From there we were introduced to Will Chase, the master of ceremonies for the evening. He introduced JK Shin, the CEO of Samsung Electronics and the show began! Coming in, I didn't really know what to expect. There had been rumors but those aren't always worth much and they were few and far between for this device, Samsung has gotten pretty good at keeping things under wraps. Quite frankly, I was a bit skeptical about how much Samsung had improved the device and wasn't sure people couldn't get the same features from the SIII when they rolled out the next update but I decided to keep my mind open. Mr. Shin gave a brief introduction to what the night had in store but I still didn't quite have a grasp of what was coming next.
The Galaxy S4, What is it?
In terms of specs, it's not that exciting but this is what we get:
- 5.0" 1080p Super AMOLED Screen with 441 ppi
- LTE support
- Bluetooth 4.0
- IR LED (for Television/entertainment control)
- 13MP rear-facing, 2MP front facing cameras
- 2GB of RAM
- 16, 32, or 64 GB of Onboard memory plus an SD-card slot
- 2600 mAh battery
- 1.9 GHz Quad-Core or 1.6 GHz Octa-Core (Exynos) Processor (Depends on market/radio)
I would expect we get the Quad-Core device in the US since we love our LTE and that means less battery life. The 16GB model is set to be priced at $199 with a two year contract on US carriers.
What really impressed me about this device was the things they promised you could do with all of the specs.
The next version of "Nature UI" or TouchWiz or whatever they're calling it these days is very impressive, the corny show that they provided in order to show off some of the details may have been a little over the top but I think it added to the dynamic of the show. They could have just had someone stand on stage and tell you about it but they aren't some fruity company in a black sweater, they are Samsung!
What sorts of features did they show off??
The Camera
To start they talked about the dual camera feature, what it does is allows you to do exactly what it sounds like and use both cameras at the same time. If you want to include the photographer in a photo or video just click a button and you're there! They added a feature called sound and video which allows the user to add a sound byte to be played before or after viewing the picture which will add a layer of media to your once- 2D photos. They also added some great photo editing features which include something called drama shot which takes over 100 shots in 4 seconds and then will create a collage of movement in one frame and you can get the perfect picture as well as the eraser feature which simply takes pictures just before and after you take the picture so you can erase someone who walks through your shot. It's really cool, but all of these camera features were just the beginning of the show.
Instant Translation
S-Translator is their instant translating software which you can speak to in one language and it will speak back in another language allowing you to communicate quite well with someone even when there is a language barrier. The app is able to take pictures of signs and menus and provide a translation and since it is heavily integrated with the Samsung apps, you can translate your emails and browser text as well. It seems like it will be very handy, particularly for world travelers or just people who have international contacts!
Sharing Sharing Sharing
As we all know, sharing media is what smart phones have come to be about and Samsung knows that quite well and they hit the nail right on the head. Along with having the ability to have a shared cloud with your family, which they can see as soon as you take the pictures, Samsung has partnered with Blurb allowing you to share albums of photos with your loved ones in card copy. They also introduced a feature called group play which allows a group of people with compatible devices to simultaneously play the same song and even make their set of phones into a surround-sound setup.
Driving Mode
Samsung introduced their new feature known as S-Drive which will read out text messages and allow you to dictate a response, allow you to answer phone calls with your voice and use the navigation software without lifting a finger. All lending to a safer driving experience which allows you to still stay in contact with all of your friends.
S-Health
With all of the sensors and accessories available for the S4, they make it possible to use your phone to keep track of all of your weight loss, exercise, and more. It seems like something that you could get from 3rd-party apps before, but Samsung can't be faulted for bringing that to their users for free.
S-View Cover
This cover isn't really all that revolutionary but it really caught my attention. It's similar to the flap cover that they had available for the Galaxy SIII but it has a window through which the device can display the time and notifications. It's not something someone couldn't have made before, but the fact that they didn't makes this accessory worth noting.Other Miscellaneous Features
Just because I put these into a miscellaneous section doesn't mean they should be ignored or set to the side. The screen of the Galaxy S4 and presumably all future Galaxy series products is very unique. It has an ultra-sensitive digitizer which can tell when your finger is hovering over the screen allowing for the Air View feature. Air view allows you to hover over a photo or a link and it will give a preview of the photo or link. The screen is also so sensitive that you can throw away your e-gloves and use any comfortable gloves that you like because the Galaxy S4 screen works just fine with your favorite gloves. In addition to the smart-stay feature that was introduced with the previous generation of Samsung phones, they have added smart scroll/pause this will let the phone track your eyes to scroll down when you're reading an article online or your emails and if you're watching a video and look away, the video will pause until you look back. Of course, both of these features can be disabled if you think they might become trouble for you but they are both very cool to have.
Now you know, so what do you think?
This device seems to offer a lot of new features to the smartphone world and actually has me wondering if pure Google is really the best way. What do you guys think? Do you think you're going to be getting this device as soon as it hits the shelves? Do you think it's just a dud? (not a valid response) Leave your comments in the comment section below or on the original post on Facebook or Google+
If you missed the unpacked show, watch it on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDXILsX7_QI
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