The Samsung S4 had many strong points going for it. It also has several weaknesses. So far during my testing I have experienced slow downs when opening apps, motion controls not always working especially in bright sunlight. But even more basic it’s a problem with using headphones.

There is an active thread over at XDA Developers detailing issues people are having whereby the S4 cannot provide enough current/power, which in turn causes the headphones to crack and pop.

Not a good state of affairs.

I remember S Voice on my Samsung Note. It was awful. When I got the S3 it was better but still not prime time. When I had the Note 2 it was actually useable. With the S4 it has been improved slightly again. So sending messages or updating Twitter is fairly simple. I have tried having some fun with S Voice.

I have tried asking S Voice if it’s ever used an iPhone and after a few attempts I got the response “No, I have standards.” I also tried asking it “Are you Siri?” and the reply was “I like to think I am.”

See if you can get your S4 to respond the same. Clearly somebody at Samsung had a sense of humour.

Next week at 8pm 15th May on BBC1, the BBC Watchdog programme will feature the Samsung S4 and its memory claims.

One to watch!

Lets hope the phone companies decide to offer the 32/64gb versions following this broadcast.

The Samsung S4 has now been released for nearly 2 weeks on a global scale. Despite a few shortcomings discussed yesterday around available memory on the 16gb version, it does have many strengths.

Whilst it is made of polycarbonate, it actually doesn’t look too bad. In fact, it’s non offensive styling does have a little charm about it. It also feels more comfy to hold in the hand, more so that the HTC One. It is also lighter than the HTC One, and feels better weighted in the hand.

If you don’t have many large apps or games, but do have a large music collection and or take tons of photos you are able to use a micro SD card, up to 64gb. That’s a lot of music and photos. As the memory card is optional, you could carry a spare should you need even more space. Another big positive for the S4 is the removable battery. It is a lot easier to slip a spare battery in your wallet or purse when travelling, or a few years down the line, it becomes a simple task to change the failing battery. In other words, this device has potentially a longer life span.

The camera. Having spent the weekend with the S4, I have been very pleased with the photos of landscapes and scenery. It has been perfect sunny weather for taking photos. The camera has many options, but the feature I like the most is being able to use your voice to activate the shutter.
Panoramic shots were stunning too. Landscapes were of better quality than the HTC One.

Samsung have included tons of software and whilst its bloated with it, some of it is useful. Also if you sign in to Samsung’s own hub, you will find even more freebies.

Gestures. There are so many it’s crazy. I found they don’t all work properly all the time but I did like some of them. I was using concrete and able to operate the S4 without getting concrete on to it by swiping my hands and using my finger in air view.

Early days on battery, so no conclusion yet.

The S4 did feel glitchy at times, but then I remembered when I got the S3 it was the same. After 4 months the S3 had been updated a lot by Samsung and worked a treat.

The S Cover flip case is so cool. I may keep the S4 just so I can use the case. There are also numerous other accessories that Samsung are launching for this phone. It really has potential.

My overall views so far is it appears Samsung rushed the S4 to market. Once it had several software updates it ill be a class act. But I still prefer the HTC One.

Samsung explained to CNET that it was okay to deceive buyers of its 16gb S4 that it only came with 8gb of usable memory, since it had a micro sd slot for expansion.

Samsung added, “For the Galaxy S4 16GB model, approximately 6.85GB occupies [the] system part of internal memory, which is 1GB bigger than that of the Galaxy S3, in order to provide [a] high resolution display and more powerful features to our consumers.”

So why not warn people prior to purchase and also explain that apps and games can only be saved in to the internal memory!

And it appears Samsung are only responding after a backlash of angry customers has started. It also doesn’t help that mobile phone companies are informing customers that the memory is expandable and that apps or games can be installed on to the memory card. This information is totally inaccurate.

I think Samsung’s response borders on the brink of arrogance and one must ask the question why on earth did the 16gb version ever get released for sale. Samsung should have offered on the 32gb or 64gb versions and then none of this lack of memory would have arisen.

The larger capacity models can’t come quick enough!

Apart from a locked bootloader, it appears Samsung is now trying to stop their latest S4 from being rooted.

Over on XDA Developers, user AndreiLux discovered the following –

“I just noticed when sniffing the new 9500UBUAMDK kernel is that they activated a new “feature” / CONFIG_SEC_RESTRICT_SETUID in the kernel.

This means no more rooting is possible, at least not anymore in the usual methods. Your SuperUser will tell you it will have granted access, but it’s neutered on the kernel level.”

For those that like rooting, the S4 may not be the best option. Read the full thread here.

So far the Samsung Galaxy S4 has been flying off the shelves at a rate considerable faster the its predecessor the Samsung Galaxy S3.

But buyers of this new super phone from Samsung are discovering 2 differences over older models. First up is 16gb translates anywhere between 8.8gb to 9.62gb free to the user. Secondly, the expansion memory card slot can only be used for media (photos, documents and music) and not for storing apps or games. With many top games now requiring 2gb, it won’t take long to use 9gb of memory. Also bear in mind apps cache a lot of data, so dropbox, Google Music and others also take up a large amount of internal memory.

The previous workarounds for saving apps or games on the memory card have been removed by Google in its operating system. So apps like Apps2SD do not work. Other options like rooting (which in turn voids your warranty) and using Foldermount is not reliable or without creating other problems. Also take note that apart from a rooted device voiding your warranty, a number of apps won’t work on a rooted device. These include banking apps and Google Play film rentals as examples.

Despite Google removing the ability to remove saving apps or games to the memory card and the pain it might cause, it is actually a good thing, as apps and games will run better in internal memory.

So the obvious solution would be to purchase the 32gb or 64gb versions of the S4, but if you look in any of the high street stores you won’t find them. In fact you won’t find them online either at present.

Well, this morning I met up Samsung, who clarified the current position. Samsung offered the retailers all 3 memory sizes, that is 16, 32 and 64gb and all of them opted for the 16gb only. This was based on previous buying decisions based on the Samsung Galaxy S3 and how the older version of the android operating system functioned. None of the retailers took into account the lower internal memory of the S4 and apps all having to be installed into internal memory. With regards buying 32gb or 64gb versions these will be available and are in certain places, and Samsung explained these would be a online purchase only due to none of the stores buying the larger memory models. Samsung promised to get back to me with details of when and where these larger models could be purchased from.

So watch this space!

Samsung has created a simulator for the Samsung Galaxy S4 so that you can try all its new features prior to purchase. Just follow the on screen instructions. Click here

Naturally, this being Samsung, it won’t work on an iPad or iPhone as it needs flash. However, on your PC it is fairly fun to experiment with the various settings. However it is only a simulator and it doesn’t inform you that the memory is low if you have bought a 16gb model.

Samsung is on course for record sales of the S4, and it seems it could potentially earn more profit with the accessories.

As an example, the S Cover has a recommended price of £44.99. On Amazon it has been reduced by about £10. But even then, that is madness.

What do you think? Is £45 just too much? At the most this should be £10.