Earth Day is an annual event, celebrated on April 22, on which events are held worldwide to demonstrate support for environmental protection. It was first celebrated in 1970, and is now coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network,[1] and celebrated in more than 192 countries each year.[2]
In 1969 at a UNESCO Conference in San Francisco, peace activistJohn McConnell proposed a day to honor the Earth and the concept of peace, to first be celebrated on March 21, 1970, the first day of spring in the northern hemisphere. This day of nature's equipoise was later sanctioned in a Proclamation written by McConnell and signed by Secretary General U Thant at the United Nations. A month later a separate Earth Day was founded by United States SenatorGaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in first held on April 22, 1970. Nelson was later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom Award in recognition of his work.[3] While this April 22 Earth Day was focused on the United States, an organization launched by Denis Hayes, who was the original national coordinator in 1970, took it international in 1990 and organized events in 141 nations.[4][5] Numerous communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues.
History of the Equinox Earth Day (March 20)
The equinoctial Earth Day is celebrated on the March equinox (around March 20) to mark the precise moment of astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and of astronomical autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. An equinox in astronomy is that point in time (not a whole day) when the Sun is directly above the Earth's equator, occurring around March 20 and September 23 each year. In most cultures, the equinoxes and solstices are considered to start or separate the seasons.
John McConnell[24] first introduced the idea of a global holiday called "Earth Day" at the 1969 UNESCO Conference on the Environment. The first Earth Day proclamation was issued by San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto on March 21, 1970. Celebrations were held in various cities, such as San Francisco and in Davis, California with a multi-day street party. UN Secretary-General U Thant supported McConnell's global initiative to celebrate this annual event; and on February 26, 1971, he signed a proclamation to that effect, saying:
May there be only peaceful and cheerful Earth Days to come for our beautiful Spaceship Earth as it continues to spin and circle in frigid space with its warm and fragile cargo of animate life.[25]
United Nations secretary-general Kurt Waldheim observed Earth Day with similar ceremonies on the March equinox in 1972, and the United Nations Earth Day ceremony has continued each year since on the day of the March equinox (the United Nations also works with organizers of the April 22 global event). Margaret Mead added her support for the equinox Earth Day, and in 1978 declared:
"Earth Day is the first holy day which transcends all national borders, yet preserves all geographical integrities, spans mountains and oceans and time belts, and yet brings people all over the world into one resonating accord, is devoted to the preservation of the harmony in nature and yet draws upon the triumphs of technology, the measurement of time, and instantaneous communication through space. Earth Day draws on astronomical phenomena in a new way – which is also the most ancient way – by using the vernal Equinox, the time when the Sun crosses the equator making the length of night and day equal in all parts of the Earth. To this point in the annual calendar, EARTH DAY attaches no local or divisive set of symbols, no statement of the truth or superiority of one way of life over another. But the selection of the March Equinox makes planetary observance of a shared event possible, and a flag which shows the Earth, as seen from space, appropriate."[26]
At the moment of the equinox, it is traditional to observe Earth Day by ringing the Japanese Peace Bell, which was donated by Japan to the United Nations.[27] Over the years, celebrations have occurred in various places worldwide at the same time as the UN celebration. On March 20, 2008, in addition to the ceremony at the United Nations, ceremonies were held in New Zealand, and bells were sounded in California, Vienna, Paris, Lithuania, Tokyo, and many other locations. The equinox Earth Day at the UN is organized by the Earth Society Foundation.[28]
Earth Day ringing the peace bell is celebrated around the world in many towns, ringing the Peace Bell in Vienna,[29] Berlin, and elsewhere. A memorable event took place at the UN in Geneva, celebrating a Minute for Peace ringing the Japanese Shinagawa Peace Bell with the help of the Geneva Friendship Association and the Global Youth Foundation,[30] directly after in deep mourning about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant catastrophe 10 days before.
Beside the Spring Equinox for the Northern Hemisphere, the observance of the Spring Equinox for the Southern Hemisphere is of equal importance ! It is a "new sign of hope" for Peace that the International Day of Peace[31] is celebrated on the Spring Equinox of the South! right along the original intentions of John McConnell, U-Thant, Muller, Mead,...
April 22 observances
Growing eco-activism before Earth Day 1970
In 1968, Morton Hilbert and the U.S. Public Health Service organized the Human Ecology Symposium, an environmental conference for students to hear from scientists about the effects of environmental degradation on human health.[32] This was the beginning of Earth Day. For the next two years, Hilbert and students worked to plan the first Earth Day.[33] In April 1970—along with a federal proclamation from U.S. Sen. Gaylord Nelson—the first Earth Day was held.[34]
Project Survival, an early environmentalism-awareness education event, was held at Northwestern University on January 23, 1970. This was the first of several events held at university campuses across the United States in the lead-up to the first Earth Day. Also, Ralph Nader began talking about the importance of ecology in 1970.
Nelson chose the date in order to maximize participation on college campuses for what he conceived as an "environmental teach-in". He determined the week of April 19–25 was the best bet as it did not fall during exams or spring breaks.[35]Moreover, it did not conflict with religious holidays such as Easter or Passover, and was late enough in spring to have decent weather. More students were likely to be in class, and there would be less competition with other mid-week events—so he chose Wednesday, April 22. The day also fell after the anniversary of the birth of noted conservationist John Muir.
Unbeknownst to Nelson,[36] April 22, 1970, was coincidentally the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Lenin, when translated to the Gregorian calendar (which the Soviets adopted in 1918). Time reported that some suspected the date was not a coincidence, but a clue that the event was "a Communist trick", and quoted a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution as saying, "subversive elements plan to make American children live in an environment that is good for them."[37]J. Edgar Hoover, director of the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, may have found the Lenin connection intriguing; it was alleged the FBI conducted surveillance at the 1970 demonstrations.[38] The idea that the date was chosen to celebrate Lenin's centenary still persists in some quarters,[39][40] an idea borne out by the similarity with the subbotnik instituted by Lenin in 1920 as days on which people would have to do community service, which typically consisted in removing rubbish from public property and collecting recyclable material. Subbotniks were also imposed on other countries within the compass of Soviet power, including Eastern Europe, and at the height of its power the Soviet Union established a nation-wide subbotnik to be celebrated on Lenin's birthday, April 22, which had been proclaimed a national holiday celebrating communism by Nikita Khrushchev in 1955.
Earth Day anthem
There are many songs that are performed on Earth Day, that generally fall into two categories. Popular songs by contemporary artists not specific to Earth Day that are under copyright or new lyrics adapted to children's songs. UNESCO has termed Indian poet-diplomat Abhay K's idea of an official Earth Anthem as a creative and inspiring thought that would contribute to bringing the world together.[41]"Earth Anthem" by Abhay K is in eight languages including all official languages of the United Nations viz. Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, Spanish.[42] The other two languages are Hindi and Nepali. It was launched in June 2013 on the occasion of the World Environment Day by Kapil Sibal and Shashi Tharoor, Union Ministers of India at a function organized by the Indian Council of Cultural Relations in New Delhi.[43] India's Central Board of Secondary Education or CBSE has started using it for educational purposes.[44]
The "Earth Day Anthem" below satisfies these requirements for a universal song associated with Earth Day. Ludwig van Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" melody is already the official anthem of the European Union (in that case purely instrumental without lyrics), the melody is widely recognized and easily performed, in the public domain, and originally composed for voice. Lyrics for the Earth Day Anthem set to "Ode to Joy"[45] are provided below:
Joyful joyful we adore our Earth in all its wonderment
Simple gifts of nature that all join into a paradise Now we must resolve to protect her Show her our love throughout all time With our gentle hand and touch We make our home a newborn world Now we must resolve to protect her Show her our love throughout all time With our gentle hand and touch
Two photos of the upcoming iPhone 6’s front panel have leaked online, suggesting that the design will remain same even as screen size increases in the next iPhone model.
NEW DELHI: Two photos of the upcoming iPhone 6's front panel have leaked online, suggesting that the design will remain same even as screen size increases in the next iPhone model.
The images have been posted on Chinese microblogging website Weibo by two different users and are said to be taken at one of Apple's contract manufacturers in China. Both photos show the front panel of the rumoured 4.7-inch iPhone 6, compared with the older iPhone 5, which has a 4-inch screen. The Home button also appears to be slightly bigger in the next-generation iPhone, as per the photos.
The difference between the screen sizes of iPhone 6 and iPhone 5 as well as 5S is apparent. In fact, just the screen panel of iPhone 6 in the leaked photos is nearly as big as the whole body of the current iPhones.
Apple is also expected to launch a 5.5-inch iPhone this year, but it is likely to be unveiled by the end of fourth quarter. On the other hand, the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 model is expected to be showcased in September this year.
The smartphones are likely to run on iOS 8, the next version of Apple's mobile operating system. Expected to be announced at Worldwide Developer Conference 2014 in June this year, the next iOS version is expected to focus on health and fitness.
A leaked screenshot of iOS 8, also posted on Weibo, shows that the upgrade will bring new apps like Healthbook, CarPlay and Watch Utility to Apple gadgets. The leaked screenshot also suggests that iTunes Radio, the music streaming service launched last year, may become a standalone app with iOS 8; at present iTunes Radio is part of Music app.
In order to utilize the bigger screens of upcoming iPhones, iOS 8 will show a total of seven rows of apps in iPhone 6. In iPhone 4 and 4S, only five rows of apps is present, while six rows of apps appear in iPhone 5, 5C and 5S.
iPhone 6 is said to have a 64-bit A8 processor, 1GB RAM, LTPS LCD display panels, optical image stabilization, Touch ID fingerprint sensor, metal casings and NFC. The upcoming iPhones are expected to be 6.5-7mm thick and have 10-20% narrower bezels around the screen. Only the 64GB version of the 5.5-inch iPhone will have sapphire glass, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
The iPhone 6 could get a serious run for its money if the latest reports of the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 are to be believed.
The South Korean company reportedly might introduce its three-sided flexible Youm display with the forthcoming Note 4.
The curved OLED display was first showcased by Samsung in January 2013.
The bendable panels are made of plastic and it was then expected that a phone with a similar display could be out in 2013. We have since crossed over to 2014 with both last year’s Note 3 and the Samsung’s latest Galaxy S5 avoiding this feature.
The Note 4 might well become the first smartphone to incorporate the Youm display, according to a latest report by ZDNet Korea.
According to the report the Note 4 will have a three-sided display enabling a user to see messages displayed on the side.
Samsung CEO J K Shin had earlier told South Korean media that the Note 4 could incorporate some of the much awaited advanced features.
It is now expected that Samsung might launch the Note 4 at the IFA in Berlin this September. The Note 4 could come with a 5.9 inch screen and a 4GB RAM and a 20MP camera.
The iPhone 6 is also expected to release around the same time and there are already enough leaks indicating a 4.7 inch device and slightly thinner bezels on the side. Apple is also expected to come out with a phablet-sized device this year.
A brand new iPhone 6 concept pulls in the latest round of iPhone 6 rumors and brings them to life, giving prospective 2014 iPhone buyers a look at what a larger iPhone could look like next to the iPhone 5s.
A brand new iPhone 6 concept pulls in the latest round of iPhone 6 rumors and brings them to life, giving prospective 2014 iPhone buyers a look at what a larger iPhone could look like next to the iPhone 5s.
While we wait for Apple to announce the iPhone 6, designers have taken it upon themselves to create their iPhone 6 concepts based on the iPhone 6 rumors that have leaked ahead of launch. In the past few weeks alone we’ve seen a number of high profile iPhone 6 leaks including possible schematics and more recently, an alleged iPhone 6 case.
Our friend Martin Hajek and Nowhereelsehave teamed together to create a realistic iPhone 6 concept that is based on those two prominent iPhone 6 leaks. This new iPhone 6 concept may not come from Apple itself but it’s real enough that it could certainly be passed off to unsuspecting consumers as the real iPhone 6.
A new iPhone 6 concept based on rumors.
Hajek’s new design pulls in the leaked schematics that arrived back in March and the alleged iPhone 6 case that emerge earlier this week. The final result is a sleek looking iPhone 6 that comes with an extremely thin design, rounded edges, a large edge-to-edge display, and the change to the volume and power controls that we’ve seen depicted in a couple of different iPhone 6 leaks.
This new concept incorporates a rumored iPhone 6 case.
The case is meant to look exactly like the case that we saw emerge earlier this month. It accommodates the rumored design changes and it even features a hole in the back to prominently display the Apple logo on the back.
Hajek and Co. go a step further with his new design. Not only does he include a sleek looking 4.7-inch iPhone 6 concept, he has also rendered a larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6 concept alongside it. He has also paired the two renders next to the 4-inch iPhone 5s to show the unique size difference that the two rumored iPhone 6 models could bring to the table.
iPhone 5s vs. iPhone 6 concept vs. iPhone 6 concept.
The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 concept isn’t much larger than the iPhone 5s thanks to its thin bezels. The 5.5-inch iPhone 6 concept on the other hand is much larger than the iPhone 5s and is noticeably larger than the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 concept as well. Both iPhone 6 concepts come equipped with the same design changes seen in the leaked schematics.
iPhone 6 concepts vs. iPhone 5s on the far right.
In recent weeks, iPhone 6 rumors have begun pinpointing everything from its screen size to its release date to its camera technology. Unsurprisingly, the iPhone 6 is expected to feature a number of upgrades that the iPhone 5s simply does not have.
iPhone 6 rumors almost exclusively point to an iPhone 6 with a larger display. Since last year, rumors have pointed to two iPhone 6 models. One model is said to be between 4.5-inches and 4.7-inches in size, similar to the concept seen here.
The other is thought to be somewhere around 5.5-inches or 5.7-inches with HD resolution. The larger model, if real, would put the iPhone on par with the Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung’s large screen flagship smartphone.
A recent report from Reuterscasts doubt on Apple’s supposed approach. The report claims that Apple may have delayed the larger iPhone and that it will be the 4.5-inch to 4.7-inch iPhone and that makes an appearance later this year. In fact, rumors are starting to point to two possible iPhone 6 releases this year. EMSOne, Reuters, Ming-Chi Kuo and Steve Milunovich from UBS all point to a delayed release for the larger 5.5-inch iPhone 6. It’s not clear how much of a gap there might be between the two.
An iPhone 6 case shows a new power button design and a larger size.
The biggest iPhone 6 leak of the month comes from Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, shared byMacRumors. Kuo accurately predicted many of last year’s iPhone 5s features. And while he is not 100% on rumors, he is considered to be reliable.
iPhone 6 Screen Size and Resolution – 4.7- inch (1334 x 750) 5.5-inch (1920 x 1080).
iPhone 6 Release Dates – 4.7-inch in September, 5.5-inch in Holiday season.
iPhone 6 Design – Power button on right, narrower bezels, larger iPhone 6 as two-hands needed.
iPhone 6 Camera – No major Megapixel bump, but added image stability.
The next iPhone will likely be accompanied by Apple’s next iOS update, rumored to be iOS 8. iOS 8 rumors point to a piece of software that won’t look much different than iOS 7 but should deliver a number of big changes to the software’s feature-set. Apple’s new iOS software is rumored to be coming with VoLTE support for the iPhone, new health related features that could tie in with Apple’s rumored iWatch, and more.
iOS 8 is expected to debut alongside a new version of OS X at Apple’s annual WWDC developer conference in San Francisco. Apple recently announced that it will take place between June 2nd and June 6th, earlier than usual. The company historically has used the platform to showcase new products though in recent years, the event has been limited to the company’s new software innovations.
The GoodSamsung's Galaxy S5 excels at everything that matters -- Android 4.4 KitKat OS; a bright, beautiful display; blistering quad-core processor; and an excellent camera experience. In addition, Samsung's efforts to streamline its own custom interface and reduce pre-installed bloatware pay off.
The Bad The Galaxy S5 is a only small upgrade over the Galaxy S4. The fingerprint scanner can be confusing to use, and the heart-rate monitor is a niche feature at best. In some regions, the Galaxy S5 costs significantly more than rival top-rated handsets.
The Bottom LineSubtly improved and smartly refined, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is a superior superphone that hits every mark but the sharpest design.
Here's why the Samsung Galaxy S5 should grab your attention: it looks good, it performs very well, and it has everything you need to become a fixture in nearly every aspect of your life. But, like a candidate running for reelection, the GS5 gets where it is today based on experience and wisdom, not on flashy features or massive innovation.
With the exception of a few nonessential hardware and software additions -- like the fingerprint scanner and novel heart-rate monitor -- and a few design tweaks, you're pretty much looking at the same phone Samsung released in 2013. The S5 is more of a Galaxy S4 Plus than it is a slam-the-brakes, next-generation device; it makes everything just a little smoother and faster.
The 5.1-inch, quad-core Android 4.4 KitKat machine with a terrific 16-megapixel camera is well worth snapping up, both on-contract for about $200, or off-contract for about $650 (and about £570 in the UK and €700). However, it isn't the only phone worth your time. The gorgeous, all-metal HTC One M8 has a more sophisticated design, better speakers, and greater internal storage for about the same price (32GB versus 16GB). Should you buy the GS5? If you want to go to sleep at night certain that you own the most capable, robust phone, yes.
Dimpled design an S4 redux
When it designed the Galaxy S5, Samsung didn't stray too far for inspiration. Indeed, from the front, you can barely tell the Galaxy S4 and S5 apart. The S5's rounded rectangle is stamped from the same steep-sided, silvery-trimmed mold as the S4's, but with an ever-so-slightly more capsule-shaped central home button.
The back panel motif is different, I'll give Samsung that. Tiny dimples cover a rear cover that's blessedly matte instead of coated in reflective gloop. In addition to cutting down glare, the more subdued surface masks accumulated fingerprints. The Galaxy S5 comes in black and creamy white shades, but Samsung has also shown it off in enticing copper and bright blue. Not every market or carrier will sell each color, but at least Samsung has decided to expand its palette to some livelier hues.
The Galaxy S5's matte backing rejects fingerprints like a boss.Josh Miller/CNET
At the end of the day, the Galaxy flagship feels like it always has: like plastic. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but if Samsung is at all striving for loftier ambitions, it hasn't reached the heights of HTC's luxe brushed aluminum or even Sony's sleek style.
The GS5 is only a fraction larger than the Galaxy S4: it measures 5.59 inches tall by 2.85 inches wide by 0.32-inch deep, or 142mm by 72.5mm by 8.1mm; and it weighs 5.1 ounces, or 145 grams. Even though the extra hardware makes it a little taller and heavier than the Galaxy S4, I had no problem carting it around. Even outside my ridiculously heavy purse, which is usually home to at least two phones and a jumble of weighty items, the S5 stayed put in the back pocket of my skinny jeans, and stayed wedged in my hand during several-mile jogs. (Full disclosure: I may have also had a death grip on it.)
This new phone, too, has a 5.1-inch 1080p HD AMOLED display that's 0.1-inch bigger than the Galaxy S4's. That means that the screen's pixel density is just a breath looser, though you'll never notice the difference. Images are still extremely crisp and colorful, with high contrast and hard edges. HD photos and videos look especially lush.
Its 1080p HD AMOLED screen is beautifully crisp and bright.Josh Miller/CNET
Samsung does boasts about a new display panel and accompanying technology that help the phone adapt its display more accurately to different lighting scenarios. This is one of those small improvements that few will notice so long as it's working.
External controls are where you expect them on a Samsung phone: power is on the right, the headset jack is up top, next to the IR blaster that's made its triumphant return to control your TV with Samsung's matching app. On the back, the new heart rate monitor cleverly integrates with the camera's LED flash.
What is a little different is the USB housing on the bottom of the phone. Like the Galaxy Note 3, the S5 now features the elongated USB 3.0 port, which is backward-compatible with standard micro-USB cables. In other words, you can still charge the phone with legacy USB cables, but it'll really juice up quickly with the compound USB 3.0 cable Samsung supplies.
Completely close the charging port flap to keep the Galaxy S5 water- and dust-resistant.Josh Miller/CNET
A cover that clips securely into place is one indication that the S5 has met IP67 standard for water- and dust-resistance. A rubberized gasket behind the back cover is another clue. Feedback about the waterproof Galaxy S4 Active prompted Samsung to send the Galaxy S5 down its waterproof path, which means that it can take a bath for up to 30 minutes at about 3 feet down. It also means: time to break out the supersoakers.
Navigation is one other alteration you should know about: the capacitive button to the left of the physical button no longer calls up the menu. Now, it manages multitasking. The target area is a little big if you ask me; I accidentally pressed it more times than I wanted, interrupting myself.
Spiffied-up TouchWiz interface
The GS5 runs Android 4.4 KitKat, with Samsung's latest proprietary TouchWiz interface extending the OS with extra abilities. Samsung has peppered this updated version of TouchWiz with tweaks that freshen up its look and feel. What's different is mostly subtle, like a Google services folder loaded onto the home screen, and an onscreen menu button in nearly every window, like the app tray, for instance.
If you're switching to the S5 from another Samsung phone, the new menu buttons may trip you up when it comes to customizing the home screens, since those controls you're used to for creating folders and selecting wallpapers are no longer there.
For example, it took me a few minutes to figure out how to delete an errant folder from my app tray. While we're on the topic, I wish Samsung had taken this opportunity to make folder creation in line with Google's drag-and-drop style. Here, you still have to premeditate needing a folder and clear a space for it on the home screen. I do like, however, that there's a menu button within the folder to customize its color
Samsung has updated TouchWiz interface adds a menu button to most screens. You can view the phone's Settings in several layouts (R).Screenshot by Jessica Dolcourt/CNET
From the main home screen, an always-listening Google search box awaits your hands-free voice dictation. The feature is very helpful, but only seems to work from this screen -- so this isn't the same all-encompassing experience you'll find in the Motorola Moto X, for instance.
Pull down the notifications tray and you'll notice two new quick-access buttons for S Finder, which operates like universal search, and Quick Connect, which helps you share content with other devices. Swipe right from the Home screen and you'll see the customizable My Magazine newsfeed that Samsung introduced with the Galaxy Note 3.
The S5's Settings menu is one area that's clearly received a visual overhaul with this new TouchWiz. You get a black backdrop, circular icons, and a choice of layouts. You can continue to break out settings into tabs, view them as a list, or plop them into a scrolling menu organized by collapsible subcategories. I prefer the tidy tabs, myself.
Features and apps consolidate
Sometimes it's hard to tell where TouchWiz ends and Samsung's apps and features begin. Since the Galaxy S5 already folds in the Galaxy S4's gestures and capabilities and then builds on top of them, I'll just share some newer items.
Let's start with Kid's Mode, an optional, 58MB downloadable sandbox. In it, tykes play with approved apps -- even a camera, while keeping the rest of the phone's contents out of bounds. The cutesy interface won't appeal to older kids, who would probably prefer their own profiles if Mom and Dad want to keep their mischievous offspring from snooping, pranks, and unauthorized downloads
If you're a fan of persistent shortcuts, you're going to love Toolbox, which you can toggle on in the notifications pull-down or through Settings. It's a floating circle that expands to reveal five shortcuts for apps like the camera and calculator. Everything's customizable, and you can move the circle if it gets in your way. I really like the notion, but it got in my way so often I wound up closing it for good. I'd love to be able to call it up with a triple-screen tap, perhaps.
Ultra power-saving mode is for those of you who forget your charger when you leave for a weekend trip. A quick press of a button turns off most connections and transforms your phone from technicolor to grayscale. Limiting color, apps, and activities boosts your phone's run time immensely; we're talking days, depending on how much charge you have left. Samsung says that with 10 percent battery left, you'll be able to make it another 24 hours before charging, a claim we'll test ourselves in the upcoming days.
Another new software tidbit, download booster, joins together your Wi-Fi and carrier data connections to give you faster download speeds. Since it works behind the scenes, this is another one of those features that most people won't actively notice, so long as it's doing its job.
One that you will see, and which Samsung hopes you incorporate into your daily routine, in the updated S Health app and widgets, to try to draw fitness-interest folks of all levels. A pedometer and exercise scorecard meets a built-in nutrition monitor and all-new heart-rate tracker (more on this below). The app looks more polished than before, and the home screen widget (which you can remove, of course) keeps an ongoing tally of your steps.
Ultra power-saving mode converts the S5 to grayscale and dramatically lengthens battery life.Josh Miller/CNET
The new S Health is nice for casual observers, but it needs more rigorous on-screen stats if it wants to compete with sophisticated apps like Endomondo, which also tracks you on a map in real-time and makes elevation rates and pacing numbers easier to find. In S Health, you have to dig through a log for the finer details.
In a nod to criticism, Samsung has cut back on the number of its Samsung-branded preloads. You can still download the ones you want through the Samsung Apps shortcut in your apps tray, and through Galaxy Essentials, an item in your menu button. That's where you'll find apps like S Note, S Translator, a video editor, Samsung Smart Switch, and managers for Samsung's family of Gear devices -- the Gear Fit fitness band, and the Gear 2 and Gear 2 Neo smartwatches. The Galaxy S5 will also pair with Samsung's original Galaxy Gear watch.
For more about how the Galaxy S5 and the Gear fit work together, read Scott Steins' in-depth review of the Samsung Gear Fit smart band.
Inside the fingerprint scanner
There are two high-profile features that Samsung's Galaxy S5 waves over the HTC One M8: fingerprint-swiping security and the heart-rate monitor. Both work as well as advertised, as long as you execute them correctly, but at the end of the day, neither one strikes me as important enough to tip the scale in the S5's favor.
Let's start with the fingerprint scanner. It stores profiles for only three fingers, versus five in the iPhone 5S's TouchID system. It's easy enough to set up through the Settings menu
At the moment of the equinox, it is traditional to observe Earth Day by ringing the Japanese Peace Bell, which was donated by Japan to the United Nations.[27] Over the years, celebrations have occurred in various places worldwide at the same time as the UN celebration. On March 20, 2008, in addition to the ceremony at the United Nations, ceremonies were held in New Zealand, and bells were sounded in California, Vienna, Paris, Lithuania, Tokyo, and many other locations. The equinox Earth Day at the UN is organized by the Earth Society Foundation.[28]
