Ik hoop dat mijn ontslag de juiste steun is om weer op te bloeien en Play Off I te halen. Want ik wens deze club het allerbeste, uit de grond van mijn hart. Ik heb hier een enorm fijne tijd gehad, die ik zal koesteren. Ik zal hier zeker nog terugkeren."

Hij verwijt niemand iets. "Al hebben we misschien toch een aantal inschattingsfouten gemaakt bij de transfers."
Feyenoord

Been gaat nu goed nadenken over wat de toekomst zal brengen. "Meer aandacht aan mijn gezin besteden en daarna zullen we wel zien. Feyenoord is uitgesloten. Op basis van het verleden. Ik ben daar op een vervelende manier weggegaan. Dat was niet leuk. Is nog steeds niet leuk. Koeman heeft daar goed werk gedaan. Ze moeten nu op zoek naar een capabel iemand."

Vanavond in het Sportjournaal om 18.45 uur een reportage over het afscheid van Mario Been bij Racing Genk.

Live: Samsung unveils the Galaxy S5

It's official: Samsung finally revealed its Galaxy S5 smartphone at an event during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Along with the S5, Samsung provided the first look at three new wearables: the Gear 2 smartwatch, the lower-cost Gear 2 Neo that drops the camera and the Gear Fit fitness band.

The company did not provide details on pricing, but said all three devices will launch on April 11.

For the latest from the Samsung event, check out our updates below:

2:58 p.m.: All three devices will launch in 150 countries on April 11. No pricing details were provided. And with that, it's over. Thanks for joining us!

2:56 p.m.: Back quickly to the S5 and its heart rate sensor, the sensor is located on the back of the phone right under the camera. An image featured at the event shows a user placing their finger on top to measure their heart rate.

2:54 p.m.: The Gear Fit supports instant notifications, and offers simple functions such as alarm control and quick message reply. There's also a built-in pedometer. It will work with 20 Samsung Galaxy devices, says Park.

2:52 p.m.: Time for a closer look at the Gear Fit band, which actually looks smaller and much sleeker than either Gear smartwatch.

It includes a curved, Super AMOLED touchscreen display, and weighs 27 grams. Users can also swap out the straps.

2:50 p.m.: The Gear 2 also works as a standalone music player, and features a heart rate sensor like the S5.

Park says the Gear 2 will function with more phones, and includes infrared LED, so the watch can be used as a TV remote.

The Gear 2 Neo represents a lighter, less expensive version of the standard Gear 2. No pricing details offered yet. The watches will sync with 17 Galaxy devices.

As for the battery? It now lasts for three days, compared to one day for the original Gear.

2:47 p.m.: Samsung exec David Park takes the stage to discuss the Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch. He says the watch was designed with "simplicity and chic" in mind. The watch strap is free of any tech, so users can now change straps. Samsung offering black, brown and orange straps. There's also a Home button on the watch, just like the phone. The watch itself still looks pretty big on a user's wrist.

2:45 p.m.: The S5 adds a Kids Mode, which will include apps and games tailored toward children. A handy option for parents.

2:44 p.m.: The S5 will also include an Ultra Power Saving Mode, which transforms the color display into a black-and-white look, and shuts down certain features to cut back on battery use.

Ayme also details the fingerprint sensor, which users will be able to use with mobile payment services such as PayPal. It also unlocks a secure Private Mode for storing important pictures or items.

2:40 p.m.: The phone will include a Download Booster that lets people download media using LTE and Wi-Fi at the same time. Ayme says 1 GB can download in 30 seconds on the phone.
gear fit

Samsung's Gear Fit band.(Photo: Samsung)

2:38 p.m.: Ayme says the camera features an auto-focus that takes 0.3 seconds, an HDR Rich Tone that controls the exposure on images, and Selective Focus so users can choose what to focus on in a picture, similar in some ways to the Lytro camera.

2:35 p.m.: The big question for this beast of a phone: how's the battery? Ayme says the battery supports as much as 10 hours of Web browsing and 12 hours video playback.

2:32 p.m.: Ayme starts with the design of the phone. "In your hands, a smartphone has never felt better," he says. He's showing the perforated back panel, which he says makes the phone better to handle. It's available in four colors: black, white, blue and gold.

2:30 p.m.: Samsung exec Jean-Daniel Ayme is up next, offering more details on the Galaxy S5.

2:27 p.m.: Samsung not only confirmed the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches, but a new fitness band called the Gear Fit. It looks like the standard fitness band with a screen that takes up slightly less than half of the band space. Looks a bit bulkier than standard fitness bands.

2:25 p.m.: The smartphone will include additional layers of physical and digital security. Shin says the phone will include an upgraded version of its Samsung Knox security system, while device itself will be dustproof and waterproof. And it looks like they'll have a gold model, too.

2:23 p.m.: Shin holds up an S5, which will work on LTE networks. The back cover also boasts an interesting perforated pattern.

2:21 p.m.: Shin says consumers don't want "eye-popping technology" or tech that's too complex. He says they want a beautiful design, a device that's simple to use, stay connected and stay fit. Seems like he's setting up the themes behind the new phone.

2:18 p.m.: Samsung President and CEO J.K. Shin is on the stage. He says more than 200 million Galaxy smartphones have been sold to date.

2:15 p.m.: The band has stopped. Cue the video montage. Time to check out the new phone (and smartwatch).

2:14 p.m. ET: More details on the Galaxy S5 smartphone just announced by Samsung: it includes a 2.5 GHz quad-core processor and run on Android's latest operating system Kitkat. The phone will also feature a heart rate sensor, along with either 16 GB or 32 GB of storage, with the option to expand to 64 GB via microSD card. It launches worldwide this April.

2:08 p.m. ET: And just like that, Samsung has made it official. From USA TODAY's Ed Baig, the Galaxy S5 has been confirmed. It will feature a 5.1-inch screen, 16-megapixel camera, a fingerprint scanner, and it will be waterproof. It will also support mobile wallets. Meanwhile, the band plays on as we wait for Samsung's event to start.

Update at 2:01 p.m. ET: The Samsung event should get under way shortly. The company brought in a full orchestra to entertain the crowd before kicking off.

Our original post

Along with the usual upgrades consumers have expected from new smartphones, such as lighter, thinning frames and sharper displays, the device could also follow in the footsteps of Apple by adding biometric sensors.

In January, the company revealed it was exploring the addition of eye-sensing technology, but online reports are swirling that suggest a fingerprint sensor is more likely.

Samsung should also provide the first look at its updated Galaxy Gear smartwatches, announced over the weekend. The Gear 2 includes a 2-megapixel auto-focus camera on the body, a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED display and fitness features such as a heart rate monitor and pedometer.

Follow this page for the latest updates from Samsung's Galaxy event in Barcelona starting at 2 p.m. ET. Also, if you want to watch, Samsung will be streaming the event live from YouTube.

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Samsung Galaxy S4

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is finally here, taking its place at the top of Samsung's range and arguably as the face of Android itself.

There's been a lot of anticipation and hype, almost too much to live up to, but the Samsung Galaxy S4 is almost a year old and has faced incredibly stiff competition from the likes of the HTC One and the LG G2. Samsung is no longer the only big name in Android and the need for a shiny new flagship has never been greater.

Galaxy S5 and S4

That doesn't mean the Galaxy S4 is now redundant; it's still a great phone and still at the higher end of the market, if anything this will just open it up to new buyers. It's already down to around £350 SIM free and that price is likely to drop further once the S5 is in shops, which itself will probably cost at least £500. So before running out and buying the latest and greatest, read on to see just how it stacks up to the S4.
Screen

The Samsung Galaxy S4 has a 5 inch 1080 x 1920 Super AMOLED screen with a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch. In our review we said the Galaxy S4 had the best display you could find on a smartphone and it's certainly still up there.

Galaxy S5

The Samsung Galaxy S5 marginally ups the size to a 5.1-inch Full HD display and it's still Super AMOLED, so not a massive change. In fact if anything it's slightly less sharp as that extra 0.1 inch brings it down to 415ppi.
Design

One of the few aspects of the Galaxy S4 that we weren't so thrilled by was its design. While Sony experimented with glass and metal and HTC put everyone to shame with its aluminium unibody HTC One, Samsung stuck with plastic. It feels solid enough and the faux-metallic band around the edge gives it a touch of class but it just doesn't seem as premium as the competition.

Samsung Galaxy S5

The design has changed a little in the Galaxy S5. It's still plastic sadly, but this time the look is more industrial than inspired by nature and it feels more solid in the hand. At 142 x 72.5 x 8.1mm and 145g it's slightly bigger and heavier than the Galaxy S4, which is 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9mm and 130g.
OS

The Samsung Galaxy S4 already runs the latest version of Android (4.4.2 KitKat), so the two phones are identical in that sense. They also both use Samsung's TouchWiz interface and while the notifications bar and lockscreen have been changed for the Galaxy S5 on the whole they're not drastically different. But what changes there are seem to be for the better. For example, the notifications screen gives you quick access to more settings.
Battery

The Galaxy S4 has a 2600 mAh battery which gives it an above average amount of juice. We found that with medium to low usage you'll still have around 50% battery at the end of the day and even with heavy usage it should easily last you till you get in from work and can attach it to a charger.

Galaxy S5 battery

The Galaxy S5 has a slightly bigger 2800 mAh battery, and Samsung claims its better too, supposedly surviving up to 10 hours of web browsing or 12 hours of video. Obviously until we've put it through its paces we won't know for sure how true that is. If nothing else though it has an Ultra Power Saving Mode which shuts down all none-essential features and makes the display black and white to maximise its battery life.
CPU

The 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor and 2GB of RAM packed into the Galaxy S4 ensure it's slick and powerful, but it's since been topped by newer, faster processors, such as the 2.5GHz quad-core Krait processor found in the Galaxy S5. The S5 still sticks with 2GB of RAM.

Features

If anything the Galaxy S4 has feature-overload, with the likes of Air View, Air Gesture and Smart Scroll all sounding exciting on paper, but feeling a bit gimmicky in practice.

Galaxy S5 fingerprint

The new features added for the S5 sound rather more useful. The long rumoured fingerprint scanner made the cut. The Samsung Galaxy S5 is also IP67 certified dust and water resistant and has the ability to combine Wi-Fi and 4G to increase the speed of downloads.

heart rate

Fitness seems to be a big focus for the Galaxy S5 too, as Samsung's added a new version of its S Health app to the phone and the camera flash can double as a heart rate monitor if you leave your finger on it for around 8 seconds.
Camera

The 13-megapixel snapper on the Galaxy S4 is capable of taking great shots, but it's likely to be bettered by the 16-megapixel camera on the Galaxy S5. Aside from upping the megapixel count, the S5's camera also allows you to change the focus of shots after taking them. It can also take pictures in just 0.3 seconds and it's able to show the effects of HDR in real-time, so you can see how a picture will look before you take it.

Galaxy S5 camera

The Galaxy S4 can shoot 1080p video, but the Galaxy S5 again trumps it with its ability to shoot 4K footage and even the front-facing camera gets a little better, up from two megapixels on the S4 to 2.1 megapixels on the S5.
Security

The Galaxy S4 has the standard security features that we've come to expect from Android phones, such as a choice of a pin, password, pattern or face unlock.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 adds to the options with its fingerprint scanner which is on the home key. You just slide your finger downwards to use it. Not only can it be used to unlock your phone, but it can also provide access to private data and replace passwords.
Verdict
S5 and S4

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is undeniably still a great handset, but it looks set to take more of an upper mid-range position in Samsung's line-up now, making it a phone ideal for those who want a good all-round performer without paying top end prices.

The S5 meanwhile takes its place at the top of the range with the expected specs boost alongside a host of new features which make it a phone to be reckoned with. If you want the latest and greatest, this is it.


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جديد : جالكسي اس 5 ضد الماء و يقرأ نبضات القلب و بصمة الأصابع

كشفت شركة سامسونج للتو عن هاتفها الرائد الجديد “جالاكسي إس 5″ Galaxy S5، وذلك ضمن فعاليات المؤتمر العالمي للجوال MWC 2014 المقام حاليًا في مدينة برشلونة الإسبانية.

ويأتي الهاتف الجديد بمواصفات مرتفعة تُنافس الأجهزة الرائدة في الأسواق، حيث يملك شاشة من نوع Super AMOLED بقياس 5.1 إنش وبدقة عرض 1080p التي لا تختلف عن دقة العرض التي يقدمها الهاتف السابق جالاكسي إس 4.

ويأتي أسفل الشاشة الزر الرئيسي الذي اعتدنا أن نشاهده بأجهزة سامسونج، ولكنه يقدم هذه المرة مستشعر ضوئي لبصمات الأصابع، في خطوة تهدف سامسونج من خلالها لمنافسة بقية الشركات التي بدأت بإدخال مستشعر للبصمة مثل آبل و HTC، بالإضافة إلى الأزرار اللمسية على جانبي الزر الرئيسي، وهي زر للرجوع وزر لتعدد المهام.

وأما من حيث التصميم، فقد اعتمدت سامسونج على تصميم لا يختلف كثيرًا عن تصاميم أجهزتها السابقة، حيث يأتي الهاتف محاطًا بالبلاستيك ذو المظهر المعدني، مع منفذ USB 3.0 بغطاء يمنع تسريب المياه، كون الهاتف مقاوم للماء والغبار وفق معيار IP67، ويمكن غمره في المياه لمسافة متر واحد ولمدة تصل إلى 30 دقيقة.

DSC 0477 سامسونج تكشف النقاب عن هاتفها الرائد جالاكسي إس 5

وعلى الرغم من كون واجهة جالاكسي إس 5 الأمامية مألوفة قليلًا، إلا أن جهته الخلفية مختلفة بعض الشيء، حيث استبدلت سامسونج شكل الغطاء الخلفي بآخر يُشبه إلى حدٍ ما الغطاء الخاص بالحاسب اللوحي نيكسوس 7 الأول الذي صدر عام 2012، أي أن الغطاء يبدو وكأنه منقوش.

ويأتي الهاتف الجديد بأربعة ألوان مختلفة وهي الأسود والأبيض والأزرق والذهبي، ومن الواضح أن تغيير الخامة الخلفية للهاتف وعدم اعتماد سامسونج على الخامة الملساء أو الجلدية مثل نوت 3، جعلت منه تغييرًا جيدًا يحسب لصالح الشركة، كونه لم يعد واضحًا على أنه جهاز بلاستيكي رخيص.

ويعمل هاتف سامسونج الجديد بالنسخة الأخيرة من نظام تشغيل أندرويد 4.4.2 (كيت كات)، بالإضافة إلى واجهة المستخدم الخاصة بالشركة. أما على صعيد التطبيقات الموجودة داخل الجهاز، فرغم أن تقارير عديدة قالت أن سامسونج ستخفف من ضغط التطبيقات الموجودة داخل نظام التشغيل، إلا أنه لا يبدو ذلك، حيث يوجد بشكلٍ تلقائي تطبيقات مثل S-branded و S Voice وغيرها من التطبيقات.

كما يأتي الهاتف مع ميزة My Magazine التي تُشبه قارئ الخلاصات الشهير Flipboard، والتي شاهدناها للمرة الأولى على هاتف جالاكسي نوت 3، بالإضافة إلى تعديلات بسيطة على أشكال المجلدات واختصارات التطبيقات وحالة الطقس، وكذلك تعديلات عديدة على قائمة الإعدادات التي أصبحت تعتمد على الرموز المسطحة.

DSC 0508 سامسونج تكشف النقاب عن هاتفها الرائد جالاكسي إس 5

هذا وقد قامت سامسونج بزيادة الاهتمام بموضوع تطبيقات تتبع الصحة، حيث قدمت تطبيق S Health ومستشعر خاص لمعدل ضربات القلب موجود على الوجه الخلفي للجهاز. ويمكن لتطبيق S Health عمل مزامنة مع الأجهزة الجديدة القابلة للارتداء من سامسونج والتي كشفت عنها أيضًا ضمن الحدث، مثل سوار Gear Fit.

وعلى صعيد المواصفات العتادية الأخرى التي يقدمها الهاتف، فهو يملك معالج رباعي النواة مجهول النوع حتى الآن بتردد 2.5 جيجاهرتز، بالإضافة إلى ذاكرة وصول عشوائية سعة 2 جيجابايت، وهي سعة قد تكون قليلة في حال قارناها مع الأجهزة التي سبق وأن أعلنت عنها الشركة مثل جالاكسي نوت 3.

ويأتي الهاتف بكاميرا خلفية بدقة 16 ميجابيكسل قادرة على تصوير الفيديو بدقة 4K، بالإضافة إلى إمكانية معالجة الصور بتقنية HDR بالوقت الحقيقي، مع تعديلات على واجهة تطبيق الكاميرا الخاص.

ومن المقرر إطلاق هاتف جالاكسي إس 5 عالميًا خلال شهر أبريل القادم، على أن يكون متوفرًا حينها لدى جميع شركات الاتصالات في الولايات المتحدة، أما فيما يتعلق بسعر الهاتف، فلم تتحدث سامسونج عن ذلك حتى الآن.

ما هو رأيك بهاتف جالاكسي إس 5 الرائد والجديد من سامسونج؟ هل تعتقد أنه يستحق الاقتناء؟ أخبرنا رأيك ضمن التعليقات.
سامسونج تكشف النقاب عن هاتفها الرائد جالاكسي إس 5 by عمر بني المرجة

Samsung reveals global Galaxy sales numbers: 200 million served so far

Samsung revealed during its Samsung Unpacked keynote at MWC 2014 that it's sold 200 million Galaxy devices around the world so far.

The figure came from the mouth of Samsung's Head of Mobile Communications, President and CEO JK Shin, just before he unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S5.

"I truly appreciate the 200 million customers around the world who have chosen our Galaxy devices," Shin said.

Leading up to the Galaxy S5 reveal, he continued, "Our consumers do not want eye-popping technology or the most complex technology. our consumers want beautiful design and performance. Our consumers want a simple yet powerful camera. Our consumers want faster and seamless connectivity. And our consumers want a phone that can help them stay fit."

More Samsung Unpacked news

The presentation opened with a lengthy orchestra concert and an intro video that showed attractive-looking people working out, getting married and biking through New York while using Samsung products.

Samsung also took this opportunity to unveil the Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and the Samsung Galaxy Gear Fit.

But the company spent most of its time describing the new features of the Galaxy S5, with a focus on fitness and the phone's camera. Samsung Vice President of European Telecommunications Operations Jean-Daniel Ayme said it has the fastest auto-focus of any smartphone.

In addition, Samsung is upgrading the original Galaxy Gear to Tizen OS.

Keep checking TechRadar for all the latest new from MWC 2014 as the show goes on!

Samsung unveils Galaxy S5: Fingerprint reader, heart-rate sensor, 16-megapixel camera

Though the design of the device remains much the same as its predecessor, the Galaxy S4, the new model boasts a slightly larger 5.1-inch body with a high-resolution 1080p display, a 16-megapixel camera, and two crucial features that will have the enterprise cheering and Apple cursing: a fingerprint reader, and an in-built heart-rate sensor.

But for those expecting a radical redesign of the smartphone itself — sorry to be the bearer of disappointing news. Although a fraction larger and heavier due to its bigger screen and beefier array of include technology, it retains its plastic shell, casing and backing.

Powered by a 2.5Ghz Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor, its 2,800mAh removable battery is marginally improved over its older sibling, partially thanks to power-saving software that promises to almost double the device's battery life when it's running low. In one single charge, the Galaxy S5 will run for 21 hours and more than 16 days of standby.

It also includes a 16-megapixel camera that has a significantly faster autofocus, which Samsung touted as being three-times faster than the Galaxy S4, making once blurry photos now crisp and sharper than ever.

The Galaxy S5 can transfer significantly more data and faster through its USB 3.0 connection, which is handy for those who want to expand their storage with a micro-SD card of up to 64GB.
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    Samsung announces Tizen-powered Neo smartwatches

And it's all bundled together with the latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat operating system, as well as a bevy of health-related apps, Knox security software, and other features, including Siri rival S Voice.

More details on Knox will be shared on Tuesday. We'll have more when it lands.

Samsung's devices remain popular with consumers, but are increasingly growing on business and enterprise users.

Thanks to the inclusion of a fingerprint reader embedded in the home button in its latest flagship phone, it's certainly going to catch the eyes of bring-your-own-device (BYOD) customers.

Expect the Galaxy S5 to land in the same price-point range as the Galaxy S4, and it will arrive in the coming months.

We'll have more from the Samsung event throughout the day, including a hands-on review and a slideshow of close-ups snaps.

WMC 2014: Samsung Gear 2 review

The new Samsung Gear 2 is the watch that we were all expecting to happen at MWC, but it came with a few surprises along the way.

The biggest one is the fact it's running Tizen; or, as Samsung tells us, a Tizen-based OS for smartwatches. The distinction is largely irrelevant, as the upshot is a faster, more efficient and longer-lasting watch.

The new Gear 2, shorn as it is of the Galaxy name thanks to not coming with Android, is a much better device compared to the original thanks to some key upgrades.

Samsung Gear 2 review

The big one is the fact it's so much lighter compared to the first Gear, which tipped the scales over 70g where the Gear 2 is a lovely 68g. It might not sound like much, but in reality it makes a big difference.
Design

The overall construction of the Gear 2 has been engineered with the consumer in mind, that's for sure. Nearly every grievance we had with the first model has been answered in some form or another, and that starts with the construction.

The Gear 2 feels much slimmer, offered up in a 10mm form that makes it just feel much nicer on the wrist. While the camera remains for some reason, at least the module is no longer massive, and is instead embedded in the head of the smart timepiece itself.

Samsung Gear 2 review

This doesn't just improve the way it looks; it also means there's no need for a proprietary strap any more and users can customise the Gear 2 to their heart's content. Samsung is predictably selling the watch with some designer bands, but if you want to you can just shed the lurid plastic / rubber altogether.

The charging situation has been nullified somewhat as well - while there's no socket on the Gear 2 itself (boo) the charging cradle has been significantly reduced to make it look at least a bit better when being plugged in (woohoo).
Interface

There's very little new on show here with the Gear 2's interface, making it very much like the original Gear in most of the modes you'll use it in.

Samsung Gear 2 review

However, there's a lot more customisation on show than before, thanks to an increased synchronisation with the main Gear manager on your smartphone. For instance, you can take a picture of your shirt and have it as the background of your Gear 2, to really give that 'all in' flavour to the way you dress.

The wider range of clock faces definitely helps make this watch more appealing – while we don't have a price (it could still be extortionate) Samsung is looking to make something that users can actually get to grips with.

Samsung Gear 2 review

On my test unit, the swipe downwards motion no longer opens the camera, which will appeal to some people if it remains on the final retail version. This is now a redundant gesture on the homescreen, but still works in other apps and is a better way of moving through the menu system should you find yourself lost.

There's also a home button at the bottom, which you can double press and set to perform a multitude of functions, like take you to missed notifications or emails, or start your sports program.

The rest of the interface is business as usual, with the icons and the general operation barely touched at all. The same black and white Super AMOLED technology that was a strong feature of the original Gear pervades here, and simply tapping around will get you in and out of the watch. Or you can use the home button - your call, really.
Fitness

Being healthy is a big part of what Samsung's about at the moment, and as such the Gear 2 is there to pick up the pieces.

Samsung Gear 2 review

By being a fitness device, and allowing you to change the mode of exercising you're doing (running, walking, cycling and hiking are all included in the mix, meaning that the watch is able to keep a better eye on your calorie burn, which it does by calculating speed through the pedometer) you've got a much more comprehensive wearable for fitness.

Samsung Gear 2 review

There's a growing number of third party apps for fitness arriving for the Gear 2 as well, meaning in a few months your main fitness brand might have caught up with the trend. There will be over 100 apps at launch, but we're really excited to try the main fitness options to see how this works in our full Samsung Galaxy Gear review.

There's also an optical heart rate monitor that can fairly accurately check your heart rate when exercising or just wandering around. Given this is one of the best ways to train (monitoring your heart's output to make sure your body doesn't get over tired) this is a really nice feature to add in to bring health to the forefront.

Samsung Gear 2 review

It seems pretty accurate and quick to pick up your pulse, using a beam of light to check how fast you blood is pumping. It's more useful when running than generally sitting around, but a fun feature nonetheless.
Other features

The Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 features a number of nifty ideas that make the idea of owning a smartwatch that little bit more palatable. For instance, next to the camera there's an IR blaster, which means you control your TV without needing to hunt for the remote.

It's got the WatchON app embedded within the device so you can easily control what you need or type in number codes should they be required.

Samsung Gear 2 review

It will also be launching with an open SDK, so there should be a number of new apps in the mix as well.

Sadly this isn't a true Dick Tracy phone, despite what Samsung claimed with the earlier version, as the angle of the camera precludes a video chat.

However, the speaker and microphone have been moved off the strap and into the main body of the Gear itself to make it easier to hold a conversation, should you wish to look a bit crazy when chatting to the end of your arm.
Early verdict

The Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 is a good device - but not a great one. The improved 3 day battery life (6 if you really want to push it) is a good enough number for now , as charging is becoming expected - although the real winner is going to be able to make a battery that lasts for a month.

The Gear 2 is a strong, slick and really rather impressive little package - but the worry is why Samsung is being so cagey on the price.

This is worrying for a number of reasons, but the main one is it's likely that the cost is still high, that Samsung hasn't managed to get the cost down below that which it shipped the original Gear, and knows it will upset prospective customers.

But the Gear 2 is a strong smartwatch that moves in the right direction with fitness tracking too - and that's the kind of thing we can all get on board with, especially if the price is right (and should be on the Samsung Gear 2 Neo, which is a stripped down version of this watch and will likely be a little more popular as consumers vote with their wallets.
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WMC 2014: Samsung Gear Fit review

Samsung is betting big on fitness in wearables being a big deal in the next few years, and as such is releasing a number of products to appeal to a number of market segments.

Those not enamoured with the Gear 2 or Gear 2 Neo can opt for something altogether more understated: the Gear Fit.

This band is much simpler than Samsung's range of smartwatches, with its primary function being to let you track when you walk, run, cycle or hike – the latter of which Samsung seems a little obsessed with. It's surely just walking.

The big technological advancement here isn't the inbuilt heart rate sensor, nor the fact it's not running Tizen but Samsung's own proprietary wearables platform, but that it comes with a flexible OLED screen.

Gear fit review

This both looks and feel cool, although it's really disappointing that the device is covered in plastic and can't be bent and flexed – that surely would be the goal for fitness bands.

But the Gear Fit is still a cool device in its own right, coming as it does with a 1.84-inch curved screen and an inbuilt heart rate monitor to make sure your fitness efforts are on track.

Gear fit review

The single button on the top performs very few functions – its pretty much just a power key and allows you to turn the display on and off. While the battery life is quoted a 3-4 days, I'd imagine that was only when you're being vigilant and making sure you're not running the screen at every given opportunity.

The placement of this button is annoying though, as any mail with a modicum of arm hair (and likely a lot more) will find that pressing the key does yank at the follicles somewhat, which is unpleasant and can cause you to yelp in a very unmasculine fashion.

Gear fit review

The upside of using Samsung's own platform for this wearable is that it's less 'heavy' when it comes to day to day operation and facilitates that extra battery life – it could have been based on Tizen, I was told, but was changed as Samsung realised there wasn't a great need for it to integrate with the entire ecosystem.

The functions this Bluetooth 4.0 LE device can perform might be rudimentary, but they are all relevant and worthwhile. You can control media from the smartphone (with no onboard music streaming here, unlike the Gear range) and reject calls with a text message, the options for which you can set in the all new Gear Fit manager on your smartphone.

Gear fit review

The Gear Fit will be compatible with a 'wide range' of Galaxy smartphones, although Samsung wouldn't confirm which ones these would be.

With that in mind, the Fit will work as a smartwatch in that it will show you email, SMS and third party notifications and allow users who don't want to use a smartwatch to get all the same functionality.

Gear fit review

The other cool feature is the ability to set the wallpaper on the thin screen, be it from the inbuilt pictures or from the camera on your smartphone that you can crop down – meaning you can set it to match your outfit, if you're that way inclined.
Early verdict

We sadly don't know the price of the Galaxy Fit, but if it comes at a palatable cost then it could be a real winner in the fitness market.

The design is cool and quirky enough to be proud to wear it on your wrist, and the extra smartwatch-style functionality makes it a real contender in the wearables market.

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WMC 2014: Samsung to upgrade original Galaxy Gear to Tizen

The original Galaxy Gear is going to get a new lease of life as Samsung brings it in line with new smartwatches.

Bought the old Galaxy Gear and currently regretting your decision? Worry not – Samsung is going to bring you right up to date.

The new Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo both are using Samsung's new Tizen-based platform for its smartwatches, and as such a greater wave of developers have been signed up to create wrist-based apps.

There was a worry that there would be no love for the older model, but a Samsung spokesperson confirmed to TechRadar that the Android would be stripped out and replaced with the new OS.
TV no-go

There's no information when this will be happening, nor how the update would be delivered, but the change does mean that all the new Android apps would work on the older model.

Obviously the likes of WatchON, which uses the infrared blaster to control your TV, won't be carried over as the original device, but it could get a longer battery life as part of the less intensive system.

We're awaiting more details on when this change will happen, but it's good that Samsung isn't hanging those that adopted the Gear earlier and at a high cost out to dry.

WMC 2014: Samsung Galaxy S5 review

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is the latest challenger from the South Korean brand to launch into an ever more crowded market, but at least this time the phone has focused on what users might actually want rather than useless gimmicks.
The Galaxy S4 was a strong phone in spite of the insistence that being able to wave your hands over a phone or scroll with your eyes was a good thing.
The Galaxy S5 takes the DNA of that handset and improves on it in most areas. It's a quiet improvement though, which may disappoint a lot of people looking to see the world's highest-res display and an all new metal chassis, but it's one that at least delivers where consumers need it.

If you're looking for a phone that reinvents the smartphone again, in the same way the Samsung Galaxy S2, HTC Desire or iPhone 4 managed, you're going to be rather disappointed with what's on offer from South Korea.
However, if you're after a better camera, a brighter screen, a faster processor and a more solid design, then the Galaxy S5 will mostly deliver all you'd be looking for.

The company explained to me what it considered to be the core tenets it stuck to when creating the Galaxy S5, and they show a renewed focus over the predecessor: a better camera, faster connectivity for web browsing, personal fitness tracking, protection, and a 'modern and glam' look (its words, not mine).

Design

It's actually a little redundant to talk about all the technology inside a phone before dealing with the key question: does it look attractive?
Yes and no. You can't call it ugly, because Samsung does know how to put a phone together well. But at the same time it's the same tired story on the design front: taking some elements from the predecessor, adding in some bits from the current Note and calling it all new.

The 'metal' surround is almost identical to the Note 3, to the point I was looking for an S Pen to start poking out. But the back is the main change, and I'd go as far as saying it's lovely.
No more shiny plastic or laughable attempts to make it look like a leather notebook – while it is still plastic, it's a lot more grippable and feels a lot, lot nicer in the hand.

The overall construction is again more solid, but the device is markedly bigger compared to the Galaxy S3 and S4. There's a lot more Note DNA in the Galaxy S5 than ever before, that's for sure.
In fact, the design of the Galaxy S5 is one that evokes the S2 more than anything else, as it's more rectangular in shape. It's certainly a departure from the 'inspired by a blade of grass' creation of the S3.

But the main thing to answer is how it feels in the hand – and the good news is it feels solid, well made and less cheap than ever. Samsung will have disappointed many by not releasing a full metal version, and it's true that this isn't what I was hoping to see, but it's more than adequate.
The other big deal is that the Samsung Galaxy S5 is waterproof and dustproof to an IP67 rating, which means it's almost completely resistant to dust and waterproof to a depth of 1m for 30 minutes – more than enough time to fish it out when thrown down a toilet.

Yes, it's not a new trick, but the only port cover on show is the one holding the USB 3.0 socket closed – it's got a nice lip to it as well so it's very easy to open.
What's more impressive is that this phone still packs a removable cover and battery – while yes, it is a really fiddly cover to clip back on, to be able to access the power pack and microSD card slot is a really good move.

The only worry I've got, and it's a fairly big one here, is that the cover will show small gaps if you've not got it absolutely flush to the back and totally clipped in. It's very easy to miss a clip, which could make things a trifle wet if you throw it in a pint to impress friends.

Screen

With the screen on the Galaxy S5, once again Samsung was a victim of its own hype. We were all expecting a grand step forward, the first manufacturer to bring a 2K screen to the masses.
But it's just a Full HD Super AMOLED version, one that's actually a little less sharp in theory than before as it's now 5.1- rather than 5-inches, meaning it's down from a 441ppi to 415ppi on the new version.
It's not massive, but it is a drop when we were expecting something higher-res.

Ever since the Galaxy S2, Samsung has been faced with an impossible task: make its smartphones so great that they blow the world's collective mind time and again.
Since that phone, one of the handsets that like the HTC Desire and the iPhone 4 changed the expectation levels of the phone buying public, it's hard to say that it's come close to managing the same feat again.

The display shouldn't be sniffed at though. It's sharp, clear, and when placed next to the S4 is clearly a step forward in terms of Super AMOLED technology. Although Samsung wouldn't confirm it to me, I'd guess that there are more full pixels stuck in there – the colour reproduction was a step forward again, and movies looked so much better again.

Interface

Like the 2K display we were expecting big things from the new UI on the Samsung Galaxy S5, and there has at least been a bigger jump forward here.
The notifications bar is the biggest change that I could see, with the whole area looking a lot different to the standard version Samsung has employed with TouchWiz over the years.

There are now quick links to the likes of S Finder and Quick Connect, which allow you to theoretically move through the phone at greater speed.
The former is the same thing as Google Search, it seems, with more information drawn in from the web. It's the kind of thing you'd need to spend more time with to see if it fits in with your lifestyle, as it could either be a really quick way of flicking around or a waste of valuable screen space.

Quick Connect seems to make a little more sense, as it takes the best of things like AirDrop and AirPlay from Apple and moves them all into one place. You can also DLNA stream from here, and makes the Galaxy S5 a really connected hub of the home.

The settings button seems to have gone a bit mad though – now there's a massive long list of all the settings options (under the guise of being quick) but there appeared to be a number of repeated items here – definitely one to dig into further with the full review.

Fingerprint scanner

I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting Samsung to bring a fingerprint scanner to the mix for the Galaxy S5, as there were few signs that it had nailed the technology just yet.
In terms of what we've actually been given, it's a middling effort. On the one hand, the scanner is actually pretty accurate and gives an added level of security. On the other, you still have to wake the phone by pressing the home or power button before you can scan, which adds an extra step that Apple doesn't make you go through.

The action can be misinterpreted, as it's a straight scan down from the screen to the bottom of the home key, although I noticed its accuracy was pretty good right from the start.
It's a few steps behind Apple's decent integration of TouchID in the iPhone 5S, but miles ahead of the finger-based abomination on the back of the HTC One Max.

Couple that with the work Samsung has done to sign a deal with PayPal to offer payment security, and you can see why I'm pretty excited about this option.
The TouchID payment security extends only to iTunes purchases, so being able to shop the web and pay for stuff with your digit is truly forward-thinking.

I just hope it's not a subset of shops that can recognise you're on a Galaxy S5 with the ability to perform this task.

Camera

The camera on the Samsung Galaxy S5 is probably one of the most improved elements of the handset, and that's not because it's leapt forward to a 16MP sensor.
The megapixel count these days is largely irrelevant, but the hardware's ability to process and take pictures should be considered a much larger part, and Samsung has managed that well.

On the Galaxy S5 you've got a super fast autofocus that Samsung reckons can capture a photo in around 0.3second. We didn't have any fast running dogs to test this with, but every photo we took whirling the phone around seemed to come out largely blur free.
The other big news is real time HDR, which can give you a visual representation of what your picture will look like when high dynamic range is applied before pressing the shutter button. It works really well, and while there's a relatively high amount of graining present, the end result compared to the setting being turned off is huge.

Oh, and of course there's Selective Focus, which allows you to alter the focus of the shot after it's taken.
This looks like it's going to be big news in smartphones this year, but it looks a lot like a gimmick to me if the S5 is anything to go by, which is a shame when it's such a tough task for the phone to process.

You have to activate the mode specially, and then hope for a scene with movement in the background and a static object to focus on. Only then will you be able to press the shutter button and wait up to ten seconds for the Galaxy S5 to give you the option to move between different levels of focus in the shot.
It's something that could be an amazing feature if it was there as standard, but it's too convoluted to be anything other than an interesting feature to show friends down the pub.

Fitness tech

One of the key pillars of the Samsung Galaxy S5 is the fitness technology that's contained within it - and while it's going to be a big part of the phone's marketing, as well as a popular topic for all technology firms in the next year, it's not a standout feature.
S Health was something of damp squib on the Galaxy S4, and while S Health 3.0 on the S5 is a much better app, there's still not enough there to influence the buying decision.
The Galaxy S5 has a heart rate sensor, but that's under the flash of the camera and requires you to hold your finger on it for a few seconds to get a reading of your pulse.

Once that's logged you can see how your health is improving over time as your resting heart rate drops, but because it requires you to place your finger in a certain way each day it's not a passive system, which these things need to be.

The ability to track your calories in and out is also cool and helpful, but only if it's used properly. The only way to make this a successful system is to be completely devoted to it, and in reality things like the Gear Fit are a much better idea as they're always tracking for you.

Will it be a success?

Of course it will. This is Samsung we're talking about, and the unstoppable marketing machine means it could rebadge a carrot with a shiny screen and it would still get modest sales.
But that would do a disservice to this phone. The Galaxy S5 is the result of a company going back to the drawing board, scrapping the pointless gimmicks that so infuriated on the Galaxy S4 and bringing out a smartphone based on the tenets it reckons users really want.

And, to a degree, it's succeeded. The camera is much better, although refocus is something of a gimmick, and the overall construction is improved. There's part of me that's sorely disappointed that it doesn't have a 2K screen, but that would have killed battery life and been a marketing tool only.
The battery life looks to be pretty good - the 2800mAh battery is a little on the low side, but if the extra features work to extend the life by turning off unnecessary elements, then that will at least get you through the day comfortably.
What Samsung has produced is a phone that's devoid of any standout feature, an incremental update that's played it safe in order to make the the whole greater than the sum of the parts.

That's not necessarily a bad thing; nearly every part of the phone, from the UI to the camera to the battery life, has been enhanced in some way, making it a much better phone than the S4, but definitely not one you'd break your contract to upgrade to.
The problem perhaps isn't Samsung's, more the wider smartphone world: I've heard the word plateau bandied about a few times when discussing how phone power and innovation is increasing, and it's hard to point to where Samsung should have improved dramatically and hasn't.

But when a company with the scale and resources of Samsung makes a new phone, it should make a huge splash, and for the last couple of years it hasn't managed that.

Early verdict

If you read the few paragraphs above, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Samsung Galaxy S5 is a boring phone. It very much isn't - it's got lots of elements that users can dig into - but if you were hoping for something that provides a bar for the rest of the competition to aspire to, you'll be left wanting.
The Galaxy S5 has a great camera, strong screen, impressive packaging, a waterproof casing and a blazingly fast engine pumping things along.
But it doesn't have an amazing camera, incredibly battery life, stunning design or genuinely innovative feature, and that cause a few people to wait and see what the competition brings before deciding that this (likely pretty pricey) handset is for them.

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