Samsung Galaxy S4 FAQ

After a blowout event and bizarre press conference yesterday, the much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4 is upon us. In the run-up to its introduction the smartphone attracted huge interest and plenty of hype, which is only going to grow in the weeks until its consumer release. CNET will render our full opinion in a rated review then, but we know that you have plenty of GS4 questions in the meantime. Below are the most vital details about the handset, where it will land, and when you can get it. If you have any further questions, leave them in the comments and we'll do our best to answer them.

What are the GS4's most standout features?

Believe me when I say that Samsung didn't restrain itself when adding features to the GS4. The device has just about everything you'd ever need and then some. As for basic specs, the highlights include an IR blaster, a 13-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video, a 2-megapixel front camera, a SwiftKey-powered keyboard, a powerful processor (more on that below), a 2,600mAh battery, 2GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage with another 64GB available through the microSD card slot, NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, support for 4G LTE networks. There even should be some form of LTE interoperability, which is a big deal. Exact details are to come, but that's something that the iPhone 5 doesn't have.

What else can you tell me about the design?

Samsung didn't deviate from its design fundamentals with the GS4, so the plastic body remains. Samsung says it uses plastic to keep its devices affordable and easy to produce in mass numbers. Personally, I don't consider plastic to be a deal-breaker, and it can be pretty durable, but I understand if it turns you off. Fortunately, the display shows needed improvements over the GS3's. It's bright, the colors are crisp and rich, and you use the touch interface while wearing gloves.

What's different from the Samsung Galaxy S3?

Lynn La details the major spec differences here, but the short version is that the S4 is a bigger and thinner GS3 with modestly upgraded specs and more specialized software. On the whole, itlooks a lot like the GS3, but it has fewer curves and the display is larger and has a higher resolution (5 inches, 1080p). Also, the battery capacity is higher (2,600mAh), the processor is faster (see next question), and the rear-facing camera gets a boost from 8 megapixels to 13. In other words, it's a firm stride forward from the GS3 rather than a giant leap.

Will it be four-core or eight-core?

Like the GS3, the GS4 will come in two different versions. One model will run on a 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 series processor and the other will have a 1.6GHz eight-core chipset, which is Samsung's Exynos 5 Octa silicon. Samsung has not revealed which version will land in the United States or, for that matter, any other market.

Which Android OS does it use?

At launch, the GS4 will use the latest version of Android available, Jelly Bean 4.2.2. That's great for now, but keep in mind that Google I/O kicks off in just two months. That's when Google should announce the next version of Android, Key Lime Pie.

Sure, we had the same situation last year -- the Ice Cream Sandwich-equipped GS3 landed just before we heard about Jelly Bean -- but I hope that the GS4 will get fast-tracked for an upgrade. The S4 also has Samsung's TouchWiz overlay. (I'm not a fan.)

How does eye-tracking work?

As expected, the GS4 does have eye-tracking technology. Though this feature is rare in smartphones, the GS4 builds on the eye-tracking features we saw in the GS3. On that phone, you could keep the screen from dimming when your eyes were on it. In the GS4, however, we get a bit more. For instance, tilting the screen up or down while reading a Web site will make the page scroll accordingly. Also, the Smart Pause feature halts a video you're watching when you look away. When you look back it will resume again. The GS4 also responds to several gestures, which Jessica details in the First Take.

Which U.S. carriers will get it?

So far, Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, and Cricket Wireless have announced that they will sell the Galaxy S4. And oddly, Ting, an MVNO that uses Sprint's network, said even before Samsung's event that it would sell the phone.

Control the GS4 with your eyes or your hand.

What about carriers in other regions?

Nic Healey of CNET Australia reports that Vodafone is "interested" in the GS4 while allowing customers to register for updates. Telstra says the device is "coming soon" and Optus has confirmed that it will carry it.

In Europe and the United Kingdom, expect the GS4 to come to Deutsche Telekom, EE, H3G, Orange, Telenor, O2, Tesco Mobile, Three, T-Mobile, Virgin Media, TeliaSonera, Telefonica, and Vodafone (exact availability will depend on country). At this time, Samsung has not announced carriers for Singapore or elsewhere in Asia. It's clear, though, that Samsung is doing one thing right: getting the S4 to as many carriers as it can.

When can I get it?

For the most part, Samsung has promised only that the S4 will go on sale in the second quarter of this year, which could mean anytime from April 1 to June 30. U.K. residents have a firm availability date of April 26, but other operators, including those in the United States, aren't offering any specifics. As far as I can tell, U.S. customers should expect it to launch in very late April or the first part of May. That's about when the Galaxy S3 launched last year.

If Samsung is smart it will launch the S4 as soon as it can and not stagger the launch by carrier or region. Customers, not to mention cell phone reviewers, are tiring of vague availability promises like "the coming weeks" or "second quarter." What's more, in the fast-changing wireless world, the longer Samsung waits, the more likely it is that the S4 will be eclipsed by whatever flagship phone is introduced next.

The GS4 is thinner than the GS3 and has metallic trim.

How much will it cost?

We don't know right now. It won't be cheaper than $199 with a contract, but I'd place it more between $249 and $299. That's well within the range of what flagship phones cost these days. Of course, the exact price will vary by market and unsubsidized models and those on prepaid carriers will cost much more.

Will it support wireless charging?

Just hit us with the difficult questions, why don't you? It was tough to get a straight answer out of Samsung on this topic at yesterday's event. I can report, though, that the S4 can support wireless charging, but it will be an optional feature and you'll have to pay almost $100 to get it. As we understand it, wireless charging will require a new back cover ($39.99) and a dedicated wireless charger ($59.99). The charger is said to be slated to hit stores in April, but the back cover may not go on sale until June.

Should I buy it or wait?

That depends on what phone you have now. If you own a GS3, I don't think it's worth it to upgrade, even if you can get the GS4 at the subsidized price (whatever that is). If your carrier is willing to really cut you a deal by trading in your old phone, then it may be worth it, but I'd still wait a bit to see how it performs. On the other hand, if you have a phone that's more than a couple of years old and you've been pining for a new flagship Android handset, then I'd give it careful consideration. For more on this question, see the latest Ask Maggie column.

Alternatively, you could wait to see what comes -- and rest assured something else will come -- but I always liken choosing a phone to buying a plane ticket. The options and prices in both markets change daily. So, if you see something that you like at the right price, then you might as well buy it. You may find something better the next day. But then again, you may not.

From left, the Galaxy S3, the HTC One, the Galaxy S4, and the iPhone.

How does it compare to the HTC One?

HTC's newest smartphone wonder, which only launched at the beginning of February, offers comparable specs and a gorgeous all-metal design that feels sturdier and more premium. HTC doesn't throw in many software attractions, but the One has everything that smartphone power users will need. Here's a handy spec comparison chart.

The One should go on sale before the GS4, probably by the end of the month, but at present it's scheduled to arrive at fewer carriers (AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile in the United States). That last point speaks to a perpetual factor in the HTC-Samsung war. While HTC's phones can hold their own against Samsung's devices (the One X, for example, outdid the GS3 in some ways), Samsung can far outspend HTC on marketing, advertising, and distribution. In a perfect world that wouldn't affect which handset eventually wins in sales, but we don't live in a perfect world. And while HTC has accused Samsung of focusing more on show than innovation, HTC still has an uphill battle to fight.

Is it better than the iPhone?

Well, hello, loaded question. We haven't tested the GS4 yet, so I'm not going to go there. But I can say that the GS4 will take the GS3's place as the iPhone's biggest competition. The point here is that Samsung is doubling down on making its phones as different as from the iPhone as it possibly can. The GS4 is the biggest and most powerful Galaxy ever, it's packed with every kind of software you can imagine, and it diligently checks every box on the list of hot smartphone trends (a large screen, an eight-core chip, and so on). Unlike Apple, Samsung has never shied away from detailing every spec and including bleeding-edge technology in its devices. The GS4 is no different. In fact, you can call it the anti-iPhone.

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The killer iOS 7 feature the iPad needs: Touch-pad support

It took using the Microsoft Surface Pro to make me remember an article I wrote a year ago,about productivity on an iPad.

I love using the iPad. I also love some of its keyboard accessories. As a product, it's superior to a Surface Pro. But that doesn't mean it's the perfect laptop replacement. And that's still, in my opinion, largely because of one little touch pad. Or, a lack of it.

The iPad never claimed it was a laptop replacement. It stands in its own, hard-to-define "post-PC" territory. Yet, accessories have sprung up to give it other identities. The keyboard case almost works as a perfect tool. The good ones have laptop-level responsiveness, and even some iOS-specific hot keys.

Microsoft's Type Cover and the Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover, side by side.

However, I have to admit that I fell in love with the idea of the Surface's Type Cover. That little touch pad beneath opens doorways for productivity. Yes, it's small, and would feel clownish on a regular laptop. But, tucked into the Surface Pro's 10-inch tablet design, it enables laptoplike working patterns. I can drag and drop. I can highlight and edit. I don't need to reach up to the screen to do so.

iOS doesn't support touch pads. Android does, but not the full multitouch touch pads you're used to. Microsoft does. It's a little, er, touch, but a significant one. It also means that standard applications -- ones that weren't made for touch screens -- can be used. It adds versatility. It's a bit of a game-changer.

I don't need touch pads shoved down my throat across the entire OS, but I'd really like certain applications to support it. Yes, it's a throwback feature...but so is a physical keyboard, and that doesn't make me love having a keyboard any less. A touch pad might make me leave my laptop at home permanently. And it could be the biggest counterblow to Microsoft's Windows 8 tablets and Google's flexible Android tablets that Apple could possibly deliver.As 2013 heads toward April and we still haven't seen a single new Apple product, my mind wanders to WWDC and iOS 7. It makes me think that the next round of iOS software needs to introduce something new, useful, and magical again, something that can transform the iPad. On the top of my dream list would be touch-pad support, and an Apple-made keyboard cover with a touch pad.

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Samsung Galaxy S4 earns almost 90,000 social media mentions in one hour

You may find this a bit hard to believe, but we’re not the only ones talking about the Galaxy S4around here. As the latest Android-powered flagship smartphone from Samsung, it has received a ton of media coverage so far and got a good chunk of the online world participating in “Galaxy S4″ conversations. These netted a total of almost 90,000 social media mentions in the span of only one hour. It would be interesting to see just how much online buzz was generated by the Galaxy S4′s official announcement. Luckily, Salesforce.com’s Marketing Cloud was on it.

After looking at the statistics surrounding the online conversations that were relevant to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S4, here’s what Salesforce.com’s Marketing Cloud found.

During the 1-hour duration of the recently concluded Samsung launch event, there were a total of 84,781 mentions of the Galaxy S4 online. And the reception was mostly positive.

As automated sentiment analysis showed, 67% of the online buzz around the Galaxy S4 was positive, which left only 33% of all relevant online posts to be classified as negative.

The feature that got people talking the most? The Samsung Galaxy S4′s built-in rear camera. From 8-megapixels on the Galaxy S3, the camera jumped to 13-megapixels on the Galaxy S4 and now offers many unique features that were originally introduced on Samsung’s Galaxy-branded cameras.

There was also buzz around the Galaxy S4′s newest software features, namely S Translator, Group Play, Smart Scroll, and Knox.

Another interesting statistic covers which countries talked about the Galaxy S4 online the most during its launch. Unsurprisingly, the most online mentions came from the U.S., followed by Indonesia, Thailand, Spain, and the U.K.

Truly, a lot of things have been said about the Samsung Galaxy S4 already. And it hasn’t even been a full day since its first official unveiling.

For our part, we have written a total of over 20,000 words about it since it was officially announced, and that’s not including all of the words that appear in this particular article.

It’s hard to tell when exactly the world will stop buzzing about the Galaxy S4, but for now, it’s probably safe to say that it will be talked about for weeks and months to come.

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U.S. Galaxy S4 vs HTC One vs NVIDIA Tegra 4 fight in early benchmark comparison

 

Two of the most important Android handsets of the year aren’t even out in stores yet, the Galaxy S4 and the HTC One, but early benchmarks for these devices have already been performed and compared to the results of an important player in this year’s mobile processor business, NVIDIA’s Tegra 4 chipset.

Laptop Mag was able to benchmark the U.S. Galaxy S4 version – which packs a 1.9GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor under the hood – using AnTuTu Benchmark and found the device ready to outperform various contenders.

The Galaxy S4 scored a total of 21,089 points in the test, significantly higher than the Galaxy S3 (16,301,) the Galaxy Note 2 (17,531,) and the Nexus 4 (18,096). In our own AnTuTu benchmarks we found the U.S. Galaxy S4 to score even higher, almost 26,000 points (check out the following image).

The international Galaxy S4 version which will pack Samsung’s eight-core Exynos 5 Octa chip was been tested, and it will be interesting to see the scores for this model too once they’re available.

According to Android and Me’s HTC One AnTuTu benchmark, the HTC One performs even better than the U.S. Galaxy S4 version tested by Laptop Mag, scoring slightly over 21,089 (an actual number has not been given.)

The same publication offers the comparison table above, including the NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor in the mix. While the processor is not found on any flagship Android device yet, and won’t be for some time to come, it’s very powerful, at least according to NVIDIA’s own benchmarks. The Tegra 4’s AnTuTu score is over 36,000, but we’re definitely looking forward to see the processor in actual user testing.

The same goes for the HTC One and the Galaxy S4, since we’re still looking at pre-release devices in these early tests, which means their performances can improve by the time they hit stores.

We’ll certainly be back with more Exynos 5 Octa vs Qualcomm vs Tegra 4/4i benchmark comparisons in the future, but in the mean time we’re curious what processor you’d choose for your next smartphone.

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Sony Xperia Z Vs HTC Butterfly Vs LG

 Optimus G: The Benchmark Battle

Sony has today launched their new flagship smartphone, the Sony Xperia Z in India for a price of Rs.38,990. The Sony Xperia Z features all the top-end specifications which you would expect out of a flagship device, but with the launch of newer devices like the HTC One or even the upcoming Galaxy S4 for that matter, the specifications of the Xperia Z feel just a notch lower than the above mentioned devices, mainly due to the fact that both the HTC One and the Galaxy S4 (well, going by the rumors) feature a newer and faster processor.

So, the Xperia Z is more of a competition to the HTC Butterfly, which has been in the Indian market for some time now and the LG Optimus G, which was launched last week in India. All the three devices are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor clocking at 1.5GHz paired with 2GB of RAM. The major difference between these three devices lies in the terms of the display as both the HTC Butterfly and the Xperia Z feature a 5-inch Full-HD display whereas the LG Optimus G features a 4.7-inch 720p display, though all the devices have a 10-point multitouch screen. 

Coming to benchmarks on these devices, considering the specifications, we can assume that the competition would be intense. Starting off with the Sony Xperia Z, the smartphone scores a total of 7635 in Quadrant standard which is slightly higher than the Optimus G which scores 7603 , but is lower than the HTC Butterfly, which beats both these devices in Quadrant Standard to score 7796 in our benchmark tests. 

Moving over to AnTuTu benchmarks, the HTC Butterfly beats both these device here as well, as it tops AnTuTu benchmarks with a score of 19858, followed by the Xperia Z which has a score of 18833 and the LG Optimus G trails here as well, as it manages to get a score of ‘just’ 17605.

Finally, putting all the three devices through the NenaMark2 benchmarks, there’s nothing to separate these smartphone but the HTC Butterfly has a slight edge here as well, with a score of 60.0 fps followed by the LG Optimus G at 59.9 fps and the Sony Xperia Z at 59.5 fps.

Overall, there’s nothing much to separate these devices as far as benchmarks are concerned and though the HTC Butterfly has an edge in terms of Benchmarks, but that comes at a price. The Butterfly retails in the Indian market for roughly Rs.45,000 which is quite higher than the Xperia Z, which is launched today for Rs.38,990. If you think even that’s too high and you can settle for a 720p screen instead of a Full-HD display, you should take a look at the LG Optimus G, which is currently available online Rs.31,000 but look around in your local market and you might be able to get your hands on one for about Rs.29,000. 

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Heads up Apple, here comes Samsung's 8-core chip

Think Apple's A6 chip packs a punch? It appears to have some stiff competition from Samsung's Exynos 5 Octa, slated for commercial production in the second quarter, the company announced today.

Featured in Samsung's Galaxy S4, Octa means it integrates a whopping eight CPU cores. Apple's A6 has two, by comparison.

While a raw core count comparison may be too simplistic, Samsung's chip, on paper, should make Apple worry -- especially since Samsung is simultaneously manufacturing the Exynos chip and Apple's A6.

ARM describes the Cortex A15 as suited for "heavy workloads," like gaming, and the Cortex A7 for doing more mundane workloads, such as managing operating system activities.The Exynos 5 Octa uses technology from chip designer ARM called big.LITTLE. In other words, there are four "big" high-performance cores (up to 1.8GHz) and four "little" power-efficient cores (up to 1.2GHz), referred to as Cortex A15 and A7, respectively.

And Samsung is giving the graphics processor a boost too. The Exynos 5 Octa "enhances the...3D graphics processing capabilities by more than two times over the Exynos 4 Quad," Samsung said in a statement.

All that processing power is needed to drive the S4's high-resolution 5-inch, 1,920x1,080 display (that's 440 pixels per inch versus the iPhone 5's 326 pixels per inch for those keeping count).

Other Exynos 5 Octa specs include: 

• Very-high-resolution displays: Drives up to a 2,560x1,600 (WQXGA) display. 
• USB 3.0: Uses an e-MMC (embedded multimedia card) 5.0 and USB 3.0 interface for fast data transfer speeds. 
• Video hardware: Incorporates full HD 60fps (frame per second) video hardware. 
• Camera: an embedded 13 mega-pixel 30fps image signal processor interface. 
• Memory: 12.8GB/s memory bandwidth interface. 

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Does Samsung's Galaxy S4 make the iPhone 5 look lame?

With the introduction of the Galaxy S4, Samsung is making Apple's iPhone look like yesterday's hot smartphone. But will that be enough to make Apple respond when it releases its next iPhone?

With a massive marketing campaign, a 5-inch screen, 13-megapixel camera, and a host of new software features on top of Google Android Jelly Bean 4.2.2, the S4 could attract a following at the iPhone's expense, even at a high price (Samsung has not yet revealed pricing). The S4 will also be more widely distributed than the iPhone, with 327 carriers in 55 countries carrying the device starting in April.

Based on specs, the S4 outclasses the iPhone 5.

On the software front, the S4 includes a number of built-in apps that are lacking or less robust on the iPhone, such as Drama Shot, which turns a string of photos into a time lapse; Dual View, which lets S4 owners use both the front and rear cameras at the same time, which can also be used during video calls; and S Voice Drive, which takes voice commands while driving, turns up the size of text, and works over Bluetooth with Bluetooth-enabled cars. In addition, motion-detection technology lets users control features, such as pausing a video, with face .

The question now is how and when will Apple respond. Or even whether Apple will respond. On the eve of the S4 announcement, Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller said, "At Apple we know that it's not just enough to have products pumped out in large numbers. You have to love and use them. There is a lot of data showing a big disparity there."

The new Galaxy S4 was clearly an evolutionary leap in terms of hardware. But hardware innovation is what Samsung fans have already come to expect from the company. Even the early Galaxy devices offered more in terms of hardware features than a comparable iPhone. And Samsung has continued that legacy with the Galaxy S4, offering consumers a bigger screen, a thinner and lighter device, a better camera, and a faster processor.

But now Samsung is trying to add more software features and capabilities to its devices to show consumers why they need all those hardware bells and whistles.

"We've always been known as a hardware innovator," said Drew Blackard, director of product planning for Samsung Mobile in the U.S. "And now we have become a software innovator. And I think that's surprised people."

While it may be true that Samsung has once again raised the bar in terms of hardware and has packed in a ton of new software features, where Apple has outshone its competitors has been in making its devices simple to use with an elegant design. And there's no sign that the company will move away from that strategy.

Current Analysis analyst Avi Greengart said Apple doesn't need to play catch up to Samsung. And he doesn't think the S4 will spur Apple to respond in any significant way when it announces its next iPhone.

"I don't think that Apple ever sold devices based on simply being cool," he said. "Apple is a strong brand because it makes technology that is usable, with an elegant design."

Greenart added that Samsung's software-feature deluge may be too much for the average consumer.

"Samsung showed off so many features that I think the average user will be overwhelmed," he said. "Many of these are what I call gee whiz features. They might show their friends once when they first get the phone, but they may never use them again."

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Game industry down again as Wii U continues to disappoint

The video game industry once again had a down month as console and software sales slipped.

Total industry sales hit $810 million in February, representing a 25 percent drop compared with the same period last year, market researcher NPD said yesterday. Hardware sales were down 36 percent to $244.2 million, and console and portable software sales across the physical retail channel could only reach $352 million -- a 27 percent drop compared with February 2012.

The Xbox 360 once again led the hardware market, earning the top spot in console sales for the 26th month in a row. According to Microsoft, it held 41 percent share of the console space, thanks to 302,000 units sold in February.

The big news in the console market, however, might just be that the Wii U continues to be a disappointment. In January, Nintendo sold only 57,000 Wii U units in the U.S. According to NPD, the company's sales rose 40 percent in February. Although that might seem like good news, that means Nintendo sold between 64,000 and 80,000 Wii U units last month -- an abysmal showing for a product that launched just a few months prior. The discrepancy is based on NPD's January figures, which included an extra week. Assuming a straight week-to-week comparison not accounting for that extra fifth week, sales figure would be around 64,000.

Historically, new consoles will dominate the hardware market for an extended period after launch. The Wii, for example, was the clear leader in the console space, selling out each month for an extremely long time after its launch. But the Wii U has failed to do so.

In the past, price cuts have helped consoles increase sales. However, Nintendo has consistently said that it won't cut the price of the Wii U, which retails for $300 for the Basic set and $350 for the Deluxe set that adds Nintendo Land and some accessories.

For its part, Sony didn't say how many consoles of its PlayStation 3 it sold, but that company is currently focused on the launch later this year of the PlayStation 4. That console, which has yet to be priced or even shown in public, will come with a major component upgrade, allowing it to deliver improved graphics over what's available now. Sony has yet to say when it will launch.

One other tidbit from the NPD February report: Dead Space 3 was the top-selling game, followed by Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Crysis 3.

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Well-liked: Zuckerberg tops employee-driven CEO rankings

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at TechCrunch Disrupt last September.

Lots of CEOs make the news for being gruff, domineering, or brilliant, but oftentimes their employees have different impressions. Every year, careers site Glassdoor surveys hundreds of thousands of employees across all industries and then publishes its rankings of the 50 highest rated CEOs (see list below).

And, for 2013, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg took the top honor.

Despite shareholder lawsuits over its botched IPO and mixed reaction to Timeline and Graph Search, the social network's employees gave Zuckerberg a 99 percent approval rating over the past 12 months, which ended February 24. This is up 14 percentage points from last year.

A Facebook employee told Glassdoor that Facebook has "an open community from Zuck on down" and that there is "mutual trust companywide and sense of community and drive, instilled by our CEO who we all truly respect."

Twenty tech CEOs made the top 50 list this year, starting with SAP's Bill McDermott and Jim Hagemann Snabe sacking 2nd place. Also on the list were Qualcomm's Paul Jacobs in 8th place, Google's Larry Page in 11th place, Salesforce's Marc Benioff in 13th place, Amazon's Jeff Bezos in 16th place, Oracle's Larry Ellison in 46th place, Dell's Michael Dell in 49th place, and more.

Apple's Tim Cook was voted the top CEO last year with a 97 percent approval rating. Cook still made the list this year, but he dropped to the 18th spot with a 93 percent approval rating.

While women are making more of a splash in the tech world as of late, no female tech CEO made the list this year. HP's Meg Whitmanmade the list last year but her approval rating fell by one percentage point this year to 79 percent and she wasn't able to crack the top 50. Yahoo's Marissa Mayer received an 87 percent approval rating, but she didn't make top 50 because too few employees reviewed her to make Glassdoor's list.

While Glassdoor's list is a survey, it's voluntary rather than scientific. The figures come from employees who actively go to Glassdoor's site to rate their companies and bosses. Glassdoor says that this top 50 CEOs report only includes CEOs who received at least 100 employee ratings over the past year. Overall, more than 500,000 employees rated their CEO on Glassdoor over the past 12 months. The average CEO approval rating on Glassdoor for all CEOs is 68 percent.

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Vagrant gets busy with VMware Fusion, Rackspace support

Vagrant, a popular open source tool that automates the setup of virtual workspaces for software developers, is getting promised support for VMware 

Fusion and for Rackspace Open Cloud with the Vagrant 1.1. release, due on Thursday.

Initially, Vagrant ran only on Oracle’s VirtualBox, but in November, Vagrant creator Mitchell Hashimoto said he planned to add support for more platforms including VMware Fusion. He launched a company, Hashicorp, to do this and to offer ancillary services for Vagrant.

In February, Hashicorp started testing a plugin for Amazon Web Services so that developers using Vagrant for local configuration can also hook right into Amazon’s public cloud. The new Rackspace support gives them a choice of clouds as well.

For companies with many developers, configuring each machine for their work can take days or even weeks. Vagrant automates that workflow. As Hashimoto told me last fall, Vagrant makes it much easier to create isolated virtualized sandboxes for each project. Vagrant hooks both into VirtualBox (and now Fusion) and uses CFEngine, Chef or Puppet to set up the workspaces.

Vagrant was initially a labor of love — or maybe of necessity — for Hashimoto, who built it for his own projects as a student at the University of Washington. But it took off beyond his expectations. Users include DISQUS, BBC News, Mozilla, Yammer, Expedia, LivingSocial, Nokia, and the New York Times.

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LG mimicks Samsung Galaxy S4 Times Square ad campaign, makes it about the Optimus G instead

It was pretty bold of Samsung to pick New York City as Galaxy S4’s debut stage, but after the booming GS3 and Note 2 hits we expected nothing less. Sammy is going after Apple again and what better way to start a global charge than subduing the “enemy” on its home turf?

You’d think the entire NYC was drooling over the S4 prospect by now, given the mighty ad campaign kicked into gear a while ago in Times Square. However, if Apple doesn’t usually like to engage in bitter anti-competition marketing, someone else does – LG.

And you know what they say, it’s all about location, location, location. Case in point, even if LG is the one mimicking Samsung’s ads, the Optimus makers might look better in the eyes of unsuspecting New York locals just by having their billboards placed on top of the competition’s.

Of course, the increased brightness also helps, making Samsung’s “Be Ready 4 The Next Galaxy” message look old and dusty. It’s almost like the below ad is on the verge of being removed, while the one on top is flashy and shiny enough to make you think of the future.

Now, don’t get us wrong. We’re not defending LG. In fact, that “LG Optimus G is here 4 you now” message is pretty bland and unoriginal. We’ve also stopped caring for this kind of trolling marketing a while ago (unless Apple is the one being trolled, in which case all bets are off).

But will it be effective? Most likely, yeah. Even if we’re talking about no more than a dozen people who’ll be seeing both ads and think “hey, how about I look into that Optimus G some more?”. Or another few hundreds who’ll simply miss the S4 ad because of the shinier LG one.

And at the end of the day that’s all that matters in this “take no prisoners” smartphone war. It doesn’t have to be elegant or classy if it works. Agreed? Is LG a clever or a lame troll?

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An Atom hybrid that blends into the background

Comparing the roughly half-dozen Intel Atom Windows 8 tablets that we've seen to date is relatively easy. Nearly all of them, from the HP Envy X2 to the Dell Latitude 10, are built around essentially identical hardware platforms, starting with an Intel Atom CPU, 2GB of RAM, and a 64GB SSD, along with either a 10- or 11-inch 1,366x768-pixel screen.

The real differentiators are price, available accessories, and the design and construction of the tablet (plastic versus metal, for example). For Lenovo, in particular, this is a tale of two tablets, the 10-inch ThinkPad Tablet 2 and the 11-inch IdeaTab Lynx, also known as the IdeaTab K3011.

On paper, at least, these two products are remarkably similar. Both stick to the guidelines outlined above, and have a 1.8GHz Intel 2760 processor, 2GB of RAM, 64GB of solid-state storage, and both cost about the same, with the ThinkPad Tablet 2 starting at $679 and the Lynx at $649.

But there are differences beyond the $30 price break, and they don't always favor the allegedly more consumer-friendly Lynx. The ThinkPad version has a full USB 2.0 built in, offers wireless broadband and NFC options, and has dual Webcams. The IdeaTab version has a bigger screen, 11 inches versus 10 inches, and its keyboard dock includes a second battery for longer overall battery life.

Like the HP Envy X2 or Acer W510, the Lynx feels more like an ultraportable laptop when plugged into its clamshell-like keyboard base, but it doesn't stack up to even inexpensive ultrabooks in terms of hands-on utility and usability. Annoyingly, Lenovo's Web site doesn't seem to have the $129 keyboard dock for sale as of this writing, but I've seen it from Amazon, Staples, and others, for as much as $20 above the list price.

As a standalone tablet, the Lynx benefits from its bigger screen, but also feels less substantial, with a plastic back instead of the metal back panel of the ThinkPad Tablet 2. Side by side, unless you really need an 11-inch screen over a 10-inch one, or just can't spare the $30, it's hard to see this as the better of Lenovo's two Windows 8 tablet choices.

Price as reviewed / starting price	$779 / $649
Processor	1.8GHz Intel Atom Z276
Memory	2GB, 800MHz DDR2
Hard drive	64GB SSD
Graphics	Intel GMA
Operating System	Windows 8
Dimensions (WD)	11.8 x 7.4 inches
Height	0.37 inch (tablet only)
Screen size (diagonal)	11.6 inches
System weight / Weight with AC adapter	1.4/2.9 pounds (tablet only); 1.6/3.1 pounds (w/keyboard)
Category	Ultraportable hybrid

Design and features

With lower prices than Core i5 tablets, most of the Atom-powered Windows 8 tablets we've seen tend toward plastic construction and generally looser designs. There are rare exceptions, as in the case of this tablet's sister product, the ThinkPad Tablet 2.

As a standalone tablet, the Lynx has a footprint on the larger end of the spectrum. It's thin and light, but the plastic back panel does not inspire confidence (nor do other plastic-backed tablets, to be fair). It's when connected to its optional $129 keyboard/battery dock that the Lynx really finds its own personality.

The two pieces together look and feel more like a clamshell laptop than a tablet with a keyboard accessory -- it's a style also found in the HP Envy X2 and Acer W510. The balance between the screen and base is better in the Lynx than those other two examples, and less prone to tipping over. The connection is made via a bulky central hinge, and the release mechanism is a big physical button in the middle, similar to those found on similar systems from HP, Samsung, and others. It's an inelegant look, especially compared with the way more tablet-oriented hybrids, such as the Surface Pro or ThinkPad Tablet 2, connect with their keyboards, but I don't think anyone has really nailed the perfect clamshell hybrid hinge design yet.

The keyboard dock adds some additional ports, but more importantly contains an extra battery for extended use. The keyboard is of the usual Lenovo design, with flat-topped keys that bow out slightly at the bottom. The keyboard layout is great for typing on a small system, but the entire keyboard dock has a lot of flex, especially towards the middle. It's frankly unusual for a Lenovo, and a bit cheap-feeling.

Adding to my frustration, the latch connecting the screen and keyboard felt sticky. Even with the release button firmly pressed, the two parts didn't come apart cleanly and required some awkward tugging almost every time.

The touch pad below the keyboard omits both left and right mouse buttons and a trackpoint in favor of clickpad-style buttons, which gives you the maximum finger surface on the small pad.

The big 11.6-inch display is a highlight. The 1,366x768-pixel resolution is standard for an Atom-powered Windows 8 tablet, but the screen is clear and bright, with excellent off-axis viewing angles, and a very responsive touch surface.

	Lenovo IdeaTab Lynx	Average for category [ultraportable]
Video	Micro-HDMI	HDMI or DisplayPort
Audio	Stereo speakers, combo headphone/microphone jack	Stereo speakers, headphone/microphone jacks
Data	1 Micro-USB 2.0, microSD card reader (tablet); 2 USB 2.0 (keyboard dock)	2 USB 3.0, SD card reader
Networking	802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth	Ethernet (via dongle), 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth
Optical drive	None	None

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