Samsung Galaxy S4

[MattLFC]

Sorry but from what I've seen, I don't see what the fuss is all about...1. The screen is too big for most.2. The handset looks pretty much the same as an SIII, with the odd difference... so most people will stick with the SIII's or think they're the same handset when it comes to buying one anyway!3. Wow how epic, I can wave my hand about to move up and down, with zero precision. Nope, Samsung are completely out of touch with this, it serves no benefit over a regular touchscreen, and only works in limited apps.4. What happened to this new GUI that was rumoured?5. The whole launch was overplayed, and similar to the iPhone 5, does little to wow. You can add 5000 cores, it still won't polish a turd.And the biggest problem I see for Samsung...6. The HTC One - out right now, OIS, much better GUI, the lifestream is an amazing merge between Android and Windows Phone, the handset is possibly the best looking and built handset on the market ever (despite me still wanting a GREEN Lumia 620 - NOKIA fooking release it will you!!!). Why would anyone touch another SIII imitation, when you could have the HTC One? Whay bother waiting, and then pay way over the odds when it's released, when you can have the HTC One for amazing prices (cheaper than a 920 atm) right now?!!!Sorry, Samsung are becoming the new Apple; no innovation, media and self-egotistical overhype, and the reliance that they can do very little and get away with it... unfortunately, Apple, and their sales, are bombing right now, thanks to consumers gradually waking up and realising there is little benefit from upgrading to a iPhone 5...moderator edit: do not use excessive swearing.

 

[rmichael75]

well i was tensed up thining they are going to release a wow phone... but once the phone came up in the screen, i just move out of the live feed. nothing to see there.. just some software gimmicks.. dont know why they cannot release all these software for S3 folk.. It is just sofware and can be updated.. Nobody it asking about it.. why/

 

[BenTR]

While I was hoping for/dreading a fancy new design, I guess we cannot expect them to drastically change such a successful model. They seemed to beef up everything about every bit of hardware without making it heavier, and it is thinner.

None of the new features blew my mind, but they are interesting.

Is the Knox thing a big deal? Will that allow them to dominate the business market? I have not had any need for intense security, so I don't know if it brings anything important to the table.

 

[mikeeemm]

Contract is up next month I have a wp7.5 way should I get next after the crappy support from att on updates what should I expect from a wp8? Is the HTC one the way to go?
Sent from my SGH-i917 using Board Express

 

[conanheath]

What you are missing is Samsung and Android are leading the software development and market. Nokia is succeeding, but Wp8 is following well behind. I can also guarantee you OS will be fully functional compared to the Swiss cheese MS gave us. Granted, some of the software is gimmicky, air swipe thing is more effort than just using screen. But, advancements in tech have to start somewhere. Think Minority Report with Tom Cruise. Better to lead the way than follow. MS is playing their 'we have the market cornered with windows and people will wait for us' card with WP. They don't have that option. And if they don't get to the front of the line with something, anything, they will tread water and slowly disappear like BB. S4 may be a small step forward from S3, but WP8 is not even in the same ballpark yet. Ms will get there but not before Android and Apple have been there and gone.

Looks like I'll get my Ativ after all. It will just say S4 and run Android.

 

[ChMar]

I don't get your frustration over the MS os. I think it's a huge improvement over android in both performance battery life and the way it allows the OEM to use lower end CPUs to achieve the same performance as android powered phones.

 

[Bicpug]

Apple may be greedy control freaks but the iphone4 did work better than my lumia920; MS appear to have 1 media system that various apps use...meaning if i listen to radio i lose the pointer to the audio track i was listening to on mp3s, same with videos etc.
I wont comment on how poor 3g radio is as i can't be sure if its the phone or my carrier, seems unable to hold a signal for more than 10 minutes.

 

[nube_android]

I don't get your frustration over the MS os. I think it's a huge improvement over android in both performance battery life and the way it allows the OEM to use lower end CPUs to achieve the same performance as android powered phones.

The issue is, it's made by Microsoft. And when people see "Windows" they think yuck. And the tiles are cool and all, but the features of an Android phone vastly outdo the cool tiles. And to the performance point, it is true that Android needs high end hardware to perform well, but Android also has real multitasking, and running Java with that doesn't help.

 

[Jazmac]

I watched the presentation and on the hardware? Meh, its big and loud but it is what it is.

But on the software they imbed in the device, oh man. I was a little bit impressed. Was it enough to look sideways at my Lumia 920? Yeah kinda. The hardware did not move me but the software did. Not so much to be envious of what Samsung released but what Microsoft's developers have yet to. aka, the ability for my phone to watch time / traffic to make my flight. e.g. Joe Belifore announced for Windows Phone 7.5 that never happened. But that's water under the bridge.

Can MS designers bake features like these in its OS or will MS only stick with safe stuff like notepad, calculator, Wordpad and a documents folder? I'm going to try to withhold judgement until after Windows Blue becomes reality.

On the point, what makes Samsung 4 stand out for me is Samsung's willingness to take a risk. Granted none of the stuff they offered in the GS4 may amount to very much a few months out. But it is risk that moves the ball down the field. Not this grey zone that knows not victory nor defeat.

 

[Dadstar0410]

I am not a huge fan of Samsung after this. I used to be, being a former SGS Fascinate user, but after what they did with the SIV, I'm not too sure. I wanted to see innovation like that from the SII to the SIII, but all I got was the SIII+. The over-screen gestures seem too important for the software; I feel like Samsung is relying on them to carry TouchWiz. Also, they keep adding gimmicky features that add to the inherent bloatware of Android and locked phones. The hardware is the same, the color scheme seems too cartoonish, and the features are overloaded. Need I say more? (This of course is my opinion. It's sad that I have to say this, because some of you would probably call me a troll, given the nature of you fellas).

 

[Honestabebread]

I've always wondered how in the world Samsung was #1 and the S4 launch hasn't changed that opinion a single bit.

 

[conanheath]

I don't get your frustration over the MS os. I think it's a huge improvement over android in both performance battery life and the way it allows the OEM to use lower end CPUs to achieve the same performance as android powered phones.

I don't know when you used Android last, but battery life isn't an issue with Android. I have Razr Maxx, I know huge battery, for work and 920 personal.

Razr: 2 email account and 50+ emails/day, fb and twitter with most notifications on and they actually work, 2-3 hrs talk time, 10-20 texts a day, hotspot hour or two, not a big gamer, android central forums hour or so, and pulse half hour or so. When I get home, 12 hrs or so later, I have 30-40% remaining.

Ok, now 920: one email account with 10 emails a day, fb and twitter turned off because they won't give me notifications anyway, no talk time, 10-20 texts, no hotspot, still not a big gamer, wpcentral forums hour or so, no news app and all background off except weather. Phone is at 30-40% after 12 hrs and that's if I didn't have a random drain from some rouge process.

920 wouldn't make it six hours as my work phone. Only way I can get it to last is if I don't use any of the somewhat limited features it has. And my Razr bad two years of use on same battery. Processor has far less to do with battery life than one might think.

 

[Villain]

I know and most people here know specs dont mean everything BUT the majority of buyers dont see that and lets face it... Due to restrictions from MS a WP will never be on top of the spec bragging list... At best we will get it on par with the standard specs (for a few months). Sad but true.

On another note.... Man that Samsung presentation was super annoying

 

[scottcraft]

One thing that really impressed me about the GS4 is that even with a 5" screen it's thinner and barely bigger than the 920.

 

[Duvi]

Galaxy S3S aka iPhone 3GS, 4S and soon... 5S.

 

[Jazmac]

I know and most people here know specs dont mean everything BUT the majority of buyers dont see that and lets face it... Due to restrictions from MS a WP will never be on top of the spec bragging list... At best we will get it on par with the standard specs (for a few months). Sad but true.

On another note.... Man that Samsung presentation was super annoying

Its Samsung. They go to the "appeal to Americans" move in order to sell product. No different than Google giving you free stuff in return for you giving them permission to read all your personal email. Beyond that, they got money to burn.

 

[Jellynutz]

Here's my dilema,

I have a few months left on my contract. My LG Optimus 7 died about 4 months ago, had to put up with my sisters POS Iphone 3, now using a Xperia Arc, which has next to no storage space on it.

I'm with Telus, the only Windows phones they have are the Nokia 620, and the Ativ S. As nice as the Ativ S is, lets face the facts here, it's starting to be a dated phone, and I don't feel like signing a 3 year contract to get one (Canadian contracts suck).

Other options I have are the HTC One, Galaxy Note 2, and I'm sure Telus will be getting the Galaxy S4...My point is there are no top of the line windows phone offered from Telus, and the 920 is locked down by Rogers...and no, I will not go with those crooks.

As much as I love windows phone, it's starting to look like a losing battle, especially when all the top of the line phones are on the worst provider in Canada.

 

[ozahran]

The funniest thing to me about the whole thing is how they introduced wireless charging and high sensitivity screen tech for the GS4. Features I've been enjoying for months on my 920. I'm just waiting for the day when people will say "that is so cool! Why didn't anyone else ever think of this before?!?"

 

[conanheath]

The funniest thing to me about the whole thing is how they introduced wireless charging and high sensitivity screen tech for the GS4. Features I've been enjoying for months on my 920. I'm just waiting for the day when people will say "that is so cool! Why didn't anyone else ever think of this before?!?"

And you think Nokia introduced these to the world? They hyped and advertised the **** out of them, but they weren't the first.

 

[ozahran]

And you think Nokia introduced these to the world? They hyped and advertised the **** out of them, but they weren't the first.

No they weren't the inventors so to speak of the software, but their marketing efforts made the tech some what visible in a consumer sense. So now other company's will piggy back off of that marketing push.