Archive for the ‘Brands’ Category

New Android smartphones: HTC Desire V and Desire C

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

The HTC Desire V (S$498) and Desire C (S$338) are the successors to the HTC Desire. Both Android 4.0 smartphones will feature Beats Audio technology and hit the shelves in Singapore from this Saturday, 16 June.

The HTC Desire V (S$498) and Desire C (S$338) will be available on 16 June 2012.

The HTC Desire V (S$498) and Desire C (S$338) will be available on 16 June 2012.

The HTC Desire V is available in Polar White and Stealth Black.

HTC Desire V

The new HTC Desire V and Desire C are also among the first entry-level smartphones to offer Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Both phones come with two years of free 25GB Dropbox space.

Beats Audio technology is integrated into the software and hardware of the phones to provide a powerful, yet rich studio-quality sound experience – whether the user is listening to music or playing a game.

The HTC Desire V has a 4-inch display, a 5-megapixel camera with WVGA video recording, and a 1650mAh battery.

It runs on a 1GHz CPU; and is available in Polar White and Stealth Black.

The HTC Desire C is available in Flamenco Red, Polar White and Stealth Black.

HTC Desire C

The HTC Desire V supports dual SIM cards so you can keep two active numbers in the same phone – there is no longer any need to carry two phones.

The HTC Desire C has a 3.5-inch (320 x 480) display, a 5-megapixel camera with VGA video recording, and a 1,230mAh battery.

It runs on a 600MHz CPU; and is available in Flamenco Red, Polar White and Stealth Black.

I am particularly partial to the Flamenco Red skin for the HTC Desire C. Doesn’t it just evoke impressions of Darth Maul?

Below are the key specifications of the HTC Desire V and HTC Desire C.

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New Android smartphone: HTC One S

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

The HTC One S is the fourth and last smartphone in the HTC One series to be introduced in Singapore.

It will be available in Gradient Metal from this Saturday, 16 June, for S$948 (without line but including a Beats Solo Headset).

Update (19 July, 2012):

The HTC One S Regular Edition will be available at S$748 from this Saturday, 21 July. The HTC One S Regular Edition does not include the Beats Solo Headset.

The HTC One S Deluxe Edition, which includes the Beats Solo Headset is still available at S$948.

The HTC One S will be available in Gradient Metal.

The HTC One S will be available in Gradient Metal.

The HTC One S is the slimmest of the four phones in the HTC One series of Android phones. The others are the HTC One X, HTC One V, and HTC One XL.

HTC One S Android 4.0 smartphone

The HTC One S is launched with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich; HTC Sense user interface; and runs on a 1.7 GHz dual-core CPU.

It has a 4.3-inch (540 x 960) screen, an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording, and a 1,650 mAh battery.

As with the other phones in the HTC One series, the phone excels in its camera and audio performance.

S$948: HTC One S bundled with a Beats Solo Headset

S$948: HTC One S bundled with a Beats Solo Headset

The camera has an f/2.0 aperture and 28mm wide angle lens, captures a shot in 0.7 seconds and in burst mode can shoot up to 60 continuous snapshots at one go.

Bundled with a Beats Solo Headset, HTC One S users enjoy a superb audio experience with Beats Audio Technology, which is integrated into the hardware and software of the smartphone.

Other notable features include an internal storage of 16GB with 2 years’ worth of free 25GB Dropbox storage; and the ability to playback the smartphone’s content on a large screen, via an optional HTC Media Link HD accessory.

Below are the key specifications of the HTC One S at a glance.

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Numbers from Apple’s WWDC 2012

Tuesday, June 12th, 2012

As usual, Apple has revealed a slew of statistics to illustrate how it is leading the field. Here are some of the more interesting numbers from WWDC 2012.

Apple and WWDC 2012 in numbers

Apple and WWDC 2012 in numbers

There are now  650,000 apps in the App Store, out of which 225,000 are specific to the iPad.

In its four years of existence, 30 billion apps have been downloaded from Apple’s App Store, with US$5 billion for all app sales.

There are 400 million iTunes accounts with credit card. 140 million iMessage users send > 1 billion messages a day.

There are 365 million iOS devices out there, with 80% of these on the current latest iOS 5.

Apple contrast this with the Android’s profile, where slightly less than three-quarters of Android devices are still on Android 2.3.

To date, 26 million copies of Lion OS have been sold. Overall, there are 66 million Mac users.

First Apple WWDC 2012 without Steve Jobs

Monday, June 11th, 2012

A year ago, Steve Jobs made his last appearance at an Apple WWDC. This year, Tim Cook helms his first WWDC as Apple’s CEO.

Apple's WWDC 2012 is from 11-15 June in San Francisco.

Apple's WWDC 2012 is from 11-15 June in San Francisco.

The annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this year is being held from June 11 – 15 at San Francisco’s Moscone West. Tickets were sold out in a mere two hours when it went on sale in April.

Here’s a quick roundup of some of the revelations from the opening keynote presentation on first of the 5-day conference.

MacBooks / OS X Mountain Lion

Refreshed MacBook Air & Next-generation MacBook Pro ships today.
In comes Ivy Bridge processor and USB 3.0, out goes Ethernet and FireWire 800 ports, MacBook Air becomes thinner and lighter, MacBook Pro gets 60% faster graphics performance.
Retina display in MacBooks: 220ppi with 2880 x 1800 resolution.
Highest-resolution notebook display in the world.
Retina Display support: Final Cut Pro, Aperture and Diablo3 now supports 220ppi display.
AutoCad and Photoshop support in the works.
iPad-style Dictation is introduced to Mountain Lion for Macs.
Speak directly into native Apple software, Microsoft Word and Facebook.
AirPort Express available now.
Pocket WiFi router supports simultaneous dual-band.
New OS X feature: Power Nap.
Mac updates emails, notifications and photos, and backs itself up while charging.
OS X Mountain Lion available on Macs in July.
Free upgrade for new Mac purchases between now and arrival of the new OS.

iOS 6

iOS 6 unveiled Beta today, full release in the fall.
More than 200 improvements: launch apps with enhanced Siri, and it comes to iPads, FaceTime over cellular data.
Supported: iPhone 3GS and up, 2nd gen iPads and up, 4th gen iPod touch.
Enhanced Siri launches apps and comes to new iPads and eventually into cars.
Siri to get into the car with Eyes Free: demo: Toggle Siri on by tapping a button the steering wheel.
iOS 6 to get Do Not Disturb feature from Mountain Lion.
Select which push notifications to mute and which to stay on.
iOS 6 integrates more tightly with Facebook, Twitter and App Store.
Share directly from core apps like Maps, Photos and Safari.
Safari offers unified search across the web, browser history and bookmarks.
Following in Chrome’s footsteps.
iCloud Tabs syncs Safari web-browsing across all devices.
Simultaneously see all the tabs open on any device.“IOS 6 will include Apple’s own mobile mapping software to compete with software from Google. TomTom will supply Apple with map data and related content.” – statement from TomTom.
Enhanced Safari features.
Multitouch to help navigate tabs, upload images directly, Offline Reading List.
Passbook provides one-stop purchase of tickets and boarding passes.
No more paper QR-codes and tickets.
Apple replaces Google Maps with own Maps app.
Maps comes with Yelp integration and turn-by-turn navigation, and 3D.

New laser printer: Canon imageCLASS LBP6680x

Monday, June 11th, 2012

Canon has launched the imageCLASS LBP6680x, a compact monochrome laser printer for Small Office/Home Offices (SOHOs) and Small and Medium-Sized businesses (SMBs).

Available in July for S$799.

Canon imageCLASS LBP6680x - available in July for S$799.

Canon imageCLASS LBP6680x - available in July for S$799.

The Canon  imageCLASS LBP6680x offers the following advanced printing capabilities.

  • Cost-accounting and server-based secure printing via Canon uniFLOW
  • Server-less solutions for Home Offices and SMBs
  • Reliable, Productive and High-Quality Printing
  • Cost- and Energy-Efficiency
  • Ease of Use and Maintenance

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Two new Canon lenses: EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and EF 40mm f/2.8 STM

Sunday, June 10th, 2012

Together with the launch of the new touch-screen EOS 650D DSLR, Canon is launching two new EF lenses. (Pricing & Availability to be announced later).

Canon EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens

Canon EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens

The Canon EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM features reduced chromatic aberration with the inclusion of one UD lens element and one PMo aspherical lens element.

When used with the Movie Servo AF of the Canon EOS 650D, it also offers smooth, speedy and quiet focusing while recording.

This is achieved with the development of a new six-group zoom system, and the adoption of a stepping motor and focus mechanism.

Along with it, the Dynamic IS system features an expanded correction range, with image stabilization equivalent to 4 stops of light, which proves very useful when shooting subjects on the move.

Canon EF40mm f/2.8 STM lens

Canon EF40mm f/2.8 STM lens

The EF40mm f/2.8 STM comes in an ultra-compact and lightweight design, with a diameter of 68.2mm, a thickness of 22.8mm and weighing 130g, making it the slimmest and lightest EF lens produced.

A fast f/2.8 aperture, 7-blade circular aperture and aspherical lens elements enable the lens to achieve a high level of image quality from centre to corner.

PC Show 2012 promotions: Newstead/Nubox

Saturday, June 9th, 2012

Newstead and Nubox will be at the PC Show 2012 at Suntec Singapore at the Level 3 Concourse.

Click on picture to view/download PC Show 2012 brochures from Newstead.

Click on picture to view/download PC Show 2012 brochures from Newstead.

Here are seven brochures for Newstead’s PC Show 2012 promotions from Nubox, and bargains/deals offered by Newstead for computers from major computer makers Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Samsung and Toshiba.

PC Show 2012 promotions: Brother

Saturday, June 9th, 2012

Brother will be at the PC Show 2012 at Suntec Singapore at Level 4, Hall 402, Booth A2027.

Click on picture to view/download PC Show 2012 brochures from Brother.

Click on picture to view/download PC Show 2012 brochures from Brother.

Here’s the brochure for Borther’s PC Show 2012 promotions for printers adn labellers.

PC Show 2012 promotions: Epson

Saturday, June 9th, 2012

Epson will be at the PC Show 2012 at Suntec Singapore at Level 4, Booth A2015.

Click on picture to view/download PC Show 2012 brochures from Epson.

Click on picture to view/download PC Show 2012 brochures from Epson.

Here are six brochures for Epson’s PC Show 2012 promotions for printers, scanners and projectors.

New DSLR: Canon EOS 650D

Friday, June 8th, 2012

Canon has unveiled the EOS 650D, its entry-level DSLR that will replace the current EOS 600D. The 18-megapixel shooter will be available at the end of June (prices within).

Update (13 June, 2012):

Instead of end-June, the EOS 650D Body and Kit 1 will be available from tomorrow. The new EF40mm f/2.8 STM lens will also be available from tomorrow at S$299.

Canon EOS 650D has 18 megapixels and a touch screen monitor.

Canon EOS 650D has 18 megapixels and a touch screen monitor.

Canon boasts that the EOS 650D is the world’s first DSLR with a touch screen monitor.

The EOS 650D features a continuous AF (autofocus) Servo and the powerful DICIG 5 imaging processor.

Price & Availability of the Canon EOS 650D

Body only

  • S$1,149
  • end-June
  • 14 June
Kit 1 (EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens)

  • S$1,299
  • end-June
  • 14 June
Kit II (with EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens)

  • S$1,699
  • mid-July

Other enhancements include a wider ISO range from ISO 100 to 12,800 (expandable to 25,600), Multi Shot Noise Control, Handheld Night Scene, HDR Backlight Control, 9 cross-type AF points within 31 AF zones, and a Hybrid CMOS AF System.

I tried out the camera during the launch event at Klapsons The Boutique Hotel in Singapore.

It’s a nifty shooter for the amateur photographer looking to take his/her photography to the next level.

The EOS 650D can shoot continuously at 5 frames per second.

The continuous AF Servo was smooth and noiseless – a boon for those who zoom in and out while shooting video and don’t want the noise to be recorded.
“We are confident that the EOS 650D will be a compelling choice for amateurs looking to bring their photography to the next level,” said Andrew Koh, Senior Director and General Manager of the Consumer Imaging and Information Products Group, Canon Singapore.
What’s more, the autofocus continues working when zooming in and out, rather than stay on the original focus distance at the commencement of video recording.

Along with the EOS 650D, Canon also introduced two new lenses, the EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and the EF40mm f/2.8mm STM, featuring a stepping motor for fast and quiet autofocusing.

Pricing & availability for these two lenses will be announced later.