Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S5 dubbed  ’The Next Big Thing’ at their Samsung Unpacked Event at Mobile World Congress yesterday. The Galaxy S5 is the successor of the Galaxy S4 and it improves upon its predecessor in almost every aspect.

The Galaxy S5, much like its predecessor, will launch with a 5.1 inch, 1080p display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, just .1 inches bigger than the S4. It also comes packed with a 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 2GB of RAM. Internal memory options are 16GB and 32GB with space for additional memory up to 128GB.

Samsung Galaxy S5 users will get the latest version of Android – Android 4.4.2 KitKat as well as a toned-down TouchWiz UI.

The S5′s main camera is 16 megapixels with HDR features and selective focus while its secondary camera is a wide-angle 2 megapixels camera and capable of taking pictures at a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Connection options on the Galaxy S5 include WiFi, LTE, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and Infrared remote. Samsung has included a download booster – allowing you download with WiFi and LTE at the same time.

Samsung boasts that the phone will be water and dust proof as well supposedly making it more usable in most weather conditions. The phone also comes with a power-saver mode built into the operating system that helps users conserve battery power by shutting down services that drain power such as LTE and brightness.

Some of the more notable and eye-catching features of the S5 are the fingerprint scanner, which like Apple’s iPhone 5S offering, offers an extra level of security for the phone. The Galaxy S5 also comes packed with a heart rate monitor built into the back of the phone. The camera also got a bit of an improvement with a bump up to 16 megapixels from 13 megapixels on the previous offering, the camera will also have the ability to record 4K content.

Its battery is a large 2800 mAH battery. Samsung hasn’t said anything about batter life however.

The Galaxy S5 is still very similar to its predecessor in every other respect. It still maintains the TouchWiz UI  that most have become familiar with and some added visual improvements to it. The form factor of the phone remains generally the same as well. The Galaxy S5 will be available worldwide on April 11.

So, are you impressed by the Galaxy S5? Or do you think it does not improve much over its predecessor. Let us know your thoughts below.

I had Samsung’s 2014 edition of its Galaxy Note 10.1 for about two days this week. Here are a few thoughts after using it.

Too Large

10.1-inches is a bit too wide for a device that’s mean to be mobile. It’s really light so your hands won’t feel it but typing is a bit stressful because you’ll have to move your fingers from one end of the device to the other. Constantly.

Handwriting Recognition!

When your wrists hurt after moving your fingers around so much, you can use the Note 10.1 2014′s stylus and write instead. Handwriting recognition works great.

Camera

The camera is a bit slow by a few milliseconds. The good part is you can take a selfie and a picture of what you’re seeing at the same time. Here are 2 pictures taken at the journalists training at cchub last weekend.

Way Too Many Features

Samsung boasts of its multi-window feature on this device. For me, it’s a lot of stress. There are also too many options that pop up when you don’t need them. Like the notepad and calendar that pops up when you turn of the display and turn it back on. You can also swipe down from the homescreen for another window. Its function I couldn’t figure out.

If there’s one thing you have to get used to, it’s the number of gestures you can make from the home/middle button. When you hold it for a while, it shows you apps that are currently running so you can switch. When you tap it twice, S-Voice comes up.

On the left of each app you run is a small arrow icon. When tapped, it shows a list of shortcuts to other apps. I mean, when I want to go to other apps I can just go home or switch apps right?

Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 2014 edition reminds me a lot of a desktop working environment. There’s just so much chaos.

Samsung, today, unveiled its new entrant into the smartwatch industry dubbed the Samsung Galaxy Gear.

The Galaxy Gear is a smartwatch that will act as a companion to your Galaxy Smartphone and allow you control basic tasks on your smartphone via the watch. In essence, it acts as a second screen for your smartphone and offers convenience in the fact that it allows you to keep your phone in your pocket while still getting alerts of what is going on. You can read your email, check the weather and even answer a phone call and actually speak through an inbuilt speaker and microphone in the bottom of the watch. However, one of the killer features that Samsung is touting in this device is its ability to take  photos on its own and sync them to your phone. Samsung stated that at launch the Galaxy Gear will be compatible with about 70 apps- an impressive number for a new device.

The Galaxy Gear is packed with a 1.6 inch Super AMOLED Display with a resolution of 320 x 320 pixels, a single core 800Mhz Exynos Processor and has a speaker and mic built into the bottom of the watch. It  has an accelerometer and a gyroscope built in and a 325mAh battery which Samsung promises to last a full day before needing a charge.

Surprisingly, the Galaxy Gear will only be compatible with the Galaxy Note 3 and Note 10.1 at launch and then will be made compatible with the Samsung Galaxy S4, S3 and Note 2 through an Android 4.3 update later in the year.

The Galaxy Gear will be priced at $299 when it launches globally in late September.

Here’s a quick hands-on video from Engadget showing the Galaxy Gear in use.

What are your thoughts on smartwatches? Do you think they are necessary?

Photo Credit: Engadget

Samsung announced the Galaxy Ace 3 today. It’s the newest sibling in the Galaxy Ace family. The design still looks like the old Galaxy Ace models but you’ll notice some S4 love

The Galaxy Ace 3 runs Android 4.2 Jellybean with a 4-inch TFT LCD display and a resolution of 800 x 600 pixels. It’s 9.8mm slim and weighs 115 grams.

The smartphone is powered on the inside by a 1GHz dual-core CPU, 1GB of RAM and internal storage at 4GB or 8GB. Unfortunately, only 1.77 GB of the 4GB is available to the user. External storage can be added via a microSD slot which can take cards up to 64GB.

There’s a 5MP with LED Flash at the back of the Galaxy Ace 3, capable of recording video at 720p HD 30fps. A secondary VGA front-facing camera is added for video chat and self obsession.

Photos of the Galaxy Ace 3

The 3G variant comes with internal memory of 4GB, while the LTE variant comes with internal memory of 8GB.The LTE version is heavier and supports 1080p video playback and a 1800mAh battery. The lighter 3G version can only play videos up to 720p and packs a 1500mAh battery. Samsung also said there’ll be a dual-SIM version in certain parts of the world.

We haven’t gotten details of pricing for the Galaxy Ace 3 variants but we know Samsung definitely targets the Ace range at the mid-market consumer. We’ll give you more details on pricing and availability as we get it.

Source: GSMArena

Samsung’s CEO J.K. Shin told reporters in South Korea that Samsung will sell over 10 million Galaxy S4 units.  This makes the Galaxy S4 the fastest selling Galaxy S device.

Shin said “We are confident that we will pass more than 10 million sales of the S4 next week. It is selling much faster than the previous model S3,”.

When you compare this to sales figures of Samsung’s Galaxy S III, the S III sold at 30 million units  in 5 months. This puts it at 6 million units per month.

By March 14 this year, the S III  had hit 50 million sold units.

Nokia tweeted this image right after Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Launch

Nokia’s latest Ad for the Lumia 920 takes a heavy jab at iPhone and Android fanboys. It starts at a wedding scene with a young man taking pictures with his really large phone. Someone in the congregation asks if he can stop obstructing their view and then someone jabs at Samsung’s Galaxy range of phones. Another attacks the iPhone and the wedding breaks out in chaos. An iPhone user asks another attendee if he can autocorrect a slap.

Nokia has joined the train of Samsung’s efforts at jabbing other phones. Earlier this year, Nokia pushed an ad that hit the iPhone’s lack of coloured alternatives. Assuming phone colours are a feature.

Samsung also hit the iPhone with a couple of hilarious ads last year. Apple on the other hand seems not to be moved, except for ads on its homepage like this one.

The first TV commercial for the Samsung Galaxy S4 has been unveiled. The video highlights the design features of the smartphone and the capabilities of the phone’s camera and screen. It also touts the air wave feature -  where the user doesn’t have to touch the screen to swipe it. Samsung is still calling this your life’s companion.

CHECKOUT: The Samsung Galaxy S4 Is The Next Big Thing [PHOTOS + VIDEO]

What do you think about this video? Can it make the Galaxy S4 a bestselling phone?

Samsung has announced a new tablet in its Galaxy Tab line – the Galaxy Tab 3.

The Galaxy Tab 3 has a 7-inch 1024×600 pixel display with 169 pixels per inch. It runs Android 4.1 and is powered by a 1.2GHz dual core processor and a internal storage options of 8 or questions 16GB. You can add more storage via a microSD card. A 3 megapixel rear-facing camera is also available for taking pictures.

Samsung is churning out two versions of the Galaxy Tab 3 – there’s one with WiFi and another with 3G capabilities. Unfortunately, there’s no 4G option.

Here are pictures of the Galaxy Tab 3

The Wi-Fi version will be available in stores in May and the 3G version in June. Samsung hasn’t hinted at pricing yet. We’ll keep you up-to-date as we get more details.

Source: TechCrunch