The super salesman

Review of Samsung Galaxy S4

Well, the first truth that mobile companies need to realise is that they need super salesmen besides their super researchers, super designers, super technicians, and super strategists. The reason is that despite all the great innovations that a new mobile device may have, the consumer is generally either too far from reading all the tech tweaking that makes it great or is the sort who needs to attend a workshop where each benefit is not just explained but also demonstrated and he is made to practice.

Having said this, I must add that the new Samsung Galaxy S4 is a masterpiece that is chock-full of little nuggets that make it a literal minefield of strokes of genius! David Pierce in a review on www.theverge.com writes: “The new handset changes little from the GS III, but it adds a lot — a bigger screen, and a laundry list of software tweaks and features. It’s a variation on a theme, a safe tweak to a strategy that’s worked impossibly well for Samsung.” I’d agree with this bright guy and ‘an enriched life is one filled with meaningful moments and the GALAXY S4 captures those special times and allows users to share them with friends and family.’

So for this review, I thought I will ask a few questions and try to answer them as a good salesman should… I know we don’t have such sales-people, so it is essential that you read this article and don’t trouble the poor harried souls in small stores.

Q: Is this a heavy phone?

Well, consumers tend to ask questions that don’t need a super salesman to come and answer. But then they need to be told that the S4 has a 5-inch large screen, has 441ppi for stunning viewing quality, and is the world’s first Full HD Super AMOLED display to showcase images at their very best. The phone weighs 4.6 ounces and this is 0.7 ounces lighter than the SIII. So this phone is thin and light and great to hold.

I personally love the size of the phone and I am not a large man with large palms… but the screen is great for reading e-books, browsing the net, looking at pictures and it always gives me the best colour resolution as well as brightness.

Q. Will the camera in the phone be able to take care of my photography needs?

This is another charmer that consumers ask. Well, they already know or have read that the phone has a 13 megapixel rear camera and they also know that a 2 megapixel front camera is also there. What they must know is the shutter lag that is there in most mobile cameras, is not there at all in the S4.

They must, however, be informed that photography with a difference has been added to the phone features. Photography that will be thrill and make you imagine and get into a world where even and amateur wants to experiment with his ideas! ‘Dual Shot’ allows simultaneous picture-taking of both front and rear cameras. Users can choose from a variety of frame effects which blend the two pictures naturally as well as outstanding shooting modes. ‘Drama Shot’ enables users to see all the action in one continuous time-lapse image.  ‘Sound & Shot’ stores sound and voice in unison as the picture is taken so those special moments are captured in the truest form imaginable.  While ‘Animated Photo’ allows the user to take a series of shots, and pick one part of the photo to move while the others stay still.

Q. Will sharing documents need a 3G connection?

Any good salesman would take this cue and start talking of relationships and the way this smartphone makes sure that they are strengthened. Well, yes, this actually happens when you use features like ‘Group Play’. This feature allows a user to share enjoy music, photos, documents and games with those around them without requiring a Wi-Fi AP or cellular signal.

Isn’t it simply great to have technology now moving in and taking the place of psychotherapists?

Q. Are there any improvements in the touch-screen?

Ah! Obviously if a user is able to wear gloves and yet make the touch screen respond, the technology has certainly evolved! But the phone has more than just a great touch screen.

This phone has ‘Air Gesture’ and ‘Smart Pause’. Air Gesture allows a user to hover (yes, I said ‘hover’ and not touch) his finger and peep into what lies in the folders, what the message text is, or even review the video that he is playing. Smart Pause is the feature which the phone uses to intelligently deduce that a user’s attention is elsewhere and pauses the video that he is seeing. One reviewer writes: “Air View works by cranking up the capacitive sensor on the screen so that it is more sensitive and can detect interaction without your finger having to touch the device. While finding the right way to use the feature can take time, once you figure out the sweet spot, it works reliably.”

Q. Why do we call these phones smartphones?

Now this sort of question coming when a salesman is secretly celebrating his success, can lay off the best of attitudes. They can send a salesman reeling into the darker realms of depression… but hey! This question is actually a boon!

Every consumer deserves to be told that about ‘Empowered Living’ – and how only this smartphone empowers your life by keeping you up-to-date with health and well-being information using the new ‘S Health’ application. The combination of sensors built within the device systematically and automatically monitors your health, food, exercise, sleep and so much more to help improve your quality of life and help you stay fit and healthy.

Q. People are talking about the Samsung Hub. What is this?

The Samsung Hub is Samsung’s version of what Sony does with its Music and Video Unlimited apps. It’s also a competitor of sorts with Google Play. Another reviewer writes: “With the Samsung Hub, it’s clear Samsung wants to try to create its own branded content ecosystem the same way Apple has with iTunes and the App Store.”

‘Samsung Hub’ provides a single entry for Samsung content services, making it incredibly easy and convenient to use. You can browse through a variety of content across services, be it Video, books, games and learning content as well as purchase and manage content easily, from a single Samsung Account. Samsung Hub features an integrated search — when you browse a keyword, the results will show related content from all of the services at once.

‘Samsung Apps’ allows users to browse through a rich pool of applications that are device optimized for Samsung Apps and provide users with popular applications from Google Play .You can enjoy the best apps selected by Samsung and the most popular apps on Google Play.

Q. Any other feature?

Any salesman will now smile and nod his head and look at his colleague with a helpless smile. But hey, tell the potential buyer how different and efficient Swype is… make him work on the phone… make him click pictures in all the different modes and see him falling in love with this masterpiece!

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Arvind Passey
Written on 05 May 2013
Published in ‘The Education Post’ dated 06 May 2013