Gadgets galore at London premiere
MANILA, Philippines - The word to describe it is dizzying!
I am talking about the accelerating speed tech companies are introducing ever newer, more innovative products into the market. It took just nine months from the time the S3 was released to the Samsung S4’s debut. And there’s no indication things will slow down anytime soon.
I was in London to attend the Samsung Premiere 2013 debut of new products for three categories: the smartphone, camera, and the tab/laptop. Like the S4 launch in New York some three months ago, the whole tech media and reviewing community of the world was there. Techies and gadget buffs from countries like India, US, Germany, Indonesia, UK, China and perhaps three dozen more countries were eager to examine the gadgets and report on them.
The launch was on the evening of June 23. The products were first presented in a visually stunning way together with two hosts holding them and talking about their specs. After that, everyone was led to a huge room where we all had a chance for a hands-on experience.
The first presentation was the S4 Mini. It is pretty impressive considering that it is an S4. But I did not notice a huge size reduction compared to the existing S4. Maybe I expected more. But for people who are comfortable with the size of the iPhone, this could be the right one for them. Samsung probably had that in mind.
What impressed me more was the Samsung S4 Active smartphone. It is a water-resistant and dustproof S4 for the more adventurous and rugged. The phone is submersible to a depth of one meter for a good 30 minutes. If you are a shallow snorkeler, this will do just fine. If you get stuck in heavy rain, or need to traverse floodwaters, this is tough enough to survive it unscathed. It has a certified rating of Ingress Protection (IP)67 which means it is totally protected from dust and from water of a certain depth. In short, it is of quite high standard and will survive these two elements within the conditions stated.
The third phone presented was the S4 Zoom. It is an S4 smartphone with very enhanced camera capabilities including a lens that actually protrudes out from the back when in camera mode. At first, I thought it was a bit awkward and a hassle since, as a phone, it does not have as flat a back as a regular S4, but when I held it in my hand and took photos with it, it seemed like a natural. It even has a built-in image stabilizer which is very useful, a quick launch and Shortcuts, a smart mode suggest feature that makes shooting so easy and practical.
The next to be presented was the Galaxy NX camera. It was just a few weeks ago when I reviewed the lower model Galaxy NX300 where I described it as Samsung’s entry to the Big Boys camera club. It was a 4/3 format that had all of the things you find in Canons, Nikons and the Olympus EM5.
This time, Samsung can proudly announce without hesitation that the Galaxy NX camera is definitely in the building, so to speak!
This camera is one great gadget. It not only looks like a big boy’s camera, it feels very solid to hold and has the one important thing missing in the NX300, which is the viewfinder! It also has much better specs. For one, the Galaxy NX is the first 3G/4G LTE Connected Compact System Camera (CSC). This means you can immediately send hi-res pics anywhere even right after you take the photos. It has a 20.3MP APS-C Sensor which means you are assured of detailed, photos even under very low light conditions. It has a DRIMe IV Image Signal Processer which guarantees extraordinary speed and accuracy.
The Advanced Hybrid Auto Focus (AF) System adds a crispness to every shot because it has superb contrast detection. The shutter speed can go as fast as 1/6000 sec at 8.6fps so you don’t miss out on any action.
It seems Samsung is bent on taking on the big boys in the camera category since it has invested in lenses as well. As of this writing, you can choose among 30 great Interchangeable Lenses for whatever situation you may find yourself in.
With a maximum ISO of 25600, and video formats MP4/3GP, AVI, WMV/ASF, FLV, MKV, WEBM and sizes 1920x1080/25fps, 1920x810/24fps, 1280x720/50fps, 1280x720/25fps, you will have no limitations shooting videos.
The last to be presented was Samsung’s new ATIV line of laptop/tablets. The ATIV Q is a wonderful, convertible device with the ability to run Android apps on Windows. The device will allow users to enjoy both the Android Jelly Bean 4.1 and Windows 8 operating systems. This is a real innovative breakthrough! And yes, the android apps run seamlessly on Windows 8.
It can also change physical form, from notebook to tablet, to floating and standing. The weight is 1.29kg and it is only 13.9mm thin. You’ll want to bring it everywhere.
The last gadget was the ATIV Tab 3 which is as thin as a smart phone at 8.2 mm and 550g, runs 10 hours on batteries and has full Windows compatibility. It also has a built-in Microsoft Office 2013 which will run free for a year.
Both the ATIV Q and the Tab 3 have the winning S-Pen which completes your laptop/tablet experience.
All throughout the tech bash, I wondered why Samsung always presented a slew of products for every category, unlike Apple which always comes out with just one or two. I came up with two reasons: one, when you have the technology, it is best to come out with it as soon as possible before your competitor beats you to it; and two, Samsung has a much wider array of products because it wants to make sure it has gadgets for everyone. They are confident that each product has a unique selling point.
A winning strategy!
