Samsung Galaxy S6 edge vs Google Nexus 6

It’s almost hard to believe that it’s been already months since the Google Nexus 6 officially launched, and in that time frame, it’s also equally as mind-boggling that many flagship phones are still not running the latest version of the platform – Android 5.0 Lollipop. Bestowed with the Nexus moniker, naturally, the Nexus 6 from Motorola is one to showcase the latest and greatest there is to offer with the platform. At the same time, it’s also not one to be overlooked because it’s riddled with some astounding specs.

Like a kid amped up on some sugar, the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge is a fresh new entrant running on all cylinders. Not only is it incredibly fast, but it’s setting the bar high for everything else that intends on coming out the rest of the year. Best of all, there’s just something alluring about its unique looks, which is further complemented by the new premium design language Samsung has bestowed its flagship line this year.

At the end of the day, there can only be one phone to stand tall, rise above its rival. It’s old versus new, big versus small, and stock versus custom, so which one of these two venerable smartphones will have the guts and glory to reign supreme?

Staring at them longingly, there’s no denying that the two are just two very differently designed phones – crafted to appeal to certain demographics more than other. In terms of aesthetics and appeal, we’d give the Samsung Galaxy S6 the nods on achieving more glances and looks from bystanders, mainly because it has the luxurious qualities that cater to a wider audience.

Brandishing one sharp design, thanks in part to its Corning Gorilla Glass 4 surfaces and metal trim bezel, the entire package is enhanced even further by the way light reflects off the glass, producing this cool shimmering and dazzling effect. Add to that, it’s incredibly skinny, super lightweight, and far more compact, it all translates to an unprecedented change we’re happy to experience from a company that wasn’t all that notable that long ago for its smartphone designs. Lastly, the dual-curved display is a neat touch that gives the phone a cool-looking, unique aesthetic.

Conversely, the Google Nexus 6 is pretty much on the other side of the spectrum with its gargantuan size. That alone, will probably keep some folks at bay, but then again, others favor its phablet-esque dimensions. Yes, it’s obnoxiously large, which surprisingly enough, can catch the attention of some people. However, it’s just a handful to operate – requiring two-handed operation more than anything else. Visually speaking, it’s a bit more contemporary with its design language, comprised out of mostly durable plastic.

Impressively enough, even with its compact stature, Samsung is able to stuff several other goodies into its already tight package – like an improved finger print sensor, wireless charging, IR blaster, and heart rate senor. Meanwhile, the Nexus 6 also boasts wireless charging, in addition to dual front-firing speakers, but that’s all. For having so much real estate to work with, you’d imagine that Motorola would’ve been able to crap a few extra stuff in the process. Guess not.

5.59 x 2.76 x 0.28 inches
142.1 x 70.1 x 7 mm
4.66 oz (132 g)
6.27 x 3.27 x 0.4 inches
159.26 x 82.98 x 10.06 mm
6.49 oz (184 g)



In being true pioneers in the space, it’s wonderful to know that the two handsets tip the scales with their quad-HD resolution displays – something we feel that’s necessary to stand head-above-water over the rest of the high-end crop. For the Galaxy S6 edge, it’s fashioned with an incredibly sharp 5.1-inch 1440 x 2560 Super AMOLED dual-curved display, which achieves a higher pixel density count of 577 ppi. The figures alone paint something exquisite with the Galaxy S6 edge, but we can’t neglect the same level of attention paid to the Nexus 6’s 6-inch 1440 x 2560 AMOLED display – one that still pulls in a respectable 493 ppi pixel density.

Seriously, the two panels cram a ton of pixels, giving plenty of detail in everything that’s being displayed. Whether it’s viewing them up close and personal, or from a normal distance, we can’t argue that they deliver sharp visuals that make it easy on eyes to decipher the most miniscule of things. All told, it purely boils down to size preference – where the Nexus 6 carries more real estate, which some can find useful for specific occasions.

Even though they both rely on AMOLED technology, the S6 edge’s Super AMOLED panel produces higher quality results. To be fair, however, we have to applaud both companies for getting the displays to very close to that ideal color temperature reference value of 6500K – giving them a very neutral tone, neither too warm, nor too cold. Still, the S6 edge’s screen drives away with its stronger brightness output of 553 nits, versus the Nexus 6’s poor mark of 270 nits. Naturally, the vast discrepancy between the two becomes apparent outdoors when viewing the displays under the gaze of the sun. The Nexus 6’s display is just unviewable.

Moreover, Sammy has calibrated its display perfectly in Basic mode so that it’s one of the most color accurate screens out there, which is something noteworthy for AMOLED technology in general. With the Nexus 6, it’s evident that it favors a more saturated color production, made more profound as it doesn’t technically hit each of the target values in the color gamut chart below.

And lastly, we can’t forget to mention the added functionality brought on by the dual-curved display of the S6 edge. From being able to access some of our favorite contacts from the lock and home screen, to the cool visualizing pattern when we receive incoming calls from our favorite contacts, and the notification tickers that bring info to one of its edges, the dual-curved display adds to the phone’s arsenal, but as we’ve detailed already, it’s most profound for the aesthetics.

View the original article here

Samsung Galaxy S6 vs Google Nexus 6

Earning the beloved Nexus moniker isn't something that can be achieved so easily, so when a company is given the opportunity to build one, there's a lot of expectations riding on the back of it. The Google Nexus 6 managed to charm many folks thanks to its phablet-esque size, incredible specs, and the latest iteration of Google's always evolving mobile platform – Android 5.0 Lollipop. In a way, the Nexus 6 was a departure from the more humble-looking Nexus 5, by taking everything to a bigger scale.

Similarly, the Samsung Galaxy S6 follows the same approach by being a significantly different phone than its predecessor in the Galaxy S5. Some folks vouch that it's more of an evolutionary thing, while others deem it more revolutionary, but whatever the case, we can't deny that it's a formidable thing that has jump-started 2015 with a bang. No doubt, they target totally different demographics, but at the end of the day, we can't help to wonder which of the two will have more of the star power to continue being a relevant thing throughout the rest of the year.

Staring at them longingly, there’s no denying that the two are just two very differently designed phones – crafted to appeal to certain demographics more than other. In terms of aesthetics and appeal, we’d give the Samsung Galaxy S6 the nods on achieving more glances and looks from bystanders, mainly because it has the luxurious qualities that cater to a wider audience.

Brandishing one sharp design, thanks in part to its Corning Gorilla Glass 4 surfaces and metal trim bezel, the entire package is enhanced even further by the way light reflects off the glass, producing this cool shimmering and dazzling effect. Add to that, it’s incredibly skinny, super lightweight, and far more compact, it all translates to an unprecedented change we’re happy to experience from a company that wasn’t all that notable for its smartphone designs.

Conversely, the Google Nexus 6 is pretty much on the other side of the spectrum with its gargantuan size. That alone, will probably keep some folks at bay, but then again, others favor its phablet-esque dimensions. Yes, it’s obnoxiously large, which, surprisingly enough, can catch the attention of some people. However, it’s just a handful to operate – requiring two-handed operation more than anything else. Visually speaking, it’s a bit more contemporary with its design language, comprised out of mostly durable plastic.

Impressively enough, even with its compact stature, Samsung is able to stuff several other goodies into its already tight package – like an improved finger print sensor, wireless charging, IR blaster, and heart rate senor. Meanwhile, the Nexus 6 also boasts wireless charging, in addition to dual front-firing speakers, but that’s all. For having so much real estate to work with, you’d imagine that Motorola would’ve been able to crap a few extra features in the process. Guess not.

5.65 x 2.78 x 0.27 inches
143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm
4.87 oz (138 g)
6.27 x 3.27 x 0.4 inches
159.26 x 82.98 x 10.06 mm
6.49 oz (184 g)



In being true pioneers in the space, it’s wonderful to know that the two handsets tip the scales with their quad-HD resolution displays – something we feel that’s necessary to stand head-above-water over the rest of the high-end crop. For the Galaxy S6, it’s fashioned with an incredibly sharp, 5.1-inch 1440 x 2560 Super AMOLED display, which achieves a higher pixel density count of 577 ppi. The figures alone paint something exquisite with the Galaxy S6, but we can’t neglect the same level of attention paid to the Nexus 6’s 6-inch 1440 x 2560 AMOLED display – one that still pulls in a respectable 493 ppi pixel density. Seriously, the two panels cram a ton of pixels, giving plenty of detail in everything that’s being displayed. Whether it’s viewing them up close and personal, or from a normal distance, we can’t argue that they deliver sharp visuals that make it easy on eyes to decipher the most miniscule of things. All told, it purely boils down to size preference – where the Nexus 6 carries more real estate, which some can find useful for specific occasions.

Even though they both rely on AMOLED technology, the S6’s Super AMOLED panel produces higher quality results. To be fair, however, we have to applaud both companies for getting the displays very close to that ideal color temperature reference value of 6500K – giving them a very neutral tone, neither too warm, nor too cold. Still, the S6’s screen drives away with its stronger brightness output of 563 nits, versus the Nexus 6’s poor mark of 270 nits. Naturally, the vast discrepancy between the two becomes apparent outdoors when viewing the displays under the gaze of the sun. The Nexus 6’s display is just unviewable.

Moreover, Sammy has calibrated its display perfectly in Basic mode, so that it’s one of the most color accurate screens out there, which is something noteworthy for AMOLED technology in general. With the Nexus 6, it’s evident that it favors a more saturated color production, made more profound as it doesn’t technically hit each of the target values in the color gamut chart below.

View the original article here

Google plans to make Inbox and Calendar think for you with Timeful acquisition

Since the dawn of the computer – even before the personal computer – the trend has been that as time moves forward, computers do more for us, and we do less in return. Many Google apps are a great example of this, particularly its most recent email app, Inbox. Now, the strategic purchase of a time management calendar app called Timeful may have Google’s apps doing even more thinking for us.

Last year we spoke with the creators of Timeful, a combined to-do list and calendar app that went above and beyond what most of either type of app normally does. The app took to-do list items that its users had to do, along with things that they wanted to do, and neatly scheduled them around calendar events. It was a time management app without all the work normally involved therein.

Yesterday Google announced that Timeful would be “joining the Google family to help make getting things done in your life even easier.” The goal isn’t for Timeful to remain a standalone app, however. Instead, Google plans to roll Timeful’s functionality into its own apps.

Related: Timeful will trick you into revolutionizing your time management skills

“The Timeful team has built an impressive system that helps you organize your life by understanding your schedule, habits and needs,” director of product management Alex Gawley wrote in the announcement on the Gmail blog. “We’re excited about all the ways Timeful’s technology can be applied across products like Inbox, Calendar and beyond, so we can do more of the work for you and let you focus on being creative, having fun and spending time with the people you care about”

Considering how powerful Timeful already was, adding email to the mix seems like a perfect match. Google Calendar can already recognize appointments in emails, so it will be interesting to see how Inbox and Calendar will benefit from the new technology.

“Timeful is our attempt to do things better in the world,” co-creator Dan Ariely told Digital Trends last year. Now with the power of Google’s apps at their fingertips, the team may find that easier to do.

The Timeful app is still available in the App Store, but it won’t see further updates. An update on the Timeful website reads “you can continue to download and use the Timeful app, but moving forward the team’s attention will be on new projects at Google.”

View the original article here

Google+ takes on Pinterest with Collections, a new sharing feature

Google+ is having a bit of an identity crisis while its Mountain View owner works out exactly what it wants to do with it. Until recently, the most significant news about the struggling social network was that its excellent Photos component was going to get spun out into a standalone project. It turns out Google+ now has a new sharing feature called Collections, and it looks a lot like Pinterest.

Updated on 05-04-2015 by Kyle Wiggers: Changed wording and added new details reflecting the official launch.

First uncovered by DroidLife tipster, the new Collections feature, described as “part Pinterest, part blogging,” enables users to create groups of photos, videos, and links and then share them with other people in their Circles.

Related: Google Now could soon have more to show from Google+

Google+ officially began rolling out Collections today. It lets any user dedicate a Google+ page to the topic of their choosing, which others can then follow. You can check out some of Google’s favorite new Collections here. Google+ could certainly use a boost as it looks to make up ground on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, and the various other social sharing apps. Although Google hasn’t shared any user numbers publicly, recent estimates suggest the network has between 4 million and 6 million active users.

Compare that to the 1.44 billion active monthly users that Facebook boasts, and you can see the problem. Still, Google is unlikely to abandon Google+ completely — It’s a useful way of giving every Gmail and YouTube user an identity on the Web, even if no one’s actually paying much attention to the stream of posts that go alongside the profiles.

A splash page indicates Collections will reach all corners of the social network in time, but users on Twitter have reported seeing a few public Collections. Now that it’s been released, it will be interesting to see whether the Pinterest-style feature brings users back to Google+.

View the original article here

Google might add a tool for developers to see which apps users like best

Google’s annual I/O conference is fast approaching, and it seems as though it’ll be an eventful one. According to the Information, the company’s planning to announce A/B testing for Android apps on the Google Play store.

What’s A/B testing, you ask? A very reasonable question. Also known as split testing in some circles, it’s often employed as a Web development tool to determine which of two pages performs better: You show one version to a set of visitors, another version to a similar visitors, and see which results in superior traffic. A/B testing is a bit different in the context of mobile apps, but the principle is the same: Developers create multiple unique, independent app listings and see which one manages to accrue more downloads or purchases.

Related: Wait, Google earns four times more from iOS than Android?

According to sources, Google will offer a fair degree of A/B customizability when it goes live in the Play Store. App makers will be able to create listings with alternate descriptions, icons, images, videos, and even pricing. Just what determines which users see what page, though, is unclear (the Information implied some form of localization).  The feature’s use, at least at launch, will seemingly be limited to the simplest forms of optimization — i.e., funneling random groups of users to distinct pages. Given the potential analytics goldmine, though, Google will undoubtedly expand A/B testing capabilities in the future.

A/B testing isn’t an end-all solution for Android’s app profitability woes — according to DAU-UP, a gaming marketing company, average revenue per user is far lower on Android than iOS — but it could help incentivize equal or Android-first release strategies. One developer quoted by the Information believes A/B testing could improve conversion rates by up to 50 percent, and sources claim Apple currently has no answer to Google’s system in the works.

We’ll learn more soon enoughif A/B testing in the Play Store will become a reality. Google I/O is scheduled to begin later this month on May 28.

View the original article here

Google Now expanding to third party applications

Google’s voice command feature Google Now is finally open for use by developers in third-party apps. Users on Android will now be able to say “Ok Google” to control and navigate through a growing number of Play Store apps.

Google announced the expansion of the feature in a blog post, saying, “Today, we launched our first set of partners for custom Google voice actions on Android. This feature will enable people to say things like ‘OK Google, listen to NPR’ or ‘OK Google, show attractions near me on TripAdvisor.’”

Related: Everything you say to Siri and Google Now is heard by an actual human being

Google’s “OK Google” voice command module has largely been viewed as an answer to Apple’s Siri. By opening its voice command feature to developers, Google is staying one step ahead of Apple, which has yet to allow Siri for use on non-native applications. Google’s voice command service currently recognizes  nine languages, including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Russian.

What Google’s voice control shares with Apple’s, however, is the goal of integration. Apple has been slowly adding Siri to all of its devices with the aim of reaching total cross-device integration. Google said of the voice command service, “It’s another way to drive usage of your app with Google. Users’ voice and text action requests can now lead directly to your Android app, so they can get to your native mobile experiences quickly and easily.”

So while Google may not be creating a multi-device home platform in the same fashion as Apple, the firm is certainly seeking to streamline processes for both their native and third-party applications. While current implementation is limited, Google Now will be expanding in the coming months as Google opens it up to more projects.

With this new update, it is easy to see why many believe that Google Now has outfoxed Apple’s Siri, and we certainly look forward to saying “Shazam this song!” and then seeing it happen before our eyes.

View the original article here

Using Google Analytics To Track PPC Content Performance

Content marketing is all the rage these days. I probably see 5 or more tweets per day about how to do effective content marketing. And it’s not just hype: content works, especially for high-consideration products or services that have a long sales cycle.

The phrase “long sales cycle” can strike fear in the hearts of PPC managers, though. Despite all the talk about conversion attribution, for many advertisers the focus is still on last-click metrics. That forces us into late-funnel tactics like hard-sell offers to try to show ROI.

The sale begins long before a user responds to a hard offer, though. Creating awareness of your company and products is critical to closing the sale, especially for high-ticket B2B services. Content marketing can be used in PPC to fill the gaps between awareness and decision. Measuring micro-conversions such as whitepaper downloads enables the PPC marketer to show the value of bidding on earlier-stage awareness keywords.

But most advertisers only have so much content. They’re likely using the same asset across multiple channels – yet conversion data is only available at the channel level in most analytics packages. Gauging the impact of a single piece of content across multiple channels poses a challenge. Also, PPC marketers might be testing multiple pieces of content in the same ad group or campaign. How do you know which asset is performing better?

Enter the content ID.

By assigning a unique ID to each content asset, you can use Google Analytics to track content performance across channels.

Assigning a content ID

To track content performance in Google Analytics, you’ll need to first assign IDs to all your assets. Before doing that, though, think about how you’ll use the data. Do you just care about individual asset performance? Then you can probably use simple sequential numbers as content IDs.

But what if you want to understand how different types of content are performing? Let’s say you’re interested in learning whether white papers or videos work better with your target audience. Sure, you could take sequentially-numbered content ID data and manually match it up with the name of the asset, and then cross-check them to see what type of asset it was… It’s easy to see how time-consuming this approach is.

Instead, develop a naming convention that incorporates the elements you want to analyze. Asset type might be one element. Another might be stage of the buyer journey: is the asset best suited for awareness, consideration, or decision? If that’s important to you, include it as well. Think of any other elements you want to track: product type, sales division, etc. You’ll probably still need a sequential number to identify individual assets. Work all of that into your naming convention.

When you’re finished, you might end up with something that looks like this:

0076_NEWS_awr

In this instance, 0076 is the specific asset ID, “NEWS” means it’s a news article, and “awr” means it’s intended for an awareness audience. Figure out what makes sense for your business, and go with that. You’ll probably want a content audit handy to make this easier. Be sure to keep a master file of assets and content IDs, so you know what maps to what.

Use the content ID in your UTM strings.

To be able to see data by content ID, you’ll need to manually tag your links. Turn off auto-tagging in Google and Bing, and then set up your campaign parameters according to your PPC campaign names. Include your content ID in the utm_content parameter. I usually create strings that include other elements, so you can slice data a variety of ways. For instance, you can include ad group name and an ad creative ID, like this:

utm_content=NewsKeywords_0076_NEWS_awr_cr38

Create reports.

As long as you know what each element in the content ID parameter represents, you can create Google Analytics reports for each parameter in the string.

To create a report for PPC content performance, go to the Acquisition/Channels section of GA:

Then drill into Paid Search:

Then change your primary dimension to Ad Content by selecting “Other” and then “Ad Content”:

Now you’ll have a list of the utm_content parameters you set up earlier, along with data and stats. Export this to Excel, throw it into a pivot table and start slicing and dicing.

You’ll probably want to look at overall performance by asset, so you’d filter for the asset ID. Here’s one for asset ID 128:

This asset had 53 conversions out of 3,175 visits. You can then compare this asset to the other assets you’re promoting.

You can also filter for asset type, based on your naming convention, as well as buyer journey phase and any of the other elements you chose in the setup phase.

Use these reports to draw conclusions about what’s working with your content marketing. You can not only apply the learnings to PPC, but to other channels as well. I’ve used PPC as a test bed for content to see if it resonates before rolling it out to other channels.

By analyzing content performance across channels, you can streamline your content marketing and creating efforts by learning what works best.

The following two tabs change content below.

Melissa Mackey is Search Supervisor at gyro, the largest independent B2B agency in the world. A veteran PPC marketer, she helps clients achieve maximum ROI from paid search. Mackey contributes regularly to Search Engine Watch and Web Marketing Today as a PPC expert author. She also hosts a blog, www.beyondthepaid.com, where she writes on the topics of pay-per-click and search marketing. Mackey speaks regularly at industry conferences such as SMX Advanced, Search Engine Strategies, and PPC Hero’s HeroConf.

Throughout her career, her achievements include the evaluation and implementation of paid search campaigns for all types of advertisers, as well as execution and analysis of ad copy and landing page strategy.

Mackey holds a Dual BA from Michigan State University, and a Masters of Management from Aquinas College. She lives in East Lansing, Michigan with her husband and two teenaged children.

View the original article here