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

Top 5 hottest smartphones in the summer of 2013

So, you want to buy a new phone this summer? If you're looking for the best smartphone in the summer of 2013, you've come to the right place. On the market today there are so many smartphones with different powerful configuration and choose a phone these days is really difficult. To help you pick a smartphone that matches your needs, we will guide you through the hottest Top 5 smartphones 2013 to save you time when you go to your local phone shop. You can also check my article which show you best Samsung Smartphone you can get now.

Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung Galaxy S4 is the most powerful smartphone ever, CNET says. And that is why we put the device in the first place. The Galaxy S4 boasts a larger screen -- now topping out at 5-inches – plus it’s faster, more durable and with a longer-lasting battery for all-day performance. It has Android 4.2.2, a fantastic 13-megapixel camera, a powerful quad-core processor, and powers with a lot of new features, such as Eye-tracking and gestures, Multi window, Group Play and so on. It's also comfortable in hand and has NFC, a user-replaceable battery, and a microSD storage slot. We love it, honestly. So, how about you?

HTC One

HTC One, The most beautiful phone on the market and it is the best android htc phone. The HTC One flaunts a stunning metal design, powerful quad-core processor, and a beautiful 4.7-inch 1080p screen. It runs on HTC’s new Sense 5, takes great pictures with its 4-megapixel "Ultrapixel" camera, and has a feature-packed camera app. One of Sense’s more memorable features is Blinkfeed, which puts a Flipboard-like news hub on your homescreen. In addition to the familiar grid of app icons, your phone greets you with a tiled view of social and news feeds. But the phone lacks SD expansion slot and user replaceable battery.

Apple iPhone 5

With exquisite attention to detail and wonderful design, the iPhone 5 is master of the largest mobile ecosystem around. A larger 4-inch display gives the extensive range of apps more space than ever before and it'll still fit comfortably in one hand. Along with its powerful new A6 chip, iPhone 5 works on 4G/Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks for wireless speeds that rival your home's broadband connection. iPhone 5 also has improved cameras: an eight-megapixel iSight rear-facing camera (3264 x 2448 pixels) and front-facing FaceTime camera with 720p HD quality for video calling. Apple’s iOS 6 is a rock-solid platform with hundreds of features, easy navigation, smooth synchronization with iTunes and iCloud, and of course, access to the App Store and more than 800,000 downloadable apps.

Nokia Lumia 920

As the flagship Windows Phone 8 device, Nokia’s Lumia 920 has a lot to offer, including a colorful Start screen with "live tiles"; familiar Microsoft apps like Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint; and a People hub that aggregates all your contacts into one page per person. The star of the show is the 8-megapixel rear-facing PureView camera. Along with exceptional low-light performance - taking in up to five times more light than other smartphone cameras -- this Windows Phone 8 device offers optical image stabilization and support for a number of filters, special effects and other fun things you can do with your photos. So if you are camera lovers, the Lumia 920 is your best choice.

Sony Xperia Z

The Sony Xperia Z is the first Sony Mobile device of recent years that really gets it right. Xperia Z is a gorgeous 5-inch water-resistant Android device with a full 1080p display, quad-core processor, 13-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens and integrated near-field communication (NFC) technology that lets you tap it on compatible products to quickly and easily establish a wireless connection over Bluetooth (or to use the phone like a digital wallet in the near future). There’s more, unlike other mobile phones, Xperia Z can be submerged in 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes.

The list given above consists of the top 5 options for you. Choose according to your requirements and budget to make your life more exciting with these awesome smartphones.

Top 5 savvy ways to maximize your Samsung Galaxy S4's battery life

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is a nice phone. The device boasts a 5-inch display, powerful processor, large removable battery and is full with a series of amazing new features. All of these drain battery life quickly and sometimes, the device does not last for a day and requires charging frequently. We’ll show you a few quick tips and tricks to get better Galaxy S4 battery life.

1.  Disable superfluous features
The Galaxy s4 is packed with extras such as Air Gesture and S Voice that always draw energy, even when you're not using them. Just expand the notification bar (swipe down from the top), and tap the icon in the upper-right corner. Here, tap to disable any features you're not using, including things like GPS and Sync, if they can be sacrificed.

2.  Switch to the Power Saving mode
The built-in Power Saving feature is useful when you're already low on battery and you need to maximize what you've got left. When enabled, your phone's CPU speed will be throttled, brightness will be stunted, and the background colors throughout the system will change to save as much power as possible.

To enable Power Saving, access it through the quick settings by swiping down from the notification shade and tapping the icon in the upper-right corner.

3.  Screen Auto Brightness
The Samsung Galaxy S4′s large 5-inch HD display is often the biggest battery life user. Turning on Auto Brightness, combined with the changes made in Power saving mode, will deliver better battery life.

Adjusting the screen timeout to a low setting will also make a cumulative difference to your battery. To adjust it, go to Settings > My device > Display timeout. Choose the lowest option you're comfortable with, like one minute.

4.  The wallpaper trick
Always use still images than Live Wallpaper if you concerned with the battery life and performance. Live Wallpapers consumes both power and RAM on your device.

At the same time, you should get this: the darker the wallpaper, the less energy the S4's AMOLED display will use. To switch your wallpaper, it is easy, simply long press anywhere on your homescreen and choose a new wallpaper from the pop-up menu.

5.  Find out what's draining your battery
To access it, go to Settings > More > Battery

Listed here are the apps and processes currently running, along with their battery usage by percentage (%). The screen will always be the biggest hog (about 50 to 60 percent), and fluctuates based on brightness. Below that, you'll see standard system features and a couple built-in apps like Google Maps. However, if there's a reason why your battery is draining quickly, you'll find it here. Check back every so often to find out if there's a battery-sucking app running in the background.

Savvy tip: Buy an extra battery
Even with these tips, you can't avoid a dead battery forever. Keep an official S4 battery (not a knock-off) charged and in your bag so you're ready for a swap when the time comes.

Do you have any other good tips to recommend? Thanks for leaving your opinions.

See also:  How to play MKV, AVI, iTunes M4V Videos and more on Samsung galaxy s4

How to Install the New GS4 Version of S-Voice on Your Samsung Galaxy S3

The new Samsung Galaxy S4 now is becoming increasingly available around the world and we're going to begin seeing many more of its software features leak out. While we wait for major software leaks and updates for things like the GS4 camera and the next iteration of Jelly Bean (Android 4.2), some features are available now, such as S-Translator, S-Voice. Good news to Galaxy S3 users, here I will show you how to install the New GS4 Version of S-Voice on Your Samsung Galaxy S3.

Note: This will install over the current S-Voice app and the .apk file works on both my Galaxy S3 and Nexus 4.

Step 1: Enable Outside Applications
Go to Settings -> Security and make sure to check "Unknown Sources"

Step 2: Download and Install S-Voice
Download the S4 version of S-Voice app right here. You can download this directly to your GS3 or transfer it from your computer. From there, install as you would any other app.

If for any reason you want to revert back to the standard S-Voice, simply go to Settings -> Application Manager and slide to "All", then scroll down and select "S-Voice". Now just hit the "Uninstall updates" button and you should be good.

The New S-Voice Features
You may find it's hard to know what's different here. There is a new weather widget (nice!), and a bunch of new tasks.

Unfortunately, the new S-Voice app stills have no "Note to self" functionality.

If you give it a try and find some cool stuff, let us know in the comment below!

Samsung Galaxy S4 to go on sale in U.S. next week: When and Where to get

It is official, the highly anticipated followup to Samsung's Galaxy S3, the Galaxy S4, will finally go on sale next week at U.S. carriers, that is to say, the wait for the new phone will be over soon.  The powerful Samsung android phone will be available on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless as well as U.S. Cellular, Cricket and C Spire starting during April. Below are the details.

AT&T
You can now preorder an AT&T Galaxy S4 at att.com. The 16GB version will cost you $199.99 with a two-year contract. The 32GB version will cost $249.99. It will ship on April 30. If you don't want to sign a two-year contract, you can get the phone at a price of $639.99.

T-Mobile
You will be able to get T-Mobile's Galaxy S4 next week on April 24 through tmobile.com; it will be available at T-Mobile stores on May 1. The phone is available with T-Mobile's new "uncarrier" pricing. That means the phone costs just $149.99 up front, but you have to pay T-Mobile $20 a month for the next 24 months to pay off the rest of the phone.

Sprint
Sprint's Galaxy S4 launch day is April 27, though you will be able to pre-order the device on April 18. The 16GB version of the phone will start at $249.99 with a two-year contract. New Sprint customers can get the phone for $149.99 with a two year contract.

Verizon
Verizon hasn't released launch or pricing information for the phone. We will update this article when the carrier announces more information. Update: When: May, with exact date to come. You can sign up for updates here.

Other retailers
While you can get your Galaxy S4 straight from the carrier of your choice, you'll also be able to purchase it from Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile, Costco, Radio Shack, Sam’s Club, Staples, Target and Wal-Mart.

Walmart Stores, the world's largest retailer, will sell the AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile versions of the phone. The AT&T version will cost $168 with a two-year contract at Walmart. Walmart will also drop the price of the Verizon and AT&T Galaxy S3 to $39.88 with a two-year contract.

Staples will have the phone. You can pre-order now through Staples.com and it will have some carrier versions of it at 500 of its select mobile phone stores on April 26. The AT&T version will be available for $199.99 with a two-year contract at Staples on April 26. The T-Mobile version will be out on May 1 at the store.

The Galaxy S4 will be available in two colors, "Black Mist" and "White Frost," and offer a 1.9 GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, and a full-HD Super AMOLED display (with a 1920 x 1080 resolution). It will come in 16GB and 32GB versions (though this can be expanded thanks to a microSD slot). In the front, there'll be a 2-megapixel camera and in the back there'll be a 13-megapixel beast.

The 5-inch device will run Android 4.2.2, better known as Jelly Bean, and have Samsung's latest TouchWiz "enhancements." Thanks to features such as Air Gesture and Air View, you'll be able to take actions without ever touching your smartphone's screen. (Just wave your hand or hover your finger over the display and watch what happens.) And if your hands are too busy, then you can just plain scroll through items by looking up or down.

Will you be getting one? Share your opinions in the comments!

Related post: How to play MKV, AVI, iTunes M4V Videos and more on Samsung galaxy s4

Best Samsung Smartphone you can get now: Galaxy s4, Galaxy Note 2, Galaxy s3

There is no denying the fact that Samsung is the world leader in smartphone sales, besting Apple in many countries and gradually came to dominate the smartphone industry. One secret of their success — quality control. Along with Samsung galaxy s3, galaxy note 2, Samsung announced Galaxy s4 last month and it bring us plenty of amazing notable features, such as Smart Scroll, Smart Pause and so on. Now I am going to show you the best Samsung smartphone you can get now and check out the list to see if they could potentially fulfill your needs.

Top 1: Samsung galaxy s4

If you want to get the latest Samsung android phone, then obviously galaxy s4 is your best choice. At a packed event at Radio City Music Hall in New York, Samsung showed off the Galaxy S 4, which has a screen slightly larger than the latest iPhone 5 and will be available for pre-order on April 16 for AT&T customers for $249.99 with a new two-year agreement. There is no other detailed information, including release date and pricing for other carriers, but one thing we can make sure is that Samsung will sell the device as soon as possible and a release should not be too far along after that.

Top 2: Samsung galaxy note 2

Samsung galaxy note 2 is known as a phablet, rather than a smartphone. With an enormous 5.5-inch display, at first you may have a hard time adjusted to its size, but soon you will get used to this hulking monstrosity really quickly. The screen size allows for all types of media consumption comfortably. The hardware along with Jellybean makes the Note II the smoothest Android experience to date. A refined and more accurate S Pen makes the Galaxy Note II easier and more intuitive to use. For those looking for an innovative phone in the crowded Android space the Note 2 is worth a look.

Top 3: Samsung galaxy s3

Samsung’s Galaxy S3, the world's bestselling smartphone in 2012. It is a truly global phone, available on nearly every carrier, nearly everywhere. Its large, vibrant HD display represents a growing class of phones with broader form factors, and its delicate balance of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich(Now have get Android 4.1.2 update), a sharp 8-megapixel camera, 4G LTE or HSPA+ support, and an accessible price make the Galaxy S3 a worldwide hero. And just as expected, carriers have begun to slash prices on Samsung's Galaxy S3 handset in anticipation of stocking the bigger, fancier Samsung Galaxy S4 successor. Now is a good time to get one.

Top 4: Samsung Ativ S

If you want to try something different, then you can pick the Ativ S to have a try. Samsung's Ativ S handset has not yet been made available in the US, but the Windows Phones will arrive at Sprint this summer and according the news from theverge, the handsets are expected to hit retail shelves in May or June.

Samsung Ativ S runs on Windows phone 8 and features a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display with 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, also there’s a micro SD card. The back camera reached to 800 million pixels while front camera of 1.9 million pixels. Support for Wi-Fi, NFC, and Bluetooth functionality. Ativ S slim features a slim design, the fuselage is only 0.35 inches, but the battery capacity has reached 2300mAh that should promise longer life.

Top 5: Samsung galaxy note

Yes, it is the brother of Samsung galaxy note 2. The Samsung Galaxy Note is a hybrid smartphone/tablet that has a 5.3-inch Super AMOLED display, Google's Android OS, dual cameras with LED flash and auto-focus, and 4G LTE wireless networking. It also comes with a pressure sensitive S Pen that promises to transform the way you interact with (and enter text into) your smartphone. If you are the one who don’t want to pay much money on high-end smartphone, this device is your wise choice.

Top 6: Samsung galaxy note 3

Now rumors are flying all around about the highly anticipated release of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. Sources in Korea report that Samsung is gearing up to outfit its next “phablet” with a flexible OLED display that will essentially equip the device with an “unbreakable” screen. Rumors are also said the device will features a 5.9-inch or 6.3-inch screen and is expected to powers with Samsung’s famous Exynos 5 Octa quad-core processor as well as its Smart Scroll and Smart Pause eye-tracking technology and will also likely run Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie natively, as Google’s upcoming operating system will likely be unveiled at the Google I/O conference in May, with a release date projected for June or July.

The device likely won’t be unveiled until September at the IFA Expo in Germany. Long wait for the super phone and that is why I put it in the last. Anyway, there is no doubt that Samsung galaxy note 3 will be a high-end phone and will make a big success.

Battle of the Androids: Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. LG Nexus 4

According to the latest news, Samsung highly-anticipated galaxy s4 will be available for pre-order on April 16 for AT&T customers for $249.99 with a new two-year agreement, but there's still no word when the phone will actually hit shelves. That is to say, if you've been waiting eagerly to buy Samsung's Galaxy S4, you'll have to wait at least another month. Can you wait until that time or maybe you can pick other superphone like the Nexus 4, which have always been Google’s pure, untarnished vision of its platform. Today we compare the specs and features of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and LG Nexus 4.

Size

Compared to Samsung galaxy s4, the nexus 4 is a bit shorter, narrow and thinner. The size differences here are pretty minor.

Display

The Galaxy s4 features a 5-inch screen, larger and sharper than the Nexus 4, the device which have a display of 4.7-inch. The Galaxy S4’s Super AMOLED has blacker blacks (technically no light comes through black pixels) but hyper-saturated colors. The Nexus 4’s IPS display, meanwhile, leads to better viewing angles and more accurate color reproduction.

Processor

The Nexus 4’s Snapdragon S4 Pro chip is a beast. Ditto for both versions of the Galaxy S4: the North American version’s quad core Snapdragon 600 and the international version’s octa core Exynos chip.
So In terms of benchmarks and experience, the galaxy s4 is going to beat the Nexus 4.

RAM

The two devices are tied up, each with 2 GB of RAM.

Storage

In this aspect, Samsung galaxy s4 have a big advantage than Nexus 4. Storage options of Galaxy s4 are provided in the form of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of internal memory, while Nexus 4 only comes 8GB and 16GB. At the same time, only the Galaxy S4 allows you to expand its storage with a microSD card.

Cameras

The Galaxy S4 has a 13 MP camera, and sports several new camera software features. Dual Camera combines video or images from the front and back cameras, under a variety of templates. Also included is Drama Shot, which takes bursts of shots and combines them automatically into a collage. Nexus 4 packs a 8 megapixels camera, but you don’t have to worry about the Nexus 4’s shooter. It takes great shots, and can easily replace a point-and-shoot.

Wireless

There’s no LTE for the Nexus 4. It does support HPSA+, which offers faster than 3G speeds ... but LTE it is not. You’ll also need to sign up with a GSM carrier for the Nexus 4, as CDMA (that's Verizon and Sprint in the U.S.) networks aren’t supported.

Battery

Although Galaxy s4 powers with a 2600mAh battery while Nexus 4 only packs with a 2100mAH battery. Does that mean the Galaxy S4 – with more capacity – will get better uptime? Maybe, maybe not. Still now, we have no answers.

Software

The Galaxy S4 will ship with the latest version of Android, 4.2.2, runs its own operating system. Samsung is increasingly hiding its Android roots under a heavy layer of “TouchWiz” – complete with a bevy of crazy features (facial-recognition scrolling, fitness tracking, photos with accompanying audio clips ...).

Meanwhile, the Nexus 4 – like all Nexus devices – runs “pure Google,” or stock Android. What you see is exactly what Android’s creators and designers intended - and nothing more.

Though the two phones run the same version of Android right now, that may not last long. Without manufacturer skins or carrier clayware, the Nexus 4 will be first to receive future Android updates. Samsung has improved its support for updates, but GS4 owners will have to wait much longer for Key Lime Pie (or whatever the next major version is called) than Nexus 4 owners will.

So will you buy the Nexus 4 or wait for the Samsung galaxy s4? Welcome to share your opinions below.

See also:  Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One vs. iPhone 5, Will Samsung Continue to Rule the Universe?

HTC One vs. Samsung galaxy s4 vs. iPhone 5 vs. The Latest Smartphones: Camera comparison

HTC announced its sexy htc one smartphone last month and The most interesting thing about the One is its 4-megapixel "Ultrapixel" camera, which attracts a lot of attention when it hits, especially since other phones are nearing the next 13-megapixel frontier, such as Samsung galaxy s4. Samsung finally took the wraps off the highly anticipated Galaxy S4 last week.

HTC says the new One captures 300 percent more light than current competing smartphone sensors, offering "astounding low-light performance.” So today just follow me to see how HTC One’s camera stacks up against Samsung's new flagship Galaxy S4, iPhone 5, Nokia Lumia 920, Nexus 4 and most of the latest Smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs HTC One

HTC One vs iPhone 5

HTC One vs Nokia Lumia 920

HTC One vs Sony Xperia Z

HTC One vs LG Nexus 4

HTC One vs HTC Droid DNA

HTC One vs Samsung Galaxy S3

For now, take a peek at the comparison shots above, and declare your own winner. Do HTC’s UltraPixels win out?