Thursday, April 18, 2013

AndroidGuys

AndroidGuys


Samsung announces suite of accessories for Galaxy S4 along with pricing

Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:44 AM PDT

We announced this morning the confirmation that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will arrive at seven U.S. carriers beginning in April. To go along with that chunk of news, Samsung also announced an entire suite of accessories for the Galaxy S4.

Prices vary from $29.99 to $99.99. We’re still not sure when they will be available, but we are hoping many will be released around the same time as the device. Go ahead and check out the specs and details of all the accessories that Samsung has compiled below, and let us know what you think!

 

 

samsung galaxy s4 fact sheet

 

The post Samsung announces suite of accessories for Galaxy S4 along with pricing appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Cygnett GS3 WorkMate case review

Posted: 17 Apr 2013 07:00 AM PDT

WorkMate_GSIII_bannerWe’ve seen a growing number of hybrid cases as of late, incorporating both silicate-type materials and harder TPU materials together for slim protection. Cygnett took on the challenge of creating a great hybrid case for the GS3, and they called their creation the WorkMate. The outer layer of the WorkMate is made of a heavy-duty polycarbonate material, which encases a softer silicone inner layer that provides some flexibility. I enjoyed testing the WorkMate, and a few things stood out to me in particular.

IMG_20130413_140111It’s clear that Cygnett’s design team put a lot of thought and time into this case. There are several little things that really make a difference, starting with the materials. The solid polycarbonate offers a rigid, sturdy feel and reassures you that a mild drop isn’t going to do any damage. In addition, the silicone inner layer gives users a bit more of a grip, which further backs up the protection aspect. The two materials are combined seamlessly to form a case that’s strong, but not bulky.

IMG_20130413_140251Perhaps one of my favorite features of the WorkMate is actually quite subtle. Cygnett added small “legs” on the back of the case, so that it’s always slightly lifted from a flat surface. These legs are actually just cutouts in the polycarbonate, where the silicone can fit through and provide a bit of lift. It may not seem like much, but this is something that tons of other silicone-based cases are missing. Silicone attracts dirt and dust very easily, so raising the device just a tad prevents all that dusty buildup that we’ve all experienced. I never realized how much of a difference this one little change could make until now, and it’s a feature that many other case manufacturers would do well to pick up.

IMG_20130413_140125

The cutouts for charging and headphone ports were nice and big, giving me no problems. The volume and power buttons were very easy to press, as they were covered by the silicone inner layer. The button covers were very well thought out, as both were concave in the middle. This gives off a much more natural feel when pressing the button, as your finger just sinks into it. Again, the little things like this make the WorkMate that much better.

The case itself is fairly slim, and hardly adds any weight to the device. This is probably due to the silicone, which weighs next to nothing. The WorkMate fits snugly onto the Galaxy S3, and once it’s on, it’s not going anywhere. That being said, I didn’t find any issue with getting the case on and off, especially considering it can be separated into two layers. It’s always nice to find a case that stays on when you want it to, but is still easy to slip off.

IMG_20130413_140226The back of the WorkMate is primarily covered by the polycarbonate material, which has a nice line pattern to complement the legs on the sides. There’s a good amount of grip to the case, which is actually mostly due to the polycarbonate that lines the sides. The silicone offers much more of a grip, but it only covers the top and bottom of the device. Most users (myself included) hold a device by the sides, so this baffled me at first. Still, the polycarbonate offers a surprising amount of grip on its own, and it’s only enhanced by the small legs on the back of the device.

Overall, I found the WorkMate to be outstanding in day-to-day usage. The drop protection is great, the materials give off an expensive feel, and it’s close to the top of the charts in terms of grip. Cygnett put time, effort, and serious consideration into this case, and it shows in so many ways. It’s definitely something I would recommend to a GS3 user looking for a flexible, protective case.

Important Features

  • Polycarbonate outer layer
  • Silicone inner layer
  • Legs to reduce dust and dirt collection
  • Impact resistant
  • Two-tone finish

What We Liked

  • Dual-material finish offers a great look and feel
  • Grip is fantastic
  • Little additions like curved power button and “legs” make it worthwhile

Room for Improvement

  • Only available in two color options
  • Would be nice to see a one-tone design as well

Where to Buy

The WorkMate is available direct from Cygnett in slate grey and red for $29.99, along with a plethora of other awesome cases. Cygnett may not be the most well-known case company, but they’re certainly making some great products for mobile devices. Keep it up over there, guys.

The post Cygnett GS3 WorkMate case review appeared first on AndroidGuys.

T-Mobile offering Samsung Galaxy S4 on April 24

Posted: 17 Apr 2013 06:34 AM PDT

galaxy_s4_cropped_top_720

T-Mobile today confirmed the upcoming availability and pricing of the Samsung Galaxy S4. As rumored, the flagship smartphone arrives on April 24 and will be offered at up front cost of $149.99.  Of course this is for those who qualify for the Simple Choice Plan and will see the remaining balance spread out over 24 months.

Starting April 24, the Samsung Galaxy S 4 will be available for T-Mobile customers for $149.99 down with 24 equal monthly payments of $20 for well-qualified buyers for 0% APR O.A.C.

Specifically, the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available at T-Mobile’s website starting April 24 but will hit retail stores and select dealers starting from May 1. For more information, visit https://explore.t-mobile.com/samsung-galaxy-s4.

The post T-Mobile offering Samsung Galaxy S4 on April 24 appeared first on AndroidGuys.

Samsung Galaxy S4 to launch at seven U.S. carriers in April

Posted: 17 Apr 2013 05:12 AM PDT

galaxy_s4_720Samsung today confirmed that the flagship Android experience that is the Galaxy S4 will arrive in the coming days. Officially touching down in April, there are seven providers expected to carry the Samsung smartphone.

Among those lined up to offer the Galaxy S4 are Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Cricket, and C Spire. Of course, you can also expect to pick up the phone at retailers such as Best Buy, Radio Shack, Target, Walmart, and others.

Look for each carrier to specifically detail the official launch dates, pricing, and pre-order details. As if you don’t already have a good idea

SAMSUNG GALAXY S® 4 REDEFINES THE SMARTPHONE AGAIN

WITH MORE LEADING-EDGE INNOVATIONS AND GOVERNMENT-GRADE SECURITY*

The next generation of the world's best-selling smartphone widely available at seven U.S. carriers and seven retailers beginning in April

DALLAS – April 17, 2013 – Building on the success and innovation of its predecessor, the Galaxy S® 4 provides a suite of industry-leading innovations that will change how consumers interact with a smartphone and delivers a greater level of security for regulated industries. The Galaxy S 4 uniquely makes advanced technologies and features easy to use by integrating them into the way individuals use their phones every day.

The Galaxy S 4 is the first device to enable consumers to control the device with touch-less features including scrolling or turning a page, viewing documents within a file folder or a link on a web page. It enhances memorable moments with innovative camera features that captures progressive action and removes unwanted people from the photo. The Galaxy S 4 also enhances your TV watching experience with the new Samsung WatchON™ service that simplifies searching and recommends TV, movies and sports according to personal tastes. With WatchOn and the built in IR blaster, the Galaxy S 4 also functions as a remote control for home theater equipment.

The Galaxy S 4 is optimized for powerful performance on the nation's fastest networks and will be available on AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless as well as U.S. Cellular, Cricket and C Spire starting during April. Additionally, consumers can find the Galaxy S 4 at Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile, Costco, Radio Shack, Sam's Club, Staples, Target and Wal-Mart. Exact pricing and retail availability will be announced by each of the carriers and retailers in the coming weeks.

"The Galaxy S line of smartphones has achieved momentous success with 100 million in unit sales worldwide in less than three years. This validates that we are addressing what consumers want from a smartphone," said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Telecommunications America. "The fourth generation of Samsung's flagship device builds upon the tradition of excellence and provides consumers with even more innovation that simplifies and redefines the way individuals will interact with their Galaxy S 4. We believe this device will be a true companion to all aspects of a consumer's life from work, to travel and even watching TV."

Meaningful Moments

The Galaxy S 4 combines the simple and visual interface introduced with the Galaxy Camera with a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera to take professional looking photographs with a smartphone. The front-facing 2-megapixel camera on the Galaxy S 4 allows consumers to capture special moments in unique and new ways with the Dual Camera shooting mode. Dual Camera mode takes pictures with both the rear and front cameras simultaneously to enable the photographer to be in the photo as well.

The Galaxy S 4 is loaded with several innovative capabilities that let anyone shoot like a professional:

  • Drama Shot: Capture a progressive event, like a baby's first steps or a basketball player's slam dunk, in one frame
  • Eraser Shot: Remove unwanted objects or people from an otherwise perfect picture
  • Animation Shot: Turn your favorite moments into animated GIF
  • Live Filters: With built-in filter options, an individual can now see how a picture will look– on both the camera and camcorder – before the photo is taken

Compile photos with location and weather information with Story Album™ to create the most comprehensive and personalized memory book. Integration with Blurb's photo book printing service allows consumers to easily print a physical book to keep or share. 

Effortless Experience

The Galaxy S 4 introduces a completely new way to interact with a smartphone – without a touch. A simple wave of the hand over the screen scrolls through a screen and changes a song; holding a finger over the screen allows one to preview content within the photo gallery, email and calendar; pause a video by looking away from the screen and scroll to the top or bottom of a page by looking up or down.

Features include:

  • Air Gesture: Answer a call or skip to the next song by waving your hand in front of the screen. Useful when your hands are otherwise occupied
  • Air View™: Preview emails, photos in the gallery, or even the stories in Flipboard® by hovering your finger over the screen
  • Samsung Smart Pause: Pause a video by looking away from the screen
  • Samsung Optical Reader: Automatically recognizes text, a business card or QR codes and take immediate action like placing a call from a scanned card or translating text

Protect Work and Personal Information

The Galaxy S 4 is not only perfect for personal use, but it is enterprise ready as a SAFE™-designated device.   The Galaxy S 4 is the first Samsung device to include Samsung's KNOX solution, which provides comprehensive mobile security at the hardware level and enhanced personal privacy for individuals at the software level. All framework components come standard on the device, and full-feature activation by solution providers and distribution channels will be available at a later date.

The Galaxy S 4 simultaneously delivers on IT executives' need for industry-leading mobile security for companies with stringent security requirements. KNOX enables consumers to separate work via Samsung's containerization approach. IT managers can now access and manage the passcode-protected work container without disturbing the content within an individual's personal space on the device so consumer content, including photos, emails, music files and social network data remain intact on the device when an employee separates from a company.

Ease of Use

With the Galaxy S 4, there are a number of features to simplify the experience for first-time smartphone owners, those interested in switching from another operating system and long-time Samsung consumers. The Galaxy S 4 has a streamlined start-up wizard so consumers can begin using the device faster and learn about its unique features from the start.

Easy Mode, which was first introduced on the Galaxy S III, has been enhanced to smooth the transition for first-time smartphone owners by simplifying the home screen layout, camera, calendar, messaging and the internet browser to make the settings menu easy to navigate. Once a user is more comfortable with their Galaxy S 4, they can easily switch back to the standard home screen interface.

With the launch of the Galaxy S 4, Samsung is also introducing Samsung Smart Switch™, a PC application that lets new owners transfer contacts, messages, photos, music, calendar notifications and more from another phone to the Galaxy S 4. Smart Switch can identify favorite applications and recommend the same or similar applications within Google Play™.

The Galaxy S 4 greatly improves upon the popular notification shade, which provides quick control of new innovative features, and the functionality most often accessed and changed by consumers. The expanded notification shade shows 19 settings so consumers can quickly and easily toggle them on and off as needed.

Powerful Performance

The sophisticated Galaxy S 4 is designed with a full-HD Super AMOLED™ (1920 X 1080) display with 441ppi for brilliant, stunning graphics on the device's 5-inch screen. The slimmer, sleeker smartphone weighs 4.6 ounces, is 7.9 millimeters thin and has a minimized bezel to maximize the viewing experience.

The Galaxy S 4 includes Android™ 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) with TouchWiz® enhancements, a 1.9 GHz quad core CPU and 2GB of internal RAM. The Galaxy S 4 is also uses Gorilla Glass® 3.0 – the most advanced, fortified glass for its stunning 5-inch display, making it stronger and more resistant to scratches and cracks than ever before.

The Galaxy S 4, available at select carriers in Black Mist and White Frost, is powered by a removable 2,600 mAh battery for extended use on a single charge. Users can store large libraries of photos, music and videos on the Galaxy S 4 with expandable memory of up to 64 GB to complement the standard 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage.

Protect the Galaxy S 4 with the S View Flip Cover, a specially designed flip cover that has a clear window to read a text message, answer or reject a call, and view the battery status. Sold separately, the S View Flip Cover comes in Black Mist and White Frost to add style, while protecting the device and providing privacy, and is sold separately.

For more information on the Galaxy S 4 and accessories, please visit www.samsung.com/us/galaxys4 orwww.samsungmobileuspress.com.

The post Samsung Galaxy S4 to launch at seven U.S. carriers in April appeared first on AndroidGuys.

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