History of the Samsung S Series Phones

There is a rumour that Samsung’s next S series smartphone will be the last Galaxy S phone. With the Galaxy S9 is soon to be unveiled here is a look at the history of Samsung’s Galaxy S smartphones.

 Samsung Galaxy S

Release date: 4th June 2010

The Samsung Galaxy S was the start of the S series and over the years had over two dozen variations of it made for the international market. The reception was positive as the S was an announcement of intent by Samsung. The S was second in TIME’s Top 10 Gadgets of 2010 list.

The OS was Android 2.1 with a single-core 1GHz processor and 0.5GB of RAM. The screen was 800×480 Super AMOLED display. The read camera was 5-megapixels, and the front camera was 0.3-megapixels.

Positive: Amazing audio and sound, the Super AMOLED display.

Negative: Poor GPS function that took too long to find your location.

 

Samsung Galaxy S II

Release date: 2^nd May 2011

At the time, the Samsung Galaxy SII was the thinnest smartphone on the market measuring in at 8.49mm. The S2 was a step up from the S, and Samsung received 3 million pre-orders for the smartphone.

The S2’s processor was a dual-core 1.2Ghz with 0.75GB of RAM. The screen was 800×480 Super AMOLED. The rear camera was 8-megapixels and the front camera 2-megapixels.

Positive: Slim and light, one of the most powerful smartphones of the time.

Negative: Made from plastic, no dedicated camera key.

 

Samsung Galaxy S III

Release date: 29^th May 2012

The Samsung Galaxy SIII had the title of “iPhone killer” from its release. While the device did not kill the iPhone, it did stamp Samsung as a phone manufacturer who could consistently deliver quality high-end smartphones.

The processor was a quad-core 1.4GHz with 1GB of RAM. The screen was 1280×720 Super AMOLED. The rear camera was 8-megapixels and a 1.9-megapixel front camera.

Positive: The display was ahead of its time, S-Voice application, Smart Stay.

Negative: The polycarbonate shell felt cheap, irregularities due to the hyper-glazing process.

 

Samsung Galaxy S4

Release date: 27^th April 2013

The Samsung Galaxy S4 came with a range of features that other smartphones just did not have. Smart Program, Smart Rotation, Smart Scroll, Story Album, a barometer, one-hand mode, Air View, Air Gesture and more come with the S4.

The processor was a 1.9GHz quad-core with 2GB of RAM. The screen was a 5-inch Full HD 1080p Super AMOLED display. The rear camera was 13 megapixels, and the front camera was 2 megapixels.

Positive: Biggest screen, feature packed.

Negative: Too much bloatware, system software took up much of the storage capacity.

 

Samsung Galaxy S5

Release date: 11 April 2014

The S5 was the next step in the evolution of the S series; a definite follow up to the successful S4. The screen was slightly bigger with most of the hardware improved up in the newer model.

The processor was a quad-core with 2.5GHz with 2GB of RAM. The screen was 5.1-inches with a Super AMOLED 1080p display. The rear camera was 16-megapixels, and the front camera was 2 megapixels.

Positive: New security and health features, fingerprint scanner.

Negative: The camera was not as good as other smartphones available, packed with bloatware.

 

Samsung Galaxy S6

Release date: 10 April 2015

The Samsung Galaxy S6 came in three different varieties, the S6, S6 Edge and S6 Edge+. The S6 series was able to charge wirelessly, and the body was a unibody metal frame. The Edge came with a screen that went to the edge and curved down and the Edge+ was the largest of the S6 series and had the curved edge as well.

The process was a Samsung made octa-core with 3GB of RAM. The display on the S6 was 2560×1440 Quad HD Super AMOLED. The rear camera was 16- megapixels and the front camera was 5-megapixel.

Positive:  New curved edges (On the Edge and Edge+), better design, upgraded fingerprint scanner.

Negative: Unable to remove the battery and no external storage, difficult to repair.

 

Samsung Galaxy S7

Release date: 12^th March 2016

The Samsung Galaxy S7 came in two iterations, the S7 and S7 Edge. After the S7, there would be no more S series phones with the physical home button or MicroUSB charging. An upgrade on water resistance was a welcome addition.

The processor was either an Exynos octa-core with 4×2.3GHz and 4×1.6GHz or the Snapdragon quad-core with 2×2.1GHz and 2×1.6GHz with 4GB of RAM. The display was a 2560×1440 Quad HD Super AMOLED. The rear camera was 12-megapixels, and the front camera was 5-megapixels.

Positive: Less bloatware.

Negative: Big difference between processor types, poor reparability, too much like the previous model.

 

Samsung Galaxy S8

Release date: 21^st April 2017

The Samsung Galaxy S8 came in two versions, the S8 and S8+. Samsung was moving into having a quality virtual assistant, Bixby, adding iris and facial scanners and the Samsung DEX to allow the smartphone to become a desktop-like computer.

The processor was either the Exynos octa-core with 4×2.3GHz and 4×1.7GHz or Snapdragon octa-core 4×2.35GHz and 4×1.6GHz with 4GB or 6GB of RAM. The display was 2960×1440 144p Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen. The rear camera was 12-megapixels, and the front camera was 8-megapixels.

Positive: Beautiful design, better software, fewer issues than other smartphones.

Negative: Unusual aspect ratio, slippery glass on the back, poor fingerprint scanner positioning.

 

If you found this guide useful would you please leave us a comment below to let us know this was helpful. If there is a specific article or guide you’d like us to write please email us or leave a comment below. Click here to view our cases for Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets.

The post History of the Samsung S Series Phones appeared first on Campad Electronics Blog.

Telstra Prepaid Mobile Plans

It’s been a while since we looked at Telstra’s prepaid offers and as they have changed, we thought now was as good a time as any for a review of Telstra’s prepaid offers. Telstra has a range of prepaid mobile phone plans for all Australians with a network that is the largest in Australia. The Prepaid Extra, Day2Day, Simplicity, and Long Life give you many choices so you should be able to find a prepaid plan that suits you the most.

Telstra’s Prepaid Offers

Telstra Prepaid Extra

$30 Recharge	$40 Recharge	$50 Recharge	$60 Recharge
2.5GB	5GB	7.5GB	10GB
Unlimited calls and texts To standard Australian numbers. Includes Messagebank retrieval	Unlimited calls and texts To standard Australian numbers. Includes Messagebank retrieval	Unlimited calls and texts To standard Australian numbers. Includes Messagebank retrieval	Unlimited calls and texts To standard Australian numbers. Includes Messagebank retrieval
International Calls From Extra Credit	Unlimited International Calls To standard International numbers to 10 destinations + 3 new destinations when you recharge before 26 February 2018	Unlimited International Calls To standard International numbers to 10 destinations + 3 new destinations when you recharge before 26 February 2018	Unlimited International Calls To standard International numbers to 10 destinations + 3 new destinations when you recharge before 26 February 2018
$5 Extra Credit For international calls and text, roaming and Premium SMS	$10 Extra Credit For international calls and text, roaming and Premium SMS	$15 Extra Credit For international calls and text, roaming and Premium SMS	$20 Extra Credit For international calls and text, roaming and Premium SMS
Bank up to 50 GB Data when you recharge before expiry. Access your Data Bank when you have an active recharge. Free Wi-Fi with Telstra Air	Bank up to 50 GB Data when you recharge before expiry. Access your Data Bank when you have an active recharge. Free Wi-Fi with Telstra Air	Bank up to 50 GB Data when you recharge before expiry. Access your Data Bank when you have an active recharge. Free Wi-Fi with Telstra Air	Bank up to 50 GB Data when you recharge before expiry. Access your Data Bank when you have an active recharge. Free Wi-Fi with Telstra Air
All inclusions for use in Australia in 28 days	All inclusions for use in Australia in 28 days	All inclusions for use in Australia in 28 days	All inclusions for use in Australia in 28 days

 Telstra’s Prepaid Extra plans come in a range of options depending on how much data you use each month. The $30 plan with 2.5GB data is excellent for users who want phone access but do not use much data each month. The next step up is $40 with 5GB data include a $50GB plan with 7.5GB and for those who are data hungry there is a $60 plan with 10GB of data. Users get $5, $10, $15 and $20 bonus credit for each respective plan. Plans from $40 plus come with unlimited international calls from 10 destinations (With three new destinations added when you recharge before 30th April 2018). Standard international call rates apply for the $30 plan.

National MMS is 50¢, international SMS is 20¢, and national MMS is 75¢. All services expire in 28 days from recharge. Users can save up to 50GB of data using the Data Bank service. Your first recharge receives triple the data if recharged before 26/02/2018.

Extra data packs are available for the Prepaid Extra, Prepaid Plus, and Prepaid Freedom Plus $10 with 1GB of data or $20 for 2.5GB of data.

Day2Day

$1 Daily inclusions charged per day
Data	100MB
Calls and Texts to standard Australian numbers includes MessageBank retrieval	Unlimited

$1 Optional extras charged per day
Additional data block	100MB
Calls to standard international numbers in Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand, UK and USA.	Unlimited $1 per day per destination.

Telstra’s Day2Day plan is for those who want to control their spending. The minimum charge is $1 a day for unlimited calls and text as well as 100MB of data. This is suited to those who which to make many calls and sms with a low data usage.

For an extra $1 a day you will receive an extra 100MB of data and unlimited calls international calls (excluding video calls) to standard international numbers in Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, New Zealand, UK and USA. For call rates to other international countries see https://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/prepaid-mobiles/offers-and-rates/day2day-international-rates

Should you use more than 100MB of data per day, an additional $1 per 100MB will automatically drawn from your recharge credit balance.

Recharge costs start at a $5 for up to 5 days, $10 for up to 10 days, $20 for up to 20 days, $30 for up to 30 days and $60 for 60 days. National MMS is 50¢, international MMS is 20¢, and MMS to international numbers is 75¢.

On the Day2Day prepaid offer, $1 is drawn from your prepaid balance at the start of the day i.e. at midnight, regardless of your usage for that day. All your daily inclusions will expire each day at 11:59pm AEST. Telstra define a ‘day’ as being 12:00AM to 11:59PM (AEST) for the Day2Day offer. There is no rollover on this plan.

Telstra Prepaid Long Life

$20 Recharge	$30 Recharge	$40 Recharge	$50 Recharge	$70 Recharge	$100 Recharge
60 Days Expiry	6 Months Expiry	6 Months Expiry	6 Months Expiry	12 Months Expiry	12 Months Expiry
No Bonus Talk	No Bonus Talk	Max 50 mins Bonus Talk	Max 100 mins Bonus Talk	Max 100 mins Bonus Talk	Max 200 mins Bonus Talk

With Telstra’s Prepaid Long-Life plan, your credit will not expire for at least 60 days. A $20 recharge get you 60 days, $30 6 months, $40 6 months and 50 bonus Telstra Talk minutes, $50 expires in 6 months and gives you 100 minutes Telstra Talk time. The $70 option comes with 100 Telstra Talk minutes and 12 months validity. $100 recharge gives you 12 months until the plan expires and 200 minutes. A $20 or $40 recharge does not come with bonus Telstra talk but allows others to call you.

The Bonus Telstra Talk is charged in minute blocks and can be used to call standard Telstra numbers. This Bonus Telstra Talk does not roll over when recharging.

The Prepaid Long Life does not have a data allowance included with each recharge. Data is charged at Data is charged at $2 per MB and comes out of your prepaid balance.

National calls and Message Bank retrieval are 39¢ for connection and 79¢ a minute. A two-minute mobile call is $1.95. National SMS is 29¢, and national MMS is 50¢ International SMS is 34¢, and MMS is 75¢. Data is $2 per MB.

Telstra Prepaid Simplicity

$20 recharge	$30 recharge	$50 recharge	$100 recharge
$20 of credit	$30 of credit	$50 of credit	$100 of credit
30 days expiry	60 days expiry	90 days expiry	180 days expiry
0¢ connection fee to standard Australian and international numbers 15¢ calls per minute to standard Australian numbers and from 5¢/min to standard international numbers	0¢ connection fee to standard Australian and international numbers 15¢ calls per minute to standard Australian numbers and from 5¢/min to standard international numbers	0¢ connection fee to standard Australian and international numbers 15¢ calls per minute to standard Australian numbers and from 5¢/min to standard international numbers	0¢ connection fee to standard Australian and international numbers 15¢ calls per minute to standard Australian numbers and from 5¢/min to standard international numbers
10¢ per MB.	10¢ per MB.	10¢ per MB	10¢ per MB.
For use within Australia	For use within Australia	For use within Australia	For use within Australia

 The Telstra Prepaid Simplicity plan has four different recharge values starting at $20 for 30 days and going up to $100 for 180 days. You receive a $0 connection fee with 15¢ calls per minute to standard Australian numbers. Calls within Australia and international calls are charged per minute and are charged in minute blocks. The rate for standard international numbers is 15¢. Data is 10¢ per MB and is charged per Megabyte, MB and rounded to nearest MB .

Message Bank retrieval is 39¢ connection fee and 78¢ per minute. National SMS is 12¢, and national MMS is 50¢. International SMS and MMS are 20¢ and 75¢ respectively. For rates of calls to international numbers see telstra.com/prepaid

International Calls

The standard unlimited international call pack includes Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, UK, and USA. Users who recharge before 30/04/2008 receive unlimited standard calls to Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Vietnam.

These prepaid offers also include the below:

Telstra Air – Users get free WiFi access to 1,000,000 Telstra Air Hotspots and 19 million Fon spots overseas so you can have internet access almost anywhere. This service comes with the Prepaid Extra, Day2Day, Simplicity and Long-Life plans.

Apple Music – If you like music, then you will enjoy data free streaming from Apple music when you recharge with Prepaid Extra or Prepaid Mobile Broadband Plus. This service comes with the Telstra Prepaid Extra plan only.

Live Sport – For the sports fan, you get access to the AFL, AFLW, NRL, and Netball live and data free. Not including the NRL Grand Final, State of Origin or Commonwealth Games. This service comes with the Telstra Prepaid Extra plan only.

Free One Drive Cloud Storage – If you use the cloud to store your documents, the addition of 200GB storage in Microsoft’s OneDrive Cloud will suit your needs perfectly. This service comes with the Telstra Prepaid Extra, Simplicity and Long-Life plans.

To recharge and to check the usage of your Telstra Prepaid service you have several options.  You can recharge using a voucher, credit or debit card with the Telstra 24×7 App. You can also recharge online at telstra.com/recharge. You can dial  #100# on your prepaid mobile phone or use the voice service by calling 125 8888 from your phone.

For chargers, cases and other accessories for your Telstra Prepaid mobile please click here. If you found this guide useful would you please leave us a comment below to let us know this was helpful. If there is a specific article or guide you’d like us to write please email us or leave a comment below.

The post Telstra Prepaid Mobile Plans appeared first on Campad Electronics Blog.

History of the iPhone: iPhone Release Dates

With the iPhone X being released late in 2017 we thought this would be a good time to review all the iPhone models and their release dates. Do you remember all of these phones?

iPhone Original

Release date: June 29th 2007

The first iPhone was introduced by Steve Jobs in June 2007. It was truly the first of its kind. Jobs himself described it as three devices in one – “an iPod, a phone and an internet communicator”.

This first-generation iPhone had a 3.5-inch screen with a 320 x 480-pixel resolution. The camera which was considered one of the best phone cameras in its time was only 2MP. The phone came with 8GB of storage.

Positive – Touchscreen. Great camera. Web browser. Many attributes in one device.

Not-so-positive – Third party apps were not allowed yet.

iPhone 3G

Release date: July 11th 2008

Just the following summer – July 2008, brought in the next generation iPhone. The iPhone 3G was considered drastically different from its predecessor. 3G connectivity, lower price and third-party apps were some of the major developments.

The lower price was mainly due to the replacement of the metal back with plastic. Looks wise it was also more rounded in the back and thinner in size.

Positive – High speed internet connectivity due to 3G. Lower price. Third party apps allowed. Option of a white model.

Not-so-positive – No GPS. No 3G data. No video recorder.

iPhone 3GS

Release date: June 19th 2009

The third generation iPhone – the iPhone 3GS was launched in June 2009. The “S” stood for “speed”. As far as the outer appearance is concerned, it was very similar to the iPhone 3G. The only change being the iPhone name in silver on the back of the device.

The real enhancements were the better camera with video recorder, storage options and speed. It almost felt like a better version of the iPhone 3G itself.

Positive – Better speed. Better camera. Option to increase storage. Cut, copy, paste feature in the iOS.

Not-so-positive – No major improvements over its predecessor.

iPhone 4

Release date: June 24th 2010

June 2010, brought with it the iPhone 4. The fourth generation of this smartphone was considered a major upgrade to its previous model. The changes in the appearance included a body covered in glass and a flatter structure. It came with a 5MP camera and introduced the forward-facing camera starting the era of the “selfie”. FaceTime was introduced along with the iPhone 4 too. Some customers did experience iPhone breakages due to the glass back. The iPhone 4 and 4S utilised a MicroSIM card.

Positive – Forward-facing camera with HD video recording. FaceTime. Great looking phone.

Not-so-positive – Easily shattered due to glass back. High price.

iPhone 4s

Release date: October 14th 2011

Launched in the October of 2011, the iPhone 4S introduced Apple’s voice assistant Siri. Other than that, this iPhone model was not greatly different from its predecessor. The changes were mainly improvements on already existing features.

Externally the iPhone 4S looked the same as the iPhone 4. It came with Apple’s new A5 processor and better graphics. It had a 8MP camera with 1080p video recording capabilities.

Positive – Siri. Better camera.

Not-so-positive – Nothing specific.

iPhone 5

Release date: September 21st 2012

iPhone 5 was launched in September 2012. It had a 4-inch screen and a all-aluminum design. There was also a structural change in the charging port. All previous iPhones had used Apple’s 30 pin charging adaptor, with the iPhone 5 the lightning chargers were introduced. This lightning port remains in use today up to the and including the iPhone X. The iPhone 5’s major talking points however were, it’s light weight body (20% lighter than the 4s and lightest iPhone ever) and the new design of the earphones.  iPhone 5 also came with a 8 MP camera with HD FaceTime capability. As a space saving measure, the iPhone 5 and later iPhones make use of a Nano SIM card. Click here to see our Lightning chargers.

Positive – Light in weight. Big screen size. HD FaceTime.

Not-so-positive – Harder to use one-handed due to the taller screen. iOS upgrade was needed.

iPhone 5S/5C

Release date: September 20th 2013

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exactly a year later, September 20th 2013, came the iPhone 5S and 5C launch. This time Apple attempted to make a budget iPhone with the iPhone 5C. It helped them compete with the more affordable Android phones in the market. Other than having a bigger battery and a plastic body, the iPhone 5C was a replica of the iPhone 5. It did bring in some much needed colour to the black-white-silver world of iPhones.

On the other hand, the 5S came with some major improvements. It had a better camera, fingerprint reading capability and a more powerful processor. They also offered a Gold option.

Positive – Budget friendly option with 5C. Introduced the fingerprint reading capability with 5S.

Not-so-positive – Nothing in particular.

iPhone 6/6 Plus

Release date: September 19th 2014

The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were unveiled together in September 2014. These iPhones had big alterations in both design and features. First the screen size went from 4 to 4.7 inches in the 6, while the 6 Plus had a 5.5 inch screen. Then the resolution was improved, image quality was flawless despite the screen size increase and lastly the iPhone structure was more ergonomically friendly. The iOS 8 was released with this launch. Apparently, these were the phones that broke the company’s records for pre-orders on the night of the launch itself!

This launch also brought in Apple Pay and a new improved 8 MP camera. Both phones included NFC chips for the Apple Pay feature. They used a new technology called “dual domain pixels” which contributes to the amazing images on the screen.

Positive – Many! Bigger screen. Ergo friendly. Apple Pay. Improved image quality.

Not-so-positive – iOS 8 had issues and bugs come up soon after the launch

iPhone 6S/6S Plus

Release date: September 25th 2015

September 2015 welcomed the iPhone 6S and 6S Plus. As far as external features are concerned, these phones are exactly the same as their predecessors. The same screen sizes, resolutions and all metal bodies. The only change is the additional choice of colour – the pretty Rose Gold.

Internally however, the phones have a lot to be talked about. The cool new “3D Touch” feature in these iPhones lets the user choose functionality using the pressure of their fingers. For example, if a user presses hard on a topic on the screen it will bring up additional menus or open in a different window. Other than this, there is the new A9 chip, the 12 MP camera with Live Photo feature and the 7000 series aluminum bodies.

Positive – 3D Touch. Better processor. New choice of colour.

Not-so-positive – Nothing much.

iPhone SE

Release date: March 31st 2016

Apple made another mid-year launch with the iPhone SE in March 2016. It was marketed as a ideal choice for someone looking for a smaller sized, budget phone.

The iPhone SE had a 4-inch screen, lower cost and great battery life. All other physical features were like the iPhone 5S. Inner specifications were those of the iPhone 6S. It has a 12MP camera, iOS 9 and 64 GB storage capacity.

Positive – Budget friendly. Good battery.

Not-so-positive – Nothing worth mentioning.

iPhone 7/7 Plus

Release date: September 16th 2016

At the yearly launch in September 2016, Apple presented the iPhones 7 and 7 Plus. A noteworthy feature of these phones is the outstanding camera with telephoto lens that gives the phones the capacity to take 2x zoom photos without any compromises in quality. Both these phones are waterproof, which is definitely a great quality to have. Additional changes include the new lightening connector for the headphones in place of the headphone jack and no more “home” buttons.

The 7 Plus comes with two rear cameras to aide taking great quality portrait photos.

Positive – Greatly improved camera. Waterproof.

Not-so-positive – Some customers are unhappy with the design of the new headphones.

iPhone 8/8Plus

Release date: September 22nd 2017

In September 2017, Apple skipped the iPhone 7S/7S Plus and launched the 8/8 Plus models instead.

The showstopper of this launch was – Wireless Charging capability! Other improvements include a 12 MP camera with dual snapper on the rear of the phones and a A11 Bionic processor.

Positive – Wireless charging capability.

Not-so-positive – No big deal breakers here – but, the phones look very similar to the 7/7 Plus models and the resolution of the screen is the same.

Click here to view our wireless chargers.

iPhone X

Release date: November 3rd 2017

Shortly after the iPhone 8/8 Plus models, was the launch of the iPhone X. Popularly known as the “most important iPhone ever launched”, the iPhone X launch on 3 November 2017. The name is pronounced as iPhone “Ten” not the letter “X” the “X” being number 10 in ROman numerals. The iPhone X celebrates the iPhone’s tenth anniversary.

There are significant changes in the physical appearance of the iPhone with the iPhone X. The 5.8-inch screen with Super Retina HD display is just the start of it. There is no “Home” button on this phone and the swipe up gesture from the bottom of the screen is used in place of it. No more fingerprint scanning either. Face ID using the facial recognition technique is used for identification. This iPhone introduces OLED display in iPhones. Last but definitely not the least – this is the most expensive iPhone ever.

Positive – Bigger screen. OLED display. Facial recognition.

Not-so-positive – Expensive.

The post History of the iPhone: iPhone Release Dates appeared first on Campad Electronics Blog.

How to connect to WiFi on your Apple device?

Almost 12% of the world’s population uses Apple devices. That’s a huge number! Their multi-faceted but easy to use nature has made the Apple devices so popular. Most routine tasks like checking mail, browsing the internet, making notes etc. are quite straightforward on a Apple device. Similarly, connecting to a WiFi network is quite easy and can be accomplished in some simple steps. So, let’s see how we can connect to WiFi on your iPhone or iPad.

1. We start by clicking and opening the ‘Settings’ app on your Apple device.

2. Once the Settings app is open, check if your Wi-Fi is turned on. If it is off, turn on the Wi-Fi option by clicking on it.

Another way of turning the Wi-Fi on is by using the Control Center at the bottom of your device. Just click on the Home button once, and then swipe up from the bottom of the screen to bring up the Control Center. Then Once the control center is up, just click on the Wi-Fi icon to turn it on.

3. Once the Wi-fi is turned on you will see all the available wireless networks.

4. Choose the network you want to connect to and enter the password. Then hit ‘Join’.

5. To check if you have connected to the Internet successfully, try opening a commonly used website on your browser. If it opens successfully, you are all set!

While connecting to a wireless network in a public place like a mall or airport, they might make you open a browser and login with your credentials before letting you use the internet.

The post How to connect to WiFi on your Apple device? appeared first on Campad Electronics Blog.