Samsung Tech to Look Forward to for the Holiday

I got a chance to look at some cool stuff Samsung has out right now that is pretty lust-worthy. The Galaxy S3 is sort of a beast, the note is pretty much a tablet if you ask me, and you’ll be hard pressed to find a sexier TV. Below are my impressions of those devices.

Samsung S3 and Note

These two devices are pretty similar in that they both make and receive phone calls. Other than that, they have pretty stark differences. The Galaxy S3 is quicker, with a faster CPU speed, more up to date OS (Ice Cream Sandwich), and to me, just plain sexier. However, the Note is no slouch with it’s stylus and huge display at 5.3 inches. Depending on your aesthetic tastes, I’d say either is a pretty good bargain if you don’t mind Samsung’s Touchflo skin on top of stock Android.

One service that I really liked was the Group Sharing found in Samsung’s “Group Cast”. What was cool was that you could share a PowerPoint presentation, images, or .PDF files in real time with other folks (with a Samsung Galaxy S3 or WiFi enabled TV). Any person in the group could move the slides along or mark them up. This functionality is a welcome addition to the Android experience.

Samsung Smart TVs

Victoria Secret Model Causes Quite the Stir with Samsung Smart TV

Samsung’s new line of Smart TVs are really sexy and have great functionality. They are a little pricey though, so if you are on a budget I might do a little research before plunking down your cold hard cash. What’s really cool is the “Smart Interaction” which allows you to control the TV or Play a Game with motion or voice. Now, this is very Kinect-like, however, if you don’t have an Xbox360 with Kinect, then this is of course an alternative. The TV also comes with Active 3D Glasses – which are pricier than passive 3D glasses but supposedly give higher resolution. I’ve got a passive 3D TV at home and it’s great, and I got it for a little less, so like I said, make sure to do your homework. I’ll continue to keep you updated on the latest in lustworthy gadgets for the Holidays!

Musings on the GALAXY Nexus

So Samsung and Google just announced the Galaxy Nexus and below are my thoughts on the device which will ship with Android 4.0 or “Iced Cream Sandwich” if you will. Let me be the first to say that I liked the code name “Nexus Prime” much better than Galaxy Nexus. I suppose Samsung had to get some branding recognition since Google seems to be using them as the handset maker of choice for their pur-bread Android experience.

That said, there are a few things that I’m excited about:

Camera Improvements

  • Not only can you zoom while taking video, but you can snap a pic while taking video as well
  • You can unlock straight to the Camera
  • You can take Panoramic shots
  • Instant shot meaning no shutter lag

Face Recognition Unlock

  • Phone will unlock only if it recognizes its owner…sometimes

HD Super AMOLED

  • 4.65 inch super bright screen. Definitely want to check that baby out.

Photo Editing

  • All the standard stuff you find in the app store like cropping, color, angle change, red-eye reduction, etc

People App.

  • Connects all your information on a single contact. You can manipulate which address or number you text or email by modifying your contact’s “people card”

Android Beam

  • Transmit data wireless via NFC which means you can exchange personal info, websites, Youtube videos etc by tapping phones together.

I gotta say that I’m intrigued and will probably get this phone, however, I still don’t feel that “magical” felling yet. All of the new features are amazing, yet, I still feel somewhat underwhelmed for some reason. I don’t feel like anything ground-breaking has happened. I just feel like Android is being continually polished and this is a step in the right direction. What are your thoughts?

 

Top 5 Upcoming Tablets

Motorolla Xoom

The Motorola Xoom tablet is now available for online order, or you can pick one up at a best buy. It ships with Google’s new Honeycomb OS which is basically Android for Tablets. The Xoom has a lot under the hood that makes it comparable to iPad like 4G from Verizon, Flash, and a larger display (10.1 inches). It’s also got a 1GHz Tegra dual core processor and 1GB of RAM to boot. Not bad Motorolla not bad.

 

 

 

Notion Ink Adam

This tablet was the first of the bunch to actually go on sale. It boasts a Pixel Qi screen which allows you to turn the back light on and off enabling daylight reading. It also has a custom Android interface and will be upgrading to Honeycomb. Ad to that a 1GHz Tegra dual core processor and swiveling 3.2 MP camera and you have an inexpensive rival. The most expensive 3G + wifi version will run you only 500 bucks. Plus its got a whole slew of ports including HDMI, USB (x2) and Micros USB.

 

 

 

Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 will have Honeycomb with Samsung’s “Touchflocustomization. It will be super thin at only 8.6 mm which is slightly thinner than the iPad2 which comes in at 8.8mm. It also has a dual core 1GHz processor and front and rear cameras of course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Playbook

 

The Playbook is RIM’s definition of a tablet and I think its a pretty good one. The OS will be RIM’s so it’s neither Android or iOS. It’ll be a little think at 10mm in depth. It’s also smaller coming in at a more mobile 7 inches. It will also have a 1GHz processor with 1GB of RAM. Front and rear facing camera, 3 and 5MP respectively, however, the difference lies in its ability to sync with your Blackberry. We are talking contacts, calendar appointments…the works.

 

 

 

G Slate

The Gslate is another Honeycomb tablet that will be running on Tmobile’s 4G network which means 1GHz dual core processor, 1 GB Ram. The screen will not be as big as the other guy’s (only 8.9 in) however the display will be HD. Nothing out of the ordinary except for they sucker punch you with this little trick. It will have dual rear cameras for 3D and HD video capture. Booyah.


 

Samsung’s Galaxy Tablet

While out gallivanting around the city, I happened upon the Samsung Store in the Columbus Circle Shopping center. I figured I’d test my luck to see if they had a Galaxy Tablet Review Unit that I could get my nubs on to try out. Sure enough, the little guy was on the first table as you enter the store. As I played around with it I noticed a few major things.

First, it really is quite lite. According to specs its supposed to be around 1.5 lbs and it feels it. It was well put together and definitely felt like a grown person’s toy. The size is controversial  but I suppose it all depends on what one would use it for. At 7″, it does what it does quite well. The screen is crisp and clear and it wouldn’t take up much space in a briefcase or small bag. However, rumors of the ability to lug this thing around without a case of some sort is a gross exaggeration. I doubt anyone would carry this thing in their back pocket or the inside of a jacket. 1.5lbs is light, but not that light!

Next, I noticed an older app that I used to have on my G1 called Bubble Blast. I figured I’d open it up to see what it looks like on a 7″ screen. The answer is… terrible. Functionality-wise, it works as you would expect, but you can also tell not much work was done to optimize the game for the tablet space. The reason I point this out is because I am quite sure there will be a lot of apps in this same boat so there will be some wait until Android 3.o comes out and developers are able to get their android apps to a tablet friendly place.

Lastly, flash is working – not magnificently, but working. Checked some flash heavy-sites and the browser chugged its way through. I was impressed, but thought that it could be done better. I only expect the mobile flash experience to get better, especially after Steve Jobs’ public lambasting of adobe. Hopefully those who decide to spend the 600 bucks or so for this bad-boy when it comes to US Carriers will be able to wait for the software updates that will make the Galaxy Tablet browsing experience a bit better.

Below are the Galaxy Tablet Specs:

  • 3G/Wifi/Bluetooth 3.0 Version
  • Android 2.2
  • 7hrs of Movie Viewing (4,000 mAh battery)
  • 1.0GHz processor
  • 7.0″ Capacitive Display
  • Front facing Camera with 3.0 MP rear facing camera for video conferencing
  • Plays HD Video
  • Access to Samsung “Media Hub”
  • Coming to ATT,Tmobile,Sprint, and Verizon

[Source: Samsung.com]