The Samsung Galaxy S5 display is considered one of the best by many, professionals included. The 5.1-inch, full HD Super AMOLED display is simply gorgeous with beautiful colors and fantastic daylight visibility. It’s a pleasure to use. However, it seems that Samsung has already one-upped it.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A was exclusively released in South Korea and features a 5.1-inch WQHD Super AMOLED display, already besting the Galaxy S5 display in terms of raw specs. A higher resolution doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a better display, but thanks to AnandTech and their fantastic measurements, we can see that Samsung really outdid itself.

As you can see from the measurements below, Samsung nailed accuracy with the Galaxy S5 LTE-A display. And from the photo above, the color accuracy is far better without the (usually unnoticeable) greenish tint. Hit the source link for more measurements and testing, and let’s just wait for that dang Galaxy S5 Prime/Alpha to launch.

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Samsung had recently done an investigation on 100 of its own suppliers in an attempt to find serious problems. And find problems it did, though most related to a lack of safety equipment and too much overtime work. Thankfully, Samsung is helping these suppliers improve instead of just dumping them.

During the course of the report, no sign of child labor was found. But unfortunately, an activist organization has found child labor being used in Dongyang Shinyang Electronics. Three underage girls were found to be working 12-hour shifts. On top of that, some employees had been working 120 hours of overtime per month, and a lack of safety was observed as well.

Samsung has stopped all business with the factory for the time being and has launched an investigation into the matter. If proof of child labor is found, obviously Samsung will permanently cut ties with the factory. There’s also a police investigation going on to make sure the claims are legitimate. We’re glad Samsung hasn’t tried to cover these kinds of problems up.

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Samsung’s first attempt at a phone/camera hybrid, the Galaxy S 4 Zoom, is now being updated to Android 4.4.2 KitKat. While the Galaxy S 4 Zoom never struck much of a chord with consumers, some niche users love the device. Samsung hasn’t forgotten about them and is making sure that the software stays fresh with Android 4.4.2 KitKat. The update rollout has begun in Russia and will be making its way to other regions within the coming days.

Android 4.4.2 KitKat brings numerous improvements to the table including better performance and wireless printing support. As of now, there’s no word on whether the update contains anything in addition to the usual KitKat goodness. If Galaxy S 4 Zoom owners are lucky, they could see features from the Galaxy K Zoom added to the update. If not, well, KitKat is great on its own.

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HTC’s Desire 610 is heading stateside to AT&T for just $199 without a contract. The Desire 610 was released a couple of months ago as a mid-range relative to the HTC One (M8). For a recap of specs, the Desire 610 features a 4.7-inch qHD (960×540) display, 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 1GB RAM, 8GB storage with microSD card slot, 8-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, 2040mAh battery, and Android 4.4 KitKat with Sense 6.

AT&T is offering the Desire 610 for a mere $199 off-contract, a great deal for a decent phone that also has some fashion sense. The Desire 610 comes fully equipped with 4G LTE so you can still get fast data speeds. If you prefer to be on a contract, you can get the Desire 610 for as low as $8.34 a month through AT&T Next. A prepaid option is also available through GoPhone for the same $199 off-contract price.

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According to a new report from TechCrunch, Samsung is in talks to purchase home automation company SmartThings for somewhere close to $200 million. SmartThings is a company that, similar to Nest, is working to create a smart home. Kits sold by SmartThings allow you to link up things in your home so that they can communicate with each other and be controlled by your phone. SmartThings even offers entire smart security kits to keep your home safe and sound.

Samsung has spent several years trying to create a line of smart home products but has found little success with consumers. SmartThings, on the other hand, has received great praise and already has an established system, it’s simply in need of some help in pushing out the products to consumers. Samsung is excellent at getting products into the hands of consumers, so this could be a perfect partnership.

A smart home system by Samsung would come in direct rivalry with Apple’s HomeKit and possibly plans that Google has in store. Google has yet to release a smart home system of any kind, but its recent purchase of Nest indicates that the company is working to create a similar product. The most likely situation is that Samsung is working to beat Google to market so that it can grab the first adopter share. In any case, it’ll be interesting to see how the smart home scene plays out.

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The former CEO of Ford Automotive, Alan Mulally, is departing from the company and joining Google’s executive board to serve on its audit committee. Mulally has experience in leading companies, with a record that includes both Ford and Boeing. When Steve Ballmer retired from Microsoft, rumors flew that Mulally was being tapped as a replacement. Mulally seemingly turned down the position when he announced that he would be staying with Ford through the end of 2014. Now that time is being cut short as Mulally has joined Google’s executive board, effective July 9.

I am honored to serve on the board of a global iconic company that is dedicated to enhancing our lives. I look forward to working together with the Google board and management team to continue to deliver their compelling vision.Alan MulallyGoogle

With his background in automotive, a place in Android Auto would seem logical. For the moment, however, it seems as though he’ll be working more on the business side. In the future, we could see Mulally move to a different position within the company, perhaps one where he has more leadership. With some Google execs departing, Mulally could be a solid choice to fill their shoes.

The full press release can be found below.

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Google Play edition devices really are the best of both worlds. Not only do you get the best phones and tablets completely unlocked and contract-free, but you also get stock Android and fast updates with no third-party manufacturer or carrier bloatware attached. The only problem is the price: GPe devices tend to go for top dollar, but there are deals to be had.

Right now, third-party retailer Expansys is offering great deals on a handful of Google Play edition devices. The Samsung Galaxy S 4 and HTC One (M7) are both $399, the Sony Z Ultra is $349 and the LG G Pad 8.3 is just $224. These aren’t refurbished units like the recent deals you may have seen on the Nexus 7 going around. These are brand new in box, just like you’d buy them from Google Play.

Speaking from experience, I can say the Samsung Galaxy S 4 Google Play edition device is a pleasure to use. We also have a staff member who like the GPe HTC One M7. If you’ve been thinking about picking up a Google Play edition device for some time now, this may be your best chance. Who knows what’s going to happen to the Google Play edition program when the next round of flagships hit next year.

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The LG G Watch is small. It’s tiny. How could you possibly use a virtual keyboard on that thing? Or the Gear Live? Or the Moto 360? Or any Android Wear device that could possibly come out in the future?! Allow minimalist keyboard developer Minuum to show you.

Posted on the official Minuum blog, the video below gives you the first real look at what using Minuum keyboard on an Android Wear device, specifically the LG G Watch, will look like. For those of you that remember the days of hammering out text messages on a T9 keypad (those were the days) using Minuum should look very familiar.

As for how Minuum would work on a Moto 360, there’s a mockup here that looks just about as easy as the square version. If you want to get a feel for Minuum now, you can download the third-party keyboard from Google Play. While it looks a bit intimidating at first, it’s not bad once you get used to it.

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If you ever any doubts about Samsung and Apple’s leadership in smartphone sales so far this year, let them end now. According to a new report of out Counterpoint Technology Market Research, the two companies are still leading the pack when it comes to mobile phone sales, with Samsung making three of the top five best selling phones on the list.

Counterpoint says the iPhone 5s took the top selling spot for smartphones through the month of May, but the Samsung Galaxy S5 came in second, the Galaxy S 4 third and the Galaxy Note 3 fourth. The iPhone 5c rounds out the top five, with the iPhone 4s following along with the Xiaomi MI, Samsung Galaxy S4 mini, Xiaomi Hongmi Redrice and finally Samsung Galaxy Grand 2. The list, which spans some 35 countries, shows Samsung with a total of five out of the top ten smartphones — an impressive show of dominance to say the least.

The rest of a top 20 list would be more diverse, with Sony, LG and Motorola all snagging a spot, but the top ten is controlled by just three companies. At this rate it’s starting to look like the only phones that can disrupt the iPhone 5s, Galaxy S5, Note 3 and Xiaomi MI will be the iPhone 6, Galaxy S6, Note 4 and MI2. It’s not hard to see why the iPhone still gets special treatment, Hugo Barra left Google for Xiaomi and Google wants to be best friends with Samsung.

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Remember that rumor that claimed that Verizon would add 4G LTE support to its prepaid plans on July 17? Well, it looks like the reports were true.

Starting July 17, Verizon will include support for 4G LTE smartphones on its prepaid plans, which are known as Allset Plans. The Allset Plan for smartphones is priced at $45 per month and includes unlimited talk and text and 500MB of data. Customers that enroll in Auto-Pay can double their data to 1GB.

Alright, I hear you giggling at the thought of 500MB or 1GB data allotments. The good news is that if you need more, you can get more. Verizon says that customers can add 500MB of data for $5, 1GB for $10 or 3GB for $20.

Perhaps best of all is that consumers can bring their own Verizon 4G LTE device to these prepaid plans. If you’d prefer to buy a new device, you’ll be able to snag devices like the Moto X, Galaxy S 4, Galaxy S5, LG Lucid 3 and LG G2. Those two LG phones will be priced at $149.99 and $299.99, respectively.

Prepaid plans have become more popular in recent years, but one of the biggest complaints about prepaid was about Verizon and its 3G-only offerings. Even after Verizon completed its initial LTE rollout, prepaid folk were stuck on its older 3G service. Thankfully that’s finally changing, making Verizon’s Allset prepaid plans much more enticing.

Are any of you thinking about taking the prepaid plunge on Verizon?

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