Samsung Ponders Executive Shakeup As Galaxy S5 Sales Fall 40% Short Of Expectations

Samsung is looking long and hard at its top executive team with changes in mind, the Wall Street Journal reports, following Galaxy S5 devices sales that have underperformed company expectations by as much as 40 percent. The total sales for the S5, this year’s Samsung flagship device, are at around 12 million, compared to 16 million for the Galaxy S4.

As a result of the lacklustre performance, Samsung is said to be looking at stripping co-CEO and mobile leader J.K. Shin of his chief executive title, and putting him solely in charge of the mobile unit. Overarching mobile wing supervision would then fall to co-CEO B.K. Soon, who currently heads up Samsung’s home appliance and TV business, which continues to be a strong area for the Korean company.

A more unified management team could help bring together the various elements of Samsung’s business, including its recent SmartThings acquisition with its Galaxy line of devices. And while Samsung would indeed be simplifying its executive team, it wouldn’t be streamlining things entirely – a third co-CEO, Kwon Oh-hyon, who overseas the company’s semiconductor and display panel supply businesses, would reportedly remain where he is.

Samsung is said to still be selling strong in the U.S., but other key markets, including China, are seeing negative growth in new device sales. The firm needs to do something to shake up its mobile business – despite the fact that it’s still a market leader, short-term growth is trending downwards and mid- to long-term performance has seen stagnating sales at best.

Part of Samsung’s answer to this problem will reportedly be paring back its Galaxy line to simplify costs and choices for consumers. Diversification of its offerings to suit different sub-groups of market segments has helped Samsung grow its business in the past, but at this point, its ever-expanding lineup of devices could be doing more damage than good in terms of diluting the Galaxy brand overall, and leaving consumers unsure of where to look in choosing their next hardware upgrade.

Article resource:  Samsung Ponders Executive Shakeup As Galaxy S5 Sales Fall 40% Short Of Expectations

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs iPhone 6 Plus: Optical Image Stabilization comparison

Both Samsung and Apple scored a first with their new phablets: Optical Image Stabilization. That's right, both the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and the iPhone 6 Plus are equipped with the gizmo, promising to minimize and correct for shake and tremor during video capture. 

Sure, an OIS module's usefulness extends beyond just video – if the software is optimized for it, it'll also free up the camera to go for slower shutter speeds, and that's beneficial when shooting in dark environments, as the tiny sensor can use any help it can get taking in as much light as possible. This is achievable, because the stabilizing contraption will essentially nullify tremor in your hands (yes, they tremble even if you think you're keeping perfectly still), and thus, side-step blur. In other words, while OIS is, strictly speaking, hardware, it is of little use if it receives no proper support from the camera software. 

Starting with Samsung, the company calls its particular implementation "Smart OIS", which is just a marketing term that refers to the joined efforts of the aforementioned widget and Digital Image Stabilization on the software side. Much the same arrangement is also true with the iPhone 6 Plus – OIS is implemented alongside software stabilization, which Apple chose to call Cinematic Video Stabilization.

So how do these two handle themselves, and is one better than the other? The truth is that they're about equally good in stabilizing shaky footage, but they different in terms of the kind of scenarios they handle best. For example, in our experience, the Note 4 was better at minimizing small to medium amounts of shake, while the iPhone 6 Plus outdid it when real jerky movements were involved (arguably less common). Even with that distinction, though, we still think that we have a situation close to a stalemate at our hands, but we ended up liking the Note 4 just a bit more. Take a look.

 

Article Resource:  Note 4 vs iPhone 6 Plus: Optical Image Stabilization comparison

Reminder: Samsung Galaxy Note 4 pre-orders open from today

As announced by T-Mobile a few days back, the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is now available to pre-order for delivery by October 17. It costs $749 full retail, or $0 down and $31.24 per month on EIP.

In my eyes, Samsung Galaxy Note 4 is easily the best looking, and best-built Samsung device on the market. Perhaps the best Samsung device ever. And as someone who traditionally isn’t impressed by Sammy, that’s high praise. The metal frame and soft-touch back combine perfectly to give you a device that not only feels sturdy and durable, but comfortable too. And that QuadHD display blows the LG G3 out of the water in terms of color accuracy and sharpness. It’s Fantastic.

Important feature of Samsung Galaxy Note 4: 

l  Dive into a brilliant 5.7" Quad HD Super AMOLED^® display

l  Do more with the most instinctive and precise S Pen^™ ever

l  16 Megapixel Camera 16 Megapixel Camera with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)

l  Take selfies to new heights with a 3.7MP "touch-free" front-facing camera

l  Get more than ever out of your battery with Ultra Power Saving Mode and Adaptive Fast Charging technology

“T-Mobile Samsung Galaxy Note 4 pre-orders will actually ship on October 17th when the device launches nationwide.  Are you pre-ordering a Note 4, or has Apple got your money this year?

Head on over to the Galaxy Note 4 product page to pre-order.

Best Samsung Galaxy S5 Cases: Pick Your Favorite

Samsung Galaxy S5 gets its Official reveal At MWC 2014 two months ago and enjoyed strong sales on launch day, which set a new record for Samsung Electronics for launch day sales beating the achievement of the Galaxy S4 by over 30%. Just bought a Samsung Galaxy S5 or planning on buying one? If so, you should not miss the best Samsung Galaxy S5 Cases we collected for you.

1:  Belkin 2-In-1Wallet Folio Galaxy S5 Case ($39.99)

As all we know, Belkin always offers high-quality phone cases. And today I will still put it in the first position. Belkin 2-In-1 Wallet Folio Galaxy S5 Case comes in four different color combinations, including Azalea /Fiesta, Ink/Lavender, Black/Gravel and Lagoon/Ink. This folio can Snap your Galaxy S5 into the inner hard shell frame for full back protection and close the outer cover to protect the front. A soft microfiber inner lining keeps your screen safe from scratches, and the tab has a magnetic snap to keep everything in place.

The case also has three card slots, so if you need to, you can ditch your whole bag and only carry the essentials. In addition, they've added a vertical pocket for notes, cash or business cards.

2:  Rock UI Smart App Transparent Window Flip Case Cover for Samsung Galaxy S5

Features:

1. This high-quality case is compatible with Samsung Galaxy S5
2. Simple design. Stylish, fashionable and Smart. Ultra-thin flip design gives you excellent experience;
3. Extra-strong quality leather material; Built-in three card slots are convenient and practical to use.
4. Protect your phone from Scratches, Dusts, Collisions and Abrasion;

3:  GalaxyS 5 Wireless Charging S-View Flip Cover  ($69.99) 

This Samsung official case adds wireless charging to your phone’s arsenal of abilities and the intelligent S-View feature lets users read messages, answer calls, listen to music and take pictures without needing to open the case. This case is available in black and white.

4:  GriffinSurvivor Clear Case ($29.99) 

Survivor Clear is crystal-clear polycarbonate married to tough, resilient TPE rubber at edges and corners, to give your S5 impact protection where it needs it most. And holding it feels great, thanks to a slightly curved silhouette. The company claims your Galaxy S5 can survive a 6-foot drop onto concrete without enduring any damage. Anyway, I don’t hope that happened in your real life.

There are also other Cases for Samsung Galaxy S5 and I will update it later. Now just choose your best one to protect and decorate your phone. 

Hello, My Dear Readers

Hello My Dear Readers,

Long time no see, isn't it? I'm pretty excited to announce that the samsung-center.blogspot.com will continue to offer you the latest news, tips and apps for Samsung/Android smartphone and tablets from today.

I feel that Blogger is still a great community and that’s why we choose continued to offer high-quality content to all of you. Any advice, shares and comments are welcomed.


A Big Thank You For All Your Support! 

How to Download Pandora Music on Your Android Device

Two months ago, I have written an article which shows you 5 best Free Music Downloader App for Android and Today I will continue to introduce you how to download Pandora music on android. We all know that Pandora is a website that provides streaming Internet radio and let you plays music you'll love. Many people can listen to music radio through Pandora but are not able to download them for offline listening. I am a lucky dog. I've found an even easier way to do Pandora music download. There are the top 3 Pandora music recorder and downloader tools:

1.  Streaming audio recorder
All you need is the Streaming Audio Recorder. It is a professional audio recorder for music lovers to record any audio and music on Windows OS, including Pandora.

The program could detect and record music automatically and help you record streaming music from Pandora freely. If you have a Mac, just check the streaming audio recorder for mac.

2.  Orbit Downloader
It’s a video downloader running on Windows computers and is free to download. As reported, the Orbit Downloader can download music from almost any social music websites including Pandora.

3.  Free Music Zilla
The music downloader also is a free one and is designed in specialty for Pandora music downloading.

After downloading Pandora music on your pc, you can share files instantly from your pc to android phone or android tablets. So, what’s your choice? If you have any other good idea about download Pandora music, please show with us.

41-Megapixel Nokia Lumia 1020: Everything (we think) we know so far

Which phone has been your favorite so far? Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One or iPhone 5? Certainly these devices are so hot and sell well around the world. It means a lot but it doesn’t mean everything. Now you have a new choice. How about Nokia's new Lumia 1020? Ahead of the formal announcement in New York on Thursday, details are leaking about the Finnish company's latest device for the U.S. market. Nokia Lumia 1020 is getting a lot of attention for its impressive 41 MP camera. Here’s what we know:

1.  Specs
The device will have a 4.5-inch display and quad-core microchip. It features optical image stabilization, an FM radio, near-field communication tech, 2GB of memory and 32GB of non-expandable flash storage, per the previous link. Oh, and wireless charging will be an option.

2.  Color – Yellow, Black and White
According to Windows Phone Central, Nokia Lumia 1020 will come in white, yellow and black colors.

3.  Mobile Name – Lumia 1020
Over the weekend, Microsoft Windows Phone manager Joe Belfiore posted on Flickr a series of sample images from different Lumia Windows Phones — two of which were shot with a phone tagged as the "Lumia 1020." So this smartphone will launch as the Nokia Lumia 1020. And it will be a Windows Phone, per this unconfirmed press photo and unconfirmed field photo.

4.  Camera – 41 Megapixels
Its differentiating feature will be a camera. Nokia gave us "41 million reasons to zoom in" a few weeks ago, and the company in February introduced a 41-megapixel camera. That was followed by a Guardian report saying it would be taking that tech to Windows Phone handsets.

Additionally, the Lumia 1020 will use Nokia’s Pureview sensor (also featured on the 920 and 808) to take high quality images in low light situations.  The 1020’s camera is also expected to include sophisticated (if not new) photography options like: Optic Image Stabilization, LED and Xenon flash, a “lossless zoom” feature, and settings for ISO, white balance, manual focus, and shutter speed. Its camera "takes the image in 32MP and 5MP at the same time in 16:9," according to Windows Phone Central, and "shoots 38MP in 4:3."

Rumors have also been circulated that the Lumia 1020 has appeared on AT&T’s inventory list.  This all but confirms that the device will be officially announced and demonstrated this Thursday, and indicates we’ll most likely be able to buy it within the next month.