Samsung Patents Reveal Future Features

The patent wars. Yes, it is just as real as the browser wars, and all other tech wars out there. It is nothing new either, with mobile companies suing each other left and right in past few years. It even reached a point when we needed a graphical representation of companies suing each other, as we couldn’t keep track of things any more!

According to mobile analyst Chetan Sharma, though, the future is looking bright for Samsung. At least in terms of patents received. We know just how dynamic the mobile market is, and it is imperative for companies to make sure that they hold the intellectual property rights to potential money-making technology. If they want to survive, that is.

And when it comes to hoarding patents and keeping them sacred (so the competition can’t pull one on them), Apple and Samsung are at the forefront of the battle. Sharma took a look at the patent world in the United States and Europe, and found out that Samsung has gained an advantage over its main competitor. According to his report, there were more than 7 million mobile patents awarded in those areas in 2012. That’s a whole lot of patents, but they didn’t all go to Apple and Samsung, obviously. Brands such as Sony, Microsoft, RIM, LG, Qualcomm, Ericsson, Panasonic, Alcatel-Lucent, and Nokia are still active in this regard, although to a lesser degree.

Among some of the patents are gentle hints at the features and new UI’s we’ll likely see with the Samsung Galaxy SV and other key new phones. For example-the patent below shows how Samsung intends to visualise folder management for future phones.

When applications are grouped in a folder they appear stacked on the main app screen. Folders can then be opened by tapping on the folder or by pinching the folder to open a pop out screen with the folder contents. Within the folder you can then scroll vertically. The focus on this and some of the other recent patents seems to be multitasking. An area BlackBerry have marketed heavily with the new BlackBerry Z10.

What does this mean for the future? For consumers, this might just mean that we will be seeing better products from Samsung in the future. Having gained mobile patents for God-knows-what, and considering its constant struggles with Apple, Samsung will probably go all out to attract mobile gadget enthusiasts to their corner. Seeing quite a handful of people switching from Apple to Samsung phones in my circle, I can’t help but be curious. Still, I don’t believe that that Apple will lag far behind, patents or not. After all, it still has one of the most brilliant designers alive.

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Samsung And Mozilla Creating Servo – New Android Browser

Samsung and Mozilla are not exactly a pair that comes to mind immediately, but they have come together for a new project. Something that will, in all likelihood, only fuel the browser wars. Early this month, Mozilla made an announcement that serves to support their mission to advance the Web as a platform for all. And with that announcement came the revelation that they have partnered up with Samsung to create a new Android browser.

Meet Servo

Servo is the name of the advanced technology Web browser engine that the project revolves around. From the blog post:

We are now pleased to announce with Samsung that together we are bringing both the Rust programming language and Servo, the experimental web browser engine, to Android and ARM. This is an exciting step in the evolution of both projects that will allow us to start deeper research with Servo on mobile. Samsung has already contributed an ARM backend to Rust and the build infrastructure necessary to cross-compile to Android, along with many other improvements.

If you’re a programmer, you can find out more about Rust and Servo from GitHub. For average Joes like me, read on without clicking.

Why the collaboration?

There is no doubt that something interesting and ultra useful can come out of this project. Two big names coming together with the aim of delivering a browser that might very well change the way we surf on our mobile devices – that is something every tech enthusiast can look forward to!

But there is another noteworthy angle to look at. Why should Samsung and Mozilla partner up when Samsung is pretty much good with Android? More so, Mozilla is creating its own mobile OS. On the surface, it doesn’t seem to make sense for the two entities to strike a deal, does it?

If you think about it, though, Samsung is rather dependent on Google – thanks to its dependence on Android. And if rumors are to be believed, Google is not that happy with how Samsung is dominating the Android market. Things could very well turn sour in the future. And that’s where a new partnership, which could lessen Samsung’s dependence on Google, comes in handy. Now it makes more sense!

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Samsung Intros Galaxy Mega Devices With Two New Phablets

Samsung must really believe in the phablet market as the company has announced the arrival of two new oversized devices. The company on Thursday said it has added Galaxy Mega devices to its phablet series. If you are unfamiliar with phablet’s they are sized between a phone and a mini-tablet, hence their naming convention.

According to Samsung the devices will come in 5.8-inch and 6.3-inch screen sizes with differing specs built on the model chosen.

Samsung says the devices will be sold globally “beginning in may for Europe and Russia.”

The Samsung Mega devices will feature dual-core chipsets, making them less robust than the Galaxy Note II and its quad-core chipset.  That fact points to cheaper devices for acquisition, although Samsung has not provided pricing at this time.

In a message to customers Samsung describes the Mega phablets as such:

The newest addition to the GALAXY family balances an optimal viewing experience on a 6.3-inch HD screen, yet is ultra-thin and portable enough to put into a pocket or hold in one hand. The GALAXY Mega offers a mix of popular smartphone and tablet features such as an effortless user experience, a split screen, multitasking between video and other apps and more.

JK Shin, CEO of Samsung’s mobile business adds:

“We are aware of a great potential in the bigger screen for extensive viewing multimedia, web browsing, and more. We are excited to provide another choice to meet our consumers’ varying lifestyles, all while maintaining the high-quality features of the award-winning GALAXY series.”

The move closely follows Samsung’s strategy of releasing devices for every consumer preference and price range. The company offers low-end devices for developing nations all the way to high end devices preferred in other parts of the world.

Samsung’s move to larger displays was seen as a gamble when the company first proposed then enacted the move, since that time Apple has increased its screen realty and other device manufacturers have been quick to follow suit.

Here is a first look at the Samsung Mega 5.8-inch:

And here is the Samsung Mega 6.3-inch:

 Both devices come packed with Samsung’s software suite of applications which include S Travel, Story Album, Group Play, Samsung WatchON, and various other options.

On the 6.3 inch Mega side the device also features full HD alongside 4G/LTE connectivity and a 1.7GHz dual-core chip. On the 5.8-inch display users receive a QHD display, HSPA+ and a 1.4GHz dual-core chip. Both devices also take advantage of an 8 megapixel rear camera and a 1.9 megapixel front-facing lens.

Both devices ship with 1.5GB RAM and offer internal memory choice of 8GB/16GB (6.3-inch) and 8GB for the smaller device.

With the larger screen also comes a larger 3,200 mAh battery compared to the other devices 2,600mAh option.

Samsung is shipping both devices with Google Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and Samsung’s TouchWiz UI.

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