Now that the dust has had time to settle after Thursday’s launch of the Galaxy S4 it may be time to talk about the phone rather than tap-dancing boys.
It is true that this phone does have a raft of new technology which has not been seen before such as the ability for the phone to know when the user is looking at the screen.
This means, for example, that a video will automatically pause if the person looks away from the device and it restart when they look back at the screen.
The translation function seems pretty neat too but will any of this actually lead to increased sales?
Well the experts would seem to think so.
IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo said: “The Samsung Galaxy S4 could be an important milestone for the Korean company, as it could be the first smartphone to outsell an iPhone.”
Samsung has sold 100 million Galaxy S phones since they first came out in 2010. Apple has sold 268 million iPhones in the same period so there is still some catching up to do.
The Galaxy S4, has been criticized for looking substantially like the S3, but I don’t see that as a fault. They have fitted a bigger 5 inch 1080p screen into a smaller body but the polycarbonate casing makes it look a little cheap, which is sad because this is not a cheap product at all.
One of my pet hates is smartphone users who insist on sending text messages whilst driving. Do motorists not realize how dangerous this actually is?
However the S4′s voice recognition feature has the capability to dictate, reply, forward and save messages using only verbal commands, making texting and driving totally unnecessary.
The same voice recognition can be seen in the translator feature, which can understand nine languages.
I also like the fact that applications can react to movement from the user’s fingers just hovering over the screen – ideal for those people who get annoyed at messy fingerprints on the phone screen.
The Camera application can now use both the front and rear cameras simultaneously, and can insert a picture of the photographer even as he or she is capturing the scene in front of them. Useful? Possibly.
In the U.S., the S4 will be sold by all four national carriers – Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA – as well as by smaller ones US Cellular and Cricket.
One thing we don’t yet know for sure is how much the phone will cost but the ballpark figure is said to be around $200 with a two-year contract in the U.S.
One thing I did take exception to at Thursday’s launch was Samsung’s mobile communications division executive JK Shin describing the device as a ‘life companion’ that will ‘improve the way most people live every day.’
I can’t help thinking that those comments are ever so slightly overstating the capabilities of this new device, no matter how technologically advanced it may be.
Via: Daily Mail