Archive for the ‘S5’ Category

POTD: When your address is an expletive … expect tourists

Sunday, July 13th, 2014

Did you know that there is an actual town in Austria which is called “Fucking”? And less than two hours’ drive to the east from Salzburg, you’ll hit the mountain named “Loser” which is also a popular ski resort.

Pit stop at Fucking, Austria.

Pit stop at Fucking, Austria. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

Fucking is a tiny miniscule hamlet about 40km to the north of Salzburg. This Austrian town is about 40 minutes’ drive from Salzburg.

Located close to the border between Germany and Austria, the town comprises a cluster of houses on either side of the road.

I wonder what else is not allowed in this idyllic town. But seriously, that's just a sign to tell you that you're leaving Fucking behind you.

I wonder what else is not allowed in this idyllic town. But seriously, that’s just a sign to tell you that you’re leaving Fucking behind you. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

It is so tiny that less than 200m after passing the signboard that marks your entry into the town, you see the signboard that marks your exit from the town.

I’ve driven around Europe a fair bit and passed through many one-street towns – but Fucking is one of the tiniest we have driven through.

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POTD: Burghausen Castle on the borders of Germany & Austria

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014

Photo of the Day: We chanced upon this charming town while driving en route from Munich to Salzburg. The castle sitting on top of the hill looked majestic while the houses along the river looked so colourful and quaint.

Burghausen Castle, which has a length of over 1,000 metres, is one of the longest castle complexes in the world, sitting along a narrow ridge above the town. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

Burghausen Castle, which has a length of over 1,000 metres, is one of the longest castle complexes in the world, sitting along a narrow ridge above the town. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

We were driving from Munich to Salzburg when we chanced upon the quaint little town right beside the fast flowing Salzach River, which marks the border between Germany and Austria in these parts.

The route that we were driving was a bit off the beaten track and we hadn’t expected to come across any touristy places along the way.

So imagine our surprise when we drove into this charming little town that was obviously a tourist destination.

After driving across the bridge straddling the Salzach, we stopped by the river bank and snapped some photos of Burghausen and its castle from across the river.

We didn’t realise at that time that by crossing the bridge, we had crossed from Germany into Austria, and that we were snapping photos of the German town from the Austrian bank.

The Austrian village on the other side of the river is called Ach and is so tiny you won’t find it if you do a search for it on Google Maps, although it’s actually marked on the map.

View of Burghausen Town across the Salzach River. By driving across the bridge, one crosses from Germany into Austria. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

View of Burghausen Town across the Salzach River. By driving across the bridge, one crosses from Germany into Austria. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

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SingTel Group & Samsung accelerates mobile data growth in emerging markets

Friday, April 11th, 2014

The strategic partnership has the potential to benefit more than 500 million mobile customers across the region.

Initiatives under this partnership include a retail collaboration programme, direct carrier billing, regional mobile app development challenge and direct access to selected apps.

Initiatives under this partnership include a retail collaboration programme, direct carrier billing, regional mobile app development challenge and direct access to selected apps.

The SingTel Group and Samsung today unveiled a suite of joint initiatives designed to bring a seamless and richer mobile data experience for their customers.

“This unique partnership with SingTel Group is important for us to reach a broader audience across the markets we operate in. Samsung, together with SingTel Group, a visionary group of operators, aims to bring better and a more complete set of products and services to our consumers,” DJ Lee, President and Head of Global Sales and Marketing of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics.

These initiatives are to be progressively launched by entities in the SingTel Group – SingTel in Singapore, Optus in Australia, AIS in Thailand, Airtel in India and Africa, Globe Telecom in the Philippines and Telkomsel in Indonesia.

These initiatives cut across many areas such as marketing, content and technology. This collaboration will help differentiate the entities’ services and improve their competitiveness.

Initiatives under this partnership include a retail collaboration programme, direct carrier billing, regional mobile app development challenge and direct access to selected apps.

The four joint initiatives are detailed below.

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Samsung GALAXY S5 LTE arrives in Singapore from 11 April

Friday, April 4th, 2014

Pre-ordered units can be collected on 11 April, Friday, as the new Samsung GALAXY S5 LTE (S$1,068 without contract) hits Singapore shelves from 12 April, Saturday onwards.

Update (11 April, 2014):

Fans who successfully pre-ordered the Samsung GALAXY S5 LTE (32GB) collected their brand new devices from M1, SingTel, StarHub and Samsung Experience Stores today.

Photos here.

Samsung GALAXY S5 LTE hits Singapore on 11 April 2014.

Samsung GALAXY S5 LTE hits Singapore on 11 April 2014.

The GALAXY S5 LTE (32GB) will be available in shimmery WHITE and charcoal BLACK at all telecommunication operators, major consumer electronics stores and Samsung Experience Stores.

Consumers who had registered their interest or pre-ordered can collect their devices from their respective mobile operators and Samsung Experience Stores from 11 April 2014, Friday.

Consumers who have not registered their interest or pre-ordered will be able to purchase the GALAXY S5 LTE from the mobile operators and Samsung Experience Stores from 12 April 2014, Saturday.

The GALAXY S5 LTE is compatible with a range of Samsung wearable devices and accessories.

These will be available at the launch of GALAXY S5 LTE.

  • Gear 2 (available in charcoal BLACK and gold BROWN) – S$398
  • Gear 2 Neo (available in charcoal BLACK, mocha GRAY and wild ORANGE) – S$298
  • Gear Fit (available in charcoal BLACK) – S$268
  • S View Cover (available in Black, White, Rose Gold, Pink, Green ) – S$78
  • Flip Wallet (available in Black, White, Rose Gold, Pink, Green) – S$58

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PayPal & Samsung collaborate on GALAXY S5 LTE for secure/simpler shopping

Friday, March 28th, 2014

Samsung GALAXY S5 LTE users can easily and securely shop password-free online on the new smartphone using its new fingerprint authentication feature, with millions of merchants that accept PayPal.

Samsung GALAXY S5 LTE users will be able to shop more securely and simply with the fingerprint authentication feature on the new smartphone.

Samsung GALAXY S5 LTE users will be able to shop more securely and simply with the fingerprint authentication feature on the new smartphone.

The collaboration between Samsung and PayPal enables Samsung GALAXY S5 LTE users to be the first to be able to login and shop at any merchant that accepts PayPal on mobile and in-stores using only their fingerprint as authentication.

“We are very excited to partner PayPal to provide consumers with a seamless and secure experience in online shopping and payments on our new Samsung GALAXY S5 LTE,” said Irene Ng, Vice President, Marketing, Samsung Asia Pte Ltd.

The new secure, biometric feature means GALAXY S5 LTE users will no longer need to remember passwords or login details across millions of PayPal merchants.

PayPal will be the first global payment company to support Samsung’s mobile fingerprint authentication technology.

PayPal provides a secure wallet in the cloud and doesn’t store personal information on the device.

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New arrivals: Samsung GALAXY S5 smartphone and Gear smartwatches launched in Singapore

Thursday, March 27th, 2014

Samsung Singapore has just announced the launch of the GALAXY S5 LTE smartphone, as well as the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit smartwatches.

These are available for pre-order from tomorrow (prices below) with delivery expected over the next few weeks (exact dates yet to be announced).

From left: Samsung Gear Fit (S$268); GALAXY S5 LTE (S$1,068); Gear 2 Neo (S$298); Gear 2 (S$398).

From left: Samsung Gear Fit (S$268); GALAXY S5 LTE (S$1,068); Gear 2 Neo (S$298); Gear 2 (S$398).

The GALAXY S5 smartphone and Gear smartwatches were unveiled globally at MWC in Barcelona back in end February with worldwide availability in some 150 countries expected on 11 April.

Samsung RRP (SGD)
GALAXY S5 LTE S$1,068
S View Cover S$78
Flip Wallet S$58
Gear 2 S$398
Gear 2 Neo S$298
Gear Fit S$268

Samsung Singapore brought in the hardware in mid-March for a media preview.

Check out the first look for these new devices here.

They have just been launched in Singapore this evening with pre-orders beginning tomorrow (28 March).

Pre-order / Registration of interest

Registration of interest with SingTel, StarHub and M1 for the Samsung GALAXY S5 LTE will start on 28 March 2014, 1200 hours.

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First look: Samsung GALAXY S5 in Singapore

Tuesday, March 18th, 2014

Samsung Singapore brought in the GALAXY S5, Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit for a media preview today.

* All pictures in this post taken with a Samsung GALAXY Note 3 phablet.

The new Samsung GALAXY S5 viewed from its left side, showing the volume rocker.

The new Samsung GALAXY S5 viewed from its right side, showing the volume rocker.

Many of the existing features have been enhanced eg. the 16MP camera which now features faster autofocus (0.3 sec) with the hybrid phase detection cum contrast detection autofocus mechanism, realtime-HDR and simulated Lytro-like post-shot selection of focal point.

First impressions:

At the end of the hour-and-a-half session, the impression was that the GALAXY S5 was loaded with features.

There is a feature to help you with anything you may need to do in your daily life.

You may only need 20 percent of the features available, but no matter what is it you need, chances are, there’s a feature for it.

The autofocus did feel really fast when I switched the focus from near to far and back and from light to dark etc.

The perforated design for the finish of the rear panel is a fresh change from the smooth surface of the S4.

I’ve already heard favourable comments from a number who have seen the design physically or on the Web.

The S5 is also dust and water resistant, while the fingerprint scanner worked smoothly to unlock the phone, although you can use that to make online payments using PayPal in Singapore.

View of the Samsung GALAXY S5 from its right.

View of the Samsung GALAXY S5 from its left.

There’s also the ultra power saving mode that extends the life of the battery to as much as 24 hours when its life has dropped to 10 percent.

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Samsung unveils GALAXY S5 at MWC 2014 in Barcelona

Tuesday, February 25th, 2014

Samsung has just unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona its GALAXY S5, as well as the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo and Gear Fit.

Worldwide release on 11 April 2014 in almost 150 countries. Prices TBA.

The new Samsung GALAXY S5 comes in 4 colours: charcoal Black, shimmery White, electric Blue and copper Gold.

The new Samsung GALAXY S5 comes in 4 colours: charcoal Black, shimmery White, electric Blue and copper Gold.

New features of the GALAXY S5 include a heart rate monitor, fingerprint scanner and IP67 water resistance.

The GALAXY S5 has a 5.1" Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

The GALAXY S5 has a 5.1″ Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels.

It has a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, runs on a 2.5GHz Snapdragon quad-core processor with 2GB RAM, powered by a 2,800 mAh battery and ships with Android 4.4 KitKat.

The GALAXY S5 now has a 16-megapixel rear-facing camera and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera.

It will also come with NFC, LTE, Bluetooth 4.0 and 16GB or 32GB storage.

The smartphone will come in four colours: charcoal Black, shimmery White, electric Blue and copper Gold. It now comes with “perforated” plastic covers.

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