Back in July, it was reported and later confirmed that the Verizon variant of the Galaxy S III would come with a locked bootloader due to the company’s concerns over it “preventing Verizon Wireless from providing the same level of customer experience and support” as they have apparently established before.
When the Samsung Galaxy Note first arrived last year, quite a few people didn't really know what to make of it. I mean, it looked a great deal like a smartphone, and operated as such, but the sheer size of the device categorized it as something different. The unofficially dubbed "phablet" device has, despite lacking conformity, been a rousing success, and consumers are now looking forward to its successor, set to be announced later this month at Samsung's IFA conference.
There were plenty of question marks raised when Samsung first announced its eagerly-awaited Galaxy S III device, the most puzzling being the lack of a black version. Invariably, the black version of a smartphone is the standard, with colors like white and, as Samsung calls it, "pebble blue," being options for those looking for something a little edgier.
There hasn’t been much news coming out of San Jose in the last few days, but that doesn't mean that the Apple vs. Samsung case isn't still bubbling away like a hot cauldron behind those large doors that stand so proudly in front of Judge Lucy Koh's courtroom. Apple has already had their turn in the legal spotlight with their appointed counsel presenting the fundamentals of their case to the judge and overseeing jury, and now it's time for Samsung's legal eagles to step into the limelight, it seems that they are taking a rather bizarre approach to defending themselves.
Android introduced a very different kind of entry protection in 2008. Named Pattern Lock, it allowed users to swipe in a specific way across 9 dots to unlock their smartphone. It is arguably easier to input and technically much more secure than a 4 digit PIN code. But, as time goes by, people found ways to bypass it. The first method I’ve heard of is actually pretty simple: if your fingers are the least bit oily, they will be leave smudges in line with pattern you use to unlock. If an intruder, then, observes the smudges, they may be able to gain access to your phone. The second method is to just go by trial and error as, in my own personal experience, I’ve noticed a lot of people use letters of the alphabet (such as V, D, U, O, etc. alphabets that can be easily recreated in the pattern lock).
If you’re without a credit card and need to buy apps from Google Play, you’re pretty much out of luck. The lack of gift cards on Google Play forces many young teenagers to adopt alternative methods of getting their paid apps, if you know what I mean. It’s terrible for developers, especially when people want to pay for apps but just can’t.
If a new tablet is on your shopping list for the very near future and you have already ruled out joining the crowd in getting a 9.7-inch iPad or the highly rated Google Nexus 7, then Samsung may have exactly what you are looking for. Although legal representatives for the company are locked in a Californian court room attempting to settle various patent infringement disputes, it hasn't stopped the Korean electronic giants from handling their business and having another attempt at ending Apple's dominance with the insanely popular iPad.
The battle between iOS and Android will always be the one that is fought between fans of the respective mobile operating systems, but at the end of the day, each platform has its strengths and weaknesses and will ultimately come down to personal choice. As well as the software features and included functionality which Apple and Google roll into their firmware, users will also make their decisions based on the available hardware, and as great as the iPhone is, Samsung also has a fantastic and powerful device with their extremely popular Galaxy S III.
Most of the attention of the technology loving world has been lavished on Apple and Samsung over the last two weeks, partly because they are the two largest smartphone vendors in the world and are currently actively competing against each for the top spot, but also due to the fact that they are currently locked in a fairly bitter legal dispute in California to resolve whether or not Samsung did indeed "slavishly" copy the design of the iPhone. As entertaining as the court case is, and as enjoyable as the information that it is unearthing, we should really try to step away from the fact that two of the industry’s largest names have had to go down this route and instead concentrate on the wonderful products they both offer.
Considering it has been bubbling away and growing in size for the last eighteen months, it is going to be extremely interesting to see how the Apple vs. Samsung patent case progresses and ultimately pans out. It appears that both sides have fairly credible evidence to present to Judge Lucy Koh and the selected jury, but one of the most interesting parts of the case from an outsider’s point of view is the level of information that the companies have been forced to leak into the public domain as part of their own defense.
