SYNAPSE CIRCUIT MWC14 CONCLUSION

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
MOBILE WORLD CONGRESS CONCLUSION
#MobileWorldCongress #MWC14 #MWC2014 #Android

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! How are you? How was your day? It’s been raining nonstop over here in London. If your day is still happening I wish you a very joyous and productive one!

Yes, the Mobile World Congress is over and it has been a fantastic show! In fact I think it should be called Android Mobile World Congress instead as all the worthwhile mobile innovations are coming as a result of what Android can do!

TABLETS
With regards to tablets I am a tad disappointed as I expected more premium slates offering exceptional value for money.

Here’s a list of some rather interesting tablets:-

Lenovo Yoga Tablet 10 HD+

HP Slate 7 VoiceTab

Huawei MediaPad X1

Huawai MediaTab M1

Nvidia Tegra Note 7 LTE

Sony Xperia Z2

Archos 80 Helium

I was expecting at least double that amount – especially for Samsung to reveal the next line of Galaxy Tabs! Never mind... I can only assume that there will be more Android tablet releases to come throughout 2014.

As you know, I thought the MWC 2014 Best Tablet award was lazy. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated tablets in the tech press. I have read and viewed comparison reviews (between iPad Air and Galaxy Note 10.1) that say when it comes to design and build, “The iPad Air is of a higher build and made from quality materials than the plastic Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro. However, the Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro has a faux leather back that makes it easier to hold in the hand than the iPad Air. The iPad Air feels as though it could slip out of the hands; if you dropped it it’ll shatter!”

Now, I think that reviewers are confusing the subject of design and build with practicality. Reviewers seem to go on about the aesthetics of the aluminium back, etc but then go on to say that it feels slippery and delicate. For me, that right there is an epic fail in design and build terms. Because the Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro is made of plastic the reviewers (sic) are then complaining that it’s not up to the “premium” build and feel of the iPad Air which is contradictory! I would have the Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro over the iPad any day of the week! Either you want to stare longingly at the iPad Air and not touch it for the fear of breaking it or you want to get down to the business of productivity on the Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro! I grant you that the iPad Air looks like something out of a Sci-Fi movie but that should not be the basis of the award.

While it may be true that Android has to catch up with the Apple App Store when it comes to tablet specific applications that is still no reason to give the award to Apple’s iPad Air by default. I think that is wrong! I think that the award should be given for:-

Design & Build: Is the tablet designed for everyday use? Does it feel comfortable in the hands?

Screen & Resolution: How sharp is the screen?

Power & Speed: Can the tablet get job done quickly? Can it perform tasks with ease?

I think that the Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro ticks all the above boxes! Certainly the pixel count is higher! 2560 x 1600 (299 ppi) vs the iPad Air’s 2048 x 1536 (264 ppi). C’mon, even those with dyscalculia can do that math! Lol! I would like to review it myself.

The one thing about my reviews is that because I am independent I can afford to write the truth! In my experience many, many magazines that I have written for just pander to those who pay the most ad revenue. Also many journalists are biased to their favourite tech i.e. the Apple mobile devices. Whereas I am interested into the practical use of technology!

But on paper the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 Pro gets the award for the best tablet from Synapse Circuit!

Again, I am very much looking forward to reviewing the aforementioned slates!

HANDSETS
Oooh, it was handsets galore and the majority of them are Android! Look...

Huawei MediaPad X1

Sony Xperia Z2

LG G Pro 2
HP Slate 6 & 7 VoiceTab

Yotaphone

Blackphone

HTC Desire 816

ZTE Grand Memo II LTE

Yes, I am aware that the MediaPad X1 and HP Slate 6 & 7 are phablets / tablets but they look comfortable to hold and paired with a Bluetooth headset they could work as a phone too! Needless to say that this is yet once again a very exciting time for the Android platform! I can’t honestly say that I was impressed by the Nokia X series but it may be an option for some consumers. I would like to review them too!

It appears as though Android has taken over the mobile world! Yes, there were some Ubuntu and Firefox handsets that I would like to get my hands on as well.

One thing is for certain, Android is spearheading the innovation in the mobile and tablet world.

What do you reckon?   

Take good care!

Thank you for watching and reading!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit website for video, i-PDF and more! 

Synapse Circuit Dot Com

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT SAMSUNG UNPACKED 5

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT
UNPACKED 5, THE GALAXY S5 & GEARS!
#Samsung #GalaxyS5 #GS5 #MWC2014 #GalaxyS5Prime #Unpacked #Gear

Good evening, Synapse Circuit Readers! I hope that all is well with you! Yes, the wait is long over as the Galaxy Unpacked 5 has just finished.

If you missed the live event I will give you a rundown...

SUBDUED: TH E UNPACKED 5 PART 1
My goodness... What happened?? The Samsung Unpacked 5 event saw Samsung at their most humble! Gone was the flair and supreme showmanship! No celebrity presenters to speak of! It was a very odd Unpacked for Samsung indeed... I am a bit shell-shocked!

If this is part 1 I can only imagine that part 2 will feature the Galaxy S5 Prime (as leaked by a third party protective case manufacturer). How about the S5 Zoom? S5 Active? Or have we seen an amalgamation of the S5 and what would be a separate Active device? S5 Mini? The Unpacked for the Galaxy Note 4 probably will not be announced until August / September 2014.

THE GALAXY S5: DESIGN
I did my best to prepare us for not too much of a design departure and I am glad that I did! The design...

Well, as a fan of Samsung I can say that I appreciate the design. I am not wowed by it but I do appreciate that it’s water and dust resistant (not waterproof and it probably won’t last long in a sandstorm).

As predicted, the Galaxy S5 design takes up from where the Note 3 left off. I guess the faux leather backing hasn’t made it to this model... Could it be designated for the Galaxy S5 Prime? Here’s the GS5 spec:-

NETWORK
LTE Cat.4 (150/50Mbps)

DISPLAY
5.1” FHD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080)

AP
2.5GHz Quad core application processor

OS
Android 4.4.2 (Kitkat)

CAMERA
16MP (rear), 2.0MP (front)

VIDEO
UHD@30fps, HDR, video stabilization
Video Codec : H.263, H.264(AVC), MPEG4, VC-1, Sorenson Spark, MP43, WMV7, WMV8, VP8
Video Format: MP4, M4V, 3GP, 3G2, WMV, ASF, AVI, FLV, MKV, WEBM

AUDIO
Audio Codec : MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/ AAC+/ eAAC+, WMA, Vorbis, FLAC
Audio Format: MP3, M4A, 3GA, AAC, OGG, OGA, WAV, WMA, AMR, AWB, FLAC, MID, MIDI, XMF, MXMF, IMY, RTTTL, RTX, OTA

CAMERA FEATURES
HDR (Rich tone), Selective Focus, Virtual Tour Shot, Shot & More

ADDITIONAL FEATURES
IP67 Dust and water Resistant
Ultra Power Saving Mode
Download Booster
S Health 3.0
Quick Connect
Private Mode
Kids Mode

Google Mobile Services: Chrome, Drive, Photos, Gmail, Google, Google+, Google Settings, Hangouts, Maps, Play Books, Play Games, Play Newsstand, Play Movie & TV, Play Music, Play Store, Voice Search, YouTube

CONNECTIVITY
WiFi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac HT80, MIMO(2x2)
Bluetooth®: 4.0 BLE / ANT+
USB: USB 3.0
NFC
IR Remote

SENSOR
Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, Hall, RGB ambient light, Gesture (IR), Finger Scanner, Heart rate sensor

MEMORY / STORAGE
RAM: 2GB
Internal Memory: 16/32GB
microSD slot upto 64GB

DIMENSIONS
142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm, 145g

BATTERY
2800mAh
Standby time: 390 hrs / Talk time: 21 hrs

GALAXY S5: FIRST IMPRESSIONS SPEC-WISE
The Galaxy S5 ticks all the boxes when it comes to specifications and features. I think the LTE and Wi-Fi support is outstanding and should be rocket of a handset! I was expecting 3 or 4GB of RAM but it’s 2GB, which is good enough.

The Finger Scanner has made it! I am curious as to how this works! And if that’s not enough, there’s a Heart Rate Sensor where the camera flash is (at the rear.

Speaking of the camera... Yes, it will capture 4K video and it’s a 16MP instead of the anticipated 20MP. The camera has some depth of field attributes that is a feature on SLRs, Selective Focus, but I do believe that the camera software is more simplified. I have to see it to believe it! HDR promises to be faster and I can’t wait to test this!

WHAT SAMSUNG SAYS OF CUSTOMERS WANTS
Samsung says that the customer “Wants a powerful, fast but simple technology...” That’s why the camera has been overhauled to be practically minimalist in comparison to the Galaxy S4.

Normally Samsung would talk about sharing the latest Galaxy S screen with other Galaxy S models and compatible televisions. They would also talk a little more about their TouchWiz improvements, but it was said that the S features wouldn’t get in the way of the interface.

And once again, there was no mention of Android (the GS5 is running KitKat) or a listing of specification.

I am not too sure about all that... Yes, I appreciate that the S features on the interface are streamlined, etc. Of course, a faster camera is desired. But with regards to the camera I would have wanted a simplified interface and an option to have more complex photography attributes presented to me. Hmmmm...

MY OVERALL THOUGHTS OF THE UNPACKED 5, GALAXY S5 & GEAR 2014
This was a tactical launch from Samsung. I suspect that this is just the beginning of their onslaught. Again, this was part 1! And in part 1 Samsung made sure that they hit certain marks such as the LTE 4 and Wi-Fi connectivity with no uncertainty! They have made a great and compelling argument to the everyman and everywoman. What they have done with the Galaxy S5 presentation is to iPhone-ized it. “iPhone-ized” it??? Yes, Samsung has presented the GS5 as a simple, back to basics handset. It’s practical, fast, powerful and very simple to use. It should appeal!

Yes, Samsung introduced the full Gear family: Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit – the first wearable device to feature a curved AMOLED display! Cool! I am curious about the Gear pricing!

Samsung knows that the competition is stronger than ever this year! I am quite sure that come part 2 we will be seeing the Galaxy S5 Prime and other handsets introduced to the Galaxy Family! HTC is coming! As is Sony and LG to name a few! And of course, we are expecting the iPhone 6! Usually, Samsung introduces the next Galaxy S successor at around April / May but it has come in February! You have to suspect that something is going on! Wink, wink!

I love the Electric Blue colour! I did state in one of my articles that I wished for an Electric Blue colour and Samsung has made me feel that they did it just for me! Aaah! Lol! Oh, I would say that the bezel and handset is slightly thicker to accommodate for the water and dust resistance. Again, I do prefer a thicker handset just because it makes it easier to take pictures! There’s nothing more nerve-shredding than taking a photo with a device that is wafer thin! The slightest knock and I shudder to think!

I can’t wait to review one!

SOUND
Oh, I almost forgot to mention that Samsung introduced some new headphones! Looking good! I wonder how they sound?

Great idea! Payment through using a fingerprint verification.

Oooh... I have to try it!

Jock strap...

Get fit with the Samsung Gear Fit!

The Gear 2 gets a "Home" button.

Great colours! Blue, Blue Electric Blue...

The Galaxy S5 Heart Rate Monitor.

 Samsung's J. K. Shin wearing the Gear Fit.

 Once your children get a hold of your phone you may not get it back!

If the battery says "10% power" the Ultra Power Saving Mode kicks in and extends the battery for 24 hours! That's amazing! Essentially, the GS5 screen is reduced to black and white.

Now you can hide your pictures! ;) 

I can't wait to hear them!

The user interface promises to be simpler.

What do you reckon?

Review coming very soon.... Stay tuned...

Take good care!

Thank you for watching and reading!

Please check out the Synapse Circuit website for video, i-PDF and more! 

Synapse Circuit Dot Com