What the deceptive Samsung "wall-hugger" ad doesn't tell you
I have to admit that of all of Samsung's TV ads, I kinda like the "wall-hugger" ad seen below. It's funny, and quite realistic if you've ever walked through an airport and seen people desperately seeking a charge before they get on their flights. While watching the ad the other day, I noticed that the phone of the young woman showing that she has a full day of usage available on 10 percent of a charge also notes that the phone is in Galaxy S5 Ultra Power Saving Mode. Being an all-out Apple fanboi, I smelled that something was rotten in Samsung-land, so I googled "Galaxy S5 Ultra Power Saving Mode" to see exactly what that entailed.
The best response was from a Galaxy S5 fan site (who knows, perhaps it's owned by Samsung) appropriately named GalaxyS5Guide.com. Let's see what the Galaxy S5 Ultra Power Saving Mode gives those smug Samsung fans:
Samsung claims that Galaxy S5 ultra power saving mode can provide up to 24 hours of stand-by with 10% battery. Don't confuse this 24-hour standby time with the standby in specifications. This 24 hours standby means you can turn on all network connections, and receiving all notifications. While in the hardware specification sheet, the 390-hour standby means voice only.
With the Galaxy S5 ultra power saving mode on, S5′s display will show only black and white colors and offer access to a certain set of applications. The ultra power saving mode also shuts down all unnecessary features in your S5.
No other mainstream smartphones provide this feature yet. Some users definitely will find this feature is a life-saver.
Yeah, I don't know about you Galaxy S5 owners, but I bought my iPhone 5s for its high-resolution Retina color display. Frankly, I don't think that "black and white colors" are going to cut it in Apple-land, where everything is colorful and happy. And it also shuts down "all unnecessary features in your S5" -- hmmm, I wonder what those could be? How exactly does Samsung provide all of this amazing battery life in ultra power saving mode?
In addition to measures in power saving mode, Galaxy S5 ultra power saving mode saves additional battery in the following ways:
Change the screen from color to grayscale;
Limiting the number of usable applications;
Turning off mobile data when screen is off;
Turning off WiFi and Bluetooth
So, let me get this straight. If I put my amazing Galaxy S5 into ultra power saving mode, I'll see everything in grayscale, I'll only be able to run a few apps, mobile data will be turned off when the screen is off, and WiFi and Bluetooth are totally disabled.
In other words, not only do I have a boring grayscale device in ultra power saving mode, but I can only run a few apps. What apps are those?
In ultra power saving mode, you'll have access to some basic apps, like the ability to send text messages, make phone calls, and browse the web with Samsung's browser.
You can add some other apps available when your Galaxy S5 is in ultra power saving mode. Of course, the apps are limited to some stock apps only. This includes, Phone, Messaging, Internet, Calculator, Google+, ChatON, Memo, Voice recorder and Clock.
So I can't use Twitter or Facebook, take photos or shoot video, edit documents, write posts and upload them to the TUAW CMS, or do anything else very productive? I think I'll take my iPhone 5s and just carry a couple of big battery packs with me, thank you. And almost 15 million people have watched this video on YouTube? Must be a lot of Galaxy S5 users who are wishing they'd waited for the next iPhone to appear...
Gee, I can attach an external battery pack to my iPhone and don't have to pop the cheap plastic back of my phone to do it...
Here's the original video for your viewing pleasure. By the way, is anyone up for asking the FCC to ban this deceptive ad from TV?
