Review: Panasonic LUMIX GX7 16.0 MP DSLM Camera with LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm II Lens and Tilt-Live Viewfinder (Silver)

Panasonic LUMIX GX7 via Amazon.com

I love this camera. I even love the fact that Panasonic didn't choose to make it retro like Olympus or Fujifilm. It is what it is and doesn't try to be anything else. Since Panasonic first came out with a micro 4/3 camera in 2008 I've been waiting for this camera. It fits my wants perfectly. It's not the best in any category but it's almost there in almost every one. The Sony NEX offers better dynamic range and Fujifilm X-trans models offers better low light performance. The GH3 offers better video with jacks for microphone and headset. The Olympus EM-1 offers weather proofing and better in camera stabilization. None of them give me the exact package that the GX7 does when it comes to external controls, portability and ergonomics. That's not to say that other cameras wouldn't fit you better. There are some excellent choices out there.

Pluses:
*In body image stabilization.
*Super fast focus.
*Wi-Fi (It has NFC for supposedly easy connection. My iPhone won't do that so I can't comment on ease)
*Will focus in very dark conditions. (not quite as quickly but very accurately)
*Good video quality (try the black and white setting at 24 FPS for an old time movie look!)
*Lots of external controls.
*Very good image quality, as good as the EM-5 or GH3.
*Built in EVF and a good one that tilts up.
*Tilting LCD screen.
*Excellent build.
*Excellent hand grip.
*Flash shoe.
*3 User programmable settings on mode dial.
****It just feels good in the hands!!

Minuses:
*Stabilization doesn't work in video mode (unless you have a stabilized lens).
*The strap rings are too low on the side and get in the way of hands, especially the left one.
*No auto ISO in manual mode. (Fuji has it. Sony doesn't.)
*No microphone jack for use in video, though the stereo built in mics are pretty good for casual vids.
*No weatherproofing, though no other rangefinder competitor has it either.
*All the programmable buttons may overwhelm the less experienced.
*Not good for sports shooting, though I don't know anyone who has used a rangefinder style camera for sports anyway.

I listed a number of minuses but don't consider any of them a big deal. Your mileage may vary. Bottom line, this is the camera I've been waiting for and I'm not disappointed in any way.

P.S. A more personal take.
The camera's grip is shaped such that I hold my right elbow closer to my chest than with the squarish grip on my NEX camera, which tends to push my elbow out and up. With a camera this light that's probably not a big deal but may make for a more stable shot.

I'm not particularly impressed with the stabilization. It's a step in the right direction and does help but it is nowhere near as nice as Olympus OM-D, which I've rented. Since I haven't shot it for about 4 years all I can do is guess, but I'd say it's about as effective as a Pentax K20D, which is 3 generations old. It's better than nothing and helps when using an old model Panasonic 20mm. I'm glad to have it. I wouldn't count on it for handholding a long lens. Since I don't have one, again, that's a guess.

The buttons have a nice positive feel and are sufficiently far apart that I can hit the right one without worrying about it. I've been playing with the buttons while watching videos, which is how I normally learn a camera. Since I've only had this for 4 days I don't have the layout worked into muscle memory.

It's the same with the menu system. I have a Nikon D600 and a Sony NEX 6. I'm going to sell the NEX as it does much the same thing as I intend for the GX7. The menus make more sense than Sony's which can require multiple dips into them to change some things like using extended dynamic range. Also, compared to the NEX, I'd say that the Panasonic has better jpegs and a better metering system. That said, there are a lot of potential ways to program the many function buttons and I'm going to be a while getting the camera set up just the way I want.

I also like the GX7s ability to use a phone as a Wi-Fi remote. Sony does that too but requires the purchase of separate apps for different functions. The Sony is also slower when using the phone as a remote. It takes longer to focus and has a shutter lag. I haven't noticed that with the GX7.

I like shooting a small camera with primes and Sony has a lack of focal length equivalents lower than 50mm. There are some Zeiss ones that are good but they are bulky and expensive. The M43 choices are much more extensive and the lenses are much smaller and less costly, so the total package is smaller and lighter and less expensive. I've been shooting mostly with the Panny 20mm, which seems made for this camera. Next up is the Olympus 12mm, but that's expensive and I'll have to save for it.

What more can I say? This camera is fun to shoot. It just feels right in my hands. That's such a subjective point and may be totally different for others. Everything is fast. It turns on fast, focuses fast, allows me to shoot a number of shots in quick succession and doesn't bog down. I don't use the burst mode. I wish the GX7 had a true 100 ISO mode as I sometimes to take longer exposures in daylight. I'll just need a stronger ND filter to to so than I have.

I've printed a couple of photos from the GX7 at 13X19. That's as big as my printer will go. I can't tell any difference at that size between the GX7 and the NEX 6 at ISO 200 or 800. I do prefer the 4x3 format rather than the 3x2 of an APS sensor. It's closer in shape to the 11x14 inch or 16x20 inch frames that are easy to pick up at Michael's or Target.

One thing I didn't mention in the review is how the camera is totally silent when using the electronic shutter. Turn that off and the camera turns off all other sounds. I think of it as stealth mode. Us that with the touch shutter on the view screen and it's possible to take photos and nobody has a clue. I do mostly street or documentary shooting and I love that ability. Even when people know you're photographing them a shutter can be distracting.

Article Source: http://www.amazon.com/review

Related articles

• Panasonic LUMIX GX7 16.0 MP DSLM Camera with LUMIX G VARIO 14-42mm II Lens and Tilt-Live Viewfinder (Silver)
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 Review
• Bethany: Panasonic Lumix DMC-GX7 Review
• Panasonic LUMIX GX7 16.0 MP DSLM Camera with Tilt-Live Viewfinder - Body Only (Silver)
• Panasonic outs tiny Lumix GM1 interchangeable lens camera
• Panasonic's Lumix GM1 is a True Point-and-Shoot Killer

Easy Video Suite Marketing Software is LIVE!

Video marketing had to evolve. It was inevitable.
It was becoming much too complicated. And if it isn't too complicated for some people, it's still definitely too time consuming.

You had to worry about the following:

• Redoing videos over and over again to make sure you got everything right in one take or face the daunting task of loading your raw video into Camtasia or another editor to make everything perfect.
• Making sure your videos were optimized for the web (So they looked good and didn't take too long to start playing).
• Having a different mobile version of your videos to show users of iPhone, iPad, Android and other mobile devices (More and more people are doing most of the web viewing from their smart phones and other mobile devices).
• Basically using "duct-tape" to try and put all the pieces together with Camtasia, Screenflow, Jing, Handbrake while continually looking for the "perfect" solution to make it all easier or less time consuming.
• Uploading large files to your own server, Youtube, Amazon S3 or other video hosting service.
• Getting the proper code in place to display your videos with the hope that mobile devices would be able to see the mobile version of your video.

Well, someone has finally done something about it.

Josh Bartlett, the creator of the industries leading video player called Easy Video Player, has truly done something innovative in video marketing. His Easy Video Player software had game-changing features two years ago that other video marketing solutions have just recently tried to introduce.
And on top of that, Josh could boast about the following:

• Tens of thousands of satisfied customers.
• The lowest refund rate in the industry for Clickbank (Only 2%).
• More top marketers and 6 to 7 figure launches use Easy Video Player than anything else. (Mike Filsaime, Chris Farrel, Ryan Deiss, Jason Moffatt, Maria Andros, Justin Brooke to name a few).

Rather than throw in a few, new and "cool" features and re-launch his product simply for the money, he listened to his customers and did something else. He took over two years and hundreds of thousands of his own dollars to create something that will change the way you market your business with videos.

You'll now be able to record, edit, publish, market and track all your videos with one, easy-to-use solution.
Josh is releasing this all-in-one video marketing solution on January 15th, 2013 with a free video series leading up to the launch.

Watch the first video here.

He's going to reveal the story about his journey and passion that led him to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars from his own pocket to create the ultimate video marketing solution.
And how you can now do the following:

• Drag and drop your video into a desktop application (Mac and Pc Compatible) that will optimize and convert your video for the web, let you edit if needed, upload it and give you the code to copy and paste to your website.
• Record your screen or face camera from within this application and even draw on the screen.
• Never worry about whether users on mobile devices can see your videos (It creates and displays a mobile version of your videos for you).
• Split test your videos to see which ones are shared the most, have the most engagement and which versions make the most money.

That's just scratching the surface...
What all this ultimately means for you is that marketing your business with videos is going to be much, much easier. And you'll make a ton more money while having more time to do what you love.

Anyways...Josh is also going to demonstrate the amazing power of his creation in this series.
So go see how video marketing has evolved.

Talk soon,
Social Network Asia

Facebook Addiction: The Life & Times of Social Networking Addicts Book Review

Facebook Addiction: The Life & Times
of Social Networking Addicts
(Image via Amazon aStore)

On my Kindle for iPhone, I entered the search words, "Facebook addiction." I certainly wasn't expecting to find a book called "Facebook Addiction." And the book is written so simply and honestly that I read it in a few hours. I commend pioneers--honest people--like Nnamdi Osuagwu, whose writing will perhaps save more peoples' offline lives (in more ways than one). As a result of reading his book, I posted the following blog on [...]:

I'm Paul Aaron, and I'm a social networking addict. And instead of getting on Face-book first thing this morning, I'm grateful that I downloaded N. G. Osugwu's book, Facebook Addiction: The Life and Times of Social Networking Addicts. It was available through the Amazon Kindle application for iPhone.

I first created my Face-book account shortly before admitting defeat again to drug abuse. I went to a rehab, stayed in touch with many of the people I met there, and continue to have a strong support group in Narcotics Anonymous. I've been clean from drugs for almost six months now. I have not been clean, however, from the drug that has taken over my life in place of the drugs I was taking before: SNEAKING. My Face-book addiction was not out of control at first, but--like other types of addictions--was insidious and got worse over time. At the peak of my SNEAKING, I was ignoring phone calls; ignoring my partner of ten years; having Face-book-chat-sex; posting new profile pictures--on average--every twelve hours; feeling guilty and unfulfilled after a morning or night of SNEAKING--it was as if I could never get enough; making myself unavailable to the people I serve at work because I was continually on Face book via iPhone application; obsessing over what my next status update would entail; obsessing over what shocking thing or image or video I could post next, the primary goal being to get the most "comments" in return; deleting any status update or picture or link that did not get an immediate responses from my "friend" pool; and going to bed every night and waking up every morning with Face book.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do now. I know that something needs to be done. I've only gone on Face book once today, but it was enough to set the wheels turning. It's all I think about; it's all I day dream about; it's all I dream about, period, anymore, and that frightens me. I'm not opposed to deleting my account completely. People with predispositions to addiction of any sort seem better off when they give up the drug completely.

Like a narcotic, Face-book allowed me to be in a constant trance, disconnected from everyday reality. I really think my love affair with it has ended, but I've grown as a result, and I'm just glad I didn't lose anyone or hurt anyone--too badly--as a result of my active addiction.

Thank you all for your support.

Article Source:
http://www.amazon.com/review

Related articles

• How is Facebook Addiction Affecting Our Minds? [INFOGRAPHIC]
• 15 Myths about Addiction
• Social Media is an Obsession, not an Addiction, According to Expert
• Addiction on the Streets: Frequently Asked Questions
• Understanding the Nature of Addiction
• Facebook addict.

Canon EOS Rebel T4i 18.0 MP CMOS Digital SLR with 18-55mm EF-S IS II Lens Review

English: DSLR Camera Canon EOS 60D Nederlands: DSLR Camera Canon EOS 60D (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I had this long awesome review and Amazon lost it of course. So here goes a second try.

This is my second Canon camera. Previously I have owned Olympus and Minolta cameras. I owned a t2i before this and used a t3i for weeks for testing purposes. I will try to cover most aspects of the new features and image quality. For testing purposes I used a Canon 17-40L lens.

Look and Feel:
Not much to say here for the look of the camera. Looks almost the exact same as the t2i, t3i. The battery grip and accessories all fit the same. One thing that is different from the t2i is the proximity sensor. On the t2i it was below the optical viewfinder and above the screen. On the t4i it is above the optical viewfinder. I use an eyecup and it used to make the screen shut off on its own regularly on the t2i. This is a non issue for the t4i. There is also an added dedicated movie button in the power switch now.

Feel is a little different. The t4i feels more sturdy than the previous two rebels. The buttons are more solid and the selector wheels are improved. The adjustment wheel has better clicks and don't feel like you could easily flick it and change a setting by accident. The mode selector wheel is sturdier as well. I notice this because my t2i used to regularly switch to A-DEP mode when I would pull the camera out of my bag and I would get upset if I missed a quick shot because of it. I feel this will be a non issue with the new model. One issue I have is using my eyecup mentioned previously. The flippy screen catches on this and is just a slight annoyance but not a huge deal in the grand scheme. The rebel series always felt a bit small in the hand for me so I now use a battery grip which adds weight and substance to the camera.

Touchscreen:
When I saw rumors that the t4i would have a touchscreen I first said I wouldn't buy it. I figured this would be a gimmick and offer limited functionality. Then when i saw the press release and videos from Canon I changed my mind. I was sceptic of a couple things I will address here. I will start with the touch to adjust. Right now I feel kind of wonky using the touchscreen to make most adjustments to shooting in manual mode which is all i shoot in. But I consider this like moving from a blackberry to an iPhone. You are used to using buttons and the keyboard for so long you are lost on the touchscreen at first, but with time it ends up faster and easier. So in time it will end up faster for me to adjust by touch I am sure. It is in two spots already. ISO adjusting always seemed kind of odd to me on the rebel. The ISO button was placed so you had to kind of search for it and then do a three button combo to set it. On the touchscreen I find this easier. A couple taps and its done. The other major place it's easier for me is AEB. Bracketing on Canon is typically a pain. Hit menu, find the exposure selector, hit OK. Slide the wheel, hit OK again then press menu. On touchscreen you just press the exposure and tap a couple times to set the bracket.

Touch to focus was something that I didn't see coming from Canon. When they announced it my thought was it would be OK but nothing great. I figured it would be where you would touch on one of the 9 AF points you would like the camera to use. But thanks to the hybrid CMOS on the camera, it is truly a touch to focus. No matter where in the frame you press the camera will seek out and quickly focus on that area. This function works much better than I anticipated and I may use it in the future. At first I figured this would be a selling point for soccer moms but I was incorrect. I have not used the face detection follow focus to comment on it yet.

Samsung Galaxy S III/S3 GT-I9300 Factory Unlocked Phone Review

English: TouchWiz 4.0 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I was a previous iPhone user, until I switched from the 4 to a Galaxy S2, and I loved it, but there were alot of things wrong with the S2, Samsung has listened to user feedback and used their experience to make this 4.8 inch masterpiece. Why do I love this phone so much?

1. Performance - Scrolling is buttery smooth, gaming is buttery smooth, even throwing NOVA 3 at it will not phase that quad-core Exynos 4212 and the improved Mali-400 beast (oh I mean chip) inside this phone. It blows the Tegra 3 and the Snapdragon S4 clean out of the water, sorry One X owners.
2. Audio - The S2 has okay audio quality, it's Yamaha chip was fine for...most people, however it was a bit disappointing compared to even the iPhone's sound quality, so I always used software decoding for listening to music. The S3 has seen Samsung's return to the Wolfson audio chip, and it is absolutely stunning especially with the new SoundAlive system which allows Bass Boosting, Clarity, and Virtualization out of the box.
3. Camera - The S2's camera was good, the S3's camera is even better. It may be a 'measly' 8MP, but Samsung has played around with the software in order to create a camera with zero shutter lag, a definite plus. Now it can take great looking photos, quickly.
4. Battery Life - The GS2 has a notoriously horrible battery life, it was basically essential to root and install custom ROMs because of the battery life. The GS2 had a 1650 mAh battery, the S3 has a 2100 mAh battery. It may have even more power than the S2 but the battery life is definitely improved, I just watched over 2 hours straight of 720p video and the battery meerely went from 85% to 70%. If this was my GS2 it would have gone from 85% to 60 or even lower. Battery life while using data has also been improved, an hour of internet browsing hit my battery only 10% rather than the 20 or 30 that would have been seen on the S2
5. The feel - The S2 was made out of plastic, very light plastic that felt cheap. Of course I know better than to judge how "cheap" a phone is by lightness, but many other reviewers hated it for this very reason. Samsung answered by making the S3 out of poly-carbonate, the same material as a One X. As a result, it feels solid and light in my hand, amazingly it managed to be 5g heavier than the One X while feeling so much lighter.
6. The "new" TouchWiz - I know TouchWiz has had alot, I mean alot of hate over the years. I hated TW3 myself, and didn't enjoy the orignal TW4, only enjoying it's lock screen. The new Touchwiz shipped out with this phone that has a nature feel to it feels great. The ripple effect on the unlock is very enjoyable and I enjoy the Galaxy Nexus inspired app drawer. As a plus I am so grateful to Samsung for removing the horrible Social and Media Hubs.

Of course however...in everything there are things you don't like, and this is no different. The HD Super Amoled screen is great, but, I really wish that for this phone they would have created the Plus version. The Pentile matrix is just inferior to the RBG RBG layout. The ppi is high enough however to stop the picture from being blurry, so its just a nitpik. The things like SmartStay and S-Voice are frankly gimmicks though, and while they seem to have potential they don't really...work. Frankly Iris is better than S-Voice.


Article Source:
http://www.amazon.com/review

Related articles

• Galaxy S III And Other TouchWIZ Phones Can Be Easily Hard Reset Via The Web Browser
• iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S3 Battery Life confrontation
• iPhone 5, Galaxy S III cost less than $1 per year to charge
• Samsung Unleashes Security Fix for Hack on Galaxy S III
• Tutorial to Unlock Sim: Galaxy S3 I9300
• New Exploit Could Force Factory Reset On Many Samsung Phones Running TouchWiz

iPhone 5 Features Hit with Technical Glitches

ios apps (Photo credit: osde8info)

After a massive successful launched of iPhone 5 in Asia and around the world on Friday, Apple's iPhone 5 features hit with several technical glitches. Quite a number of iPhone 5 users has been complaining about their newly born gadget mapping system.

The app is Apple’s rival to Google Maps, which is not available on Apple's iOS 6 app library, but users have today said that the new app compares unfavourably with its predecessor. Small software glitches have also been reported and have been detailed on Apple's support forum pages. Apple did not respond to ABC News' request for comment on the scratch issue.

Apple has faced criticism for glitches in its Map app in iOS 6. The new app, which replaces Google Maps, has misplaced some towns and displayed other geographic errors. Many users have protested that the new maps misplace some landmarks and leave others off altogether.

Are the maps on iPhone 5 really a problem?

I used mine yesterday and had no problems with it. I suspect that the media coverage has been hugely overblown, which is rather typical where Apple is concerned. The company seems to take a beating over relatively minor things.

Like any new product, Maps will get better over time. People seem to forget that Google's mapping apps didn't set the world on fire when they first came out either. Apple is already working to improve its maps app. For now it seems to work well enough for me.

One of my co-workers stood in line to get a new iPhone 5, so thanks to his, er, perseverance, I got to play around with it and we spent some time with maps, including using it while we drove to lunch.  My conclusion was that it worked fine for him, in our town. Nothing special, but fine. On the other hand, we looked at some of the examples that had been noted as failures by other people, and sure enough, there were some major errors.  If I was travelling in an unfamiliar city, it would make me uneasy if I had to depend on an iPhone 5.  I would be fine with driving around an area I generally know while looking for an unfamiliar location.  Fortunately, there is a workaround already available - they make these paper things that are also called "maps" that will work in a pinch!

Related articles

• Street View for iPhone 5 and iOS 6 users is two weeks away
• No Google Maps for iPhone 5 yet
• Five user complaints about iPhone 5
• iPhone 5 map glitch seemingly ends Japan-China territory argument
• Apple iPhone 5 Teardown: Visual Tour
• iPhone 5 Review: Apple Has The Closest Thing To A Perfect Phone, Ever (AAPL)

iPhone 5: Shatterproof Screen Protector

Image via CrunchBase

The time get over of iPhone 4S. Apple give the time limitation to its old model of iPhone 4S by introducing with its new model name iPhone 5. This is the model which is the upgraded version of iPhone 4S. The crazy of iPhone will enjoy its feature and definitely want to keep it safe.

There are many online iPhone accessories stores, those who will provide you accessories to make it alive always with its shine. One of the products is Shatterproof Screen Protector, which is super thin urethane film at only 0.2 mm thick and it is certified by the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials) having passed D1004 Tear Strength, D2240 Hardness and D4329 UV Light Discoloration Tests. The protector is scratch resistant, stress resistant and drop resistant and has special self-healing capability with dissipative functioning embodied. It is virtually indestructible making iPhone 5 unbreakable.

The Shatterproof Screen Protector is a revolutionary product innovated to provide the best protection to the next-generation of wireless devices. Shatterproof Screen Protector's extreme grade protection making the iPhone 5 shatter and shock proof. Shatterproof has a unique shock dissipative function unlike any other product in its category.

This uses the physics concept of dissipation which is embodies the concept of a dynamical system where important mechanical modes, such as waves or oscillations, lose energy over time. This kind of screen protectors does exactly the same to protect devices from drops and shocks, drops and stress which wireless devices usually don't survive.

Features:

• It protects iPhone 5 from impacts and dirt and dust.
• It provides extreme grade protection to iPhone 5.
• Its Shock Dissipative Function allows device to withstand extreme shock and pressure.
• Scratch Resistance
• Easy Application thanks to the silicon adhesion.
• Self-Healing Properties deliver resistance to damage.

Specification:

Product Type: Shatterproof Screen Protector.

It is specially design to protect your believed one. The screen protector is truly experimented and tested on hard task. It is a good stuff which provides full protection to the iPhone 5. No doubt protection gets for iPhone 5. The You Tube review of the product is ultimate. It will get full attention towards it.

There are many iPhone 5 accessories online store those are providing the same accessories in their stores. But the importing thing is that we are going for the store, which is most suitable in their service, product quality and trends and their delivery services. These are some important factors on which everyone will choose the store. Few will select on the recommendation of their friends and believed one. Some will select after the comparison of the cost from different sites.

iPhone 5 Drop Test

Here is the recent video of iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S3 extreme drop test presented by Phone Doctors

Article Source:
http://goarticles.com/article/What-Is-Shatterproof-Screen-Protector-For-iPhone-5/6963194/

Related articles

• PCWorld Claims the iPhone 5 Is the Fastest Phone They Ever Benchmarked
• Apple iPhone 5: Should You Upgrade?
• Speed Test: iPhone 5 vs Galaxy S3 [VIDEO]
• iPhone 5 already is jailbroken
• Apple to Deliver Late iPhone 5 Pre-orders Early
• iFixit Tears Down the iPhone 5 As It Goes On Sale in Australia

Samsung Galaxy S III 4G Android Phone Review

Samsung GALAXY S III (3)

I upgraded from a Motorola Droid 2 to the S3 and am completely satisfied with the S3. The large 4.8 inch AMOLED screen is beautiful and it fits perfectly in my palm. The resolution is exceptional, words cannot describe it.

I can use one hand/thumb to do most tasks and feel that the S3 could have been even larger without compromising convenience. I'd say a 5.5 inch screen would be the highest I'd go. The problem arises when using a holster. As a guy, I have a hard time just putting a phone in my pocket because I use my pockets for keys, pens, and my wallet, which can easily scratch/damage the phone when moving around. I don't always have a backpack or pack on hand, so that leaves me with a holster as the only logical method of carrying a phone. The Otterbox Defender has been by far the best case/holster I've found for the S3. Unfortunately, with the Defender, the S3 feels like I am hauling around a Texas Instruments graphing calculator on my belt. When calling someone, it's like I am calling in an airstrike. However, it is never uncomfortable to use. Even for such a large phone, I find myself not getting fatigued when making long phone calls. The audio quality during calls is exceptional and there are multiple equalizer/sound settings to improve the audio quality.

The T9 dialing is perfect - I never understood why my Droid 2 did not have this feature, but T9 is a time saver. The predictive text and swiping keyboard takes some getting used to at first, but it works fairly well for a built-in feature. The voice-to-text input isn't bad but there are some odd mistakes from time to time.

S-Voice is essentially Samsung's version of Siri, although Siri started off as an independent app designed for the iPhone and Android before Apple took them over and squashed the Android project. S-Voice is tied into Wolfram Alpha, and I find that although it is innovative, it is more of a gimmick. I can find the weather info a lot faster using the browser/weather app and the 4G LTE network than waiting for "Galaxy" to answer my question.

S-beam is interesting at first, but a co-worker (who also bought a S3) and I played around with this and we both agree it is essentially a local peer-to-peer network not unlike Bluetooth or a WiFi-based LAN. It is definitely innovative, but I don't feel it is essential.

The battery life could be better from the rather large 2.1 Ah battery. I was able to get 3.5 days (3 days, 12 hours and change) out of 1 charge. My daily usage pattern is auto brightness, 4G LTE, and airplane mode at night, with occasional surfing/usage during the day.

The mechanical Home button feels antiquated and out of place. I never understood why Apple used this, and I don't understand its place on the S3. It should have been a capacitive soft key like the menu and back keys on the S3. However, Samsung decided to make the soft keys "disappear" when not backlit, which is annoying. I am used to the Droid 2 where the soft keys were all etched into the display. The LED indicator on the S3 is also subdued and is only visible when it is illuminated. When fully charged, the LED will glow green but it is not strong enough to bother me when I am sleeping. It's a soft and subdued glow. When there is new email or a new text message, it flashes blue. When it is charging, it glows red.

The front and rear camera quality is exceptional. The front is a 1.9 MP camera that produces beautiful video during video conferences. The rear camera is the same camera they used on the iPhone 4S, and has burst mode and truly has zero lag. The flash is extremely bright and has a white color (close to 6000K or so) unlike my Droid 2 which was more yellow (about 3000K-4000K). The picture quality is really good, especially for a smartphone.

The Samsung S3 does not come with a micro SDHC card, so I purchased a Sandisk 32GB Class 10 micro SDHC card. Android 4.0.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operates differently from Gingerbread with the respect that all apps are stored on the phone's internal memory. That means all of the apps are run off the 16GB "SDcard" and not your external SD card. When I inserted the 32GB Sandisk micro SD card, a new folder popped up "ExtSDCard" which points to the actual external SD card. Luckily, the camera app will notice this and ask to store all photos/videos on the external SD card. The apps and associated files remain on the 16GB internal memory.

I ran the AnTuTu benchmark and got a score of 6885, which was run without power saver and the dual-core CPU was at 1512 MHz. When I activated Power Saver, my score was 5221 with a CPU speed of 1026 MHz. As one can see, the score with Power Saver is still very respectable. The external SD card read speed was greater than 50 MB/s, while the write speed was about 29.7 MB/s max. The S3 has a lot of processing power and it is putting my Core 2 Duo laptop to shame when accessing YouTube videos and opening files. The S3 menu interface just glides seamlessly with zero hiccups or delays.

Verizon's network is the main reason why I stayed with Verizon instead of hopping to Sprint. Even though Sprint offers unlimited data (until they throttle you above 2.5 GB if you do this consistently), their network coverage is poor and their network speeds are abysmally slow. Verizon's coverage is the best in the US, and I can still get a signal 16 nautical miles off the shore of South Carolina. Verizon's 4G LTE coverage is also very good in my area, with my download speeds ranging in the 20 Mbps, and upload speeds in the 14-16 Mbps range. I get these speeds consistently using Speed Test, which means that the 4G LTE network in my area is competing against my Comcast cable internet connection. My biggest complaint about Verizon is how they forced me off the Unlimited Data plan - the alternative was to pay $600 for a new phone to keep the plan. However, from a business perspective, I understand and agree with Verizon's decision. Bandwidth is expensive and with cable internet speeds in the palm of your hand on a machine that rivals laptops, data usage goes quickly out of hand.

My friend at work had some issues with her S3, but she purchased her S3 the day it came out on Verizon based on my recommendation because her Droid 2 was really messed up. She experienced random ghost calls with the S3, and the data network kept switching between 3G and 4G LTE. I don't recall her experiencing the "No Sim card" issue that others saw with their S3. I've been using my S3 for almost 2 weeks and have not experienced any of the above problems. I solved the constant WiFi notification by deleting my known WiFi networks on the phone. The negative aspect is that I cannot use WiFi to save on my data consumption with this method. I've heard theories about the No Sim error and the ghost calls, some of them recommend pulling out the battery and Sim card, but others have recommended using Airplane mode. Since I use Airplane mode on a nightly basis, this might be the method of resolving some of the network problems.

Overall: 5/5 stars. I purchased the S3 because I hate iTunes with a passion. The verdict from the Apple/Samsung case also affirmed my feelings about how Apple conducts business. I really like my S3 phone and like the Android operating system. Samsung really knows how to design their products which includes televisions, refrigerators, and other devices.


Article Source:
http://www.amazon.com/review

Related articles

• Galaxy S III: Designed to Make Life Easier
• Why Samsung Galaxy S III is superior to iPhone 5?
• Samsung Galaxy S III vs. HTC One X: A professional observation
• Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G (T-Mobile)
• Samsung pokes fun at Apple with latest Galaxy S III TV spot
• Samsung takes yet another jab at the iPhone 5

iPhone 5 launched in Asia

Apple iPhone 5 

The latest massive launch by Apple's iPhone 5 in Asia draw a lot of fans jammed the tech mobile shops in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore to pick up the latest version of its iPhone.

Buyers lined up overnight in Australia while in Hong Kong they signed up online for a chance to get their hands on the new iPhone 5. In Singapore, Singtel says 68,000 people have registered their interest in Apple's latest handset. Starhub and M1 also reported strong demand for the phone.

The smartphone is also being launched in the US, UK, Canada, France and Germany on Friday.

It will go on sale in 22 more countries a week later. Apple received 2 million orders for the iPhone 5 in the first 24 hours, more than twice the number for the iPhone 4S when that phone launched a year ago. Some analysts expect Apple to sell up to 10 million iPhone 5 models in the remaining days of September.

The iPhone is Apple's highest-margin product and accounts for half of its annual revenue. Apple has said it will make initial deliveries of the iPhone 5 on Friday in the United States and most of the major European markets, such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The phone then goes on sale on September 28 in 22 other countries.

Apple plans to sell the new phone in 100 countries by the end of the year.

As popular as iPhone is — selling more than 25 million handsets worldwide last quarter alone (and iPhone 5 pre-orders topping 2 million in its first 24 hours) — they're not the only game in town. In fact, many of today's Android phones can outperform iPhone 5, feature for feature, plus Google's mobile platform is far less restrictive than Apple's iOS. Microsoft and Research in Motion are also cooking up some compelling iPhone alternatives with its Windows Phone 8 and BlackBerry 10 OS smartphones, respectively.

Apple's newest iPhone launched on Friday has a host of design and technology improvements: it is lighter, slimmer, faster and more powerful, and has improved battery life and a bigger display likely to please its loyal customer base.

It’s hard to believe a phone so thin could offer so many features: a larger display, a faster chip, the latest wireless technology, an 8MP iSight camera, and more. All in a beautiful aluminum body designed and made with an unprecedented level of precision. iPhone 5 measures a mere 7.6 millimeters thin and weighs just 112 grams. That’s 18 percent thinner and 20 percent lighter than iPhone 4S. The only way to achieve a design like this is by relentlessly considering (and reconsidering) every single detail — including the details you don’t see.

The new phone has a larger, 4-inch screen and is slimmer and far lighter than the previous model. The iPhone 5 supports the faster 4G network and also comes with a number of software updates, including Apple's new in-house maps feature.

The new maps feature, however has been criticised by some users for a number of geographical errors, missing information and a lack of features.

The latest iPhone comes as competition in the smartphone market has reached a fever pitch with Apple up against phones that run on Google Inc's Android software. Android has become the most-used mobile operating system in the world, while Apple's key supplier and rival, Samsung Electronics, has taken the lead in smartphone sales.

Related articles

• iPhone 5: 20 most-wanted features
• The iPhone 5 Totally Destroys the Competition, on Javascript at Least
• iPhone 5 Hits Grey Market in Hong Kong Starting at $1100
• The first iPhone 5 reviews hit the web
• Taller iPhone 5 Is Even Better For Longer Calls
• The New iPhone 5: A Taller Change Than Expected [Video]