It has been a big week for Samsung and their Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge phones, featuring major bug fixes, an upgrade to Android Lollipop 5.1.1, and the release of the highly-anticipated Gear VR virtual reality headset.
First up, the bug fix. Samsung stepped up to the plate at the start of May, admitting that the Galaxy S6 was suffering from a serious memory leak bug that was causing performance issues in the brand-new, super-fast Galaxy S6, and they promised a quick fix in spite of the likely culprit being Google’s Android OS. One week later, they delivered on that promise with the the ‘G920FXXU1AODG’ firmware update, as per Forbes .
Google’s own fix, Android 5.1.1, has still not been released to the Samsung Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, but rumor suggests that it’s coming, according to an article in Yibada . The update to the Android Lollipop OS also includes dramatic improvements to the phone’s camera, in a similar manner to the update that greatly enhanced photo quality on the HTC One M9. This is a major jump for Samsung’s flagship devices, which were previously running Android Lollipop 5.0.2. This update also features Guest Mode, allowing multiple users to use a single device while protecting the owner’s personal information, and Kid Mode features which provide a safe environment for kids to play with the phone.
The big news for the Samsung Galaxy S6 this week, however, is the release of Samsung’s virtual reality headset , the Gear VR, as per ThaiVisa . As previously reported in the Inquisitr , the Gear VR is a major selling point of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, making its lack of availability on release of the phone a bit problematic for Samsung. They’ve maintained high expectations thus far, and preorders have been available through Best Buy in North America, but the Gear VR is now officially available for order online through Best Buy and Samsung’s website, and should be coming to retail stores mid-May.
There isn’t yet much content for the Gear VR, but Samsung is aware that their major competitor in the virtual reality market, the Oculus Rift (the same company is behind the Gear VR, incidentally,) won’t be available until 2016 and plans to have their own product firmly entrenched by the time the Oculus Rift becomes available. There are some apps available through Samsung’s custom app store, and YouTube also has some 360° videos available that work with the phone’s accelerometer.
The Gear VR retails for $199 and is available now online.
[Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images]