Samsung is back with another flagship Galaxy S smartphone set to arrive on April 11. The new model for 2014, which is predictably called the Galaxy S5, is another premium device packed with a slew of new software and hardware features.
The Galaxy S5 sports a 5.1-inch full HD (1080p) Super AMOLED display, which is only a touch larger than the Galaxy S4. A new heart rate sensor has been fitted under the rear-facing camera, which has also been upgraded from a 13-megapixel to 16-megapixel sensor. The time spent between shots has been reduced to a third of a second and the handset now supports 4K video recording and high dynamic range (HDR) processing.
It also includes a new selective focus feature for creating images with a shallow depth of field, or considerable “bokeh” as its commonly referred to in the photography community.
Taking inspiration from the iPhone 5s, the Galaxy S5 is also equipped with a fingerprint sensor inside the home button, giving you the ability to unlock the device and make payments with a single tap from one of your digits.
The new handset runs on a quad-core 2.5GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, a 2800mAh battery and either 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage. It’s also backed up with a microSD card slot for up to 64GB of extra space. Samsung claims the Galaxy S5 offers “the most advanced LTE experience and Wi-Fi performance” of any smartphone on the market, with support for fifth generation Wi-Fi 802.11ac and 2X2 MiMo, as well as LTE with Category 4.
It’s also equipped with an intriguing feature called Download Booster, which claims to increase download speeds by “bonding” Wi-Fi and LTE connectivity side-by-side.
Samsung’s new flagship runs on Android version 4.4 (KitKat), but of greater note is the new TouchWiz skin that’s been layered on top. Some consumers have criticized the Galaxy series for its software experience and at first glance, it looks like Samsung has taken strides to rectify this in the Galaxy S5. While it’s not a huge improvement, the cleaner and flatter aesthetic is certainly a step in the right direction.
In many ways, the Galaxy S5 feels like an incremental upgrade to the Galaxy S4. The industrial design hasn’t changed too rapidly and both the display and core specs haven’t shifted too drastically either. Given the success of the Galaxy S4 though, perhaps this isn’t a bad move. The fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor are obvious differentiators, and the combined package will no doubt be enough to ship millions of handsets in the coming months.
Visit our MWC 2014 page for more coverage
➤ Samsung Galaxy S5
See also – Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Galaxy S5: What’s New? and Samsung Galaxy S5 owners will be able to use fingerprint authentication to pay with PayPal
Moment launches wide-angle and telephoto lenses for iPhone, iPad and Galaxy smartphones on Kickstarter
Mobile photography has never been more exciting. Smartphones and tablets are shipping with better sensors while mobile apps such as ProCapture , Snapseed and VSCO Cam are improving the software experience for shooting, editing and sharing.
Many photographers yearn for the ability to change lenses, however, as they would with a traditional DSLR or compact system camera. Moment is trying to tackle this problem with a collection of mobile lenses for Android and iOS devices. Today, it’s launching a crowdfunding campaign for the first two, called the Moment Wide and Tele, on Kickstarter. Lenses are attached with a metal plate that latches onto the back of your chosen device. It sounds inelegant, although Moment says the plate will be thin enough that you can use it with or without a case. Both lenses are then locked into place with a bayonet mechanism, creating a sturdy, reliable mount for a variety of different shooting conditions.
The Moment Wide, as the name suggests, is a wide-angle lens that brings more of the photographer’s surroundings into the frame. It isn’t wide enough to be a fisheye or distort the photo in any way, but this pint-sized piece of glass should have a noticeable impact on landscape shots.
The Moment Tele, on the other hand, will give you a closer look at your subject without resorting to digital zoom or cropping tools in an editing app. In situations where you can’t move closer, for instance at a football game, wedding or concert, this could be a life-saver.
For now, Moment is only developing its lenses for the following devices; iPhone 4S and higher; Samsung Galaxy S2, S3 and S4; iPad 2, third and fourth generation. The startup says it’s still prototyping mounts for the iPad and Galaxy handsets, but will have them ready for backers at launch.
Moment isn’t the first company to offer smartphone owners interchangeable lenses. Olloclip has already established itself among the photography community, although its range of fisheye, wide-angle and macro lenses only support the iPhone at this point in time. There are some Android options too, such as Photojojo , so it’s fair to say Moment has its work cut out.
To do just that, it’s focusing on image quality:
You can reserve either lens for $49 on the Kickstarter page, or take both with limited-run materials for $199. A $299 tier is also available for a developer program, which will give you early access to new lenses and handset mounts, as well as two one-to-one calls with the team.
➤ Kickstarter / momentleno
Xbox One problems affect only ‘a very small number’ of customers, says Microsoft
The Xbox One may only have been on sale for around 24 hours, but that’s plenty of time for launch day gremlins to rear their head.
According to various reports, some of the launch day Xbox One units seem to be suffering from assorted hardware problems – just like the PlayStation 4 .
The issues, which Microsoft told IGN only affected a small number of Xbox One customers, range from some customers being unable to even turn the device on , to the nasty disc drive grinding sound that you can hear in the video below.
Other problems reported on the Xbox One forums include the console displaying the E100 error code, blank screens on power-up, the “ green screen of death “, and the Xbox One rebooting once it manages to load a game . In the video below, you can hear more problems with “ a fizzing sound ” when the console is running.
For all the variety of issues, Microsoft told IGN in a statement that anyone having problems with their hardware should get in touch:
Featured Image Credit – GLENN CHAPMAN/AFP/Getty Images