Samsung Galaxy S4 and Apple iPhone 5

This is a hot topic. Indeed. Lately the Samsung is definitely catching up on Apple. We all know how the Iphone is one of the most popular inventions of the modern days' mobile products business. I used to be Iphone fan I really was. I have used the original one, 4, 4s and 5.

What I like about the iPhone:
- It's fast.
- It's user friendly (although it depends on the type of user you are, because let's face it: customization - nearly 0).
- It has very good (if not the best) built community hub as well as iTunes software where you can buy pretty much everything. Either will it be music, videos, apps, pictures - you name it. It's very controversial if the iTunes software is good to use, manage and get used to, but that's a whole other topic.
- It is the most "app-development" preferred platform which indeed gives you hundreds of thousands applications of all types. (This is not written to start the whole Android vs iOS war. As an android user I am man enough to face the facts and accept it.)
- It runs iOS which is based on Apple's oparating system platform. It is stable, fast, very little amount of bugs and glitches.
I won't list the things I didn't like about the iPhone but let's just say that music transfer/default ringtone management is/was terrible(and that's an understatement) As well as the small screen space. Face it - Samsung beats the crap out of iPhone's screen size (so does the HTC One by the way).

What I like about the Samsung:
- It's faster. Way faster. The 1.2Ghz iPhone cannot compete with the 1.9Ghz Samsung (the model in my country ships with that processor speed). The iPhone's memory 1024 vs 2048 of Samsung's is just a lost battle for the iPhone. 2 cores vs 8? Is this even a fair battle? You might say not but then agian, there are different types of users who are more than satisfied with the specifications of the iPhone and it is enough for them to operate it fast, easy and without lag.
- The bigger screen. Yes, it is a matter of personal choice but you can't really expect me to believe that watching youtube videos, movies or tv shows on your iPhone is a better experience than on the Samsung. No, it is not. Nearly inch bigger, it makes huge difference.
- So I have this friend who told me "...yea maybe but my iPhone makes way better pictures than your Samsung!". Let me just express myself here with a smiley -   :-)))

1.2Megapixel front camera vs 2.0 Megapixel front camera

8Megapixel rear camera vs 13Megapixel rear camera

And few options that the iPhone does not have regarding the camera and compared to the Galaxy S4:

* Burst mode

* Dual camera record

* Sound and shot

 Yes sir. Samsung's camera beats your camera. Sorry.

Since this review and blog is not intended for the highly educated and experienced gadget masters of the Universe, I am trying to help the people who have busy enough daily life to choose a smartphone based on what they actually need. 

The era of using mobile phonez "just to make calls" is long ago forgotten. Everybody needs (not should have but need) connectivity via mobile device. Yes you can manage your day, week, month etc better with the mobile device (either phone or tablet). It can save you time! A lot of benefits come by using your phone while on the move. Writing and reading e-mails, having discussions in social networks/private networks video conferrences while you are on the train for example. Managing finances and business reports/spreadsheets etc. is a key point of why you need this gadget. And there is the whole sharing, staying in touch side of the device that really helps you interract with your friends and family while you are on a trip, let's say. 

Back to the main point. iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S4. 

In a matter of:

- Speed

- Productivity

- Specifications

- Camera

- Ease-of-use for files

- Screen resolution and size

- Battery

We have a winner. Samsung Galaxy S4. If you are to spend money on a device that has a simillar price - go for the Samsung. If you want to live the whole "Apple is religion" madness go for the iPhone. Because that's the only and ONLY thing that the iPhone has over the Samsung. Buying iPhone with such reason will have you one day wondering: "did I made the right choice? It is slower than the Samsung after all?!" 

I found this cool review that compares those two phones where you can view the tech specs of the devices as well as some of the big names in the industry feedbacks. View that review here.

Let me know about your experience with both of the phones. Why you like the iPhone or the Samsung. Keep in mind that this blog is not intended to make you a fan of either of the brands. Just to help you with a personal point of view and experience.

P.S. Don't be a hipster!

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Lenovo Ideapad Z580 Review

Lenovo Ideapad Z580

I got this new laptop for my work one week ago. So far - so good. I'd like to share some thoughts about it for anyone who is considering buying this model. 
Here are my specs:

CPU:                     Intel® Core™ i7-3612QM CPU @ 2.10GHz × 8
Memory:               8GB (2x4096MB) DDR3
Video:                  NVIDIA GeForce GT 630M 2GB DDR3
HDD:                    1 TB SATA 5400 rpm
Monitor:               15.6" HD (1366x768) gloss display
Optical:                DVD+RW
Network:              10/100Mbps Ethernet, Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0
Interfaces:
 - 2хUSB 2.0
 - 2хUSB 3.0
 - HD webcam
 - VGA (monitor or projector)
 - HDMI
 - speakers output/mic in
 - 5 in 1 memory reader (SD/MMC/MS/MS pro/XD)

Battery:                6-cell LI-ION that lasts 2 hours 45 minutes(tested by me, playing videos and multimedia with no display settings reduction)

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Ups: 

1. Fast! Definitely fast. The dual-quad core processor from the awesome Intel i7 family is fantastic. 8GB memory works awesome for my 64-bit Windows/Ubuntu Linux. 

2. Display. The display this laptop has is very good. For its 15.6" the HD gloss display gives you the comfort of colors and high contrast you would otherwise look for in the desktop PCs. I played some HD videos (no lag, no sound delay) and they look awesome. Of course it has all the dimm/display sleep power saving energy reducing stuff every modern laptop should have. 

3. Sound. Dudes... it's awesome! I don't know if it is any big-famous-mainstream thing, but "Dolby Home Theater" gives me loud, clear and bass-ish sound. It gets even better... I have those random "A4Tech" headphones which usually sound like someone is trying to put a screwdriver in your ear when I plug them in my desktop PC. I plug them into the laptop (nothing special just a single way in, no setting up, no software or effects) and i'm like "what sorcery is this?". The sound is freakin' awesome! Bass, treble, mid sound everything is awesome. I found some Metallica HD live concerts on youtube I've watched with my headphones and I can tell you I am using headphones at this moment (Marilyn Manson though).

4. Games. Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, World of Warcraft - No problem! I have Battlefield that i'm eager to try on, but this will happen next weekend. 

5. Work. 

• Windows 7, 64bit with MS Office 2010 - awesome. Adobe Photoshop CS5 - amazingly fast. 
• Ubuntu 64bit 12.04. This is the first time i DID NOT install or reconfigure or rebuild any drivers! As many of you use opensource OS and software i'm sure you hated the nvidia setting up or sound drivers? Alsa-config? OSS stuff no man! I installed latest Ubuntu 64bit downloaded on a normal cheap CD from their website and everything works. Bluetooth, sound, video, Wi-Fi, Lan, usb recognition, webcam, everything. Running large python code -  insane fast. Having multiple ssh connections doing stuff from lots of cronjobs - no problem. Everything from the office suite (LibreOffice) works like a charm (not crashed yet and I have some large sheets). Multimedia playback is great, no lagging HD videos, no crashing anymore. All the function buttons plus the hardware buttons for sound and video just bellow the display work and did not took any setting up. 

6. Silent. There is something called "Smart fan, noise control" and it actually works. The laptop doesn't make noise even when it's under pressure.

Downs:

By my experience so far with the Lenovo Ideapad Z580, I found one thing that is insanely annoying. That is the touchpad. Yes it has "Intelligent touchpad" and software that allows you to rotate, enlarge or zoom things, but seriously, the surface on the 2 buttons is actually moving your cursor when you try to press the damn button. One more problem I've encountered was that after multiple "sleep", "hibernate" modes - the touchpad gave an annoying bug. It was moving my mouse cursor from left to right like crazy! Both windows and linux. I've tried restarting - no good. The only way it was fixed was by shutting down the computer and then booting it up again. Very very annoying. 

Conclusion: 

This is an amazing laptop. Extremely fast, competing with most desktop PCs over performance. Absolutely awesome display, video capabilities and sound. One annoying thing is the touchpad but when you get used to it, it might actually turn out to be good. And most of all this laptop is not expensive at all! I got mine for something like 700$ with international warranty. 

Highly recommended if you are looking for extremely fast-performance, multimedia and good price!

Here you can find the drivers for Lenovo Z580 laptop

Please share your thoughts and experience with this model in the comments section.

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