Samsung Galaxy S III - First Impressions

I have no experience or interest in getting a smartphone. However, I had a chance earlier tonight to play with my brother's Samsung Galaxy S III (or Samsung Galaxy S3) after having looked at it. I didn't go too crazy with it because I didn't want to run up my brother's data rates. This First Impressions post has to do with the Samsung Galaxy S3. You may recall that I've talked about the Galaxy PLAYERS before, which are portable media players which lack cell phone features and cell phone data plans. This time- it's a real smartphone I'm talking about.

This is not a proper review. However, it is the first time I offer a review or first impressions on any kind of phone or smartphone.

--- The Samsung Galaxy S3: First Impressions ---

I have no smartphone experience, so don't look to me as any authority on smartphones. Here now is a look at the device I will make some first impressions on:


^ from: www.amazon.com - The latest in Samsung's massive universe of Galaxy products- the Samsung Galaxy S III.

Features.

Here are some features of the Galaxy S III (sources: Best Buy, Amazon, and other sources):
• 4G LTE available for high-speed downloads
• Android 4.0 ("Ice Cream Sandwich")
• 4.8" HD Super AMOLED 720p display
• S Voice functionality
• VGA front-facing camera; 8-megapixel rear camera
• dimensions (in inches) 5.4 × 3.0 × 0.2

For more features, here is a YouTube video on the Samsung Galaxy S III (click on the video link below if you can't view Flash):

^ "Official Samsung Galaxy S3, All About"

Basic Overview.

The Samsung Galaxy S III is a very beautiful device from the Korean consumer electronics giant. The S3 debuted on May 29, 2012. This Android phone operates on Android 4.0- better known as "Ice Cream Sandwich (or ICS)." It boasts capacities of 16 GB and 32 GB of storage along with 2 GB of RAM. The microSD slot allows for microSD cards with capacities as great as 32 GB (and maybe 64 GB) to be installed in addition to the already-available onboard storage. It is powered by a dual-core Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon processor good for 1.5 GHz of processing power. One of its main competitors is another fellow Korean smartphone- the equally beautiful HTC One X.

The Samsung Galaxy S III's marketing point is on the fact this phone is "designed for humans and inspired by nature." This is evident in its curved and stylish design. There is a live wallpaper for the Galaxy S3 that features various water effects. Touching the screen with the watery live wallpaper will create a little ripple in the water along with a sound effect of something touching the water. Touching and dragging your finger across the screen creates a trail of water on the screen. Regardless, it is safe to say that this Android phone running on the "Ice Cream Sandwich" interface is as captivating to use as it is to look at.

Just like an ice cream sandwich, the S3 is sweet (but not tasty. Really. It's a smartphone, not a frozen snack. I don't recommend eating Android-powered smartphones despite the sweet names of their interfaces. Anyhow...). Using the Galaxy S III allows you to do many things. Among one of its many features is the S Beam feature, which allows you to share media from one Galaxy S3 tp another SGS3. You can also use the Samsung Galaxy S III to take 20 pictures at once using the S III's Burst Shot feature. I saw in a video that the S3 takes Burst Shot pictures at a rate of three pictures per second. So it's safe to say this smartphone is quite powerful and capable. It also has a feature called Smart Stay. Smart Stay keeps the display active until you are actually not using or looking at the device. Otherwise, if you have the screen switch off after a certain amount of time passes, you have to keep pressing or touching the screen or some button just to keep the device active. Smart Play stays on for as long as you're actually using and looking at the device so that you don't have to press a button or anything for the screen to switch off.

There are many more features to the Samsung Galaxy S III, but I just wanted to highlight on some of the many different features of the device.

Looks of the Galaxy S3 and Other Features.

Just looking at the Samsung Galaxy S III is a joy in itself. It boasts a very stylish profile all around. The S III has long been marketed as being "designed for humans and inspired by nature." The dimensions of the Galaxy S3 are (in inches) 5.4-inches long, 3-inches wide, and 0.2-inches high. It features a high glossy plastic backing as its back support. The front features a physical Home button along with two capacitive buttons on either side of the physical Home button. The left capacitive button is the Menu, and the right capacitive button is the Back button. The S3 comes in three colors- Marble White, Pebble Blue, and Garnet Red. There are also these color options: Amber Brown, Sapphire Black, and Titanium Grey; but I am not sure if these are offered on American-spec S3s. The Samsung Galaxy S III is available from five different carriers: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and U.S. Cellular. Available color options for the Galaxy S3 depends on which colors are offered by the specific carrier.

Of course, how a phone looks has nothing to do with its performance. I just wanted to highlight on how lovely this phone looks.

Initial Thoughts and First Impressions.

For someone who has never used a smartphone before, I was mostly pleased with how the Samsung Galaxy S III functions. I never actually made a call with the Galaxy S3, but I mostly enjoyed using this device to try out the various apps and gauge its performance. Its operation is smooth and effortless. It is perhaps one of the loveliest-looking phones on the market today.

Remember that I did not make any phone calls or anything with the Samsung Galaxy S III since I was playing around with my brother's S3. I didn't want to run up any data fees or anything. Also... I'm not really a phone person to be honest.

I have no interest right now in going to a smartphone, but would I want the Samsung Galaxy S III as my first-ever smartphone (if interested)? I would probably say yes.





You can learn more about the Samsung Galaxy S III by going to the official global page of the Samsung Galaxy S III. Or for my American visitors, visit the Samsung Galaxy S III site for Samsung Mobile USA.


Remember that this blog post is NOT a review of the Galaxy S III. If you DO want proper reviews, however, I can help. Visit these sites for professional reviews and more information on the Samsung Galaxy S III:

• Samsung Galaxy S III Review on SlashGear
• Samsung Galaxy S III on gsmarena.com
• Samsung Galaxy S III review on NBCNews.com
• Samsung Galaxy S III Review (T-Mobile version) - PhoneDog


If you'd like to visit Amazon for the Samsung Galaxy S III, here are some items below to help you out. I tried to feature each item based on carrier. I would appreciate your business and cooperation if you do visit Amazon based on these items. Availability of each item may not last based on the initial posting of this topic:



FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
• Samsung Galaxy S III 4G Android Phone - White, 16 GB, Verizon Wireless.
• Samsung Galaxy S III 4G Android Phone - White, 16 GB, AT&T.
• Samsung Galaxy S III 4G Android Phone - Blue, 16 GB, Sprint.
• Samsung Galaxy S III GSM Smartphone (Unlocked) - White, 16 GB.
• Samsung Galaxy S III International Version (Unlocked) - White, 16 GB.

Or, you may click on the link ahead of this sentence to shop around for your own S3: Samsung Galaxy S III on Amazon


Samsung Galaxy S III Sites by carrier (intended for USA audience only)...
• Samsung Galaxy S III - Verizon Wireless « for Verizon Wireless customers
• Samsung Galaxy S III - T-Mobile « for T-Mobile customers
• Samsung Galaxy S III - AT&T (Marble White) « for AT&T customers; two other colors offered on the site
• Samsung Galaxy S III (16 GB) - Sprint and Samsung Galaxy S III (32 GB) - Sprint « for Sprint customers
• Samsung Galaxy S III - US Cellular « for US Cellular customers


• Best Buy page on the Samsung Galaxy S III « all S3 models (including locked and unlocked models) offered on Best Buy


This is the first time I blogged about a smartphone. Considering how different it is to blog about a real smartphone as opposed to a phone-without-the-phone (like the Samsung Galaxy Player series I blogged about previously), this was a different experience for me to blog about. So I hope you enjoyed this piece. Thank you for reading!

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