UAE telecom operator Etisalat started offering the all-new Samsung Galaxy S4 free, starting 7pm yesterday [Tuesday], at a number of its business centres and retail outlets across the country.

The exclusive offer is for a 2GB monthly data package (worth Dh249), and etisalat maintains that the number of devices that will be given free to subscribers of this package are limited (which means hurry up).

"The Samsung Galaxy S4 4G LTE is being offered for Dh2,749, but can be obtained for free by signing up to a contract," Etisalat said in a statement. "Under the installment plan, users will get 2GB of data for Dh249 per month over an 18-month contract. Under the Samsung S4 Plan, users get 4GB of data, 800 standard voice minutes, 200 international voice minutes and 200 SMS for Dh449 per month over a 12-month contract," it said.

Khaled El Khouly, Chief Marketing Officer, Etisalat said: “Etisalat is pleased to be exclusively launching the Galaxy S4 4G LTE in the UAE. Our superior 4G LTE network, which now covers 80 per cent of the inhabited area of the country, allows users of 4G phones to connect to the internet at speeds up to 150 MBPS. Such speeds allow work and productivity applications to operate more swiftly, and for deeper levels of enjoyment in entertainment and gaming.”  

Etisalat is offering the deal to its post-paid subscribers at the following 24 of its outlets across the country:

Abu Dhabi

1. Main Business Centre

2. Marina Mall Outlet

3. Al Ain Business Centre

4. Mushrif Mall

5. Al Ain Mall

6. Al Wahda Mall

7. Abu Dhabi Mall

8. Bawadi Mall

9. Al Raha Mall

10. Al Khalidya Mall

Dubai

1. Deira Business Centre

2. Al Wasl Business Centre

3. Al Twar Business Centre

4. Dubai Mall

5. Deira City Centre

6. Mall Of the Emirates

7. Mirdiff City Centre

8. Arabian Centre

Northern Emirates (Ras Al Khaimah, Fujairah & Ajman)

1. Al Manakh Business Centre, Sharjah

2. Musheirif Business Centre, Ajman

3. Main Business Centre, Ras Al Khaimah

4. Main Business Centre, Fujeirah

5. Sahara Centre Outlet, Sharjah

6. Jarinah Outlet

Remember to carry the original and a copy of your Emirates ID if you're a resident, and valid passport and visa (plus a copy) if you're a visitor.

Late last month, there was a scramble among Dubai customers when Samsung released the Galaxy S4 into the market here.

Eager fans had been assembling outside the Samsung store from as early as 6.30am to snap the latest device from Samsung on Saturday, April 27, when the smartphone went on sale for general public.

Emirates 24|7 witnessed heated arguments between impatient fans and the store management that was clearly trying its best to organise the customers and dole out the Galaxy S4 as soon as they possibly could.

Part of the reason for the rush then was that the Samsung store had announced a Dh444 in-store voucher for the first 200 customers, which was enough to result in a mob assembling outside the Samsung store.

With Etisalat offering the phone free (bundled with its monthly data package), it will be fair to assume that there will be a crowd this evening too.

Last month we heard that Samsung Galaxy S4 will not ship with the company’s Knox security software at launch. The delay in launch was because Samsung decided to further test the software both internally and with its carrier partners. Samsung confirmed the delay and clarified that while Galaxy S4 ships with Knox’s framework components installed, activation lies with solution providers. Samsung has now confirmed that it has activated Knox security software, activation for the end user ultimately rests in the hands of their mobile carrier. The company says that commercial availability of Know depends on B2B contracts.

Knox is almost similar in functionality to BlackBerry Balance, which allows users to use their corporate and personal accounts on the same device and easily switch between the two through passwords. BlackBerry has always touted the enhanced security of its platform, but manufacturers such as Samsung are continuously eroding its share in that particular niche as well. Only recently Samsung Galaxy devices were approved for use by the Pentagon, these devices come with Knox pre-installed. With the increasing popularity of Samsung’s devices, having a stable and solid security software on their high-end smartphones will open up new avenues of business with companies and corporations.

Samsung Galaxy S4 features ground-breaking technology, large removable battery and usually lasts for a day. But sometimes, the device does not last for a day and requires charging immediately. In order to save more battery for emergency or extend it more than a day, use these 12 tips for battery saving and better performance.

1.      Disable Wireless Connectivity
Turn off wireless connectivity features such Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and Mobile Data. In addition, disable other radio signals for NFC and S Beam.

2.      Limit Motion Gestures
Activate functions under the Motion Gestures which you regularly use. Having all of them turned on will consume a lot on the battery and can make the device sluggish.

3.      4G LTE Network
Use the 4G LTE on areas supporting the network type and utilise nearby Wi-Fi if possible. 4G LTE consumes a lot more power than 3G.

4.      Wi-Fi Under Sleep
Turn off Wi-Fi connection whenever the device is sleep. To activate this function, go to "Settings > Connections > Wi-Fi > Advanced > Keep Wi-Fi on during sleep."

5.      Control the Brightness Level
High brightness level consumes more energy from the phone's battery. Use the notifications bar and set the brightness level of the screen by dragging the adjuster or simply activate the "Auto" mode.

6.      Screen Timeout
Longer screen timeout eats more battery as the display keeps itself on. If your Galaxy S4 uses both high brightness and longer screen timeout, expect a drop of battery life on the device.

7.      AMOLED Screen Display
Choose wallpapers with black colours or more darker colours to save more battery. AMOLED screens simply do not consume power to display black or less for dark shades.

8.      Wallpapers
Always use still images than Live Wallpaper if you concerned with the battery life and performance. Live Wallpapers consumes both power and RAM on your device.

9.      Power Saving On
Galaxy S4 has a built-in Power Saver inside and you can set which parts of the device are under Power Saving mode. You can control the CPU, screen and haptic feedback to save more battery.

10.  Continuous Usage
No matter how high the battery life can be continuous non-stop use will definitely shut down the Galaxy S4. Try to organise your usage on specific tasks to manage battery better; combining games, music and Internet browsing in long hours knocks out Galaxy S4.

11.  Refresh the Device
Whenever you charge your Galaxy S4, try rebooting it to refresh its memory. In this way, the device releases memory from applications you've used previously and free cache memories from browsing.

12.  Samsung Exclusives
Samsung provided Galaxy S4 with applications to manage its RAM, power and tasks. Do not use third-party apps similar to what Samsung has already included on your device. Poorly written apps can ruin your Galaxy S4 eventually.

The marketing campaign for Samsung's Galaxy S4 is ramping up with the electronics manufacturer taking over London's IMAX cinema for a striking out-of-home stunt.

The takeover is the first of its kind for the brand and was organised through Cheil UK. Samsung's UK marketing campaign recently kicked off with the broadcast of the first of two TV advertsfor the new smartphone model.

Avikar Jolly, head of brand and communications, Samsung UK & Ireland, said: "The IMAX is London's most iconic OOH site, so it's fitting that Samsung is using it for the launch of the Galaxy S4. The execution is simple but all-encompassing, and we're expecting to deliver great cut-through."

Fiona FitzGibbon, head of out-of-home at Cheil UK, said: “The Galaxy S4 is at the cutting edge of technology, so we wanted to do something special to bring the product to life.

"To do this, we are putting Samsung’s stamp on the largest and arguably most iconic site in the UK. By changing the colour of the bulbs to Samsung blue we hope to create comprehensive stand out."

The Carphone Warehouse started its marketing campaign for the Galaxy S4 last week by teaming up with Fonejacker.

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 7- Use of smartphones in Kenya has grown in the last few months, giving Samsung a 43 percent lead in the market.

Speaking during the launch of Samsung Galaxy S4 at a Nairobi hotel, Samsung Electronics East Africa Chief Operating Officer, Robert Ngeru said the high demand in smartphones had grown because people were looking for more in connectivity and data.

The number of Internet users in Kenya stood at 16.2 million by December 31 last year, an 11.6 percent growth from the 14.5 million users recorded at the end of September 2012.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 launch in Nairobi comes as part of an on-going global launch of the smartphone in key markets and just a week from the launch of the handset in South Africa.

“The Samsung Galaxy S4 is slimmer yet stronger, with less to hold yet more to see. It has come up with simply unreal beauty. In the East African market, this smart phone will be available in black mist and white frost colour shades,” Ngeru said.

He further added that the phone has a highly crafted design encompassing a larger screen size and battery, minimized bezel; all housed in a light (130g) and slim (7.9mm) shape.

The phone is equipped with a 13 megapixel rear camera and also boasts a dual camera function that allows simultaneous use of both front and rear cameras.

“When capturing moments, users can choose from a variety of frame effects, which blend the two pictures naturally and adjust the size of the small picture inside the big one,” the Chief Operating Officer revealed.

He said the phone will break language barriers through its instant translation of both speech and text.

“The Galaxy S4 brings all people closer together by breaking language barriers. It makes international travel; a joy with ‘S Translator’ which provides instant translation, using text or voice translation on applications including email, text message and ChatON.”

“This is also possible for both speech to text and text to speech and ensures that you rely on the correct information whilst abroad.”

The phone also has a ‘Samsung Smart Pause’ a feature that enables the user to control the screen while looking at it.

“It ensures that tasks are effortless with innovative features that detect your face, voice and motions to enable screen control with no need for finger touch activation,” Ngure said.

He said they had wide range of Samsung products at a different price to cater for all their customers while saying they will be proceeding to launch the product in Uganda and Tanzania.

AT&T recently started selling the Samsung Galaxy S4, and now AT&T has released a small software update for the handset, the update is around 27mb in size, and it apparently doesn’t seem to change much on the device.

The AT&T Samsung Galaxy S4 comes with a locked bootloader, and this new update apparently breaks the root on the device, although it looks like it can be rooted again after the update is installed.

The software update for your Samsung Galaxy S4 on AT&T should be available for you handset as of now, the update has been released as an over the air update.