Samsung Galaxy S III Review

Having used a Samsung Galaxy S II for around 10 months it was refreshing to upgrade to Samsung’s latest and greatest, the Galaxy S III. The first difference I noticed was how massive the screen was in comparison to the S2 and also how sharp the resolution is. My main problem with the SII was battery life. Halfway through the day it would be less than 20% so I would need to charge or rotate a second battery. Now with the S3, with the same amount of usage, I can easily get 14 hours of battery life. On this alone it was worth upgrading.

Samsung Galaxy S III – My bat phone

This variant of the Galaxy S III has 16GB internal storage (also comes in 32 and 64GB), but with a slot for an external micro sd card, I added another 16GB. Plenty of space for some music, videos and other files. When the phone was announced I was surprised to see it only came with 1GB of RAM. This is the same amount as the S2. Unlike the S2 however, the S3 has a much better processor – the Exynos 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 processor. Equipped with this beast it feels very fast and responsive. It will be interesting to see how much faster it can operate with Jelly Bean when it is available.

As noted earlier the screen is absolutely stunning. It’s a 4.8 inch Super AMOLED 720 x 1280 pixel screen and is perfect for watching videos or looking at photos. Although it’s quite large it still fits comfortably in pocket or hand. Any larger and we move into phablet territory.

The Galaxy S 3 has an 8MP rear camera capable of recording in 1080p. I was contemplating buying a digital camera before getting this phone but decided there isn’t a need as the camera on the S III can take superb shots. There is also a 1.9MP front facing camera which is great for Skyping and video calls.

It’s really a lot of little things that make using this phone a joy. The built in alarm tones are so peaceful, the virtual water ripples on the lock screen aesthetically pleasing, the way you can hold the phone to your ear whilst in a Text message and it will automatically call the person, the quick share button for easy sending a photo, true video multitasking, 0 camera shutter lag, these are the 1 percent difference-makers which set it apart from the other smartphones on the market.

There are a few new features on this phone which I do not use though. This includes S-Voice and the Eye detection that puts the phone to sleep when you look away from it. I find them a bit gimmicky and prefer Google’s own voice software, such as the one found in Google Now. Unfortunately Google Now is only available in Jelly Bean so we will have to wait for an upgrade to become available on the S III as it runs Android 4.0.x – Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box.

For anyone with a Galaxy S2, unless you have battery issues like I had, or can get the S3 at a reasonably good price, then it probably isn’t worth upgrading. Those with an original Galaxy or an iPhone won’t be disappointed at all upgrading to a Samsung Galaxy S III. In my opinion, at the time of writing, the Galaxy S III the best smartphone available.

Buy Samsung Galaxy S III on Amazon

Google Nexus 7 Review

2012 was always going to be the year of the tablet. As soon as the Nexus 7 and a slew of other Android tablets were announced earlier this year I knew I was going to buy something in the months that followed. My big dilemma was whether to hold out for the Asus Transformer Prime Infinity or buy the new Nexus 7 which was a fraction of the cost. It was a recent trip to the local JB Hi Fi store where I had my first demo of the Nexus 7 that I decided it was the tablet device for me. In particular, it was the snappiness of the new operating system, Jelly Bean, how comfortable it felt to hold, and the ultra affordable price tag of ~$300.

Hardware, design and features

The Nexus 7 comes in 8GB and 16GB models. I got the 16GB version as my primary use for it would be to watch videos, movies, play a few games and read ebooks (although ebooks wouldn’t take up much space). There is no way to increase the capacity of the device which is a shame since I have a 16GB microsd card which will now have to find another home, such as in my Galaxy phone.

Powered by a Tegra 3 quad core CPU, with an extra dedicated core for battery management, nothing feels laggy or slow on this device. I put this down to a combination of the powerful hardware and the new Android operating system.

Connectivity wise the Nexus 7 can only connect to the internet using Wifi. Although it doesn’t have 3g or 4g I have found I am nearly always in a Wifi area anyway. Also, when I’m out, tethering with my phone works equally well. The device is also equipped with Bluetooth and NFC. There are no other ports besides a micro-usb port used for charging (or connecting a USB device if you have an OTG cable) and a headphone jack. On the right side is the usual power button and volume rocker.

Made primarily of plastic and gorilla glass, the Nexus 7 might look cheap however it is very nice to hold and doesn’t at all feel like a lesser quality product. Weighing in at 340 grams it’s light and ultra portable. It is still too large to carry in a pocket though, so when a smartcase comes out it will be next on the purchase list. This one has caught my eye  - Poetic Slimline Portfolio Case for Google Nexus 7

Display and camera

Sporting a 7″ 1200×800 HD backlit IPS display, the Nexus 7 tablet is crystal (but not retina) clear. The colours are very vibrant and the brightness range has lots of depth. I turned my brightness down to just above the minimum to conserve battery life and even at this level it still looks fine.

There is no back camera on board but it is not missed. On the front is a 1.2mp camera which is great for Skype and google+ hangouts. I would have liked a better quality camera but for me it’s not really a big deal as I don’t use the feature that much. In fact there is no camera app. The functionality is there and can be enabled by installing this app – Camera Launcher for Nexus 7

Software

Firstly I have to say how refreshing it is to have a pure Google operating system installed. Being used to a Galaxy S2 smartphone it is really nice to now use a device that doesn’t come preinstalled with manufacturer crapware apps and widgets. Secondly, Jelly Bean is amazing. Project butter has made app transitions so smooth and the experience feels very fast, fluid and responsive. I think this alone was what made me decide to buy the unit in the first place.

One thing that has come under criticism is that the home screen is fixed in portrait view. I’ve found that besides watching videos I keep the Nexus in portrait most of the time anyway. Don’t fret though if you do want to change the orientation to landscape then there is an app for that – Ultimate Rotation Control

The other new feature present in Jelly Bean is Google Now. This is a card themed assistant which will answer your queries and show upcoming items in card form. So far mine has only popped up with the weather and upcoming calendar events. Here is a list of commands you can use with Google now - Android 4.1: How Many Voice Actions Have You Tried?

Battery

The battery life on the Nexus 7 is very solid. I haven’t kept it on watching a video to see how long exactly it lasts but with my moderate use and turning airplane mode on when I’m not using it for long periods of time (such as overnight) I can get around 2-3 days out of it.

Conclusion

I think I made the right choice in choosing the Nexus 7 over some of the other 10 inch tablets I had my eye on buying. It is extremely comfortable to hold and a pleasure to use while relaxing on a couch, in bed or while travelling. Sure, it has a few shortcomings such as lack of expandable memory, however for the price it is well worth it. You even get $25 credit to use in the Google play store when you buy the device.

Nexus 7 on Amazon

$5,000 BJenkins

A quick post today to show off the largest BJenkins pay we have seen to date – $5,000. As you may recall BJenkins is the term we have given to playing a pokie maximum bet by 1 line.

Congratulations to Jackpot Jimbo who won using this high risk, high reward style.