Samsung released its latest product Galaxy Camera at IFA (Berlin Consumer Electronics Exhibition) at the end of August. Yes, it is actually a combination of camera and smart phone. We can see that Samsung seems to have a particular preference for product mix and match. First, the Galaxy Note, a combination between mobile phones and tablets, brought the Galaxy Camera. The former can be said to have succeeded, but what about the latter. Can Galaxy Camera continue the successful experience of Note's mashup? Let's see now!

This is an experience article of foreign technology peers addicted to technology. The general background is that an editor of addictive technology and his girlfriend took the Galaxy Camera to Bangkok for a trip. In order to experience this "mobile camera", the author completely abandoned the mobile phone and used this Android based device for daily communication. Use Skype to call and contact the ticket, use the built-in map navigation, use the email application to send and receive emails, receive SMS messages, and of course, the most important thing is to take photos and share on the way to travel, all of which are done on one camera! It can be said to be very interesting!

For those who don't know much about Galaxy Camera, I specially found the introduction of addictive technology at the conference site when Galaxy Camera was released at the end of August, with Chinese subtitles~

Introduction to hands-on video

Two week use experience of Samsung Galaxy Camera

By using smart phones and cameras, I have become accustomed to carefully observing the world around me to find interesting things. In Tokyo, if you use Canon EOS M camera, others will look at you. In Hong Kong, it is Galaxy Note2 Now I take out the Galaxy Camera in Bangkok. Passers by are not looking at it, but looking at it completely! Several brave passers-by even came to me to inquire about this Android based Samsung device.

"Is this a mobile phone or a camera?" Indeed, this device is not the best in cameras, nor is it a standard "mobile phone". However, as an early pioneer, Galaxy Camera is at least ready to replace the first two at the same time. When Samsung released this hybrid device based on Android Jelly Bean system at IFA (Berlin Consumer Electronics Show), the challenge for users like me became obvious - I can't carry two Galaxy devices in my life at the same time, but this 21 x zoom hybrid product really attracted me. After I unpacked it, this 4.8 inch, touch screen, 16.1MP camera has never left my hand.

It can play music in the gym, receive email, provide me with navigation, and record the historical attractions I visited in Thailand. Galaxy Camera's zoom ability is very good. It can make me closer to objects, which is impossible for any mobile phone. By using the iPhone Trip SIM card (a service provided by operators to avoid high roaming fees for people traveling around the world), I can immediately upload photos to Dropbox and Instagram, even if it is far away from wireless hotspots. As you know from our previous evaluation, Galaxy Camera is not designed to replace your mobile phone. Because the photos and videos taken are very large, and in addition, it can only be regarded as a medium level of endurance, these factors lead to some inconvenience. So can it be your choice? Or become the only device you carry? Keep looking down, maybe you can find the answer.

Product appearance drawing appreciation

Camera in mobile phone field

It has countless fool like settings, simple touch screen, and impressive optical zoom function. Run Android Jelly Bean system. You may think that Android has really brought Samsung too many benefits, making Samsung far ahead of its competitors. You are really right. But don't be too happy too soon. The price of Galaxy Camera with all Android system functions is also quite expensive - more than $500!

Perhaps most notable is the size of this device. It is thicker than all other compact cameras on the market today! This brings some inconvenience to carrying. Maybe you will like the GALAXY S3 camera because it is much thinner. However, for me, I was able to squeeze the machine into my jeans pocket when necessary, but it was still difficult to take it out. And since I don't have a watch (I have replaced my mobile phone with GALAXY CAMERA), I have to often ask my girlfriend if I want to know the current time.

Battery life is another major issue. Fortunately, due to the use of the same packaging battery as the Samsung Galaxy SII, battery substitutes can be found almost anywhere in the world. For example, I spent 20 dollars in an electronics store in Bangkok, and it was easy to find a battery, although the boss never believed that the original cell phone battery could also be used for my camera (apparently the boss was out). The result is that it runs very well. And because of these two 1650mAh batteries, Galaxy Camera can completely persist in my heavy photography use all day long, in addition to the use of navigation, sending and receiving emails, and browsing the web. It's a bit hard to understand why Samsung didn't equip it with a battery with a larger capacity. If it does, it will not be a problem to have a long life.

In addition, Galaxy Camera runs on Android system, which makes it less stable than other camera systems. Instagram (a very popular photo sharing platform at present) will crash and FC most of the time. Even the camera APP will get stuck from time to time, and it needs to be restarted to solve the problem. If you use it occasionally, you may think it's nothing but a little annoying, but this kind of frequent jamming makes me very angry, because it has made me miss several interesting shooting moments.

With Skype, you can make calls!

I had always believed that in this two-week experiment, I could live without a mobile phone, relying on SMS and email instead. However, I was greatly wrong. Just to check in, you need to call the airline several times. I'm not satisfied with the fast food provided after the flight is late. Calling the nearest McDonald's is enough to satisfy my appetite. When I got off the plane at Kennedy in New York, I had to call the person in charge of transportation to confirm my location and tell them that I was waiting in Area A.

Fortunately, like any other camera, Galaxy Camera also has a small microphone (originally used to record sound when recording video), and of course a microphone (used to review recorded video playback sound) - yes, these two are essential when using the phone. But there is still something missing. It is the Android phone app. Without it, it is impossible to make calls. So I installed Skype (a popular Internet phone service abroad). Fortunately, VoIP programs generally work well on 3G networks, but this is based on the fact that you don't mind using a camera as a call tool, and you also need to use headphones.

Unlike standard voice calls, Skype is very cheap, especially for dialing international numbers when roaming. However, you need to have a fast network connection. In most of my calls, there are stuck and voice discontinuity, which also makes people at the other end of the call feel uncomfortable. Although the combination of SMS and Google Voice has made it relatively easy to chat and enter text, it is still quite challenging.

It cannot be used in 2G network. There will be no network connection between cities several kilometers away.

In some areas, your smartphone may be lucky enough to connect to the 2G network, but GALAXY CAMERA is not. However, when considering the need to send large files such as high-resolution images and high-definition videos, it may not be a disadvantage to exclude the support for 2G networks, but it can still be useful when you just want to update the map and load a little information. Since I can't use 2G network, it means that I can't use the network in the area between two cities. Most of the time, 3G is still available, but it would be better to support 2G networks. In extreme cases, it is better to have a network than not.

Will your next camera run Android?

Galaxy Camera is still very "young", and special applications are still under development. At present, we have not seen the emergence of eye-catching applications. If you don't mind paying for a traffic package (AT&T provides a reasonable $10 monthly data package option), the built-in 3G network connection is a valuable and unique design. In addition, it also supports wifi, and there are tens of thousands of Android apps to choose from. This camera is really worth your consideration. Overlapping functions may be the biggest challenge for Samsung. However, considering that the target audience is a $500 portable camera, this may conflict with current Android users.

As long as you log into your Google account on your smartphone and Galaxy Camera, data synchronization is also very easy. Since all the functions of this camera can be found on Android phones, adding a Galaxy Camera will not make your digital life more complicated. For iPhone and Windows phone, Galaxy Camera can also act as a very good partner, that is, it provides a way to use Android APP, so you don't need to buy another Android phone or tablet to experience Android APP. In addition, if you have high requirements for photography and don't care whether you can quickly upload your works to the Internet, it is recommended that you spend the $500 on equipment with more professional configurations and cameras, and those devices can be thinner.

Basically, my two-week Galaxy Camera experience was very successful, but after 14 days, I was very eager to pick up the Galaxy SIII. Although Galaxy Camera can almost replace the functions of all smart phones except for making phone calls, its shape and weight still bring some inconvenience in daily use. 21 times focal length is very convenient at any time, which means I can catch a lot of wonderful moments, which is impossible for the fixed lens of smart phones. As the saying goes, "The best camera is what you have now." If Galaxy Camera is the only one running Android in your device, I believe you will never put it aside.

The last actual picture

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