Learning Curve

The face of technology has changed as we know it, or at least when it comes to cell phones.

LG and Samsung are each releasing smartphones with curved displays. The Samsung phone is the lesser of the two evils, as it curves horizontally, which will make for a more natural grasp of the phone while holding it. Deemed the Samsung Galaxy round, it takes advantage of this gently curved 1080p 5.7-inch OLED screen.

As a result of its unique curved design, users can take advantage of round integration experiences like the Roll Effect that enables user to check information such as date, time, missed call and battery easily when home screen is off, and the Gravity Effect for creating visual interaction with the screen by tilting the device. For music, the Bounce UX enables users to control their music. When the phones display is off while the music player is running, a short press to the left of the device will play the previous track while a short press to the right will play the next track. For pictures and videos, the Side Mirror feature enables users to gain access to list of the album content with a left and right tilt.

Though it looks very different from the phone Samsung demoed at CES this past year, it’s hard to deny that its still groundbreaking. However it won’t be breaking ground in the US, as it is currently only available in South Korea. If sales are a success it may then see an international launch. The current price converts to around $1000, which would be much lower if it saw a general release.

But the question remains, would its presence be appreciated enough in today’s ever moving technology world? Many people just can’t seem to get past the curved screen.

“What do you mean its curved?” said Quentin Stevens, upon viewing a press shot of the new phone, after raising his eyebrows a few times he still wasn’t sure what to make of the odd device.

One question. Why?

“Definitely not to increase productivity, that’s stupid. It’s hard enough to type on these things, and now it will be worse since its curved. I actually like it, not going to buy it, but it seems a bit cool,” said Stevens.

It already seems as if a new phone is released every few weeks, making companies rack their brains even harder to keep themselves even a few steps in front of the competition.

“ Too little too soon. But I do understand their point of view; to be the first so others cant claim it as theirs, something that happened when LG had the first full touch phone. Of course Apple got credit for it,” said Russell Kent.

It’s as if Samsung is on a vengeance, to patent first anything that Apple has in mind. Therefore Apple with have to come to them for patent usage. As per usual, it’s all about the money

With South Korea being used as somewhat of a testing site, the phones real value will be determined, and some people here in the states wouldn’t mind being a guinea pig either.

This may not be the only reason, but when it's in your pocket, it would follow the curvature of your leg. It would allow for larger screens to be made without that awkward space between the tangent line and the rest of the curvature of a cross-section of the thigh, with the phone being the tangent line.

With phone screens seeming to get larger and larger each year, Samsung has attempted to aid the biggest issue that comes with having such a large phone-carrying it.

The large screen size of the Galaxy Round provides additional benefits to users. One-hand operation features bring a user's most desired controls closer to a preferred side of the screen. The device has enhanced multitasking capabilities that allow users to fully utilize the large screen through multiple windows, a feature that enables users to open more than one application on the screen, run simultaneous multiple instances of the same application or to easily share content between applications.

LG is another companies that has decided to jump on the curve but they didn’t decide to take the route of a small release at first, instead their phone is already in production

Though LG has yet to officially announce the phone, the tech news site Engadget, got its hands on a few leaked photos. The phone has a codename of LG G Flex, which is expected to be its official name at the time of launch. The major difference between the two phones is that the LG phone curves from top to bottom, making for a odd design.

If LG can release its phone in the U.S. and Europe, it could reap the rewards from the coverage given to the Round being that Samsung’s phone can’t be purchased anywhere except Korea,. It would also fit in with LG’s plans to give its hardware a wider release, something it has done with the LG G2. This oddly shaped phone is said to give the impression of watching TV when the phone is held in landscape.

 For a phone that has not seen the most positive comments from potential customers, its safe to say that it can be used as an expensive shoe horn