Samsung Galaxy S III: Summer blockbuster defined by superstar software (image gallery)

Some of the major specifications and features are highlighted on the back of the retail box.

After sliding off the sleeve and opening the box lid you will find the Galaxy S III with its protective and descriptive plastic protector.

You will find a USB cable, USB charger, and a decent wired stereo headset in the retail package. A Quick Start Guide is also included, along with other legal brochures.

Unlike the changes made to the US version of the Galaxy Note, the Galaxy S III maintains the single center hardware button seen on the international model. The button is used to get back to the home screen, access the task switcher, and access S Voice.

The headset speaker, sensors, LED indicator light, and front facing camera are found above the gorgeous 4.8 inch display.

The LED flash, 8 megapixel camera, and speaker are found along the upper back of the device.

You can use the microUSB port to charge the phone, connect to a PC, and connect to an external display with a MHL adaptor.

There are a couple of logos on the back for the carrier and branding of the smartphone.

Minimal buttons and ports are found on the Galaxy S III. The left side simply has a volume button. The right side just has the Samsung on/off button. The top is where the 3.5mm headset jack is found.

Here you can see that both of these Ice Cream Sandwich devices are very similar in size and design. The hardware button on the Galaxy S III is a distinguishing factor.

The Galaxy S III has a fully removable back while some of the Galaxy Nexus is not removable and has texture.

The removable battery, microSIM card, and microSD card slots are found under the back cover.

There are lots of curves on the Galaxy S III. I like the way the glass front curves to the edges on the front.

You can customize the four application shortcuts on the lock screen and also include things like the weather if you desire.

Here you can see what a typical home screen looks like. Note the use of more traditional Gingerbread folders rather than the newer ICS folder structure found on the HTC One X and others.

There are up to seven available home screens on the Galaxy S III and I prefer to use them all for apps and widgets.

Tapping the Apps icon on the lower right brings you to this launcher view where you can then launch apps you do not already have shortcuts setup for on your home screen.

You can select from a number of widgets to use on your home screens. To select you simply tap and hold and then drag the widget to the location where you want it display.

Too often the basic calculator is not enough so it is nice to see Samsung put a bit of effort into this one.

Flipboard was revealed at the Galaxy S III announcement and was supposed to be an exclusive launch app. It soon was made available as a beta to all Android owners.

Samsung implements lots of motions on the Galaxy S III and when you get into a situation where a motion would be useful a tips screen pops up to help you out.  You can tap the checkbox to turn off these tips in the future too.

Samsung includes a couple of different content hubs, including this Games Hub. It is designed to feature games and help you find apps.

Here is a another cool tip to help remind you about missed alerts if you were away from your phone.

I enjoy renting movies and watching them when I travel so it is nice to see the Media Hub loaded on this device.

Fingers and parts of your hand are used for motion control.

S Memo was brought over from the Galaxy Note and integrates well with Google Docs and Evernote.

There are plenty of options in S Memo.

Samsung includes a very functional utility for voice control called S Voice.

S Voice works well most of the time, but it is not perfect and does have limitations.

Here is a screenshot of the first page of S Voice options.

And more S Voice options for you to enjoy.

The weather requests in S Voice tend to work very well.

Samsung's S Suggest area is where you will find recommended apps and have the ability to rate apps to share with friends too.

When you launch the video player you will see each video playing in the thumbnail size view.

There are a ton of settings on the Galaxy S III that let you customize the device to your particular preferences.

This screenshot shows you an example of some display settings.

It is great to see an LED light on the Galaxy S III and in these settings you can customize some options.

Samsung includes a ton of different motion options on the Galaxy S III.

Here are even more motion settings for the Galaxy S III.

There are two integrated memory options and support for a microSD card.

Here is the dialer of the Galaxy S III.

I have never seen this option before, but Samsung lets you create custom vibration patterns.

There are several different shooting modes available on the Galaxy S III.

In addition to the shooting mode, you will find flash control, scenes, and more.

There are a LOT of settings in the camera software.

Note the camera shutter button in the upper right of this image. You can capture still images while recording video.

Lots of fun scene modes in the camera.

It is fantastic to see that you can customize the four shortcuts in the camera software so your most used are readily accessible.

There are also plenty of options in the Gallery application.

Here is a sample of a Face tag.

Samsung provides different ways to help you easily share content.

You don't even have to leave the Gallery to share your photos.

Here you can see top menu bar options, the thumbnail slider, and more.

Exchange support is actually quite good on the Galaxy S III.

Unlike earlier Samsung models that limited your access, you get full access to your account on the Galaxy S III.

The Kies air app can be quite useful, especially if you don't have a Windows PC.

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I captured this during one of our port calls.

Here is a shot of one of my favorite superheroes of all time.