Samsung is just now announcing from Radio City Music Hall in New York City, the highly anticipated Galaxy S4 smartphone with an array of more powerful specs and new software to enhance its ease of use.
We can only wonder if the rumored Note III will also have all these features as well later this year.
Samsung unveils Galaxy S4: 5-inch display, available in April
After much hype and a few leaks, Samsung’s Galaxy S4 smartphone is official, and arriving next month.
Samsung’s JK Shin, the head of Mobile Communications shows off the Galaxy S4.
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)
Samsung’s next flagship smartphone is here.
Samsung took the wraps off the Galaxy S4, the much awaited successor to the S3, at an event in New York tonight.
The handset, which has a 5-inch display, will be available on 327 carriers in 55 countries, starting in April.
It packs new features like dual view shooting, “smart” scrolling and pausing, health tracking and a built-in language translator.
It will come in both black and white, which the company is calling “black mist” and “white frost.”
(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET)As expected, the S4’s got an onslaught of new hardware and software features. Here’s a quick rundown:
Hardware:
5-inch, 1920 x 1080 display
13 megapixel rear camera
2 megapixel front-facing camera
16/32/64 GB in storage, with a MicroSD slot for expansion
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
NFC
Bluetooth 4.0
IR LED
2,600 mAh battery
Software:
OS: Google Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
Dual View: This lets S4 owners use both the front and rear cameras at the same time, which can also be used during video calls.
Group Play: Lets people share media between one another without Wi-Fi. Also syncs up music playback between devices.
Story Album: Pulls together photos you’ve taken and can be turned into photo albums.
S Health: Uses the S4’s onboard sensors to track and estimate personal fitness.
S Translator: Translates voice or text within certain applications.
S Voice Drive: Takes voice commands while driving, works over Bluetooth.
Samsung Optical Reader: Scans business cards and QR codes for text.
Samsung WatchON: Uses the built-in IR to control other electronics like TVs and set top boxes.
Smart Pause: Pauses video playback when it detects that you’re not looking. The same technology works for scrolling up and down on a Web page, or e-mail.
The event brings to a close a major marketing run-up by Samsung to tease the S4, which included television spots and tweets, including one that teased an image of the front of the device. Unofficially, a string of leaks showed off quite a bit more of the device in photos and videos of some of the new features in action.
The S4’s unveiling comes less than a year after the debut of the S3, which Samsung showed off for the first time at an event in London last May.
For CNET’s complete hands-on first impressions, go here.
Samsung’s press conference unveiling of the S4 is still going on, and this post will be updated as we get more details.
Tune into CNET”s live coverage of the Samsung Galaxy S4 press conference
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