Samsung Eye-tracking Smartphone

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

The Health Functions of the Latest Samsung Smartphone

According to S Health Earlier this evening, Samsung released the latest model of their Galaxy smartphone the S 4. The previous model – the S 3 – remains the largest selling Android-based smartphone with over 40 million units sold.

There’s a more complete review at Gizmodo here. Normally, I wouldn’t care that much because I’m not that hardware-focused and because the device doesn’t appear to be all that revolutionary. The review is generally positive – but not glowing – and I tend to subscribe to the now famous Marc Andreessen view that software – not hardware – is “eating the world.”
But here’s where I did think it warranted more coverage – and specifically healthcare attention. There’s not a lot of detail (let alone actual review), but unlike other smartphones, this one comes included with health sensors that are seamlessly integrated with a built-in “app” called S-Health.
From the Gizmodo review:

S Health: Holy crap, Samsung put a health tracker in its phone! Which is actually a great idea. S Health is an app that will track your steps, stairs climbed, and the ambient temperature and humidity, plus track your food intake and estimate calories consumed/burned. You can even track sleep with an optional accessory (see below). Fitbit and co. should be nervous, although I’m curious to see what kind of ding this puts on your battery life.

… and then a bit further on in the same review:

There are also a bevy of accessories that complement the S Health app. There’s a wristband you can wear independently of the phone (in case you prefer running with out it), which will track your steps and monitor the quality of your sleep. It will then sync wirelessly with the app. There’s also a connected scale and heart rate monitor. Again, this isn’t good news for smaller fitness tracking companies.

As best as I can tell, this makes Samsung the first manufacturer to fully embrace the integrated value of health sensors and applications – in a single smartphone device – with accessories that are supportive and not stand-alone or separate. Regardless of how well it works, I’m just impressed that a global smartphone manufacturer has finally begun to fully embrace this truly critical aspect of our connected life – our healthcare.

It’s really just another positive step and leading indicator in the evolution of technology and connected healthcare. I’m reserving actual applause until there’s more detail, but I do like the intriguing potential this has to engage consumers even more seamlessly with their healthcare life. At least for those of us living here in the U.S., it may not be all that long before the release schedule for new smartphones will need to include an FDA approval process. Let’s just hope we can find a way to make that process more seamless too