If you watched Samsung’s Unpacked 2013 live last month, where they announced the new Galaxy S4, you probably sat through this awkward skit: This was Samsung’s way of introducing their new translation software, dubbed S Translator. In the skit, the backbacking American traveler in Shanghai typed his question in English, and the phone spoke it aloud in Chinese. The other man replied in Chinese, and the app translated the message back into English. Live conversation translation aside, the app can read English back in 9 different languages, and you can even speak in English and have it live… more
A week after Samsung Unpacked, the buzz about the new Galaxy S4 is still going strong and we’ve decided to consolidate the facts in one easy, convenient location. Here’s everything we know about the Samsung Galaxy S4 so far, from hardware specs to cool new features.
The S4 handset is a lighter, sleeker upgrade from Samsung’s Galaxy S3, coming it at 0.31-inches thick, compared to the 0.34 inches on the S3. And while isn’t a major difference, the S4 is a whole 0.1 ounces lighter than its predecessor. With a 5-inch screen, the S4 boasts one of the prettiest, clearest displays on the market, with a 441ppi Super AMOLED HD display, completed with exceptionally sturdy Gorilla Glass 3. While the S4 still has a plastic body, it feels sturdier and slightly more expensive in hand than the S3.
Everyone seems to be wondering how the new Samsung Galaxy S4 will eat into Apple iPhone sales when the high-end smartphone hits the market by the end of next month. However, it’s not just Apple that will be challenged by Samsung’s bar-raising device.
Let’s go over three publicly traded companies that may also be in the crosshairs when it comes to Samsung’s new phone.
Nike The sultan of swoosh would seem to be an odd target for a South Korean smartphone maker, but have you seen the new Galaxy’s fitness features?
S Health is a major component of the new handset. The S4 comes with a pedometer, counting the steps taken in order to track someone’s active lifestyle. Ambient temperature and humidity is also tracked for an accurate fitness read, and an updated app includes food nutrition information.
There are plenty of third-party accessories and devices — from scales to heart-rate monitors — that will play nicely with S Health. There is also the S Band bracelet that can track movements for those who aren’t always carrying around their phones.
This is a full-on attack on Fitbit and Jawbone UP, but it’s also a shot at Nike’s FuelBand wellness bracelets and the whole NikeFuel ecosystem.
Nike bulls will argue that the branded athletic footwear and apparel company is still a winner. Folks who are more conscious about their physical activities will go through more Nike shoes and sweat-wicking shirts. They have a point, but for now the challenge is for Samsung’s S Health to establish itself as an important wellness brand.
Rosetta Stone S Tranlsate is another feature of the new S4.
The device allows instant speech-to-text and text-to-speech translations in 10 different languages. The ability to translate emails or text messages is novel, but the ability to actually communicate with a local in a foreign country is where Rosetta Stone will feel the pinch.
Rosetta Stone succeeds in getting language learners to pay up for intensive courses, but some may argue that it won’t be necessary when the S4 can do a lot of the heavy lifting.
BlackBerry Apple may be challenged by the S4’s new features, but the timing of the announcement couldn’t have been worse for BlackBerry.
Samsung’s event was slated just as BlackBerry’s two largest U.S. carriers began to take preorders for the new Z10 device that runs on the BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system. The smarpthone pioneer’s new platform drew some critical praise, but it’s not the Swiss Army Knife of smartphones that the S4 is shaping itself up to be.
Diehard BlackBerry fans are going to get the Z10 when it becomes available domestically, but those straddling the fence about buying now or waiting until a likely summertime release for Apple’s next iPhone now have an even more current reason to reconsider with the S4 April rollout.
Samsung knows what it wants to be in the Android smartphone race, and it manages to execute it very, very well. But, if you’re looking for an aggressive revamp to the company’s flagship series in the Galaxy S4, you might find yourself disappointed.
As teased in the promotional image Samsung released a few days prior to the Samsung Unpacked 2013 event, the Galaxy S4 looks just like its prior flagship brethren — there’s plenty of the same curves and general feel on the handset, so no major waves will be made in design. Although the difference in weight from the S4 and the S III is a scant .1 ounces, the feel on the new phone is actually deceptively light. Add to it a very sleek cover (which actually snaps into the back of the phone) and an eye-popping 5″ 441 PPI Super AMOLED screen, and it makes a strong statement as a new phone — even without an envelope-pushing design.
Samsung has already overtaken Apple (AAPL) to become the world’s largest seller of smartphones, and now it’s hoping to pad its lead.
The South Korean tech giant will be introducing its latest Android-fueled handset — the Samsung Galaxy S4 — during Thursday night’s Samsung Unpacked event in New York City.
The rumored specs are pretty impressive.
The Galaxy S4 will apparently feature a high-resolution 5-inch screen.
A 13-megapixel camera — as opposed to the iPhone 5’s 8-megapixel camera — will shoot high-def video in 1080p. Another rumor suggests that the S4’s camera will be able to take 3-D pictures.
The new smartphone will come with a speedy 1.8GHz processor and two gigabytes of RAM, again surpassing Apple’s current iPhone 5.
These features alone and running on Google’s (GOOG) latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean mobile operating system should be enough to woo smartphone buyers.
But perhaps the device’s greatest bar-raising contribution will be the ability to scroll down without lifting a finger.
Really.
Eye on the Prize
Samsung’s Galaxy phones are already watching your eyes. The Galaxy S3’s front-facing camera can detect if the device is being watched so it won’t dim the screen. It’s a way to preserve the battery life without interfering when it’s actually in use.
However, one of the more interesting rumors making the rounds this time is that Samsung will use an enhanced version of the eye-tracking software to provide touch-less scrolling.
Samsung already has patents for Eye Scroll and Eye Pause, and this could be the device that brings it all together. In theory, once Samsung’s camera detects that you’re looking at the bottom of the screen it can scroll up so you can keep reading without having to slide your finger along the side of the screen.
Is this too creepy? Is this a game changer that will find everyone else scrambling to catch up in ways that don’t violate Samsung’s patents? Is this going to give Apple — already hitting a fresh 52-week low last week — more to do as it readies its next iPhone?
Everyone’s watching Samsung this week to learn if Samsung itself is watching you.
Motley Fool contributor Rick Munarriz has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Apple and Google. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple and Google. Try any of our newsletter services free for 30 days.
Just days away from Samsung’s Unpacked event in New York City, the handset giant finally released a teaser photo of what could be its fourth-gen product, the Samsung Galaxy S IV. Analysis from the Verge indicates that the handset itself doesn’t deviate much from the design of Samsung’s previous generation products. Not necessarily a bad thing, but the photo dusts up more rumors than it lays to rest. …read more Source: FULL ARTICLE at IGN Tech
Just days away from Samsung’s Unpacked event in New York City, the handset giant finally released a teaser photo of what could be its fourth-gen product, the Samsung Galaxy S IV. Analysis from the Verge indicates that the handset itself doesn’t deviate much from the design of Samsung’s previous generation products — not necessarily a bad thing, but the photo dusts up more rumors than it lays to rest.
With the Samsung Unpacked event ready to (hopefully) blow our minds next week, the buzz surrounding the forthcoming Galaxy S IV, which might see an April release, is reaching a fever pitch. The internet rumor mill has been working overdrive pumping out plausible and equally implausible tidbits about the Samsung’s latest addition to its line of Galaxy smartphones, and while we understand that gossip is a fickle mistress and few details will be confirmed before next week’s event in New York City, we rounded up some of the most pervasive rumors about Samsung’s upcoming superphone.
When you look at your Samsung Galaxy S IV, you just might find your Samsung Galaxy S IV looking back at you. An anonymous source who has allegedly used the device told the New York Times that the Galaxy S IV will come with an new “eye scrolling” feature that utilizes eye tracking technology to intuitively scroll down pages as you’re reading them without you having to lift a finger. Eye Scroll – the name which Samsung trademarked in January – will use the phone’s front-facing camera to determine if your eyeballs are still pointed at the screen before it turns itself off. Additionally, Samsung’s “smart screen” technology will come with a pause feature that will halt video content if you look away from the screen. Samsung’s current flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S III, comes with Smart Stay, a similar feature that tracks eye movement to determine if a user is still looking at it before automatically dimming, but if Eye Scroll is all it’s cracked up to be, we can look forward to inching one step closer out phones achieving sentience. Probably not, but with features like Eye Scroll and Smart Pause, smartphones are most assuredly getting smarter.
