Looks like Samsung is really not playing around with their next flagship phone, the Galaxy S4. The latest event was Bruno Mars singing sweet nothings in concert at Cunard Hall in Manhattan on Thursday. The Hall was beautiful and was a perfect choice with it’s banging acoustics. Check out images of Mr. Mars himself below.
The more I spend time with the phone, the more I like it. I still don’t like any skin on my Android devices though. I’m a vanilla type of guy because I feel like most skins just end up slowing the phone down. That said, Samsung does add a few key touches that I think will at least make some of your friends jealous. There’s the 13MP camera for starters. Add to that the ability to edit out moving items in the background and you have a pretty functional camera. You can use two apps on the same screen at the same time which is pretty interesting, though I’m not sure I’d use that functionality on my cell phone, but perhaps there is someone out there who will. Check out the Hands on Review for more details. It’s available on all the major carriers.
Also, a little snippet of my man singing his heart out for you fans out there…
We were able to spend some quality time with the all new, just announced Samsung Galaxy S4. Check out the video below.
There are a few new features that Samsung has baked in that more than a few people will like. Some of my favorites are as follows:
13 MP Camera. There is some fuss about what makes a mobile camera good. Is it the pixels, or how the image is stitched together. Listen, I won’t refuse if Samsung wants to put 13 MP in it’s main shooter. They’ve also put a 2 MP camera in the front for a nice combo.
IR LED, Bluetooth 4.0, 4G LTE supporting up to 100/50Mbps
In addition they have added Temperature, Humidity, as well as, IR Gesture sensors.
Drama Shot allows you to take a ton of shots and select the the best one. In addition, the Eraser feature allows you to erase something from the image if it was moving which will make for a lot nicer pictures on the fly.
Group Play might be my favorite since I had this idea a long while ago. You can play your music with as many as 8 different S4s. You can also control volume on each device as well as control them like a surround sound system with Left, Right, and Center phones as speakers.
The phone will also have an accessible battery as well as expandable storage via microSD.
To be honest, I was glad Samsung decided to something different and I want to congratulate them for doing that. I’m really glad they, as a company, dare to be different when it comes to their media strategy. However, there were definitely some hits and misses with the live performance which you can watch in it’s entirety below. Skip ahead to the 40 min mark to start.
I thought the dancing kid was great, and exhibited a ton of skill. I liked how they used him in the first portion to demonstrate some of the camera functionality. However, there were some really weird parts like the banter between the announcer and his female counter part.
All in all, I felt like they pulled it off fairly well and it was a good idea to introduce each feature in a fun way. The script just needed a little tweaking in my opinion.
Samsung is eager to show off their impressive line of Smart TVs and they’ve chosen a very catchy way to do it. Enlisting Victoria’s Secret model Angela Bellotte, the company comically demonstrates the TV’s voice and motion controls. Besides the human beauty, the TV is quite sexy as well with it’s thin profile as well as wireless controls. When I was thinking about making my TV purchase, voice and motion control weren’t available yet and though I’m happy with my purchase, I think I might have gone the other way with these new offerings! How about you guys – like what you see?
I got the chance to play around with the Galaxy Nexus for a few moments and I must say that sucker is fast. Really fast! I was zipping along through all the apps and opening and closing and swiping – it was all such a breeze. By now, you know all the specs already. The screen was pretty large and the fact that there are no buttons really made a difference in the screen size since Samsung was able to capitalize on the extra space. The glass was indeed curved, but you had to look for it. It wasn’t hugely noticeable. The device felt really solid, but I can’t stand that flimsy back cover that Samsung has been adding as of late, but it did cut the weight down. I didn’t mind it so much since the device itself was so sturdy.
I managed to snap a few pictures, and the there really was no shutter lag. You have to use it for yourself to really understand how blazingly fast taking a picture was. I tried panorama out, but I couldn’t really think of too many cases for when I might use it, but it was still cool to have, and I’ll take it.
All-in-all, Android 4.o is a good forward step. The upgrade definitely feels like a true upgrade and not just Honeycomb 3.5. Everything is re-done, but it still somehow doesn’t feel finished. I would definitely make the Galaxy Nexus my next device, but I’m really looking for the next iteration. Jelly Bean is it?
Got a chance to play with with the Samsung Infuse for ATT. Off the bat I was smitten with the beauty of the phone. I think I like where Samsung is going with their design direction. The phone is slim and sleek with a 4.5 inch screen. Read on for my impressions of the device.
Likes:
Form Factor
this phone is definitely not the biggest phone, but it is still up there among the big boys at 4.5″. At first glance it looks like only the manliest of men will be handling this phone. However, when you pick it up, its not heavy at all and its very thin. This gives the feeling that the phone is manageable for those of us with smaller hands. A few of my female coworkers remarked how well it fit in the hand.
The back cover of the device is still plastic, however, its sort of recessed in the back taking up very little space. The rest of the phone is solid. The speaker worked better than I thought which I attribute to the thin plastic back cover.
Battery Life
I played around with the phone for two days straight which, sorry to say, is unheard of for many Android devices. I kept gps, auto-sync, and wifi on. The brightness was about medium. I didn’t do a huge amount of calling but did do a bit of internet surfing and it performed well.
4G Goodness
Pulling up websites was pretty snappy with AT&T’s network. I had no major issues with it in NYC and found it to add positively to my experience with the phone. Videos came up quickly and was even able to video chat without wifi using Tango and Qik though it was a little choppy at times.
Dislikes:
OS
I am an Android fan, but Google updates so frequently that new phones feel obsolete in mere months. This phone is based on Android 2.2 (Froyo) which is already behind Android 2.3 (gingerbread). Since Samsung skinned it with their touch flo UI, Infuse users may have to wait a bit until the phone OS is upgraded. This can be a pain when you have a lot of power under the hood but have to wait a bit for the latest and greatest.
Screen Resolution
The 4.5 inch AMOLED screen is quite beautiful to behold. It’s super bright and makes all the icons and videos come to life. However, when comparing to other phones with smaller screen resolutions like my G2 the Infuse’s images look slightly blurred. The resolution is 800×480, which is pretty good but for some reason I felt like something was missing while watching video clips.
Summary:
Overall, I really liked using the phone. I was most impressed by the phones sexy curves and slim physique. Was a little let down that it was running on Froyo rather than gingerbread, but there really isn’t a huge difference functionality-wise. I just have to have what the Jones’ have! With an 8 MP camera with LED Flash and front facing 1.3 MP camera as well as 4.5″ inch AMOLED screen and a 1.2 GHz processor under the hood – you really can’t go wrong.
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 “Touchflo” customization. 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.
I was fortunate enough to get my hands on the Samsung Fascinate and had a few weeks to play around with this beautiful phone. Does the phone live up to the hype, or does it falter? Check out my thoughts below.
Hardware:
The first thing I noticed about the phone was how stunning it was visually. Make no mistake about it, this phone has a beautiful form factor. It’s large and sleek with chrome trim around its borders. I like the touch buttons rather than physical buttons which i feel are a follow-through with the slick design. The phone is quite light in the hand. I definitely expected the phone to be a bit heavier, but was pleasantly surprised with its heaviness – or lack thereof. It weighs around 4.5 ounces compared to the iPhone’s 4.8 ounces. I had to take a double-take at the specs because the Fascinate seems to be a lot lighter than the iPhone. Seriously, a few times I felt like the Fascinate would fly out of my hand if I made too many sudden movements! I think the weight might have been spread out over the wider surface area of the Fascinate. The micro USB port and 3.5 mm headphone jack are located at the top of the phone, while the power button/lock button is located on the right side of the phone. The volume rocker is on the left side. Sadly, no dedicated camera button in site. The display is a 4.0 inch WVGA capacitive touch screen display. It has a 5.0 megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom. It also has a 1Ghz processor which makes things nice and speedy.
Software:
It’s running android 2.1 which is not the latest iteration of android,which would be android 2.2, but I suspect an ota update isn’t too far away. Its a lot more mature than android 1.6 of course with a slew of new functions, but with Google’s break-neck pace of providing updates, 2.1 is definitely getting old fast if only in name. Also, Samsung has obviously added their flavoring to the OS which also slows down the updates because it takes time to re-skin once they come out.
Likes:
I love the form factor. Its slim so it doesn’t quite put the bulge in your pocket that other 4.0 inch and larger phones would have. Its also so light which for some people may be a problem, but for me I find to be a plus. I also like the text to speech functionality, even though, I think it still has some improvements that could be made. Its still not as accurate as I would like, but i still love it. I also love the interactive backgrounds. You can also download a bunch from the application store. Also, the processor speed really makes you feel like your using a quality product. You rarely have to wait for anything. Swype movement is always smooth and snappy. I also like the Buddies Now Widget from Samsung. It’s a quick way to flick through your most used buddies, and it takes their images from your Google contacts. I also love the 3G Mobile Hotspot app, but that’s because Verizon supports that. Many carriers would cut that functionality out all together, but I’m glad its here on the Fascinate. Call Quality is quite good as well with both myself and the caller on the other end surprised at the call clarity. Lastly, the lock-screen has lots of great information like time and date. You have to drag a puzzle piece to the open spot in order to unlock the phone, but what’s clever is that if you have when you have a missed call or new email, that new piece of information gets its own puzzle section. You can then drag that puzzle section to the open spot and go directly to the intended application.
Dislikes:
Earlier I was talking about how light the phone was, part of the reason may be because of the plastic back cover. I didn’t like the feel of the back cover as I would rather the back cover be metal. It’s definitely a small thing, and quite subjective, however, the plastic feel takes away from the mature feel of the phone. I also didn’t like the lack of a physical camera button. The camera controls are pretty extensive and the shutter speed is decent for a phone so a two stage button I feel is in order.
When it comes to contacts – Android automatically syncs with your contacts and if your like me, you may have a ton of contacts that you don’t necessarily use. So your contact list will be huge – so you will have to do a lot of fine tuning to do. That’s where the buddies now app comes in, but it can still be annoying to have so many contacts in your contact list.
Wrap up:
Overall, I loved the phone. It has such a visually stunning presence which can totally be a conversation piece in a social atmosphere. Its light in the hand, and the 1Ghz processor is not for show. Camera, is OK but nothing to write home about. Call quality is great and a great sign of a well put together phone. Android 2.1 is great, but 2.2 it is not. Definitely not a deal-breaker, but if I bought the phone, I would definitely be looking out for the updates. All-in-all , totally worth it for looks and functionality in my opinion. It’s shortcomings are easily overshadowed by the areas it excels in. Do you have the phone? Let us know your thoughts below!
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
so I got my hands on the Behold II for T mobile and am presently testing it out. The review will come soon enough…sorry kinda got lazy over the weekend! But never fear, I have some shots below to wet the appetite (as if you haven’t already seen pics and vids already). I will leave you with this. It feels really nice, and for those who are hating on it…chances are, they either a) didn’t have the phone for very long, or b) didn’t really have the phone at all and are copying off of what others are saying. The phone really flies in some areas like picture taking and speaker phone quality, and are mediocre in other areas such as battery life (which can be assuaged by some tinkering). The full review coming up!
