Samsung GALAXY Updates

Samsung Confirms No Android 4.4 KitKat for Galaxy S3 and S3 Mini

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Fri, 09 May 2014 11:20:00 +0000

One of Samsung's most popular Galaxy handsets, the Galaxy S3 which debuted in 2012, will not receive the Android 4.4 Kitat upgrade.

Recently, Samsung released the KitKat kernel source code for the Sprint variant of Galaxy S3 bearing model number SPH-L710; the update came with Linux 3.4 kernel.

Following this, Sprint started rolling out Android KitKat update with build number L710VPUCND8 for its Galaxy S3 variant having 2GB RAM. Although Samsung has not confirmed anything, Sprint's update roll-out was a hint that the company might release KitKat for the international version as well.

Recently, an internal Samsung document containing the list of Galaxy smartphones to get the much anticipated Android 4.4 software leaked online.

According to the list, a number of Galaxy devices such as Galaxy Note 2, Note 2 LTE, Galaxy S3 LTE, Galaxy S4 Mini, S4 Mini LTE, Galaxy Note 3 Neo, Galaxy Grand 2, Galaxy Mega 5.8 and Mega 6.3 will get Android 4.4. But the international version of Galaxy S3 is missing from the list.

Sammobile reached out to Samsung to get more clarification about the Android 4.4 update for Galaxy S3. Samsung confirmed that the Galaxy S3 and its mini variant with only 1GB RAM are not capable of running KitKat.

In order to facilitate an effective upgrade on the Google platform, various hardware performances such as the memory (RAM, ROM, etc.), multi-tasking capabilities, and display must meet certain technical expectations. The Galaxy S3 and S3 mini 3G versions come equipped with 1GB RAM, which does not allow them to effectively support the platform upgrade. As a result of the Galaxy S3 and S3 mini 3G versions' hardware limitation, they cannot effectively support the platform upgrade while continuing to provide the best consumer experience. Samsung has decided not to roll-out the KitKat upgrade to Galaxy S3 and S3 mini 3G versions, and the KitKat upgrade will be available to the Galaxy S3 LTE version as the device's 2GB RAM is enough to support the platform upgrade," explained Samsung Mobile UK

The Galaxy S3 was shipped with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich and is currently running Android 4.3 Jelly Bean, which seems to be the last update as Samsung will not extend further software support for the device. As for the Galaxy S3 Mini, Samsung will end the support at Android version 4.2.

New upcoming Galaxy S5 mini spotted up on Samsung website

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Thu, 08 May 2014 05:38:00 +0000

Samsung may have various Galaxy S5 versions in the works, including a Prime and a mini model, with the latter having apparently been spotted on Samsung’s own website. Dubbed the Galaxy S5 Dx, the handset can be clearly seen in a screenshot posted online by famed leaker @evleaks.

The Galaxy S5 Dx will apparently be available in more colors than its bigger brother, according to Samsung’s webpage, although the phone is hardly official. The leak does not mention any actual availability details for the handset, and hardware details aren’t official either, but the URL of the page reveals the Galaxy S5 Dx will have model number SM-G800.

The phone appears to have the same general design as the Galaxy S5, complete with Samsung’s redesigned-but-still-plastic back covers. A heart rate sensor doesn’t appear to be found on the back of the device, although one wouldn’t be necessarily needed, as long as users would connect the device with one of Samsung’s wearable gadgets for heart rate measurements.

The screenshot, available below, offers a clear plug to Samsung’s Gear and Gear Fit devices, in addition to showing the Galaxy S5 Dx handset and its color options.

A recent leak claimed the Galaxy S5 mini would pack a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED display with 720p resolution, Qualcomm processor, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, 8-megapixel camera, 2-megapixel front-facing camera, IR blaster, 2100mAh battery and Android 4.4 KitKat. A previous report said the phone will be waterproof, just like its bigger brother.

This is the screenshot showing Samsung’s Galaxy S5 Dx (Mini).

Samsung Galaxy S5 Review: Smartphone With Amazing Performance, Features & Camera

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Wed, 07 May 2014 05:25:00 +0000

Samsung Galaxy S5 should grab your attention as it looks good, it performs very well, and it has everything you need to become a fixture in nearly every aspect of your life. But, like a candidate running for reelection, the GS5 gets where it is today based on experience and wisdom, not on flashy features or massive innovation.

With the exception of a few nonessential hardware and software additions -- like the fingerprint scanner and novel heart-rate monitor -- and a few design tweaks, you're pretty much looking at the same phone Samsung released in 2013. The S5 is more of a Galaxy S4 Plus than it is a slam-the-brakes, next-generation device; it makes everything just a little smoother and faster.

The 5.1-inch, quad-core Android 4.4 KitKat machine with a terrific 16-megapixel camera is well worth snapping up, both on-contract for about $200, or off-contract for about $650 (and about £570 in the UK and €700). However, it isn't the only phone worth your time. The gorgeous, all-metal HTC One M8 has a more sophisticated design, better speakers, and greater internal storage for about the same price (32GB versus 16GB).

Design

When it designed the Galaxy S5, Samsung didn't stray too far for inspiration. Indeed, from the front, you can barely tell the Galaxy S4 and S5 apart. The S5's rounded rectangle is stamped from the same steep-sided, silvery-trimmed mold as the S4's, but with an ever-so-slightly more capsule-shaped central home button.

The back panel motif is different, I'll give Samsung that. Tiny dimples cover a rear cover that's blessedly matte instead of coated in reflective gloop. In addition to cutting down glare, the more subdued surface masks accumulated fingerprints. The Galaxy S5 comes in black and creamy white shades, but Samsung has also shown it off in enticing copper and bright blue. Not every market or carrier will sell each color, but at least Samsung has decided to expand its palette to some livelier hues.

At the end of the day, the Galaxy flagship feels like it always has: like plastic. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but if Samsung is at all striving for loftier ambitions, it hasn't reached the heights of HTC's luxe brushed aluminum or even Sony's sleek style.

The GS5 is only a fraction larger than the Galaxy S4: it measures 5.59 inches tall by 2.85 inches wide by 0.32-inch deep, or 142mm by 72.5mm by 8.1mm; and it weighs 5.1 ounces, or 145 grams. Even though the extra hardware makes it a little taller and heavier than the Galaxy S4, I had no problem carting it around. Even outside my ridiculously heavy purse, which is usually home to at least two phones and a jumble of weighty items, the S5 stayed put in the back pocket of my skinny jeans, and stayed wedged in my hand during several-mile jogs. (Full disclosure: I may have also had a death grip on it.)

This new phone, too, has a 5.1-inch 1080p HD AMOLED display that's 0.1-inch bigger than the Galaxy S4's. That means that the screen's pixel density is just a breath looser, though you'll never notice the difference. Images are still extremely crisp and colorful, with high contrast and hard edges. HD photos and videos look especially lush.

TouchWiz interface

The GS5 runs Android 4.4 KitKat, with Samsung's latest proprietary TouchWiz interface extending the OS with extra abilities. Samsung has peppered this updated version of TouchWiz with tweaks that freshen up its look and feel. What's different is mostly subtle, like a Google services folder loaded onto the home screen, and an onscreen menu button in nearly every window, like the app tray, for instance.

If you're switching to the S5 from another Samsung phone, the new menu buttons may trip you up when it comes to customizing the home screens, since those controls you're used to for creating folders and selecting wallpapers are no longer there.

For example, it took me a few minutes to figure out how to delete an errant folder from my app tray. While we're on the topic, I wish Samsung had taken this opportunity to make folder creation in line with Google's drag-and-drop style. Here, you still have to premeditate needing a folder and clear a space for it on the home screen. I do like, however, that there's a menu button within the folder to customize its color.

From the main home screen, an always-listening Google search box awaits your hands-free voice dictation. The feature is very helpful, but only seems to work from this screen -- so this isn't the same all-encompassing experience you'll find in the Motorola Moto X, for instance.

Pull down the notifications tray and you'll notice two new quick-access buttons for S Finder, which operates like universal search, and Quick Connect, which helps you share content with other devices. Swipe right from the Home screen and you'll see the customizable My Magazine newsfeed that Samsung introduced with the Galaxy Note 3.

The S5's Settings menu is one area that's clearly received a visual overhaul with this new TouchWiz. You get a black backdrop, circular icons, and a choice of layouts. You can continue to break out settings into tabs, view them as a list, or plop them into a scrolling menu organized by collapsible subcategories. I prefer the tidy tabs, myself.

Features and apps consolidate

Sometimes it's hard to tell where TouchWiz ends and Samsung's apps and features begin. Since the Galaxy S5 already folds in the Galaxy S4's gestures and capabilities and then builds on top of them, I'll just share some newer items.

Let's start with Kids Mode, an optional, 58MB downloadable sandbox. In it, tykes play with approved apps -- even a camera, while keeping the rest of the phone's contents out of bounds. The cutesy interface won't appeal to older kids, who would probably prefer their own profiles if Mom and Dad want to keep their mischievous offspring from snooping, pranks, and unauthorized downloads.

If you're a fan of persistent shortcuts, you're going to love Toolbox, which you can toggle on in the notifications pull-down or through Settings. It's a floating circle that expands to reveal five shortcuts for apps like the camera and calculator. Everything's customizable, and you can move the circle if it gets in your way. I really like the notion, but it got in my way so often I wound up closing it for good. I'd love to be able to call it up with a triple-screen tap, perhaps.

Ultra power-saving mode is for those of you who forget your charger when you leave for a weekend trip. A quick press of a button turns off most connections and transforms your phone from technicolor to grayscale. Limiting color, apps, and activities boosts your phone's run time immensely; we're talking days, depending on how much charge you have left. Samsung says that with 10 percent battery left, you'll be able to make it another 24 hours before charging, a claim we'll test ourselves in the upcoming days.

Another new software tidbit, download booster, joins together your Wi-Fi and carrier data connections to give you faster download speeds. Since it works behind the scenes, this is another one of those features that most people won't actively notice, so long as it's doing its job.

One that you will see, and which Samsung hopes you incorporate into your daily routine, in the updated S Health app and widgets, to try to draw fitness-interest folks of all levels. A pedometer and exercise scorecard meets a built-in nutrition monitor and all-new heart-rate tracker (more on this below). The app looks more polished than before, and the home screen widget (which you can remove, of course) keeps an ongoing tally of your steps.

The new S Health is nice for casual observers, but it needs more rigorous on-screen stats if it wants to compete with sophisticated apps like Endomondo, which also tracks you on a map in real-time and makes elevation rates and pacing numbers easier to find. In S Health, you have to dig through a log for the finer details.

In a nod to criticism, Samsung has cut back on the number of its Samsung-branded preloads. You can still download the ones you want through the Samsung Apps shortcut in your apps tray, and through Galaxy Essentials, an item in your menu button. That's where you'll find apps like S Note, S Translator, a video editor, Samsung Smart Switch, and managers for Samsung's family of Gear devices -- the Gear Fit fitness band, and the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches. The Galaxy S5 will also pair with Samsung's original Galaxy Gear watch.

Inside the fingerprint scanner

There are two high-profile features that Samsung's Galaxy S5 waves over the HTC One M8: fingerprint-swiping security and the heart-rate monitor. Both work as well as advertised, as long as you execute them correctly, but at the end of the day, neither one strikes me as important enough to tip the scale in the S5's favor.

Let's start with the fingerprint scanner. It stores profiles for only three fingers, versus five in the iPhone 5S's TouchID system. It's easy enough to set up through the Settings menu.

On top of swiping to unlock, fingerprint scanning's other (optional) function will be to authorize transactions with PayPal, a Samsung partner. Instead of typing your passcode, you swipe your fingertip. This is Samsung's answer to the iPhone's in-app purchasing, and it works with any mobile site or app that accepts PayPal.

Heart-rate monitor a smartphone first

The Galaxy S5's other trick, the heart-rate monitor, is a neat one in theory because it's cleverly integrated into the camera flash module, and because it ties so well into the health app. However, it's one of those things I wouldn't personally use every day, even though I do exercise regularly. I'm not entirely who this feature is directed toward, though, since serious fitness geeks will likely want to invest in a more fully-functioning fitness band if they don't have one already. Still, it was fun to establish a baseline by placing my finger over the sensor.

Improved camera and video

Already on the forefront of smartphone camera tech, Samsung has bumped up the S5's camera megapixel count from 13 to 16. Images taken on automatic mode are characteristically colorful and clear, especially those taken in ample natural light. Samsung's new, co-processing power and Isocell sensor together make the camera quicker, low light images clearer, and some of the neat tricks you'll read about possible.

The camera's continuous autofocus is as eyeblink-quick as Samsung claims (0.3-second), which gives you a greater chance of nailing that action shot. Of course, most of the rushed-around world isn't going to wait for you to pull out your camera, so expect that you'll still shoot a healthy percentage of blurry dogs, babies, and unsuspecting passersby. Still, I do think fast focus raises your odds of success.

Low light has been a weak point for Samsung in the past, and the Galaxy S5 seems to have indeed improved photos taken without a flash in dim environments. They weren't quite as blurry, grainy, or dark as you'd get on the Galaxy S4.

Video captured in the phone's default 1080p HD resolution is equally beautiful and smooth. Colors pop. Video of my favorite testing subject, a BMX-style trick rider practicing outside of San Francisco's Ferry Building, faithfully reproduced his movements and the scene -- and that's the crux of what you need from smartphone video. However, if you duck into the settings, you can also turn on UHD video, or ultra-HD, which is also known as 4K video.

With the basics down, the Galaxy S5 can layer on the special effects and modes. The S5 packs in the same front-and-rear camera dual-shot feature as last year's model, and most of the same filters and modes. A new one, real-time HDR, is one of those simple additions that go a long way. With it, you can toggle this on-screen control to preview the scene with HDR before you commit to the snap.

Performance: Speed, LTE, battery life

If performance clinches the deal for you, the Galaxy S5 is one mean speed demon. Its 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor is at the top of its game, which reflects in both real-world and diagnostic tests.

For instance, the graphics-heavy Riptide GP2 racing game was smooth, with all the surface effects and shadow lighting that sticklers for detail may notice. Navigation felt smooth and fast. Apps opened without much delay, and content loaded quickly. After using the Galaxy S5 for a week, the S4 definitely felt a tick slower.

Diagnostically, the Quadrant benchmark returned a result of 23,707, which is very, very fast. This means that apps will load quickly and smoothly and that games and videos will play back seamlessly, showing rich detail.

So, do you buy it?

The Galaxy S5 absolutely is a premium, fast phone that I would buy and use every day. Its improvements over the Galaxy S4 are small, but they add up to a smoother experience. The phone's high-quality camera won't let you down, there are plenty of features to keep you occupied, and the display is bright and beautiful. And even though it is plastic, the water-resistant seals are an extra perk if you often head to the pool, hot tub, or beach.

If those things matter to you, or if you've always been a Galaxy phone fan, then by all means grab the Galaxy S5. And of course, if you've ordered a Gear Fit, Gear 2, or Gear 2 Neo, or you already own the original Galaxy Gear smartwatch, it's a no-brainer; it's one of the select Samsung phones that will work with these wearables.

I would, however, skip the Galaxy S5 if you like metal covering your smartphone, if you don't need every feature under the sun, or if you prefer a cleaner version of Android. Also move along if you're on a budget -- in some regions, the Galaxy S5 costs significantly more than other premium handsets.

Samsung Galaxy S5 and Galaxy Gear 2 unveiled at MWC 2014

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 07:43:00 +0000

With Samsung officially unveiling the Galaxy S5 at Mobile World Congress, we finally have confirmation of the Korean company’s next flagship smartphone.

IT’S Superfast...

Samsung isn’t shy when it comes to loading its top-of-the-range phones with headline-grabbing specs, and the Galaxy S5 is no different. Centre stage is its quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor, which runs at a blistering 2.5GHz. This chip, paired with 2GB of RAM, means the phone shouldn’t have any bother smoothly running any app you throw at it. One thing to note: it isn’t 64-bit – that’s probably going to be a feature of next year’s Samsung flagship.

The phone comes with Android 4.4 KitKat and a new version of Samsung’s TouchWiz interface. There’s no word yet on whether or not a stock Android Google Play or Nexus edition will be be available.

Meanwhile, a 2800mAh battery should give the S5 enough juice to easily last a day (Samsung claims 21 hours of talk time), and as with previous Galaxy S phones it’s swappable.

You also get a choice between 16GB and 32GB of expandable storage (you can add up to 64GB extra via microSD), and there’s a microUSB 3.0 port for quick transfer speeds.

On the connectivity front, there’s both 4G LTE (supporting the speedy Category 4) and fifth generation Wi-Fi 802.11ac and 2X2 MiMo, plus a feature called Download Booster which uses both Wi-Fi and 4G simultaneously to download files more speedily.

WATERPROOF

The rumours claiming the S5 would boast a metal body have turned out to be hot air – Samsung has stuck with a mostly-polycarbonate build. That said, from our hands-on time we can say it’s the best build quality a Galaxy S phone has offered thus far. The dimpled, matte soft-touch back is much nicer to look at and hold than the faux-leather hard plastic of recent Galaxy Note phones and tablets, and the overall feeling is one of solidity and quality.

One major improvement over the S4 is IP67 waterproofing, bringing the S5 into line with Sony’s Xperia phones. It’s sealed to prevent any water or dust getting inside, so you can dunk the handset into water for as long as 30 minutes and it won’t protest one bit.

Oh, and we have the vital statistics too: it weighs 145g and measures up at 142 x 72.5 x 8.1mm.

It’ll be available in several colours, including Charcoal Black, Shimmery White, Electric Blue and Copper Gold.

SCREEN: BIGGER, BUT NO QHD

In retrospect, speculation about the S5 toting a quad HD 2560 x 1440 screen always seemed a touch far-fetched, so we’re not particularly surprised to see that Samsung has retained a full HD 1080p resolution instead. The AMOLED screen, however, is slightly larger than the S4’s at 5.1in.

FINGERTIPS OF FUN

Samsung has fitted the S5 with a fingerprint scanner, which serves three main purposes. First, it can swiftly unlock the phone, which works much like the Touch ID sensor on Apple's iPhone 5s (albeit a little less snappy – but it’s much more accurate than the HTC One Max’s scanner).

The second function is instant online mobile payments via PayPal integration, and the third is to protect important documents with a Private Mode that's unlocked by your fingerprint.

Round the back, there's a heartrate sensor – the first ever seen on a smartphone, designed to play nice with Samsung's revised S Health app.

SUPERCHARGED AUTOFOCUS

The Galaxy S5's 16MP camera comes with an LED flash, a new advanced HDR mode and post-shot focusing: it takes two images every time you press the shutter, with the focus trained in different spots: one on the subject and one on the background. This means that, after the shot’s been taken, you can choose a defocussed or sharply focussed background (mostly for aesthetic reasons). But probably the camera’s best new feature is its super-fast autofocus, which Samsung claims is the fastest on any smartphone at up to 0.3 seconds.

Round the front, there's a 2.1MP front camera for video chatting and selfies.

PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

Samsung has kept quiet on the price thus far, but we should find out some time ahead of the Galaxy S5’s 11th April launch. We'll keep you updated.

Vodafone, Three, EE, Phones4u and Carphone Warehouse have all announced that they will be stocking the Galaxy S5, though prices and tariffs have yet to be revealed. We'll be updating this page with more details and links as they come in.

Samsung's curved display unable to attract smarthpone users, says researcher

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Sat, 02 Nov 2013 13:50:00 +0000

The curved display on Samsung's Galaxy Round offers distinct advantages in reducing reflections and the high glossiness of flat displays, according to a report out Tuesday.

"There is widespread misunderstanding regarding curved displays. They aren't simply a marketing gimmick as has been widely reported," Raymond Soneira, president of DisplayMate Technologies, a firm that does display testing and evaluation, said in a report published Tuesday.

"In fact, curved screens are a major and very important new display technology innovation," he said in his introduction to the report, which is based on his own in-house testing of a Galaxy Round.

Soneira's findings about Samsung's curved 5.7-inch OLED display include:

Concave screen: The curvature on the Galaxy Round is fairly small -- the left and right edges of the screen are just 2.66 mm (0.10 inch) higher than the center. "So the effect is subtle, but it's very important."
Improved screen privacy: Screen privacy is improved because the curvature makes it harder for other people to see the screen.
Lower reflectance: A curved screen cuts down on reflections. The curvature directs reflected ambient light "coming from behind away from the viewer's line of sight. This is very important because you want to minimize the amount of ambient light that is seen reflected off the screen." The screen also magnifies the size of objects reflecting off the screen which "substantially cuts down on the interference of light reflections."
Glossiness reduction: Flexible OLED displays are manufactured using a flexible plastic substrate, "so they don't have the glossy cover glass used on virtually all existing mobile displays." And without the cover glass, the OLED display appears to be right on the surface of the screen, which is "visually striking."

The Galaxy Round -- which has the same-sized 5.7-inch display that is on the Galaxy Note 3 -- also features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 2.3GHz quad-core processor, 32GB of internal storage, 3GB RAM, and an up-to-64GB microSD card slot.

Samsung Galaxy Golden Android flip phone launched in India at Rs. 51,900

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Sat, 02 Nov 2013 13:28:00 +0000

Samsung has finally launched the much-awaited flip phone in the Indian market, the Galaxy Golden, pricing it at Rs. 51,900. The device doesn't seem to have it store shelves yet however, and Samsung has not announced precise availability.

Flipkart is taking pre-orders for the smartphone however, at a price of Rs. 49,900. The South Korean giant first introduced the flip phone for the Korean market in August this year and said then it would be released in other markets soon after.

The Samsung Galaxy Golden sports two 3.7-inch Super AMOLED displays, on the inside and the outside of the top-half. The phone is powered by a dual-core 1.7GHz processor (unspecified chipset) along with 1.5GB of RAM, and runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. The phone also includes FM radio and will come in Champagne Gold colour. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, GPS / A-GPS and Bluetooth.

For now, there is no official word on 3G connectivity, though third-party sites do list it, and at the price, we can assume. The Galaxy Golden comes with an 8-megapixel rear camera and also includes a 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. It includes 16GB of inbuilt storage which is expandable up to 64GB via microSD card. It packs 1820mAh battery, with no word on talktime and standby time.

The Samsung Galaxy Golden also comes with features such as Easy Mode, which features large fonts and icons that enables the users to access and search apps, and Hidden Receiver, which allows users to take calls without opening the flip phone.

Commenting on the launch, Vineet Taneja, Country Head, Samsung Mobiles and IT said, "At Samsung, we are committed to making lives easier and smarter for our customers and GALAXY Golden does exactly that. With its innovative dual display and premium golden finish, GALAXY Golden brings together the best of touch and type experience on a smartphone. This specially crafted device is aimed at consumers seeking seamless integration of stunning classic design and functionality to make their lives more efficient."

Samsung counters iPhone 5S with a golden Galaxy S4

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 05:21:00 +0000

Samsung is taking a page from Apple with the introduction of a gold version of its Galaxy S4 smartphone.

"Introducing the new #GalaxyS4 Gold Edition - for a style that's uniquely yours!" Samsung said on its Saudi Arabia Twitter feed. "Elegance is a touch of gold," reads the tagline above a photo of a pink S4 edged in gold.

Introducing the new #GalaxyS4 Gold Edition - for a style that's uniquely yours! pic.twitter.com/XkFu4zceHT
— SamsungMobileArabia (@SamsungMobileME) September 25, 2013

On the Samsung Gulf Facebook page, meanwhile, the company tipped two gold options: Gold Brown or Gold Pink.

In accompanying photos, the smartphones had gold around their edges and the home button. Only the front of the devices were shown, however, so it's unclear if the rear of the smartphones are gold or the brown and pick colors found on the front.

No mention of the device was made on the company's other Twitter and Facebook accounts, suggesting that it might be limited to the Middle East at the moment. The company's United Arab Emirates website, however, currently only lists a white or black option.

The news comes several days after Apple introduced a gold version of its iPhone 5s smartphone, which flew off the shelves and helped Cupertino move 9 million iPhones over the weekend.

Samsung has introduced several variations on its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone, from the rugged Galaxy S4 Active and the smaller Galaxy S4 Mini to the camera-focused Galaxy S4 Zoom. There have also been other color options, like purple.

Few hours ago, Samsung confirmed that it plans to unveil a curved smartphone sometime next month; no word on color options.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is now Official, has new leather-and-stitching look and more multitasking

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 18:28:00 +0000

BERLIN -- Samsung reckons people buy the Galaxy Note for the big screen, but stick around for the multitasking and S Pen features. So the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has beefed up both, bursting with new ways to bring your handwritten notes to life, and new ways to use two -- or more -- apps at the same time.

The new Note 3 was unveiled at technology trade show IFA in Berlin, alongside the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch and a 10.1-inch Galaxy Note 10.1.

The Note 3 has been confirmed for US carriers AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular, and T-Mobile, and will hit shops on 25 September in more than 140 countries.

Bigger but lighter
The Note 3 sports a 5.7-inch, full high-definition screen, a slight boost from the Note 2's 5.5-inch display. But despite the bigger screen, the Note 3 is thinner and lighter, measuring 8.3mm and weighing just 168g. It's easy to hold in one hand -- in terms of weight, anyway; you can't work the screen with one hand unless you're the hitchhiker with the massive thumbs from that Uma Thurman film.

The screen is as bright, colourful, and responsive as we've come to expect. You can do everything with your fingertip, as on most tablets, but the S Pen stylus gives you even finer control.

Under that slablike screen is a beefy 2.3GHz processor with a whopping 3GB of RAM. All that power harnessed to a giant screen could empty the tank with alarming alacrity, but a 3,200mAh battery is there to ensure there's plenty of grunt left when you need it.

And the Note has plenty of speed, too: it has 4G LTE for connecting to the Internet at high speeds, with support for the fastest category 4 4G.

Around back is a 13-megapixel camera with LED flash. It's set in a textured, leather-effect rear edged in fake stitching. Perhaps stung by the criticism aimed at the cheap-looking glossy plastic of the Galaxy S4 and its ilk, Samsung is obviously going for the premium look of an expensive wallet, and, coupled with the classy metal rim, it actually works.

Still, I can't help but smile at the timing: Samsung's fierce rival Apple has just ditched stitching from its iOS software because it looked dated.

S Pen
The distinguishing feature of the Note family is the S Pen, a dinky stylus stowed away in the bottom of the phablet. The Note 3 expands upon the S Pen's capabilities, making it more than an unnecessary accessory strictly for any old-timers who haven't yet figured out touch screens.

As soon as you unsheathe the S Pen from its cubbyhole, the Air Command wheel appears on screen, floating on top of the app or home screen. You can also call it up beholding the S Pen hovering over the screen and clicking the button on the side of the stylus. The onscreen wheel includes icons that give you shortcuts to assorted clever features that use the stylus.

The most basic use for the S Pen is to scrawl a note or memo; but those notes and memos can then spring to life. Say you meet a pretty young thing at your pilates class and end up jotting down digits. After waiting the requisite three days -- don't want to look too keen -- you can call your new friend by drawing a box around the scribbled number and hitting the call icon.

It's not as smooth as I'd like, though. Hitting the call icon launches the dialer with the number in it, whereupon you have to hit call again. Clever as this is, there's still a screen press or two too many, which might put you off your seductive chat once you do get through to your potential new love interest.

You can also bring to life addresses, links, or e-mail addresses that you've written down, by once again drawing a box around them and hitting the relevant icon to open the maps, e-mail, or browser apps.

Also on the Air Command wheel is an option to save snippets to a Scrapbook app. Draw a box around something you want to save, whether it's part of a Web page, an image, some text, or a YouTube video, and it's saved to the app. You can add your own tags or handwritten notes to each snippet, and later edit the saved text or open the Web page again.

The Scrapbook app syncs across Samsung devices, but unlike Evernote you can't access it online. Seeing as there's already an Evernote Android app, you might as well install that.

With the S Finder you can search your Note 3, looking not only for files, music, and photos by name but also by date or tags. And you can search handwritten notes, even for hand-drawn symbols like a star.

Type in a location, such as London, and S Finder will not only sniff out anything with the word London in it, but will ferret through your geotagged photos to find any snaps taken in London. You can refine the search by the past seven days, the past month or year, or other filters such as keywords.

More multitasking
A bigger screen means more room for movies and games. That's all very well, but previous Notes came up with a next-level use for a big screen: simultaneous multitasking. When you've got all that leg room, why stop at one app when you can use two at the same time?

With Multi Window, you can divide the screen in half between two apps. On the Note 3, more apps support Multi Window. You can drag and drop stuff between two apps: no more cumbersome copying text, switching apps, pasting it, switching back, copying the next bit, and so on and so on.

Instead, just use the S Pen to select what you want -- some text, a link, a phone number, or whatever -- and slide it neatly to the other app.

You can grab the dividing line between the two apps and slide it about to choose how much space each app takes up. And you can even split one app in half to use the same app in two windows.

For example, why not have two separate browser windows open at the same time to compare information? Or two separate chat windows, to chat with two different people behind each others' backs? Just whatever you do, don't mix up which one's which.

If there's a pair of apps you often need to bring together, you can save them for quick access in future. And there's no limit to how many of these combinations the Note 3 remembers.

More than one app multitasking
But why stop at two apps? Sometimes you want to use an app very quickly without disturbing your main app. So selected apps can be called up to quickly float over your main app then be just as quickly pushed to one side, waiting to be called on again. The clever part is, you can have as many of these quick apps open or minimised at one time as you'd like.

These quick access apps include the calculator, phone dialer, and the YouTube app. Grab your S Pen, call up the Air Command wheel, and select the option to call up one of the quick apps. Then draw a box or just a line where you want the app to appear -- any size, and anywhere on the screen.

Say you're browsing the Web and you see some numbers you need to crunch. Draw a box to open the calculator or phone app and do a quick sum or make a quick call from the numbers in your main app. If you're done with the quick app but think you may need it again, just minimise it.

It then becomes a small round icon floating above the screen, ready to be moved unceremoniously around, opened again for more speedy calculations, or closed -- exactly like the Facebook's Chat Heads, now I come to think of it, only with apps instead of old friends who post too many baby photos.

Take Note
As phones get bigger and tablets get more ubiquitous, it's good to see a device do something different that actually justifies the increased size. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3's multitasking features are particularly well-thought-out -- but whether you think it looks good in leather is up to you.

Source: Cnet

Watch Samsung UNPACKED 2013 Episode 2 LIVESTREAM here today!

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Wed, 04 Sep 2013 09:20:00 +0000

Join us live at Samsung UNPACKED 2013 Episode 2 from the Tempodrom in Berlin where Samsung will unveil the next-generation products, Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and Galaxy Gear Smartwatch. Livestream begins at 19:00 CEST / 13:00 EDT / 22:30 IST. Just few hours to go. Stay with us.

Samsung Galaxy Gear Smartwatch prototype leaked before its launch

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 17:10:00 +0000

Have you been wondering what Samsung's upcoming smartwatch was going to look like? Take a seat, because VentureBeat sneaked a first look at the upcoming wearable over the weekend.

According to the outlet, the prototype device features a three inch display, built-in speakers and a 4-Megapixel camera housed in the watch's wrist strap. VentureBeat describes the Samsung Galaxy Gear as lightweight but somewhat dwarfing, with a "clunky" large wristband and quite a bit of bulk. Although VentureBeat wasn't allowed to take pictures of the alleged prototype, it did manage to snag a few screengrabs from an internal promotional video -- showing off the device's camera, screen and touch menu system. The watch also is said to support Samsung S Voice commands as well as an assortment of pre-loaded health apps that include heart-rate and calorie monitors, as well a pedometer. Users can also take pictures of food and categorize it for later review.

Although the prototype seems to suggest that Samsung is marketing the device as a health accessory, those aforementioned features also fill the bill for a standard smartphone companion. VentureBeat also noted social media features, a functional call log and independent internet access via WiFi, meaning you should be use the watch without a smartphone if needed. The watch is also reportedly rated to last for more than ten hours on a single charge -- a little shy in longevity if it's your primary timepiece, but perhaps enough for a fitness-focused accessory. We'll find out more when Samsung officially reveals the wearable on Wednesday, but if you're itching for more info, check out the attached source for more images and VentureBeat's own artistic rendition of the prototype.

Do you think the Galaxy Gear Smartwatch is matching

your expectations? Let us know in the comments.....

Samsung Galaxy Note 3: Rumours, Announcement and Specifications

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 07:39:00 +0000

Reveal date September 4
If official invitations that clearly point to the Note as the big reveal weren't enough, a Samsung executive confirmed the Galaxy Note 3's September 4 debut (alongside the Galaxy Gear smartwatch.)

Bigger than ever

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will be larger than its 5.3 and 5.5-inch predecessors. Samsung co-CEO Shin Jong-kyun claimed the Galaxy Note 3 will feature a 5.9-inch display. I put my money on that measurement, though the most recent rumors suggest it will have a 5.68-inch1,920x1,080-pixel display. Even earlier, conflicting rumors indicated that Samsung had been testing other screen sizes.

Some models will reportedly feature an LCD panel, whereas others will see Samsung's own Super AMOLED screen tech.

Body shape
So far, leaked images suggest the Galaxy Note 3 will maintain the same design as the first two generations and will employ the same button layout. It would also make sense for Samsung to model the Note 3 off of its Galaxy S4 flagship design. While the screen size is larger, the overall footprint of the device is reported to stay the same.

High-end hardware
The Galaxy Note 3 will most likely come with different CPUs and GPUs depending on the region, just as older models did. Some customers could be buying a Note 3 with a 1.8GHz Octa-core Exynos 5420 processor, while other phones might ship with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 chipset. Additional specs should include a 13-megapixel camera and a choice of 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of internal storage, which will also vary by market.

Plastic body
Nothing suggests that Samsung will stray from the same plastic materials found in the last few generations of Galaxy S and Galaxy Note models.

Latest Android version
The Samsung phablet is expected to run the latest version of Android, 4.3 Jelly Bean, with many of Samsung's own custom software touches.

Three colors
The Galaxy Note 3 will be initially offered in black and white with a pink version arriving a few weeks later.

In stores by September
The black and white colors should be made available in the days following the announcement; the pink version could arrive by late October. According to ePrice (translate), the global model will be offered on September 27 with preorders starting on September 16.

4K video recording
Recent rumors suggest that the Galaxy Note 3 could record Ultra HD (3,840x2,160-pixel) video, though the phone's most common storage capacities (16GB and 32GB) and low 4K television adoption -- the reason you'd care about 4K video capture in the first place -- give us pause.

No Flexible display
Although Samsung has demonstrated this technology on multiple occasions, Galaxy Note 3 s not getting a flexible display.

Advanced camera features
Reportedly, Samsung had hoped to bring OIS (optical image stabilization) and shutter functions to the Note 3; however, new whispers say this won't show up until the Samsung Galaxy S5.

Memory
The Galaxy Note 3 could be the first smartphone to feature a whopping 3GB RAM (translate), a staggering amount to be sure, and a figure that could vastly improve performance.

US carrier support
Since Samsung likes to offer its big device releases across numerous carriers, we should anticipate the same for the new Note model. With this in mind, we might expect Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and US Cellular to make their own announcements officially backing the Galaxy Note 3.

Price
Perhaps the most important question surrounding the device, the cost of the Galaxy Note 3 still remains unclear. Historically, the Note series costs more than the flagship smartphones. In the US, expect it to come in around $250 with a two-year service agreement. Source: Cnet

Google Acquires Android Smartwatch Maker WIMM Labs

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Sun, 01 Sep 2013 07:28:00 +0000

Google has acquired the smartwatch manufacturer WIMM Labs, seemingly as part of an effort to bolster its own plans for wearable devices. The acquisition was first reported by GigaOM, and has been confirmed to The Verge by a Google spokesperson. WIMM Labs released its first smartwatch back in 2011, the WIMM One, which ran Android and included a platform for developers to code apps for it. We said at the time that the product had great potential, and now it looks like that potential could come to pass under the guidance of a bigger company.

WIMM Labs' employees are believed to be working under Google's Android team, reports GigaOM. That would be a natural fit given WIMM Labs' history with the platform and immediate eye toward building an app store that's open to developers. The acquisition is believed to have occurred last summer, when WIMM Labs was about three years old. At the time, WIMM Labs announced that it had "entered into an exclusive, confidential relationship" that prevented it from continuing its current products, and this would appear to be that exclusive agreement.

What Google's own plan for wearable devices actually is remains to be seen. It was previously reported that the company was at work on an Android-powered smartwatch, but further details have been scarce. When it will happen isn't clear either, but other companies are seemingly starting to rush into the market: Samsung is planning to unveil a smartwatch based on Android in just days time, and Microsoft, Apple, LG, and more than a few others are expected to be on its coattails. For now, WIMM Labs' old products may be an early look at the type of ideas that could end up in an eventual Google watch.

Samsung's Galaxy Gear Smartwatch to unveil on Sept. 4

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Thu, 29 Aug 2013 12:25:00 +0000

The device could eventually change from the leaks, but won't come with a flexible display, according to a Samsung executive.

The next year or two will be a battleground for the new device everyone's talking about, even if no one is sure they want one: the smartwatch. And Samsung is hoping to get a jump on the competition by releasing its Galaxy Gear watch early — reportedly, as soon as next week.

Apple, which is expected to announce new iPhones September 10, could also introduce its own smartwatch then, and Samsung's launch could be considered a tactical move to get its foot in the door before Apple steals the show.

Information about the Gear has been leaking out for weeks in bits and pieces. The Android-powered watch will have an AMOLED display, slightly curved to better fit your wrist. But nobody seems quite sure about the size and shape.

(Read here: New 6.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Mega approaches to size of a tablet)

Design patents filed in Korea show a futuristic look and elongated screen, but they may not reflect the shipping product. Samsung has admitted it has been working on the watch for a long time, so several versions may have been patented, and some may not be quite ready for release; one rumored model with a flexible display, for example, may have to wait until the technology is ready for mass deployment.

Concept Image

As for functionality, the Gear is reportedly not a "watchphone," i.e. a complete smartphone device, SIM card and all, packed into a watch-sized package. Instead, it would be more of a smartphone companion, like the highly hyped (but somewhat limited) Pebble smartwatch, putting notifications, tweets, and texts on your wrist.

An unnamed source told GigaOm, however, that the device will also have a microphone, speaker, and even a tiny camera. It's shaping up to be the gadget people have been dreaming of since Dick Tracy's "two-way wrist radio," a familiar reference for over half a century.

If Samsung's ultra-smart Galaxy S4 is any indication, the Gear will be packed with neat little features and will almost certainly integrate deeply with the company's smartphone ecosystem: Special apps, accessories, and abilities exclusive to those willing to go all-Samsung with their gadget menagerie.

The launch is rumored for Sept. 4; with Apple's event scheduled for just a week after that, it may not be much of a lead, but firing the first shot in this high-tech battle could give Samsung an edge.

Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3, Among the World’s Biggest Smartphones (Review, Specifications)

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 14:50:00 +0000

The Mega has a 6.3-inch screen, making it among the largest smartphones in the world -- among because the Sony Xperia Z Ultra has a 6.4-inch screen, winning the bigger-is-better award by a hair.

Here’s the thing: How often are you really on the phone? Americans are increasingly skipping calls and opting for emails and text messages these days. It’s especially true among people under 21. So forget that it’s kind of silly as a phone and consider the other factors. That's where it gets interesting.

HARDWARE

If this review taught us nothing else, we at least discovered that the Mega makes for an amazing icebreaker in elevators, parties and anywhere else. The odds of hearing "Wow, that thing's a phone?" were, expectedly, incredibly high. Of course, novelty isn't typically a factor we consider when reviewing a phone, nor should it be; perhaps a few folks may think of this as an opportunity to cure their shyness, but we believe it's far more important to judge a smartphone by its actual merits rather than perceived social implications.

So how huge is the Mega, exactly? For the sake of comparison, let's toss out a few numbers. This new king of the hill measures in at 167.6 x 88 x 8 mm (6.60 x 3.46 x 0.31 inches) and weighs an outlandish 7.02 ounces (199g); it's much wider and taller than the Galaxy Note 2, which in contrast is 151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4mm and 6.35 ounces. It definitely doesn't compare to the 5-inch Galaxy S4, which comes in at 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9mm and weighs 4.59 ounces. Indeed, the Mega is no lightweight, nor is it for the tight-pocketed or weak-armed. I found that when holding the Mega to my ear, my phone conversations became increasingly uncomfortable as time progressed, and despite the fact that it fits snugly in your average jeans pocket, it's a buzzkill once you sit down. Conversely, the phone fares decently in loose-fitting pants pockets, but it's much more likely to fall out when you're sitting.

Even if you're not dissuaded by those dimensions, you'll be far more comfortable using the Mega with two hands. Sure, we were able to palm the device in one hand for reading, browsing or other similar activities, but our thumbs couldn't reach the back button located on the bottom-right corner of the phone. In order to make the phone work this way, we noticed that we had to hold the phone closer to the bottom, an action that was at odds with its center of gravity and significantly increased our chances of dropping it. Needless to say, it wasn't an ideal solution, which means the only times we were truly comfortable toting it around were when two hands were involved.

The Mega uncannily mimics the original Galaxy S 4's overall design to the point that it essentially looks like someone in Samsung's factory zapped it with Rick Moranis' machine in Honey, I Blew up the Kid. That is, unless you're looking really close. First, let's discuss how the two phones are the same. The overall button, port and soft-key layout is near-identical: volume on the left, micro-USB on the bottom, power on the right and 3.5mm headphone jack, IR blaster and noise-canceling mic on the top. On the back, the camera and LED flash are arranged vertically near the top and there's a speaker grille on the bottom-left corner. It's also available in the same two colors (white and black) with straightened edges, a glossy plastic chassis and the same checkerboard pattern. Among the few variations are a much larger battery with a double-decker microSD / micro-SIM slot setup. It's also missing a sensor on the front, and the power button along the edge is a bit closer to the middle of the device than on the original GS4.

As much as we'd like to see the specs rival those found on the Galaxy S 4, Samsung didn't craft the Mega with the high-end buyer or power user in mind -- our guess is that the Korean manufacturer will pull out all the stops with the Note III for that particular demographic. That said, it still makes for a solid mid-range device: it wields a 1.7GHz dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor, 720p LCD panel, 8MP rear camera, 3,200mAh battery, NFC, IR, MHL 2.0, 1.5GB RAM and numerous other notable specs listed in the table below.

The unit we received from Negri is the I9200, which features quad-band HSPA+ (850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100) and quad-band GSM / EDGE; the I9205 adds penta-band Cat 3 LTE (800 / 850 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600), to be specific. Users of the latter model won't enjoy faster data speeds in the US, but at least it will make for an enjoyable experience in other countries around the globe.

Samsung Galaxy Mega
Dimensions	167.6 x 88 x 8 mm (6.60 x 3.46 x 0.31 in)
Weight	7.02 oz. (199g)
Screen size	6.3 inches
Screen resolution	1,280 x 720 (233 ppi)
Screen type	SC-LCD
Battery	3,200mAh (removable)
Internal storage	8/16GB (4.8GB user accessible)
External storage	MicroSDXC (up to 64GB)
Rear camera	8MP, AF, LED flash,
Front-facing cam	1.9MP
Video capture	1080p, 30 fps (front and back)
NFC	Yes
Radios	Depends on market -- see hardware section
Bluetooth	v4.0 with aptX
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 400
CPU	1.7GHz dual-core Krait
GPU	Adreno 305
RAM	1.5GB
Entertainment	MHL 2.0, DLNA, IR sensor
WiFi	Dual-band, 802.11a/b/g/n, WiFi Direct
Wireless Charging	No
Operating system	Android 4.2.2, TouchWiz UI

DISPLAY

When we mentioned that the Mega uses a 720p display, you likely already assumed that it would offer a horrible viewing experience -- pixel density aficionados will scoff at the phone's 233 ppi, and indeed, we had the exact same expectation going into this review. However, it's not actually as bad as we had originally imagined. If you look close enough at the screen, the pixels definitely come out to say hello, but larger screens are also designed for longer-distance viewing than your run-of-the-mill 5-incher. So, from an ideal distance, the Mega is surprisingly decent. We would never turn down a 1080p display when offered to us, of course, but our overall experience wasn't nearly as disappointing as anticipated.

On the contrary, the bright LCD panel presented us with an unusually vibrant lock screen that always took us off-guard whenever we turned it on. We never felt like we had to crank up the display's brightness -- even in direct sunlight, which was a huge plus -- and we typically found ourselves happy keeping it at the halfway mark. Lastly, viewing angles were superb. On a more sullen piece of news, the Mega doesn't feature a Wacom digitizer like the Note series, so your attempts at using an S Pen here will be fruitless.

SOFTWARE

As long as this isn't your first time at the Samsung rodeo, the Galaxy Mega user experience won't require much getting used to; it's TouchWiz through and through, which means the UI will look basically identical to whatever Samsung smartphone you purchased two years ago. The main difference between now and then, of course, is the inclusion of Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean and the additional features it brings.

Although the user interface is generally the same on the Mega as it is on the Galaxy S 4, the former's repertoire of Samsung-branded features is much more limited here. Whether you consider that good news or bad is completely up to you, but the Mega lacks air gestures and several smart features such as rotation, pause and scroll. Additionally, it takes advantage of Smart Stay, Driving Mode, Safety Assistance and Air View. You won't find any option to change the screen's touch sensitivity here, though we have a feeling that this will come as a frustration to only a select few users.

Sure, the Mega's firmware is incredibly similar to what you'll find on the GS4, but Samsung has at least tweaked it to take advantage of the larger screen size. While we still consider this device a smartphone, the line between the phone and tablet categories is blurred when you consider the way most apps appear on it. For instance, a significant number of third-party apps (not to mention a few native ones) behave much like they do on a tablet -- Engadget's mobile app, S Planner and plenty more are this way -- and even the home screen rotates into Landscape Mode when you tilt it. Frankly, the Mega seems to have an identity crisis. On the one hand, there's no shortage of standard smartphone apps (albeit, with much more content fitting on the screen). Still, other apps look normal in portrait mode but then transform into their tablet versions as soon as you throw it into landscape.

While the Mega may look a lot like the original GS4 (hardware and firmware), Samsung didn't bestow its full litany of smart features onto the device. You can take advantage of Smart Stay, but Smart Rotation, Pause and Scroll aren't offered; Air Gesture isn't there; and a few GS4 camera modes didn't make the cut either (we'll discuss this in more detail in the next section). This may be in part due to the less powerful dual-core CPU inside, or perhaps it's just Samsung's way of ensuring it won't cannibalize GS4 sales. Either way, many of the missing features aren't essential to maintaining a good user experience -- heck, we turned most of them completely off during our GS4 review because they were a huge drain on resources -- so this won't be a dealbreaker for most potential buyers.

Finally, the Mega also offers Safety Assistance, Drive Mode and one-handed operation settings, which condenses the keyboard, dialpad and calculator. It doesn't resolve our inability to reach all of the capacitive keys, and we must admit that the two-handed typing experience on the Mega's full-sized keyboard is superb, thanks to the size of each individual key and the space in between them.

CAMERA

It's no secret that we've historically been fans of Samsung's work in the imaging department, and we don't have any reason to be disappointed in the company's choice of an 8MP sensor in a mid-range phone like the Mega.

One obvious benefit about using a camera on such a large device is the huge viewfinder (especially when you choose 16:9 mode, which takes images at 6MP), but we noticed this can be a double-edged sword if you're not careful; with big phones (and tablets) comes a greater chance of taking a blurry shot. Fortunately we were able to avoid this pitfall in most circumstances -- all it involves is a little extra concentration. We'd love the option of a hardware shutter key in these situations, but such things have become increasingly rare in the Android universe.

Photos snapped in the daytime were much more detailed than we originally anticipated, and colors were mostly accurate, too, with some slight oversaturation in others. However, shots taken in direct sunlight resulted in washed-out hues. Most images turned out well, but we had a few issues with exposure and the camera's dynamic range capabilities. Specifically, it would favor either shadows or bright areas -- but not both at the same time. The Mega's HDR feature helps ease the pain a little, but you're missing crucial seconds switching back and forth between modes. And while our review unit kept close to the GS4's camera interface, Samsung opted to ship the Mega without Drama Mode, Eraser and dual-camera features -- the most endearing of the bunch, if you ask us.

Low-light pictures were a mixed bag as well. Most shots were a bit noisy, but we were satisfied with the amount of light we were able to capture in city shots with the phone's f/2.6 aperture lens. The Mega's night mode predictably snatched up more errant photons at the expense of an increased level of noise; we also snapped way too many blurry images that ultimately had to be tossed out, since smooth nighttime pics require an incredibly steady set of hands.

PERFORMANCE AND BATTERY LIFE

The Galaxy Mega mainly shows its mid-range status with its processing power, as it possesses a dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 (MSM8930AB). Granted, it takes advantage of a 1.7GHz clock speed and lower pixel count (when compared to today's 1080p flagships, at least), so you won't see much lag or delay with the majority of your work. Here's how its benchmark scores stack up against other devices.

	Samsung Galaxy Mega	Samsung Galaxy S 4 (Snapdragon 600)	HTC First
Quadrant 2.0	7,192	12,684	5,952
Vellamo 2.0	1,993	1,903	2,239
AnTuTu 3.2	13,627	26,143	11,267
SunSpider 1.0 (ms)	769	632	1,647
GLBenchmark Egypt 2.5 HD Offscreen (fps)	16	39	14
CF-Bench	13,342	28,111	8,208
SunSpider: lower scores are better

Given that the Mega shares some common software traits with the Galaxy S 4, while featuring a similar (yet higher-clocked) Snapdragon 400 chipset to the HTC First, we chose these two models for performance comparisons. As you can see, it bests the First in nearly every category -- with most scores clearly showing the advantage in clock speed -- and only loses in Vellamo. Strangely enough, the Mega wound up with a better score in this same test than the Snapdragon 600-powered GS4, while the latter phone whooped its 6.3-inch cousin in every other category. Comparisons aside, the benchmarks give us a solid indication that you're not going to run into any workload-related problems on the Mega.

We also discovered that gaming was a joy on the Mega: who would've thought that combining an Adreno 305 GPU with a huge screen would make for such a great experience? The speaker sounds loud and crisp, and we were able to crank out more than enough noise from our movies and music to stay happy. Even though the earpiece was a little quieter, it was still sufficient. All of our calls went through perfectly, with no drops or hiccups. GPS performance was also more than decent, though on a couple occasions, when traveling through the sparsely populated countryside, we noticed that the little-blue-dot-that-could was having some difficulty keeping up with us. This usually remedied itself after a few minutes (perhaps after we hopped onto a different tower), but it was a good thing we didn't have an immediate need for a change in direction. That tiny frustration aside, the performance is exactly what we'd hope to see on any mid-range Samsung phone.

Finally, if a phone is going to have a 3,200mAh battery (the Mega is second in size only to the Motorola Droid RAZR Maxx), we expect it to hold a charge longer than nearly anything else on the market. The Mega didn't disappoint: although we were unable to put the device through our typical video rundown endurance test, we attended Microsoft's Build 2013 during our review period, and were able to push the phone through 17 straight hours of heavy use before we needed to recharge -- on both days we were in attendance. This means that you should easily get a couple days of less-intense use.

In the End

The Galaxy Mega is a very solid mid-range device, but the phone's make-or-break trait is -- you guessed it -- the size. If you prefer (or require) the ability to use your smartphone one-handed most of the time, you're not going to have a satisfactory experience. We would love to see the option of using an S Pen as a sort of compromise to persuade fence-sitters, but sadly its absence will act as more of a detriment to the phone's chances of success.

Even though the Mega was made to satisfy one group of people -- anyone who loves or needs an excruciatingly large smartphone -- we admire Samsung's willingness to dip its toes in the water and try new form factors. If nothing else, the Mega will mean something even more significant to its manufacturer than sales metrics: it's a forerunner for the company's future prospects in the "large phone" category, and a way for Samsung to figure out how to do an even better job with the upcoming Galaxy Note III. We figure Bigfoot will be just as happy with that device when the time comes.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 Full Review

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 16:22:00 +0000

Introduction

The middle child in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 series, the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 forges its own distinct path in the tablet universe. But it's not just a clone of the Galaxy Note 8.0, Samsung's 8-inch, stylus-driven slate. Rather, this model's differently tweaked design reflects how quickly tablet technology has evolved in just the four months since the Note 8.0's launch.

Priced at $299.99, the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 offers a display one inch larger than that of the $199.99 Tab 3 7.0, while being noticeably smaller and lighter than the $399.99 Galaxy Tab 3 10.1.

This model joins the growing realm of 8-inch tablets, a market that includes Apple's iPad Mini at 7.9 inches. Such tablets offer a satisfying compromise among screen size, weight, and price. However, while it would be easy to assume this model would closely resemble the Galaxy Note 8.0, Samsung has made several design tweaks. The Tab 3 has the same height as the Note 8.0, but is noticeably narrower, by more than half an inch. In that regard, it more closely resembles the iPad Mini. Like that tablet, the Tab 3 8.0 has narrower bezels running along the length.

While its physical design makes the Tab 3 8.0 feel light and well-balanced in hand, that narrower bezel ends up being an albatross. But we're glad to see Samsung bring a third display option back to its lineup; the Galaxy Tab 2 series had just 7-inch and 10.1-inch varieties, whereas the first-generation Tab series had an 8.9-inch model as its tweener option.

Better still is that the Tab 3 8.0 avoids the performance oddities we saw with its larger cousin, the Tab 3 10.1. That model uses Intel's Atom processor, whereas the Tab 3 8.0 uses Samsung's own Exynos processor. That chip powered the Tab 3 8.0 to good results in our performance tests. The slate didn't set any benchmarks on fire, but it wasn't the slowest of its competitive set of 7- and 8-inch Android tablets, either. Of note: Its battery eked out nearly an hour more than the Galaxy Note 8.0, and its browser performed better than the Note 8.0 on HTML5.

With its $299.99 price tag, the Tab 3 8.0 comes in at the higher end of the current generation of small tablets. It is pricier than the 7-inch tablets, including Samsung's own 7-inch Tab 3 and Google's updated, $229 Nexus 7. But it's less expensive than the iPad Mini at $329, and $100 less than Samsung's Galaxy Note 8.0 with its stylus.

Design

With the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0, Samsung pushes the design ahead a notch ahead from its Note 8.0 cousin. The Tab 3 8.0 shaves 0.07 pound off the weight of the Note 8.0; at 0.69 pound, it matches the weight of Apple's iPad Mini.

The Tab 3 is also noticeably narrower than the Note 8, by a full half-inch. Its 8.3x4.9x0.3-inch dimensions make it taller and narrower than the Apple Mini, by 0.4 inch in either direction. These ever-shrinking physical specs are generally a good thing for portability: They mean you can more easily toss a tablet like the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 in your bag and forget it's there, or hold the tablet in one hand while reading a good book.

To put an exclamation point on the Tab 3 8.0's design finesse, let's compare it to the ultimate budget model, the $129 Hisense Sero 7 Pro. That slate is 0.1 pound heavier, 0.2 inch thicker, and 0.1 inch wider than the Tab 3 8.0—in spite of having a smaller 7-inch display.

The Tab 3 8.0's case has a similar, smooth plastic design to the Galaxy Note 8.0. The model we tested had a white back; gently curved, silver plastic edges; and a white front bezel (albeit with a cross-hatch pattern, as opposed to the Note 8.0's smooth design). The plastics have the same feel as on Samsung's phones, which is to say it feels sturdy, but also as if the materials are inexpensive. The tablet also comes in brown.

From the front, top, and bottom, the Tab 3 8.0 looks very similar to the Note 8.0. The buttons and inputs are all in virtually the same places, oriented around the portrait position. The headphone jack is at the upper right corner, along the top edge; the power and volume buttons along the right edge, along with the infrared sensor so you can use the tablet as a universal remote control with your home entertainment components. At the bottom edge sit two speakers, flanking the micro-USB port for data and charging. The Samsung logo and front-facing camera are centered above the display in portrait mode.

In fact, from the outside, you'd only notice three physical differences between the Tab 3 8.0 and the Note 8.0, beyond the obvious aforementioned difference in dimensions. The physical home button, centered in portrait mode beneath the display, is slightly more raised on the Tab 3 8.0 than it is on the Note 8.0. This makes the button marginally simpler to locate by touch. The MicroSD card slot is closer to the bottom of the left edge than the top, as it is on the Note 8.0; and, its door is designed into the silver plastic edging, as opposed to the Note 8.0's design into the bottom of the tablet, beneath the edging. This door is perhaps the only design flaw we found, as we found it unexpectedly challenging to set the door's stubborn plastic back in place after inserting a card.

It's worth noting that, like the 10.1-inch Tab 3, the Tab 3 8.0 has a similar problem with the touch targets for the capacitive menu and back buttons that flank the home button. As with the 10.1-inch tablet, we could touch a half-inch above and below the button and still activate the function. This is not the case on the Note 8.0, incidentally; on that tablet, only tapping the button itself will actually activate it. What surprised us, though, was that in spite of the inaccurate touch targets, we didn't have nearly as many accidental activations on the 8.0 as on the 10.1 unit. We suspect this is simply because of the tablet's smaller size: It was easier to hold, with the buttons in a different place than on the 10.1-inch tablet.

Of course, the front bezel is also visibly narrower than on the Note 8.0, a change that reflects the narrower dimensions. While the Tab 3 8.0 looks stylish and feels good in one hand, we actually found the narrower bezel a hindrance to one-handed tablet handling, as our hands often struggled to find a safe position that didn't activate the touch screen inadvertently.

Features

The Galaxy Tab 3's 8-inch display packs 1,280x800 resolution, the same resolution as on the Galaxy Note 8.0. That exceeds the resolution of the iPad Mini (1,024x768) and packs in a respectable 189 pixels per inch to the Apple's 169 ppi. The delta makes a visible difference: Text on the Tab 3 8.0 was sharper than on the iPad Mini, though not as crisp as on same-resolution 7-inch tablets, which have 216 ppi. And the new Nexus 7, with its 1,920x1,200 resolution, is in another stratosphere entirely at 323 ppi. While we always prefer higher pixels, the Tab 3 8.0 is what we'd call acceptably sharp, though it can't compare to the clarity of the Nexus 7.

The display itself was good, and produced accurate colors. But in a side-by-side comparison with the Galaxy Note 8.0, we saw some interesting differences. The Note 8.0's display is slightly brighter, something that was particularly evident in an app like Gmail, where we saw whiter whites and slightly darker text. In a test image, we saw near-identical color reproduction, but more natural skin tones and finer detail in the Note 8.0 versus the Tab 3. We don't know whether this is due to any differences in the displays themselves or to software variances (the Note 8.0 uses Android 4.1.2 while the Tab 3 uses 4.2.2).

Like the 10.1-inch Tab 3, the 8-inch model has the updated image gallery, with aesthetically pleasing and sharper image thumbnails that vary in size. We didn't see the same sluggish behavior as on the 10.1, but we did notice that high-resolution images had to take a moment to render sharply on screen.

The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 has just 16GB of memory, with 11.3GB free, about the same as on the 10.1-inch Tab 3. The MicroSDHC card slot can accept up to 64GB cards, at least.

As with all Samsung tablets, the Tab 3 runs Samsung's TouchWiz UX software. This variant is similar to the Tab 3 10.1-inch's: It has some but not all of the features we've been introduced to in Samsung's Galaxy S4 smartphone and the Galaxy Note 8.0 tablet. For example, the tablet has Smart Stay, which sends your tablet to sleep when you're not looking at it (we had mixed results with this, and preferred to disable the feature since the sensors often couldn't detect our eyes); but it doesn't have Smart Pause or Smart Scroll, both found on the S4. TouchWiz UX does continue to provide a menu with shortcuts to frequently used actions, a touch we've long appreciated on Samsung tablets; you can reorder these shortcuts, but not add to them.

Samsung provides a selection of pre-installed software, including Dropbox, Story Album (for auto-generating albums from your images), S Translator (a speech-to-text tool that requires you to set up a free Samsung account), Peel Remote (for use as a remote control), Polaris Office, and Samsung Watch On for finding TV shows.

The Tab 3 has a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, and a 5 megapixel rear camera, with no flash. Neither will capture images that will challenge those from today's average cell phone, but they will do the job to capture a memory in the absence of any other device. The rear camera was similar to the Note 8.0's, but the camera's interface is completely different. The Tab 3 8.0's interface resembles that of the Galaxy S4 Smartphone, complete with the S4's special modes, such as Panorama, Sports, and Sound & Shot (which adds audio to an image file).

Audio output on the Tab 3 8.0 is best described as adequate, albeit a bit thin and high-pitched. This effect was especially pronounced at max volume. We preferred the audio of the Note 8.0, which sounded more well-rounded to our ears. As is typical of portrait-mode, downward-firing speakers, we found it easy to accidentally muffle audio when holding the tablet with both hands in landscape mode.

Performance & Conclusion

The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 uses Samsung's 1.5GHz Exynos 4 (4212) dual-core processor, and has the unusual complement of 1.5GB of RAM. We found this processor highly capable, even though it was dual-core vs. the 1.6GHz quad-core Exynos 4 (4412) processor in the Galaxy Note 8.0.

In day-to-day use, we had no issues during movie playback. The tablet was responsive and smooth, even when we had multiple apps open. Gameplay was good, too, but Riptide GP lacked the splash detail and graphics finesse found in the same segments on the quad-core Note 8.0.

On our suite of objective benchmarks, the tablet yielded average numbers. We compared the Tab 3 8.0 to a set of 7- and 8-inch Android tablets representing a range of processors: Samsung's Galaxy Note 8.0, the HP Slate 7 (1.5GHz Rockchip dual-core), the Hisense Sero 7 Pro (1.3GHz Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core), the Google Nexus 7 (1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro), and the Asus MeMO Pad HD 7(1.2GHz Mediatek MT8125 quad-core).

Let's take the example of Linpack for Android. Here, the Tab 3 was merely average on both the single-threaded and multi-threaded tests, coming in behind the Nexus 7, the Memo Pad HD 7, and the Note 8.0 ... and even being outscored by the Sero 7 on the multithreaded test.

However, the story was very different on the 3D graphics benchmarks An3DBench and An3DBenchXL. Here, the Tab 3 8.0 came in second, behind only the Note 8.0.

On Futuremark's 3DMark Ice Storm and Ice Storm Extreme, the results were mixed. The Tab 3 8.0 came in third on Ice Storm, behind the Nexus 7 and Note 8.0. However, it came in second on Ice Storm Extreme, edging out the Note 8.0 on this graphics-intensive test, in spite of the Note 8.0 having what should be a better processor.

And on GFX Bench 2.7.2, the Tab 3 8.0 came in second on the Egypt HD Offscreen test, and third on the more challenging T-Rex Offscreen. Again, the leaders this tablet traded off with were the Google Nexus 7 and the Note 8.0, which underscores how competitive the Tab 3's performance is, especially on graphics.

The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0's boot time was quick. It was the third best of this group.

In browser-based tests, the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 came in second behind the Google Nexus 7 on the SunSpider JavaScript 1.0 benchmark, and clobbered all comers on the Peacekeeper test.

Battery Life & Conclusion

The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 lasted 8 hours and 49 minutes playing a 1080p video on continuous loop. That's a reasonable amount of time, and will at least last you through much of a day of use without requiring a trip to the power outlet. But it's not even close to the spectacular numbers put up by the MeMo Pad HD 7 (12 hours, 6 minutes) and the Nexus 7 (10 hours, 26 minutes).

The Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 is a solid tablet, and a strong choice if you're looking for a middle-of-the-road screen size that makes reasonable compromises to balance price and portability. In spite of our design nits, we recommend this tablet because—app ecosystems notwithstanding—the Tab 3 8.0 does offer more bang for fewer bucks than Apple's iPad Mini at the same screen size. Google's new Nexus 7 is less expensive and a better performer, with a better display; but that model sacrifices the expansion slot and lacks the IR port, both conveniences that distinguish the Tab 3.

If your choice comes down to the Tab 3 8.0 and the Galaxy Note 8.0, the decision comes down largely to price and whether you feel you'd use the latter's stylus. If you love the idea of using a stylus on your tablet, the Note 8.0 is worth the $100 premium (though we wish it was only a $50 premium instead). If the stylus isn't on your radar, though, save the bucks and go with the Tab 3.

Source: Compshopper

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 reported to use huge 3450mAh battery

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Wed, 14 Aug 2013 13:57:00 +0000

A new report tips a 3450mAh battery for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 — the largest battery for a Samsung phone yet.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 speculation just got bigger. Literally. According to a tipster at PhoneArena, Samsung’s forthcoming “phablet” will feature a 3450mAh battery – the largest cell Samsung has ever used in a phone.

To illustrate just how big this battery is, consider this: The 6.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Mega, currently Samsung’s largest phone, uses a 3200mAh battery. The original 5.3-inch Samsung Galaxy Note used a 2500mAh battery, while its sequel, the Galaxy Note 2, uses a 3100mAh cell.

The Galaxy Note 3 is expected to feature a full-HD 5.7-inch display, up from the 5.5-inch 720p panel on the Galaxy Note 2. That means this phone will need all the juice it can get, making the rumors of such a large battery seem plausible. Of course, the larger size of the device also makes it easier to Samsung to put a larger battery inside of it.

Given their size, battery life hasn’t been a major complaint for the Galaxy Note family of phones, so clearly Samsung is doing something right by stuffing these oversized cells into its devices.

Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy Note 3 in just under a month, at its Unpacked event in Berlin.

Samsung Galaxy beats Apple iPhone in satisfaction

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 16:35:00 +0000

Apple's (AAPL) iPhone has finally slipped from its top position to third in customer satisfaction, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The new study of 10 top-selling smartphones for the past year found that Samsung's Galaxy S III ranked No. 1. In second place was the Galaxy Note II.

The Apple iPhone 5, 4S, and 4 took positions 3 to 5 respectively, followed closely by the Droid Razr Maxx HD and the Galaxy S II. The results offer two major conclusions: Apple has lost the brand lead it had enjoyed for years and Apple's own customers don't see much difference between the various iPhone models available. The latter has bad implications for Apple's product development, innovation efforts and profitability.

ACSI is a leading indicator of customer satisfaction across many categories of products. Conducting about 70,000 consumer surveys a year, ACSI rates each product on a 0 to 100 scale. Apple has traditionally done well, although for a long time it was judged only in the personal computer category, where it began to dominate in consumer satisfaction in 2004.

Last year, in mobile phones, Apple had a rating of 83. The next closest companies were Nokia, HTC and LG, all of which had scores of 75. The most recent numbers indicate a significant reversal for the maker of the iPhone.

The difference between the Samsung products and the iPhone 5 was only two points, but it still marks a a reshuffling of the ranks and a marked improvement for Samsung, which was at 71 in 2012. The change shows how Apple has lost its frontrunner status not just globally, but in the U.S., where its predominance was particularly strong.

As the ACSI points out in its press release, there is also significance in how close the iPhone 4S and 4 scores are to the iPhone 5:

"Not only does Samsung edge ahead of all iPhones, Apple customers themselves don't see much difference between the iPhone 4, 4S or 5," says ACSI Director David VanAmburg. "The latest earnings report from Apple was better than expected, but the name of the game for Apple has always been innovation. Samsung, on the other hand, shows a strong upward ACSI trend from the Galaxy S II to the Galaxy S III. If the S4 performs as well -- or even better -- in the eyes of customers, Samsung could threaten Apple's dominance in overall customer satisfaction."

In its latest earnings report, although the company sold a record number of iPhones for a calendar second quarter, average sales price dropped sharply over the past six months, likely because many customers opted for the cheaper, older models, not seeing a compelling reason to buy the iPhone 5.

Samsung to Unveil Galaxy Note 3 on 4th September

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Tue, 06 Aug 2013 16:23:00 +0000

It's becoming more like an annual tradition as Samsung will unveil the next generation of its Galaxy Note smartphone in advance of the IFA technology conference in Berlin. The company sent invitations to the press on Monday for an event on Sept. 4, two days before the first day of the conference.

Like previous device unveilings, Samsung is calling the event "Samsung Unpacked 2013." The event will be live streamed via the web, and Samsung will host a press event at the same time in New York City's Times Square for people to watch and get hands-on time with the devices.

Samsung isn't officially revealing information about the devices. However, the invitation and subsequent tweet (see below) include the phrase, "Note the Date" (emphasis added). Plus, at the two previous IFA events, Samsung released the first and second generations of its Galaxy Note smartphone, which have extremely large screens relative to other phones.

Samsung #UNPACKED 2013 Episode 2. Note the date. pic.twitter.com/XkNBXXc8Bp

— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) August 5, 2013

Thus, it's a foregone conclusion that Samsung will unveil the Galaxy Note 3 (or III) at its September event. It's been almost a year since the company released the Galaxy Note 10.1. The question on everyone's mind this time: Just how big will Samsung go?

Competitors have responded to the Galaxy Note's success (now at 5.6 inches with the Note II) with large screen sizes as well, including the 5.5-inch LG Optimus G Pro and 5-inch Droid Ultra. Samsung itself debuted the 6.3-inch Galaxy Mega earlier this year.

Samsung's other plans for Sept. 4 also remain unknown. Last year, it took the wraps off several new devices, including its ATIV line of Windows 8 PCs, the first phone to run Windows Phone 8, and the Android-powered Galaxy Camera point-and-shoot. We'll likely see more focus this year, but Samsung could still surprise — perhaps with an entry into wearable computing. Its rumored smart watch is called "Gear."

What do you think Samsung has in store for Sept. 4? Let us know in the comments.

Smartphone Wars: Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom Versus Nokia Lumia 1020

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Tue, 30 Jul 2013 12:09:00 +0000

Here we are, matching up these 2 smartphones. Just take a look.These photography big shots are almost more camera than smartphone.

With their focus on photography, Nokia's Lumia 1020 and Samsung's Galaxy S4 Zoom are the smartphone industry's camera big shots.

While both strive for smartphone imaging prowess, these two devices are really very different. It's best to think of the Lumia 1020 as a smartphone with a good camera, and of the S4 Zoom as a point-and-shoot that can make calls.

For now, I match up the phones' specs and lay out some strengths of each. I'll come back and flesh this out with many more comparisons -- including image quality -- after fully testing the Zoom. The Lumia 1020, for its part, has been fully reviewed.

Camera resolution

The Lumia 1020 has a 41-megapixel resolution, which is a bit of a misnomer because photos resolve to 5 megapixels by default. You can peel off the full resolution images manually, through the computer.

Samsung's camera grabs 16-megapixel shots, but its sensor is smaller than on the Lumia 1020. It is easier, however, to get to the full-resolution output. We'll need to wait on a photo quality shootout to decide which ones takes the better photos.

Phone	Nokia Lumia 1020	Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom
OS	Windows Phone 8	Android 4.2 Jelly Bean
U.S. carrier	AT&T	TBA
Camera	41 megapixels	16 megapixels
Zoom	3x digital	10x optical
Sensor size	1/1.5-inch BSI CMOS	1/2.3-inch BSI CMOS
Aperture	F 2.2	F 3.1-F 6.3
Focal range	26mm	24-240mm
Front-facing camera	1.2-megapixels	1.9-megapixels
Video recording	1080p HD rear; 720p HD front	1080p HD rear; 720p HD front
Processor	1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4	1.5GHz dual-core Pega-Dual +XMM6262
Screen	4.5-inch AMOLED	4.3-inch Super AMOLED
Resolution	1,280x768; 331ppi	960x540; 256ppi
Dimensions (inches)	5.1x2.8x0.5	5x2.5x0.61
Weight (ounces)	5.6	7.3
Battery	2,000mAh, embedded	2,330mAh, removable
Internal storage	32GB	8GB
Expansion slot	No	Yes, up to 64GB
4G	LTE	LTE
RAM	2GB	Not listed
Bluetooth version	3.0	4.0
NFC	Yes	Yes

Zoom in on it

The Zoom has all the advantage with a 10x optical zoom that should handily smash the Lumia 1020's 3x digital zoom.

At least that's what we expect for a physical zooming lens. As a general rule of thumb, optical zoom produces higher-quality images than digital zoom, among other things. Of course, we won't know for sure until the test results come in. Stay tuned!

Settings and controls

Apart from high-resolution images and the larger sensor size, Nokia's manual camera controls are a high point. There aren't any preset modes in the default Nokia Pro Cam app, which isn't great (you have to switch camera apps or add lenses,) and the camera doesn't handle close-ups well in automatic settings. However, the sliding controls are convenient for creative snaps.

Samsung Galaxy S4 : The Everything Phone for Everyone (Full Review)

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Wed, 17 Jul 2013 12:07:00 +0000

The good: The Samsung Galaxy S4 has Android 4.2.2, a fantastic camera, a powerful quad-core processor, and software solutions for just about every scenario -- including working as a TV/DVR remote. It's also comfortable in hand and has NFC, a user-replaceable battery, and a microSD storage slot.

The bad: Its screen is dimmer than competitors', its plastic design gives it a cheaper look than its rivals, and we found the Galaxy S4's power button turned on at undesirable times. Not all camera modes work as promised, and a long list of software features can quickly overwhelm and confuse.

The bottom line: Its laundry list of features require time and effort to truly master, but the Galaxy S4 is the top choice for anyone looking for a big-screen, do-everything smartphone.

With the Galaxy S4, Samsung clinches its goal of global smartphone domination. The supercharged Android 4.2 Jelly Bean device may look like a toy compared with the stunning HTC One and the dapper iPhone 5. But taken together, its blazing quad-core processor, colorful 5-inch HD screen, sharp-shooting 13-megapixel camera, and mile-high stack of software extras make the Galaxy S4 the most powerful superphone anywhere in the world.

What does the Galaxy S4 have? A better question is: what doesn't it have? There's the 1080p screen, zippy processing speeds that are ideal for gaming, and an IR blaster that can control your TV. Then there's the parade of camera tricks that cram action shots into one scene, use both front and back cameras, and film a video in slow-mo. The GS4 can harness your eyeballs to pause video, and it can answer a phone call with the wave of your hand. Unlike the HTC One and the iPhone 5, it also piles on expandable storage space and a removable battery.

It's true: most of the GS4's featurettes aren't essential -- and some aren't even very useful, like the camera's Eraser mode, which I never got to work, a subpar optical reader, and a translation tool that just duplicates what Google Translate already does. While none stands out as a must-have, cannot-possibly-live-without extra, these features do add up to a compelling testament that the Galaxy S4 is more than a step ahead of the pack.

So, if you want a lovingly crafted statement phone that barely strays from Android's core offering, then buy the HTC One, which also has double the internal storage for about the same price. But if you're looking for a superphone that surpasses all other handsets on the features front, then you'll find in this deserving all-around flagship a strong mix of extremely competent hardware and aspirational software with very few major drawbacks.

Design and build

Throughout the lifetime of Samsung's Galaxy S line, one of the biggest complaints levied against the manufacturer was -- and is -- how its plastic construction and flimsier-looking industrial design fall short compared with premium rivals from Apple and HTC.

No, Samsung sticks by plastic, and points to only a handful of Android enthusiasts who really care about vaunted materials like aluminum and glass. Yet the phone maker has also made an effort to add more "refined" touches to the Galaxy S4.

Indeed, when you compare the S3 and S4 side by side, you note a more rectangular home button, and metallic accents around the rim. The S4's 5-inch screen is taller and the bezel surrounding the display slimmer. Its volume and power/lock buttons are metallic-looking polycarbonate, and tooled to have slanted sides and a flat top. Look closely, and you'll see that the gaps around these controls are narrower, too.

The GS4's metallic spines are also reworked to be steeper and less curved than the Galaxy S3. In fact, while Samsung boasted its GS3 was inspired by nature, the GS4's straight sides seem to be inspired by the iPhone 5 or HTC One.

At 5.4 inches tall by 2.8 inches by 0.3 inch thick, the Galaxy S4 is actually 0.7 millimeter thinner than GS3, and at 4.6 ounces, it's 0.7 ounce lighter as well. Yet, the S3 and S4 generations still look so similar, you might not know the difference if you're not looking closely. When in doubt, flip the S4 over to see the new tiny black-and-silver diamond design on the black mist model, or a similar pinprick design on the white frost edition. As with the Galaxy S3's brushed-plastic backing, the newer generation is so reflective, you could use it as a makeshift mirror.

All about the screen
Let's head back to the screen for a minute. The 5-inch 1080p HD display yields a pixel density of 441ppi, which is higher than Apple's 321ppi screen and lower than the HTC One's 468ppi screen. In the end, I'm not sure how much these pixel density wars matter. The naked eye doesn't calibrate numbers, but it does understand if an image looks rich and sharp and detailed, versus dull and blurred.

Carrying on its fine tradition, the Galaxy S4's HD AMOLED display nails it with color saturation and contrast, sharply defined edges and details. Articles are easy to read, gameplay looks good, and photos and videos look terrific.

In a new display setting, Samsung attempts to correct an old complaint about certain colors, like green, looking too saturated. In the screen mode settings, you can choose to let the GS4 auto-adjust the color tone depending on what you're looking at.

There are a few other important things to note about the Galaxy S4's display besides color and sharpness. As with the GS3, this year's model is highly reflective indoors and out, and even at its full brightness, it can seem dim outside when fighting bright light.

Outdoor readability in strong sunlight is really tough; when taking photos, I very often couldn't tell that my finger covered the lens until I got back inside, a plight that ruined several pictures. Now would have been the time for Samsung to follow Nokia's lead with its excellent polarized screen filter on phones like the Nokia Lumia 920.

At least Samsung did mimic another terrific Nokia implementation, giving the S4 a sensitive screen you can navigate with a gloved hand in addition to the naked finger.

On top of possessing a sensitive screen, the Galaxy S4 is also the first commercially available device to feature the thinner, stronger Gorilla Glass 3 cover glass.

Features layout
The phone's screen is a big deal, no doubt, but in my opinion, the other most interesting new real estate lies north of its display.

A 2-megapixel front-facing camera sits in the upper-right corner, neighbored to the left by ambient light and proximity sensors. To the left of the speaker grill is the phone's IR, or infrared, sensor. There's also an LED indicator at the top left corner. This will glow or blink green, red, or blue to indicate certain activities.

Sharing the top edge with the phone's 3.5-millimeter headset jack is the Galaxy S4's brand-new IR blaster, which you'll use in conjunction with the Watch On app as a TV remote (it works!) All things being equal, I prefer how HTC integrated its IR blaster in the One's power button.

Below the screen, the home button takes you home (press), launches Samsung's S Voice app (double press), and loads up recently opened apps (hold). Press and hold the menu button to launch the Google Search app with Google Now. The back button is self-explanatory.

You'll adjust volume on the left spine, charge the phone from the bottom, and turn the phone on and off from the right spine. On the back, you'll see the 13-megapixel shooter and LED flash just below. Pry off the back cover to get to the microSD card slot, SIM card slot, and battery.

So do I like the new design? I do. Its sharper edges do make it look like a more premium device than its predecessor, but it won't ever be as eye-popping as the gorgeous HTC One or as understatedly elegant as the iPhone 5. Still, it's pleasant to look at and, in my opinion, more comfortable to hold than the other two.

The only thing I don't like is how Samsung's power/lock screen seems to easily light up the phone while it's tossed around in my purse. Over the years, this has been a constant personal annoyance, not only to find a phone turned on that I had clearly turned off, but more importantly, to see my handset's battery level low because I hadn't realized the screen was sucking it down. I'd probably prefer this button up top.

OS and interface

The Galaxy S4 proudly runs Android 4.2.2 beneath its very highly customized Touch Wiz interface. Argue the pluses and minuses of stock Android versus overlay all you want -- Touch Wiz has long looked outdated and stale (especially compared with HTC's fresh new UI,) but Samsung's pile of software lets the GS4 go places that a stock Android phone can't even dream about without rooting and mods.

Take my favorite new interface addition, for example. Samsung has bulked up its one-touch system icons in the notifications shade. Tap a new button in the upper right corner to expand the list to 15 icons you'll no longer have to dig through settings menus to find. If you press the edit button, you'll be able to drag and drop icons to reorder them. This is very cool and extremely useful for finding and toggling settings.

Menus play a huge role in the Touch Wiz ecosystem, so new users shouldn't neglect them. This is where a tremendous range of editing and advanced settings options live for apps as diverse as the home screen, the browser, the keyboard, and so on.

In an attempt to simplify the settings menu, the GS4's gets a makeover that breaks up topics into separate screens for connections, device items like the lock screen, gestures, and keyboard settings, an accounts pane, and the More category for battery, storage, and security concerns.

Keyboard options
I have a love-hate relationship with every virtual keyboard I meet. I demand grammatical and spelling accuracy, but am also apparently a sloppy typist. Punctuation always takes too long to insert and autocorrect rarely seems smart enough.

The Galaxy S4 gives you a few options. There's the standard Samsung keyboard, which lets you turn on SwiftKey Flow for tracing out words. There's also a separate Swype keyboard you can use instead.

I still became aggravated with mistakes and a slower typing flow than I wanted, but I did like the multiple Samsung keyboard options to introduce handwriting or insert images from the clipboard -- not that I can see myself using either.

Lock screen
In the Galaxy S4, the lock screen has become a more customizable place. You'll still choose if you swipe to unlock or use a passcode or face scan, and you can still add and order lock screen icons that serve as shortcuts to the camera, search, and your contacts.

Now, however, there are lock screen widget options, similar in concept to what you can get on Windows Phone, but different in execution. For example, you choose if you'd like to see the clock or a personal message on the screen, and if you'd like to swipe to open a list of favorite apps or launch the camera (I chose the camera and clock).

Getting the camera to open from the lock screen isn't all that intuitive. The trick is to swipe right to left near the top of the widget. If you swipe on the bottom half of the page, you'll go straight into the home screen.

There's also a nice new lock screen effect: Light. With Air View enabled, a point of light follows your fingertip as you hover over the display.

Easy mode
If the full Touch Wiz experience feels too confusing, Samsung is trying what others, such as Korean competitor Pantech, have done to simplify its take on Android with an easy mode.

Around in Samsung products since the Galaxy Note 2, easy mode, which you can start during the setup process or find later in the settings, replaces your home screens and reskins some critical apps (calendar, browser, contact list, and so on) to pare down the quantity of confusing options.

You'll still get access to core apps and features, even some extra camera modes. The icons and fonts enlarge across the easy-mode apps, and the browser includes a plus/minus icon for further increasing the phone's font size. The settings menu, however, remains the same, and it's easy to toggle back and forth from the "light" interface to full-on Touch Wiz.

Apps and features

Before diving into the GS4's feature list, let's just run through one of its key inner workings: how it communicates wirelessly. It goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) that the Galaxy S4 is up-to-date in all its radios and communications. The phone supports 4G LTE here in the U.S. and in other regions.

Source: Cnet

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Release Date Will Be 4th September, Confirms Insider

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Mon, 01 Jul 2013 14:25:00 +0000

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is definitely one of the most anticipated smartphones of the year as it will come to continue the success of the Galaxy Note family introduced back in 2011 by the South Korean phone maker. As the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release date is getting near, the rumors regarding the next-gen Sammy phablet are starting to intensify and, after we’ve heard reports about its technical specifications or design, today it’s time to talk about the launch date of the handset.

A couple of weeks ago, a Korean analyst reported that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 release date will be in September, so we’ve asked a couple of questions here and there, in search for a confirmation. Well, we were able to get in touch to a person close to the matter, who was capable to provide some details regarding the Galaxy Note 3 release date. Just like everybody was anticipating, he said that the Galaxy Note 3 will indeed be introduced in September, just head of IFA Berlin 2013.

He also said that, sometime in August, the South Korea-based company will announce that a special Samsung Unpacked event will be hosted on September 4th, in Berlin, adding that the Galaxy Note 3 will be officially introduced during the aforementioned press conference. The Samsung Unpacked will be a part of the IFA 2013 expo, being a press-only event, that will debut on the first day the Berlin-based tech fair will open its gates for the media.

There’s no surprise that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will be introduced around the debut of IFA Berlin, as both its predecessors received the same treatment. The first Galaxy Note was officially unveiled at IFA Berlin 2011, followed next year by the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, which was made public during an Unpacked event a couple of days ahead of IFA Berlin 2012 debut.

An early September release date for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is ideal for the South Korean phone maker, as the next-gen phablet will hit the market almost synchronized with iPhone 5S’ debut, which will help Samsung steal some of Apple’s customers.

Expected Specifications:

A recent report was indicating that Samsung might use both Super AMOLED and IPS LCD displays for the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, the type of screen being market dependent, just like happens now with Samsung Galaxy S4′s processor. Talking about processor, it is speculated that the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will be underpinned by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 SoC with quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 CPU and Adreno 320 GPU. If you’d ask me, I would say that there will be two Galaxy Note 3 variants: one equipped with the Snapdragon 800 and another sporting Samsung’s proprietary octo-core Exynos 5 Octa SoC clocked at 1.8 GHz (200 MHz higher than the one of the Galaxy S4).

As you probably noticed, the high-end Android-powered smartphones that were introduced this year come with full HD displays (see HTC One, LG Optimus G Pro, Sony Xperia Z, and Xperia Z Ultra). Since the Galaxy Note 3 will be in Samsung’s front line of attack, the phablet will definitely come with a full HD display. Anyway, there are a lot of speculations regarding Galaxy Note 3′s screen size, some sources saying that it will be a 5.7-inch or 5.9-inch panel, while other saying that it will go past the 6-inch threshold.

We are expecting the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to borrow the 13 megapixel sensor of the Galaxy S4, and, of course, to boast all the TouchWiz Nature UX-specific Camera app features, plus S Orb, Samsung’s name for the 360 degree panorama mode. The amount of RAM and the internal storage options of the Galaxy Note 3 will also be borrowed from the Galaxy S4 flagship: 2 GB of RAM and 16/32/64 GB of storage, plus microSD card support.

Since Samsung announced the acquisition of 5% in Wacom shares, a company popular for its graphic tablets with stylus input, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 might come with an improved S Pen stylus and a couple of new S Pen-related software features. The phablet will probably come pre-loaded with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, but since the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean rumors are hinting towards July release date, the Galaxy Note 3 might actually leave the factory gates with the latest Android iteration on board.

Please let us know what are you expecting from the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. The comments section below is all yours.

Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE-A announced as world's first LTE-Advanced Smartphone

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 16:40:00 +0000

The new device could run on some of the world's fastest networks, which remain overseas for the time being.

Get ready to drool, folks. A version of Samsung's Galaxy S4 has been spotted that reportedly supports LTE-Advanced, a mobile broadband standard that could finally deliver on the true promise of 4G networks.

LTE-Advanced is designed to deliver higher capacity and peak data rates of as much as 3Gbps for downloading and 1.5Gbps for uploads. While carriers here in America are still working on blanketing our significantly more vast landscape with regular old LTE coverage, South Korea's SK Telecom claims to already be hard at work on its first LTE-Advanced network.

Such a hot, fast network deserves an equally sought-after and nimble phone, it would seem. Enter these shots of a Galaxy S4 that's apparently ready to run on an LTE-Advanced network. The unboxing snaps have been leaking out all over Korean and Samsung-obsessed sites worldwide.

There's no way to verify what we're looking at here at the moment -- images leaked out with a list of purported specs including a quad-core 2.3GHz processor, 2GB RAM and a 1,920x1,080 HD display -- but it does line up with recent reports.

So there's a good chance we're looking at the future. Unfortunately for those of us in the United States, it's not exactly the near future.

Aurora Red Samsung Galaxy S4 now available for AT&T

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:54:00 +0000

Samsung and AT&T have made the Aurora Red version of the Galaxy S4 now available. The 16GB version is identical to the black and white versions, and will have the same 2GB of RAM, 1080p display and Snapdragon 600 under the glass. It's also priced the same, $200 with a new two-year contract or $640 if you buy it outright.

The Galaxy S4 is one of the years best selling phones, and has broken just about every sales record Samsung keeps track of. With 10 Million units sold in black or white, this is your chance to get your hands on one with a little more flair.

Source: Samsung

Artic Blue Galaxy S4 Active Showed up

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 14:49:00 +0000

We love leakers! Don’t you? Manufacturers and carriers probably hate them though …

Anyway, you guys remember the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active right? Among the mediocre (S4 Mini) or downright bizarre (S4 Zoom) Galaxy S4 spin-offs, the Galaxy S4 Active is, in our opinion, the only one worthy of its name.

Until 2013, most rugged devices have been a joke, as far as processing power goes. However, the S4 Active will handle anything you throw at it (apps, games, whatever) and still be able to take a beating in the meantime (or survive underwater).

It has already been announced that the smartphone will be an AT&T exclusive in the States. And if you were interested to see how it looks in some real life photos (no renders or anything of the sorts), we have just what you need.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active release date at AT&T is scheduled for June 21st and will set you back $199.99 on a two year contract.

As far as the differences between the Active and the original S4 go (other than those concerning build materials/quality), the rugged version sports a TFT capacitive touchscreen instead of a Super AMOLED panel (resolution and ppi are the same and it also features the “Glove Touch” technology), its camera has been downgraded from 13MP to 8MP (it comes with “Aqua Mode” though), and it’s a bit heavier and bulkier (not easily noticeable).

Well, what do you think about the Active? Are you planing on getting one? Did you already go with the already released Galaxy S4? Let us know in the comments section.

Source

Samsung Loses $12 Billion Market Value on Galaxy S4 Sales Worries

noreply@blogger.com (Samsung Galaxy S4) — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 13:13:00 +0000

Seoul: Samsung Electronics lost $12 billion in market value on Friday, hit by brokerage downgrades that have underscored concerns about slowing sales of its flagship Galaxy S4 smartphone.

The share slide of more than 6 per cent comes after it recently introduced two stripped-down versions of the S4, fanning worries that profit margins for its mobile business will suffer. It also follows a report that arch-rival Apple will begin a trade-in program for iPhones.

The new stripped-down S4 models will help it widen its lead in the global smartphone market and fend off Chinese competitors, but some fear that the South Korean tech giant is trading in profits for volume.

Analysts say sales momentum for the high-end version of the S4, which became its fastest selling smartphone since its launch in late April, has slowed.

"Sales of high-end handsets are lagging behind expectations, while low- to mid-end handsets are selling briskly worldwide," said Kim Young-chan, an analyst at Shinhan Investment Corp.

"As the portion of low- to mid-range handsets is expected to increase in Samsung's overall mobile phone business, this has also sparked concerns about thinning margins and lower growth."

Apple angst

Apple will start a program this month to allow users to trade their older iPhones for the newest model, Bloomberg news agency cited people familiar with the plan as saying, a first for the company as it prepares to introduce a new version of the smartphone.

"With Apple widely expected to announce an older iPhone trade-in program and also a new cheaper iPhone, overall growth prospects for (Samsung's) smartphone business have dimmed," said Kim Hyun-yong, an analyst at E*trade Securities.

"Second-quarter results will be solid but we have to see whether the trend can be sustainable going forward."

Shares in Samsung finished down 6.2 per cent at their lowest level in four months, wiping out 14 trillion won of value to bring its market cap to 210.2 trillion won ($188 billion).

It was their biggest daily percentage drop since late August when the stock tumbled more than 7 per cent following a US jury verdict that it infringed on Apple's patents.

Samsung, which represents nearly 20 per cent of the main bourse's market value, helped send the main stock index 1.9 per cent lower, while suppliers of smartphone components were also hammered.

Downgrades

Brokerage downgrades this week included a 4.8 per cent cut in Samsung's price target to 2.0 million won from Woori Securities. It cited weakening profit growth for Samsung's mobile business, which generates around 70 per cent of its total earnings.

It also cut 2013 and 2014 earnings per share forecasts by 9.2 per cent and 11.7 per cent respectively.

JPMorgan slashed its earnings estimates and said monthly orders for the S4 have been cut by 20-30 per cent to 7-8 million from July due to weak demand in Europe and South Korea.

Among smartphone component suppliers taking a battering, camera module maker Partron tumbled 11 per cent, printed circuit board maker Interflex dived 10.6 per cent and camera lens manufacturer Digital Optics shed 12 per cent.

Ratings agency Fitch Ratings also said on Thursday it was not planning to upgrade Samsung's A+ rating in the medium term due to its heavy reliance on the fickle consumer electronics market, in particular handsets.

"Samsung has yet to prove its 'creative' innovation, that is, launching a product or a market segment that has not existed before in addition to prowess in manufacturing technology," Fitch said. ($1 = 1115.8500 Korean won)