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Cellphones Displays Handhelds Input Devices

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Review 75

Posted by samzenpus from the check-it-out dept.
MojoKid writes Differentiation is difficult in the smartphone market these days. Larger screens, faster processors, additional sensors and higher resolution cameras, all are nice upgrades but are only iterative, especially when you consider the deluge of products that come to market. True innovation is coming along with less frequency and Samsung, more so perhaps than some other players, is guilty of punching out so many different phone models that it's hard not to gloss over new releases. However, the new Samsung Galaxy Note Edge may offer something truly useful and innovative with its supplementary 160 pixel curved edge display. The Note Edge is based on the same internal platform as the Galaxy Note 4, and features a 2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 SoC with Adreno 420 graphics and 3GB of RAM. What makes the Galaxy Note Edge so different from virtually all other smartphones on the market is its curved edge display and what Samsung calls its "revolving UI" that offers app shortcuts, status updates, data feeds and features all on its own, but integrated with the rest of the UI on the primary display. You can cycle through various "edge panels" as Samsung calls them, like shortcuts to your favorite apps, a Twitter ticker, news feeds, and a tools panel for quick access to the alarm clock, stop-watch, a flashlight app, audio recorder and even a digital ruler. The Galaxy Note Edge may not be for everyone, but Samsung actually took curved display technology and built something useful out of it."
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Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Review More

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Review

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  • Congratulations Samsung... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Shadow of Eternity ( 795165 ) on Wednesday December 24, 2014 @07:46PM (#48670483)

    For inventing a phone that's not only even easier to crack the screen on than a regular smartphone but also can't be held on both sides AND can't use a protective case.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by AK Marc ( 707885 )

      can't use a protective case.

      lots of cases [google.co.nz]

      can't be held on both sides

      http://cdn01.androidauthority.... [androidauthority.net]

      even easier to crack the screen on than a regular smartphone

      A lie to go with the other lies you gave.

      Why are you bashing something for being different? None of your complaints are even valid, 2/3 disprovable with simple searches.

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by Shadow of Eternity ( 795165 )

        lots of cases [google.co.nz]

        Which aren't protective cases like otterbox...except the one that is an otterbox, but is a different phone

        http://cdn01.androidauthority.... [androidauthority.net]

        You can "hold" a knife by the blade by barely touching the edge too, the same for a broken piece of glass. No reasonable person would consider that a substantive reliable grip however.

        Why are you bashing something for being different? None of your complaints are even valid, 2/3 disprovable with simple searches.

        Translation "I actually couldn't even make up a dishoenst response to this one like I did the other 2 so I'm going to bluff and hope nobody actually clicks those links and thinks critically about what they're seeing". Dif

        • Re: (Score:1)

          by AK Marc ( 707885 )
          http://shop.crackberry.com/aqu... [crackberry.com]

          Or are you saying that you'd only accept an otterbox? I saw one officially announcing it, but the Edge isn't fully released. So yes, there aren't 10,000 cases for it.

          • A ziplock, really?

            • Re: (Score:1)

              by AK Marc ( 707885 )
              Ah yes, the no true protective case scotsman. The phone isn't out, but you object because the case selection is poor. Otterbox said they are making one for it. But like many new phones, the time from announcement to release wasn't enough for everyone to have a case ready

              And your comments about the edges are stupid. THey aren't sharp. The reviews all indicate it's easy to hold. I still don't understand why you are going so far out of your way to make up lies about something. It's a phone, why would y
        • otterboxes suck. skinit cargo is the ONLY WAY TO FLY. I never had call after call of complaining iPhone users from skinit like I did from otter's blocking the sensors and messing up the phone. plus any image you want on it, mine is almost two years old I've dropped / tossed / flung the phone all over the place and even the picture on the back isn't scratched up much, and the phone inside looks practically new still.
    • Lemme guess - you're a guy who carries his smartphone in his pocket, and is incapable of imagining any other use scenario.

      The phone is designed with the Asian market in mind. Phablets are insanely popular there among women, who put a cover on them and carry them in their purses. The problem is that if you get a text, you have to pull the phone out of your purse and flip open the cover to read it. A cover with a cutout for the screen is one solution, but still requires taking out the phone to read the

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by tlhIngan ( 30335 )

        The phone is designed with the Asian market in mind. Phablets are insanely popular there among women, who put a cover on them and carry them in their purses. The problem is that if you get a text, you have to pull the phone out of your purse and flip open the cover to read it. A cover with a cutout for the screen is one solution, but still requires taking out the phone to read the text. Putting a display on the edge allows you to read the text while the phone is still in the purse.

        In other words, it's a pr

  • Innovation and invention requires there be a problem. The first principle in the utility of a claim to actually solving a problem is a new idea or novel innovation. The highest embodiment of the solution to the problem is the invention.

    What's the problem? I don't see a real use case that this Samsung UI solves.

    • Here's the use case problem I think it can solve better, or at least somewhat. When you're actually in an app, you can pull up shortcuts to other apps as well as use edge panel apps simultaneously, without having to go back to the home screen. Other phones offer split screen or windowed views but this is a different and in some cases better (in some not) way of multitasking.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      What's the problem? I don't see a real use case that this Samsung UI solves.

      Some of the screenshots showing it being used as, basically, a taskbar. That gives it desktop-esque single-tap app switching without losing any of a small device's precious screen space. There were also images of it showing hardware controls (wifi on/off, etc.), app controls (camera shutter and settings), app settings, etc.

      The problem it seems to be solving is how to cram easier, faster device control into a phone without reducing usable area.

      • Interesting use-case. A slider widget would be the highest embodiment rather than toggle widgets. As you suggest controls are disruptive interfering and not easy sometimes while using devices at the same time. SO that would be architectural kernel level interrupts and scheduling which could enable the device to work uniquely rather than decorative buttons along the edge.

        I'm curious if they went to that level of innovation or if its just gingerbread design kitsch. Thanks...I'll check it out.

  • While the idea is neat in general it seems to only make the biggest complaint I have with my phone even worse, accidental touches of the frame.

    The industry is chasing ever narrower bezels and ever more sensitive touch panels to the point where phones can only be easily held with the palm. I have to disable the sensitivity boost on all the Galaxy phones I own (impacts the ability to use hover preview functions which are great if I'm cooking and someone sends me a txt) because I like using my phone upside dow

  • Since most of Samsung's UI attempts make me want to place pencils in my eyes and slam my head into my desk...but the underlying specs are usually worth rooting...maybe in a few months some root might come up with some actual, useful ideas for this. Personally I'd like to have that edge have some decent music controls as one pane, and be able to send specific apps notifications to it. Like my various server health checks, so I can just look at the side of the phone and see green / red / yellow dots like t

  • > Differentiation is difficult in the smartphone market these days.

    > all are nice upgrades but are only iterative

    Please give us one huge upgrade - simple QWERTY. Last QWERTY phone is N900 [wikipedia.org] from 2009. The next will be Jolla [jolla.com]+TOHKBD [kickstarter.com] in 2015 just thanks to a community funding effort (but still with weak hardware from 2013). Everybody in forums wants QWERTY but no single manufacturer makes one.

    Interesting both QWERTY phones also run Linux OS (that is not Android) despite both features are technically comp

    • I'd rather have a bigger screen and smaller form.

      That said, there are a ton of phones for me. You'd think they'd make one just to own that niche market

    • > Differentiation is difficult in the smartphone market these days.

      > all are nice upgrades but are only iterative

      Please give us one huge upgrade - simple QWERTY. Last QWERTY phone is N900 [wikipedia.org] from 2009. The next will be Jolla [jolla.com]+TOHKBD [kickstarter.com] in 2015 just thanks to a community funding effort (but still with weak hardware from 2013). Everybody in forums wants QWERTY but no single manufacturer makes one.

      Huh? I can immediately name two examples of a modern QWERTY phone here [blackberry.com] or here [blackberry.com].

      • Re: (Score:1)

        by short ( 66530 )
        OK, you are right. I meant more the flip-out QWERTY. I have tried the Blackberry keyboard but it is too small and it also does not have enough keys - primarily arrow keys. It is IMO more for SMSes, not for editor/shell. So maybe the QWERTY is covered by Blackberry for QWERTY users market as I see.

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