Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Apple iPhone 6 Plus

After stepping off on the wrong foot and losing grip of the market last year, Samsung was obliged to come up with an enthralling flagship phone in 2015. The Samsung Galaxy S6 is already here and it has all the potential to help Samsung get back on track. You can't afford to disappoint when your leading position is endangered by numerous competitors.

One of these is Apple, which has gained quite the momentum with its most recent iPhone lot, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. With the former, Cupertino decided that it's high time it battled the competition in the segment that was almost entirely populated with Android phablets. How does the Galaxy S6 fare against the iPhone 6 Plus? That's what we're about to find out!

In mid-2014, Samsung decided that it's high time it stepped up its design game and make use of higher-tier materials in its phones. The first device to employ such materials was the Galaxy Alpha, but the penultimate result of Samsung's design refreshment is definitely the Galaxy S6, a pretty stark departure from the plasticky roots of the Galaxy lineup, a polished and perfected vision of the company's design language.

The exterior of the Galaxy S6 boasts a metal frame with flattened side edges, complemented by a rear cover made of Gorilla Glass 4 that further adds to the premium status of the new Galaxy. This puts it in a similar league like that of the iPhone 6 Plus, a device that also boasts a hefty amount of premium in its build, though it relies more on aluminum than glass.

Both handset have pleasant in-hand feel, with no sharp edges to cause discomfort, though the sheer size of the iPhone 6 Plus makes it somewhat impractical, in comparison to the more compact Galaxy S6. The former also feels a bit slippery due to its aluminum back. In contrast, the glass rear cover of the S6 is less prone to sliding. Unfortunately, it's also way more susceptible to holding fingerprints and smudges than the iPhone 6 Plus.

Despite sharing a few common design aspects (the bottom-positioned speakers, the protruding cameras, and similar hardware button configurations), the Galaxy S6 and the iPhone 6 Plus stay true to their roots and are full-blown representatives of the design languages of their respective makers.

5.65 x 2.78 x 0.27 inches
143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm
4.87 oz (138 g)
6.22 x 3.06 x 0.28 inches
158.1 x 77.8 x 7.1 mm
6.07 oz (172 g)



The regular Galaxy S6 flaunts a 5.1-inch, Quad HD Super AMOLED display, while its iPhone rival comes with a 5.5-inch, IPS LCD one that boasts a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels. The S6 edge exhibits an ultra-sharp pixel density of 577ppi, which makes it one of the sharpest ones around; the iPhone 6 Plus with its pixel density of 401ppi is quite pixel-dense as well. In terms of their properties, neither will disappoint. Both are extremely accurate; yet the Galaxy S6 is more balanced when set to its Basic screen mode, as it has a better white-point color temperature (6550K) than the iPhone 6 Plus (7318K). The reference point is 6500K, which means that the display of the iPhone is slightly more blueish and colder than the one on the new Galaxy flagship.

In its Basic screen mode, the display of the Galaxy S6 is one of the more accurate, if not the most accurate ones we've seen. Our display measurements reveal that its various nuances and shades all match their desired sRGB targets closely.

The iPhone 6 Plus is trailing in this aspect: despite being pretty close to the reference points on the color chart as well, it does not represent all colors as precisely as the Super AMOLED display in the Galaxy S6, and has a slightly colder tone to it.

As far as brightness is concerned, you'd hardly have any issues with viewing them in bright daylight. The iPhone 6 Plus achieves a maximum brightness of 574 nits, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 exhibits a marginally-lower brightness output of 563 nits (in case its super-bright mode kicks in, which usually happens when the phone is directly facing the sun).

View the original article here

Get ready, aftermarket Apple Watch straps are on the way

If Apple’s range of straps for the Watch doesn’t tempt you, then get ready, bands made by third-party companies are on the way. Apple has released a set of guidelines for creating alternative straps for the Apple Watch, and a website promoting the process to developers. This means the choice of straps available for the new wearable is about to get much, much larger.

Apple’s not taking any chances with its approved bands, and has laid down several strict rules to make sure they live up to expectations. Developers will have to make sure their straps meet guidelines related to toughness, sturdiness, and the ability to withstand corrosion, plus the amount of force they can take before detaching from the Watch’s body. Straps can’t interfere with the operation of the heart rate sensor — so no NATO-style straps wrapped under the body — and can’t include magnetic charging systems.

Related: The ten best Apple Watch accessories you can buy right now

Designers will be able to make straps which fit using the Sport strap-style built-in fitting, or by attaching the lugs seen on bands such as the Classic Buckle. These lugs will be sold separately in the near future, according to Apple’s documentation, ready to be added to new bands.

An entire industry already thrives around making cases for the iPhone and the iPad, and now Apple has officially given its instructions for creating Apple Watch straps, we’re sure to see many of the companies already invested in Apple’s ecosystem add them to their catalogs.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it has already started. Incipio, known for making iPhone cases, has a dedicated webpage up where one can sign-up for updates on its forthcoming Watch strap range. Upon announcement of the Watch, Speck also teased it would be releasing products designed for it, although it’s not clear whether we’ll get a case, strap, or both in the future.

Apple already sells a range of straps for the Watch, but aside from the $50 Sport silicone band, you’ll need to spend $150 to $450 to swap it out. That’s a considerable price gap, and one which other companies will be very keen to fill.

View the original article here

See this newborn baby’s heartbeat sent out into the world using an Apple Watch

The proud parents of this newborn baby used an Apple Watch to announce its arrival into the world, by sending its heartbeat out to far-flung family members not at the birth. While it may seem like a story lifted straight from an Apple TV commercial, this isn’t a tale dreamed up by Apple’s marketing team.

A video showing what happened appeared on YouTube over the weekend. Posted by AlphaGlitch, it describes the event as “A really awesome experience that we couldn’t have done without the Apple Watch.”

Related: Apple confirms the Watch’s heartrate sensor is confused by tattoos

What exactly happened? One of the most unusual features of the Apple Watch is Digital Touch, which can send a digital representation of a heartbeat to another Apple Watch wearer. It’s activated when two fingers are lightly pressed against the screen.

In the video, the Apple Watch — a Sport model — is placed against a baby’s arm, a contact with an Apple Watch is selected, and the heart rate is sent. The recipient would have felt the heartbeat through Apple’s excellent haptic feedback, and seen an animated heart beating on the screen. According to a report by ABC7, the heartbeat was sent out without telling people it was actually the new baby’s. It was only later on the good news was revealed as a surprise.

Digital Touch is one of our favorite features of the Apple Watch. It’s a unique and surprisingly personal messaging tool that provided you’re contacting someone who will welcome your heartbeat, takes connecting with someone digitally to a new level. It only works between Apple Watch wearers, and the feature can also be used to “tap” another wearer’s wrist, or to send emojis and little hand-drawn pictures.

Recently, Samsung promoted its Gear VR virtual reality headset by setting up a virtual delivery room for a father suddenly separated from his family, just as a new member of it was about to be born.

View the original article here

The secret port on your Apple Watch … revealed?

Take a closer look at your Apple Watch — that is, if you’re lucky enough to have one. After detaching the bottom section of the band, you’ll see what looks like a tiny SIM card tray slot. What you’re looking at is the door to a six-pin port. With the port’s discovery going viral, it is being theorized that the port will allow users to charge the watch directly with a cable or accessory, instead of the wireless charging that is being used now.

One such accessory is being produced as a project called Reserve Strap, which claims to have cracked the code of the mysterious socket. The Reserve Strap will charge your Apple Watch while you wear it using a flexible lithium-ion battery and plugging into the six-pin port instead of sliding in like current bands. Brace yourselves, Apple Watch owners, as this is likely just the beginning of many custom bands and accessories for the product.

Related: Apple TV Rumor Roundup

It’s possible that ultimately the most practical use for this port is to extend the battery life of the watch during power-consuming activities. One of the main selling points of the Apple’s new smartwatch is its use as a fitness accessory and tool. Apple officially states that the watch can provide up to 6.5 hours of continuous fitness tracking or 18 hours of regular use. But even 18 hours is little when for the first time in your life you have to worry about charging your watch.

Third-party charging bands like the Reserve Strap could be the key to having a smartwatch that lasts days, something Apple’s main competitors lack. The ingenuity behind this possible new wave of accessories deserves appreciation. The port was likely used by Apple to load software onto the devices or as a diagnostic tool at the fab. No official word on whether Apple intended the port to be used.

View the original article here

Apple streaming service Roundup: Trouble with exclusive content may push back launch

It’s been a bumpy and arduous process for Apple to transform iTunes into a new-look streaming service with Beats at the core, towing a long list of rumors and speculation leading up to its release in June 2015. Follow us below to catch up on where the forthcoming service has been, and where it’s going next.

View the original article here