American search engine giant Google hasn’t had the best reputation when it comes to users privacy. The company failed to maintain user data when a serious security bug in its social media offering, Google+ was found. The company has once again found itself amidst controversy when it was discovered that one of is products, the Nest Secure has a built-in microphone which went unnoticed for more than a year.
Google Nest Secure Controversy
Google acquired the home security company Nest in 2014 and then merged it under the Google brand last year. The Nest Secure bundle of devices were introduced in 2017. Google announced in early February this year that the Nest Guard, one of the devices in the Secure bundle, would double up as a voice assistant; as it will gain Google Assistant functionality. Using Google Assistant to work hands-free requires a microphone, and this microphone was never disclosed to have been present in the device. After the update, the users then would receive an email with instructions on how to turn on the microphone and set Google Assistant up on the device.
The controversy also arises from the fact that the product page of the device didn’t mention the presence of the hardware for more than a year. The page has since been updated with a microphone mentioned in the ‘Audio and Lights’ section of the product description. This oversight on Google’s part is being taken down as a serious offence in breaching a users privacy. There have been many negative sentiments about the company’s actions, most of them coming from US politicians who are concerned about the user’s privacy.
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Google has since clarified in a statement, that it never meant to keep the information about the presence of a microphone a ‘secret’. It also mentioned that the hardware was disabled until the update, and will continue to do so if the user desires.
The Galaxy Home would compete with similar smart speakers such as Amazon Echo and Google Home. Talking about voice assistants, Amazon Echo has Alexa integration while the Google Home uses Google Assistant. The smart speaker from Samsung will have the Bixby Voice Assistant. The sound quality is tuned by AKG, which was acquired by Samsung in 2017. The Galaxy Home can also be used as a smart hub for keeping tabs on the gadgets that are compatible with the platform.
According to Samsung, Galaxy Home is the only AI speaker that will transmit a wave of sound directly towards you when you communicate with the device. This means that the user will experience surround sound irrespective of their position in the room. It packs 6 different speakers and one subwoofer, all of which are housed in the same unit. Furthermore, the Galaxy Home also has 8 microphones with integrated ‘far-field’ technology. Users can say “Hi Bixby” from across the room and communicate with the smart speaker.
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The Galaxy Watch Active runs on Tizen based wearable OS 4.0 and packs an Exynos 9110 SoC which consists of a dual-core processor. The smartwatch has a reduced screen size than the Galaxy Watch from 2018, measuring 1.1 inches in diameter and having a resolution of 360×360 px. It is powered by a 230 mAh battery. The Galaxy Watch Active sports an AMOLED display.
The smartwatch runs on Samsung’s freshly overhauled One UI, and is operated via gestures and the two side mounted buttons. It automatically recognizes and tracks the activity being performed by the user. Apart from that, it also has a continuous heart rate tracking feature which can provide users with real-time information regarding their cardiac health.
The Galaxy Watch Active has 768 MB of RAM and 4 GB of internal storage. The smartwatch is IP68 water and dust resistant and is MIL-STD-810G certified. Connectivity options on the device include GPS, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0. As far as the sensors go, the Galaxy Watch Active has an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope and a pedometer. Furthermore, the smartwatch also has a sleep monitoring feature.
Samsung announced its fitness activity trackers at the event, known as the Galaxy Fit and Galaxy Fit e. As the name suggests, they are mainly targeted towards fitness enthusiasts. As per Samsung, the newly launched Galaxy Fit and Fit e are designed for users who need the functionality of just a fitness tracker and not a smartwatch. The Galaxy Fit and Fit e can automatically start tracking the user when he/she starts running, biking or swimming. Apart from this, users can also choose their exercise manually from a list of over 90 different activities. Both fitness trackers sport lightweight and ergonomic design.
The Galaxy Fit has a 0.95 inch AMOLED screen, with a resolution of 240×120 px. On the other hand, the Galaxy Fit e has a smaller 0.74 inch PMOLED display (Passive Matrix OLED) with a 128×64 px resolution. The fitness trackers run on Realtime OS and are also equipped with a heart-rate monitor. Noteworthy, the fitness trackers are 5ATM water resistant (up to 80 PSI). The Galaxy Fit will be available in Black and Silver colours, whereas the Galaxy Fit eis available in Black, White and Yellow colour options.
The Samsung Galaxy Fit has been launched with a price tag of US $99 (roughly Rs. 7,000). It will go on sale May 31 onwards in the US. However, the availability and price of the Galaxy Fit e have not been revealed yet. It is still unclear when these fitness trackers will be launched in India.
Samsung also launched its Galaxy Buds at the Galaxy Unpacked Event. The wireless earbuds are slightly smaller than the Gear IconX earbuds and have Bixby integration. As per Samsung, the voice assistant can process instructions in multiple languages including German, Italian and Spanish. The Galaxy Buds are available with the AKG branding. AKG Acoustics (Akustische und Kino-Geräte) are used in various studios worldwide for high quality sound. The wearables have a 5.8pi dynamic driver in each earbud along with an Adaptive Dual Microphone system. This allows users to communicate more easily in loud environments.
The case for the Buds is chargeable via USB Type-C. A 58 mAh battery powers each earbud, delivering 5 hours of calling time or up to 6 hours of music playback. The charging case for the earbuds packs a 252 mAh battery which can add an additional 7-8 hours to the battery life of the earbuds. Furthermore, the Galaxy Buds support wireless charging, so they can be charged by placing them on the rear of the Samsung Galaxy S10. This feature, known as Samsung’s ‘Powershare’ was first noticed in the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. The wireless earbuds use Bluetooth 5.0 for connectivity with smartphones.
The case for the wireless earbuds weighs 39.6 grams, while each Galaxy Bud weighs at just 5.6 g. The charging case measures at 38.8x70x26.5mm. whereas the Galaxy Buds measure 17.5×19.4×22.3mm. They are equipped with ear on/off detection sensors, as well as touch sensors for controlling playback and accepting/rejecting calls.
The Galaxy S10 5G measures 162.6 x 77.1 x 7.94mm and weighs 198g. The design of the smartphone is reminiscent of the Galaxy S10+ with Gorilla Glass 6 on the front and Gorilla Glass 5 on the back. The display sports an Infinity-O, 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED panel with a resolution of 3040 x 1440 px. It has a pixel density of 505PPI and a 19:9 aspect ratio. Like its siblings the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+, it features an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner and has IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. 
The Galaxy S10 5G runs on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC which is manufactured using 7nm fabrication process. It has an Octa-core CPU and Adreno 640 GPU. The device features the Qualcomm X50 modem for 5G support. In terms of storage, it features 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. There is no support for memory expansion via MicroSD.
The Galaxy S10 5G is powered by a 4,500mAh battery, larger than the 4100mAh present on the Galaxy S10+. The device supports 25W fast charging via the bottom mounted USB Type-C Port. Noteworthy, the premium smartphone also supports wireless charging. Like its siblings, it also has a reverse wireless charging feature.
The Samsung Galaxy S10+ is the most feature-rich smartphone in the new Galaxy S10 lineup. It features a 6.4 inch Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display. It has an edge-to-edge HDR+ display that tapers towards the sides. The display panel has a resolution of 3040 x 1440 px and pixel density of 522 ppi. To safegurd it against scartches and drops, the front and back of the device is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass. The US/China variant of the Galaxy S10+ runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855. On the other hand, the EMEA variant of the device runs on Samsung’s own Exynos 9820 chipset.
The Samsung Galaxy S10+ sports a triple rear camera camera setup which consists of a 12MP (f/1.5- f/2.4) primary sensor, 12MP (f/2.4) telephoto sensor and a third 16 MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide sensor. The smartphone also has a dual front camera module, which is a combination of a 10MP (f/1.9) sensor and an 8MP (f/2.2) sensor housed in the punch-hole display. The Galaxy S10+ boasts of the world’s first ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner in addition to 3D face recognition technology. 
The Samsung Galaxy S10 has a 6.1 inch Dynamic AMOLED, Quad HD+ screen. The Infinity-O display has a resolution of 3040 x 1440 px and a pixel density of 550ppi. The device is protected from scratches and impacts on both sides by Corning Gorilla Glass. Like the Galaxy S10+, the S10 is offered in two different chipset options, Snapdragon 855 and Exynos 9820 which is dependent on the region.
The Samsung Galaxy S10 has a similar triple camera setup to the Galaxy S10+. The device has a 12MP+12 MP+16 MP camera configuration with a single 10MP (f/1.9) selfie shooter housed in the punch-hole display. Also similar to the Galaxy S10+, it has an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner and 3D face scanning technology. 
The Samsung Galaxy S10 is available in two storage configurations, a 6GB+128GB version, and an 8GB+512GB variant. It is available in four colour options which include Prism Black, Prism White, Prism Blue, and Prism Green.
The Samsung Galaxy A30 will have a glossy plastic body. The smartphone will feature a 6.4 inch Super AMOLED, Infinity-U display with a full HD+ resolution. Apart from that, the screen of the Galaxy A30 will also have the ‘Always-On’ feature. As the name suggests, this feature keeps the screen awake for displaying notifications like messages and missed call alerts. The smartphone will run on the 14nm Exynos 7904 chipset with a 1.8 GHz octa-core processor and the Mali-G71 MP2 GPU. The Galaxy A30 will be equipped with a 16 MP (f/1.9) primary sensor with a secondary 5 MP (f/2.2) ultra wide sensor. It will also have a front facing 16 MP (f/1.9) camera. Furthermore, the Galaxy A30 will have a plethora of other features such as AR Stickers, Background Blur and Pro Lighting.
The Samsung Galaxy A50 will be the most feature laden smartphone out of the three upcoming devices. The smartphone’s highlighting feature is an in-display fingerprint scanner which is slowly becoming the industry standard for premium smartphones. The device will run on the Exynos 9610 chipset which consists of an octa-core CPU and the Mali-G72 MP3 GPU.
