Galaxy S5

Consumer Reports won’t recommend Samsung Galaxy S6, paints it inferior to last-gen Galaxy S5

Consumer Reports, an influential U.S. magazine that publishes trusted and mostly unbiased reviews and comparisons of consumer products, has recommended Apple's iPhone in the past, but now they wouldn't recommend Samsung's latest Galaxy S6 flagship smartphone, which released a month ago, over the last-generation Galaxy S5.

You read that right, last year's Galaxy actually ranked higher than the Galaxy S6 in Consumer Reports’ ratings. Putting the S6 through its battery of scientific tests, the publications has made some surprising, if not controversial, conclusions.

New videos highlight iPhone 6’s faster Wi-Fi and real-world multitasking performance

A pair of videos have surfaced this week offering a good look at real-world multitasking performance of the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus relative to competition, while demonstrating the speedy 802.11ac wireless networking Apple's implemented on both devices.

The results suggest that the new iPhones offer nearly three times faster Wi-Fi performance than the iPhone 5s while beating out Samsung's Galaxy S5 and HTC's One M8 handsets in app loading times and task switching.

Galaxy S5 takes Ice Bucket Challenge, nominates iPhone 5s, HTC One M8 and Nokia Lumia 930

Samsung's marketing department has cleverly piggy-backed on the popularity of Ice Bucket Challenge, a phenomenon which has taken the world by storm.

For those who've been sleeping under the rock lately, the initiative saw such celebrities and Silicon Valley execs as Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook and marketing honcho Phil Schiller, along with former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates and many others, getting ice baths in the name of helping fund ALS research and benefitting the Motor Disease Association.

The official YouTube channel for Samsung Mobile UK this morning posted a video depicting its Galaxy S5 flagship smartphone taking the challenge.

Needless to say, the waterproof handset (IP67-certified) passes the test.

The best part is when Samsung nominates three handsets from its rivals: Apple's iPhone 5s, HTC's One M8 and Nokia's Lumia 930.

Samsung takes ‘Wall Huggers’ campaign to airports

Samsung's much-talked-about anti-iPhone campaign dubbed 'Wall Huggers' is expanding to select airports, which are among the most trafficked public spots and traditionally the domain of iPhone and MacBook-toting users.

After poking fun of the iPhone's appalling battery performance with its controversial 30-second television spot, the South Korean conglomerate is now displaying Galaxy S5 ads at power outlets throughout major airports.

The posters advertises the Galaxy S5's Ultra Power Saving mode and features a tagline saying "So you have the power to be anywhere but here" in a not-so-subtle dig at Apple's iPhone 5s campaign which revolves around the tagline "You're more powerful than you think"...

Samsung posts new ‘Screen Envy’ ad in response to iPhone 6 rumors

Samsung has posted a new ad to its YouTube channel this afternoon entitled 'Screen Envy.' The spot addresses rumors that the iPhone 6 will come with a larger display, saying that Samsung's Galaxy smartphones have had 5-inch screens for years.

The commercial literally opens with an iPhone user telling his friend that Apple is working on a larger-screened smartphone. The friend, who is of course using a Galaxy S5, is clearly unimpressed by the speculation, saying "that hasn't happened yet?"

Samsung’s latest ‘Wall Huggers’ Galaxy ad attacks iPhone’s battery performance

Samsung's marketing department is no stranger to Apple-bashing and its most recent advertisement for the Galaxy S5 flagship proves the point.

Titled 'Wall Huggers', it depicts iPhone users in a series of everyday situations with a recurring theme being them chained to a wall socket. "There they are," the voiceover opens the 60-second commercial.

"Clustered around power outlets, recycling bins and bathrooms, tethered to the wall." The ad is embedded for your viewing pleasure right after the break...

iPhone 5c outsold Galaxy S5 in the UK

Green iPhone 5c

I'm sick and tired of hearing armchair analysts repeatedly proclaiming Apple's unapologetically plastic iPhone 5c a failure just because sales numbers don't meet their wet dream targets.

I bought an iPhone 5c for my Mom's birthday. My friend owns one. Yes, I even see it used in public.

To this date, not a single iPhone 5c owner exhibited a case of buyer's remorse.

I mean, you never hear anyone complaining about Apple's practice of keeping past two iPhone generations on the market at reduced prices whenever a new model comes along. The strategy has served the company well and that's exactly what the iPhone 5c is - a previous-gen iPhone repackaged inside a plastic chassis, sold at a discount.

A lot of ink has been spilled to paint the iPhone 5c a dud, but time and again real world numbers simply don't corroborate this notion. A good example is a new Kantar survey proving that Apple's mid-tier handset beat Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S5 in terms of sales in the United Kingdom...

Samsung rolling out 21-day trial program for smart devices

Apple and Samsung continue to fight for supremacy as the top consumer electronics maker in the United States, and the latter has a new move up its sleeves to help thwart its competitor. Beginning in July, the South Korean handset maker will be kicking off a 21-day trial program that allows customers to test drive select smartphones, tablets and smart watches from its product lineup.

After quietly launching the trial program in Manhattan last month, Samsung will be extending the offer to Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Santa Clara. The devices available to test drive are the Galaxy S5 and Note III smartphones, the Gear smart watch and the Gear Fit fitness tracker. Prospective buyers can test the devices on different carriers, with Samsung compensating the wireless costs. A refundable deposit of $350 must be made beforehand… 

Geohot “makes it ra1n” on Android with a rooting tool for the Samsung Galaxy S5

Geohot—a name that's virtually synonymous with iPhone jailbreaking—has taken up quite a few different ventures since departing from the jailbreak scene. He's dabbled in Playstation 3 hacking, and working at Facebook. He was even rumored to have been on the precipice of an iOS 7 jailbreak, but nothing formally materialized from him.

But yesterday, Geohot (real name George Hotz) made his name known on an even wider scale when he released a new rooting tool for the Samsung Galaxy S5 and other Android devices. The tool, which is called Towelroot, is a downloadable package that allows Galaxy S5 users to quickly root their devices. This is especially helpful for GS5 users on Verizon and AT&T, because those two mobile carriers lock the bootloader.

I've tried out Towelroot on my Galaxy S5, and it works just as described. In fact, it reminds me a lot of Hotz's past jailbreak tools. Check inside for all of the details.

Five things the Galaxy S5 does better than the iPhone 5s… and vice versa

The Galaxy S5 has been my go-to device and my daily driver over the last month or so. I know that may seem like blasphemy since I write for iDownloadBlog, but I have a lot of reasons for doing so.

For starters, I wanted to become more familiar with the competition. I already had a good sense about Samsung's offerings and Android in general, but nothing can replace hands-on usage and the balanced perspective that comes with that.

If I wanted to seriously be able to take an objective look at Apple and at Samsung, and at iOS and Android, then I would need to have a better understanding of competing devices. What better device to help develop such an understanding than what is arguably the iPhone's biggest competitor, the Galaxy S5?

Since I've acquired one, I've mostly been enjoying my time with the GS5. In fact, I've traveled to South Korea, home of Samsung, which has made my perspective about the whole competition even more well-rounded. With all of this in mind, I wanted to compile a list of some of the things that I enjoy about the Samsung Galaxy S5. These are five things that I believe that the GS5 does better than Apple's flagship iPhone 5s. Afterwards, I'll do a reverse comparison, and tell you what I think the iPhone does better. Want to see which items made the cut? Check inside for the details.

Samsung’s Galaxy S5 video tour takes swipes at iPhone 5s and Apple’s Retina display

Yesterday, four new feature tour videos cropped up on the Samsung Mobile USA channel on YouTube, showcasing the handset's full HD Super AMOLED screen, the selective camera focus feature, its ultra-power saving mode and the bundled S Health app. Unlike some of the conglomerate's previous promotional videos, these clips do a good job explaining how the four aforementioned features enhance experience for the user.

However, Samsung being Samsung meant the firm couldn't resist comparing its flagship to Apple's iPhone 5s in terms of the display size, image quality and pixel count. I've included that clip, along with the remaining three videos, after the jump...

Galaxy S5 fingerprint scanner isn’t immune, can also be tricked like iPhone 5s

The fingerprint scanner on Samsung's flagship Galaxy S5 is suffering from the same security flaw as the fingerprint scanner on the iPhone 5s, creating a bit of a risk for owners.

Germany-based security blog H Security found that using a wood glue mold from the fingerprint already set on the Galaxy S5, someone else could gain unauthorized access to your phone. Given Samsung's fingerprint scanner tie-ins with the PayPal app, this means not only contacts and photos are up for grabs, but mobile payments, as well.Â