Photo Credit: Kārlis Dambrāns (Flickr)[/caption]Consumers looking for a new phone have two good options to choose from--the iPhone 6 and the Samsung Galaxy S5. Both are great phones for all purposes, but some differences make each phone better in its own way.
Size and Weight
The sizes of the two phones are very different. The iPhone 6 Plus has a 7.8 cm width and a 15.8 cm height as opposed to the Samsung’s 7.3 cm width and 14.2 cm height. In terms of weight, the iPhone 6 Plus is a whopping 27 g more weight than the Samsung Galaxy S5. This is proportional to the shape and size though.
Display
Both phones have crisp 1080p displays. However, the iPhone 6 appeared to have a slightly clearer screen than the Samsung. These larger phones are great for watching videos or using other high resolution entertainment features.
Water Resistance
The Samsung wins out completely in this category. It can sit under one meter (3.3 ft) of water for 30 minutes and still work completely normally. This is great if someone accidentally drops it or spills water on it. The iPhone 6 Plus has no water resistance whatsoever without spending another $70 on a waterproof case.
Cameras
The Samsung S5 has a 16mp (megapixel) camera and the iPhone 6 Plus has an 8mp camera. It looks like the Samsung has more picture quality, except its camera takes longer to boot up, making it possible to miss a good picture.
Battery Life
Although the Samsung Galaxy S5 won out in the timed contest, the iPhone 6 Plus was right up there in terms of battery life. Both of these phones are definitely hardcore power savers. The Samsung even has a power saving option so that 10 percent of the phone's battery life can last for 24 hours.
One-Handed Usage
Both phones have options for one-handed usage. The iPhone 6 had a smoother feel to the option, but the S5's keyboard could shrink.
Micro SD
The Samsung was the only phone with a micro SD card to store pictures on.
Storage, Speed, and RAM
The iPhone 6 Plus was a beast in this competition with its new A8 chip. It can run a 64-bit processor at 1.4 GHz (Gigahertz). It runs iOS 8 and can be sold with up to 128 GB (Gigabytes) of storage space.
The Samsung is very fast also with its Snapdragon 801 CPU. It can run a 32-bit processor at 2.5 GHz. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat and can be sold with up to 32 GB of storage space.
In terms of RAM, which is nothing to fret about in phones, the iPhone has 1 GB and the S5 has 2 GB.
Starting Price
Finally, the starting retail price for a new iPhone 6 Plus is $750 without a contract, and the starting price for the Samsung Galaxy S5 is $650. The price with a contract will vary based on your cell phone company.
Some information gathered from http://www.gizmag.com/iphone-6-plus-vs-galaxy-s5/34096/
Photo Credit: Joi Ito (Flickr)[/caption]Helpful:
By Meghan O'Shaughnessy
Cell phones—these days, it’s almost impossible to go out in public without seeing them everywhere, in the hands of both teenagers and adults alike. In fact, even some children are currently being given cell phones--and current studies show that over 166 million people in the United States own a smartphone. Advanced cellular technology means only good things for the modern age society now resides in, connecting us with information within seconds and shrinking communication barriers down to size.
Rather than making users antisocial, as is a common stereotype, cell phone users are now able to communicate with people from across the globe, making international friendships a reality for millions of people. Cell phones help to bridge the gap of communication with people here at home as well—text messaging opens up new opportunities to those who prefer textual communication as well as those who require it, such as the deaf.
Modern-day smartphones have made perhaps the largest strides in personal technological advancement in the last decade alone, developing ever faster to include yet more features that an individual can access with the touch of a screen. Most smartphones come built in with wireless internet access, allowing users to access information in seconds, wherever they are--not to mention update social media. Thanks to new developments in technology, smartphone users now have access to the weather, advanced camera and photo storage settings, large music libraries to store tunes, GPS systems to plot driving routes—even an intelligent personal assistant program to aid users (more commonly known as Siri). Smartphones allow users access to all the information they could ever dream of- all accessible within seconds.
Smartphones and cellular technology have advanced society significantly, making communication easier and information more accessible. Thanks to smartphone technology, the digital age is one of connection and conversation and has created a generation of informed, social youth. Teenagers—and even adults—who use their phones often should not be shamed; instead, the age of cellular technology as a major part of global communication should be accepted and even embraced.
Harmful:
By Sami Dickerson
Cellphone use in America is like the ultimate television screen. You get hooked onto it, enthralled by all the information it has to offer. Not only can you communicate with it, but many people find themselves putting their whole lives into one mobile device. Homework is completed on it, our health is recorded on it, all of our secrets captured by it. The question we have to ask ourselves is, “How is the essence of another human captured through this device?” How can a cellphone user substitute honest human interaction with a small screen and codes? Can we trust ourselves to not overuse this technology?
A recent survey at the Pew Research Center in Washington, DC found that over 91 percent of adults have cell phones in the United States. This is an exponential growth rate from 2005, when they were a mere 60 percent. As if that wasn’t bad enough, the same research center concluded that 78 percent of children ages 12 to 17 own and regularly use a cell phone. These numbers are at first startling, but then you can truly see that the root of the problem is the rate at which cell phone ownership has grown.
This exponential growth has been linked to social anxiety and depression in the last 10 years. In a 2008 study by leaders in social anxiety research at the University of Florida, out of 136 social anxiety patients, 36 percent of these being students, almost half linked their social anxiety causes to the ability to avoid human interaction through cell phone use.
People that own cell phones also have the availability to access the internet off of many of the phones that are sold; even the most basic models offer this feature. Over 24 percent of teens are addicted to internet use. Surprisingly enough, parents of teens have higher ratings than their teens do. During the time that these families are spending on their jobs, school, and basic necessities, how much time do they spend on their cell phones instead of interacting? One of the most viewed and discussed problems of cell phone use is the loss of honest, human-to-human interactions.
In a Gallup Poll from 2003, only 28 percent of families, including kids and parents, eat together seven nights a week. This number has drastically dropped since that study. People may ask, “Why is it so important to eat within a family unit?” Eating in any type of family unit produces higher self confidence, the ability to speak to large crowds, and the ability to form precise and intellectual reasoning, which are all attributes of skilled leaders.
Updated 9/9/2013: The administration has run out of laptops. Tina Walker, the OHS technology specialist, said that more laptops "haven't been ordered." She estimated that "a lot" of students have not received laptops.
Laptop distribution started Thursday, August 29 and continued this week. Sophomores, juniors, and seniors in English classes were the first to get their laptops, followed by students in social studies and science. Freshmen began getting their laptops Thursday. Laptops are being distributed in the media center during the school day. The purpose of the 1:1 initiative is to modernize Orange County classrooms and instruction plans.
Will Okun, an OHS assistant principal, said that the administration’s goal is to be done with distribution by the end of the week. “[The staff is] trying to get them out as fast as we can.” He said that staff members are “checking over [the laptops]... [That’s] why it’s taking so long.” On Tuesday evening, the administration identified the remaining upperclassmen who paid for but did not receive laptops. Those students received their laptops Wednesday, and the administration moved on to the freshmen who paid for laptops.
Patrick Thompson, a technical support worker, estimated that distribution will be done by “next week if we’re lucky… [There’s] no way of telling [when we’ll be done].”
Jessica Byrd, a 15-year-old freshman, was happy to receive her laptop. “[It’s] cool… [I’ve] never had [my own laptop] before.”
Shea Mustian, the media specialist who runs the media center, has been checking out laptops to students using the library software. She said that laptop distribution is a “smooth but long process… [There has been] lots of excitement. I think it has been a smooth rollout.”