Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge.
Samsung at Mobile World Congress this week backed away from its typical plastic and removal backs with two new flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. The phones on the inside are the exact same phone. Both feature a 5.1” Quad HD display with a resolution of 2560x1440. The camera is a 16 MP shooter capable of taking 4K video. The new processors inside the phone are 64 bit octa-core processors that beat out the previous generation of Galaxy flagships. Both of these phones sport a brand new design with a non-removable glass back with a metal band around the edges of the phone, which give this phone an iPhone-like look. The two phones will come in 32, 64, and 128 GB configurations with no expandable storage.
The difference between the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge is the way the screen is designed. The S6 has the same flat screen that we see present on most other smartphones on the market today. The S6 Edge has a screen that curves over the left and right edges of the phone which allow the software on the phone to have different features than the standard phone. It is not set in stone what the new phones will cost but it is believed that the S6 Edge will be more expensive than the S6.
With the new phones also come new software improvements to TouchWiz. Samsung will remove a good amount of the preloaded that came on previous models of their smartphones. The new TouchWiz software simplifies the interface down a bit and has a more Android Lollipop look to it. Another software feature that Samsung plans to announce is Samsung Pay. Samsung Pay will work with NFC based mobile payment systems and is also similar to how Apple Pay works.
Overall the new Samsung flagships look amazing in terms of design. Right now it seems like there will be a lot of good aspects about the phones with a few things that die hard Samsung fans may not be able to let go, such as the expandable storage we have seen in previous Samsung phones.
For more information about the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge visit Samsung’s website.
Ryan: Senior Website Director and Publisher 3-2-2015
The difference between the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge is the way the screen is designed. The S6 has the same flat screen that we see present on most other smartphones on the market today. The S6 Edge has a screen that curves over the left and right edges of the phone which allow the software on the phone to have different features than the standard phone. It is not set in stone what the new phones will cost but it is believed that the S6 Edge will be more expensive than the S6.
With the new phones also come new software improvements to TouchWiz. Samsung will remove a good amount of the preloaded that came on previous models of their smartphones. The new TouchWiz software simplifies the interface down a bit and has a more Android Lollipop look to it. Another software feature that Samsung plans to announce is Samsung Pay. Samsung Pay will work with NFC based mobile payment systems and is also similar to how Apple Pay works.
Overall the new Samsung flagships look amazing in terms of design. Right now it seems like there will be a lot of good aspects about the phones with a few things that die hard Samsung fans may not be able to let go, such as the expandable storage we have seen in previous Samsung phones.
For more information about the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge visit Samsung’s website.
Ryan: Senior Website Director and Publisher 3-2-2015
Apple Watch To Be On Sale In April.
In a recent interview with the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook, revealed some interesting new information about the Apple Watch which was set to be released sometime this year. Cook stated that the Apple Watch will be available in April. This is significant information for all Apple fans out there looking to get their hands on the “revolutionary” new smartwatch. Later in 2014 information leaked about pricing for the Apple Watch and it’s not pretty.
The starting price for the Apple Watch is $350. That may not sound so bad but when you put into perspective how many different variants there are of the Apple Watch it starts to get ugly. The $350 price tag is for the small Apple Watch Sport which is made of aluminum. The other models are made out of stainless steel and gold. The standard Apple Watch is made out of stainless steel and is predicted to be $500 starting price for the smallest version. The gold watch, called Apple Watch Edition, could peak into the thousands for a large model of the watch. Since the Apple Watch will be out in April we can also expect a software update for the iPhones that will support it. Beta iOS 8.2 has been out for months and adds multiple features for developers to create apps that will be compatible with the Apple Watch.
If you are wondering if the Apple Watch is worth it this first time around I’ll give you my opinion. Wait until the Apple Watch 2. The second generation of Apple products have always been significantly better than the first, which is expected. But they aren’t only better because of the physical hardware specs but because more support and content will be available for the second generation. It will be interesting to see how Apple’s first smartwatch does in a category that has already been dominated for about a year with Android Wear by Google, which has multiple smartwatches from different manufacturers already available to the Android fanatic.
For more information about the Apple Watch check out Apple's website.
Ryan: Senior Website Director and Publisher 2-4-2015
The starting price for the Apple Watch is $350. That may not sound so bad but when you put into perspective how many different variants there are of the Apple Watch it starts to get ugly. The $350 price tag is for the small Apple Watch Sport which is made of aluminum. The other models are made out of stainless steel and gold. The standard Apple Watch is made out of stainless steel and is predicted to be $500 starting price for the smallest version. The gold watch, called Apple Watch Edition, could peak into the thousands for a large model of the watch. Since the Apple Watch will be out in April we can also expect a software update for the iPhones that will support it. Beta iOS 8.2 has been out for months and adds multiple features for developers to create apps that will be compatible with the Apple Watch.
If you are wondering if the Apple Watch is worth it this first time around I’ll give you my opinion. Wait until the Apple Watch 2. The second generation of Apple products have always been significantly better than the first, which is expected. But they aren’t only better because of the physical hardware specs but because more support and content will be available for the second generation. It will be interesting to see how Apple’s first smartwatch does in a category that has already been dominated for about a year with Android Wear by Google, which has multiple smartwatches from different manufacturers already available to the Android fanatic.
For more information about the Apple Watch check out Apple's website.
Ryan: Senior Website Director and Publisher 2-4-2015
Microsoft Windows 10 Event.
On January 21, 2015 Microsoft held an event to show the public the future of Windows 10 and some unexpected new products. Windows 10 we have seen before and have had the chance to download the Technical Preview but during the event Microsoft showed us new features that would be added into the software. Along with new features added into Windows 10 we saw to products that caught our eye, the Surface Hub and Hololens. The Surface Hub is a large screen Surface Tablet that is meant for conference rooms in the office. The Hololens is Microsoft’s step into virtual reality and it looks amazing.
For the first year after Windows 10 is available all upgrades will be free, even from Windows 7. One of the new features is that Cortana added to the PC. Cortana is Microsoft’s artificial intelligence assistant that is currently on their Windows Phones. Cortana has been revamped to know all of the PC ins and outs. You can now just ask for a setting in Windows instead of having to look around for that little setting like you have had to do in previous versions of Windows. Along with Windows 10 comes a new web browser Microsoft is calling Project Spartan. This new web browser will replace the current Internet Explorer browser that has been a part of Windows from the beginning of the internet. Project Spartan will be redesigned to give users a new look and feel from Internet Explorer. It has not been said exactly when the final version of Windows 10 will be announced, however there is a technical preview that you can sign up for right now on their website.
Surface Hub is a new product that was announced at the event. The Surface Hub is an 84 inch 4K display that is placed on a wall. The Surface Hub will be used mainly in office buildings for conference calls in Skype or for meetings. Surface Hub also has a pen for people to write things on the screen similar to a white board. The Surface Hub has two cameras on the front to allow for video conferencing via Skype. Full specs of the Surface Hub have not yet been announced. Pricing has not yet been announced either, however we do know the Surface Hub will be available sometime this year.
The big jaw dropper at the event was the newly announced Hololens. Hololens uses a new type of processor which allows for it to display holographic material and process numerous gestures performed by the user. At the event people got to see the first use of Hololens on stage, which was how Hololens could be used in everyday life and how to create holographic art. They then showed off a 3D printed version of what was created in the Hololens Studio. There is no set price yet for the Hololens. The Hololens will be released sometime this year.
Microsoft at this event showed that they have not slowed down and gotten behind the other tech giants out there, but have developed new ways to interact with technology and have invented futuristic products we never saw coming from Microsoft. More information about these products can be found on Microsoft's website.
Ryan: Senior Website Director and Publisher 2-1-2015
For the first year after Windows 10 is available all upgrades will be free, even from Windows 7. One of the new features is that Cortana added to the PC. Cortana is Microsoft’s artificial intelligence assistant that is currently on their Windows Phones. Cortana has been revamped to know all of the PC ins and outs. You can now just ask for a setting in Windows instead of having to look around for that little setting like you have had to do in previous versions of Windows. Along with Windows 10 comes a new web browser Microsoft is calling Project Spartan. This new web browser will replace the current Internet Explorer browser that has been a part of Windows from the beginning of the internet. Project Spartan will be redesigned to give users a new look and feel from Internet Explorer. It has not been said exactly when the final version of Windows 10 will be announced, however there is a technical preview that you can sign up for right now on their website.
Surface Hub is a new product that was announced at the event. The Surface Hub is an 84 inch 4K display that is placed on a wall. The Surface Hub will be used mainly in office buildings for conference calls in Skype or for meetings. Surface Hub also has a pen for people to write things on the screen similar to a white board. The Surface Hub has two cameras on the front to allow for video conferencing via Skype. Full specs of the Surface Hub have not yet been announced. Pricing has not yet been announced either, however we do know the Surface Hub will be available sometime this year.
The big jaw dropper at the event was the newly announced Hololens. Hololens uses a new type of processor which allows for it to display holographic material and process numerous gestures performed by the user. At the event people got to see the first use of Hololens on stage, which was how Hololens could be used in everyday life and how to create holographic art. They then showed off a 3D printed version of what was created in the Hololens Studio. There is no set price yet for the Hololens. The Hololens will be released sometime this year.
Microsoft at this event showed that they have not slowed down and gotten behind the other tech giants out there, but have developed new ways to interact with technology and have invented futuristic products we never saw coming from Microsoft. More information about these products can be found on Microsoft's website.
Ryan: Senior Website Director and Publisher 2-1-2015
