Archive for the ‘Brands’ Category
Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
Sony Mobile has unveiled another two new Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) smartphones. The Xperia ion takes over the flagship role from the Xperia S, while the Xperia neo L is a follow-up to the Xperia neo V.
Both smartphones will be available in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in calendar Q3 2012.

New flagship from Sony Mobile: Xperia ion; and the Xperia neo L.
The Xperia ion and Xperia neo L were launched today as part of Sony Mobile’s South East Asia debut of a slew of six new Xperia smartphones.

The Xperia ion and Xperia neo L are part of a slew of six that debuted in SE Asia today. From left: Sony Xperia ion, go, acro S, neo L, miro, and tipo.
The other four phones were the Xperia go, Xperia acro S, Xperia miro and Xperia tipo.
They had been unveiled progressively over the past two weeks.
New flagship Xperia
The 4.6-inch screen of the Xperia ion is bigger than the 4.3-inch display of the Xperia S.
The Xperia ion also has a microSD card expansion slot for up to 32GB – which the former flagship model lacked.
The Xperia ion has a massive 4.6-inch display (1280 x 720 pixels on a 16-million colour TFT), and a high-capacity embedded 1,900mAH battery.
Both the rear (1080p) and front (720p) cameras are HD capable.
The 12-megapixel rear camera boasts a quick sleep-to-snap speed of just over a second via a single key press.
The Xperia ion will be available in black in Singapore; and in black and red in Malaysia and Indonesia.

Sony Xperia neo L
The Xperia neo L has a 4-inch display (480 x 854 pixels on a 16-million colour TFT), a 5.1-megapixel (720p) rear-camera, VGA front camera, and a 1,500mAH battery.
It has a sleek curved back design and glossy finish; and incorporates Sony’s xLoud technology for crisp and loud sound.
The Xperia neo L is available in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in both black and white.
The tech specs for the Xperia ion and Xperia neo L can be viewed/downloaded below.
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Tags:acro S, Android 4.0, Art Palates Café, debut, GO, Ice Cream Sandwich, Indonesia, Malaysia, miro, Singapore, smartphones, Sony Mobile, South East Asia, tipo, Xperia ion, Xperia neo L
Posted in Android, Announce, App, Events, Gadgets, Operating Systems, Phones, Software, Sony, Specifications, Xperia | 6 Comments »
Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
The six new models are: Xperia go, acro S, miro, tipo, ion, and neo L. The first four models were announced over the last two weeks, while the Xperia ion and neo L were unveiled today.
All six phone models will be available in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in calendar Q3 2012.

Mathew Lang, Corporate Vice President and Head of SEA & Oceania Customer Unit, Sony Mobile at the event at Art Palates Café, Istana Park, Singapore.
The Xperia ion is the new flagship smartphone for Sony Mobile.
Its 4.6-inch display is bigger than that of the 4.3-inch in the previous flagship Xperia S.

Water resistant Sony Xperia acro S. Don’t try this at home. Photo taken with Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF5.
The Xperia ion also includes a microSD card expansion slot for up to 32GB – which was absent in the Xperia S.
The Xperia go and Xperia acro S are stylish, durable and water-resistant.
They are supposedly water-proof up to a depth of 1m.
The Xperia miro offers deep Facebook integration and features Sony’s xLOUD audio technology together with the Xperia neo L.
The Xperia tipo comes in both single and dual SIM versions.
The latter allows one-touch switching between two numbers through a dedicated network switch button on the phone.
All six models either ship with Android 4.0 installed or can be upgraded over-the-air to Android 4.0.

The six new Android smartphones debuting in SE Asia in Q3 2012: Sony Xperia ion, go, acro S, neo L, miro, and tipo. Photo taken with Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF5.
With such a range of smartphones catered to different tastes and needs, Xperia fans willl be spoilt for choice when shopping for their next smartphone.
Below are the technical specifications for the six Xperia smartphones from Sony Mobile.
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Tags:acro S, Android 4.0, Art Palates Café, debut, GO, Ice Cream Sandwich, Indonesia, Malaysia, miro, Singapore, smartphones, Sony Mobile, South East Asia, tipo, Xperia ion, Xperia neo L
Posted in Android, Announce, App, Events, Gadgets, Launch, Operating Systems, Phones, Software, Sony, Specifications, Xperia | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, June 19th, 2012
Microsoft has unveiled two 10.6-inch Windows tablets and accessories.
One model will run on Windows RT and will be released with the general availability of Windows 8. The other tablet will be available about 90 days after and feature Windows 8 Pro.
Update 2 (1 March, 2013):
Microsoft has announced that beginning late March the rollout of Surface will continue over the next few months.
Surface RT with Windows RT will reach Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan.
Surface Pro with Windows 8 Pro will hit Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Update 1 (18 July, 2012):
Microsoft’s Steven Sinofsky has just announced at its annual sales meeting that customers will be able to get Windows 8 on 26 October, 2012. This will be available both as an upgrade or on a new PC.

Microsoft finally joins the fray by unveiling its 10.6-inch Surface tablets.
The Windows RT Surface tablet will run on an ARM processor, while the Windows 8 Pro version will have a third-generation Intel Core processor.

The Touch Cover and Type Cover double up as keyboards.
Each Surface tablet will have a full-sized USB port, a microSD slot, and a 16:9 aspect ratio; with edges angled at 22 degrees.
The casing of Surface is created using VaporMg (pronounced Vapor-Mag), where metal and deposit particles are molded to create a finish akin to luxury watches.
Starting with magnesium, parts can be molded as thin as .65 mm, thinner than the typical credit card, to create a product that is thin, light and rigid/strong.

The VaporMg materials and processes has enabled the thin and sleek design of the Surface tablets.
This also enables an extremely thin built-in kickstand to prop the tablet up when watching movies or video conferencing with the HD front- or rear-facing video cameras.

The integrated, built-in kickstand removes the need for a separate accessory.
I like the idea and design of this integrated kickstand.
To transform the tablet into a “notebook”, a 3 mm Touch Cover uses pressure-sensitive technology to sense keystrokes as gestures, allowing users to touch type significantly faster than on an on-screen keyboard.
The Touch Cover will be available in a selection of vibrant colors. It clicks into the Surface tablet via a built-in magnetic connector, forming a natural spine like you find on a book, and doubles up as a protective cover.

The Touch Cover and Type Cover comes in many vibrant colours.
Alternatively, users can click in a 5 mm-thin Type Cover that adds moving keys for a more traditional typing feel.
Retail pricing will be announced closer to availability but is expected to be competitive with a comparable ARM tablet or Intel Ultrabook-class PC.
OEMs will have cost and feature parity on Windows 8 and Windows RT.
Oh and if you’re interested in a 40-inch tablet, check out the Samsung SUR40 for Microsoft Surface. (I haven’t heard anyone else calling THAT a tablet yet).
The main technical specifications of the two Surface tablets are tabulated below.
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Tags:announce, ARM, hybrid, Microsoft, notebooks, Surface, tablets, Touch Cover, Type Cover, ultrabooks, unveil, Windows 8 Pro, Windows RT
Posted in Accessories, Announce, Gadgets, Keyboards, Microsoft, Software, Specifications, Surface, Tablets, Tech news, Windows 8 | No Comments »
Monday, June 18th, 2012
The camera-less BlackBerry Curve 9360 is now available in Singapore. Suitable for those who need a camera-less smartphone for use in an environment where security concerns forbid the use of cameras or devices with cameras – such as military camps and installations.

The camera-less BlackBerry Curve 9360 is now available in Singapore.
The BlackBerry Curve 9360 was first unveiled in August last year and launched in Singapore in October.
The Curve 9360 comes equipped with the BlackBerry 7 OS and enables users to connect to the Internet, play games, BBM and be socially connected at all times.
Tags:9360, available, BlackBerry, camera, Curve, launch, Research In Motion, RIM, Singapore, smartphone
Posted in Availability, BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Curve, Gadgets, Launch, Phones, RIM, Tech news | 1 Comment »
Sunday, June 17th, 2012
Yay, it’s Father’s Day today! To all fellow fathers out there – Happy Father’s Day!

DIY ice-cream for Father’s Day. Photo taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 using “Cute Dessert” Scene Mode.
And for those looking to do something different for your father or the father of your children, here’s something you can try – especially if he’s allergic to dairy products or diabetic.

Delicious & healthy! No post-processing on the photo except cropping and resizing. I’m impressed with the sharp focus (despite being hand-held) and vibrant colours.
Thankfully I’m neither of these but it was fabulous to be served with a big dollop of this home-made ice-cream first thing in the morning of Father’s Day.
So here’s the how-to, courtesy of mamatimes.wordpress.com.
Keep a couple of bananas until the skin turns slightly black cos some netizens say they have to be really ripe. Slice them up and put them in the freezer.
You can add other fruits, like strawberries. Just toss them into the freezer. Once frozen, throw the lot into a food processor and you’re done.
What’s left is the dressing up and topping. You can add rainbow candies, grounded peanut or chocolate chips or powder. Enjoy!
Tags:bananas, DIY, DMC-GF5, fruits, home-made, ice cream, Lumix, Panasonic, strawberries, strawberry
Posted in Cameras, Compact camera, Gadgets, Holiday, Howtos, Lifestyle, Lumix, MIL, Panasonic, Photography, Photos | No Comments »
Saturday, June 16th, 2012
Registration is open for the BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour taking place in 23 cities and 19 countries. Registration is FREE.

Registration is open for the BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour events.
The BlackBerry Jam World Tour begins on 19 June 2012 and will comprise a series of one-day events dedicated to providing the developer community with insights on the BlackBerry 10 platform.
Experts will be present to share tips and tricks and other information with developers to help them create apps for BlackBerry 10.
From 2-12 July, the Tour will stop at six cities in the Asia Pacific: Bangalore, Delhi, Beijing, Singapore, Jakarta and Sydney.
The full list and dates of the venue can be found here.
Ten registrants will also have the opportunity to pitch their apps to fellow attendees in “Lightning Pitches”.
The winner will be voted by attendees and announced during the closing reception.
Qualified developers who attend the BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour will be provided with a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device, a prototype device created specially for developers to help them prepare for the launch of BlackBerry 10.
Research In Motion (RIM) will determine which applicant qualify for the Dev Alpha device based on applicant information. For a start, those who have already received a device before will not be able to receive another.
Tags:Asia Pacific, Bangalore, Beijing, BlackBerry 10, conference, Delhi, Dev Alpha device, Jakarta, Jam World Tour, Research In Motion, RIM, Singapore, Sydney
Posted in BlackBerry, Gadgets, RIM, Seminars | 1 Comment »
Thursday, June 14th, 2012
Samsung is bringing in to Singapore the GALAXY Tab 2 (10.1) 3G tablet (S$798) on 16 June, and the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) tablet (S$598) on 23 June. Prices include GST but excludes line contract.
Update (22 June, 2012):
Samsung has just announced that the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) will only be available in Singapore on 30 June 2012. Price remains unchanged at S$598 (inclusive of GST) without contract.
Pricing and availability of the Wi-Fi versions for the GALAXY Tab 2 series will be announced closer to the launch date.

Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 in 7-inch and 10.1 inches
The GALAXY Tab 2 series of tablets are Samsung’s first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablets. There are now some 400,000 apps for Android phones and tablets.
The GALAXY Tab 2 tablets are available in 3G and WiFi versions.

Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 (7) and GALAXY Tab 2 (10.1)
GALAXY Tab 2 Series offer users easy multimedia access, playback and sharing experiences with Samsung Hub services.
Samsung’s Music Hub provides a full music store solution with access to over 17 million tracks.

GALAXY Tab 2
The Readers Hub provides access to over 2.3 million e-books, 3,500 magazines and over 2,000 newspapers in 51 languages, while Game Hub instantly connects users to the latest game titles.
Samsung’s upgraded Touchwiz user interface features Hub widgets for one-step access to users’ content in Hubs.
The device also presents S Suggest, a new service offering recommendations of apps suited to users’ tastes directly on a home screen.
Samsung’s AllShare is a content-sharing service that allows users to search for and play video, photo, and music files freely across their GALAXY Tab 2 Series from PCs and other Samsung smart devices – such as PC, TV, mobile phone, and digital camera – by using the local network for streaming playback.
With the voice call capability, the GALAXY Tab 2 Series can be used as a phone, serving as a second device in case they misplace their primary phone.
It also lets users spontaneously arrange multi-party video calls via Google+ hangouts, as well as engage in group chats or micro-communities to collectively chat or share content.
In addition, ChatON, Samsung’s cross-platform communication service, connects all phone users of any platform into a single community.

Rear of the Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 tablets
ChatON uses phone numbers instead of ID and passwords, and provides easy instant messaging and group chatting in various formats — images, video, voice, contacts — to make messaging simple and intuitive.
Below are the main technical specifications of the two Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 tablets.
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Tags:10.7 inch, 7 inch, Android 4.0, available, Galaxy, Ice Cream Sandwich, launch, Samsung, Singapore, Tab 2, tablet
Posted in Android, Announce, App, Availability, Gadgets, Galaxy, Operating Systems, Prices, Samsung, Software, Specifications, Tablets | No Comments »
Thursday, June 14th, 2012
Nikon has announced, worldwide, two new NIKKOR lenses: AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm F/3.5-4.5G ED and AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR. Pricing & availability TBA.

Nikon has more than 70 lenses in its NIKKOR range.
The AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm F/3.5-4.5G ED is a compact, lightweight Nikon FX-format standard zoom lens suitable for a variety of shooting situations.

Nikon has produced more than 70 million NIKKOR lenses to date.
The AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR has the world’s highest 16.7x zoom ratio for an interchangeable zoom lens for DSLR cameras.
The total production of NIKKOR lenses for Nikon interchangeable lens cameras has reached 70 million at the end of May 2012.
The current NIKKOR brand offers a broad lineup of more than 70 lenses, including fisheye lenses, super wide-angle to super telephoto lenses, zoom lenses, Micro lenses, and PC-E lenses.
Read more about the two new lenses below.
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Tags:AF-S, DX, ED, FX, lens, lenses, new, NIKKOR, Nikon
Posted in Announce, Gadgets, Lens, Nikon, Specifications | No Comments »
Thursday, June 14th, 2012
Instead of end-June, the Canon EOS 650D Body and Kit 1 (EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens) are now available. The new EF40mm f/2.8 STM lens also hits the shelves today at S$299.

Canon EOS 650D Kit 1 (with EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens).
The Canon EOS 650D Kit II (with EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens) and the new EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens are still not available yet.

Canon EF40mm f/2.8 STM lens
| Available from today |
| Canon EOS 650D |
| Body |
S$1,149 |
| Kit 1 |
S$1,299 |
| EF40mm |
S$299 |
Tags:650D, camera, Canon, DSLR, EOS, launch, lenses, photography, Singapore, touch
Posted in Availability, Cameras, Canon, DSLR, EOS, Gadgets, Lens, Prices, Specifications | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 13th, 2012
Sony Mobile has unveiled two new Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) smartphones that are designed to be stylish, fun and easy to use. One of them has a dual-SIM version available (Xperia tipodual).
Both smartphones will be launched globally in calendar Q3 2012.

Sony Mobile Xperia miro and Xperia tipo
The Xperia miro has a 3.5-inch display, 5-megapixel camera and 1,500mAH battery.

Sony Xperia tipo & miro
It provides deep Facebook integration and Sony’s xLOUD audio technology in a slim and stylish design.
The Xperia tipo has a 3.2-inch display, 3.2-megapixel camera and 1,500mAH battery.
It comes in both single and dual-SIM versions – no more hunting for dual-SIM adaptors that might not be compatible with your single-SIM phone.
You can have two separate lines, one personal and one work-related, on the same phone.
In some countries, different networks charge different rates for voice and data, local and overseas.
With the Xperia tipodual, users can switch – at one touch – to the cheaper network for whichever mode they are using.
The press release and specs can be viewed/downloaded below.
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Tags:Android, dual SIM, Ice Cream Sandwich, miro, smartphones, Sony, tipo, tipo dual, Xperia
Posted in Android, Announce, Brochures, Gadgets, Phones, Sony, Specifications, Xperia | 2 Comments »