Night_Hawk
Siasat.pk - Blogger
Galaxy S4 decent, but filled with gimmicks
(AP) / 24 April 2013
Ive seen Android phones get better and more powerful over the years, as Google and phone manufacturers pack devices with more and more features.There comes a time, though, when less is more. Im afraid weve reached that time.
Samsungs new Galaxy S4 smartphone is an excellent device from a hardware standpoint. Measuring 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) diagonally, the screen is slightly larger than that on its predecessor, the Galaxy S III. Yet the S4 is a tad lighter and smaller overall. The S4s display is also much sharper, at 441 pixels per inch compared with 272 on the S III. The S4 has one of the sharpest screens out there.
The Android operating system it runs is excellent, too, and in recent years the Google-made system has become a healthy competitor to Apples iOS system for iPhones. Like most Android phones, the S4 comes with a suite of useful Google apps, including Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps and the voice assistant Google Now. Because Google lets device makers customize Android to suit their needs, Samsung and others have been adding their own distinguishing features.
And thats the source of the problem. Packed with bags of tricks, phones have become way too complicated for many people to use. In some cases its because these custom features work only some of the time. In other cases, youre confronted with too many ways to do similar things.
As much as Apple can be criticised for exerting control over what goes on its iPhones, it wins on simplicity. There are no competing agendas just Apples.
By contrast, Android has turned into a free-for-all. For instance, the Sprint version of the S4 phone has at least four different ways to watch video one that comes standard with Android, one added by Sprint and two added by Samsung. Some content works with one but not the others.
And to watch video on one of the Samsung apps, the one called Samsung Hub, you have to navigate through two screens trying to sell you video that I couldnt get to work on the other apps. As much as it adds to the clutter, Samsung would rather you use its service and not the standard Android one. That way, Samsung rather than Google gets revenue from video sales. Samsung Electronics Co. has its own app store, too, to rival Googles own Play store on the same device.
That doesnt mean you shouldnt consider buying the S4.
Another highly praised phone, HTC Corp.s One, has a lot of clutter as well. The display on the One is slightly smaller than S4s, but it has a higher resolution. The One sounds better, too, with front-facing speakers, while the S4 has a speaker on the back. The One might be the one for you if you watch a lot of video and listen to a lot of music. But the One feels heavier and bulkier, and its battery holds less charge than the S4.
The four national wireless carriers, plus US Cellular, Leap Wireless Cricket and C Spire, will sell the S4 in the United States. Release dates vary, and some will start this week. Expect to pay $150 to $250 up front with two-year contracts (T-Mobile calls them installment plans as it markets contract-free service).
Despite my complaints with all the add-ons on the S4, a number of them show promise:
And then there are some features that got in the way:
The S4 has plenty of other features I could dismiss. Some might like the cameras ability to erase a stray individual out of photos or to combine several images of motion into a single shot. But Im a purist, and Im not a fan of manipulating images. And the feature for using the phone as a TV remote control? Thats what remote controls are for.
I shouldnt have to spend a lot of time customizing the phone to turn off or hide what I dont want. Many people never change the default settings. Ive been using the S III as my main phone since July, and Ive rarely found a need to reach into its bag of tricks. I simply want a phone that is easy to use.
The S4 can be that, but first you must figure out how to hide all its gimmicks.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-arti.../technology/2013/April/technology_April36.xml
(AP) / 24 April 2013
Ive seen Android phones get better and more powerful over the years, as Google and phone manufacturers pack devices with more and more features.There comes a time, though, when less is more. Im afraid weve reached that time.
Samsungs new Galaxy S4 smartphone is an excellent device from a hardware standpoint. Measuring 5 inches (12.7 centimeters) diagonally, the screen is slightly larger than that on its predecessor, the Galaxy S III. Yet the S4 is a tad lighter and smaller overall. The S4s display is also much sharper, at 441 pixels per inch compared with 272 on the S III. The S4 has one of the sharpest screens out there.
The Android operating system it runs is excellent, too, and in recent years the Google-made system has become a healthy competitor to Apples iOS system for iPhones. Like most Android phones, the S4 comes with a suite of useful Google apps, including Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps and the voice assistant Google Now. Because Google lets device makers customize Android to suit their needs, Samsung and others have been adding their own distinguishing features.
And thats the source of the problem. Packed with bags of tricks, phones have become way too complicated for many people to use. In some cases its because these custom features work only some of the time. In other cases, youre confronted with too many ways to do similar things.
As much as Apple can be criticised for exerting control over what goes on its iPhones, it wins on simplicity. There are no competing agendas just Apples.
By contrast, Android has turned into a free-for-all. For instance, the Sprint version of the S4 phone has at least four different ways to watch video one that comes standard with Android, one added by Sprint and two added by Samsung. Some content works with one but not the others.
And to watch video on one of the Samsung apps, the one called Samsung Hub, you have to navigate through two screens trying to sell you video that I couldnt get to work on the other apps. As much as it adds to the clutter, Samsung would rather you use its service and not the standard Android one. That way, Samsung rather than Google gets revenue from video sales. Samsung Electronics Co. has its own app store, too, to rival Googles own Play store on the same device.
That doesnt mean you shouldnt consider buying the S4.
Another highly praised phone, HTC Corp.s One, has a lot of clutter as well. The display on the One is slightly smaller than S4s, but it has a higher resolution. The One sounds better, too, with front-facing speakers, while the S4 has a speaker on the back. The One might be the one for you if you watch a lot of video and listen to a lot of music. But the One feels heavier and bulkier, and its battery holds less charge than the S4.
The four national wireless carriers, plus US Cellular, Leap Wireless Cricket and C Spire, will sell the S4 in the United States. Release dates vary, and some will start this week. Expect to pay $150 to $250 up front with two-year contracts (T-Mobile calls them installment plans as it markets contract-free service).
Despite my complaints with all the add-ons on the S4, a number of them show promise:
- Easy Mode. Its not entirely new, as the S III and the Galaxy Note 2 have it, too. But Samsung makes that option more prominent when people set up the S4 for the first time. Icons in Easy Mode are larger, so you are less likely to hit the wrong one and have to figure out how to go back. You also get fewer choices for customizing the phone and using its camera, so theres less confusion about which to pick. Easy Mode isnt as easy to use as I would have liked, though, because features and settings from the regular mode creep in now and then.
- Multi Window. Again, this feature isnt entirely new, but its the first time I noticed it. It allows you to run two apps side by side, the way youve long been able to on traditional computers. That means I can keep up with Facebook on the top half of the screen, as I send email from the bottom half about all the dumb things my friends are saying on Facebook. Unfortunately, it works with a limited number of apps. Foursquare and Instagram arent among them. And I needed an online video tutorial to figure it out.
- Air View. When you point to an email or calendar entry with your finger, you see contents pop up in a bubble. That way, you dont have to open the entry and find the back button to return to what you were doing. Samsung has this feature on the Galaxy Note 2 phone, but thats designed for use with a stylus. On the S4, you simply hover over the entry with your finger. I wish it would work with more apps. For instance, you can use it with Androids generic email app, but you cant on the one made specifically for Gmail.
And then there are some features that got in the way:
- I mentioned the competing ways to watch video and buy apps.
- Another is Smart Pause, which automatically pauses video when your look away from the screen. The phones front camera detects your eyes. Smart, but the feature also pauses the video when you cover your eyes, say, to avoid a gory scene in a horror movie. Its as if the phone is forcing you to look. And there are few times my eyes are glued to video. I typically multitask and watch video while doing other things.
- Smart Scroll detects the tilt of your head or the phone to automatically scroll text, such as when youre reading a long article on a Web browser. Smart, but it sometimes scrolls past what I want to read. Its difficult to move the text back without touching the screen, something Smart Scroll is supposed to eliminate. And at times, I have to keep my neck up in an uncomfortable position to stop scrolling.
- With Air Gesture, you wave your hand over a sensor for such tasks as browsing a photo album or scrolling through text. I can see it being useful when you need to answer a call while driving (not that you should), but I had difficulty getting the phone to respond properly with photos and Web pages. It reminds me of automated water faucets that wont let me wash my hands no matter how much motion I make.
The S4 has plenty of other features I could dismiss. Some might like the cameras ability to erase a stray individual out of photos or to combine several images of motion into a single shot. But Im a purist, and Im not a fan of manipulating images. And the feature for using the phone as a TV remote control? Thats what remote controls are for.
I shouldnt have to spend a lot of time customizing the phone to turn off or hide what I dont want. Many people never change the default settings. Ive been using the S III as my main phone since July, and Ive rarely found a need to reach into its bag of tricks. I simply want a phone that is easy to use.
The S4 can be that, but first you must figure out how to hide all its gimmicks.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/kt-arti.../technology/2013/April/technology_April36.xml
