Tag: Samsung

Following in the footsteps of Verizon, T-Mobile has now released the Android Marshmallow update for the Galaxy Note 4 on the carrier’s network.  The update brings Android 6.0.1 to the Note 4 as well the June security update.  It is about as fresh a version of Android as you can get.  The update is a hefty 1.5GB so you will certainly have to be on Wi-Fi in order to download it.  Once you do have it downloaded, you can expect a 20-30 minute install time and reboot of your device.  As always, I recommend you make sure that you have any local documents or photos backed up to the cloud or your PC prior to starting the update – just in case.

For those of you who are Verizon customers who have the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, take a few minutes to check your phone for updates.  Verizon has started rolling out the June Android security update to the device and given it is a sub-200MB download, it should be available to pretty much everyone at this point.  The updated build is version MMB29M.N910VVRU2CPF3 for those keeping score at home.

Samsung has announced that starting this coming Thursday, June 16th, customers will be able to use Samsung Pay at a wide range of merchants throughout the country.  The announcement means that the contactless payment option from Samsung is now accepted in an ever increasing number of countries as phone-based, contactless purchases continue to gain momentum.

“Since the introduction of Samsung Pay last year, we have seen great momentum and experienced significant consumer adoption. Samsung Pay has redefined the way consumers pay and use their smartphones,” said Thomas Ko, Vice President and Global Co-General Manager of Samsung Pay at Samsung Electronics. “We are excited to bring this service to Singapore consumers and we hope to introduce value-added services to drive and lead innovation in mobile commerce, giving consumers a safer, smarter and better mobile wallet.”

Because of the way Samsung Pay works – leveraging Magnetic Secure Transmission – it can be accepted a significantly larger number of pay terminals than the likes of the NFC secure based Android Pay or Apple Pay.  It will even work on non-contactless terminals.  It’s a big leg up but, to this point, has only been available on Samsung devices.

Earlier this week I posted about the new Samsung Galaxy S7 Active coming to AT&T today.  It is official:  AT&T has updated their website and the S7 Active is now available for purchase.  The phone is available in three colors – Sandy Gold, Green Camo and Titanium Grey – and an outright purchase of the phone will set you back $794.99.  The phone is fundamentally a Galaxy S7 that has been hardened to withstand drops and spills and packs a whopping 4000 mAh battery to keep you going all day long.  Keep in mind though that we aren’t talking about a S7 in a case.  The screen on the Active has been hardened as well to prevent it from breaking.  If you need a truly rugged phone, this is a great option for you.

Today’s deal over at Amazon is a pretty good one for those who are looking for a MicroSD card for the Android devices (or other devices for that matter).  Right now you can pick up the Samsung 128GB Class 10 SDXC card for just $39.99.  The card has a transfer rate of 48MB/sec so it should work on virtually any Android device that supports up to 128GB cards and is fast enough to record full HD video in cameras.  Double-check your phone or camera’s specs to make sure.

If you don’t need or can’t use a 128GB card, the 64GB card is also on sale today for $19.89.

AT&T has announced that the ruggedized version of the Samsung Galaxy S7, the S7 Active, will be available start this Friday, June 10th.  The phone is fundamentally a Galaxy S7 that has been hardened to withstand drops and spills and packs a whopping 4000 mAh battery to keep you going all day long.  Keep in mind though that we aren’t talking about a S7 in a case.  The screen on the Active has been hardened as well to prevent it from breaking.  If you need a truly rugged phone, this is a great option for you.