Samsung Targets iPhone Battery Life in “Wall Huggers” Commercial

samsung wallhuggers commercialI haven’t always loved Samsung’s snarkier spots, but this one is tickling my funny bone. If you’ve traveled recently, you’ve probably noticed this phenomenon of people crowding the outlets at airports.

As more and more phone manufacturers rush to enclose their device’s batteries in non-removable shells, I have a soft spot for Samsung continuing to provide us with removable back plates. Funny to think that the company working hardest on waterproofing and rugeddizing their phones, also continues to let consumers swap out their battery.

But I digress. Here’s Samsung’s latest assault on the iPhone. Enjoy.

The Problem With Android Wear Watch Screens

Wearable tech will be hot. The smartphone market is maturing and starting to plateau, so manufacturers are pushing into new territories to expand on our relationships with data and services. Google’s Android Wear platform is an excellent step in the right direction to legitimize this new market segment.

It does suffer from one fatal flaw however: Battery life. 

pebble smartwatch review somegadgetguy direct sunlightPlaying with several different solutions for wrist computing, my favorite so far are the watches that can best replicate the experience found on traditional time pieces. Namely a screen that can always be referenced for small pieces of information no matter what orientation it’s worn, not depending on any gestures to activate it. I mentioned as much in my last FFC VLOG.

Of course in technology land, compromises have to be made. If you want crazy new features, you have to accept some new limitations.  Continue reading “The Problem With Android Wear Watch Screens”

Samsung Gear Live and LG G Watch Available Today on Google Play

android wear smartwatch releasedWe’ll have to wait another month for the gorgeous circular Moto 360 smartwatch, but if you’re jonesing for some Android Wear action Samsung and LG will have you covered starting today!

Featuring an always-on display which provides contextually aware information relevant in that moment or location, Android Wear will be the backbone OS for a number of manufacturers looking at Smartwatches.

A full developer SDK will also be available today allowing future apps and services to feed info to your wrist. As apps are installed on your phone, if they have a Wear component, your watch will automatically update with an applet and interact with that service on your phone.

We’re waiting for the Google Play store to get updated with the LG G Watch and the Samsung Gear Live, so make sure you melt down Google’s servers by smashing your F5 button.

First Impressions! The Samsung Galaxy S5 Active on AT&T – Rugged and Waterproof!

Here it is folks!

This is the Samsung I’ve been most excited to play with! Let’s take a first look at the Galaxy S5 Active and take it out into the field to see how it holds up!

Continue reading “First Impressions! The Samsung Galaxy S5 Active on AT&T – Rugged and Waterproof!”

Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A with QHD Screen Officially Headed for Korea

galaxy-s5-lte-aFollowing LG’s  release of the G3 with a QHD screen, the rumor mill has been cranking on what Samsung’s response might be. It doesn’t look like this is the mythical Galaxy F or S5 Prime, but it could be an indication of where Sammy might go with a beefier Galaxy.

Maintaining the same waterproof body as the “normal” GS5, the LTE-A variant will come with a 2560×1440 resolution screen (QHD) powered by a Qualcomm 805 Quad-Core processor, 3GB of RAM (up one gig from the stock GS5), and will pack 32GB of storage with a MicroSD card slot. Of course the most exciting element of this refresh is the hyper-fast LTE radio capable of connecting to Korean networks with download speeds topping out at 225Mbps. Sure puts our “Super-Fast” Time Warner Cable connection into stark perspective when they start bragging about “50 megs innernet” in my area… Continue reading “Samsung Galaxy S5 LTE-A with QHD Screen Officially Headed for Korea”

UHD Video Samples from the Samsung Galaxy S5 Active on AT&T – A Day in Santa Monica

I talk a lot. I explain a lot. Sometimes you just need to shut up and let the camera do the “talking”. Taking Samsung’s newest rugged Galaxy on a trip down to the beach, and shooting Ultra HD video along the way.

Shop for the Galaxy S5 Active on Amazon.

FFC VLOG: Viewer Question – Will Samsung bring Image Stabilization to UHD Video?

This VLOG comes from a viewer question.
Paul F. asks:

“Will Samsung fix the Galaxy S5’s 4K video stabilization with a software update in the future?”

Well Paul, let’s take a look at the GS5, and whether Samsung will be able to do that!

Samsung Announces First Smartphone Running Tizen OS

Samsung Z_Gold_DynamicThe game is afoot.

The number one manufacturer of Android handsets is now taking a stab at releasing a phone with their own operating system. We’ve been hearing about Tizen for a while now, and it made its first commercial appearance on the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches. Now Sammy thinks it’s ready for the big time.

The Samsung Z is an upper mid-range phone sporting a 4.8″ 720p display, powered by a 2.3GHz quad core processor. 2GB of RAM will be on board, and the normal split of 16GB and 32GB storage options will be available, backed up by a MicroSD card reader for expansion.  An 8MP camera is on the back, and the whole affair is juiced by a 2600mAh battery.

For a first phone, Samsung is packing in a surprising number of high end features from their Galaxy line. IR Blaster for universal remote control function, finger print scanner, NFC, Heart Rate Sensor with S-Health, and the Downoad Booster which uses WiFi and LTE to improve data speeds.

Samsung Android phones are a heavily customized experience, with a number of services built directly by the manufacturer. It’s clear that Sammy believes a “Touchwiz” phone can stand on its own regardless of what OS lives underneath the candy color UI.

We’ll have to see how developers embrace the platform, and what apps will be available as we can be pretty sure that some core Google services like Maps, will likely not be found on this phone. Samsung will be releasing the Z in Russia during Q3 of this year with pricing info to follow soon.

Would a “pure” Samsung device interest you? Can any company launch a new OS in this maturing smartphone market? Drop us a comment below!

Continue reading “Samsung Announces First Smartphone Running Tizen OS”