Samsung tries to bring back physical keyboards with new accessory

You have to give it to Samsung for trying. The company this time takes its cues from the Typo keyboard accessory for the iPhone with a new accessory for its new devices. The physical keyboard case from Samsung snaps on top of the phone's display and takes up half of the screen. The screen will sense that you placed the keyboard on top of it and adjust the icons accordingly. Your key presses on the tactile keys will be sensed by the screen underneath so you don't even need to pair with via Bluetooth or need batteries to have it up and running. If you want to use the full screen, you can just snap it onto the back of the device, which makes for a rather bizarre look. There isn't any price for it yet and there's no way of telling yet if this will start a new trend of smartphone accessories. 

Source: The Verge 

Samsung goes big with new Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+

Image credit to Gordon Kelly, Forbes

It seems the South Korean company takes the adage "Go big or go home" quiet literally with the Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge+. The former is the latest iteration of the pioneering phablet and the latter is the souped up version of one of its latest flagships. Both devices feature 5.7-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED displays with 2,560 x 1,440 resolution. The S6 Edge+ differs with its screen tapering off, well, the edges. It adds more functionality to take advantage of the edge design. One of the new features is being able to send photos and emoticons through the People Edge feature. The Galaxy Note 5, of course, comes with the built-in S Pen stylus, which is a trademark for this line of devices and can be said to be the more productivity-centered device. Both come equipped with 16-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front camera. Both can be accessed by double tapping on the home button and these come equipped with optical image stabilization and low-light sensor. 

The new devices run on Android 5.1 and Samsung Exynos 7420 64-bit processor with 4GB of RAM. The devices offer either 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. They also come with 3,000mAh battery with embedded wireless charging technology that is said to work with most wireless chargers available on the market. 

Source: Forbes 

Google for iOS now gets always-on 'OK Google,' adds more context to your searches

Google updates its app for iOS to bring the useful 'OK Google' voice prompt and have it always on and ready to respond to your voice. Aside from that, it helps your searches further by giving you contextual information. For example, you're reading an article on a celebrity. You can say, "OK Google, where is he or she born?" And it will answer you based on the article you're reading. It also has more detailed local search results now to make it easier for you to find what you need. 

Source: Lifehacker | Download: Apple App Store (Free) 

LG brings G4 Vigor to Canada

LG’s new mid-range smartphone is now available in the country through SaskTel, Videotron, and Virgin Mobile.  The LG G4 Vigor packs in a 5.2-inch Full HD IPS display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, 4G LTE capability, and an 8MP camera with LG’s Colour Spectrum Sensor and Laser Auto Focus tech as well as a 5MP front-facing shooter. And in case you’re wondering, the camera on this phone also has the newly-introduced Manual Mode. It has 8GB internal storage and 1.5GB RAM. It comes with a removable 2,300mAH battery. There's no price yet from SaskTel, Videotron offers it for as low as $29.95 on a two-year contract and $329.95 outright, and Virgin Mobile offers it for free on a two-year contract and $349.99 outright.