The HTC One M8 today joins the might of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Sony Xperia Z2 in the mobile market, with each set to do battle and attempt to cement its place as 2014's most popular high-end handset. Here, we take a closer at the Big Three, including specs and form factor, in order to try and determine which of these humdingers will emerge victorious once the retail battle commences.
Even though many Android users have accustomed themselves to using Google Now as a way of readily finding information and performing searches through voice interaction, that hasn't prevented Samsung from implementing its own, similar feature for its Galaxy range. S Voice, which is perhaps the foremost of an abundance of 'S' apps found on the higher-end releases, has been afforded a pretty decent update for the Galaxy S5, and with the APK file having leaked into the wild, you can now download the new-and-improved S Voice app to your Android device.
We're about two-thirds of the way through our countdown of the Samsung Galaxy S5 from announcement to release, and even though we've had plenty of opportunity to see and read of what's in store, we're now starting to get leaks of the official software to try out for ourselves. Samsung may have pushed the Galaxy S5 Experience app over to the Google Play Store last week, but while this demo is insightful, there's nothing quite experiencing the device and its features first-hand. If you're not among the lucky few to have gotten hold of the device earlier than billed, then an official ROM leak, intended for the Chinese version of the SM-G9009D, has to be the next best thing.
As far as the length of time between announcement and retail date go, Samsung has left a lot of prospective Galaxy S5 users with a tantalizing wait. It has been one month since the company revealed all at Mobile World, and even now, we're still two weeks away from its official launch on April 8th. To fill in the time, below is a hands-on unboxing from T-Mobile, which goes through the contents found within the packaging, as well as first boot.
BlackBerry, a company that, not so long ago, was a superpower in the mobile industry, has been in free-fall for some time, and despite an executive shake-up that has seen the Canadian outfit appoint a new CEO, things don't look to be getting any better. One area that BlackBerry still clutches on to is enterprise, with many businesses still in favor of using the company's products for their robust security features, but according to the Wall Street Journal, one of its foremost clients - The White House - is assessing the possibility of switching to LG or Samsung.
Apple-bashing from Samsung is nothing new, particularly given the ongoing court hearings between the two relating to supposed theft of patented technologies, but in a rare treat, the Korean outfit has taken a swipe at Apple, Microsoft and Amazon in one fell swoop with its latest Galaxy Pro Series Ad. The Galaxy Tab Pro and Galaxy Note Pro, which Samsung was heavily pushing at Mobile World last month, offer quite a few features built with the power user in mind, and with the advertising machine in full flow, the company has wasted no time in having a swipe at the Apple iPad, Amazon Kindle Fire and Microsoft Surface for their respective shortcomings.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 may have been announced some three weeks ago, but its Korean maker has been rather tight-lipped regarding pricing and availability. We now know that the forthcoming flagship will begin retailing in early April, with pre-orders beginning later on this month, and now, UK network operator Three has divulged its pricing details of the sought-after handset.
Considering the gold rush that ensued upon the release of the iPhone 5s back in September, it's none too surprising that in the UK, mobile carrier Vodafone has sought exclusivity over the gold variant of Samsung's forthcoming Galaxy S5. The deal means that on British shores, only Vodafone will carry the device, which is due for release on April 11th, and the network operator will begin taking pre-orders from March 28th.
The Galaxy S5, which Samsung announced a couple of weeks ago at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, has yet to see the light of day in the retail market, but with the device having been handed out to a select few industry insiders already, we've seen a steady increase in new videos and close-up coverage of the eagerly-anticipated handset. Following the extensive hands-on clip we saw yesterday from Eldar Murtazin, he's back with a comparison video of the Galaxy S5 and the preceding Galaxy S4, offering a vivid, first-hand look at how the upcoming device holds up against the current flagship.
As with any major new release from Samsung, the Galaxy S5 includes a bunch of exclusive features and apps, but, as ever, dedicated Droidsters have been quick to pluck said features and distribute them among the rest of the Android community. Even though the sought-after handset is not yet upon us, the guys over at XDA-Developers have shared the APK files of apps like S Note, WatchON, and Gear Manager, and although there's no guarantee that they'll run perfectly on whichever device you happen to own, they're now readily available for your downloading pleasure.
