Pop up play might just be the “killer” feature you use to show off your new Samsung Galaxy S III (S3) and make iPhone users green with envy.
Multitasking is not just a nice feature to have on a new smartphone – it is required in order to play in the same league with the big boys and girls. Our busy lives demand that we be able to do more than one thing at a time and not lose our place in one app to interact with another.
Different smartphone manufacturers have handles the challenges of multitasking in different ways. Fast app switching isn’t really true multi tasking – but at least it gets the user from one app to another quickly. WebOS like cards and QNX on the BlackBerry PlayBook do a great job of true multitasking – but that doesn’t help Android users.
Now, on the Galaxy S3, Android users might just have the ultimate multitasking feature that no other platform can match – Pop up play.
What is Pop up play
Pop up play is the ability to watch video – even HD video – at the same time as you text, email, browse the web or do just about anything else on your phone.
With Pop up play, you start a video and literally never have to leave the video to use the other features of your phone.
Using Pop up play
To use Pop up Play, go to your Videos app and start any video in your collection. We should state at the outset that Pop up play does not work with YouTube videos or videos you might be streaming from another service – the video needs to be resident on your Galaxy S3.
- Go to your Videos app
- Start any video
- Touch the Pop up play icon in the lower right hand corner of the video Play screen
- Pop up play is now active
You will see your video now playing in a small screen. The beauty of Pop up play is that the video stays on top of anything else you might be doing on your phone. If you want to send a text, jut fire up the Messaging app and start sending a text – while watching your video.
Options in Pop up play
The most notable and fun thing to do while using Pop up play is to move the video anywhere you want in the screen. Just take your finger and drag the video to any other part of the screen. This is particularly helpful is you are sending a text and need access to the keyboard; just move the video out of the way.
You can change to any app while the Pop up play video is running; just start any other app like normal and move the video to a part of the screen so it does not interfere with what you are doing.
To go back to watching the video in full screen, simply tap the video. The close the video entirely, press and hold the video and then touch on the red (-) icon and the Video app will close.
Due to the horsepower of your Galaxy S3, you shouldn’t really experience much in the way of lag or hesitation of any kind when using Pop up play. Your battery will drain a bit quicker, but it’s worth it.
At least for now, Samsung Galaxy S 3 owners are the only ones who can sit at the lunch table and have a video running while they send out a text; that should get you noticed and establish you firmly in the office or at school as the person with the coolest phone…. for now.