Samsung Galaxy S5 Firmware Update Speeds-Up Camera App and More

Samsung has rolled-out a firmware update for its flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S5, enabling users to experience a faster access to gallery app and slightly more precise fingerprint sensor.

Besides the faster opening of the gallery app, the update also boosts the camera app opening speed of the Galaxy S5, reports Sammobile. This, when paired with the already existing 0.3 second autofocus feature of the handset, would offer even better ISOCELL camera experience to users.

The Galaxy S5 update additionally enhances the fingerprint scanner accuracy and the fingerprint reading time. The general performance of the Galaxy S5 (Review | Pictures) has also been improved along with better RAM management.

The Galaxy S5 firmware update, named G900FXXU1ANE2, is currently available for UK customers (International model - SMG900F) and might soon reach other regions, via OTA or Samsung Kies software. However, for those who can't wait to get their hands on the latest update, they can manually install it from Sammobile, though we do not recommend this.

This is not the first update for the Samsung Galaxy S5 handset since its launch at the MWC 2014. Last week, Samsung announced its latest Knox 2.0 security suite for the Galaxy S5, a suite that will be rolled out to other Samsung Galaxy devices through OS upgrades in the coming months.

The Knox Workspace includes a series of core security enhancements for devices from erratic kernels to third-party apps. Some of the features in Knox Workspace: TrustZone-protected certificate management, Knox key store, real-time protection for system integrity, two-factor biometric authentication and the generic framework of Knox.

The Korean tech giant also gave a stability update , version XXU1ANCE, to its Galaxy S5 just before the release.

Nokia 3310 given 41-megapixel camera upgrade on April Fools' Day

Just when one thought that Nokia will launch even more products in its Nokia X family running Android or new Lumia devices based on Windows Phone 8.1, April Fools' Day comes and Nokia announces its heritage 3310 in a new avatar.

The Nokia 3310, which was initially launched in 2000 and is one of the most successful phones ever released by Nokia, has made a modern-day comeback.

The Finnish giant has introduced its 3310 sporting a 41-megapixel PureView sensor with Zeiss optics and Xenon flash. Further, the 3310 is seen boasting a huge camera hump at the back panel, much like Nokia 808 PureView and Nokia Lumia 1020.

The company claims that the Nokia 3310 now runs a modified version of Windows 8 (yes, you heard it right) with a new 'ClearDiamond' 3-inch WXGA (768x1280) display.

The Nokia 3310 PureView will be available in Blue, Dark Blue, Green, Red and Yellow colour variants.

The revamped Nokia 3310 is a touchscreen device and also sports three soft-touch navigation buttons, alongside a Windows Phone 'home' button.

Other specifications of the Nokia 3310 include a 1.5GHz dual-core processor; 2GB of RAM; 1430mAh battery; 32GB inbuilt storage; Bluetooth 4.0; Wi-Fi and 3G.

The yesteryear device Nokia 3310 comes with pre-loaded with four games - Snake II, Pairs II, Space Impact and Bantumi. Other pre-installed apps include MS Office, Xbox Games, Outlook and OneDrive.

Nokia notes that the Nokia 3310 will be rolled out with 3G connectivity, while LTE-enabled devices will follow later this year.

Commenting on the Juha Alakarhu, Nokia's Head of Imaging Technologies said, "I'm really excited that we've found a way to marry our innovative PureView technology with such a beloved device. With its durable design and iconic look, we think even more people will enjoy our signature PureView magic."

Earlier on Tuesday, HTC and Samsung both showed off smart-gloves on April Fools' Day.

Samsung hit the hammer first, announcing its first 'all-over-hand' wearable device dubbed Samsung Fingers that features a flexible Super Emo-LED for the technology-sensitive consumer. HTC on the other hand teased its HTC Gluuv, which is also a smart-glove.

Google, despite being one of the biggest tech companies showed off its unique sense of humour and that's most apparent on April 1 every year. The Mountain View giant has a long list of gags that include Google Pokemon Maps, Gmail Shelfie, Emoji Translate in Chrome, Auto Awesome Photobombs, Google Magic Hand, Nest Total Temperature Contro and WazeDates.

WhatsApp for Android update adds option to hide 'last seen' status and more

WhatsApp on Monday began rolling out an update for its Android app, bringing new privacy settings to devices running Android v2.1 and higher.

The WhatsApp for Android update has brought the option to hide the 'last seen' notification, profile photo and status through privacy settings. In order use the feature, users need to install the latest WhatsApp (2.11.186) update from the Google Play Store. Once the application is updated, users will find the new privacy feature in settings menu under account settings. So far, users can hide all three pieces of information from people not on their contact list, from select people, or from everyone. The feature that was already present on iOS devices.

The updated WhatsApp app for Android has now added an option to share/save profile photo/group icon. Another interesting integration to WhatsApp for Android is the service payment feature, which lets users pay for their friends' WhatsApp service. Users need to go visit contacts, check the particular contact's info, and press the menu option, where they will find the option for making the payment.

The WhatsApp update for Android now adds an option to show unread messages on the home screen widget for devices running Android 3.0 and higher. Few other tweaks include a camera shortcut for quicker picture sending, large video thumbnails in chat, and an option to increase the message history a user can send.

The update also fixes few bugs for some devices. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 voice note recording volume bug has also been fixed with the update, while it also enabled Hindi language support for Sony Xperia phones running Android 4.1 and higher