Hasta La Gadget!

With the competition between Apple and Samsung being extremely fierce, not just in terms of products, but in the courtrooms as well, we expect that many are wondering just how well the Samsung Galaxy S4 holds up against Apple’s flagship smartphone, the iPhone 5. Given that they both run different operating systems and therefore cater to different types of users and different needs, we guess one way to compare the smartphones would in terms of durability. Is the iPhone 5 more durable than the Samsung Galaxy S4? Well that’s what the folks at insurance firm, SquareTrade, decided to find out.

Basically SquareTrade pitted several devices against each other, namely the iPhone 5 versus the Galaxy S4 and the Galaxy S3. The phones were put through several tests, such as being dropped, skidded across a table, and dunked underwater. The tests were designed to roughly simulate the typical accidents that one might encounter in the real life with their smartphones. Either way if you have a couple of minutes to spare and would like to see all three phones being put through their paces, check it out in the video above. Alternatively if you’d like to see which phone might be better for you in terms of hardware, performance, and software, you can check out our reviews of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5 to learn more.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: First-Generation iPhone To Become ‘Obsolete’ In Apple Retail Stores, Donald Trump Demands Apple Build An iPhone With A Larger Screen,

This week the until-now Android-exclusive system Google Now reaches out to iOS inside the Google Search app for Apple’s iPad and iPhone. Both versions are tuned to the display size they appear on, with sets of “cards” appearing in a single column for iPhone and a set of two columns for iPad. These cards contain information about current events and the environment around the user based on their search history and interests.

Much like the Android version of Google Now, this interface shows several different kinds of cards, each of them containing information based on the unique user that’s using them. If a user has worked with Google Now outside of iOS before they sign in initially, they’ll find cards based on their use of Google waiting for them. In our example here, two sports teams recent game scores appear, a map to work appears, and several birthday announcements appear.

Google Now is part of a user’s Google Search experience, meaning they’ll be getting results – cards, that is – based on what they’ve worked with in the past for search terms. If a user has never searched for anything in Google while being logged in to their Google account at the same time, results will appear as example cards. Example cards show what COULD be displayed for the user if they’d agree to have their search results utilized.

With the iPhone and iPad versions of Google Now, it would appear at first that the user’s calendar will not be used as it would in an Android device. If one does use Google Calendar separate from iOS, they’ll still be able to see dates of Birthdays, connections to events, and etcetera. Birthday announcements can be sourced from a user’s Google+ social networking account as well, as this connection is also made possible via the user’s all-encompassing Google account.

One of the key reasons a user might prefer using Google Now with an Android device rather than with an iOS device is their ability to access the system easily. With some Android devices, the user is able to hold their finger down on their on-screen home button and swipe up to move into Google Now. Some devices working with Android allow access to Google Now with a long-press of a back or menu button.

Intrepid iOS hackers have already made inroads to similar access with apps like “Activator”. This app allows Jailbroken (read: hacked) iPhones to launch apps using a variety of gestures and button presses. Tie your home button to Google Now for a real slick experience.

Users will be able to check this Google Now experience out by updating (or downloading) Google Search for iOS on their iPhone or iPad starting today. Let us know how you’re liking it – or if you’re avoiding it – in our Google Now chat in Google+ right this minute!

Google Now for iPad and iPhone hands-on: Exclusivity Ends is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Side by side with the Samsung Galaxy S3

With the iPhone 5 being Apple’s current flagship device, and the Samsung Galaxy S4 being Samsung’s and the whole Apple versus Samsung debate, we’re sure there are many wondering if they should get themselves an iPhone 5 or maybe the Galaxy S4. While it certainly is a matter of preference and need, the specialists at DisplayMate have decided that as far as the displays are concerned, they have deemed it to be a draw. They basically pit both phones’ displays against each other and test for color gamut, accuracy, brightness and so on. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: San Francisco Cops Go Undercover To Prevent iPhone Thefts, Angry Birds Wrecking Ball Spotted In Washington D.C. Construction Site,

We’ve already seen a furry iPhone 5 case. But if you love plants more than Wookies, a Japanese company called Ag Ltd. has something for you. They’re making what they call the World Parks series, which are iPhone 5 cases that are modeled after grassy parks.

The first World Parks case is modeled after Yoyogi Park, a historic landmark in Tokyo, Japan. Ag Ltd. achieved the grassy look and texture by adhering five different colors of fibers to the case using a process called electrostatic flocking.

The first batch is composed of only 100 units. It will go on sale by the end of this month in Japanese stores for ¥3,980 (~$41 USD). If you don’t get your hands on one, don’t worry – Ag. Ltd. is planning on mass producing succeeding batches, which will be modeled on other famous parks in the world including the world famous Central Park in New York and the Hyde Park in London. I wonder if we’ll be able to tell which case was modeled after which park.

[via Diginfo via Akihabara News]

According to research study by Displaymate Technologies, the display on the new Samsung GALAXY S 4 significantly trumps the display on the Galaxy S III, and matches the iPhone 5‘s Retina display. Screens from all three phones were put under the microscope anad compared with one another, comparing brightness, subpixels, and a number of other factors.

Dr. Ray Soneira, owner of Displaymate Technologies, says that the GALAXY S 4 1080p 5-inch display is beautiful, and it packs in almost as many subpixels as the iPhone 5, and with the Samsung device’s PenTile layout, there are twice as many green subpixels as there are red and blue. Light reflection is also said to be as good or even better than the iPhone 5.

The Galaxy S 4′s display also uses a lot less power than its predecessor. The Galaxy S III chews up around 0.83W of power, while the GALAXY S 4 only uses 0.70W. That doesn’t quite beat out the iPhone 5′s 0.66W, but it’s really close for sure. The successor to the GALAXY S 4 may surpass the iPhone 5 in this respect if the trend keeps up, especially since OLED technology is still in its early phases.

As for the GALAXY S 4′s color gamut, it was found to be significantly smaller than the Galaxy S III’s color gamut. You want a small color gamut, and the GALAXY S 4′s stands at 132%, compared to the Galaxy S III’s 139% gamut. This makes the GALAXY S 4 display images that are less over-saturated. As for the iPhone 5, it stand at a cool 104%, but the improvement seen in the GALAXY S 4 is still noticeable nonetheless.

[via ExtremeTech]

Study suggests GALAXY S 4 display matches iPhone 5 quality is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.