| Xperia Z Ultra too big? Lug Sony's Bluetooth handset around too, then Jun 25th 2013, 11:42 
The small-handed among you who lust after Sony's enormous Xperia Z Ultra will be pleased to hear that Sony has your back. Alongside the 6.44-inch smartphone-cum-tablet, Sony has launched the SBH52, a slinky little Bluetooth handset that lets you take calls, read messages and control music without unpacking the giant phone from your pocket, bag or specially-made cross-body case. The slinky little handset looks as stupidly small alongside a person's head as the Xperia Z Ultra does over-sized. OLEDMGThe OLED display will flash up caller IDs, song titles and text messages, while the handset supports HD voice and FM radio. 
You can pair it with your phone via NFC if that's what floats your boat, and it also features Multipoint Bluetooth for pairing with more than one device at once. When not taking calls, the SBH52 clips on to your lapel and can be used as a music remote thanks to the headphone jack and playback control combo. No official word on a Sony SBH52 release date or pricing just yet, but we're expecting it to hit the shops around the same time as the Xperia Z Ultra, which is scheduled for a September launch.     |  | Updated: Sony Xperia Z Ultra announced with a whopping 6.4-inch display Jun 25th 2013, 09:00 
Sony has joined the phablet race, with a new smartphone sporting a whopping screen and ultra-slim dimensions. The phone features a number of top-end features that will make this a real head-turner when it comes to choosing your next smartphone, not least the Snapdragon 800 CPU that's clocked at 2.2GHz in a quad-core arrangement. It's also managed to pack in a 6.44-inch 1080p screen while maintaining a 6.5mm thickness - it's hard to explain just how thin this thing feels, but trust us on this one. Not waterproof...In true Sony style the Xperia Z Ultra is both water-resistant (a depth of 1.5m for 30 minutes, or being subjected to 'low pressure jets of water') and dust resistant too - both IP55 and IP58 certified. The headphone port is uncovered now too, in the same way Samsung has done on the Galaxy S4 Active. Another interesting innovation is the ability to write on the device - which, in itself, isn't much to write home about. But you can sketch or note on the Sony Xperia Z Ultra with a normal pencil, or any 'selected stylus or pen', meaning you can get a decent level of detail when idly drawing pictures of rude things. The phone will use an X Reality on a Triluminous display - if you're not up on the Sony vernacular, that means it's the same technology as used in the larger Sony TVs as well as an optimised engine that will help re-introduce lost pixels while improving colour reproduction too. Colour paletteThe phone will be available in purple, white and black, and will be running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean under the hood - rumours of it being the first handset to pack 4.3 seem to have been wide of the mark, which is a shame as it won't be here until later in the year. There's 'only' an 8MP camera on the back, but given the slimmer frame we can understand the tradeoff. It does offer up all the Sony Exmor RS features we'd hope to see on a smartphone from the Japanese brand, so your snaps should be improved with the algorithms packed under the hood. In true phablet style, it packs on the pounds slightly with a weight of 212g making it almost twice the weight of some modern smartphones, but with the extra screen the difference doesn't feel that marked. We're still waiting for a Xperia Z Ultra price yet, but it looks like we'll be seeing this on our shop shelves in September or October globally.     | | Sony Smartwatch 2 brings water-resistance and NFC to your wrist Jun 25th 2013, 08:30 
What was foretold has come to pass: Sony has announced a new smartwatch today, packing water resistance and NFC into its Sony SmartWatch 2. With the SmartWatch 2, Sony is attempting to sneak ahead of the Apple iWatch with what it describes as "a second screen for your Android phone" - a 1.6-inch high-ish resolution screen (220x176 pixels), that is. This means that you'll get phone notifications, an app interface and the ability to control your phone from your wrist all in one neat little package. SquintYou'll be able to handle calls, check maps, read emails (as long as you've previously downloaded them and have, let's face it, pretty solid eyesight) and control music playback through the SmartWatch 2. You can even take photos through your phone with a dedicated smart camera app - next level selfies coming to an Instagram account near you soon. Although it's a Sony product, you'll be able to use the SmartWatch 2 with "most" Android tablets and smartphones, not just the Xperia line-up. There'll be interchangeable 24mm wristbands to choose between and the whole shebang is dust- and water-resistant. The Sony SmartWatch 2 release date is set for September 2013, although we've had no word yet on price. Also announced today was Sony's insanely huge phablet, the 6.4-inch Sony Xperia Z Ultra.     | | New Optus plan structures to allow more usage freedom Jun 25th 2013, 07:42 
Along with a new look, Optus is putting customers front and center with new plans that it hopes will shake up the current Australian market. You may have noticed Optus' new logo or seen its new brand mascot "Ollie", but along with these changes, Optus will be bringing out new My Plan, My SIM and My Mobile post-paid plans, which will kick off on July 1. The new plans will see prices quoted with per minute costs rather than the traditional calls per "value of" cost. The telco will also allow customers to jump to a higher tiered plan for a month if you exceed your monthly allowance of data or call minutes, returning you to the original plan price and allowance the next month. My Plans start at $50, offering 450 minutes of calls and 500MB of data, and go up $100, which will get you unlimited calls and 3GB of data on a 24 month contract. My SIM is for customers who want the service without a mobile phone, with prices starting at $25. Customers can pair it up with a My Mobile service, which will allow customers to pay off the phone upfront, over 12 months or over 24 months. Tier jumping is capped on these plans, but has shorter term contracts. All plans will offer free SMS, MMS and calls to 1800 and 13 numbers. Tier jumpingIn terms of value, per minute calls can be calculated in cost to be lower by a handful of minutes on nearly all tiers. Also, the two cheaper options offer lower data allowances than Optus' current plans by 500MB, though Optus said that current customers on the $50 and $60 Yes Optus plans will keep their current data allowance. Though allowances don't seem to largely offer customers better value than its old plans, the main focus in Optus' "shake-up" is the ability for customers to jump automatically (with notifications) to a higher tier for a month if required. "That's a trade-off we've made. The plans are built around a data-centric world, our old plans were built around a world where customers largely used voice," said Vicki Brady, Managing Director for Optus Customer. With Optus' My Plan, each tier jump will cost an extra $10 for both talk minutes and data ($5 for the first jump on the $50 plan). That is to say, if you were to exceed your 1GB data allowance on your $60 My Plan, Optus will automatically push you to a 2GB allowance that month for an extra $10, or 3GB for an extra $20. Talk minutes similarly jump on My Plan, but is unlimited once the above 800 minutes tier is reached. Data will keep incurring $10 extra for each 1GB, capping at a maximum of 20GB. From bill shock to customer controlThese add-on tier jumps is a shift away from excess data charges that have plagued Australian customers. According to Vicki Brady, the company is trying to refocus its attention on customers by giving customers better control of their usage and reducing bill shock. "When suddenly a bill arrives at your door and it's hundreds of dollars over what you expect, you can see that change the customer's behaviour ... They actually have to reduce how much they spend," said Brady. Optus hopes that the changes to its plans structure will make usage clearer for customers and stem bill shock. But while the move to simplify charges has been applauded by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), the lower data allowances on some of the plans came under scrutiny. ACCAN spokesperson Asher Moses said: "We're disappointed the new plans don't come with more included data, given the booming rates of data consumption."     | | Vodafone Australia quietly enables HD Voice calls Jun 25th 2013, 01:07 
The previously troubled telco has added HD Voice calls in among all the other new improvements that Vodafone Australia is bringing to its customers. "This is another step in our aim to improve our network and offer the best value mobile services in the country," said Chief Network Officer Benoit Hanssen. Announced today, Vodafone has reportedly been trialling the new service for at least the past week. The technology involves Wideband Adaptive Multi-Rate coding (WBAMR) on the 3G spectrum, and allows for twice the range of voice frequencies to be transmitted. According to Vodafone, HD Voice will improve call clarity, reduce background noise, and make identifying individual voices on shared conference calls easier. Telstra has had a similar service since September last year. The service is free, but only calls made to and from Vodafone's service will be able to receive HD calls, and only on compatible handsets, which include the iPhone 5, Galaxy S4, as well as HTC One. High-def voice heralds death of land-lines?Vodafone's Hanssen thinks that call improvements such as HD Voice for mobile phones will make the use of land-line a thing of the past. "Land-lines are on the way out; they're expensive and don't suit the 21st century lifestyle," he said. "Features like HD voice will just further enhance the dominance of smartphone by making phone conversations sound more natural, making it easier for two callers to communicate clearly with the other." Whether or not HD Voice will help sound the death knell for land-lines, it will be another welcome improvement for Vodafone customers who have had a few years of troubling services from the telco.     | | The end for plastic? Samsung teams with carbon fibre specialist Jun 25th 2013, 00:50 
Samsung has announced a new materials partnership, which could signal a desire to move away from its reliance on plastic for Galaxy smartphones and tablets. Following widepsread criticism of the build quality of recent handsets, the company has alligned with the SGL Group, which specialises in the much tougher carbon fibre material. The 50/50 partnership, which will be known as Samsung SGL Carbon Composite Materials, will provide tech for use in the company's consumer electronics products, according to a press release on Monday. "The cooperation is expected to provide a stable long-term supply of carbon fiber materials for Samsung and promote its use in various Samsung products and applications such as consumer electronics, medical devices and engineering applications," the release read. Leading playerSamsung said the partnership is aimed at making the company a leading player in creating carbon fibre products, a sure sign that it plans to leave the plastic devices behind. "Lightweight materials have become an important factor not only in industrial applications but also the consumer end markets such as digital media," Yoosung Chung, President & CEO of Samsung Petrochemical said. "This partnership will position Samsung as a leading player in the development and application of carbon fiber-based products," he added. The company had previously defended the use of plastic in devices like the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4, saying it allowed the company to produce the handsets faster and more efficiently. However, the aluminium HTC One smartphone, along with the existing iPhone 5 device, left Samsung trailing in the wake of its rivals in terms of premium build quality. Is that about to change?     | | Want a smaller-looking head? Grab Huawei's MediaPad 7 Vogue phablet Jun 24th 2013, 23:51 
Chinese manufacturer Huawei has today unleashed a new Android tablet device which, if you're unfazed by the prospect of funny looks and giggles, will also function perfectly well as a smartphone. The MediaPad 7 Vogue tablet is, as the name suggests, a 7-inch rival to the Samsung Galaxy Note series and runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean beneath the version 1.5 of the company's own Emotion UI. It packs a quad-core 1.2GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, which can be boosted through the microSD card slot. However, thanks to the built-in mobile receiver, it "provides the perfect mix of functions from a tablet, smartphone and entertainment center in one stylish and portable device," the company said. Middle of the roadThe display is a relatively low-res 1024 x 600, while everything is supported by a 4100mAh battery pack, which Huawei claims is good for playback of four HD movies back-to-back. In terms of cameras there's a VGA webcam for video calling and a 3-megapixel camera you probably won't want to rely on for capturing precious memories. The device will launch on home soil later this month, with international releases promised thereafter. There's no official news on price or release date on western territories just yet, but we would expect this to sit around, if not beneath, the price points of the Nexus 7s and Kindle Fires of the world.     | | LG's August event could see more phones than just the Optimus G2 Jun 24th 2013, 22:06 
LG is poised to unveil its LG Optimus G successor, popularly known as the Optimus G2, at a special event on August 7, but a new report says that's not all the company plans to reveal. The South Korean phone maker will also show off two other devices, according to TechTastic - an Optimus L9 2 (model number LG-D600) and something for now called the LG-D500. The site claims a source tipped it off to the impending declaration of those two unannounced devices, while it's managed to pick up for both. It looks like the L9 2 is a mid-range successor to the Optimus L9, while the LG D500 is even lower on the spectrum. Middle childrenNeither of the unannounced LG handsets is a flagship like the Optimus G2, TechTastic claims. The LG Optimus L9 2 is a mid-range device with a 4.7-inch 720p display, 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor, 8-megapixel camera, NFC and Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. The D500 on the other hand is a low-end device with a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 processor, Adreno 302 GPU, 540 x 960 display, NFC, a 5-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 4.0 and Android 4.1.2. Neither comes close to the next-gen Optimus G's specs, in particular the next-gen Snapdragon 800 SoC that's been confirmed for the new handset. In addition to that, the G2 is rumored to feature a 5-inch 1080p display, Adreno 330 GPU, 2GB of memory, a 13-megapixel camera and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. TechTastic also threw an interesting idea into the mix: Apparently there are buttons on the back of this phone. How practical (and how legitimate) that is, we won't know for a few months time. - We think the LG Optimus G2 will compete directly with the Galaxy S4, but with an announcement on Aug. 7, it could also head off news of Samsung's Galaxy Note 3.
    | | Latest leaked Apple iPhone 5S photos focus on new chip Jun 24th 2013, 19:40 
A lot of the iPhone 5S talk these past few weeks has focused primarily on the supposed dual-LED camera flash being spotted in leaked photos. While there have been a few shots of the possible insides and casing of the new Apple handset, there's still been little confirmation about what hardware the latest iteration of the iPhone will be rocking. On Monday that changed, when MacRumors got its hands on some leaked shots of the inner-workings of what could be the iPhone 5S. Even though there doesn't appear to be a whole lot of information to glean from just a few images, the new processor is in clear focus, giving us an idea of just what kind of chip will power the next iPhone. Lucky number sevenEarlier leaked images from the site didn't provide a clear look at the potential processor beyond a "1243" code, which indicated the prototype build was from October 2012. These latest shots provide a better look at the chip inside, and indicate the iPhone 5S may indeed have an ARM A7 processor. The etched codes on the border of the new chip read "APL0698," which falls in line with the A6's "APL0598" designation, and the A6X's "APL5598" (found in the new iPad) branding. Additionally, it's possible to see the "1239" marking for the 1GB of DRAM, suggesting that portion of the chip was crafted in September 2012, with the completed prototype phone reportedly being put together in December 2012. This isn't the first time we've heard reports about an iPhone coming with an A7 processor, but it is the first time we've heard such tales about the iPhone 5S rather than the iPhone 6. However, since the prototype model's chip doesn't have the same tiered numbering as the A6X processor, it's certainly within reason to speculate the iPhone 5S will be the recipient of the next ARM chip upgrade. Win some, lose SamsungIn May, we first heard reports Samsung would no longer be responsible for the manufacturing of Apple's processors, with TSMC ready to step in and take over. The new chip spotted in these leaked photos may provide some truth to those rumors, as new markings for the manufacturer don't fall in line with previous Samsung etchings. The "K1A0062" tag is a mysterious one, as Samsung's codes typically begin with an "N," but it's not exactly clear to which company the "K" belongs. It's entirely possible TSMC could be prepped to take over production for Apple's chips, but that would go against the previous belief the Taiwanese manufacturer wouldn't step in until 2014. Whatever Apple's true plans, we likely won't learn more until later this year, but at least now we've got some more potential details on the iPhone 5S beyond its new camera.     | | In Depth: Step into creativity with the GALAXY Note 8.0 Jun 24th 2013, 15:51 
1. Unbox it
The first thing you'll need to do is get your Samsung GALAXY Note 8.0 out of its box. OK, you knew that already, but there are a couple of points of note inside the tablet's soy-ink-printed packaging. First is that white cable. The Note 8.0 both charges and transfers data via microUSB, and this accessory serves both functions. Second, those stereo headphones aren't just for music and movies – they're also ideal for hands-free calls via cellular or Skype. And while we all hate actually reading the instructions, do take the beautifully illustrated quick-start guide out of the box too – it's a great place to start if you have any questions. 2. Sail round its ports
Ports and inputs are a big part of the Note 8.0's appeal. The microUSB port (for data and charging, as outlined above) sits at the bottom, with a 3.5mm headphone jack is located on top. It also has a microSD slot on the left-hand side for expanding your storage, and even an infrared port on the right for using the Note as a TV remote control! Bottom-right is where you'll find the S Pen – which we'll come to in a moment. 3. Add your own accounts
The Note 8.0 uses an Android operating system, so to get the most out of it, you'll need a Google account. To save you loads of time later on, the friendly interface will prompt you to input your Google details during set-up, as well as login details for your Samsung and Dropbox accounts. A Google account is needed to buy and download from Google Play, while a Samsung account gives you access to Samsung Apps and the Samsung Hub, so if you don't already have either of these, the Note 8.0 will help you set them up. Signing up to Dropbox isn't essential, but buying a GALAXY Note 8.0 entitles you to 50GB free storage for two years, so if you don't already use its file-hosting service, it's definitely worth checking it out. 4. Get to grips with TouchWiz
TouchWiz is the Android user interface, designed to turn this powerful OS into something anyone can understand. Offering multiple homescreens and gorgeous 3D transitions, its rich look and feel makes the most of Samsung's hardware (including the S Pen), and gives you instant access to your apps via intuitive icons and widgets. What's a widget, you may ask? Essentially scaled-down apps you can see on your homescreen, they offer some of the key info you want at a glance, without the time and effort involved in opening a full app. For example, the S Planner widget gives you a detailed insight into your calendar straight from the homescreen, while the Favourite Apps widget gives you quick access to your most used applications. 5. Slide out the S Pen
The S Pen is a highly sensitive input tool that can detect 1,024 different levels of pressure (the same as a professional graphic design tablet). In layman's terms, that means you can get all kinds of different writing and sketching effects depending on how hard you press – just like you would with a traditional pen or pencil. Yet the S Pen is much more than just a scribbling tool: it's also ideal for navigating the TouchWiz interface and its numerous smart shortcuts based on S Pen taps and gestures. For example, press the S Pen button and double-tap any part of the screen, and a floating Quick Note window will appear. You can even use the S Pen like digital scissors, easily clipping any portion of your screen to create a bespoke screengrab you can save and share. 6. Breathe in the Air View
Another function where the S Pen impresses is Air View, which allows you to interact with the Note 8.0 without even touching it. Hover the S Pen over a photo album for example, and Air View gives you an instant peek inside. Hover above part of the timeline while watching a movie in Video Player and Air View will give you a preview of the relevant frame. The Email app also takes full advantage of this touch-free tech, offering previews of messages, while the calendar app, S Planner, does the same for your appointments. 7. Get organised
We've already mentioned some of the pre-installed software on the GALAXY Note 8.0, but that hardly does justice to the incredible suite of apps that are ready to make your life easier straight out of the box. S Planner is an incredibly versatile calendar with a satisfying bound journal look and feel. Awesome Note HD is exclusive to the Note 8.0 and acts as a complete organiser and journal. S Note is much more than just a notepad, with enough features to make it closer to an art app, but it's still pretty handy for shopping lists, too. Add in Quick Notes, a powerful Contacts app and more, and personal organisation has never been easier or more adaptable! For a more in depth look at the ways the Note 8.0 can help you get organised, enjoy the video below: YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhO2DlbSHhQ8. Tap up some new apps
While you could happily use the Note 8.0 for work and entertainment without ever adding anything extra to it, you'd be missing out on an ever-expanding world of ingenious new apps. So once you're up and running, be sure to check out both the Google Play Store and Samsung Apps, for everything from games such as Sudoku – S Pen to genuinely powerful tools such as Autodesk's SketchBook Pro for Tablets app. Samsung Apps and the Google Play Store also have comprehensive search functions, so just search for "S Pen" in either to pull up organisation tools, games and multimedia apps that take best advantage of the GALAXY Note 8.0. 9. Click with the camera
The Note 8.0 packs a powerful high-res camera with enough pixel power for some really great prints. Play around with it for a while and you'll soon realise it's designed to work well with other apps too, adding a visual side to your notes and documents. So you can easily send your snaps to S Note and doodle on and around them; import them into S Planner as handy reminders; and attach them to Awesome Note HD, for some multimedia journaling. The Camera app itself boasts an easy-to-use interface with a smart automatic mode, a night mode and some customisable shortcuts among its many settings – so it's easy to plan a professional-looking shot, or just point and click with impressive results. 10. Enjoy!
Perhaps the most important step of all, enjoying your Note 8.0 couldn't be easier. After all, given its endless potential for unleashing your creativity, the next step from here is up to you.     | | In Depth: 10 reasons why Multi Window is a killer tablet app on the GALAXY Note 8.0 Jun 24th 2013, 15:27 
Looking for an 8-inch tablet that takes and makes calls and also lets you take notes at the same time? Then you can't beat Multi Window on the GALAXY Note 8.0. There are loads of reasons you should check out the new Samsung GALAXY Note 8.0, not least because it comes with a cutting edge S Pen, a large and expansive WXGA display and a neat form factor. But it can also supercharge your life in a number of other ways, such as allowing easy task management on the go with the unique Multi Window feature; read on to see how easy it is to get the most of the cutting-edge tablet. Simple to activate
One of the tricky things on most tablets is making sure that you can actually make use of the cutting-edge features on offer, with multiple key presses the name of the game to do the most facile of tasks. With the Note 8.0 all you need to do is hold the back key and you'll have instant access to the portal of Multi Window apps, which you can drag and drop into the main windows as you like to give instant access to more information and entertainment. Take notes easily
One of the main reasons we all need to multitask from time to time is to be able to send information from one app to another. On some smartphones this involves a convoluted process of opening an app, closing it down then copying the information to another one. With S Note and Multi Window, you can open a plethora of apps, be it email, the internet or a chat pop-up, and using the advanced S Pen copy the information down using your own handwriting without needing to open and shut different programs. Easy switching
What if you need to change the way things are running on the GALAXY Note 8.0 on the go? Say you've got your chat window open and you're idly browsing around Google Maps – and your friend sends you a funny picture to look at? You don't need to worry about moving the divider up and down to see it; just hit the switch window tab and the two apps will swap sizes seamlessly so you can see what's being sent instantly. Map and tap
Mapping on the move is one of the best things you can do on the Samsung GALAXY Note 8.0, as the large screen makes it easy to see where you've been or where you're going. But if you need to check directions, be it from the internet browser or an email, you can have both open at once meaning it's simple to see where you're going and verify it's the right place. And if you use the S Pen's Easy Clip function, you can even drag and drop a picture of the destination right into the messaging window to show chums where to go! Check email
We've all been there, waiting for that pivotal email to come along so you can respond right away. But instead of sitting there waiting for the missive to land, you can use Multi Window to chat with friends, play a whole host of games or just flick through the internet instead of jabbing at the refresh button. And don't forget you can do this in landscape or portrait, giving you the space to move through your messages when you need to. Resize windows
With Multi Window, the choice is yours over how you use it. So if it's a case of not wanting to have the whole email application open, just drag the central bar and you can make either app bigger, making it easier to browse the web while you wait for the boss to respond to the report you just sent – or get the confirmation on where you're meeting for dinner tonight. Chat away
There are loads of great apps that work with Multi Window, and the two pre-installed chat options offer an excellent way to communicate and multi-task at the same time. Chat On allows you to chat across a wide variety of mediums, as well as being able to use the windows to choose files to send across to friends. Hangouts, Google's own chat service, works in the same way but with a less rich interface if you're just after the chance to hang out and share some thoughts with friends on the go. But both can sit there unobtrusively while you get on with the main task at hand so you can be in touch with friends and work at the same time. Third party planning
Samsung has made a whole host of its own apps available for Multi Window, but there are loads more out there thanks to Samsung Apps and the Google Play Store. The likes of popular MX Player, PowerAMP and ANDChat are all Multi Window enabled, enhancing the power of your new favourite tablet. This means that you'll always have access to music and movies, productivity tools, IM clients and more as you spend more time with your GALAXY Note 8.0 – so see what the future holds with the Multi Window function on your brand new and next-generation tablet! Find the perfect picture
One of the great things about the Samsung GALAXY Note 8.0 is the ability to talk on the tablet while doing other things – this means you can be chatting to a friend about your latest ski trip and want to send them some pictures of how amazing it all looked. Don't worry about having to end the call – you can open up the gallery while chatting and the email client too, so you can whizz the snaps you want to boast about over without having to miss a beat! Social power
One of the best things about Multi Window is the ability to share things with the people that matter through a variety of mediums. We've already talked through the excellent chatting options on the Note 8.0, but what about social networks? With Multi Window it couldn't be easier to send pictures, links and videos up to your social networks, as all you need to do is open the window, choose the file to upload and you can keep browsing your friends' status updates while you do it too!     | | In Depth: Let S Health give you the fitness makeover you've always wanted Jun 24th 2013, 14:42 
Samsung has built the in-depth S Health app into the S4 to help users track daily workouts, diet and weight levels. Here's our simple guide to introduce this feature and explain how to get fit using your S4, no matter what your current levels of fitness or (lack of) exercise regime might be! 1. Get started
Samsung's S Health app isn't just about show - it's an immersive experience that's designed to get the most out of life by making you as healthy as possible. And obviously to achieve that, it needs to know what it's working with, so when you get going with the app you'll be asked to pop in a few key details to help make sure you stay right on track. Don't worry though, it's nothing taxing! Elements like date of birth, weight and calorie / step goals allow the S Health app to create personalised plans for you and help you get to the goal of being a leaner, fitter version of yourself, no matter your age or fitness level! 2. Walking Mate
One of the best features of S Health is the ability to work even when you're not using it. Other, less impressive, apps will require you to wear a separate device to function at all, but S Health uses the Samsung GALAXY S4's built in accelerometer to track your steps and work out how active you've been that day. The more steps you take, the fitter you'll feel, and by showing you that data every day, you'll be able to keep tabs on when you need to add in another walk down to the shop, or when you deserve to put your feet up for a well-earned rest! 3. Exercise Mate
So you've decided on your goals and you're up and about, thanks to the Walking Mate in S Health. But what about when you want to push yourself a bit harder? Perhaps it's that aerobics DVD you bought in the January sales that you've dusted off, or you've started playing 5-a-side football. Either way, Samsung's S Health database allows you to choose the sport (and even favourite the ones you'll do regularly) and automatically works out your calorie burn, simply by putting in the time you did it for. 4. Food Tracker
Of course, exercise is only one component of a healthy lifestyle - a decent diet is also crucial too. The problem is that there are so many foods out there to confuse you, and working out whether they're good for you or not can be a real hassle. Thankfully Samsung has removed that annoyance, with Food Tracker only asking you to search for whatever you ate, inputting how much, and working out the calories for you. And if you're particularly proud of a dish you can even take a snap with the 13MP camera so you can remember it for next time! 5. Weight
It's important to keep an eye on your weight while exercising - not only can it tell you when you're eating the wrong thing, but it also gives you that necessary boost when you see the pounds begin to fall off every day. You've got two options with S Health: you can either input the weight yourself from your old bathroom scales, or you can connect up to a compatible wireless set and have the scales do all the work for you, so all you'll need to do is step on every day and marvel at your new impressive physique. 6. Temperature and humidity
S Health isn't all about just making you fitter - health has a number of facets, and your location and environment play a huge part in making sure you're happy and comfortable. The Samsung GALAXY S4 has a clever sensor built in that allows you to track not only temperature but humidity too, so you can keep an eye on your surroundings at all times and make adjustments where necessary for an optimum experience. 7. Blood Pressure
The Samsung S Health app is so advanced that it not only can monitor what's going on with your weight and exercise, but it's also able to track more complex items like your blood pressure over time to make sure that you stay healthy inside and out. Once again, you've got a world of choice here, as you can either set all the elements yourself if you've got your own heart rate monitor, or you can connect to a compatible Bluetooth device and have it send the data automatically. You've even got the chance to add in your pulse rate, which can be really useful if you suffer from a heart condition and want an easy way to monitor your heart's performance over time. 8. Simple graphs
With all this data, you may be worried that you won't be able to use it in any meaningful way. Thankfully, that couldn't be more of an erroneous assumption, as the S Health app makes it easy and quick to see everything you need in one quick glance. The Health Board home screen has a tab for graphs in the bottom right-hand corner, and you can use this to see a visual representation of weight, blood pressure, exercise and steps managed over time, and a quick pinch in and out of the screen will spin you from days to weeks to months in the blink of an eye, so you can actually see how you've improved with your GALAXY S4. 9. Accessories
There are a number of accessories to help you out with your Samsung S Health app, and all of them are great for making it slick and easy to get the information about your body onto your phone. With a wide range of scales and blood pressure monitors coming soon, it will be really easy to connect your body to the S Health app without needing to punch in loads of numbers each day. And if you want to go for a run but want to leave your Samsung GALAXY S4 at home, you can use the forthcoming and stylish S Band to keep track of your run or day's activities, and instantly pair when you're reunited with your smartphone. 10. Third party
There are loads of other apps from Samsung that extend the power of S Health, and all are available through Samsung Apps. For instance, Running Pro will give you a mapping experience to track you on your run and give you key feedback data to help you improve. Head on over to Samsung Apps and check out the reams of possibilities in the Health and Fitness section, and in no time at all you'll go from layabout to loving life!     | |
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