Samsung debuted its newest flagship handset, the Galaxy S4,
at a New York press event on march 14, 2013. Though no price or dates have been
announced, the device will be available on several U.S. carriers: AT&T,
Cricket, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon.
The Galaxy S4 handset steadily draws from the same design
language as the S3, but takes almost every spec to an extreme -- the screen is
larger (5 inches), the resolution greater (1080p), the battery capacity higher
(2,600mAh), the processor faster (1.9GHz quad-core or 1.6GHz octa-core), and
the rear-facing camera stuffed with more megapixels (13, to be exact). But,
once you've gone through the features checklist (which also includes lots of
internal and external storage space and RAM), it's the software extras that
Samsung continues to lean on to keep its phones one step ahead of the
competition.
Standing at 136.6mm tall by 68.9mm wide (5.4 inches by 2.7
inches), the Galaxy S4 fits right in between the GS3 and the Galaxy Note
phones. It's large, to be sure -- very large -- but since I've grown used to
holding big handsets, it didn't feel overwhelming in my hands. A more dimpled
finish on the white version I held reminded me of the Galaxy S2, in contrast to
the GS3's silky brushed feel. The GS4 also comes in "Black Mist."
Eye-tracking gestures
Conflicting rumors painted a scenario where you'd scroll the
screen with the eyes using eye-tracking software within the GS4.
Turns out, that's somewhat true. Smart Pause and Smart
Scroll are two features that build off the Galaxy S3's optional Smart Stay
feature, which kept the screen from dimming when you looked at it. In the GS4,
tilting the screen up or down while looking at it scrolls you up or down, say
if you're reading a CNET story, of course. As a daily commuter with one hand on
the phone and one on a hand strap, this could be a more convenient way to catch
up with news while on the train or bus.
I really like the idea of Smart Pause, which halts a video
you're watching when your eyes dart away, then resumes when you start paying
attention again.
Both features worked better in theory than they did in
practice, though I should mention that the GS4 I was looking at is (obviously)
preproduction running prefinal software. Still, response time was a beat slower
than I wanted, taking a little time to pause and resume the video, and scroll
the screen. A minor delay makes sense. You wouldn't want to start and stop
again every time you're distracted for a second. Instead, the software seems to
track longer periods when you're away, like if you stop what you're doing to
order a cup of coffee, talk to a friend, or climb a set of stairs.
Air View and gestures
While you can make googly eyes at the GS4, most gestures are
still reserved for your fingertips. Hovering features known as Air View make
their way from the stylus-centric Galaxy Note 2 and Galaxy Note 10 .1 tablet to
the Galaxy S4, but replace the stylus with your digit.
You can control the Galaxy S4 by waving your hand in front
of the camera sensor.
Hover your finger and you can preview a video clip or image
from the photo gallery, glance at browser tab thumbnails, find your place on a
video timeline, and check out an e-mail. You'll also be able to magnify
calendar events and get a closer look in speed dial. Flipboard has built a
customized app to work with Air View, which lets you hover over a tile to see
which articles lie beneath.
In addition to hovering with a fingertip, you can wave or
wipe your whole hand in front of the screen (and camera sensor) to navigate
around. For example, enable this gesture and you can agitate your palm to pick
up the phone or switch songs in a playlist. Steadily sliding your hand back and
forth can advance photos in a gallery, or browser tabs. You can also scroll up
and down in a list.
The feature was a little jerky and jumpy when I tried it,
but it did work. As with eye-tracking, you'll have to wait a half-second to see
results.
Stay with us for many more details, impressions, photos, and
videos in the upcoming hours, weeks, and months as we reveal the wonderful
world of Smartphone
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