Samsung Smart Features on the Galaxy S4

Prior to the arrival of the iPhone in 2007, most people were content to interact with their mobile phone through physical buttons. But the touchscreen revolution swiftly changed all that, leaving everyone prodding and poking at context-sensitive interfaces on bigger and bigger displays.

Interestingly it seems like Samsung is keen to get us to move away from tactile interactions altogether, since the new Galaxy S4 has a number of Samsung smart features which allow users to control the phone without touching it.

Here is a quick look at what the Samsung Galaxy S4 can offer to anyone who is tired of tapping away at a touchscreen.

Smart Pause

While it may sound a bit odd, the Samsung Galaxy S4 can actually track the position of a user’s eyes using the front-facing camera mounted above the display.

This is used to enable a feature known as Smart Pause. Basically, when you are watching a video, whether it is one you recorded using the phone’s camera or something you are streaming from the web, the Galaxy S4 will automatically pause the action if it realises that you have looked away from the display.

Playback will resume once you look back at the screen, which means you will never miss a second of your favourite videos and there is no need to fumble around for the on screen pause button; a perfect example of how the latest Samsung smart features are revolutionising the way we use our phones.

Smart Scroll

Scrolling occurs in a similar fashion to the Smart Pause feature. When you are looking at a web page, email or document, you can scroll through it by tilting the phone backwards or forwards.

Many people will be used to having to scroll by flicking their finger across the screen, which is intuitive but can get in the way of you actually enjoying the content you are viewing. With Smart Scroll, this Samsung features a whole new, unobtrusive way of achieving the same effect.

S Voice Drive

Long time Galaxy fans will be familiar with S Voice, the voice-operated service that lets you access a number of Samsung smart features.

The Galaxy S4 comes with S Voice Drive, which is an extension of this capability that basically lets you use it during navigation.

For those who want to use their smartphone as a sat nav while driving, this could literally be a life saver. You will be able to keep both hands on the wheel and still interact with your phone, which means you can answer calls, send messages and perform other actions while staying safe.

Air View & Air Gesture

Air View features first appeared on the Galaxy Note range, but have arrived on the Galaxy S4 without the need to use the S Pen stylus.

Basically, the best smartphone of 2013 can detect when you are hovering your hand close to the screen without touching it. This means you can use waves and other gestures to do things like browse the web, swipe through photo albums and also get quick previews of content before you load it up in full.

Samsung Smart Features Round-Up

Samsung is clearly working hard to make it easier for us to enjoy using our smartphones without even having to touch them and it will be exciting to see what can be achieved in the future.

Fancy bringing these Samsung smart features into your life? The Samsung Galaxy S4 is now available at e2save