Hasta La Gadget!

Exploring the world with the hottest cameras and smartphones, I’ve grown accustomed to drawing discreet glances from curious gadget enthusiasts. In Tokyo, it was Canon’s EOS M camera that netted polite peeks. In Hong Kong, it was the Galaxy Note II. From the moment I exposed the striking Galaxy Camera in Bangkok, however, those subtle scans turned into full-on stares, with several courageous passersby even inquiring about the latest Android-based Samsung device dangling from a strap around my wrist.

“Is that a phone or a camera?” Well, it’s certainly not the best camera, nor is it a passable “phone,” but for this early adopter, at least, it was poised to replace both. When Samsung first revealed its Jelly Bean-powered superzoom hybrid at IFA, the challenge became clear — there wasn’t room in my life for two Galaxy gadgets, but a 21x zoom-equipped all-in-one sounded mighty promising. After I finally unpacked it, the 4.8-inch, touchscreen-equipped, 16.1-megapixel shooter didn’t leave my side once during the next two weeks.

It streamed music in the gym, downloaded email on the go, and provided walking directions and historical context as I explored Thailand. But the Galaxy Camera’s impressive zoom also brought me far closer to the action than even the most powerful camera phone, and a micro-SIM from iPhoneTrip enabled instant uploads to Dropbox and Instagram far from the nearest open hotspot. As you may have gathered from our review, the Galaxy Camera wasn’t designed to replace anyone’s smartphone, and with the jumbo footprint and mediocre battery upping the inconvenience factor, could such a device feasibly become your one and only? You’ll find the answer after the break.

Continue reading Setting aside the smartphone: two weeks with Samsung’s Galaxy Camera

Filed under: Cameras, Mobile, Samsung

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The Samsung Galaxy Camera is not exactly the newest kid on the block, but this does not mean it has no place amidst your plethora of gadgets. The Samsung Galaxy Camera is a 4G-connected camera, where it will arrive this coming November 16th onwards at $499.99 a pop – and for a limited time only, AT&T customers have the privilege of getting a $100 discount off the purchase of a second Samsung Galaxy handset or other Samsung connected device, now how about that for hawking one’s brand? The Android 4.1 Jelly Bean powered Galaxy Camera merges high performance photography with the AT&T 4G mobile internet experience, and you can also download Angry Birds on your camera thanks to access to the Google Play market.

Just to recap, the Samsung Galaxy Camera will come with a 4.8-inch HD Super Clear LCD display, sport a 21x optical zoom lens and a super-bright 16-megapixel backside illuminated CMOS sensor that does well in close up and in low light situations. There is a quad-core 1.4GHz processor that runs proceedings in a jiffy from underneath the hood, and you are also able to take advantage of its powerful manual controls thanks to the Expert Mode. We did have a hands-on of the Samsung Galaxy Camera earlier, so you might want to check out what we think about it.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: AT&T announces the Samsung Galaxy Express for $99.99, AT&T offers Samsung ATIV Smart PC and Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 from November 9th ,

Regardless of how you feel about the concept, Samsung’s Galaxy Camera is finally making its way to the United States. AT&T has just announced it will it launch the curious camera on November 16 (i.e. this Friday), and that it will cost Google-devoted photographers $499 — that’s with or without a data plan.

In case you haven’t yet heard of the Galaxy Camera, think of it as a standard 16-megapixel point-and-shoot camera with a neat twist — it runs Android 4.1 Jelly bean, and sports a large 4.8-inch 720p LCD touchscreen that lets users fire up Android apps (ahoy there, Instagram!) and browse the web over Wi-Fi or a wireless data connection in addition to just framing shots. Under the proverbial hood lurks a 1.4GHz quad-core processor of unknown make (an Exynos chip wouldn’t be a surprise), and a 21x optical zoom lens rounds out this peculiar little package.

A curious combination for sure, but it’s not one that hasn’t already been seen before — Nikon beat Samsung to the punch with its Coolpix s800c.

It’s about time that AT&T came forward with availability — the Galaxy Camera made its first appearance last August at IFA in Berlin, and AT&T announced that it would carry the device early last month. At the time, the carrier found it prudent to keep quiet when it came to price and launch timing, though I have to wonder how many people were actually waiting on the edge of their seats for this thing to hit store shelves.

The Samsung Galaxy Camera’s major debut in U.K. has just been confirmed. Our beloved readers in the U.K. will be happy to hear that the Samsung Galaxy Camera will be available across the land beginning November 8th. However, eager customers can get the Android-based camera earlier on the 7th from 5pm onwards on all Samsung stores. Among the retailers included are Carphone Warehouse, Phones 4u and Jessops. Jessops, in particular, is selling the Galaxy Camera for £399.99.

First revealed at IFA 2012 in Berlin, the Samsung Galaxy Camera features a 1.4 Ghz Quad-core Exynos processor, a 16.3-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor, a 4.77-inch HD Super Clear Touch display at 308ppi, a 21x optical zoom lens, an 8GB storage, Wi-Fi support, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. You can check out our Samsung Galaxy Camera hands-on for more details. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Samsung Galaxy Camera price confirmed in Germany, Samsung Galaxy Camera heads for AT&T,

Earlier this month, we saw how the Samsung Galaxy Camera made a pit stop over at the FCC in order to gain approval for release to the masses, while it was yesterday when AT&T issued an official announcement that they will be offering the Samsung Galaxy Camera on their network. The thing is, pricing details have yet to be thrashed out, but if it is of any indication, perhaps those of us living Stateside can extrapolate the Galaxy Camera’s final price here based on what the German market will fork out for theirs.

This Android 4.1 Jelly Bean powered camera will hit Germany at the end of October for a rather hefty 599 Euros as its recommended retail price which of course, can change depending on who the vendor carrying this device is. That would translate to still under a grand, but at that price point, one might be able to pick up an entry level DSLR instead which will definitely pack more image shooting power. The thing is, playing Angry Birds and Bad Piggies on your dedicated digital camera does make a whole lot of sense, actually.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Samsung Galaxy Camera heads for AT&T, Samsung Galaxy Camera stops by the FCC with AT&T’s radios on board,