A Look At Design And Camera Facilities On The Samsung Galaxy S2 And The Galaxy S Advance

The Samsung Galaxy range of mobile smartphones seems to be growing all of the time and the latest addition to the family is the new Galaxy S Advance. Previously we took a look at screen technology and processing power on this device and looked at how it compared with the bestselling Samsung Galaxy S2. This time we look at camera features on both of these models and also see how the models compare in terms of design.

The new Samsung Galaxy S Advance features an improved camera facility from the Galaxy S model that it is based on. Still photography quality is impressive and images can be captured at a resolution of 5 million pixels. As you would expect a wealth of additional features are available to help you capture the highest quality images possible. Auto focus will help ensure that there is minimal blur on any photos and the useful Smile Detection function will take the photograph the moment it detects people smiling. Thanks to the phone incorporating GPS all photographs can also have location details stored about where the snaps were taken.

Despite the Galaxy S Advance offering a high quality camera feature the Samsung Galaxy S2 offers a little more in terms of quality in this area. An 8 mega pixel camera captures an incredible quality of image although many of the additional features are the same as can be found on the Advance model. Both handsets offer a secondary front facing camera which is ideal for video calls and both are also capable of capturing still images. The Galaxy S2 can record 2 mega pixel resolution from this camera while the Galaxy S Advance offers just 1.3 mega pixels.

One of the key areas on modern smartphones is design. A great looking device will always grab the attention of the consumer while a more dated design will often be overlooked. The Galaxy range of devices are famous for their stylish looks and both of these handsets do not disappoint in this area. The Galaxy S Advance looks very similar to the original Galaxy S device. The handset measures 123.2 x 63 x 9.7mm which makes the phone one of the most compact currently available.

At just 120 grammes in weight the model is also surprisingly lightweight considering it includes a 4 inch display. Although the Samsung Galaxy S2 includes a larger 4.3 inch screen the phone manages to weigh less than the Advance model at just 116 grammes. The model measures just 125.3 x 66.1 x 8.5mm and is constructed from some very durable plastic. This black plastic gives the phone a very modern look which combines well with the curved corners of the phone to leave us with a device that may not win any awards for innovation but still looks superb.

The Samsung Galaxy S Advance is a superb addition to the Galaxy range and will strike a chord with consumers looking for great value for money. The Samsung Galaxy S2 is still the premium model in the range and offers superior camera features and excellent design despite its advancing age.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 is available now and the Samsung Galaxy S3 is coming soon.

View the original article here

Samsung Galaxy S3 - Release Date, Price, Design and Features Round-Up

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is to be the successor to the hugely popular Samsung Galaxy S2 and rumours surrounding its release date, features, design and price are rife, here we take a look at what has so far been confirmed and what we can expect from this new high-end smart phone.

First of all, Samsung may have accidentally already revealed the Galaxy S3 in a video launched at the recent CES event this year which shows a larger handset than the S2 with a much bigger touch screen and slimmer bevel surround, the display is likely to be 4.6 inches or more based on the manufacturers last two release.

These include the Samsung Galaxy Nexus which sports a 4.65 inch display and the Samsung Galaxy Note which packs the largest touch screen currently available at a massive 5.3 inches, the Galaxy S3 will most definitely use Super AMOLED Plus technology and offer HD support at 1080p as this is already available on the Samsung Galaxy S2.

The camera will most probably turn out to be a 12 mega pixel lens although Samsung did out a 16 mega pixel unit in October of last year there has been no talk connecting it with the Galaxy S3, the camera will be enhanced with face recognition, smile detection, LED flash, image stabiliser, auto and touch focus and 1080p video capture.

When it comes to a definite release date there is no confirmed knowledge at this time, originally tipped to be launching at the Mobile World Congress event in Barcelona the manufacturer has now confirmed that will not be the case. Reports suggest that it may be a while longer as the company want to avoid the staggered release scenario of the Galaxy S2 which saw a significant delay in launched the product in America after hitting the UK market.

It has also been rumoured that it could coincide with the release of the new Apple iPhone 5, the S2 was launched around the same time as the iPhone 4 and has gone on to outsell Apple's previous model in the UK, the newer iPhone 4S has also failed to make much of an impact on Galaxy S2 sales figures.

In terms of overall design, the Samsung Galaxy S3 looks to be following a similar stance to the S2 with a lightweight, slim and sleek form which makes the iPhone look a little bulky, the main touch screen dominates the front of the handset and touch sensitive buttons may be removed.

This is mostly due to the new phone shipping with the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich edition operating system which negates the need for both physical and touch buttons, it also introduces lots of new features and updates such as better task management, facial recognition unlock, live effects for video, advanced NFC sharing features and improved email and web browser.

Powering this new flagship phone could well be the first ever quad-core processor as the manufacturer; Qualcomm have now confirmed that these are available, this could increase speeds to between 1.6GHz and 2GHz making the Galaxy S3 one of the fastest smart phones available.

As for price, it is widely expected that the Samsung Galaxy S3 will cost a little more than the S2 did when it was first released, this would mean that a free phone would probably be available with contract deals of between £36 and £41 line rental costs per month.

If you would like to see Samsung Galaxy S3 deals as they are released or take a look at information about the iPhone 5 please feel free to browse our website: Phones Limited.

View the original article here

Design iPhone Apps By Borrowing Ideas

If you're trying to design iPhone apps in the hope of making it big in the App Store, it's vital that you examine the designs of some of the top iPhone apps out there. The truth is that there are many iPhone apps that barely get downloaded, and usually the ones that get many downloads are the ones with the simplest of designs. To get yourself on the right track, you may want to try emulating the design of the apps mentioned below:

Angry Birds

What's nice about About Angry birds is that it has a very basic idea and concept. It's a simple little game that has been downloaded thousands of times, and almost every person with an iPhone knows what this game is. It's nicely designed with a pretty interesting, yet basic setup that any child could follow along. It's simply a good app that's definitely worth downloading.

Fruit Ninja

Fruit Ninja is a game where pieces of fruit pop up onto the screen, and you basically cut them in half like a ninja. If you plan on creating a simple game for the app store, Fruit Ninja can give you a good amount of ideas. It's a pretty unique game, and basically, the overall design is great for those people who hate to read long pages of instructions.

Wikipedia App

The Wikipedia App is very useful because you can browse through their entire list of millions of articles, and there's no need to visit the site from Safari. It's pretty useful to use, and anybody who enjoys learning or needs to do some quick research on anything will find this app to be a great addition to their iPhone.

IMDb

Aside from the Wiki app, those who want to research some celebrities should use this app. Would you like to look for the resume of Raven Symone, or maybe the local guest star in a movie? You can do so by using this IMDb app.

Facebook

Facebook is a very popular website nowadays, and it's a social network that has over 500 million registered users. I highly suggest that you download the app for some instant access to your Facebook account and easily make status updates from any place. This is one iPhone app that anybody will enjoy downloading.

Basically, if you want to have some fun at making iPhone apps, trying going for the same design iPhone app as the ones above. You shouldn't copy them wholesale, but instead get ideas as to why many people enjoy those specific apps.

Is it because they're funny, or maybe because it's useful to have them? In order to succeed, you need to make sure that you're able to come up with a variety of ideas from other apps, and simply let your mind explore and think up different designs. In the end, you would have a wonderfully built app that has a great idea based on the already successful apps in the past.

If you want to discover the secrets of iPhone app development, visit the following site:

iPhone Dev Secrets

View the original article here

Top 3 Design Improvements in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

Google's latest update to its world-famous Android mobile operating system includes not just a strengthening of the operating system itself but also an overall redesign of the elements in its user interface.

If you loved the easy and user-friendly interface of either Android 2.3 Gingerbread or Android 3.0 Honeycomb, you will also love the new improvements in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, which supposedly brings together the best elements of Gingerbread and Honeycomb.

Here are the three top design improvements that Google implemented in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Typography That's Easy on the Eyes

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will enchant users with an Android that is completely redone and made over--starting with its typeface called Roboto, which is used all over the various screens and widgets.

Roboto is a sans-serif typeface introduced in the latest Android 4.0 operating system. Google described it as a "modern, yet approachable" font. Despite having been criticized for imitating more popular and well-established typefaces such as Helvetica, Univers, or Myriad, the new typeface in ICS does make reading text easy on an Android smartphone.

It is the very typeface that appears in Ice Cream Sandwich's magazine-type design ethos--big pictures, bold headlines, lots of resting spaces for the eyes (called "white space" in publication parlance).

The Lock Screen in Android 4.0, for instance, reeks of Roboto all around. The digital clock is in Roboto. The day, date, and charging information are in Roboto. Roboto is splattered all over Ice Cream Sandwich. Apart from Roboto on the Lock Screen, Google has also updated the live wallpaper on the lock screen--it now shows rich but subtle animations of blue orbs rising skywards.

New Home Screen

In any Android smartphone or tablet, the Home screen is where everything begins. Unlocking the phone brings you to the Home screen, with an analog clock in the middle of the screen and some virtual buttons below. Ice Cream Sandwich offers a new, innovative way to interact with the device. Virtual buttons have been integrated into the system, and they hide when they know they are not needed. Thus, you get a bigger viewing area with those buttons out of way as you browse the Web with your Android phone or while watching movies or videos.

The Home screen is not only the starting place from where you can run your applications. It is also a place for your widgets, giving you access to important information without the need to go anywhere. And, widgets in ICS, just like in Honeycomb are resizable. You can make them as big as you want, or as small as you want. They are your widgets, and Android 4.0 allows you to have your way with them.

Adding widgets in ICS is also faster and easier. With the widget tab, you can easily locate your widgets, or pick and drag those that you want to drop on your Home screen. With better widgets, ICS gives you that breath of fresh air when it comes to adding your personal touch and customizing your Android phone and its Home screen.

Folders and Favorites Tray

You can think of folders as containers, just like real-life folders, that allow you to group and organize printed documents. In Android 4.0, you can group your favorite apps, contacts, and more into folders. All it takes is dragging and dropping icons from another folder to another. Easy breezy organization and management with folders.

Also, with Android 4.0, you can now customize your Favorites Tray at the bottom of the screen. If you have placed your favorite apps inside one folder, and you want them to be instantly accessible regardless of which screen you're viewing, just place them in the Favorites Tray.

These three design features are not just eye candy. They are meant to be functional improvements whose chief goal is to make Android 4.0 easier and more pleasurable to use. With these improvements in Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, users of Android smartphones and Android tablets will get the best of both Gingerbread and Honeycomb.

Eager to know more about Android smartphones and Android tablets? Or, perhaps, you already own one and want to know what else that intelligent device can do to make your life just a little bit short of paradise? Get some TidBits of Android news and reviews at AndroidTidBits.com.

View the original article here

Bonobo plywood bike flexes the boundaries of bicycle design

 

Polish designer Stanislaw Ploski's Bonobo bicycle has a frame made from bent plywood

Image Gallery (10 images)

One of the nice features of some bent plywood chairs is the fact that they spring up and down, so they have some give when you first sit down in them. Well, Polish designer Stanislaw Ploski has taken that flex appeal, and applied it to a one-of-a-kind bicycle. Named Bonobo, the bike's frame is made from curved, laminated layers of plywood.

"It is built to serve urban cyclists who wish to ride comfortably and with style," Ploski said of Bonobo. "The frame utilizes natural properties of plywood - a natural composite material that is light, strong, and absorbs vibrations. Geometry of the bike ensures a relaxed riding position and lets the user experience the pure pleasure of cycling."

The bicycle is outfitted with a singlespeed drivetrain and hydraulic disc brakes, although Stanislaw says it could also run an internal gear hub or a belt drivetrain.

While Bonobo does indeed look like it would soak up the potholes, it would be interesting to know just how much the thing weighs.

If you like the idea of a wooden-framed bicycle that you could actually purchase, check out the Lagomorph, or Audi and Renovo's duo bikes.

Source: Bicycle Design

View the original article here