Galaxy Note 4 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Fri, 18 Aug 2017 09:48:31 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Galaxy Note 4 | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 10,000 Galaxy Note 4 batteries are being recalled due to overheating risk https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/10000-galaxy-note-4-batteries-are-being-recalled-due-to-overheating-risk/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/matthew-wilson/10000-galaxy-note-4-batteries-are-being-recalled-due-to-overheating-risk/#respond Thu, 17 Aug 2017 17:44:20 +0000 https://www.kitguru.net/?p=344023 Last year, Samsung had a major blunder with the Galaxy Note 7, which was recalled and eventually scrapped over issues with the battery catching fire. It seems this experience has spurred companies into being a bit more cautious going forward as today, it was announced that a network offering ‘refurbished’ Galaxy Note 4s would be …

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Last year, Samsung had a major blunder with the Galaxy Note 7, which was recalled and eventually scrapped over issues with the battery catching fire. It seems this experience has spurred companies into being a bit more cautious going forward as today, it was announced that a network offering ‘refurbished’ Galaxy Note 4s would be recalling 10,000 batteries.

Several years after its initial release, there is a scare around 10,000 Galaxy Note 4 batteries that could run the risk of being defective. As a result a recall is being issues. This only seems to affect a small number of devices in the US, which were ‘refurbished’ via AT&T’s insurance program and then handled by the FedEx Supply Chain. Some of these refurbished phones ended up with ‘counterfeit’ batteries, which are not suitable for use.

This isn’t really a Samsung issue, as the company isn’t the one refurbishing the affected phones. Instead, this is a case of AT&T and FedEx choosing a bad provider of batteries for its refurbishment program. However, since the Galaxy Note 4 comes with an easily replaceable battery, the switch should be easy and painless.

FedEx is currently sending out replacement batteries as well as shipping materials for customers to send their old batteries back. In a statement given to The Verge, a Samsung spokesperson rightly put the blame on FedEx for this issue:

“FedEx Supply Chain is conducting this recall of non-genuine Samsung batteries as some of them are counterfeit. The refurbishment program was managed by FedEx Supply Chain and operated independently of Samsung. Any affected owners should contact FedEx Supply Chain”.

KitGuru Says: At least this time around, the Galaxy Note blunder had absolutely nothing to do with Samsung itself. Hopefully the upcoming Galaxy note 8 launch will go as smoothly as the Galaxy S8 launch did.

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Samsung Gear VR headset to launch in December https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/samsung-gear-vr-headset-to-launch-in-december/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/generaltech/matthew-wilson/samsung-gear-vr-headset-to-launch-in-december/#comments Mon, 17 Nov 2014 12:25:00 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=222067 Samsung showed off its upcoming Gear VR headset last month and now we know when consumers will finally be able to get their hands on one. The headset, which was designed by Oculus, will be available to purchase from December onwards. The Gear VR Innovator Edition will pair up with Samsung Galaxy Note 4 devices …

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Samsung showed off its upcoming Gear VR headset last month and now we know when consumers will finally be able to get their hands on one. The headset, which was designed by Oculus, will be available to purchase from December onwards.

The Gear VR Innovator Edition will pair up with Samsung Galaxy Note 4 devices and will begin shipping in the US next month for $199. However, there will be a bundle that includes a Bluetooth gamepad for $249.

“The Innovator Edition, much like the Oculus Rift Development Kit, provides developers and enthusiasts everything they need to build and experiment with the platform before the hardware and software are ready for consumers”.

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The Oculus post goes on to say that “there are numerous made-for-VR apps that will ship for Gear VR over the next few months”. The Gear VR headset does come with some limitations, it is only intended for short burst use, buyers will have to own a Galaxy Note 4 as it utilizes the screen and then there is battery life, which will likely limit you to a couple of hours worth of use in one day.

The headset does come with adjustable lenses, paired with the Note 4's gyrometer and accelerometer, which track head movement. John Carmack has previously noted that getting VR to work on a mobile device is a tricky task, Oculus ran in to many problems while developing Samsung's headset.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: This is technically the first commercial Oculus product to hit the market. However, due to limited device compatibility and power limitations, I find it hard to imagine that mobile VR headsets are going to take off any time soon. Those of you who are still waiting on the consumer version of the Oculus Rift, you'll be happy to hear that it is apparently only months away from release. Have any of you guys tried out Virtual Reality yet? What did you think?

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Nvidia responds to Samsung counter lawsuit https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/tablet-pc/matthew-wilson/nvidia-responds-to-samsung-lawsuit/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/tablet-pc/matthew-wilson/nvidia-responds-to-samsung-lawsuit/#comments Wed, 12 Nov 2014 13:50:18 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=221563 Two months ago, Nvidia filed patent lawsuits against both Samsung and Qualcomm, claiming that the two companies used patented GPU technology without permission or compensation. In response, Samsung has launched a counter-lawsuit against Nvidia but it looks like the graphics chip maker was expected this to happen. In a post on the official Nvidia blog, …

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Two months ago, Nvidia filed patent lawsuits against both Samsung and Qualcomm, claiming that the two companies used patented GPU technology without permission or compensation. In response, Samsung has launched a counter-lawsuit against Nvidia but it looks like the graphics chip maker was expected this to happen.

In a post on the official Nvidia blog, David Shannon wrote: “we weren't surprised when, earlier this week, Samsung filed a lawsuit against us. Their action, filed in Virginia, focuses on eight patents. NVIDIA is alleged to have violated six.”

The Samsung suit includes a false advertising claim alleging that Nvidia's statement that the “SHIELD tablet with its Tegra K1 processor, has the ‘world's fastest mobile processor' is false and misleading. Additionally, the Korean phone maker believes that the Exynos5433 is faster on certain benchmarks:

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The above benchmark results are from Nvidia's own tests, which featured a standard ‘out of the box' Shield tablet and shows it beating out the Galaxy Note 4.

Unfortunately, Samsung is also suing another company known as Velocity, a small Virginia based customer of Nvidia. The blog notes that this is “unfortunate” as it is not Velocity's fight. However, the reasoning behind this is an attempt to keep the suit based in Virginia, which has a “faster time to trail than most jurisdictions in the United States”.

Nvidia finishes off its blog post by stating that Samsung's counter-lawsuit does not change its analysis or determination to win the patent dispute. The original lawsuit against Samsung and Qualcomm will go forward as planned.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It looks like this lawsuit is going to keep on escalating, it is also a shame that a smaller company has been caught in the crossfire in an effort to speed up a trial. What do you guys make of this? 

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Samsung Gear VR cannot work for more than 25 minutes https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/anton-shilov/samsung-gear-vr-cannot-work-for-more-than-25-minutes/ https://www.kitguru.net/peripherals/anton-shilov/samsung-gear-vr-cannot-work-for-more-than-25-minutes/#comments Thu, 09 Oct 2014 18:33:08 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=215900 Samsung’s Gear VR virtual reality headset will be the first new-generation VR gear that will make it to the market ahead of Oculus VR’s Rift as well as Sony’s project Morpheus. Unfortunately, in its current form the devices has a limitation that could make it rather useless for core gamers. At present Samsung allows end-users …

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Samsung’s Gear VR virtual reality headset will be the first new-generation VR gear that will make it to the market ahead of Oculus VR’s Rift as well as Sony’s project Morpheus. Unfortunately, in its current form the devices has a limitation that could make it rather useless for core gamers.

At present Samsung allows end-users to try-out the Gear VR in its stores in South Korea. According to Asia Today, which visited one of the company’s shops, Samsung does not allow to use its Gear VR sample for more than 25 minutes due to overheating issues. A signage in the store recommends to use the device for 25 minutes, then let it cool-down for five minutes and then continue.

Keeping in mind that the GearVR is based on the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 smartphone, which consumes a lot of energy because of its high-performance system-on-chip and large screen, it is not surprising that it overheats when used heavily for prolonged periods of time. Since neither Gear VR nor the handset feature active cooling, the smartphone can even malfunction because of overheating.

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Samsung officially does not comment on the product that has not been released yet, but keeping in mind that the Gear VR is due to hit the market later this month the limitation of 25 minutes continuous work will likely remain in commercial versions as well.

Typical core gamers can play their favourite titles for hours and making five minute breaks every half an hour will greatly ruin overall user experience.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Given the lack of VR content for Google’s Android operating system, the 25-minute limitation does not seem to be the key drawback of the Gear VR platform. However, if Samsung and Oculus VR manage to make Gear VR work like Oculus Rift (Samsung would rather want it, but Oculus VR will barely want to create a rival for its own VR headset), then the limitation will become a key concern.

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