So I'm sitting here watching a movie on my TV, even though it's stored on my PC. I'm streaming it through my phone. While I do that, I'm also checking my emails, my twitter-feed and an on-line auction. With my phone.
I just got back from my run, which I tracked with my phone. While I ran, I listened to some podcasts and a nice lady told me how fast I was going and how far I had gone. On my phone.
And I'm thinking, "How can they make this any better?"
Ladies and gentlemen, the Samsung Galaxy S5...
Not even a year since Samsung released the S4 and already it's time to consider an upgrade. But what does the new one offer the 2013 model can't provide? Do this year's modifications add up to a major evolution, or are they just a collection of minor tweaks?
For that matter, was there really anything wrong with the SIII?
Of course there wasn't. These days, phones are pretty much all awesome but that doesn't mean you can't make them a bit awesomer.
At this point, I've had limited access to the latest model, so I can only really give you first impressions. Let's start with size, shape and feel...
It's too big. There's always a fine balancing act between screen size and something you can actually hold with one hand. Obviously everyone wants a massive screen, but two handed operation makes it a mini-tablet, not a handset.
In truth, the screen is only slightly larger, but the phone itself is quite a lot longer than the S4 - about the same width though. On the bright side, the new dimpled back plate provides a much grippier surface than its more plastic-feeling predecessors.
The S5 is water and dust resistant. Don't take it swimming, but you can drop it in the loo, as this video clearly demonstrates. This means you can go running in the rain, no probs. Unfortunately, it also means a cover over the USB socket at the bottom. It's actually a double USB port, because there's a microUSB 3.0 socket right next to the normal one - a belt-and-suspenders approach Apple didn't take when they made all their previous accessories obsolete with the new cable for the iPhone 5. So it's a big plug hole, requiring a big plug if you want to keep things watertight.
This is a major pain in the arse. Nobody wants to fumble around with fiddly little rubber bungs just to plug in or unplug their charger. And if that wasn't annoying enough, every time you unplug your charging cable, a reminder window pops up on the screen nagging you to make sure that plughole is all covered up again in case you get things wet and dusty. How many times do I need to be told? I get it. Put the plug back in. What am I going to do, leave it dangling around, hanging off the bottom of my phone. STOP REMINDING ME! Hopefully wireless charging options will be made more available for this handset than the last couple of generations, making the whole tedious plug process redundant. (That's right, guys. You can actually charge your S3 or S4 wirelessly, although you will have to scour the net pretty intensively to source the right accessories. I don't know why Samsung doesn't ship their handsets with wireless charging back plates by default, like Nokia does with their Lumias)
But the S5's bung hole is literally the only thing I could fault in the whole 4 days I had to play with it.
Everything about this phone just works a little bit more seamlessly and in some cases, a lot faster. Apps generally opened more quickly than on the S4. You can select the Download Booster function which combines the best of your WiFi and Mobile Data speeds to suck large files into your phone more efficiently than ever. But what really blew me away was the consistency of the WiFi connection. Apparently there are not one, but two swanky new WiFi antennae in there somewhere and whatever they've done to them, my streaming experience became noticeably smoother and more stable.
Some new features are just cute - like Kids Mode, which gives your sprogs access to the fun stuff without risking them messing up your important bits. Other features are potentially life-changing; the S Health app has been souped up to monitor even more of your exercise and nutrition routines than ever before. This all syncs up with Samsung's latest range of wearables, so you can literally plug yourself into the matrix. I tried this combination first hand (excuse the smartwatch pun) in an actual gym the other day. I nearly died, but was impressed by the results, which I'll share with you in the next blog.
I could go on all day, and that's probably the point. None of the changes are massive, but in combination, there are enough of them to make this Galaxy a very tempting upgrade.
Over the last few days, I've been lucky enough to have a sneak peak at both the Galaxy S5 and Gear Fit smartwatch from Samsung. I'll get to the new phone in the next blog, but what I'm most excited about right now is this cool thing on my wrist.
I'm the first one to admit I have a magpie-like tendency to fall in love in the latest piece of tech wizardry to cross my line of sight. So when the idea of a smartwatch became reality, I really, really wanted one. I didn't really know why, I just did. I wanted one even though I secretly suspected they were probably next to useless, couldn't really do any of the things they promised to and none of the things you actually wanted them to. Oh, yes - and they looked ridiculous and uncomfortable too.
Still wanted one though. What a tech tragic.
Sadly, or perhaps fortunately, depending on which way you look at it, I never managed to get my grasping mitts on the first couple of generations of smartwatch. I'd see other people wearing them. I'd stare. They'd wonder why I was creepily checking out their left hands.
That's all changed now - so have the watches. Not only does the Gear Fit live up to the hype, it surprised me by doing a whole list of things I had no idea it could.
As opposed to some of its predecessors, the Gear Fit is slim and light. Throw in the innovative curved AMOLED screen and the whole package is a super comfortable fit.
Not only can you choose from a small selection of watch faces, (presumably more will be available for download further down the track) but you can change the wallpaper colour, pattern or image in the background - if want, you can put your actual face on your watch face.
That's fun, but not especially useful. What moves this thing from the category of nifty gadget to genuine tool is how seamlessly it connects with the phone it's paired to. I've never encountered a bluetooth device that works so consistently with no glitches and over such a long range.
You'd expect something called "Fit" to feature things like a pedometer and heart-rate monitor. I'd hoped I'd be able to read texts and maybe be alerted about emails and phone calls. What I didn't anticipate was what happened when my mum texted me.
I texted her back. With my watch. And it was easy.
Texts appear clearly on the curvy screen and then you have the option to send a pre-programmed quick reply. Remember, these are texts, so replies are supposed to be quick.
What surprised me more is emails work exactly the same way - obviously you only get a preview of any longer emails, without attachments, but again you can still send a quick reply or do what you normally need to do with 85% of emails... ignore them completely.
That's right, folks; you get an email, your watch vibrates, a quick glance and you've successfully ignored that message about the lunch man arriving. All without getting your phone out of your pocket or handbag.
But the thing that impressed me most was the media controller.
I use my phone to access more and more media all the time. Obviously I listen to music, directly from the handset using earbuds or headphones, via bluetooth in my car or at home on various sound systems. Once you're playing something, you can then use the Gear Fit to pause, play or skip it, or even adjust the volume. While your phone may be plugged in to something across the room, you are now effectively wearing a bluetooth remote control on your wrist. What's more, it seems to work with everything; streaming apps like iHeart radio? Not a problem. Even when streaming video from my PC through my phone to my TV, I can still pause and play from my watch.
Kill me now, it doesn't get better than this.
But back to exercise... Do you know what I hate most about running? Guys who take their shirts off. Why do they do it? I get that it's hot work, but that's why there are singlets. It's always the guys who are a little too old, fat or gross who insist on getting their gears off as well. Ick. Goes without saying, I would never go there... except... the other day it was a bit cold and rainy, so I elected to wear my phone/armband UNDER my long-sleeved running top in case there was a deluge mid-run.
When I run I use my phone to track my route, pace and time and listen to podcasts. Unfortunately, for some reason I had downloaded a whole bunch of podcasts I'd already listened to. Very difficult to skip a track when your phone is in an armband, under your shirt. Bugger. Nothing else for it, I made sure I waited till I reached a secluded section of my run, removed my shirt, skipped to the next podcast and away I went.
Only to discover I'd heard this one before too. DAMMIT!!!
I had to go through this at least 3 times before I sorted it all out. Luckily, no-one spotted me (and my moobs) at least, not that I'm aware of. I can't rule out the possibility some poor soul may have copped an eyeful, turned and fled while I was still wrestling with my phone.
If only I'd been wearing the Gear Fit that day. With 3 simple swipes of the screen, these atrocities could have been avoided.
Ironically, the only area I felt the Fit let me down was when it came to tracking my fitness. The heart rate monitor works well, but will only measure your pulse if you're standing, sitting or lying still - so not particularly helpful for maintaining a specific pace while working out. (NB: Since first writing this I have been shown a secret setting on the Gear Fit's big brother, the Gear 2, which would probably make the heart rate monitor work perfectly while exercising, so forget everything I just said) I also had an issue with the exercise tracker dropping out of Running mode and back into Pedometer mode without me realising, a short distance into my run, so the pace and distance information synced to my phone were all out of whack. This may have been a one-off though, as unfortunately, I had to give my review model back before I could re-test it.
Minor complaints about what is generally, an over-delivering device.
Now I'm suffering serious withdrawal. Every time someone texts me I reflexively glance at my wrist, but all I get is the time! What use is that? And now I have to walk all the way to the kitchen to pause my music. It's like living in the dark ages.
