This is gearing up to be an interesting year in smartphone innovation, with the releases of Samsung’s Galaxy 4 and Facebook’s Home. Many are eagerly awaiting the new Google X and Apple’s first cheap iPhone.
Samsung
The editors over at CNET are quite impressed with the new Galaxy S4. It is pushing the envelope in every conceivable way. Samsung’s ongoing attempts to compete with Apple are proving fruitful, and the Galaxy S4 does even more to set itself apart from the iPhone. With an impressively large 5 inch screen, the newest Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, a better battery, higher resolution screen, faster processor and a better camera, the phone exceeds its predecessor in every way. According to CNET, its software improvements also stand out, including an ability to track your eye movement when your attention is taken away from a show. Playback is paused, and then comes back on when you return your eyes to the screen. The Galaxy S4, along with the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, will continue to push the envelope in terms of size, power and features.
Flickr photo by John Biehler
The social networking giant is breaking new ground with its foray into the phone software world. According to ABC News, the new Facebook Home software combines with the HTC First phone to put your social network front and center on your phone. For those who live and die by Facebook, this step could prove quite beneficial. When you turn it on, Facebook is there, and you interact with all of your other apps through Facebook Home. Chat Heads, another feature of the software, keeps you communicating with friends regardless of which other application you are using. No matter where you are on your phone, you are connected.
After its purchase of Motorola in 2012, Google announced plans for its next phone. According to Android Geeks, Motorola officials are still saying the phone is planned for release in the second half of 2013, although details on the phone are less clear (3). One confirmed detail is the phone will be slightly smaller than the larger-screened behemoths proliferating the market. The X Phone will have a lean software package as well, intended to be just what users need, and nothing more. All in all, it sounds as though the phone is attempting to move in the opposite direction from the more full featured options, perhaps to appeal to customers overloaded with expensive and sometimes confusing options.
Apple
In a move that is quite different from the past, Apple is planning to release a less expensive iPhone in July 2013. According to TrustedReviews.com, Apple is making this phone to penetrate markets in countries where the standard iPhone has proven too expensive. This is an interesting move for Apple, which has so far been at the forefront of high-end phone design. The less expensive iPhone is being created in hopes of appealing to cost-conscious buyers.
A Year to Watch
This year will prove quite interesting to those demanding smartphone innovation. How successful these ventures will be in changing the current market remains to be seen, but users can look forward to at least some game changers in the coming year.