5 New Ways To Maximize S4's Battery Power
Initial reports on
problems with the Samsung Galaxy S4 included complaints about the
smartphone’s massive 2,600 mAh lithium-ion battery: Some users described
the batteries as getting drained overnight, with charges of less than
50 percent remaining by morning.
These cases may be
isolated, but they can also be easily prevented when Galaxy S4 owners
take the proper steps. I have also discovered a host of other
battery-saving techniques through research, including inquiries made of
owners of other Samsung Galaxy S series devices.
Missed our first list of Samsung Galaxy S4 battery-maximizing tips? You can find them at "12 SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 BATTERY SAVING AND BETTER PERFORMANCE TIPS" And here are five more ways to maximize battery power.
1. Limit The Use Of GPS And Location Services
GPS is a great tool to
help you find your way around and to optimize your experiences with
various applications. However, a Samsung Galaxy S4 handset constantly
pulling GPS signals will experience significant battery drain. GPS is
one of those features that can be effectively turned on only when needed
to conserve battery power. Obviously, GPS is used by such apps as
Google Maps and many others that require it to pinpoint a user’s
location for verification and other purposes. While such apps will be
disabled with GPS and Wi-Fi turned off, both are quickly accessible
through the Galaxy S4’s drop-down menu. Keeping GPS and Wi-Fi among the
top five options on your special-features shortcut menu will make them
among the easiest to access for quick enabling and disabling.
2. Limit Home-Screen Widgets, Live Wallpapers And Fancy Ringtones
Widgets, live wallpapers
and fancy ringtones are great ways to customize your Samsung Galaxy S4
to your taste, but if you wish to use them, then you will definitely
have to sacrifice battery power. Your battery life will fare much better
should you do without some or all of these add-ons. I have not added
any widgets to my Galaxy S4 handset and have even removed all the
standard ones, except for the T-Mobile TV, Google Search and weather
widgets. I don’t use live wallpapers, and I haven’t customized my
ringtones as I have found benefits in keeping my ringer on the vibrate
setting. However, you don’t have to be as drastic on your own
smartphone: Pick one or two of three add-on options, and don’t go
overboard with the ones you choose. For example: If you forgo live
wallpapers, then you can have just a few of the widgets you deem most
important on your home page, and have customized ringtones for a few
important people.
3. Put Device On Airplane Mode When Out Of Signal Range
Most people don’t
realize that when their Samsung Galaxy S4s -- or any handsets, for that
matter -- are out of service range, such as when they are underground in
a subway station, the smartphone will send out stronger signals in
attempts to achieve a service connection. Differences in battery power
may not be noticeable at first, but the battery drain could mean the
difference between a warning battery and a critically low battery.
Conserve battery power by putting your Galaxy S4 in Airplane mode when
in areas where you know you cannot receive a signal. Airplane mode can
be accessed by pressing down the power button on your handset as if you
are turning it off or through the special-features shortcut menu.
4. Invest In An External Battery
Keeping a spare battery
on hand is a great way to maintain full function of your Samsung Galaxy
S4 handset in the event that your original battery loses power. While
many people recommend using an official battery, such as the recently
released Mugen Power 2750 mAh extended battery for
the Samsung Galaxy S4, which sells for $44.50, a savvy owner should be
able to navigate retailers such as Amazon and eBay for cheaper variants.
Another option is the Zaggsparq portable battery and charger,
which hold between one and four charges depending on the model. The
Zaggsparq plugs in to the Galaxy S4 handset via a USB connection.
5. Unplug Your Handset Once It Is At 100 Percent Charge
Your Samsung Galaxy S4
handset will notify you when it is time to discharge because it is at
full power. Leaving your handset charging longer than needed can wear
away battery power over time. A good rule to follow to leave your Galaxy
S4 discharged overnight (having used some or all of the tips above to
conserve battery power), and charge your battery during the day when you
can easily check to see whether your battery is at full power and ready
to be discharged. Charging your phone overnight is a bad option as the
battery should need only a hour or two at most to charge fully, after
which the battery will be receiving power that it can’t store.
Overcharging can lead to quicker battery depletion and quicker battery
death in the long run.
Samsung says it sells 4 Galaxy S4 phones every second
More than 10 million units of the smartphone have been sold since its April 27 launch....
SINGAPORE –
Samsung today announced that less than a month after its launch, global
sales of its Galaxy S4 smartphone has passed 10 million units. Launched
globally on April 27, the Korean company estimates that the phone is
selling at a rate of four units per second.
In comparison, sales of
the Galaxy S III reached the 10-million mark 50 days after its launch
last year, while the Galaxy S II took five months and the Galaxy S seven
months to reach the same milestone.
“On behalf of Samsung, I
would like to thank the millions of customers around the world who have
chosen the Samsung GALAXY S4,” said Mr J K Shin, CEO and President of
the IT and Mobile Communications Division at Samsung.
Samsung GALAXY S4, which
features the world’s first Full HD Super AMOLED display and a
13-megapixel camera, is currently available in more than 110 countries.
New Software Update rolling out for the Samsung Galaxy S4, brings enhancements and stability fixes
Samsung has just started to roll out a new Software Update for the Galaxy S4.
Galaxy S4′s (Exynos +
Qualcomm) first batch of firmwares suffered from a lot of issues, and
many people complained about these issues to Samsung and on various
forums. Thankfully, the new software update brings a ton of
improvements, enhancements and fixes over the initial firmwares of
Samsung’s flagship device.
As you may know, the
16GB variant of the Galaxy S4 comes only with 9.15GB of user accessible
memory in which the user installs all his/her apps. The new update
addresses this issue by giving the user the functionality to move apps
to SD card and increasing the available storage to 9.23GB. This should
solve customers’ complain about low user accessible storage. This is one
of the enhancements in the update, rest of them are listed below.
Improvements and fixes in the new Software Update:
-New Camera firmware
-Smearing issue has been fixed (Purple effect while scrolling)
-Smart Pause Toggle
-Move Apps to SD Card
-HDR Video (Can record HDR video)
-Semi-transparent status bar
-New Icons in Settings
-Secure boot status (About Phone)
-Increase legibility (Display) (New feature)
-Smearing issue has been fixed (Purple effect while scrolling)
-Smart Pause Toggle
-Move Apps to SD Card
-HDR Video (Can record HDR video)
-Semi-transparent status bar
-New Icons in Settings
-Secure boot status (About Phone)
-Increase legibility (Display) (New feature)
Currently, the new
software update is only available for the Snapdragon-powered Galaxy S4
(GT-I9505) but our insider has confirmed that the new software update
will be coming to the Exynos-powered Galaxy S4 (GT-I9500), as well. As
of this moment, Samsung has only rolled out the new software update in
Germany, we hope other countries will follow soon.
Firmware details:
Model: GT-I9505
Country: Germany
Version: Android 4.2.2
Changelist: 768421
Build date: Wed, 29 May 2013 16:05:23 +0000
Product Code: DBT
PDA: I9505XXUBMEA
CSC: I9505OXABMEA
MODEM: I9505XXUBMEA
Model: GT-I9505
Country: Germany
Version: Android 4.2.2
Changelist: 768421
Build date: Wed, 29 May 2013 16:05:23 +0000
Product Code: DBT
PDA: I9505XXUBMEA
CSC: I9505OXABMEA
MODEM: I9505XXUBMEA
The update is 365.67 MB
in size and you can update your device via Samsung KIES or via FOTA
(Firmware-Over-The-Air). Make sure to charge your device before
performing the upgrade.
Screenshots:
Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini is Powerful enough for those who can't afford Galaxy S4
If Samsung's Galaxy S4
is more smartphone than you think you need, the electronics giant has
just offered up the smaller, more midrange - and surely cheaper - Galaxy
S4 Mini.
Samsung is hoping to
give its lighter smartphone much of the same GS 4 taste with just a
little less vigor. Although the Mini has stepped-down specs compared to
its flagship family, like a lower-resolution screen and an 8-megapixel
camera instead of a 13-megapixel shooter, it's no slouch when it comes
to the Galaxy S4's core features, even a built-in TV remote control.
As with the Galaxy S3
Mini that came before, this version is aimed more toward the mass market
than the high-end sector, without sacrificing too many of the
superphone's more defining features.
Launch and Price
With the Samsung galaxy
S3 launching for €300 (Rs 23,300), it's hard not to expect the S4
variation to launch at the same price. This could be bit too expensive
given the specifications and strong competition for mid-range Android
phone. We'll have to wait a bit longer to find out - UK event scheduled
for June 20 likely to give us more information. According to the
sources, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini will be launched in India on 30th
July 2013 and will be priced at Rs 24,000 (approx).
Architect
Samsung's modest Mini is
a wee bit shorter, thicker, and wider than the svelte Galaxy S4 but
clearly cut from the same cloth. Like the round-shouldered original, the
Mini retains its curved perimeter, metallic rim, and rectangular home
button, and also comes in black and white versions.
Specifically, the global
GS4 Mini stands 124.6 millimeters tall (4.9 inches) by 61.3 millimeters
wide (2.4 inches) by 8.9 millimeters thick (0.35-inch) and weighs a
lighter 107 grams (3.7 ounces, compared to the GS4's 4.6-ounce weight.) A
3G-only, dual SIM version will weigh a hair more at 108 grams.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom product photo showed up!
The Galaxy S4 Zoom will be Samsung last product of the Galaxy S4 range. Samsung already has the Galaxy S4, Galaxy S4 Active and Galaxy S4 mini. As you might notice the Galaxy S4 Zoom looks a lot like the Galaxy S4 mini.
The Galaxy S4 Zoom is Samsung’s first cameraphone based on Android.
The Latest XXUBMEA Firmware Update for Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 Brings Major Improvements & Features
Since the releases of the Galaxy S4, Samsung
has been criticized severely for cutting off the SD card storage space
for its users. The company later tried to defend itself that the used
space were utilized in giving the users more features but that was not a
logical explanation at all. If we buy a phone with 16 GB storage
capacity, it must be somewhere near to the promised/advertised space.
Anyways, Samsung seems to have taken
that complaint seriously and today they have started rolling out a new
update for the LTE variant of the Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 that houses
Snapdragon processor. A big number of users in Germany and China have
reported receiving the OTA update with 365.67MB size.
The new update with PDA version I9505
XXUBMEA can also be availed by the users of Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 who do
not belong to Germany as we have the link to the full firmware that can be installed manually using Odin. As the very size of the OTA indicates, this is a major update that brings a lot of new feature and improvements in the performance of the device.
Features and Changes:
Here are some of the new things that have been discovered so far by users:
- More stable performance.
- Semi-transparent status bar (see the post image above).
- More free RAM.
- New Apps to SD Card feature that lets you move an app to the SD Card.
- Improvement in camera picture quality.
- New “Increase legibility” feature that can be found under Settings> My Device> Display.
- New Smart Pause toggle in Quick Settings under Notification Panel.
- Improvements in the S Planner app.
Download the firmware:
Download the firmware and extract it on your desktop. Inside the extracted folder you will find a file with .tar.md5 extension. Install this file by clicking on PDA button on Odin3 tool for Windows. For detailed installation guide click here.
source How to Install Android 4.2 Photosphere Camera on Samsung Galaxy S4
Before the official release of the Galaxy S4, there were rumors that Samsung will be adding the Photosphere
camera with its own branding “Camera Orb” in its new flagship. However,
later it became evident that the rumors were just rumors and what we
got with the Galaxy S4 was Samsung’s own version of Panorama mode that
can captures 360 degree left to right or vice versa pictures.
The Photosphere camera feature, that as introduces first with Nexus 4, is really one of the most interesting camera features. The Photosphere camera mode is an advanced form of 360º photography because it beautifully synthesizes several photo frames
into one whole to give you a spherical shot. The feature achieves this
by piecing together the picture in a virtual space. It then combines all
the pieces together, adding depth to the space. Thus you can create an
spherical image by moving and aligning the camera sensor to left, right,
up or down. Below is very beautiful example that shows what kind of
images you can capture using Photosphere.
Requirements:
- A rooted Samsung Galaxy S4 with a custom recovery like CWM or TWRP.
- Nexus 4 Photosphere camera CWM flashable zip for GT-I9500: photosphere_camera42_galaxy_s4_v2.zip
- If you have some other variant of the Galaxy S4 (than GT-I9500), download the following files:
- Android 4.2 camera without Photosphere but with 13 MP camera support (CWM flashable): 4.2Camera_noPS_13MP.zip
- Download the libs files if you have downloaded the above file and extract the zip: libs.zip
- Android 4.2 camera with Photosphere (extract the zip): 4.2Camera_withPSt04-extract.zip
- Also, install a root file explorer app on your device:
Samsung Galaxy S4 Gets Wireless Charging Pad and Cover
What’s odd is that Samsung has opted to sell each half of this wireless charging system separately, with no bundle available. While that makes sense for Galaxy S4 users that already have Qi-based wireless charging systems, like the WiQiQi, this puts a $90 barrier to entry in front of newbies to the wonderful world of wireless charging. The WiQiQi bundle for the Galaxy S4 is priced almost identically, meaning this was Samsung’s opportunity to offer an even slightly more affordable solution.
Samsung Galaxy S4 Shipments Hit 10 Million One Month After Release
The latest entry in the Galaxy series–meant as Samsung’s iPhone challenger–has sold much more quickly than its predecessors. The Galaxy S4′s milestone beats the record set by the Galaxy S3, which reached 10 million channel sales 50 days after its launch in 2012. The Galaxy S2 took five months and the Galaxy S seven months to reach the same number.
(Channel sales are to wireless operators and not direct to consumers. In other words, the numbers are for units shipped.)
The Galaxy S4 had to overcome inventory issues that disrupted its U.S. rollout and were attributed by the company to unexpectedly high demand for the phone. Though the Galaxy S4 is indeed selling swiftly, reinforcing Samsung’s dominance of the worldwide smartphone market, Jordan Crook noted after it hit 6 million units shipped that the iPhone is still technically a faster selling phone than any of Samsung’s Galaxy models.
When the iPhone 5 launched, Apple took over 2 million pre-orders in the first 24 hours available. Furthermore, iPhone 5 pre-orders were two times the number of pre-orders seen for the iPhone 4S. Despite Apple’s recent earnings woes, consumers still love their iPhones, and Samsung VS Apple: Battle Smartphone is not over quite yet, especially as the Cupertino company prepares to launch new products this fall.
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