Tag: feel

  • I purchased the Galaxy S25 Edge, nevertheless it seems to be like nobody else did, and I feel I do know why

    Samsung tried to beat Apple to the punch by releasing the Galaxy S25 Edge final month. Rumors have swirled about Apple creating an ultra-slim iPhone 17 Air, and the Galaxy S25 Edge was quickly teased in January 2025, launching in Might. Whereas the corporate could have thought it had lastly received a serious race towards the Cupertino-based tech large, the Galaxy S25 Edge may turn into one more case of Samsung focusing and allocating sources within the unsuitable locations.

    I purchased the Galaxy S25 Edge, and even Ican see the telephone’s obvious flaws. I asked for Samsung to make this kind of ultra-thin smartphone method again in November, in actual fact. To make this sort of controversial, area of interest gadget successful, Samsung wants to handle its flaws head-on. Not faux they do not exist, which is what it’s doing.

    Even followers of the Samsung Galaxy product line appear to hate the Edge, and that is not an exaggeration. Posts on the Samsung Galaxy subreddit — a spot the place you’d anticipate the sentiment round Samsung gadgets to be considerably favorable — are affected by complaints in regards to the new gadget. One remark known as the Galaxy S25 Edge the “dumbest Samsung ever” and added that it was “overpriced, pointless, and false commercial.” It has over 100 upvotes.

    The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge compared to an iPhone 16 Pro.

    The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge (left) in comparison with the iPhone 16 Professional (proper).(Picture credit score: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

    Samsung hasn’t disclosed early sales figures for the Galaxy S25 Edge, which is considerably odd for the corporate. It typically shares gross sales information from its pre-order and launch interval in its dwelling market of South Korea, nevertheless it uncared for to take action for this launch. SamMobile studies that its sources say gross sales are beneath expectations for the smartphone.

    If that is true, I am not stunned. Samsung’s messaging relating to the Galaxy S25 Edge has been removed from clear. As an alternative of collaborating with Doechii, the model ought to have tried to persuade those that the Galaxy S25 Edge is not a flawed smartphone. Samsung ought to remind them that each one the thick, heavy, and ponderous smartphones in the marketplace are actually the flawed ones.

    That is why I purchased the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge to replace my iPhone 16 Pro. The latter is thick and heavy to the purpose that it is inconvenient. All of the function benefits it has over the Galaxy S25 Edge are inconsequential due to its measurement. I do not need to maintain the telephone up at a live performance and use its 5x telephoto lens as a result of it is heavy. Nor do I need to preserve it in my pocket on the health club, or struggle a weight imbalance when utilizing the on-screen keyboard.

    The Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge with an Anker MagSafe battery pack attached.

    (Picture credit score: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

    The Galaxy S25 Edge can go extra locations and do extra issues as a result of it’s skinny, not despite its thickness. The battery life concern is wildly overblown — simply purchase a MagSafe/Qi2 battery pack and cease worrying about it altogether. Cost your telephone when you may all through the day, like in your automotive or at your desk, and the Galaxy S25 Edge can free you from a big-battery smartphone that appears like a brick.

    That is how I’d’ve pitched the Galaxy S25 Edge to smartphone customers. Samsung did not do any of that, and it may very well be a deadly error for the Galaxy S25 Edge.

    As soon as once more, Samsung is not listening

    Dual cameras on the Galaxy S25 Edge

    (Picture credit score: Nirave Gondhia)

    It is a traditional case of Samsung not listening to or understanding its prospects. Final yr, Samsung copied Apple in designing the brand new Galaxy Watch Ultra and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. Issues received so dangerous a Samsung govt was reportedly livid with the so-called “design plagiarism.”

    Extra not too long ago, Samsung launched One UI 7 with iOS-like options, resembling a break up notification shade and fast settings panel. Longtime Galaxy users aren’t happy. And to high issues off, the Galaxy S25 Edge seems to be like a carbon copy of the iPhone 16 from the again.

    All these controversial adjustments aren’t working. Counterpoint Research not too long ago revealed that the highest 4 best-selling smartphones within the first quarter of 2025 have been all iPhones. The primary Samsung telephone on the listing earned the fifth-place slot, and the flagship Galaxy S25 Ultra fell to seventh place. For perspective, the Galaxy S24 Extremely was the fifth best-selling telephone in Q1 2024 a yr in the past — additionally behind 4 iPhones.

    Samsung does not look like adapting or adjusting to suggestions. With software program updates like One UI 7 and telephone releases just like the Galaxy S25 Edge, it is creating merchandise that its high supporters actively dislike.

    The side profile of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.

    (Picture credit score: Brady Snyder / Android Central)

    It is a good telephone that I feel is misunderstood, and I blame Samsung for that, not the contrarians. The corporate made a telephone that it wanted to essentially promote to its buyer base, regardless of its shortcomings, and it hasn’t. As an alternative, Samsung is bullishly (and foolishly, I’d say) saying that the Galaxy S25 Edge is not a flawed telephone in any respect.

    “We actually designed this from the bottom as much as be skinny. The purpose was to be skinny with out compromise,” stated Blake Gaiser, Samsung’s director of smartphone product administration in America, in an interview with Tom’s Guide. Gaiser additionally didn’t do much to address the concerns of people who aren’t happy with the telephone’s 3,900mAh battery or lack of a telephoto lens.

    Samsung can not seem to learn the room, and that is true no matter whether or not I like the Galaxy S25 Edge (which I do).

  • Wispr Circulation releases iOS app in a bid to make dictation really feel easy

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    It looks like AI corporations need us all to speak to their merchandise out loud extra usually. Meta, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic, to call a number of, have added performance to let customers discuss with their AI bots as naturally as they might with one other individual, making the most of advances in speech-to-text know-how.

    A startup referred to as Wispr Flow feels it will probably outdo the bigwigs, although, with its dictation tech that helps greater than 100 languages. The corporate immediately augmented its current Home windows and Mac apps with a brand new iOS app that doubles as a keyboard, letting you employ your voice to sort inside any app.

    Now, you could be pondering that is simply one other speech-to-text firm, however this reporter got here away notably impressed with Wispr Circulation. As an Indian, I’ve by no means discovered a speech-to-text app that may absolutely perceive what I’m saying. I’ve additionally had a tough time getting AI assistants like Alexa and Siri to execute requests.

    Nevertheless, Wispr Circulation offered a vastly higher expertise in comparison with any dictation tech I’ve used from Large Tech. At first, I needed to edit my sentences throughout the Wispr Circulation desktop and cell apps, however after utilizing it a number of occasions, the dictation expertise improved drastically. I ended up utilizing the app to put in writing lengthy emails and messages, and even wrote a lot of this story utilizing simply my voice.

    The app additionally has a numeric and image keyboard if it is advisable sort particular characters, and it learns customized names and phrases routinely, or you may add them by way of its dictionary part. It additionally allows you to whisper into your mic if you wish to use it in environments the place you may’t communicate out loud. The corporate claims that the iOS app can work in environments with poor community protection as nicely.

    The startup’s co-founder, Tanay Kothari, advised TechCrunch he got down to construct a wearable system that might enable customers to sort simply by mouthing phrases silently. The working layer of that wearable was Circulation, and final July, the corporate pivoted to deal with the software program and launched its Mac app a number of months later.

    On the desktop app, customers can begin dictating in any app by urgent a hotkey, which is less complicated to entry. For the iOS app, the problem might be to influence customers to change to Wispr’s keyboard each time they need to use the app.

    Wispr Circulation is free to make use of till you hit a restrict of two,000 phrases per week. There’s an infinite plan for $12 per thirty days (or $144 per yr) that additionally provides you early entry to new options.

    The corporate has raised $26 million up to now from buyers together with NEA, Palo Alto Networks, and 8VC. Kothari mentioned his subscription enterprise is seeing a conversion charge of 19%, and the startup’s income is growing by 60% year-on-year.

    The startup is engaged on releasing an Android app this yr. It’s additionally constructing shared context performance for groups in order that the app can perceive widespread terminology inside enterprise contexts.

    Wispr has many opponents, together with YC-backed Aqua, TalkTastic, Superwhisper, and BetterDictation. Whereas Kothari expects extra competitors on this area with advances in AI and voice know-how, he believes that Wispr’s engineering workforce and long-term funding within the tech will set it aside.