Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. Apple iPhone 5 - Shelly Palmer

Should I get an iPhone 5 or a Samsung Galaxy S4 I get asked this question several times a day I39ve had my iPhone 5 since September 21 2012 when it launched and I39ve had my Samsung Galaxy S4 since early June 2013 I39ve read several reviews which describe the technical reasons to own one device over the other you should not concern yourself with most of these issues Here39s what you need to knowThe iPhone 5The iPhone 5 works flawlessly out of the box When you turn it on it does everything it is ever going to do Sure you can add some apps that make your experience better but if you don39t know an app from a hole in the ground the iPhone 5 will guarantee you an emotionally satisfying experience with an almost zero learning curveThis is not to say that you won39t have to learn how to tweak a few settings You will But a quick trip to the Apple Genius Bar or two seconds of Google or YouTube and you will have an answer to any question you could ever ask about an iPhone 5Notifications Are KeyWhen an iPhone 5 vibrates or makes a noise glancing at the phone will tell you what you need to do Right out of the box nothing to press nothing to set it will just tell you what to do Slide your finger over to answer a call etcThe Samsung Galaxy S4Now the Samsung Galaxy S4 is arguably a much better device It has better hardware by every measure it has a much bigger screen amp8211 so big you will not need an iPad mini or any other 7quot tablet in your life after you purchase it The web is better because of the larger screen as is the Kindle eReader app as is video viewing no matter how you look at the S4 vs the iPhone 5 the S4 wins exceptWhen you get a Samsung Galaxy S4 you are thrown into the world of Google Android software Now you can do a search on Google for Android 42x and you will see that it is Google39s answer to the inconsistent user experience issues of previous Android builds However since each carrier loads the S4 with its own bloatware and since Samsung has added a ton of its own apps to the build the Android 42x experience you will have on the S4 is really nothing like the experience you39ll have on any other manufacturer39s Android phoneWhat that means in practice is that while Android gives you flexibility to customize your phone to your heart39s content customization is not optional You have to customize your phone or your experience will absolutely suck out of the boxTo give you a little taste of the kind of customization I39m talking about Let39s look at notificationsThe S4 allows you the flexibility to have a lock screen or not Some people think that39s awesome you just press the quoton buttonquot and you39re immediately inside your phone That sounds great until you get a txt message and don39t know it There is no unread txt message count native to the message icon and even with the lock screen turned on you will be spending time deciding just how to display your txt message notificationsThe good news is that you can purchase some awesome apps to help I39m using Nova Launcher Missed it and Widget Locker to customize my lock screen and I can tell you from personal experience it39s awesome Of course it39s only awesome if you spend about 800 on apps and another 3040 minutes tweaking the settings fonts sizes and applications to act the way you want them to act With the apps I39ve just mentioned you could make your Android device look feel and behave like an iPhone 5 or you could just buy an iPhone 5In practice the iPhone 5 is already so far outofdate hardwarewise that I can39t recommend purchasing it amp8211 unless amp8211 you really don39t want to or have the time to work setting up your Android phone the way you want itFor me setting up my S4 was fun and the results were absolutely worth it For a normal person who just wants to make calls txt email and occasionally browse the web amp8211 you may be much better served with a phone that just works when you get itShelly Palmer is Fox 5 New York39s Onair Tech Expert WNYWTV and the host of Fox Television39s monthly show Shelly Palmer Digital Living He also hosts United Stations Radio Network39s Shelly Palmer Digital Living Daily a daily syndicated radio report that features insightful commentary and a unique insiders take on the biggest stories in technology media and entertainment He is Managing Director of Advanced Media Ventures Group LLC an industryleading advisory and business development firm and a member of the Executive Committee of the National Academy of Television Arts ampamp Sciences the organization that bestows the coveted Emmyamp174 Awards Palmer is the author of Television Disrupted The Transition from Network to Networked TV 2nd Edition York House Press 2008 the seminal book about the technological economic and sociological forces that are changing everything Overcoming The Digital Divide How to use Social Media and Digital Tools to Reinvent Yourself and Your Career York House Press 2011 and Digital Wisdom Thought Leadership for a Connected World York House Press 2013 For more information visit shellypalmercomRead all Shelly39s MediaBizBloggers commentaries at Shelly Palmer ReportCheck us out on Facebook at MediaBizBloggerscomFollow our Twitter updates MediaBizBloggerThe opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaBizBloggerscom management or associated bloggers MediaBizBloggers is an open thought leadership platform and readers may share their comments and opinions in response to all commentaries

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Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. Apple iPhone 5 - Shelly Palmer

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