Galaxy S III Review

I haven't done a phone review since I started writing primarily because I haven't been really impressed by a new phone in the past several months.  This all changed when I get to spend a little bit of time with the Galaxy S III, Samsung's new flagship phone.  The GS3 will be launching on all the major US carriers and will be available internationally as well (meaning my Russian and British readers are in luck).  I was able to attend  a training event hosted by Samsung in Philadelphia and had the opportunity to tinker with the phone in between the training segments.

Why Should You Care

The phone has some pretty amazing specs and won't require you to open up your wallet as far as the Motorola Razr Maxx ($299) and will get you more bang for your buck than an iPhone 4S ($199).  The phone is a 4G LTE device with a blazing fast 1.5GHz processor and comes loaded with 2 GB of RAM to keep the device running very smoothly.  The 4.8" Super AMOLED screen displays HD videos with incredible image clarity and is protected by second generation Corning Gorilla Glass.

I'm going to break down that last sentence for everyone really quick.  It has a big, gorgeous screen that will be very durable.  Don't be scared by the size of the screen as Samsung reduced the bezel (the white and black stuff around the screen) in order to keep the size of the phone becoming uncomfortable.  The phone is comparable in size to the Droid X or Droid 4 which both have 4.3" screens.

The camera really shined in the short time I got to use the phone.  The phone sports an 8 MP main camera and 1.9MP front facing camera.  The phone features a "burst" mode enabling the phone to take 20 pictures in rapid succession and a "best" mode that highlights the "best" picture based off the number of faces in focus, smiles, and eyes open.  Lastly, the phone has a "smile" mode, in which the phone will automatically snap the photo when it senses the subject smiling.  The camera alone will be enough to move the phone as customers look for a suitable replacement for a point and click camera.

Battery life? While I haven't seen the phone in action for an extended period of time, I would expect the battery to hold up well in comparison to most other phones.  At 2100 mAh, the GS3's battery is second only to the Razr Maxx (3300 mAh) in Verizon's current line up.  Most phones average 1600 mAh and Samsung's Super AMOLED screens have been lauded for their efficient battery use in comparison to energy hungry screens featured by Motorola and HTC.

Lastly, Samsung has developed a new accessory called TecTiles. TecTiles are small adhesive chips that can be programmed to give the phone a specific command.  For instance, you can leave one at work and when you wave your phone across the TecTile, your phone will text your significant other that you're leaving.  Swipe your phone over another tile in your car to turn on GPS and Bluetooth.  Arrive home and swipe over the tile near the phone to mute the device and enjoy some quality quiet time.

Should You Buy It?

Resoundingly, yes!  Like I said before the Galaxy S III is the first phone in a while that has really impressed me.  I would buy the phone ahead of every phone in Verizon's lineup with the exception of the Razr Maxx.  If you're a heavy duty user or just find yourself unable to rely on having a charger handy then the extra battery life on the Maxx should put it over the top.  For everyone else, I'd recommend picking up the Galaxy and using the savings to pick up some TecTiles.

iOS 6 - AKA Apple's New Software

So Apple announced the next major software upgrade for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.  What's this mean for you? It depends.  Do you need new hardware? Maybe (Scroll to the bottom of the next link to see).  You could go here and get the info from the horse's mouth or you can read on as I break it down.

Maps and GPS

Apple finally caught up to Android and is providing a native GPS solution that provides turn-by-turn directions and traffic updates.  There is some integration with Siri, but we'll see how well it works when things are rolled out.  The good folks over at Gizmodo have a great comparison of Android vs iOS and for the time being it looks like Apple still has some room to catch up on.

Siri

Siri's getting an update to her functionality.  You can stop asking it where to bury the dead bodies and get more information for sports, movies, and restaurants.  Thumbs up for integrating Siri into apps like Open Table.  I'm curious to see if these developments are coming more from Apple or the app developers.  I'd love to see people add movies to their Netflix queue or start up Pandora on a specific channel with just their voice.

On the down side, you'll be able to update your Facebook and Twitter accounts via Siri.  This means I'll be seeing more fecal matter related updates on Facebook regarding newborns.  You know who you are :)

Apple will be partnering with car manufacturers to integrate Siri into voice control systems.  I'll hold off judgement until I see what manufacturers are doing.  Personally, I wish Apple would engage in some heavy handed restrictions and force a universal system across all cars, but that'll never happen.  My concern is that some manufacturers have created horrible bluetooth user interfaces (Mercedes, BMW) that are painful to use and others that are very unreliable (Ford).

Photo Sharing

At first glance I yawned, but then realized this will be a nice addition for people who don't have or use Facebook regularly.  iOS users will be able to create mini social networks and share photos with friends and family members regardless of the device type they have.

Facetime 

You won't be forced to hook up to a Wi-Fi signal to use Facetime.  You still may want to given the network congestion on 3G networks and the amount of data video calling can use.  Don't say I didn't warn you when your teenager jacks your cell phone bill up because she had to video chat with the varsity QB during study hall.

Passbook

I'm just going to copy and paste from Apple's site on this one because it sounds really cool but I'd be surprised if how many people really take advantage of it.

"Your boarding passes, movie tickets, retail coupons, loyalty cards, and more are now all in one place. With Passbook, you can scan your iPhone or iPod touch to check in for a flight, get into a movie, and redeem a coupon. You can also see when your coupons expire, where your concert seats are, and the balance left on that all-important coffee bar card. Wake your iPhone or iPod touch, and passes appear on your Lock screen at the appropriate time and place — like when you reach the airport or walk into the store to redeem your gift card or coupon. And if your gate changes after you’ve checked in for your flight, Passbook will even alert you to make sure you’re not relaxing in the wrong terminal."


Wrap Up


But when's the iPhone 5 coming out? No clue.  You, me, and the Wall Street Journal will all find out at the same time when Apple makes the big announcement.  Trust me, you won't be miss it.

New Verizon Data Plans

Chances are you've that Verizon is changing its plans on June 28th.  It's true, Verizon Wireless just announced its new Share Everything Plan.  Stop, breathe, and please read on. I'm going to explain how they work and clear up a few misconceptions.  Mind you, these plans were just announced today and this information will cover most scenarios.  

Currently customers need to manage minutes, text messaging and data usage.  Verizon will be simplifying options by giving all phones on the Share Everything Plan unlimited minutes and text messaging.  Every device on the account will incur a fixed monthly access charge (more on that in a minute). Customers will then pick a data plan that all of their devices will be able to access (up to 10 devices).

Notice how I keep referring to devices and not phones?  This new plan includes options for smartphones, basic phones, laptops, mobile hotspots, USB sticks and tablets.

The monthly charges for devices are as follows

• Smartphones - $40
• Basic phones - $30
• Netbook, Mobile Hotspot, USB stick - $20
• Tablet - $10

Data buckets for the entire account

• $50 - 1GB
• $60 - 2GB
• $70 - 4GB
• $80 - 6GB
• $90 - 8GB
• $100 - 10GB

There are going to be times when the new plans are a better value and times when the old plans are a better value.  The benefits going forward are freedom from overages for minutes and texts along with the ability to share data across multiple devices.  Most people use a lot less data than they realize (take 5 minutes and read your cell phone bill).

Mary's family has 2 smartphones sharing 1400 minutes and unlimited text messaging.  Her monthly bill comes to $180.  The total data usage for the smartphones is under 2 GB each month.  Mary's mom wants a tablet but doesn't think she'll use it enough to justify paying $30 per month.

Under the new plan, Mary's family could share 4 GB of data shared across two smartphones and a tablet for $160 per month.  (2 smartphones at $40/month, 1 tablet at $10/month, 4 GB of data at $70/month).  We've gone from a potential bill of $210 down to an actual bill of $160.  We've saved money and we're getting more bang for our buck.

I'm not going to play out every possible scenario because, quite frankly, I'd rather be watching The Big Bang Theory.  If you're a Verizon Wireless customer, now is a really good time to look through your account.  If you're not a Verizon Wireless customer, see the previous statement.

For more information visit Verizon's website

If you have Verizon Wireless and you have a family plan.

1)  Your plan is not changing on the 28th.
2)  If you have unlimited data on your smartphone now and upgrade after the 28th, you will have a few options.

• Pay the full retail price on a phone and you may keep unlimited data.
• Purchase a new phone at the discounted price, keep your current phone plan and switch to a tiered data plan (2 GB - $30/month, 5 GB - $50/month, 10 GB - $80/month for a single device)
• Purchase a new phone at the discounted price and switch to the new Share Everything Plan

3)  In a lot of instances, if you don't want to restructure your plan, you won't have to (unless you have unlimited data)
4)  You cannot combine the old minute plans with the new shared data plans.

Who will these new plans apply to automatically?

1) New customers to Verizon Wireless
2) Customers with an individual line of service moving to a shared plan