Samsung Galaxy S4 review
Intensifying its battle with Apple, South Korean electronics giant launches new device with eye-tracking technology.
Samsung has unveiled its latest and most-hyped smartphone, the Galaxy S4, which allows users to control its 5in (12.5cm) screen using only their eyes.
The phone, the first in the highly successful Galaxy S-series to make its global debut on US soil, was showcased in New York on Thursday, with the South Korean electronics giant challenging US rival Apple on its home turf.
The S4 can stop and start videos depending on whether someone is looking at the screen, flip between songs and photos at the wave of a hand, and record sound to run alongside snapped still pictures.
The vast selection of new features "are good steps in this direction, but they can be seen as gimmicks rather than game changers," said Jan Dawson, chief telecom analyst at IT research outfit Ovum.
"At this point, Samsung appears to be trying to kill the competition with sheer volume of new features.
A day before the launch, Apple's vice-president of marketing Phil Schiller criticised Samsung and Google Android software, underscoring the pressure that the iPhone maker is feeling from its Korean mobile-phone rival.
"Android is often given as a free replacement for a feature phone and the experience isn't as good as an iPhone," Schiller told the Wall Street Journal.
The S4, which Samsung preceded with a marketing launch that drummed up industry speculation reminiscent of some of Apple's past launches, will be available by the end of April.
The device will be rolled out to 327 carriers in 155 countries, including US service providers Verizon Wireless , AT&T, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile USA.
"Samsung has fulfilled the promise of their marketing that they are the tech innovators," said Forrester analyst Charles Golvin.
The S4 will use either Samsung's own applications processor or Qualcomm's Snapdragon central processing chip,
depending on the country.
Some good and bads of Samsung Galaxy S4,
The good: The Samsung Galaxy S4 has Android 4.2.2, a fantastic camera, a powerful quad-core processor, and software solutions for just about every scenario -- including working as a TV/DVR remote. It's also comfortable in-hand and has NFC, a user-replaceable battery, and a microSD storage slot.
The bad: Its screen is dimmer than competitors', its plastic design gives it a cheaper look than rivals', and the Galaxy S4's power button turned on at undesired times. Not all camera modes work as promised, and a long list of software features can quickly overwhelm and confuse.
Source: Aljazeera & cnet 4/27/2013
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