Samsung Galaxy S3 Launch

[Event]

Headed over to One World Hotel on 24 May 2012 for the media launch of the Samsung Galaxy S3. I have been a Samsung smartphone fan ever since winning a Galaxy S2 during the launch sometime last year and was hoping my luck would repeat itself this year hahaha (wishful thinking)!

578253_383066095073197_123911204322022_1041136_696414136_n — MHB’s Jiayeen, Valerie, Michelle Ooi, Mei Sze and Samantha

544755_383066228406517_1220944206_n — The product managers gave us a brilliant practical demonstration of some really cool features of the smartphone

536095_383066285073178_123911204322022_1041140_2119438330_n — The phone is 16% bigger than my Galaxy S2 but weighs only 133 grams and measures only 8.55mm thick

537498_383066605073146_123911204322022_1041145_1111030233_n — S Voice

Samsung GALAXY S III’s advanced natural language understanding, listens and responds to a user’s words. Yes my Galaxy S2 has some basic voice controls but the S Voice on the S3 brings it to a whole new level by allowing information search, basic device-user communication, and powerful device control functions like “snooze” for the alarm, playing a favourite song, turning the volume up or down, sending text messages and emails, organising schedules, or automatically launching the camera and capturing photos.

With the ‘AllShare Play’ function, users can instantly share any files even without wireless connection, between the Samsung GALAXY S III and tablets, PCs, cameras and televisions regardless of distance between the devices.

Real-time sharing is available with ‘Group Cast’, a feature under ‘AllShare Play’ where users can share screens among multiple users on the same Wi-Fi network – allowing users to make comments or draw changes collectively on their own devices.

Yes you read correctly, I can send an image to my colleague and he can edit it ‘live’ with me watching and commenting. The real-life applications of this feature is only limited by one’s imagination.

318236_383066458406494_1423801358_n — The S3 is available in Pebble Blue and Marble White.

552947_384893251557148_123911204322022_1045894_1798552912_n — the Samsung GALAXY S III emphasizes on human-centric designs, natural interaction and instant sharing. Its comfortable grip, gentle curves, and organic form deliver a rich organic feel and design. Inspired by nature,

560033_383067485073058_363170185_n — With it’s 4.8″ screen, the S3 is bigger than my S2 (4.3″ screen) but smaller than the Galaxy Note (5.3″)

540380_383066941739779_1796076841_n — After the product demo, we were ushered into the adjoining room to experience the phone up close and personal

536566_383067708406369_123911204322022_1041161_489293586_n — Suddenly I have the urge to get one

579570_383067805073026_123911204322022_1041162_228295368_n — Hmmm I wonder if Samsung Mobile would like to sponsor MHB some of these babies…

Some other cool features of the Samsung Galaxy S3:

Large and vivid viewing experience on the Samsung GALAXY S III’s 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display, which allows HD multimedia experiences and 16:9 wider viewing angles.

Wi-Fi Channel Bonding, which doubles the Wi-Fi bandwidth to ensure faster content sharing and connectivity.

With the ‘Pop Up Play’ feature, you can multi-task and can play a video anywhere on the Samsung GALAXY S III’s screen while simultaneously checking emails or SMS, without needing to close and restart your videos.

8MP camera features a zero-lag shutter speed and ‘Burst Shot’ function which instantly captures twenty continuous shots, and the ‘Best Photo’ feature selects the best eight photographs.

HD video recorded with the Samsung GALAXY S III’s 1.9MP front-facing camera, – for your camwhores to capture HD videos of yourself

Improved Backside Illumination Sensor (BIS) on the Samsung GALAXY S III takes clear shots in low light conditions.

Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, enabling users to experience the ease and convenience of contactless mobile payments.

Enhanced gaming experience on the Samsung GALAXY S3 with ‘Game Hub’, which provides access to numerous social games

‘Smart Stay’ feature where the Samsung GALAXY S3 recognizes your eye movements – reading an e-book or browsing the web, for instance – by having the front camera identify with your eyes; the phone maintains a bright display for a continued and uninterrupted viewing pleasure. Yes a phone who is watching you (cue creepy music hahahaha!).

‘Direct Call’ – if you want to call someone while reading his/ her message, simply lifting the phone up to the ear will automatically call that person. Ok I think this is a pretty cool feature!

The Samsung GALAXY S3 will vibrate to notify users on missed statuses when picked up after being idle with the ‘Smart Alert’ function, ensuring users catch any missed messages or calls.

‘S Beam’ – instant sharing of files. Users can share files just by touching two Samsung GALAXY S3 phones back to back. Impress your Blackberry/ iPhone using friends with this cool feature and make them feel so inadequate. Make sure your buddy has an S3 though…

‘Buddy Photo Share’ function on the Samsung GALAXY S III allows photos to be easily and simultaneously shared with all friends pictured in an image directly from the camera or photo gallery.

Product Specs

Network	2.5G (GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE): 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz3G (HSPA+ 21Mbps): 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz 4G (Dependent on market)
Display	4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED (1280×720) display
OS	Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
Camera	Main(Rear): 8 Mega pixel Auto Focus camera with Flash & Zero Shutter Lag, BSI Sub (Front): 1.9 Mega pixel camera, HD recording @30fps with Zero Shutter Lag, BSI
Video	Codec: MPEG4, H.264, H.263, DivX, DivX3.11, VC-1, VP8, WMV7/8, Sorenson Spark Recording & Playback: Full HD (1080p)
Audio	Codec: MP3, AMR-NB/WB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA, OGG, FLAC, AC-3, apt-X
Additional Features	S Beam, Buddy photo share, Share shot
	AllShare Play, AllShare Cast
	Smart stay, Social tag, Group tag, Face zoom, Face slide show
	Direct call, Smart alert, Tap to top, Camera quick access
	Pop up play
	S Voice
	Burst shot & Best photo, Recording snapshot, HDR
Google™ Mobile Services	Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude Google Play Store, Google Play Books, Google Play Movies Google Plus, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Places, Google Navigation, Google Downloads
Connectivity	WiFi a/b/g/n, WiFi HT40 GPS/GLONASS NFC Bluetooth® 4.0(LE)
Sensor	Accelerometer, RGB light, Digital compass, Proximity, Gyro, Barometer
Memory	16/ 32GB User memory (64GB available soon) + microSD slot (up to 64GB)
Dimension	136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm, 133g
Battery	2,100 mAh

A big improvement over the already good Galaxy S2. Maxis, DiGi and Celcom are all offering packages for the S3 and you can find the info on their respective websites.

More info at www.samsung.com.my

Photo credits: Samsung Malaysia and author’s own