Samsung's Galaxy S5 Mini Sashays on Stage

Roughly three months after the launch of its flagship Galaxy S5 smartphone, Samsung on Tuesday debuted the device's smaller sibling: the widely anticipated Galaxy S5 mini.

Featuring a 4.5-inch HD 720 x 1280 Super AMOLED display, the Galaxy S5 mini comes equipped with a Quad Core 1.4-GHz processor and 1.5 GB RAM, along with 8-MP rear-facing and 2.1-MP front-facing cameras.

Although compact in size, the mini preserves many of the flagship S5's key features, including IP67 dust- and water-resistance, Ultra Power Saving Mode, a heart-rate monitor, a fingerprint scanner, and connectivity with the latest Samsung wearable devices.
'It's All There'

The Galaxy S5 mini also supports LTE Category 4 for ultra-fast downloads of movies and games on the go. Android 4.4 (KitKat) is the device's operating system.

"It's all there," independent mobile industry consultant Mike Morgan told TechNewsWorld. "This is literally like they just put the S5 in the dryer and shrunk it."

The Galaxy S5 mini will be available in Russia starting in early July, with plans for global expansion after that. Color options at launch include charcoal black, shimmery white, electric blue and copper gold. Pricing was not disclosed.
'A Lot of Appeal'

Samsung has a history of offering downsized options for its Galaxy devices, Wayne Lam, a senior telecom electronics analyst at IHS, told TechNewsWorld.

It did something similar with its Galaxy S3 and S4 smartphones, he pointed out.

In general, miniature versions have a lot of appeal in Europe and emerging markets, said Lam, not only because of the smaller size, but also the reduced cost. "Usually the mini models tend to have wider global distribution."

Part of the reason for that is that carrier subsidies typically are baked in within the United States, he explained, so "carriers are more incentivized to push flagship devices."

Globally, those subsidies are not the norm, however, and consumers tend to purchase their devices at full price. As a result, "people tend to gather at mid-tier or even lower-level devices," Lam said.
'They're Being Very Market-Specific'

As for the Galaxy S5 mini's specs, Samsung is "trying to keep the features that reflect that Galaxy S5 brand," Lam said, including its water-resistance.

Still, "if you dig into the specs, you'll see a lower-cost chip set, display and camera system, along with less RAM," he noted. "They're leveraging the Galaxy S5 so consumers know about it, with its water resistance, heart-rate monitor and great AMOLED display, but they're trying to cost-optimize other features."

At the other end of the spectrum is the Galaxy S5 LTE-A version, Lam pointed out, which is a higher-end offering targeting the Korean market.

"The story for Samsung is to have a flagship device and iterate on that -- a small one for emerging markets, a premium for the home Korean market -- and we might see other iterations coming down the line," he suggested.

Samsung has "the scale and scope to do that," Lam observed. "They're being very market-specific with the designs, as opposed to someone like Apple, where all they do is create one premium device and sell it into different markets."
'Why Start in Russia?'

"It's a well-understood strategy," noted Morgan. "They have the Galaxy, and it comes in untold variants. It has been very successful for them. "The part that perplexes me is, why start in Russia?" he wondered. "Don't get me wrong -- it's a huge market and there is definitely a large enough base of those with expendable income, but I don't know why that's their first choice."

Yahoo Saves Greendale in 'Community' Rescue

Yahoo may find that its efforts to save Community will help it save itself. Yahoo has been searching for an identity as it attempts to turn its very large ship around, and embracing a show with a built-in avid fan base could give it some credibility as a distributor of premium video content online. Yahoo also has a couple of brand new original comedy series in the works.
Fans of the sitcom Community have cause to celebrate after Yahoo renewed the show for a sixth season.


Creator and showrunner Dan Harmon has signed on, along with seven core cast members. The season will have at least 13 episodes and will air weekly starting this fall.

Ken Jeong as Señor Chang, Jim Rash as Dean Pelton, Jonathan Banks as Professor Hickey, Gillian Jacobs as Britta Perry, Joel McHale as Jeff Winger, Yvette Nicole Brown as Shirley Bennett, Alison Brie as Annie Edison (Photo by Vivian Zink/NBC)

NBC ran the show, which centers on the fictional Greendale Community College, for five seasons before canceling it earlier this year. Since then, rumors abounded that other networks or online services might keep Community alive.

Hulu, which has the rights to show Community online, was rumored to be in discussions with producer Sony TV, but those talks reportedly fell through. However, just as cast members contracts were about to expire on June 30, Yahoo swooped in to ink a deal for another season.

Exclusive Show

"I believe that Community offers Yahoo the opportunity to pick up a modestly successful show as an exclusive," Erik Brannon, senior U.S. television analyst at IHS, told TechNewsWorld.

"The interesting thing about Community is it's a great example of a show that's sort of run it's course on broadcast television," Colin Dixon, founder and principal analyst at nScreen Media, told TechNewsWorld.

"The prime time audience has moved on to other shows, but it still has a wide, broad following," he noted. "I think it can help bring a new audience to Yahoo that maybe hasn't been there before. The other thing it can do is it's a wonderful spot to place freemium ads. It could be a good revenue earner for them as well."

Microsoft's Threshold: Low Expectations but High Stakes

Unhappy Windows 8 users already are looking forward to the next OS on Microsoft's horizon, which goes by the working name "Threshold." It's widely expected that Threshold will address many, if not all, of Windows 8's problems. "Windows 8 was an experiment in convergence that was both too drastically different for existing users and too complex for new users," said IDC analyst Al Hilwa.

As the anticipated April 2015 launch of Threshold, the next major version of Windows OS, draws closer, Microsoft reportedly is tightening up its features.

One of the OS Group's main goals in thedesign and development of Threshold is to make it more palatable to Windows 7 users, according to ZDNet.

New features aimed at desktop users who may or may not use touch input reportedly are being included. The new OS may or may not be called "Windows 9," because Microsoft may want to shake off the taint of Windows 8, which did not quite meet its expectations for reviving PC sales.

"If this is the release that returns the Start menu and adds windowing for modern apps, I'd say it's a win for both Windows 7 users and users of Windows systems without touch in general, Wes Miller, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, told TechNewsWorld.
On the Threshold

The Threshold OS apparently will look and work differently, based on the hardware it runs on.

Users running it on a desktop or laptop will get a version that puts the Windows Desktop, geared to Win32 and legacy apps, in the forefront, ZDNet reported. Those with two-in-one devices, like the Microsoft Surface Pro, will get a version that supports switching between the Windows mode used on desktops and the Metro-style mode used on tablets, depending on whether a keyboard is connected.

"I expect to see the OS evolving to be more tolerant of desktop users while not compromising tablets and touch-enabled screens," Miller said. It likely will let desktop users return to the Start screen and full-screen modern applications if they want to.

"Any return to a more familiar desktop for users without touch is a good move, especially if done in such a way that it doesn't harm the existing touch-based experience for tablets," Miller noted.
Going Mobile

A version of Threshold for tablets and smartphones also is in the works, but it will not have a desktop environment, ZDNet reported. However, it apparently will support apps running side by side.

A mobile version that converges the needs of tablets and smartphones "has to come out soon to compete properly with the iOS and Android ecosystems," Al Hilwa, a program director at IDC Seattle, told TechNewsWorld. "Both hybridize tablets and phones more gracefully than Windows."

This mobile version of Threshold reportedly will work on ARM-based Windows Phones and Surface tablets, and possibly Intel Atom-based tablets.

Whether it will replace Windows Phone is not yet clear.

"It's all conjecture at this point, but I do expect an overall convergence of Windows Phone and Windows RT in particular," Directions on Microsoft's Miller said. "It will likely continue to move the focus away from the legacy desktop as contained in Windows RT, to be all in with a modern user interface."
Windows 8 Fallout

IDC blamed 2013's slowing PC sales on Windows 8.

"Windows 8 was an experiment in convergence that was both too drastically different for existing users and too complex for new users," IDC's Hilwa remarked.

"Most importantly, it did not evolve the desktop in a meaningful way and did not really integrate the desktop successfully with touch," he continued.

"Windows Vista and Windows 8 have both tarnished the brand in their respective scenarios," Miller commented. "Much like Windows 8, Vista was a subpar experience on hardware that was not designed to make the most of it."
Saving Face

Microsoft needs a rethinking of the Windows OS "that respects the value and power of the desktop and invests in its evolution," Hilwa said.

"Things should be easier and more productive on the desktop, but not necessarily entirely tablet-like," he suggested. Threshold could help Microsoft save face -- or not. "The one good thing going for [Microsoft] is that expectations are low," said Hilwa, "though the stakes remain high for the overall Windows ecosystem."

Despite Apple's Aperture Fumble, the Photos for OS X End Goal Could Win It All

Apple has effectively turned its back on professional photographers. This is either intentional -- in order to foster a sense of anger and frustration that could lead to a wealth of information posted online about what professional photographers or prosumers really care about -- or Apple just dropped the ball. Either way, Apple pulled a textbook move on how to come off as cold and uncaring.

There's a lot riding on Apple's new Photos for Mac OS X app. At WWDC, Apple briefly showed off an early version of its upcoming Photos app, which will integrate with iCloud and the iOS 8-based Photos app with the iCloud Photo Library service.

Naturally, this plan raised some questions about Apple's iPhoto and Aperture products.

Late last week, Apple revealed that it has stopped developing new features for Aperture and iPhoto. Instead, the company is focusing on Photos for OS X. The move away from iPhoto makes sense -- why have multiple consumer storage and editing apps? -- but the death of Aperture was an outright blow to professional photographers who took the plunge and invested in it.

By investment, I don't mean the US$80 the app costs: Professionals and prosumers have put thousands of hours into learning the app, and they have amassed untold numbers of photos and gigabytes of data using it.



Consumers, on the other hand, are less likely to be in love with iPhoto. I believe most Mac customers use it because it's Apple's built-in solution and it works as a storage locker and editing app reasonably well, with reasonable cohesion with iPhones. Again, reasonably well. My iPhoto library is 111 GB with more than 21,000 photos. It was clunky and slow until I upgraded my MacBook Pro's hard drive from the standard disk drive to a solid state drive. Now it's just clunky.

Why? Here's one example. Getting into and out of the edit mode requires you to constantly pay attention. First, you have to find the Edit button, which is in the bottom right corner. Next, you have a clunky editing sidebar with three tabs that goes back and forth between quick fixes like crop or straighten, a few sad little effects to choose from, and the ability to adjust exposure, contrast, saturation, etc.

None of them are awful, but they lack a cohesive feel. Plus, the right side column takes up way too much valuable screen real estate. What's worse is that every time you try to go back to your Events to get a new photo, you leave the Editing feature behind. It's not persistent unless you remain within a particular event. That's maddening.

How about iPhoto -- the iOS app -- for your iPhone or iPad? Does anyone actually use that thing? I briefly tried it out but could not come up with any reason I should bother with it when the Camera Roll contained my photos, and all sorts of nifty third-party apps let me edit and enhance them quickly and easily enough.

So Apple has a fractured photo-management problem. By coming up with a Photos app for iOS 8 -- with iCloud Photo Library storage and syncing capabilities -- alongside a new, similarly functioning Photos for OS X app, Apple has the potential to fix its problem with photo cohesion for its consumers.
Will Apple Turn a Cold Shoulder to the Pros?

It already has. When Apple announced the cessation of development of Aperture, it was through a bland statement to The Loop, which naturally caused a ruckus with Aperture fans, which led to a vague statement to Ars Technica assuring the community that Photos for OS X would include professional-grade features like image search, editing, effects, and support for third-party extensions.

Vague, no?

Meanwhile, customers will have to wait until early 2015 to get the new Photos for OS X app. With so little real information, Apple has effectively turned its back on professional photographers. This is either intentional -- in order to foster a sense of anger and frustration that could lead to a wealth of information posted online about what professional photographers (or prosumers) really care about -- or Apple just dropped the ball in favor of supporting the masses.

Either way, Apple pulled a textbook move on how to come off as cold and uncaring. Apparently, fabulous customer experiences are now focused on the least common denominator of its customer base.

I'm sure it all makes perfect business sense -- and therein lies the opportunity.
Apple Can't Compete with Adobe Lightroom Anyway

Adobe Lightroom has been gaining a following of appreciative customers. They might not like buying it as part of a subscription service with Adobe's Creative Cloud or as a licensing deal that requires an annual commitment, but customer satisfaction seems very good. Maybe Aperture sales have been lackluster, and maybe Apple just can't truly break into the prosumer market with Aperture or with enough professionals to make Aperture successful.

If Apple can't create a separate professional-grade product that it can convince people to buy, why have it? Why not double-down on rethinking and rebuilding photo editing, management and sharing?

That's the good that can come out of all this. Hundreds of millions of Apple customers are taking photos like never before. They're editing them, saving them and sharing them. Making it easy to find, edit and share photos is a very big deal. Potentially, it's far more important than satisfying the Aperture-grade pros.

Why?

Photos speak to humans in personal and inspiring ways. If Apple gives the right photo-management solution to hundreds of millions of customers, they'll become even more embedded with Apple products. If Apple creates photo management that gets out of the way, the customer satisfaction gains will be enormous.
Better Yet, Apple Is Opening Up

The key to Apple's massive photo retooling, though, is in how Apple has opened up its own apps to third-party app developers. With iOS 8 -- and Photos for OS X next year -- app developers can create awesome extensions. These extensions will essentially give you custom controls, offering special filters and effects -- or even professional-grade tools.

Sharing and integration with other apps will feel more seamless. This is actually a big step forward for Apple. The company is relinquishing a good bit of user experience control in favor of customization and third-party extension of capabilities.

It has the potential to unleash a new wave of creativity from developers -- and consumers.

Will Photos for OS X be enough to placate the professionals? Will developers create extensions that will serve their needs? Maybe -- maybe not. However, the big win for Apple will be with most everyone else -- prosumers on down to foodies who just want to pin a pretty plate of lobster for their friends to drool over.
Two Sad Things Remain

What's really sad through all this "opportunity" is two-fold: First, for a company that's having a hard time figuring out what to do with $150 billion in cash, why couldn't Apple give its Aperture customers a bit more love by enhancing the application? Why not win them over to the new Photos for OS X app with awesome extensions when the app was released? I'm just surprised at the fumble -- it's like Apple picked its head up to look at the goal and forgot about the ball.

The second bit of sadness? We've got to wait until 2015 before the new Photos for OS X comes out.