I’ve been playing around a lot with Android and my LG Optimus Black recently so I found myself having to recharge often. And of course, it recharges via microUSB with which I’ve had so many problems. Those plugs are so darn flakey! Maybe I don’t take care of my plugs well enough, maybe I just got some shoddy plugs. But comparing microUSB to Lightning, it’s quite clear that Lightning is so much better. Being a standard doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good and Apple thought different and went ahead with Lightning. It’s these little things that makes Apple great.
A Single Shot
A small-town hunter accidentally shoots and kills a woman while hunting in the woods. He also finds a big stash of cash in what appeared to be her camp. Soon after, the woman’s companions, who turn out to be hardened criminals, come around the town looking for her. Somehow it reminded me of No Country For Old Men. But that’s where the similarity ends. A Single Shot is the simpler, easier to watch movie. And yet it delivers fleshed-out genuine characters and a believable story.
Goodbye Globe
I finally discontinued my last Globe account. I’ve been a Globe subscriber for over 10 years but I started discontinuing my accounts starting last year. Then there was the terrible experience I had recently. The last straw was a several days ago when my Tattoo Superstick’s data connection went down for a few days. And as usual I got the “there’s no reported problem in your area” line. But I knew it was the area because when I finally got to bring the Superstick elsewhere, it was fine. GG. Goodbye Globe. It was fun while it lasted. Well, not really.
iOS 7 Gold Master
Apple has released iOS 7 Gold Master (GM), right after the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c launch. The GM is already the final version for release. Unfortunately, I couldn’t see any more outward changes. Unfortunately because I was still hoping for changes to those fugly icons. But the good news is that iOS 7 is good to go!
Apple iPhone 5S vs Apple iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S4
Now that Apple has announced the iPhone 5S, it’s time for a side-by-side for comparison against the previous iPhone 5 and the de facto Android flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S4.
The first question is, is it an upgrade over the iPhone 5? The answer is yes, specifically in the processor, the camera, and Touch ID. Apple’s “S” releases are normally minor updates. So this is actually significant. Apple obviously is feeling the competitive pressure.
The next question is how does it fare against the Galaxy S4? By the numbers you would see that Galaxy S4 would win. But most numbers don’t matter much (e.g. processor speed, and megapixel count) without context. So I won’t even go into the 64-bit (although really that is significant). Numbers are nothing compared to the experience.
I’d say you can’t go wrong with either iPhone 5S or Samsung Galaxy S4. Personally, I’d go for the iPhone 5S due to four reasons: design (understated elegance), the size (I like my phones small and light), the camera (True Tone flash, 2.2/f aperture and 15% larger sensor) and Touch ID (definitely more secure than Android’s rather gimmicky face unlock).
| Apple iPhone 5S | Apple iPhone 5 | Samsung Galaxy S4 | |
| Size | 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6mm | 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6mm | 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm |
| Weight | 112 g | 112 g | 130 g |
| Network | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 900 / 1900 / 2100 | |
| LTE | LTE | LTE | |
| Display | LED-backlit IPS TFT, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | LED-backlit IPS TFT, capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | Super AMOLED HD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| 640 x 1136 pixels, 4 inches (326 ppi) | 640 x 1136 pixels, 4 inches (326 ppi) | 1080 x 1920 pixels, 5.0 inches (441 ppi) | |
| Processor | unspecified processor, unspecified GPU, Apple A7 chipset, 64-bit | unspecified processor, unspecified GPU, Apple A6 chipset | Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7, PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU |
| RAM | unspecified | unspecified | 1/2 GB RAM |
| Internal Storage | 16/32/64 GB | 16/32/64 GB | 16/32/64 GB |
| External Storage | No External Memory | No External Memory | Up to 64GB |
| Data | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n dual-band | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n dual-band | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n dual-band |
| Bluetooth | v4.0 with A2DP | v4.0 with A2DP | v4.0 with A2DP |
| NFC | none | none | yes |
| Operating System | iOS 7 | iOS 6 | Android v4.2 Jelly Bean |
| Camera | 8 megapixel AF with True Tone dual-LED flash and f/2.2 aperture lens, 15-percent larger sensor, 10fps burst | 8 megapixel AF, f/2.4 aperture lens | 13 megapixel AF, f/2.2 aperture lens |
| Video | 1080p at 30fps, LED video light | 1080p at 30fps, LED video light | 1080p at 30fps, LED video light |
| Apps | About 900K from the Apple App Store | About 900K from the Apple App Store | About 1M from Google Play + access to non-market apps |
| Battery | Standard battery, Li-Po | Standard battery, Li-Po | Standard battery, Li-Ion 2600 mAh |
| Standby | Up to 270 h (3G) | Up to 225 h (3G) | Up to 370 h (3G) |
| Talk-time | Up to 10 h (3G) | Up to 8 h (3G) | Up to 117 h (3G) |