Best Samsung Galaxy S4 accessories

    The Samsung Galaxy S4 is undoubtedly going to be the pride and joy of many a trouser pocket from its official UK release date of 27 April. But keeping that phone feeling fresh and scratch-free means investing in a decent case. Thankfully, with Samsung such a hot brand at the moment, and its new phone the most sought after handset on the planet (probably), accessories extend way beyond that.

      So then, what sort of toys should you be looking at to go alongside your Galaxy S4 when it arrives? Read on to find out everything you need for your swanky, new Samsung Galaxy S4.

Cases

Let's start with the obvious: a case. The Samsung Galaxy S4 has a big 5-inch 1080p display, which while being protected by Gorilla Glass 3, might not come off so well in a fight between screen and pavement.

Tech21 Impactology cases

Tech21 has put together a range of tough cases for the new Samsung phone. Starting with the Impact Snap Black and White, which retails for £19.99. The Tech21 impact reduction technologyinside basically pushes impact force away from the phone if you drop it, making it nice and safe in the case, without the need for a massive plastic wraparound.

The cases also include the Impact Snap with Cover for £24.99 and the rather cool-looking Impact Mesh, which is clear around the edges with an orange band. They will all be going on sale from 26 April ready for when the Galaxy S4 arrives.

Case-Mate barely there

We already have the tough case box ticked with Tech 21, so now on to something a bit more stylish. The Galaxy S4 is designed to be light and pocketable, so a good case shouldn’t add too much to the form factor of the phone.

 

Case-Mate’s Barely There range includes two cases, one in aluminium, which fit as close as possible to the phone while providing a good amount of protection. Both will go on sale from the end of April. The conventional Barely There is £14.99, the aluminium one £19.99.

Belkin Micra Folio case

Making a decent alternative to Samsung’s own brand flip case (shown below), but throwing in a bit of wallet functionality for good measure is Belkin’s Micra Folio case.

The whole thing is wrapped in soft-touch material, with a flip cover on the front that features a pocket in which to store cards and cash. A microfibre lining sits on the inside of the cover to keep your screen clean.

V-Moda Vamp Verza

This one is a bit of fun more than anything, although we can see it being a hugely useful accessory for the summer, especially if you intend to take your handset to the park to provide music.

You better get saving though, because V-Moda’s Vamp is $600 (£395). It includes a full amp and even a digital to analogue converter. It fits into V-Moda’s Vamp Metallo case, combining the two into an awesome portable hi-fi.

Samsung Galaxy S4 S View cover

For those who don’t fancy going third party, Samsung’s own S View cover is a good option. It features a letter box at the top of the front cover through which you can see part of the Galaxy S4’s screen.

The phone will actually recognise when you have the case on and subsequently display important information like time and notifications, through the relevant letter box. It also keeps the front of your phone scratch free, but doesn’t offer quite the level of drop protection as bulkier cases.

Speck SmartFlex Card

Speck has built up quite a heritage for keeping your gadgets safe over recent times. The SmartFlex card will wrap around your Galaxy S4, while theoretically doing away with the need for you to carry about a wallet.

On the back of the case is a clever slot, which you can use to store things like bank cards inside. The case also comes in a wide variety of colours and looks just as good as anything else that Speck has one offer. Alternatively there is the SmartFlex View, which has a built in stand in the back so you can prop the handset up.

Cygnett Icon

One for the trendy types, Cygnett’s Icon case uses a Keith Haring style print on the back to seperate it out from the usual black, white and see-through cases. It won't, however, keep your phone quite as protected as the competition, as the case only really covers the back of the Galaxy S4.

If you fancy a touch more screen protection, Cygnett has the WorkMate, which is as colourful as as Championship football team’s kit. It also has a proper bumper on the front, so should stop the screen from getting damaged if you drop it.

Headphones

Android phones are starting to get their own set of audio accessories, or at least increased compatibility with devices. This means you can enjoy best-in-class audio tech alongside your new Galaxy S4.

Ultimate Ears 6000

One of the big draws of the UE 6000 is that they are fully compatible, microphone and all, with Android handsets. Being battery-powered noise cancelling cans also means you get great sounding audio even on planes and trains.

The Ultimate Ears have a design scheme which is in keeping with that of Samsung’s. Gloss white and black matches nicely with the new colourways on the Galaxy S4, making the headphones a bit of a complementary product for your new phone. The Ultimate Ears are £140.

Bowers & Wilkins P3

Another colour-matched set of headphones, the Bowers and Wilkins P3s come in black, white and a soon to be launched blue. They also sound fantastic and are nice and compact, coming with a great carry case to keep them protected in handbags or rucksacks.

B&Ws P3s cost around £170, but for that you are getting some top sound quality and build. They even have removable headphone cables in case the set you have breaks.

SteelSeries Real Racing 3 Gaming headset

If there is one app that is really going to show off the graphical prowess of your Galaxy S4, then it's Real Racing 3. We are talking about near-console quality gaming, all wrapped up in an app that is free to download. Okay, so there is some freemium shenanigans going on, but hey, if you can afford a Galaxy S4 then in-app purchases should be the least of your worries.

The SteelSeries 3 headset is designed specifically with RR3 in mind. They ship with a mini jack on one headphone so you can connect another set and share audio with a friend. There is also an in-line microphone for hands-free calling. The RR3 headphones cost £99 from the SteelSeries website.

Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay H6

This is most definitely the pricey premium option, but for those who can afford it, the H6s offer top notch quality and design. At £329 they aren’t cheap, but then B&O has spared no expense. The leather for example is top quality New Zealand leather, which looks like it might last forever.

Audio is top notch, if a little light, but these headphones are geared towards classical music, rather than the bass heavy tracks a set of Beats headphones prefers. The aluminium on either can is also a nice touch.

Docks

For many, the Galaxy S4 is replacing an iPod or iPhone. This means some sort of speaker dock will come in particularly handy if you fancy taking your music further. The Galaxy S4 uses a micro USB connector, which should mean you need only a USB port on a dock for the phone to work.

Philips Fidelio AS851

Philips has taken proper care of Android users with its range of Fidelio audio docks. The AS851has a clever Flexidock, which can adapt to allow you to place virtually any Android phone into it.

This means your Galaxy S4 will fit snug in the Fidelio, rather than dangling off it attached with a cable. It’s a minor point, but with something as premium as the SGS 4, you really want your dock to match its quality.

Idapt S2

How about a dock that works with both iOS and Android devices, so you can plug in your Galaxy S4, or visiting friends hook up their iPhones? That way everyone gets a chance to play their music at parties.

The Idapt S2’s thinking is that you can never have enough connectors. As such, it comes with a micro USB connector, as well as a 30-pin Apple adapter or Lightning, should you be so inclined. The S2's pricing starts at £159. 

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Samsung Galaxy S4 to launch in India on April 26

Waiting for the launch of a new phone can sometimes feel like walking through a dark cave that seems to have no end, but there is light at the end of this tunnel if you're a Samsung fanboy.

We've got a tip from a reliable source that the much awaitedSamsung Galaxy S4 will be launching in India on April 26, less than a week from now. The source also said the phone will be priced around the same as the iPhone 5 in the country, but it is possible that it could be slightly cheaper than the competitor from Cupertino.

The Galaxy S4 is the latest flagship smartphone from Samsung’s stable and was unveiled worldwide at a launch event held in New York on 14th March. The Galaxy S4 boasts of a 5-inch full-HD super AMOLED display and is powered by a 2600mAh battery. The new Samsung flagship smartphone runs on the Exynos 5 octa-core processor and 2GB of RAM. Graphics are handled by a PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU and imaging by a 13MP primary camera and 2MP front camera.

It also boasts some mighty impressive features such Smart Translator, a speech to text and text to text translator that supports 10 languages; Smart Pause, a feature that pauses a video automatically when the user’s eyes move away from the video; S Voice Drive, a better optimized GPS navigation app which accepts voice commands; and Eraser, a feature built into the camera that lets users erase unwanted elements from a captured photo, among others.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is expected to launch on April 26, and would be available in stores from the next day onward (falling in line with previous rumours of the India launch). We are told that the demand for the phone is pretty high, so if you want to get your hands on the latest and greatest Samsung has to offer, you better keep that cash handy.

Samsung testing out mind-controlled Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1

Researchers from Samsung’s Emerging Technology Lab are working together with the University of Texas, Dallas, to develop mobile devices that can be controlled using your mind. Innovation is a huge aspect of the tech world and Samsung is looking to jump miles ahead of its competition. This technological advancement will be beneficial to people who suffer from various mobile impairments. and would be a huge game changer for the tech industry.

Right now, the researchers are working on this new feature using the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1. Using the power of their thoughts, the people who are testing out the mind-controlled Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 can launch applications, shuffle through music, turn the tablet on and off, and much more. The testers wear a cap equipped with EEG-monitoring electrodes to convey their actions.

The cap uses EEG-detected brain signals to launch an action. The researchers monitor “well known brain activity patterns that occur when people are shown repetitive visual patterns.” By just focusing on an icon blinking at a certain frequency, the testers can perform various actions like launching apps and pausing/playing music. Users were able to perform an action with their mind at a speed of one action per 5 seconds, with an accuracy rate of 80%-95%.

The researchers still require a lot more research in order to make this innovative feature a reality, but they’re working diligently to do so. Samsung’s lead researcher, Insoo Kim, says, ”

Finding new ways to interact with mobile devices has driven the project. Several years ago, a small keypad was the only input modality to control the phone, but nowadays the user can use voice, touch, gesture, and eye movement to control and interact with mobile devices. Adding more input modalities will provide use with more convenient and richer ways of interactive with mobile devices.”

Robert Jacob, a Human-Computer Interaction Researcher at Tuft’s University says that this research project will help find more ways to allow users to communicate with their mobile devices. This research will hopefully allow users more control over their mobile devices, and will still allow you to “stick the phone in the pocket.” However, unfortunately for us, when this new feature does become available for mobile devices, Roozbeh Jafari, an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Texas, Dallas, says that people may have to wear an EEG-cap to use it. Let’s hope that that cap is at least fashionable.

Samsung testing out mind-controlled Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1 is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear. 
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Don't Let Your Camera Collect Dust: 10 Inspiring Ideas For Photography

By: ER.Somesh Bhardwaj

                  Finding inspiration for your photography can sometimes be a challenge. We've already taken a look at five places you can go online to find inspiration for your photography, but there are also a few offline methods that can easily kickstart your photo-taking - with just a little bit of dedication on your part. There's no better way to keep yourself shooting on a regular basis than committing to taking one photo a day.

That said, it can also be extremely challenging, and you'll probably find yourself falling off the wagon a few more times than you'd prefer. We've put together a list of 10 projects that you can use to keep yourself shooting through your Project 365, or that you can simply use to shoot on a regular basis.

Go to the Same Place Every Day for Photography Ideas

Is there a place you go every day? On your commute, you take a specific metro, get off at a specific station, pass by the same park every day? Pick one spot and document how it changes day by day. By the end of the year you'll have a fascinating study in how one specific place has changed over time. Or if you live in a busy, dynamic city, you can show just how much one specific place can change from one day to the next.

Pick a Lens

Rather than find a specific theme or subject to focus on, why not pick a specific lens? Pick a fixed lens if you really want to challenge yourself. When you're limited to using a fixed lens, like the 50mm for example, you'll find yourself pushing yourself to find creative images around you. If you want to get really creative, opt instead for a lens that creates interesting effects like one of the Lensbaby products, or PhotoJojo's Diana Lens.

Connect to the Written Word

Songs, poems, book titles, or even stories can be a source of inspiration for photographers. Pick a writer, a poet, or a musician, and use their words as a springboard for your photography. If you'd rather bridge this idea with a daily project, then don't limit yourself to just one writer or singer - but rather choose a different title, phrase or story as your daily source of inspiration. You can even choose a random word on a daily basis and use that as your point of inspiration.

Take a Daily Self Portrait

We've seen several fascinating examples of taking a daily self-portrait in the same place and eventually using it to create a timelapse video. Even if you choose to keep the photos private, it becomes a great way to document your own appearance over the years (if you choose to do it longer than one year). This is also a great concept for parents to document their children's growth, whether for one year or even longer, as we've seen done in the past.

Pick a Theme

Picking a specific theme is another way to make sure that you always keep your eye out for interesting images no matter where you are. Windows and doors are a popular theme that you can find no matter where you are. Another interesting theme that you can opt for is to play with the concept of shadows and light or silhouettes. Come up with a concept that speaks to you, or that is commonly found in your surroundings, and set out to document it as best you can.

Pick a photography style

Picking a specific photography style is another good way to find a little bit of photographic inspiration. Opt for taking macro photos only. If you live in a city, focus on street photography or architecture. If you live in a more rural area, go for landscape shots. Even if you don't want to lug a heavy DSLR around you can still opt for using specific styles with your iPhone - all you need is a lens adapter like the Olloclip 3-in-1 iPhone lens.

Go for Bokeh

Bokeh is another interesting way to create a photo series that is tied together by a specific thread. Bokeh can be a challenge to get right at first, but setting the challenge for yourself is one way to perfect the technique. Using a 50mm lens can often help matters, making it slightly easier to achieve that bokeh effect with less effort on your part.

Pick a prop

Picking a small prop that you can take with you everywhere you go can be a cute way to document all the different places you find yourself. It goes one step beyond documenting the places that you go, by bringing a bit of your own personality into the photo. Choosing your prop will probably be the most challenging part of the project - finding something small, portable, and that reflects your own personality is no easy feat - but once you have it, you can get to taking photos of it around your city, country, or even on your travels abroad.

Pick A Colour

One way to create a striking and cohesive collection of photos regardless of their content is with the simple use of colour. Choose one colour and set out to take your photos with the content predominantly one colour. You could even opt for several different series, each one dominated by a specific colour, and then you'll end up with a striking collection of colourful photos that will look great on your wall.

Go on Photo Walks

Dedicate one day a month, or more often if you have the time, to going on photowalks. Finding friends to do this with can be a great motivator and a way to make the experience even more enjoyable. It's not only a good way to keep yourself shooting, it can also be a great way to get to know your own city better. Pick neighbourhoods you dont't normally go to, go to a botanical garden, or a museum, or simply wander the streets downtown.

HTC First vs HTC M4: should you wait to drop Facebook Home?

There are two HTC smartphones headed to the market in the next few weeks, the First of which is called the HTC First – fully equipped with Facebook Home for you social networking fanatics. The other is one that’s not been fully recognized is an iteration of the HTC experience with nearly the same specifications of the HTC First, this time called the HTC M4 – aka the HTC e1. The thing is, though, that the HTC e1 is already on the market in China, while the HTC M4 (code name similar to the HTC One‘s “M7″) might never reach the public.

So what’ve we got here? We’ve got a potential for three devices. The First two are confirmed, while the third might actually just be an early iteration of the second. The HTC First is the Facebook Phone which we’ve heard about this week, it’s specifications turning up to be mid-tier all the way, complete with a 5 megapixel camera on its back and a 4.3-inch display: these two specs will be important in a moment.

HTC First
• 4.96 x 2.56 x 0.35 (in) (LxWxT)
• 4.3 inch, HD 720p, 341 PPI
• Weight: 4.37 oz
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• Facebook Home UI
• Qualcomm 8930AA, dual core 1.4 (Snapdragon 400 MSM8930)
• Internal storage: 16GB, available capacity varies (this spec suggests different editions are on the way)
• NFC, Bluetooth 4.0
• 5-megapixel camera on back, 1.6-megapixel camera on front, both front and back with BSI sensor
• 2000 mAh battery

See our full HTC first and Facebook Home hands-on walkthrough now!

This device is rather similar to the HTC e1, a smartphone released in China earlier this year with HTC’s own Sense user interface. This device also has a 4.3-inch display and a 5 megapixel camera on it’s back. It looks a lot more like an HTC One X than the HTC first does, on the other hand.

HTC e1
• 5.05 x 2.63 x 0.39 (in) (LxWxT)
• 4.3 inch, 480 x 800, 216.97 PPI
• Weight: 4.59 oz
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• HTC Sense 4.0 UI
• Qualcomm MSM8960, dual core 1.5 (Snapdragon S4+)
• Internal storage: 8GB, microSD card slot for expansion by 32GB
• NFC (depending on operator), Bluetooth 4.0
• 5-megapixel camera on back with BSI, 1.6-megapixel camera on front, HTC ImageChip inside for image processing
• 2100 mAh battery

So the two are different enough not to be mistaken for one another on the street with their looks, but close enough in design specification-wise to have been created to attack the same market. Of course the inclusion of Facebook Home on one and not the other makes them utterly, utterly different when it comes to who will actually pick them up. Then there’s the HTC M4, a device that’s not get gotten a final market name.

HTC M4
• 5.05 x 2.63 x 0.39 (in) (LxWxT)
• 4.3 inch, HD 720p, 341 PPI
• Weight: N/A
• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• HTC Sense 5.0 UI
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 MSM8930, dual core 1.2Ghz
• Internal storage: N/A
• Bluetooth 4.0
• UltraPixel camera on back with unknown megapixels, 1.6-megapixel camera on front
• Battery Size N/A

Sounds like a combination of the HTC First and HTC e1, doesn’t it? If you’re thinking about picking up an HTC smartphone specifically in the next few months and for one reason or another want to avoid the HTC One, you might want to wait for this un-named HTC M4 device – especially if it works with UltraPixel technology.

Of course if you want to roll with Facebook Home, you’ll want to consider the HTC First instead. Then again, you could still simply load Facebook Home to your smartphone via the Google Play app store like everyone else and have an UltraPixel camera on your device on top of it all.

Let us know what you think, and head down to our HTC first timeline below for more information on this brand new smartphone. And don’t forget to hit up our Android Hub while you’re at it!

Note Source:-http://www.slashgear.com/htc-first-vs-htc-m4-should-you-wait-to-drop-facebook-home-05276681/

HTC first official: Facebook Phone unveiled

This week the folks at Facebook have teamed up with HTC to show off the first of what may be many Facebook Phones in what’s called the HTC first. This smartphone brings the full Facebook software experience to you in an Android-based user interface called “Facebook Home”. This smartphone is a mid-range unit when it comes to hardware specifications and will be offered in a variety of color casings.

With the HTC first you’ll be rolling out with a 4.3-inch LCD display with no less than 720p resolution for your everyday sharp Facebook interactions. This device will be rolling out with a lovely Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 dual-core processor, this being the same SoC that you’ll find on the Samsung Galaxy S III and the DROID RAZR HD. On the back of the HTC first you’ll find a 5-megapixel camera while the front works with a 1.6-megapixel camera for Facebook video chat and messages.

UPDATE: This device is NOT using the Snapdragon S4 as previously noted – instead it is one of the first devices on the market to be using the Qualcomm Snapdragon 400. This smartphone will also be coming with 3G/4G “multimode” LTE and will be available on the 12th of April for $99 USD attached to a 2-year contract.

You’ll be knocking out the apps with 1GB of RAM and a brand new user interface that’s based loosely on HTC’s own Sense 4.5. You’ll of course have wi-fi, 4G LTE from AT&T (at first, additional carriers on the way we must expect), and Android 4.1.2 right out of the box. We’ll be presenting some fabulous hands-on action with this device soon – there we’ll have additional insight in to how this device functions and if it’ll be the smartphone you’ve just got to have in 2013.

Have a peek at our Android Hub as well for more information on the Android universe at large! We’ll be bringing you more Android and Facebook Phone (and regular old Facebook) action all day – stick around and check the timeline below for updates, too!

Note Source:-http://www.slashgear.com/htc-first-official-facebook-phone-unveiled-04276492/

Verizon BlackBerry Z10 hands-on and unboxing

By:- Er.Somesh Bhardwaj 

It’s finally time to take a peek at BlackBerry 10‘s first big smartphone presentation here in the United States with the Verizon iteration of the BlackBerry Z10. This device is an all-touch smartphone – that feature a given on most other mobile operating systems, but a relatively new concept for BlackBerry – and works with Verizon’s rather speedy 4G LTE network. What we’re looking at here on day 1 are just the basics: what’s different from the international edition?

In our original BlackBerry Z10 Review, Chris Davies spoke about both the hardware and the software in great detail. Lucky for you, not a whole lot has changed since that device was ready for action nearly 2 months ago. Here with the Verizon version we’ve only got the addition of big red’s 4G LTE connectivity compatibility and a couple of Verizon account apps.

With My Verizon Mobile and Backup Plus Contacts you’ll now have the ability to work with your Verizon bill and monitor the data you’ve used during the month. You’ll be able to back up your contact list with Verizon as often as you’d like. And that’s it.

This version of the BlackBerry Z10 uses the same 2 megapixel camera on the front, the same 8 megapixel camera on the back with LED flash, and the same processor under the hood. Inside you’ll find the Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, the same that exists in every version of the Z10 that exists thus far – this same processor is used in such phones as the Samsung Galaxy S III (USA edition), the Motorola DROID RAZR HD, and the HTC One X (USA edition). You’ll also find the first, most updated, and only version of BlackBerry 10 mobile OS on the market.

Up front you’ve got a lovely 4.2-inch 1280 x 768 pixel LCD display, complete with the third-densest pixel arrangement on the market. While the HTC One wins at the moment with 468 Pixels Per Inch, and the HTC DROID DNA is in second (with the Xperia Z and GALAXY S 4) with 441 PPI, the BlackBerry Z10 stands alone as holding the only display on the market with 355 PPI. Of course at that level of density, it’s nearly impossible to tell the difference between the lot with the naked eye, but it’s always fun to compare!

The BlackBerry Z10 stacks up against the HTC One and iPhone 5 – the battle is on!

Have a peek at our hands-on photos above and below, keep your eye tuned to our BlackBerry Z10 tag portal for more information on this device and see the timeline below for our adventures with BlackBerry 10 up to and including this week!

Note Source:-http://www.slashgear.com/verizon-blackberry-z10-hands-on-and-unboxing-29275836/