Samsung Unveils The Galaxy S5 With Fingerprint Sensor, Other Awesomeness

Say goodbye to slippery shiny plastic, and hello to the new Galaxy S5. Samsung has officially introduced its latest flagship handset today at the Mobile World Congress event with a larger 5.1-inch FHD Super AMOLED display with full 1080p HD resolution. Samsung's new Galaxy S5 features a number of hardware and exterior design improvements starting with its rear shell, which is now a dimpled textured polycarbonate with a matte soft-touch finish for added grip that Samsung is calling a "glam look". The front of the S5 is otherwise indisputable from its predecessor except for that vibrant new wallpaper art, keeping that familiar Galaxy styling. But there's more, the Galaxy S5 is IP67 rated which means that it is water and dust-resistant and can be submerged underwater up to 1 meter deep for up to 30 minutes.

Underneath what we'd assume is a remorseless plastic construction, the Galaxy S5 is powered by Android KitKat 4.2.2, a 2.5Ghz quad core processor with 2GB of memory, fast 802.11 a/c Wi-Fi with 2×2 MiMo antennas, Cat 4 LTE, and offers 20% better battery life compared to the Galaxy S4 using a user removable 2,800mAh battery. Other improvements include what Samsung is calling the world's fastest auto-focusing smartphone camera: a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera that can focus in just 0.3 seconds with real-time HDR, 4K video recording like the Note 3, and background blurring action thanks to a new Selective Focus feature. 

The Galaxy S5 combines an advanced camera, the fast network connectivity, dedicated fitness tools and enhanced device protection features as consumers stay fit and connected in style. 

Other notable new features include a fingerprint scanning home button that works by swiping down on it to unlock the device. Users will also be able to use the Galaxy S5's fingerprint sensor to authenticates purchases including PayPal transactions without having to physically input their password. There's also an improved LED flash with a heart rate monitoring sensor built-in right next to it. The two will work in tandem to measure your finger pulse. As for the GS5's speaker, well it was left behind. More after the break including a video demonstration of how the Galaxy S5's new fingerprint scanning home button works in practice.

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Samsung Isn't Bothering With Windows 8 Tablets

 

You may have seen reports on how underwhelming the Windows RT tablet has done on the market as of late. However, as of CES 2013, the Windows Surface Pro is on its way and may be what consumers are looking for, if their wallet is deep enough. Alongside Windows are other companies looking to make Windows 8 tablets, but as for Samsung, they've decided to not join in the fight. 

Mike Abary, Samsung's senior vice president has given Windows 8 the cold shoulder as far as tablets go. He says that Windows 8 doesn't interest enough US consumers, leaving not much demand for them. 

With his interview with CNET, he states: 

There wasn’t really a very clear positioning of what Windows RT meant in the marketplace, what it stood for relative to Windows 8, that was being done in an effective manner to the consumer. When we did some tests and studies on how we could go to market with a Windows RT device, we determined there was a lot of heavy lifting we still needed to do to educate the customer on what Windows RT was. And that heavy lifting was going to require pretty heavy investment. When we added those two things up, the investments necessary to educate the consumer on the difference between RT and Windows 8, plus the modest feedback that we got regarding how successful could this be at retail from our retail partners, we decided maybe we ought to wait.

Samsung Pleads Not Guilty Of Copying Apple (Video)

Samsung has a known tendency of overly admiring Apple's sense of design, we've all seen it by now. In the wake of the continuing feud between Apple and Samsung in court over that past few days over patent infringements and pure copycatness, this parody sums things up quite nicely between the two tech giants and their disputes over who copies who.

Nir Schneider

Editor-in-Chief

Spigen SGP Intros Samsung Galaxy S3 Folio Flip Wallet Case

Spigen SGP has released a slim, flip-style folio wallet case for Samsung's Galaxy S3 that's made from smooth fabric-like synthetic textured leather. Spigen SGP's Samsung Galaxy S3 Folio Flip Case features a soft Chamude interior that provides screen protection, openings to all buttons, back facing camera cutout and a card slot. The front cover has an earpiece cutout so that it enables you to talk on the phone even when the case is closed. The Samsung Galaxy S3 Folio Flip Case will be available soon in pink, blue and brown for $40.

Nir Schneider

Editor-in-Chief

Samsung Releases Its Newest iPhone Competitor

Samsung revealed their Samsung Galaxy III today to a lot of anticipation. With the success of its predecessor, the Galaxy II, you can expect the bar to be set extremely high for the new and improved version. It seems that it has gained the approval of the masses and Samsung will once again challenge Apple's dominance in the market.

Sporting a crisp and clear 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED display capable of 720 x 1280 resolution, it comes close to Apple's Retina Display. Taking advantage of this display is a 8MP camera capable of 1080p video recording and a 1.9MP front-facing camera capable of 720p. Opening up the internals of Samsung's superphone, you will find a quad-chip with 1GB of RAM that will improve its overall performance, providing you with a lag-free experience. The large 2100 mAh battery will allow you to spend much more time using the phone while you're on the move without having to worry about battery life. 

With all of these upgrades to hardware, the Galaxy III's software updates and tweaks to Android's Ice Cream Sandwich are just as thrilling. With innovative functions such as :

  • "Smart Stay, which uses the forward-facing camera to determine if you're looking at the phone. You can set time intervals from as little as 15 seconds, which result in a small flashing eye logo in the Android notification bar. If it recognises that your eyes aren't focused on the phone anymore, the screen dims.
  • Direct Call, which will auto-dial a contact if you have their contact details or a message open. By moving the phone to your ear, the proximity sensor; accelerometer and gyroscope all kick into use, and automatically dial the contact's number.
  • Smart Alert, which will make the phone vibrate in your hand and flash an LED if you pick the phone up after a missed call.
  • S Voice, which is a Siri-like voice recognition feature, that you can use to enquire about the weather; take a photo ("Hi Galaxy, please take a photo" to open the camera app, or "cheese" to snap it), and other tasks such as locking the phone, or controlling music. Each demand can be configured by the user.
  • Social Tag, which links photos of friends in your photo gallery to their Facebook or Google+ accounts, using facial recognition.
  • S Beam, which pairs other Galaxy S III phones (and only them, for now) via NFC, shares photos, videos, files or even albums of media over Wi-Fi. If your friend's S III doesn't have Wi-Fi enabled, S Beam will automatically turn that user's Wi-Fi on, and then off.
  • AllShare Cast, which pairs to TVs, laptops or tablets over Wi-Fi, mirroring whatever's on the S III. You can also use the S III as a game controller.
  • PopUp Play, which will literally pop a video out of its rendering it in a small thumbnail so you can continue watching while surfing the web or doing other functions on the phone. The thumbnail is movable around the display, even if it's pretty small."
  • Samsung definitely hopes to continue to dominate the Android market and to gain a stronger foothold in the overall smartphone market with its latest upgrade of the Galaxy line. With the new features and smoother user experience, the refined Galaxy III is set for US release this summer. 

Samsung's The Next Big Thing Ad Pokes Fun At iPhone Customers

Apple had its laugh for a few years when it was running its renowned Mac vs. PC ads, and now it's time for Samsung to have its fun and poke some of its frustration over at Apple with a new set of parody ads featuring its Galaxy S II with the massive 4.3-inch screen that makes the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S look ridiculously small in comparison. Samsung's ad titled The Next Big Thing, shows iPhone users in desperate need of a larger screen and 4G speeds waiting in line for the iPhone 4S. 

Nir Schneider

Editor-in-Chief

Meet Samsung, The Apple Copycat (Infographic)

Oh Samsung, they never learn do they? Both Apple and Samsung have been suing each other for copyright infringements, but this only shows how far Samsung shamelessly copies Apple's products, marketing strategies and even user interfaces from iOS apps. A Reddit user decided to make a infographic of sorts showing in exact detail some of Samsung's copycatness. Catch the full infographic list right after the break! It's long. Insert that's what she said joke here.

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