Samsung Unpacks the Galaxy S4

I just finished watching the livestream of the unveiling of Samsung's 2013 version of its flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4.  All I can say is that the company really went all out in presenting its new gadget in a, ummm, big way at the Radio City Hall in New York City.

Let me give you the important details first - the specs of the new phone.   The key specs include a 5-inch Super AMOLED display with 1080p HD resolution, an Exynos 5 Octa eight-core processor in the international version and a quad-core Snapdragon chipset in the U.S. version, a 13-megapixel rear camera, up to 64GB of storage, 2GB of RAM, microSDXC support and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the latest available version of Google’s (GOOG) mobile platform. 

JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung claims that  "All the innovative features of GALAXY S 4 were developed based on the insights and needs we found from our consumers all around the world."

So what are these innovative features? For one, the Galaxy 4S sports a new 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 2-megapixel front camera.  It also has a dual camera mode, which allows you to use both cameras at the same time.  A dual video mode also allows you to speak with somebody in a video call while showing him or her what you are looking at.

When Samsung said that this new phone will connect people even more, they weren't only talking about the support for up to 6 different band sets which allows it to function in most LTE coverage areas as well as enabling global LTE roaming.  It also meant to say about the  'S Translator' which provides instant translation, using text or voice translation on applications including email, text message and ChatON. This instant translation is possible both from speech to text and text to speech and ensures that you can rely on the correct information whilst abroad.

Based on the presentation this morning, it appears that the best features of Samsung Galaxy 4S are not in the hardware but in the applications.  It still runs on Android, particularly 4.2.2,  but added some new features.

One is the Smart Pause which lets you control the screen by where you look.  The feature stops and starts video based on whether or not you’re looking at the screen.  Now before you jump and down thinking that you can control it with your eyes, it seemed that the phone detects the movement of your head; whether you are facing the camera or looking somewhere else.  Similarly, the Smart Scroll allows you to scroll the browser or emails up and down without touching the screen. It recognizes your face looking at the screen and movement of your wrist and then scroll the pages up or down accordingly.

Air View allows users to hover with their fingers to preview the content of an email, S Planner, image gallery or video without having to open it. You can even see a magnified view on the internet browser, or a phone number saved in the speed dial on the keypad. With 'Air Gesture', you can change the music track, scroll up and down a web page, or accept a call with a wave of your hand.

As I've said earlier, Samsung put on quite a show which included a tap dancing boy who took almost 20 minutes before showing off the new phone and a group of bridesmaids who danced to show the other features of the phone. But it seemed that they forgot to include some very important details: the price and the availability of the S4.  The online buzz is rife with speculation that it will come out in April in the US with the major telecom companies carrying it.

Well, I hope Pinoy Samsung fanboys won't have to wait longer to get your hands on this new gadget.

photos from online sources.

Sony Ericsson Introduces the Xperia Arc S

Sony unveiled its latest handset, the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S., The latest addition to SE's smartphones, takes the sleek design of its predecessor and features upgrades to some of its features, including a 1.4GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 processor, which I think explains the suffix "S" for speed. The new device will come in 5 colors to suit your personality.

Xperia Arc S also sports the brilliant 4.2 Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine and an 8.1-megapixel camera with an Exmor R sensor that includes a "3D sweep panorama" mode, which offers the ability to take 2D images and convert them into 3D.

You can instantly share your photos and videos online through the built-in Facebook application. With the latest Android operating system, you also have access to over 250,000 applications online.

Xperia Arc S is expected to hit the market by October this year. In the Philippines, expect it in our shores towards the middle of the Q4 of 2011.

Here are its specs at a glance:

Super fast 1.4 GHz processor
3D and 2D sweep panorama photography
8.1 MP camera with Exmor R™ for mobile image sensor
4.2“ Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
Latest Android™ platform Gingerbread 2.3

Smart Communications is official carrier of Windows Phone 7 in RP

Smart Communications is the official partner of Microsoft to bring the Windows Phone 7 to the Philippines in the last quarter of this year. 

The two companies have been working closely together since last year to provide a special combination of service platforms and bring the service locally.

"In the past year, we have seen a rise in the use of data—something that we have eagerly anticipated for quite some time now. We saw the surge in the use of mobile Internet—for e-mail, browsing and social networking—plus a host of other data-related transactions using Smart mobile phones. These developments are clear opportunities for Smart services to grow and move forward, to help us succeed in bringing our customers closer to the future of telecommunications."

Microsoft promises that Windows Phone 7 will bring a new experience to people and help them quickly fine and use data, information and services from the Internet and its applications.  The news phones are distinguished by unique design and integrated experience built from Microsoft's innovation such as, Microsoft Office Mobile, Windows Live, Bing and more.

By the way, unlike Apple which manufactured both hardware and software for its iPhone, Microsoft will not be making the devices for their platform. Instead it has partnered with handset makers Samsung, HTC, LG, among others, to produce the phones that will carry the new OS.