Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom (Unboxing)

This phone is the best of both worlds. It has the back of a professional camera and a symbolic front of what I believe in the best phone on the market (The S4). Have you ever seen a perfect landscape but missed the shot as you didn't have your huge professional camera.The Galaxy S4 Zoom means that you will never miss another picture again.  Its light and portable. You can take high definition pictures and video where ever you are and share them seamlessly to all of your favorite social media networks. And all for R6500. So you can see why many photographer and tech-lovers alike will be interested in this mobile device. Lets get to the unboxing.

Lets have a look at the customary Samsung packaging. Straight away we see the camera back of the Galaxy S4 Zoom as well as the name at the bottom. The clamshell box is enveloped in a wood grain background. Theres a overall nature inspired theme about the packaging that keeps with the ethos of Samsung's Nature inspired smart devices. 

 

On the side of the box, there is the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom logo in all of its glory. You'll find the specifications and the amount of storage your selected device comes with. 

Lets talk about the reason why you are probably here, The Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom. The beautiful phone, camera hybrids sits camera up as you look at it for the first time. The Phamera feels really amazing in your hands. It really easy to switch between taking pictures and using the phone. At first, i thought the large lens would get in the way but its positioning is perfect and doesn't interfere with the way you hold you phone. The Camera is very comfortable to use and is extremely smooth and feels very premium but we will have more about the device on our review. 

Also included in the box is the white USB charger to match the phone, the Battery, Getting started Samsung guides, traditional samsung earphones with adjustable tips , a USB wall adapter and a swab to clean your screen and lens. 

The Battery, SIM card and MicroSD slot is located at the bottom of the phone which is different to traditional Samsung phones which have those slots at the back. The bottom flap is very fragile and seems as if it could tear of at any moment. 

Remember to subscribe to read our upcoming posts on this Phamera as well as other phones and tech appliances. 

Read more ...

Invitations to a rather sketchy Samsung Unpacked event. (EP2)

Samsung is back after its massive success of the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy Tab 3 series! This is the second Samsung unpacked event for 2013, the first one being the launch of the galaxy S4. So to hype all of you tech-loving freaks out there. Samsung has sent out invitations to the another launch event. The invitation as a whole has an overall sketchy look to it and says "NOTE the date" which is something Samsung tends to do as a indication of what to expect at their release events. So we can deduce that Samsung is going to launch the Note III the sequel to the Note II which launched last year. Im really exited to see what the note III will have to offer and how it stands in comparisons with the Galaxy S4 and maybe even the iPhone 5S after it makes its debut later this year. The invitation also states that it will be held at the IFA in berlin on the 4th of September this year. The Note III isn't necessarily the only thing we are going to see there. We may also see the much awaited Galaxy Watch or as its been termed recently "Galaxy Gear." So remember the date 04.09.2013 as we are sure to have upcoming news and for the first time - a Pre-event show but we will have more details about that as time progresses. Don't forget to follow us on Instagram : @igeekdroid and subscribe to my blog for more in-depth content.

RELATED POSTS

RumourReady: What I want to see in the Note III. 

Read more ...

The Samsung Galaxy S4 gets Colorful make-over!

Live at the Samsung Event : Photo Credit- TheVerge

For the past few years we've basically seen Black and White smart phones everywhere but Samsung plans on changing that ... At a recent launch event, Samsung splashed the stage with colour giving the extremely successful Galaxy S4 five new colours. To keep with Samsung's Nature-inspired theme, these colours were given a nature-inspired adjective. The new colours are ; Blue Arctic, Purple Mirage, Red Aurora, Pink Twilight and Brown Autumn. Im really exited for these colours to make they debut as I think its an amazing idea and it will definitely give customers a more personalized feel. We not sure exactly when these new colours will hit South Africa but we sure will let you know when it does.

Read more ...

RumourReady: What I want to See in The Galaxy Note 3

Photo Credit : Tech Expert

Its Christmas, Well not really but it is like Christmas for you Phablet loving freaks out there because Samsung is planning on launching the "Galaxy Note III" or several "Galaxy Note III"s - like they did with the Galaxy S4... The internet has been dominated by leaked pictures and rumored features of this device, so read on as we explore "What I want to see in the Galaxy Note 3"

3 Definite Features 

I would like to see a bigger 6" screen with a better resolution. A better Design that supports a thinner and lighter device. I want to see more premium materials used in the device. It should run Android 4.3 with an updated version of Touchwiz supporting features like multiple-users.

3 Possible Features

Samsung has been working on a button less phone and I actually think the best device to debut that technology on is the Note III , however it may be too early to debut it as it might still be in testing. A improved S-pen with better Application support. A 13 megapixel back-facing camera similar to the one on the S4. 

Photo Credit: The Tech Block

3 Un-likely Features

A completely metal design. With Samsung's record of plastic devices, this is highly unlikely and we know that this rumor isn't true as a Samsung Official stated that "Samsung's next phablet will have a thinner and lighter design." It is very unlikely that a metal phone would be lighter than the existing Note II. Some Rumors also state that the Note III will support the upcoming Android 5.0 "Key-lime Pie" but the software hasn't been announced and probably wont be until after the Note III's launch. The last unlikely feature is that the Note III will support a curved OLED Screen, although i'd love to see this technology on the Note III, its very unlikely that they will launch that technology this soon. 

The Possibility of 3 Versions

Samsung is likely to launch multiple-versions of the Galaxy Note III. We can probably expect a Waterproof Version, A Mini Version and version with a better camera. The "Zoom" version or the "Camera" version will probably have software and hardware updates to take on the recently launched Nokia Lumia 1020.  We aren't sure whether all versions will launch on the same day or whether they will launch at different events. The possibly of three versions of the Note III is very likely.


There are no launch dates or spec sheets that have surfaced as yet but be sure subscribe to us to find out more about the Note III and be one of the first to read about it once its launched.
Keep It Connected

Read more ...

Samsung Galaxy S4 (Unboxing in Pictures)

The Galaxy S4 is an obvious choice for many. An unbeatable Spec sheet and an iconic design. So I thought I'd share with you pictures as I unboxed the phone, so that you know what comes in the box of your Galaxy S4. This is NOT a full review, it is just a detailed unboxing of the Black Mist Galaxy S4, to make you feel as though the phone is right in front of you... 

Lets get to the packaging, The S4 is enclosed in a typical Samsung Clam-Shell box. The box has this nice Wood grain effect on it and this box is made of recycled paper and printed with soy-ink. It has a little gap in the middle to show you wether it is the Black Mist version or the White frost version. I have the Black Mist option (obviously). 

Lets take a quick tour of the box. On the front you'll find the Samsung S4 branding, you'll find that on the left hand side too. On the Right hand side is a little message telling you more about the recycled and nature friendly material used in this packaging. On the back you'll find the specs of the phone as well as the model number and capacity. 

The first thing that meets the eye is this gorgeous Black Mist Samsung Galaxy S4.  Beautiful and lightweight. smooth and grippable. Premium and durable. This is a handset that I would keep for a 2 year contract. Im not going to go into too much detail with the device, ill leave that for the Review, all im going to say is - the S4 is amazing...

The Black Mist Galaxy S4 oddly comes with white exesories just like the white version. The Samsung branded headphones are average and aren't as good as Apple Ear pods. 

The Galaxy S4 box includes the Phone all covered in plastic. The Quick-start guide and manuals, A USB Charger, A Wall adapter and a set of earphones. The Charger is nice shiny and durable as well as he USB charger. 

The Pictures above all belong jointly to iBlogUnscripted and Mikail Jassat. Use of these pictures without the author's prior permission is plagiarism!

Read more ...

Thinking about Upgrading your S3 to the S4: Here are Some reasons to make you think again

Samsung launched the S4 earlier on this year and gave it the enormous title of "The next big thing" and now with the S4 available at many  major South Africa carriers , Consumers are going to want to swop their Old S3s for the new S4 - but here are some reasons why the S4 isn't "The Next Big Thing"...

The S4 looks like it started life as an S3 then got sat on by an overweight person!

In other words the S4 just look bigger and thinner, the design is very similar as Samsung still keeps with the Nature inspired  design. The 13MP camera isn't that much better than the S3's 8MP camera and you probably won't even notice the different unless you zoom in to see each pixel (which I'm sure normal people don't do!)

The S4's software will be available for the S3!

Yes, Android 4.2.2 with TouchWiz "Nature UX 2.0" will be available for the S3 by Mid-August the latest. It will bring the much loved features from the S4 including S Translate, and an updated version of Samsung Apps , S Health and much more. It should even have Smart scroll, but even if it doesn't, the feature doesn't work that well and hurts your eyes (So much for making your life easier)
Having the Software of the S4 on the S3 means your S3 will be completely up to date with all that Samsung and Android have to offer.

A picture showing the S4 Active (Right) , The S4 mini (Center) and that S4
Zoom (Left) at the Release Event. Photo Credit - ibtimes

Samsung milks the S4's design!

Samsung rarely gets something right and when they do , they normally milk the idea more than Nokia milks Windows 8 (and that's just sad!) They do this to maximize on their profit income and multiple devices enter different price margins and target users and they did exactly that with the S4!
Exhibit A- The S4 Zoom, Samsung suddenly got the wild idea that people want a camera phone hybrid , so they merged a Smart camera with the S4s front design to make a half camera, half phone! (I don't really get it either)
Exhibit B - The S4 Active, Aimed at the Xperia Z, the Galaxy S4 active is a water and dust resistant version of the S4.
I hereby rest my point!!

Don't Have an S3 but planning to buy the S4?

If you looking to buy the Galaxy S4 and don't have a S3 then i'd say go ahead after all the Galaxy S4 is an amazing phone, its unique software features (like Smart Stay and S Translate) separates it from other Android phones like the Nexus 4. So the S4 is a great upgrade option if you don't already have an S3. If you have an S3 and buy the S4 I can tell you that you'll be very disappointed as the difference between the S3 and the S4 is very slim however if you do want to save some cash it would be a good idea to buy a S3 and upgrade the software... The S3 (on contract) sets you back about R329/month on a 24 month Anytime 200 contract while the S4 sets you back about R399 on the same contract. Prepaid the S3 costs R5299 and the S4 costs R8399. 

I know you may have questions, whether its about this post or a recommendation for a phone  Feel free to ask them in the comments below and I shall do my best to answer your Questions. Read my posts using your favorite RSS reader and follow me on twitter @iblogunscripted

Thank you for Reading
Keep it Connected

Read more ...

iBlog Awards : TOP10 TABLETS

1.) Microsoft Surface Pro

2.) iPad with Retina Display

3.) Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0

4.) Apple iPad Mini

5.) Sony Xperia Tablet Z 

6.) Nexus 10.1

7.) Samsung ATIV 

8.) Amazon Kindle Fire HD 8.9'

9.) Nexus 7

10.) Samsung Galaxy 2 Tab 7'

Read more ...

5 Gadget Gifts Ideas for Mothers Day.

As you know national mothers-day is this sunday and if you are anything like me , you have either forgotten or are going last-minute gift shopping. So here are a few GADGET GIFT IDEAS!

1. AMAZON KINDLE PAPERWHITE

The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite in my opinion is the best E-Reader on the market with a stunning new Kindle Operating system which is simple and easy to use (perfect for mom). The 6' E-Ink screen is touch screen with quick (almost unnoticeable refreshes) and a new built in reading light so that mom can finish her cliff-hanger murder mystery at night. The Kindle paperwhite has an amazing 8 week battery life , perfect for traveling and just plain day-to-day use. With over 6 fonts and different font sizes for mom to pick from. With the new WhisperSync feature , you can buy books for mom on your iPhone (or any iOS; Android or Windows device) as well as read them yourself. Mom is guaranteed to love this light-weight E-Reader.     

 R2200

2. IPOD NANO 

If your mom loves music, this could be the answer. The new iPod nano has a stunning new design. The simple OS is based on the 2.5' multi- touch Screen. The form-factor of the nano is small enough to fit in mom's pocket or handbag and big enough to use comfortably. Mom could easily load her music, an audiobook or even the audio copy of the Qur'an/Bible. The nano comes with pre-loaded apps (Music, Video, Radio, Photos, podcasts and Fitness.) At present the iPod nano doesn't have any App Store or ability to load more apps onto the device. Mom can also store pictures of her children or even grandchildren. The Nike Fitness+ app means that mom can go for a morning jog/walk listen to PowerMusic on the way and have a look at stats like how far she walked, how many calories she burnt. It is an amazing way for mom to keep in shape and track her progress doing it. Mom will definitely love     it and if she doesn't i'm sure you will!

R1899

3. APPLE MACBOOK AIR 11'

If you are really looking to spoil you mom this mothers day or just kissing up to her - The Macbook Air is a perfect entry laptop into the Apple Mac world. Mac OSX is a simple software that allows users to customize the size of apps so that mom can see them easily however buying a macbook itself can be pretty expensive as well as extra costs for software like Office for Mac (R1200). The macbook is slim and light-weight. An amazing companion for work or hobbies.

 R9999

4 . SONY S-FRAME WI-FI SERIES

What better gift than to remind mom of all the good memories  you've had. The Sony S-Frame is the best way to do that. Mom can view pictures from a SD card, the devices memory or even your Facebook profile (which could or could not be a good thing). The Sony S-Frame can also give you the weather, your Facebook updates and the date. A easy and cheaper alternative to printing and framing pictures. The S-Frame automatically organizes and plays your pictures on the amazing screen out of the box. mom doesn't have to spend hours setting up it, she can enjoy amazing slideshows from day one. 

Mom will love it!

R799

5. SAMSUNG GALAXY S4

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is the perfect way for you and your mom to keep in touch. the S4 runs Android Jelly Bean 2.2 with Samsung's Touchwiz UX which is both the easiest and most customizable software out there , whether you mom is 30 or 90, I can guarantee she will love this amazing software! I'd definitely recommend it, I think its better than the iPhone 5. The S4 makes it easy for mom to communicate, keep healthy and fit (using the S'Health app). I would suggest if you go for this option you should buy yourself one too! (if you don't have one already)

 R7899

Happy Mothers day! Hope these GADGET GIFT IDEAS! were helpful - Send your pictures of  your mothers day gadget gifts to : iblogunscripted@yahoo.com. 

Read more ...

Samsung Unpacked Ep1 2013

Samsung held their first release event for 2013. After much success with the amazing Galaxy SIII (which I rated #1 Smartphone of 2012) they release the next generation Galaxy - The Samsung Galaxy S4. The Event had an interesting twist with a broadway feeling because of the location and I thought it was smart given the idea of the S4 and it helped potential consumers to have a look at what they could use the array of gestures for.

DESIGN

The S4 Keeps the amazing curved edges of the nature inspired design of the SIII however the new design incoporates the new 5' display. The device is infact smaller than its predecessor its exactly the same height and is much thinner (which is amazing when you understand the new features and Specs). As with most Samsung devices the S4 is unfortunately made of plastic (a fact that I hated with the SIII) The reason why I didn't like it is because plastic doesn't feel as premium as Metal used in the iPhone for example, which is important to have when the iPhone is its #1 rival. Colour-wise it comes in "White Frost" and "Black Mist" with a promise of more color options in due course. The sides of this phone has a metal finish similar to that of the iPhone 4S and the Blackberry Bold 9900. Something that i'm really happy about is the textured back, since when I had the SIII I found that the  backing of the phone was to slippery and I couldn't grasp the phone properly. Overall I think the design is wonderful - its simply yet bold , extravagant yet elegant, its simply beautiful but personally after having used the Galaxy SIII for a while , I feel that the design is too similar to its predecessor as well as the Galaxy Note II. 

DISPLAY

Something that Samsung always gets right is the screen. The S4 is no exception with a 5' Super HD AmOLED screen that has a stunning 441ppi (compared to the iPhone 5 which has 326ppi.) The screen makes for a crisp and flowing display. Another thing Samsung has done is that the screen automatically adjusts to the type of App you using in order for the display to be more pleasant to your eyes.

 OS

GROUP PLAY

If you have a song you want your friends to listen to you can use Group play with allows you to play the exact song on up to 8 S4s without using wireless or 3G. 

SOUND&SHOT

With the Sound & Shot feature you can add sound to a picture, you can hence hear what was said during that moment.

DRAMA SHOT

Drama Shot allows you to take series of pictures of a moving moment and then puts them into one picture. The feature allows you to see the detailed actions of the action. 

DUAL CAMERA

Most smart phones on the market have two cameras - a front facing and a back facing camera , Samsung decided to make use of both of the cameras at once using the Dual camera feature. I think this feature is amazing as I always find that when I take pictures I end up with none of myself, when with this feature you can take a picture and add yourself into the picture. You can use this feature on ChatON video. 

S TRANSLATOR

If you are traveling the world and meet someone who speaks a different language to you , you can simply use this feature. You type out your desired sentence and it says it in one of the 9 built-in languages (including French, Chinese, Portuguese and Korean.) It then waits for a reply and translates that into text.

SMAT PAUSE & SMART SCROLL

The S4 tracks your eyes to see what you are looking at so that when you are watching a video , it pauses when you look away and resumes when you look at it again. 

S VOICE DRIVE

S Voice Drive is a samsung designed voice assistant that takes in account safety when driving using bigger fonts and a simpler interface. You can now make calls , answer them and ask for directions.

S HEALTH

The S4 helps you stay healthy and fit as it tracks your workouts and your daily intakes.

STATS

• Network 2.5G (GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE): 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz, 3G (HSPA+ 42Mbps): 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz, 4G (LTE Cat 3 100/50Mbps): up to six different band sets (Dependent on market)
• Display 5 inch Full HD Super AMOLED (1920 x 1080) display, 441 ppi
• Processor 1.6 GHz Octa-Core Processor
• OS Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
• Camera Main (Rear): 13 Mega pixel Auto Focus camera with Flash & Zero Shutter Lag, BIS, Sub (Front): 2 Mega pixel camera, Full HD recording @30fps with Zero Shutter Lag, BIS
• Video Codec MPEG4, H.264, H.263, DivX, DivX3.11, VC-1, VP8, WMV7/8, Sorenson Spark, HEVC
• Recording & Playback Full HD (1080p)
• Audio Codec MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA, OGG, FLAC, AC-3, apt-X
• Dual Camera Dual Shot / Dual Recording/ Dual Video Call, Drama Shot, Sound & Shot, 360 Photo, Cinema Photo, Eraser, Night, Best Photo, Best Face, Beauty Face, HDR (High Dynamic Range), Panorama, Sports
• Additional Features Group Play: Share Music, Share Picture, Share Document, Play Games, Story Album, S Translator, Optical Reader, Samsung Smart Scroll, Samsung Smart Pause, Air Gesture, Air View, Samsung Hub, ChatON (Voice/Video Call, Share screen, 3-way calling), Samsung WatchON, S Travel (Trip Advisor), S Voice™ Drive, S Health, Samsung Adapt Display, Samsung Adapt Sound, Auto adjust touch sensitivity (Glove friendly), Safety Assistance, Samsung Link, Screen Mirroring, Samsung KNOX (B2B only), Google Mobile Services Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude, Google Play Store, Google Plus, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Places, Google Navigation, Google Downloads, Voice Search
• Connectivity WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (HT80), GPS / GLONASS, NFC, Bluetooth® 4.0 (LE), IR LED (Remote Control), MHL 2.0, Sensor Accelerometer, RGB light, Geomagnetic, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer, Temperature & Humidity, Gesture
• Memory 16/ 32/ 64 GB User memory + microSD slot (up to 64GB)
• RAM 2GB
• Dimensions 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm, 130g
  • Battery 2,600 mAh
• 

Read more ...

Samsung Posts SIV Teaser!

Earlier today The korean based company Samsung post the above picture of the alleged Galaxy SIV smartphone (which is set to release on the 14th May 2013 at the Samsung Unpacked event in New York) on their Twitter and Facebook feeds. The image shows the upper half of the smartphone, Curved edges (suggesting Samsung is using the same 'Nature Inspired' design and most importantly or should i say most awkwardly the phone is missing its headset speaker, so the question lingers ...

 Did they do that on purpose? 

Follow my twitter feed @iblogunscripted and subscribe to read more SIV news leading up to the event and definitely a breakdown of the event and my thoughts on the device. 

Read more ...

Samsung Galaxy SIV To Release on The 14 March!

Consumers, Developers and tech geeks everywhere... The SIV announcement date has been set for the 14 March 2013. So set your Calendars. Its going to be a good one!

SUBSCRIBE TO MY BLOG TO READ THE LATEST UPDATES OF THE EVENT AND THE DEVICE (INCLUDING A BREAKDOWN OF THE EVENT). 

Read more ...