iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S4

You can listen to people dither on and on about their smartphone of choice, but there are really only two devices at the forefront right now: Samsung's Galaxy S4 and Apple's iPhone 5.

Call it hype. Call it marketing. But these are the two phones a lot of you will be choosing between this year.

So which one is the best? Well, that's not an easy question to answer. The better question is, "Which one is best for you?"

Let's break it down.

Hardware Features
Samsung loaded the Galaxy S4 with a ton of specialized hardware features. The phone's front-facing camera can detect when you're looking at it, so it can do things like keep the display bright while you're reading or let you tilt the phone to scroll through pages. The phone also lets you swipe through photos and other items just by waving your hand over the screen.

The iPhone 5 doesn't have as many gee-whiz features as the Galaxy S4 does; it's much more simplistic. In fact, the iPhone 5 doesn't have many special hardware features that you can't get on other phones. It's pretty basic: 4G LTE connection, dual-core processor, and a high-resolution display.

Bottom Line: If simplicity suits you, go for the iPhone 5. If you want a bunch of flashy extras, go for the Galaxy S4.

Apps/Content Selection
Even though there are more Android users in the world, developers still prefer to make apps for the iPhone first. Apple has a unified system for all its mobile devices, which makes it easy for developers to make an app once and push it out to millions of users.

Since the Android ecosystem is scattered across several different manufacturers and devices, Galaxy S4 owners will have to wait longer than iPhone 5 owners to get new apps and significant updates.

Bottom Line: If you want the best apps, get the iPhone 5.

Operating System
Samsung's Galaxy S4 runs on Google's Android operating system, but Samsung has modified the look and feel with its own "skin" called TouchWiz. Still, Samsung does keep Android's core features, so the experience isn't radically different from other Android devices.

The benefit to using Android over using the iPhone is that it allows a greater level of customization, meaning you can do stuff like remove apps you don't want and tweak your home screen with widgets that update with live information.

The iPhone's operating system, iOS, is much more simplistic and easier for most people to use. It's basically just a screen of static icons for apps. A lot of people criticize the iPhone software for being too simplistic, but you could also argue that's been the key to the phone's success.

Bottom Line: If you like customization, go with the Galaxy S4. If you want something simple and easy to use, go with the iPhone 5.

Design

It was a bit disappointing when Samsung decided to build the Galaxy S4 out of plastic. The build quality is OK, but not nearly as good as the iPhone 5's all metal and glass design.

But the Galaxy S4 does have a 5-inch screen, which is a full inch larger than the iPhone 5's screen. That could be a big draw for some people.

Bottom Line: If design and build quality matter to you, choose the iPhone. If you want a big screen, go with the Galaxy S4.

Conclusion
It really is a close call. Most people will be happy with either the Galaxy S4 or iPhone 5. It's a matter of preference.

You have to ask yourself: Is a big screen and customization more important to you? If yes, then choose the Galaxy S4.

But if you prefer simplicity and the best selection of apps, choose the iPhone 5.

Reference: http://www.businessinsider.com/samsung-galaxy-s4-iphone-5-2013-4#ixzz2QEWC3jzf

How to mount a Windows shared folder on your Mac

So you've made the switch to Mac, but kept your old PC, and now you've got both connected to your home router. How do you access your Windows files from OS X?

Sure you could set up an FTP or SSH server, but that's overkill for a regular home network. Turns out that Mac OS X can connect to Windows shared folders very easily. Read on to find out how.

Set up sharing on your PC. To get this going, make sure your PC is set up for file sharing. In Windows, choose the folder you want to access from your Mac, and right-click to get to its Properties dialog box. From the sharing tab, turn on sharing, and choose a name for the shared folder. (This is the name you'll see on your Mac.)

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If you try to use a name more than 12 characters long, Windows will warn you about some operating systems not being able to grok it. To be safe, stick with something less than 12. Here, I'm sharing the "My Documents" folder as "PC - My Docs." Also, check the "Allow network users to change my files" if you want to save files to this share from your Mac.

Determine your PC's IP address. You'll need to give your Mac an address to look for this shared folder, so get your PC's local IP address from the command line by runningipconfig. In my setup (shown below), that address is 192.168.1.102. Write that number down.

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UPDATE: Several readers have pointed out that you can use your PC's name versus its IP address to connect to it. Using the name is a better method than IP address because the IP can change if it's assigned dynamically, but the name won't unless you change it.

Connect to the server on your Mac. Now, on your Mac, from Finder's Go menu, choose "Connect to Server." Enter the IP address you just obtained from your PC, preceded by smb://, as shown:

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UPDATE: To use your PC's name instead of IP address, replace the number with the name. So if your PC's name is "MyWindowsBox", you'd usesmb://mywindowsbox (not case-sensitive).

If it finds your server, you'll get prompted to enter your network credentials - by default, your Windows username and password:

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Once you're in, you'll get to choose which shared folder you want to mount on your Mac. In this case, we're going to choose the "PC - My Docs" share:

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And you're done! Now the "PC - My Docs" folder will be mounted on your Mac, and accessible from your desktop and in Finder. If you've allowed reading and writing to the shared folder in Windows, you can drag and drop and save files to it as if it were any disk.

This technique comes in very handy for backing up your Mac's data to a PC, too - just set your Mac's backup software destination to the Windows drive. Also, using Hamachi, you can also do this over the internet when you're away from home.

UPDATE: You can automatically mount your Windows drive every time you login to your Mac by adding it to your Login items. In System Preferences, Accounts, choose the "Login Items" tab and add the Volume to the list of apps that automatically start up. Thanks, Snorbalp!

Reference: http://lifehacker.com/247148/how-to-mount-a-windows-shared-folder-on-your-mac