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Tech News & Commentary
Lilly in Palestine, Texas asked us: “I was wondering what do you think the best phone is, the Samsung Galaxy or the Apple iPhone. And which Samsung Galaxy phone do you think is the best or Apple iPhone is the best?”
Lilly, Comparing Apple to Samsung is like comparing Mc’Donalds to Burger King, it all depends on preference. While the Samsung Galaxy offers a long list of features and are pushing technology in new directions, Apple iPhone is very basic but its simplicity is what attracts so 
many people. Both offer completely different phone experiences, so it’s really hard to pick one.
If you’re looking for the best Samsung Galaxy, the Galaxy S5 is going to take first place. The Samsung flagship phone has gotten better as years pass, but Samsung took a big leap from the S4 to the S5. Featuring a water resistant design, a faster 16-megapixel camera with real time HDR and a great 5.1 inch display, the S5 doesn’t fall short from the iPhone 5s.
If you’re looking for the best Apple iPhone, the iPhone 5s should be the phone worth looking at. Even though it isn’t water-resistant like the S5, the iPhone 5s still brings great features that the S5 doesn’t have. The iPhone 5S has a slow-motion camera which captures 120 frames per second, “Touch ID” which is a fingerprint scanner to unlock the phone in place of a password.
Both phones are great in their own way. At the end of the day, there isn’t really a “best phone “ out there, it all depends on preference.
Right now, screen size differentiates them. The Galaxy S5 has a screen that’s just over 5 inches diagonal, while the iPhone 5S screen is 4 inches. The Galaxy S5 uses a Super AMOLED screen that has incredibly good viewing angles, but has a weird greenish tint to it that makes the colors not as precise as the iPhone 5S. So in general, the Galaxy S5 screen is bigger and brighter with better viewing angles, the iPhone 5S screen is more precise with better color reproduction.
The iPhone 6, coming out later this year, is strongly (and we think correctly) rumored to have a larger screen. Most people expect two models, one with a 4.7 inch screen and one with a 5.5 inch screen. Recent videos have shown a sapphire glass screen said to be an iPhone 6 screen that is nearly indestructible.
Software, of course, is a big difference as well. The iPhone 5S has the iTunes App Store, which is incredibly well stocked with apps, while the Galaxy S5 has the Google Play store–ALSO incredibly well stocked with apps. However, your favorite app might be available for one or the other but not both. So you should spend some time on the web looking at both stores, because they both feature web interfaces for shopping, and give some thought to which store seems to appeal to you.
There was a time when the iPhone had the clear edge in number of apps, but that time has passed. However, we will still say that if an app is only going to exist for one platform…it will be on the iPhone.
Doing a quick poll of the Into Tomorrow staff, we see that Dave likes and uses his Galaxy Note 3, and basically everyone else has an iPhone. Do with that what you will.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
“This Week in Tech History” Weekly Feature with Chris Graveline
Christopher in Baton Rouge, Louisiana listening Online asked us: “My question is about waterproofing a cell phone. My cousin just washed hers in the laundry, causing her beaucoups problems & a needed replacement. I think you covered this, previously, but I want to recommend a method of saving her the grief in the future. Isn’t there a silicone solution that will coat a cell phone to protect it? If not, what else is a good solution to this possible disaster?”
Christopher, Nothing will save a phone if you throw it in with your laundry, there are waterproof phones, there are waterproof cases, but nothing will keep a phone safe after being tumbled around under water and detergent.
if you want to protect a phone from milder situations, a Lifeproof case may help, they make several waterproof cases for different phones. Otterbox also offers waterproof cases, and while their models are different for now, they should be at least as good as the Lifeproof cases, considering they own Lifeproof.
InnoPocket makes cases that are less standard looking, you have to screw them on, but they should keep your phone dry under reasonable conditions. Again though, having your phone submerged in a whirlwind of water and soap for an hour is pretty much going to be a death sentence nine times out of ten.
Smartphone makers are becoming more sensitive to people dunking their phones, however. The new Samsung Galaxy S5 is advertised as being able to survive being submerged for up to 30 minutes (assuming you’ve used the supplied charging port plug). That doesn’t account for soap and washing machine agitation, however. It still won’t save people who wash their phones. But it will save phones that get dropped in the sink, or that are in your pocket when someone tosses you in a pool, etc.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Carolyn in the US Virgin Islands listening on WOSO out of San Juan, PR asked us: “During power outages what is the best compact solar system I could buy that could charge my technology which includes cell phones, tablets, mosquito bats and assorted battery sizes?”
Carolyn, You’re gonna have a hard time charging everything you want to charge on solar only. There are devices that can technically handle fairly high capacity batteries, but they take a very, very long time to charge under the sun.
For example, the PowerAdd Apollo Pro has a built in 23,000 mAh battery with a DC output capable for charging a laptop, however, a Droid Razr Maxx has a 3,300 mAh battery, an iPad Air has a 8,800 mAh battery, that already puts you at over 12,000 mAh, which means most of your charge is gone, and you haven’t plugged in a second phone, or second tablet, that mosquito bat or any of the other batteries.
Now to reach the full 23,000 mAh charge they claim that “it will never take less than 38 hours to get a full charge.” Which means that you will have to keep this thing charging 24/7 to ensure that when you do need the power, it will be available.
Since that’s the case, you may benefit from looking at a regular battery that doesn’t use the sun to charge, but that may be able to charge more of your devices, for example, you could buy a 42,500 mAh battery from BixPower that takes 4 to 6 hours to charge. That would give you considerably more power if you want to charge all of those electronics.
However, how long are these blackouts? because if they’re long enough for you to have to worry about charging so many different devices, maybe you’d benefit from looking at a generator instead. A basic one may actually cost you less than a high capacity battery (obviously, that’s not true for the more powerful ones), and you’d get power when you need it without having to worry about the current charge of the battery.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
Guest Segment:
Jose Gordo, CFO – magicJack
VoIP and internet phone service can provide a more affordable alternative to a home phone.
CEA Update with Samantha Nevels
Do you know how efficient your home electronics are? Samantha Nevels with the Consumer Electronics Association explains what the consumer electronics industry is doing to increase energy efficiency in this week’s CEA Update.
Product Spotlight
Chris discussed the pros and cons of several models of LED Light Bulbs.
Bart in Biloxi, Mississippi asked us: “When will the new iPhone come out?”
That is very good question because everyone with an iPhone is wondering the same thing. Apple is very good at keeping quiet about when they plan to release any product, what’s new on the device and what it will look like.
There will always be rumors, but we’ve learned that most of the time with Apple, rumors are false about 99% of the time. One thing we noticed is that Apple tends to release their products in the fall so keep your eyes open later in the year, since there has been a lot of talk about a new iPhone.
Now that we’ve answered you carefully and correctly, we’ll speculate bluntly and say it will be announced in September and available in October. Those are, of course, just guesses. But we would be stunned if it wasn’t out in stores before the end of October.
For more information tune in to Hour 2 of our podcast.
This Week’s Prizes for Our Listeners
Kanex: GoPower Pack – 6,000 mAh and 11,000 mAh battery packs with built-in stands for smartphones
Other World Computing (OWC):Power2U AC/USB Wall Outlet – power outlets for your wall with built-in USB ports.
Bits Limited: Mini Squids — Travel-Sized surge protected power strips
Tylt: ENERGI Sliding Power Cases the Samsung Galaxy S4.
“Into Tomorrow”: Microfiber Screen Cleaning Cloths with Dave’s cartoon on them, for all your smartphones, tablets, TVs, camera lenses and computer screens!