New Samsung feature called Intelligent Scan leaks, may launch on Galaxy S9

After the Galaxy S8 offered facial recognition as a way to unlock your phone last year, a new report says that Samsung will be taking the feature a step further with the Galaxy S9.

It's been discovered that Samsung's settings app includes mentions of a feature called "Intelligent Scan". The feature, which doesn't appear in any current Samsung software or its Oreo betas, is described as a combo of "Iris Scanner and Face Recognition together for better results even in low or very bright light."

Judging by the description and a brief video demo that's been uploaded to YouTube, it looks like Intelligent Scan will combine the iris scanner and facial recognition features to give the phone a better scan of the user. 

With the Galaxy S9 expected to debut at the end of February and launch in March, it's possible that this Intelligent Scan feature will come preloaded on that new flagship. We'll have to wait until Samsung actually launches the feature before we know for sure what it is, but based on what we've seen so far, Intelligent Scan could give Galaxy S9 owners a better unlock method than we've seen from previous Samsung flagships.

Samsung

New Samsung feature called Intelligent Scan leaks, may launch on Galaxy S9 originally posted at http://phonedog.com

Razer Phone update now rolling out with HDR and Dolby 5.1 for Netflix, other improvements

Remember that Razer Phone update with HDR and Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 for Netflix that was announced earlier this month? Well it's now rolling out.

Razer has confirmed that today it released the update for the Razer Phone that it announced earlier in January. This update adds support for HDR and Dolby 5.1 audio for Netflix as well as the Netflix app itself.

Keep in mind that in order to take advantage of HDR, you will need to be subscribed to Netflix's Premium plan, which is priced at $13.99 per month and includes Ultra HD, HDR, and the ability to stream to up to four screens at once.

Also included in this new Razer Phone update are the January 2018 Android security patches, which include fixes for the Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities. There are some camera improvements in there, too, like a fix for a bug that'd cause some images to appear yellow, some tuning and image quality improvements, and other miscellaneous bug fixes.

Razer has updated theme icons to a dark style as well.

This 249MB update is now rolling out. Some users in Razer's official forums have started receiving the update, but it hasn't hit everyone's phones quite yet. If you've got a Razer Phone and haven't gotten the update yet, stay patient and keep an eye out for it over the coming days.

Razer Phone

Razer Phone update now rolling out with HDR and Dolby 5.1 for Netflix, other improvements originally posted at http://phonedog.com

Razer Phone now streams Netflix in all its HDR glory

Looks like Razer's latest update for its first smartphone should be worth installing. The new software enables support for Netflix HDR videos as well as Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, so you can better immerse yourself in your favorite fictional universe. This makes the Razer Phone one of a handful of smartphones available that can render the streaming giant's HDR content, and the first to offer both HDR10 and Dolby Digital 5.1 support.

Source: Razer (Twitter)

Razer Phone now streams Netflix in all its HDR glory posted first on https://www.engadget.com

Samsung Pay is now available in Mexico

In the year and a half since its launch, Samsung Pay has been steadily improving by adding new payment services and expanding to new countries. Now Samsung's mobile payment service has arrived in another country.

Samsung Pay is now available in Mexico, which is the 20th market to get the service around the globe. Samsung has partnered with several financial companies for the Samsung Pay launch in Mexico, including American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Banorte, Banregio, Citibanamex, HSBC, and Santander.

With today's launch, owners of select Galaxy devices can tap to pay at both NFC-equipped terminals and traditional credit card terminals. The devices that support Samsung Pay in Mexico include:

• Samsung Galaxy Note 8
• Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+
• Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
• Samsung Galaxy Note 5
• Samsung Galaxy A8 and A8+ (2018)
• Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016 and 2017)
• Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016 and 2017)
• Samsung Galaxy A9 (2016)
• Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
• Samsung Galaxy J5 Pro and J7 Pro

It's always good to see more people getting access to a major services like Samsung Pay, and with that list of supported devices, there should be a lot of people in Mexico that get to try Samsung's mobile payment service now.

Do you use Samsung Pay?

Samsung

Samsung Pay is now available in Mexico originally posted at http://phonedog.com

Soderbergh's iPhone-shot thriller 'Unsane' looks appropriately lo-fi

Director Steven Soderbergh has been pushing the limits of filmmaking in different ways lately. Be it independently releasing his last feature, working with HBO on its interactive Mosaic series, or, now, shooting a suspense movie entirely on an iPhone. How's Unsane look? Judging by the trailer below, it's promising. You won't mistake it for something shot on a RED camera anytime soon, and everything has a bit of a compressed aesthetic, but it works for the story of unraveling sanity and cyberstalking at hand.

Via: Slashfilm

Source: YouTube

Soderbergh's iPhone-shot thriller 'Unsane' looks appropriately lo-fi posted first on https://www.engadget.com

Leak says US government considered nationalized 5G network, FCC Chairman voices opposition

Over the weekend, a memo leaked suggesting that some people in the US government considered a nationalized 5G network.

Documents created by a "senior National Security Council official" were obtained by Axios, which then shared details about them. The docs suggests that the government pay for a build a single network and then rent access to carriers like AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

The reason for the nationalizing a 5G network, according to the memo, would be to prevent Chinese technology and equipment from being used in the US. "China has achieved a dominant position in the manufacture and operation of network infrastructure," the docs say, adding that "China is the dominant malicious actor in the Information Domain."

However, today a new report says that all of those documents are outdated. Recode says that it's been told by multiple White House officials that the docs suggesting a nationalized 5G network are dated and that they were ideas suggested by a staff member, not an indication of an upcoming policy announcement.

During all of the brouhaha surrounding this leak, several FCC officials came out in opposition of a nationalized 5G network. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said that any federal effort to build a nationalized 5G network "would be a costly and counterproductive distraction from the policies we need to help the United States win the 5G future."

Here's Pai's full statement:

“I oppose any proposal for the federal government to build and operate a nationwide 5G network. The main lesson to draw from the wireless sector’s development over the past three decades—including American leadership in 4G—is that the market, not government, is best positioned to drive innovation and investment. What government can and should do is to push spectrum into the commercial marketplace and set rules that encourage the private sector to develop and deploy next-generation infrastructure. Any federal effort to construct a nationalized 5G network would be a costly and counterproductive distraction from the policies we need to help the United States win the 5G future.”

Leak says US government considered nationalized 5G network, FCC Chairman voices opposition originally posted at http://phonedog.com

Sprint giving customers free high-speed data, talk, and text in South Korea for 2018 Olympics

With Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T all announcing roaming deals for customers traveling to South Korea for the 2018 Olympics, it was only a matter of time before Sprint revealed a similar offer for its subscribers.

Sprint customers traveling to South Korea for the 2018 Winter Games will get free high-speed data, calling, and texting from February 1 through March 18. They'll simply need to power on their phone when they arrive in South Korea, review the welcome message, and select free high-speed data and they'll get free 7-day data passes every week through March 18.

It's good to see Sprint extend an offer similar to its three competitors for customers traveling to South Korea for the Olympics. With this deal, Sprint customers can stay connected, sharing their experiences and contacting their loved ones, all without worrying about racking up an expensive roaming bill. 

Sprint

Sprint giving customers free high-speed data, talk, and text in South Korea for 2018 Olympics originally posted at http://phonedog.com