Temperatures below 40-degrees Fahrenheit didn't stop hundreds from attending Samsung's Unpacked event in Times Square on Thursday evening.
The long awaited launch of the Galaxy S3's successor, the Galaxy S4, took place at Radio City Music Hall, but it was several streets down and a couple blocks west where Samsung booked Broadway between 46th and 47th streets.
Mingled with press and the average Joe and Jane, hundreds waited for the master of ceremonies Will Chase to start the event. While the event was live streamed, the Times Square event was unique in that everyone was granted the opportunity to fiddle with the Samsung's new iteration of its flagship smartphone.
With the hustle and bustle at this New York landmark, the event gathered people from across the globe. Spectators in the crowd watching the Radio City Music Hall live stream and waiting to hold the Galaxy S4 spanned from Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Dominican Republic, France, and even Turkmenistan, the Latinos Post found.
The crowd applauded as soon as the countdown started for the presentation until Samsung President and Head of IT and Mobile Communications Division, JK Shin, gave his speech. From that point on, it appeared that the cold temperatures, which undoubtedly fell to even lower temperatures during the 50-minute presentation, got the best of the spectators who were too cold to feel involved.
"With the Galaxy S4, Samsung is again going to enhance the way we live," said Shin said about the new smartphone. "All the innovative features of Galaxy S4 were developed based on the insights and needs we found from our consumers all around the world. Following the successful Galaxy S series, this phone is yet another great proof point of people-inspired innovation. At Samsung we'll never stop pursuing innovation conceived by people, so we can inspire them in return."
Five minutes following the end of the Radio City Music Hall event, it was time for the spectators to line up and experience the Galaxy S4 first-hand. Although it was not advertised before or during the presentation, a white stage to the left screens exhibited sixty Galaxy S4 smartphones for testing purposes. Spectators, including press, were given five minutes each with the smartphone.
Latinos Post Review
With temperatures still declining, it was time to finally feel the new smartphone. The Galaxy S4 is extremely light in weight. As someone who owns an iPod Touch, the Apple device felt heavier compared to the Galaxy S4.
For first impressions operating the device, the Galaxy S4 response time could have been better. When unlocking the screen, it may have taken more time than expected (maybe cold temperatures affected perception?).
The camera capabilities seemed to be amazing based on the 5-minute fiddling allowed. The five-inch screen provides a brilliant crisp display in both photography and video recording.
Checking the wireless connectivity was not worth it as the device did not connect, so, test times from going page to page is inconclusive.
Perhaps one point for contention while reviewing the Galaxy S4 is the size. Granted, big screens are a plus as it provides better viewing, but with larger screens it means a larger frame for the device. The Galaxy S4 is fairly big for the hand, but that is up to the consumer.
Specifications:
Battery: 2,600 mAh battery capacity.
Camera: Rear-facing camera at 13-megapixels and front-facing camera with two-megapixels. Video recording in full HD at 30 frames per second.
Display: The Samsung Galaxy S4 will feature a screen size of five-inches with pixel resolution 1,920x1,080 and at 441 pixels per inch. The screen will be in HD Super AMOLED Display.
Memory: The Galaxy S4 will be offered in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB internal storage models with 2GB of RAM. A microSD card slot will be offered in the smartphone for up to 64GB of additional storage space.
Networks: The Galaxy S3's successor will be available in 3G and 4G LTE.
Operating System: Android version 4.2.2 - Jelly Bean.
Wireless Connectivity: The Galaxy S4 will be open to Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Near Field Communication, and Bluetooth version 4.0.
