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Tech News & Commentary
Reshawn in Miami, Florida asked: “What is better iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S3?”
Well, that is one of the most difficult questions to answer these days. They are both very good but very different phones, the iPhone 5 runs iOS 6, a more ‘closed’ operating system with a streamlined user interface, and the latest Samsung Galaxy S3 runs Google Android 4.2.2 (Jelly bean) or Android 4.1.2, depending on the carrier with Samsung’s spices on top.
If storage is what you’re looking for, both phones have up to 64GB of internal storage but the S3 can add a microSD Card up to 64GB, making the total theoretical storage for the S3 128GB, but that will be considerably expensive.
If what you are looking for is Apps, both smartphones have their own App Store with Paid and Free apps. You can find productivity apps, social apps, games and more. Then it comes to price, you can find both 16GB models for $199 on contract with AT&T, although they are available on other carriers as well.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to your decision, our best advice for you is to go to a carrier store and try both smartphones, they both have high-definition cameras, try them out, take a few photos, or browse the web on both of them. They both have great features that make them different one another, try them out. See for yourself which one you prefer.
There are a few differences between them, however. A recent series of benchmarks run by the tech website Anandtech compared the iPhone 5 with the GS4 and found, quite surprisingly, that in most cases the iPhone 5 was faster, despite the GS4’s seeming advantage in specs. Battery life for the iPhone 5 was also dramatically longer, even though the GS4 has a battery twice the size of the iPhone 5’s. That big screen on the GS4 really burns through battery power.
Also, a series of drop tests comparing the two showed that the GS4 suffered serious damage when dropped to a hard surface from normal carrying height, while the iPhone 5 was only scuffed a bit.
This is not to say that the GS4 isn’t a great phone, it is. But on paper its tech specs should make it clearly the best Android phone and perhaps the best smartphone hardware, period. But it isn’t, and no one seems certain why. The bottom line is that despite the GS4 being newer, the iPhone 5 holds it own nicely, and the HTC One isn’t quite as “vanquished” as we originally thought it might be. Samsung has rather oddly managed to make a phone that is less than the sum of its parts.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Consumer Reports Feature With Mike Gikas
One of the great things about the newer iPhones is their sharp-looking glass screens. But of course if you’re not careful, it doesn’t take much for them to crack. It could be an expensive problem, except if you repair it yourself. Consumer Reports Senior Editor Mike Gikas is here to tell us how it’s done.
The “Into Tomorrow” team discussed the latest apps that they have been playing with recently.
• Mark recommends: Alarmed, $1.99
- “Alarmed is an app that lets you set reminders and timers. Pretty simple, actually. But the reminders offer a snooze button, so you can put something off for 15 minutes but be reminded again. That’s an important feature that the iPhone’s built in reminder app does not have. Alarmed is nice in that, assuming you pay the $1.99 for the premium version, it will import reminders from the internal app, which means you can set reminders with Siri and Alarmed will snatch them up next time it’s running. Alarmed is free in the iTunes app store, with a premium version selling for a couple bucks.” — Mark
• Marly recommends: Countdown To Awesome, $0.99
“This is one of my favorite apps because, as the name implies, it serves as a countdown to anything AWESOME that’s coming up in your life; whether it’s the release of a new tech gadget or an event or vacation you’re looking forward to. The app is only $.99 and has been around for a little while now on iOS devices but I am surprised at how many people don’t know about it! For people with a super eventful life, like me, this app is great because it allows you to see all of your upcoming events at a glance and exactly how many days, hours, minutes … even SECONDS you have left before show time ..or play time! .” — Marly
• Chris recommends: SimplyRain, FREE
- “My app this week is one that’s sure to help put you to sleep. Or at least help you relax and lower your stress level. It’s called Simply Rain. Launch the app and you have a nice relaxing thunderstorm on your iPhone or iPad. There are settings for the amount of rain or thunder you have and it will automatically oscillate the volume to simulate a real rain storm. There’s also a sleep timer, so that you can have it shut off once you are off in dreamland. The app is free in the iTunes App Store. There is an app with the same name in the Google Play Store, but it’s from a different company so, while similar, it’s not quite the same.” — Chris
• Dave’s recommends: ÍslendingaApp SES (the Icelanding anti-incest app)
“Apparently the risk of Icelanders accidentally sleeping with a relative is apparently high enough to justify the creation of a smartphone app to help prevent it. Part of the problem, beyond the small population, is that Icelandic naming conventions don’t reflect someone’s descendants – each person’s father’s first name becomes the child’s last name. Cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews — all could have very different names. When two people who both have the smartphone app meet – they “bömp”(bump) them together. If they share a grandparent, the app will bring up an alert that it is most definitely not cool to go any further than a handshake with that person.” — Dave
What are your favorite Apps? Let us know at 800-899-INTO and we’ll feature them in this segment!
Tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast for more details
Lorenzo Castillo, Assistant Store Sales Leader – Sony Electronics
Mike in Artesia, California listening on K-TIP 1450 AM – Talk is Power asked: “I use Firefox & I have AT&T.net. Every time I check my email or some of my web pages a lot of the words are distorted on the page. How can I fix this?”
A lot of people have been having that problem, and it seems to relate to Firefox using hardware acceleration. There’s something in some people’s drivers that conflict with the way Firefox tries to do things.
That means that you have two options: 1) update your drivers and see if the problem goes away. That would be the best option, since it allows you to keep Firefox running as efficiently as it can.
Or, 2) you can turn off hardware acceleration, which would make Firefox rely solely on software, but it will likely fix your problems.
To turn off hardware acceleration, you can look for it under Tools > Options > Advanced > General > Browsing: “Use hardware acceleration when available”
Do make certain that you have the latest version of Firefox, however. They update frequently now, and often will fix reported bugs fairly soon.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Dustin from Alamo, Tennessee asks: “I’m in the Tennessee national guard but i do hunt and hike. What land nav what is the best download for my Samsung galaxy s2 gps so I don’t have to go out and purchase a handheld unit?”
Depending on how long you plan to use it for in one go, remember that phone GPS units are battery hogs, so you may not have the same autonomy you would with a standalone unit.
If you still want to go with an app, Land Nav Assistant is very popular, it costs just $1.99, which isn’t bad for something that helps you find your way back to civilization, and it supports MGRS coordinates, if you want to use it to help you train for the National Guard.
Land Navigation is designed specifically for training purposes, so it may not be as useful to you, but it has a nice user interface and it even incorporates a little augmented reality.
GPS Grid reference is another popular option, it’s more expensive at $7.99 but there’s a demo version if you want to try it out, it seems to be the most full featured of the 3, but we’re not experts here, so just in case, have a look at the other ones as well, as see if you see something we don’t.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
Wireless Update with Chuck Hamby
Wireless technology has come a long way in a short time. For proof, visit your neighborhood cellphone store or listen to what Verizon’s Chuck Hamby has to say.
Ralph in Sun City, Arizona asked: “I cannot get my Wikireader to turn on. I’ve put new batteries. Now my question is how long does a Wikireader’s battery life last?”
It depends on your exact model. A few have come out over the years, and your usage will be a factor, but as far as we can tell, you should expect your batteries to last you about a year.
Considering most WikiReaders take AAA batteries, it shouldn’t be overly hard to find replacements, and a single pack of AAAs may contain enough to keep you powered for the better part of the decade, so it doesn’t sound like too bad a deal.
For more information tune in to Hour 1 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Audiofly: AF33 in-ear headphones
Covington Creations: Earbud yo-yo — Now with Dave’s face on them! — A clever solution to tangled earbuds.
iolo: Copies of: Drive Scrubber – Erase data so it can NEVER be recovered.
Touchfire: iPad Keyboards – The world’s thinnest, lightest iPad keyboard.