10 things that Samsung Galaxy S4 can do, but the iPhone 5 can't

It is no surprise that Samsung Galaxy S4 is probably the best Android smartphone produced by the Korean company till date. Like all the previous Galaxy series smartphones that had enjoyed great success, the Galaxy S4 too has hit the 20 million sales mark in a record time period – a breakneck pace that Samsung has never experienced before.

The Galaxy S4 is a spec and feature-rich smartphone, only limited by its cheap and flimsy hardware. At a first glance, the S4 looks near-identical to the Galaxy S III, with both being constructed almost entirely of plastic. To compete against the best (like HTC One, iPhone 5, BlackBerry ZTE, Lumia 925, Sony’s Xperia Z), Samsung has loaded it with some interesting and never-seen-before features.

While the processor type will vary by region and model, versions sold in the U.S. come equipped with a 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600-series CPU with 2GB of RAM. In benchmark testing, it delivered performance gains over the HTC One and iPhone 5. The 5-inch full HD display of S4 with 1,920 x 1,080 resolutions delivers a pixel density of 441ppi far ahead of the most of its peers. One of the drawbacks of Super AMOLED, of course, is that colors can appear oversaturated at times, but ultimately it's a matter of preference. Despite powerful features, the Galaxy S4's battery life is exceptional, making it through a day's use without having to recharge. 

On the other hand, the iPhone 5, although a few months older than the Galaxy S4, continues to attract smartphone buyers due to its high-end specifications and the quality promise of Apple. In the premium segment, without question, the latest iPhone is still one of Galaxy S4's fiercest rivals.

Here is a list of 10 things that the S4 can do, while the iPhone 5 can’t: 

1. A built-in infrared blaster

The Galaxy S4 is the first Galaxy handset to feature a built-in infrared blaster, and Samsung puts it to good use. With the combination of Samsung’s WatchOn app and the third-party Peel, the Korean firm has created a single service that allows users to navigate their TV guide and control a television or set-top box all from within a single app.

2. Near field communication (NFC) chip

The NFC chip allows you to talk to other devices with NFC. Thus, you can swap content like photos between phones just by tapping them together, make mobile payments, or pair your phone with a stereo with a tap.

3. Expandable Memory

The Galaxy S4 offers the facility to add a microSD card slot for adding more storage, which many of its rivals do not offer. You can add an extra 32 GB of storage for about $20.

4. Replaceable battery

It is not a surprise that sooner or later the iPhone’s battery will die. And the iPhone’s battery ilike all iPod batteries — not user-replaceable.

5. HD video
The S4 can play full 1080p HD video, something the iPhone and many other top-tier smartphones still can't do.

6. Larger display

The S4 has a screen size that is a full inch longer than the iPhone 5. While the 4-inch display screen is considered ideal for a smartphone, it is also a matter of preference.  

7. Group Play

You can stream the same song, game, or share photos with other Galaxy S4 phones wirelessly using an app called Group Play. The app connects you to other phones over a Wi-Fi connection. Group Play is the most overlooked software feature and also the most obvious feature that no other smartphone manufacturer has thought of adding before Samsung did it.

8. Camera app

The S4’s camera app offers lots of nice tricks. For instance, you can automatically erase a blurry figure from the background or make your own animated GIFs.

9. Smart Stay

The feature keeps your Galaxy S4's display lit while you're looking at it. It can detect your eyes using the front-facing camera. Hence your phone will not turn off when reading something.

10. Standard micro USB plug

It uses a standard micro USB plug to charge and sync with your computer. These plugs are much easier to find than Apple's special Lightning port on the iPhone 5. 

Anroid phones

Android phone lost? Google will help you locate it

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(Google on Friday announced…)

 Google on Friday announced that it would offer a service to locate or securely wipe a lostAndroid phone by the end of this month. The service will be available to all Android phones running Android 2.2 or newer versions of the OS.

The service will be called Android Device Manager and will be available for free. Apple and Microsoft offer similar services for iPhones and Windows Phones, respectively. Several security apps also offer similar feature for Android phones though the implementation is not as robust as it is on iPhone.

In a post on the official Google blog, Benjamin Poiesz, an Android project manager, wrote: "Android Device Manager can help (you) ... keep your device—and the data you store inside—safe and secure."

Android Device Manager will allow users to make their misplaced phone ring at its loudest volume even if it is in silent mode. Users will be able to do this through Android Device Manager website though Google said that it would also offer an Android app for the service at a later date.

This feature will come handy if you had misplaced your phone under a sofa or bed.

In case you have lost your phone outside your house you will be able to see the device on a map if it is switched on and follow it in real-time. It may help you recover the phone. But in case it can't be recovered, Android Device Manager will allow users to wipe it securely so that the private data doesn't fall in wrong hands.

"While losing your phone can be stressful, Android Device Manager can help you keep your data from ending up in the wrong hands. If your phone can't be recovered, or has been stolen, you can quickly and securely erase all of the data on your device," wrote Poiesz.

Microsoft Office comes to Android phones

Microsoft is bringing a pared-down version of its Office software to Android phones, but it won't work on Android tablets just as it doesn't on iPads. 

The software will be available starting July 31. It requires a $100-a-year subscription to Office and won't be sold separately. 

The new offering follows the release of an iPhone version in June and brings an Office app to phones running the most widely used operating system on new smartphones. 

Microsoft is trying to make its Office 365 subscription more compelling, without removing an advantage that tablet computers running Microsoft's Windows system now have - the ability to run popular Office programs such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint. 

"The release of this app shows that we're committed to keep providing additional value for Office 365 subscribers,'' the company wrote in a blog post. "Office 365 subscribers will now be able to access, view, and edit Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents with Windows Phone, iPhone and Android phones.'' 

Microsoft is pushing subscriptions as a way to get customers to keep paying for a product that was historically sold in a single purchase. The company touts such benefits as the ability to run the package on multiple computers and get updates for free on a regular basis. However, a subscription can be more expensive than buying the package outright for just one or two computers. 

Microsoft said it designed Office Mobile for Android phones specifically for small-screen devices, even though many people will prefer editing documents on a tablet's larger screen. The company has a version for iPads and Android tablets, called Office Web Apps, but that runs on a Web browser and requires a constant online connection. The new Android software is an app that gets installed on the phone and can work offline. 

With a subscription, customers typically get to use Office on up to 10 devices. Five of them can be Windows or Mac computers or Windows tablets. The other five can be iPhones or Android phones. Windows phones come with Office installed and do not count toward the limit. 

In keeping the software off the iPad, the top-selling tablet computer, Forrester Research analyst J.P. Gownder has estimated that Microsoft is potentially ceding $1.4 billion a year in revenue, based on 10 percent of the 140 million iPad owners paying for a $100 subscription. Gownder said failure to provide it on the iPad or Android tablets gives incentives for users to explore competing offerings such as QuickOffice from Google and iWork from Apple. 

Like the other mobile versions, the new Android software is designed for lightweight use. For example, you can use it to view and edit an attachment sent by email. But it's not meant to create a complex spreadsheet from scratch. 

The new software requires Android 4.0 or later - the Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean flavors of Google's operating system. It's available through Google's online Play store. At first, it's available only in the US, though Microsoft plans to expand to 117 markets with versions in more than 30 languages. 

Microsoft did not announce any plans for BlackBerry phones.