Kiwis await upcoming Samsung Galaxy S5 launch...

This coming Friday, April 11, the new Samsung Galaxy S5 Smartphone will be filling the shelves - and hands of Kiwis - across the country.

Branded as your ‘life companion’, they are part of a mission from Samsung to get Kiwis thinking about, and focused on their health and wellbeing.

The South Korean firm recently tried and tested the Galaxy S5 and wearables range in the gym, using an app called S Health found on the Galaxy S5 and used by a range of media personalities to track performance in a variety of exercises ranging from running, boxing, tennis and yoga.

According to the tech giant, it was clear from the trial that the technology combined with the app would be useful tool to drive New Zealanders to maintain a level of fitness to keep them well and happy.

“I’ve been putting a number of people through their paces in high and low intensity training where we track their progress with the Galaxy S5 and the Gear wearables,” says Stefan Lecchi, Head of Handheld Portables, Samsung.

“They are able to see how many calories they burn, their heart rate, and then easily measure their food intake to make sure everything is on an even keel.

"It takes all the guess work out – and actually helps sharpen their focus on what’s good for them, and how they’re meeting their goals."

Lecchi says Samsung is up for the challenge of getting Kiwis to think about how they can live better, more healthily and still be able to stay up to date and in touch whether out on the road or on the job.

Health app aside, the new GS5 has some other new features, designed to give Kiwis a better all-round experience on their smartphone.

Resolution:

If you’re exhausted from your training, have logged your evening meal, and packed away your presentation notes for the day, you can pop your feet up and enjoy TVNZ Ondemand on the Super AMOLED Full HD screen.

Samsung provides a range of exclusive Android content including the Barclay’s English Premier League, 3NOW and TVNZ Ondemand bringing the next phase of television detail to life on the GS5.

Camera:

The Galaxy S5 offers sharp pictures with a 16 mega pixel camera, along with the world’s fastest smartphone autofocus speed of up to 0.3 seconds and the advanced High Dynamic Range (HDR) reproduces natural light and colour with striking intensity at any circumstances.

Also the new Selective Focus feature allows users to focus on a specific area of an object while simultaneously blurring out the background.

Safety:

The new Galaxy S5 is certified IP67 making it dust proof, and water resistant up to a metre for 30 minutes. It’s now safe to run in the rain or leave it by the pool. And the dust proofing makes it ideal for everyone from mountain bikers through to farm workers. It offers a Finger Scanner, providing a secure, biometric screen locking feature.

In addition, users can be safe in the knowledge that Ultra Power Saving Mode enables them to stay in touch, even in an emergency, by extending battery life. It scales back phone capabilities allowing access to only critical functionalities, giving you what you need to be safe and power efficient.

Fastest data speed experience:

The Galaxy S5 offers fast data speeds for unrivalled media consumption and productivity, thanks to Download Booster, an innovative Wi-Fi technology for boosting data speed by bonding Wi-Fi and LTE 4G simultaneously.

Kids mode:

If your little ones like to take the reins of your phone, you can activate Kids Mode and keep your private information intact. You can also set a time limit, so when your five-year-old says they’ve only played for a few minutes, you can keep them honest.

S Health:

With the enhanced S Health 3.0, the new Galaxy S5 offers more tools to help people stay fit and well. It provides a comprehensive personal fitness tracker to help users monitor and manage their behaviour, along with additional tools including a pedometer, diet and exercise records, and a new, built-in heart rate monitor.

Galaxy S5 users can further customise their experience with an enriched third party app ecosystem and the ability to pair with next generation Gear products for real-time fitness coaching.

Focus on wearable devices:

You can stay in touch and on-trend while on the run thanks to new generation wearables that work in sync with the Galaxy S5. For example, your music goes with you as does the ability to take pictures (in the case of the Gear 2) as you’re out for your daily run or bike ride.

It’s not only functional, it’s also good looking as you can change the strap to match your outfit. That’s a thoughtful new detail that will appeal to those who need to look as good as they’re performing.