The Samsung Galaxy S III - the Swiss Army Knife of Cellphones

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Parent Category: Gadgets

Category: Cell Phones

Published on Saturday, 07 July 2012 21:18

Written by Elaine Ing

Just a few years we boasted as to how small our phones were. Remember the Motorola’s Pebble cellphone?

Well, now it’s all about how big the screen is, what applications we have, and of course, how fast our data service is.  The Samsung Galaxy S III (S3) has all that and more. 

We’re now entering an era of hybrid cellphones/ tablets. The S3 is like the Swiss Army Knife of cellphones.

The S3 offers one of the most sophisticated, powerful and interactive smartphones to date. At 5.4 inches tall and 2.8 inches wide, and the massive 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display (with a 1,280x720-pixel resolution), the S3 is larger than the average cellphone, however the handset's slim and sleek 0.34-inch width, contoured sides, and glossy coating make it a comfortable handhold. At an amazing 4.7 ounces (wow!), its physical body belies its weight. With its 1.5GHz dual-core cpu and 4G service, tasks are done at lightening speed. 

With so much capability, one would think that you’d be constantly recharging (the bane of many owners of Android-system smartphones), however the S3 carries an impressive battery life. It can last a full 24 hours with minor usage and about 12 hours with heavy usage 

And here's the basic specs:

• Dimensions: 5.4" x 2.8" x 0.34"
• Weight: 4.7 ounces
• Screen Size: 4.8 inch
• Screen Resolution: 720 x 1280 pixels
• OS: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.5GHz Dual-Core
• Camera: 8 Mega Pixel with 1080p video recording capability
• Network: 3G (HSPDA/CDMA) / 4G (LTE/HSPA+)
• Memory: 2GB RAM, expandable MicroSD card slot

Besides standardized features like Google apps, Bluetooth, and WiFi, the S3’s has S Beam.

The Samsung-only S Beam combines NFC (near field communications) and Wi-Fi Direct to "beam" / share larger-file photos, videos, and documents in mere minutes.  However, this capability is only between S3 phones. S Beam is an addition to Android Beam's capability of sharing URLs, maps, and contact information.  

Then there’s S Voice -- Samsung’s answer to Apple's Siri. Adding onto Android's built-in Voice Actions, S Voice is an improvement on Vlingo both on the listening and interpretation front, and sources answers from databases like Wolfram Alpha. 

It also includes  sharing software. Multimedia sharing is one of the S3’s main focus, with four main ways to share content.  AllShare Play (sharing among Samsung TVs, tablets, and phones), GroupCast, Buddy Photo Share, and ShareShot. 

While offering top-of-the-line performance and innovative features, the S3 is priced at a competitive 199.99 price tag for the 16GB version (with contract) and is available in the U.S. on five carriers:

• Verizon
• AT&T
• Sprint
• T-Mobile
• U.S. Cellular

An aggressive distribution strategy indeed.  It’s no wonder that the S3 has been in such high demand in pre-orders already.  Available in “Pebble Blue” or “White” in 16GB or 32GB. 

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