Skip to main content

Samsung unveils new flagship Galaxy S III

Samsung is currently the number one Android handset maker in the world, with market researcher NPD recently reporting that one in every four smartphones sold in the U.S. bear the Samsung logo. So it comes as no surprise that the Galaxy S III has become one of the most highly anticipated phones of 2012, but does it live up to the hype?

Design

At its Mobile Unpacked event last week in London, Samsung stated that the Galaxy S III was a phone "inspired by nature." Translation - The Galaxy S3 ditches the hard square angles of its predecessors in favor of a more rounded design that shares more than a passing resemblance to the Galaxy Nexus. The case itself is being offered in "Pebble Blue" or "Marble White", and aims for a more organic feel, rather than the slab of glass designs we've seen on other smartphones such as the Droid series or the iPhone 4. The slight shift in design may also have something to do with keeping Apple's lawyers off its back this time round.

Display

One area Samsung has always excelled in is display quality, and the Galaxy S III is no different. Featuring a 4.8 inch AMOLED display with a pixel density of 309 ppi, this is easily one of the nicest Android displays out there. However, Samsung has decided to use a PenTile setup in the S III, which sees smaller subpixels sharing space onscreen with surrounding pixels to save energy. PenTile can lead to colors looking a bit over saturated and distorted, but we'd be surprised if Samsung would let its flagship device launch with a subpar screen.

Under the Hood

The Galaxy S III launches with specs that set the early pace for 2012.
Full specifications:
  • Processor: Exynos Quad Core 1.4 GHz
  • RAM: 1 GB
  • Storage:16 GB expandable to 64GB (MicroSD slot included)
  • Display: 4.8-inch Super AMOLED
  • Battery: 2,100mAh
  • OS: Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich
  • Camera: 8 megapixel rear, 1.9 megapixel front

Software

This years Galaxy announcement was dominated by software. For starters, there's S Voice, a service that promises full control over your S III using only your voice, much like Apple's Siri. And like Apple's offering, S Voice requires a data connection as the processing is done in the cloud. There's also a new feature called Smart Stay, in which the S III uses its front facing camera to track the user's eye location, dimming the display when you look away to conserve power, and S Beam, which lets files be transferred between devices using NFC and Wifi Direct. The redesigned Touchwiz interface for the S III sees the signature dock bar at the bottom of the screen now holding five icons rather than four.

Wrap up

The Galaxy S III is an impressive device, with a screen that rivals that of Apple's retina display and is sure to win over those you see it first hand, and a CPU/GPU combo that allows it to tackle anything on the Google Play store without breaking a sweat. Set for release in the U.K on May 28th, and the rest of the world shortly after.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

10 URLs to Find Out What Google Knows About You

Google is much more than just a search giant. It is also home to many of your favorite products: Gmail, YouTube, and Chrome, just to name a few. Apart from that, it also offers many products to help you  keep track of your data . Most of these are  hidden deep  inside the My Account dashboard, which many users don’t really know of. These hidden tools  may reveal interesting details  about your usage of Google’s many services. We’ve compiled a list of important Google URLs of some  hidden tools  that carry information of what you did with Google, mostly from the searches that you have made on their many products, the voice searches and typed out Google searches that you have made. Are you ready to  find out what how Google knows about you ? 1.  Google Dashboard Google Dashboard offers  transparency and control over the personal data stored with your Google Account. You can  view  and  manage the data gener...

Nine government sites hit by cyber attacks: NIC

The National Informatics Center (NIC) has revealed that as many as nine government websites were defaced by recent cyber attacks. The center further said that the servers, which hosts these government sites, suffer a number of hacking attempts on a daily basis. The websites www.kumbh2010haridwar.gov.in, www.ueppcb.uk.gov.in, www.gov.ua.nic.in/ujn, www.cdodoon.gov.in, www.arunachal.nic.in,www.bee-india.nic.in, www.civilsupplieskerala.gov.in, www.mpcb.gov.in and www.informatics.nic.in were  defaced , prompting authorities to  ramp up  the cyber security safeguards. In an RTI reply, the NIC, which reports to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, said that it was impossible for the body to accurately quantify these attacks but they are usually blocked by security controls put in place. The Ministry was asked to provide details of hacking attempts made on the governments websites in the last ten years (2001-11) along with url names of the portal...

Solar car hits U.S. in round-the-world jaunt

Last October, the SolarWorld GT solar-powered car set out from Darwin, Australia on a drive around the world. It has since driven 3,001 kilometers (1,865 miles) across Australia, logged 1,947 km (1,210 miles) crossing New Zealand and been shipped across the Pacific Ocean. This Friday, it will embark on the U.S. leg of its journey, as it sets out across America from the University of California, Santa Barbara.   The SolarWorld GT is the result of a collaboration between solar panel manufacturer SolarWorld, and Bochum University of Applied Sciences in Germany. The four-wheeled, two-door, two-seat car gathers solar energy through photovoltaic panels built into its roof, with its solar generator offering a peak performance of 823 watts. Custom hub motors are located in both of the front wheels. The vehicle manages an average speed of 50 km/h (31 mph), with a claimed top speed of 100 km/h (62 mph). In order to demonstrate that solar powered cars needn't be a radical...