All the right shots with Galaxy S4 Zoom

MANILA, Philippines - Samsung Electronics Philippines Corporation (SEPCO) recently introduced its Galaxy S4 Zoom, a powerful new device, which combines the stylish heritage of the latest Galaxy S4 smartphone with advanced photographic capabilities.

Combining 10x optical zoom, 16 megapixel CMOS sensor, OIS and Xenon flash with Samsung Galaxy’s S4 technology. It is the ultimate smartphone and camera experience in one, and the only device you’ll ever need.

“The Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom represents yet another step forward in the way Samsung is working to enhance the lives of our customers around the world,” said Eric Sulit, SEPCO business unit director for mobile. “As communication continues to become increasingly visual in nature, people wish to capture and share their moments in the highest quality possible, but often do not have the space or inclination to carry a dedicated camera for this purpose. The Galaxy S4 Zoom changes this forever, combining the industry leading functionality and connectivity of the Galaxy S4 with the high quality photographic experience you’d expect from a compact camera. The result is truly the best of both worlds, without compromise.”

Do it all and miss nothing thanks to the revolutionary new Zoom Ring, a simple and intuitive way to access the Galaxy S4 Zoom’s key features.  When you’re in the middle of a phone call and you see something you absolutely have to share, a quick twist of the Zoom Ring will activate the In-Call Photo Share feature, letting you capture and send an image directly via MMS to whoever you are talking to.

For easy camera navigation, the Zoom Ring can be used to activate the Quick Launch and Shortcut features, giving you instant access to multiple camera modes including Auto, Gallery and Smart Mode with a simple twist.

The Zoom Ring also revolutionizes conventional camera zoom controls. Optical zoom control replaces traditional dials and buttons with smooth, easy-to-operate digital controls. Professional-quality accuracy and unprecedented ease of use are just a twist away, making it easy to compose a scene and capture wide-angle shots or tight close-ups.



When it comes to high quality photography, bigger isn’t always better. The compact Galaxy S4 zoom’s best-in-class 10x Optical Zoom and 16MP BSI CMOS Sensor lets you capture beautiful images from far away or up close and personal, in all light conditions, without having to carry heavy camera gear around with you.  Furthermore, the built-in Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) helps keep the camera perfectly still even when you’re not, reducing blur and stabilizing the image while zoomed in for high-quality photos and video.

Photo Suggest instantly connects you to huge libraries of images taken by fellow photographers, to help you find and compose your best shots anywhere in the world. Photo Suggest can even direct you to the ideal nearby location which will give you the vantage point you need for that perfect photo.

The Galaxy S4 Zoom also features Samsung’s popular Smart Mode. Simply choose from a series of pre-set modes and the camera will automatically adjust to ensure you capture the best photo possible. Use Drama Shot to merge continuous shots of moving objects into a single composed image, or Action Freeze to instantly capture high-speed action. If you aren’t sure which Smart Mode to select, the Smart Mode Suggest feature can assess the scene for you and provide a short list of the best options for your consideration based on surrounding factors such as light levels, focal length, or face detection, ensuring you always get the best shot you want.

 The Galaxy S4 Zoom’s heritage is evident throughout, from its sleek and stylish design to the powerful, yet intuitive user interface. Running on Android Jelly Bean 4.2, the Galaxy S4 Zoom boasts many of the same features as the recently launched Galaxy S4, including Touchwiz, which lets you fully customize various aspects of your device including the lock screen and notification bar, for a truly personal mobile experience.

Story Album lets you arrange all of your images and videos into one timeline to share with friends and loved ones. If you’d rather transfer your images to your laptop or tablet for safe keeping, Samsung Link lets you do so quickly and easily with just the touch of a button. Alternatively, you can sync all of your data in your own personal cloud through HomeSync, providing the ultimate peace of mind and ensuring your images and videos are waiting for you whenever you need them.

source: philstar.com

Samsung: Galaxy S4 will break more records than predecessors

MANILA, Philippines — It will definitely break even more records.

That was the bold remark issued by freshly minted Samsung Philippines Mobile Head Eric Sulit when asked if they expect the Galaxy S4, the Korean technology firm’s latest flagship smartphone, to exceed the overwhelming performance of the Galaxy S3 last year.

“The Galaxy S3 was very strong in the Philippines, that is why we think the S4 will do even more and surpass its predecessor easily,” Sulit told InterAksyon.com during the local launch of Samsung’s most-anticipated smartphone.

“The problem right now is allocation, because we noticed that early on, the demand is so great already,” he added.


In just three months after launch, the Galaxy S3 already breached the 20 million mark and broke a lot of sales records made by its own predecessors. In November 2012, the Galaxy S3 officially claimed the coveted top smartphone title in the world, overtaking rival Apple’s just-launched iPhone 5.


Which is possibly why Samsung decided to stick with the same design philosophy with the S4. Sulit said they consciously stuck with the “organic” and tried-and-tested design of the S3, with a few minor changes in the body.

The S4, for example, is thinner at just 7.9 millimeters at its thickest point, while its Super AMOLED touchscreen display is a bit wider at 5 inches. The entire unit is wrapped with the same glossy plastic finish that have become hallmarks of the Galaxy S3 as well as the Galaxy Note 2, both released last year.

Quad-core variant

Aside from the build quality, Sulit revealed that the Philippine version of the Galaxy S4 will still be sporting a quad-core chip now made by Qualcomm in the form of the Snapdragon 600. The executive said that price was their main consideration, which enabled them to bring its retail price down to just P30,990.

“But of course, we felt that for the functionality, we could do with the quad-core (chip for the S4),” Sulit added. “The other consideration is LTE, since the local version includes the 2100 LTE band being used by both major telcos.”

Another variant, which carries the proprietary Exynos octa-core chip, is available in other countries. Sulit said they are looking into bringing the other variant to the Philippines as well, but issued no definite comments as of now.

Reports indicate that units will start selling in retail stores and with telco operators by May 5. Both Smart Communications and Globe Telecom have come out with their respective pricing plans for the Galaxy S4, with Smart offering a week-long promotion where interested subscribers can get the unit by signing up for Data Plan 1500.

Globe, on the other hand, is offering Samsung’s latest smartphone at Plan 1799, with a lock-in period of 30 months.

Aside from the high-performing chip, Samsung included a number of software enhancements with the S4, including:

  

• Smart Pause and Smart Scroll: based on the Smart Stay technology from the Galaxy S3, these two new features identifies and monitors eye movement and activates functions accordingly. Smart Pause will momentarily stop playing video when the user’s gaze moves away from the device, while Smart Scroll will move the page up or down when the user’s gaze reaches the bottom or top of the screen.
• Air View and Air Gesture: this software feature is powered by the IR gesture sensor that’s fitted with the new Galaxy S4. Air View allows you to hover your finger over content to display specific details about it, like opening an email or text message. Air Gesture, on the other hand, allows you to give swiping directions without even touching the phone.
• Group Play: Group Play will allow you to play music to up to 8 Galaxy S4 devices even without Internet connection.
• S Voice Drive: an improvement to the S Voice personal assistant introduced with the Galaxy S3, S Voice Drive aids in controlling the phone while driving by allowing to send and receive emails and text messages, as well as take and make calls, just by using voice commands.
• Dual Camera: Samsung has now made it so that certain applications, such as camera and video calling apps, can use both the front- and rear-facing camera at once.
• S Translator: This feature will allow live text-to-speech and speech-to-text translation of up to 8 languages using only the user’s voice input.

Samsung’s line of smartphones continues to be the runaway leader in the world market as it sold more than 50 million of its Galaxy S III units in 2012, trumping rival Apple in the category.

The company saw its share of the lucrative smartphone market surge to 39.6 percent in the third quarter of 2012, up from just 3.3 percent in late 2009 as it reportedly shipped more than 100 million units of its Galaxy S line as of January 2013.

source: interaksyon.com

Samsung Galaxy S4 due out in February

(CNN) -- Days after the iPhone 5 was announced, Samsung is reportedly prepared to roll out a new version of its Samsung Galaxy S, the phone that has established itself as Apple's chief smartphone rival.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 will be introduced in February at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, according to The Korea Times.

The report from the Times, the oldest English-language newspaper in South Korea, where Samsung is based, cites unnamed company officials and parts suppliers in the region.

Among the Galaxy S4's features will be a 5-inch screen, slightly larger than the display on the popular Galaxy S III and a full inch bigger than the iPhone 5, the report said.

It will have more powerful hardware and software and will "definitely use" 4G LTE networks, a parts supplier told the paper.

Phones running Google's Android operating system have been outselling the iPhone for some time. But that's a fragmented field that includes dozens of phones of varying quality. No single handset has established itself as a serious rival to Apple's phone.

The Galaxy S III has made perhaps the best claim. Last month, the company announced it had sold more than 20 million units in three months, making September the first month since the release of the iPhone 4S that it wasn't the world's top-selling smartphone.

Snap reviews of the iPhone 5 have been somewhat mixed, at least among the tech media. Many who got a hands-on demo at Apple's Wednesday announcement praised its slimmer, lighter design, bigger display and faster processor. Others said the device failed to produce groundbreaking advances at a moment when Apple, perhaps for the first time ever, finds itself needing to catch up with features available on other phones.

Customer response, however, has been overwhelming.

Pre-orders of the iPhone 5 "sold out" almost instantly (an admittedly arbitrary feat considering Apple controls the supply), with orders topping 2 million in the first 24 hours. That's double the 1 million for last year's iPhone 4S in the same time period.

The phone hits stores Friday in the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and the United Kingdom. It rolls out in 22 other countries on September 28.

The S4's release would mark Samsung's biggest salvo since a federal court in California ruled that Samsung violated multiple Apple patents in the release of its own products. After the ruling, Apple asked the court to add the Galaxy S III to the list of products that are in violation.

The case was just one of roughly 50 patent disputes in different countries. Some of the other courts have ruled in favor of Samsung.

According to the South Korean news report, Samsung is working with U.S. carriers on modified designs the company said will eliminate any questions about patents.

The report said Samsung plans to fire back in another way, too. Samsung is asking Apple to pay more for the processors it produces at an Austin, Texas, plant and is promoting itself as "the only firm that can guarantee on-time delivery, output commitment and better pricing for mobile application processors," one executive told The Korea Times.

source: CNN