Yesterday – March 27 2013 – was a big day for the worldwide Samsung following thanks to the release and launch of the company’s latest flagship smartphone, the long awaited Galaxy S4. Since hints of its release in late 2012, a global following has steadily been growing, with many opting to hold-off purchasing a new iPhone 5 to see how it compares to the Galaxy S4.
At the official Samsung Unpacking Event last night fans were far from disappointed after news of the phones extensive list of revolutionary features was confirmed. For starters, Samsung has developed two new pieces of software aptly named Smart Scroll and Smart Pause. The Smart Scroll software uses the movement of the user’s eyes, as well as the phone’s built-in gyroscopic sensor to scroll through web pages and other content such as SMS’s and Email without the user having to touch the screen at all. As the name suggests, the Smart Pause software does the opposite, and stops the scrolling motion, or pauses content such as videos as soon as the user’s eyes leave the screen, removing the need for the user to make any input to the device to pause playing media.
Smart Scroll and Smart Pause are the tip of the iceberg of new features that have been packed into the S4. Samsung’s AirView software, which premiered on the Galaxy Note 2 has also been improved and included in the S4 package. This software allows the user to preview messages, web pages, emails and other content by hovering a finger above the particular item on screen. A small pop-up style window then appears containing a preview of the message which disappears as soon as your finger is moved away from the phone. Smart Scroll & Smart Pause appear alongside a range of new software features such as S Health, a personal fitness & diet companion, and Air Gesture which allows users to move between tabs by simply swiping their fingers a few centimetres above the screen.
In terms of hardware the Galaxy S4 is streets ahead of all of its competitors, iPhone 5 included. This is thanks to unbelievable Exynos Octa chipset which allows two quad-core processors to be run and the amazingly clear 13 Mega-Pixel rear camera. The massively improved computing power has allowed Samsung redefine the way we think of mobile phone cameras. A new feature, Dual Camera, allows photos to be taken using both the rear and front facing cameras at the same time, with the picture from the front camera embedded in the photo from the rear camera. Samsung has also premiered Drama Shot on the S4, which allows 100 still photos to be taken 4 seconds before blending the best selections into one image. Samsung has also premiered Sound & Shoot, which records 9 seconds of audio and embeds it into the camera image.
The Galaxy S4’s screen has also received a make-over and now boasts far more pixels than the human eye can perceive as well as a new technology named PHOLED. PHOLED uses fluorescence to decrease the power consumption of the screen by approximately 25%. This energy saving prevents the S4s impressive computing power & large 5inch 1080P HD display causing poor battery life. The phone also boasts impressive new enhancements, such as NFC (Near Field Communication) the latest version of Bluetooth, an Infra-Red Remote emitter which allows TVs and other IR remote operated devices to be controlled as well as Group Play’ proprietary software which allows for music to be played simultaneously through a maximum of 8 Samsung devices.
The phone has also been branded as a “Life Companion” by Samsung. This choice becomes all the more obvious when the phones accessories are examined. Additional accessories such as a Samsung S4 body scale, Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) and S Band, which acts as a pedometer, are available as extras. When used in conjunction with the S Health app these products truly transform the S4 into a life companion perfectly suited to monitoring your health and overall well-being.
The S4 will go on sale in Europe next week, with the US release speculated for the second week of April. So without a doubt in the next few days a few of these devices should make their way over to the bidorbuy Cellphones & Smartphones Category category.
