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LG suspects Samsung of infringing its eye-tracking patents with the Galaxy S 4
Samsung's Galaxy S 4 isn't even available yet, but already it's being eyed for possible patent infringement. According to a report from Korea's Yonhap News, LG suspects the S 4 might violate eye-tracking patents used in the Optimus G Pro. At the crux of this squabble is Samsung's Smart Pause feature, which LG finds similar to its Smart Video technology. Chiefly, LG is focusing on a patent it applied for in 2009, though the company also plans to investigate whether Samsung infringed other eye-tracking patents dating back to 2005. So far, of course, Samsung has denied any wrongdoing, saying its eye-tracking tech is implemented differently and is based on proprietary technology. Given that the phone isn't even out yet, we'll leave it to LG to do its due diligence before accusing Samsung in court.
Samsung demos Smart Scroll, Smart Pause and Air Gesture on Galaxy S 4
Along with several other new software features demoed at its event in New York today, Samsung showed off a Smart Scroll utility, which lets you page up or down by tilting the Galaxy S 4 in the corresponding direction. The company also demoed Air Gesture, which similarly lets you scroll without putting your fingers to the glass. Finally, a feature called Smart Pause will detect your eye movements to intelligently stop video when your gaze turns away from the screen. With dramatics fitting of the Radio City Music Hall venue, Sammy gave us a quick look at all these features in action: at a bachelorette party, where Air Gesture lets partiers look at messages without putting down those champagne flutes; on the street, where a woman can check out that guitarist on the corner without missing a second of the latest Engadget Show and -- well, Smart Scroll is straightforward enough to speak for itself. Read more about the Galaxy S 4's software and hardware in our hands-on preview. %Gallery-182898% Check out our event hub for all the action from Samsung's Galaxy S 4 event.
Samsung Galaxy S 4 preview: a flagship with some familiar roots
You say you want a revolution? Too bad, because this Galaxy smartphone update is just that... an update. Samsung's newly unveiled Galaxy S 4 is an incremental step up, an evolution less "inspired by nature" and more by last year's GS III. Don't believe us? Just take a look at the two handsets side by side to see the overtly obvious heritage. Samsung's staying the course with the overall design language, though it's expanded the screen size to five inches -- now powered by a Full HD Super AMOLED display with 441 ppi (and yes, it's still PenTile). On the inside, it has a processor setup that we're told will be either an Exynos 5 or Snapdragon depending on the region, along with 2GB of RAM, 16, 32 or 64GB of internal storage, a 13-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2,600mAh battery. Starting to see the bigger picture here? Samsung had a good thing on its hands with the GS III and it's not willing to compromise much of the tried-and-true with the GS 4. It will launch globally in Q2, with a stateside debut on T-Mobile, AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, US Cellular and Cricket. Until then, join us past the break for our detailed first impressions. %Gallery-182135% %Gallery-182392% Check out our event hub for all the action from Samsung's Galaxy S 4 event.
