With less than a week to go now before the Samsung Galaxy S IV is introduced at a special event in the city of New York, we've compiled a little round up of the almost certain, possible, and unlikely features of what will certainly be this year's biggest release on Google's Android platform.
So-called "social" smartphones have tried, and as yet failed spectacularly to create any legitimate niche within the market. With 1+ billion on Facebook and many millions more using the likes of Twitter, the social smartphone should, at least on paper, be an easy sell; but as HTC found out with the ChaCha and Salsa, not everybody likes to dance is so keen to buy into the idea of a device tailored to the social networks. Undeterred, the "quietly brilliant" Taiwanese company looks set for another stab with its 'Myst' handset, and if a specs leak via Unwired View's evleaks is to be believed, the mid-range handset sounds like a decent effort.
The reason why so many commentators (including myself) have had mostly good things to say with regards to the HTC One, is because, well, it's beautiful. We're used to Android flagships packing in high-end specs (see HTC's previous two efforts), but with almost every top handset running Google's mobile platform, the build quality has always been a let-down. Frequently laden in shiny plastic, no significant Android device has really challenged the iPhone in the quality stakes, but with a beautiful aluminum unibody, Droidsters finally have a gadget to savor. In an attempt to ramp up anticipation for the One, HTC has released a video detailing just how it's all pieced together, with every hole and concave etched to precision. Check out the video after the break.
Over the last few years, “phablets”, the new product category defining devices that are too large to be considered smartphones but still too small to be considered tablets, has become increasingly popular. One of the most popular players in the field, Samsung, is said to be readying the release of the Galaxy Note III, which is expected to sport a 5.9-inch screen opposed to a 6.3-inch one as previously reported, according to a Korean newspaper.
I like playing games on my Android smartphone, and to be really honest, that’s a good part of many users’ daily routine, be it casual gaming to kill time, all the way to serious, multiplayer online gaming on your handheld device. So, what happened yesterday was that I was running really long and fast in Temple Run 2, when suddenly, an SMS message arrived. Had it remained to that point, I’d have chosen to ignore the message and continue with the game until I had time to address such trivial matters, but the notification that was displayed caused the game to stutter, thereby making me fall to my fate in the already-tricky temple.
With now just a few days now until Samsung is expected to launch its flagship Galaxy S IV device at a special event in New York City, we're being treated to hourly barrages of leaks. In the latest, a bunch of screenshots purported to represent the eagerly-anticipated device have made their way onto the Web via GSMIsrael. Supposedly, the screenies originated from a U.S. (AT&T) Galaxy S IV, and were leaked by a "very reliable" source.
It's not just Apple's iPhone that finds itself the subject of speculation and even the odd concept drawing, you know. These days, Samsung is undoubtedly one of the biggest players in the smartphone world, and as such it is without a doubt one of the few companies that can garner the same kind of attention as Apple when it has a new product in the pipeline.
Next week, Samsung will finally unveil its eagerly-awaited Galaxy S IV smartphone, and amid all the excitement leading up to that March 14th event in New York City, the leaks are arriving thick and fast. A short while ago, benchmarks purporting to represent the handset appeared to confirm, among other hardware features, an Exynos 5410 quad-core processor and now, the famed and oft-reliant evleaks Twitter account has released a couple of render images of the phone.
With the Samsung Galaxy S IV announcement arriving late next week, the rumor mill is awash with various claims pertaining to the handset. In the latest, the specs - including an Exynos 5410 quad-core chip clocked at 1.8GHz - is said to be powering the Korean company's beastly flagship, but those hoping for a change in the usual plastic wrapping are going to be left disappointed once more. According to leaked benchmarks, the Galaxy S IV will be at the top of the pile when it comes to sheer power, but a separate leak suggests that, while it was hoped Samsung would try and impress with a solid finish, it looks as though the shiny plastic is back to fight another day.
The ability to maintain a secure digital environment from which we can manage our affairs is something we rely on the mobile software makers - Apple on iOS, Google with Android - to pursue with unflappable efficiency. But human error is something these companies can only ever partially make provisions for, and as such, there are occasions when security flaws are realized. iOS has been in the news lately for a series of such mishaps, but this time it's Android's turn, and those on the Galaxy Note II may be alarmed by the news that on Android 4.1.2, the home screen can be viewed (albeit for a split second), even if the device is locked with a passcode.
