Archive for the ‘Phones’ Category

New Android smartphone: HTC Butterfly s

Sunday, July 7th, 2013

The 5-inch, quad-core Butterfly s sports HTC BlinkFeed, HTC Zoe and HTC BoomSound, and is powered by HTC’s longest lasting battery to date. Available end-July at SGD$988 from M1, SingTel and StarHub.

HTC Butterfly s (SGD$988) will be available in Fervour Red, Glamour White and Metallic Grey.

HTC Butterfly s (SGD$988) will be available in Fervour Red, Glamour White and Metallic Grey.

The HTC Butterfly s is powered by a 1.9 GHz quad-core processor and offers HTC’s latest Sense 5 experience and Android Jelly Bean, with a stamina battery that packs 3,200 mAh.

“We’ve improved the HTC Butterfly by incorporating the new standards set by the HTC One for smartphone performance,” said Jack Yang, President of HTC South Asia.

It also features HTC BlinkFeed, HTC Zoe and HTC BoomSound, first introduced with the Taiwan smartphone maker’s flagship HTC One.

The full technical specifications of the HTC Butterfly s is appended below.

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Ong Radio launches McIntosh McAire in Singapore

Wednesday, July 3rd, 2013

The compact integrated audio system pumps out powerful music that easily fills the room with even tonality. Regular price: S$6,450. Promotional introductory price: S$4,588.

The McAire sports a high gloss black finish, signature McIntosh blue output meters, glass faceplate and a knit cloth grille (also in black) with magnetic attachment.

The McAire sports a high gloss black finish, signature McIntosh blue output meters, glass faceplate and a knit cloth grille (also in black) with magnetic attachment.

The McAire is the most affordable system from McIntosh which specialises in the ultra-luxe AV market.

“… individuals who demand the very best can finally enjoy a complete high fidelity McIntosh music system as a lifestyle or second system for their rooms or executive office, that is handcrafted in Binghamton New York alongside McIntosh’s other super premium components, for under a 5-figure sum,” said Malcolm Ong, Chief Executive Officer of the Ong Radio Group.

The next in line is an all-in-one system (McIntosh MXA60) that includes a CD player and a tuner, which goes for S$16,050 (although there’s currently a promotional price of S$12,888.

Ong Radio Group launched the McIntosh McAire in Singapore last Friday, timing its debut in Singapore with the 76th anniversary of the high-end home entertainment system distributor and retailer.

The McIntosh McAire features Apple’s AirPlay wireless technology which allows users to stream audio from an iTunes library on a Mac or PC – or music from an iOS device – over an existing Wi-Fi network at home or an executive suite.

The ice-blue of the McAire stamps the signature of McIntosh into whatever setting it is introduced

The ice-blue of the McAire stamps the signature of McIntosh into whatever setting it is introduced

Each McAire unit is built with the same high end technology used in McIntosh’s super premium reference system.

Event: Second Apple WWDC 2013 with Tim Cook – iOS 7 unveiled

Monday, June 10th, 2013

This is Tim Cook’s second Apple WWDC at the helm of Apple, with a slew of announcements after a dearth of new products.

Tim Cook's second WWDC at the helm of Apple.

Tim Cook’s second WWDC at the helm of Apple.

The annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) this year is being held from June 10 – 14 at San Francisco’s Moscone West.

Tickets went on sale on 26 April earlier this year – with each ticket going for US$1,599.

A compilation of the main releases from the keynote can be found at the Apple WWDC 2013 event page on the tech4tea Facebook page.

Below are the main revelations at the keynote of WWDC 2013

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New Android smartphone: Samsung GALAXY S4 Active (LTE)

Friday, June 7th, 2013

Samsung has announced in Korea the LTE-capable GALAXY S4 Active – its answer to the Sony Xperia Z – in terms of dust and water resistance. It is expected to be available in Singapore in Q3 2013.

Update (10 July, 2013):

The Urban Gray version of the Samsung GALAXY S4 ACTIVE With LTE will be available in Singapore from 13 July. RRP: SGD$898 (incl. GST but excluding contract).

The Orange Flare version will be available end-July.

Don’t be surprised if you see the new Samsung GALAXY S4 Active in Singapore as early as July.

Don’t be surprised if you see the new Samsung GALAXY S4 Active in Singapore as early as July.

The GALAXY S4 Active is designed to be the “perfect companion for exploration, activity and adventure”.

“The GALAXY S4 Active is the newest addition to the GALAXY series and is purposefully designed for active users who love the outdoors,” said JK Shin, CEO and President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics.

It is targeted at the active user who wants to stay connected while exploring environments from the most rugged mountain trails to the roughest rivers.

Recognizing the demands of a dynamic lifestyle, the GALAXY S4 Active was engineered to keep active users connected as they explore and experience the world around them.

The GALAXY S4 Active has qualified protection from dust and water (IP67), so you never have to leave the device at home during a long day at the beach or dusty hike.

The fully sealed design keeps dust particles out and protects against water damage for up to 30 minutes of submergence at a depth of one meter.

Equipped with a water-resistant earphone jack, the GALAXY S4 Active frees you to use earphones in more adventurous conditions, in the same way you’ve used them in normal ones.

Whether capturing every moment of a wild rafting trip or taking a great underwater photo in the pool, the device’s unique construction lets users capture amazing moments previously impossible using a normal smartphone.

“Samsung has taken the innovative features of the GALAXY S4 and added breakthrough protective design elements to create a device that thrives in an active environment and is built for a lifestyle of travel and exploration.”

The Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) smartphone has a 5-inch’ Full HD (1920 x 1080) TFT LCD screen (443 PPI) touch screen, with a 2,600mAh battery.

The GALAXY S4 Active is powered by a 1.9 GHZ Quad-Core processor.

It measures 139.7 x 71.3 x 9.1 mm and weighs 153g.

The smartphone has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash light and 2-megapixel front camera.

Below are the technical specifications for the Samsung GALAXY S4 Active.

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Sony Android Xperia Tablet Z to debut in Singapore on 6 June

Wednesday, May 29th, 2013

The 10.1-inch Android tablet is water and dust resistant and is the world’s slimmest 10” tablet. Both the LTE and Wi-Fi versions will be available in Singapore on 6 June, in black or white. Prices TBA.

Update (31 May, 2013):

Here are the prices for the Xperia Tablet Z in Singapore.

Model Suggested Retail Price
16GB Wi-Fi S$688
16GB Wi-Fi S$788
16GB LTE S$988
Sony Xperia Tablet Z will be available in Singapore on 6 June - in black or white.

Sony Xperia Tablet Z will be available in Singapore on 6 June – in black or white.

First announced in Japan in January this year and then during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona back in February, the Xperia Tablet Z will debut in Singapore next Thursday.

It is the first tablet to run on Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro asynchronous quad core processor.

Sony’s S-Force Front Surround 3D, promises good audio performance alongside Sony’s Clear Audio+ mode and the use of two in-built speakers with four ‘speaker halls’ on the left and right corners delivers “amazing” sound no matter how it is held.

Xperia Tablet Z also includes Battery STAMINA mode, Sony’s battery management technology for improving standby time.

The WiFi variant also offers up to 64GB of storage with an optional mircoSD card.

For easy connectivity, the NFC-enabled Xperia Tablet Z includes Sony’s One-Touch functions that let users transfer content seamlessly from HD tablet to TV, tablet to speaker or phone to tablet just by touching them together.

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Samsung launches global ‘Samsung Smart App Challenge 2013’

Monday, May 20th, 2013

The challenge is open to all mobile application developers with a record $800,000 in prize money for 10 winning entries, plus a variety of promotional benefits.

S$800,000 in prize money to be won.

S$800,000 in prize money to be won.

The 10 winners will get the opportunity for investment review by ‘Samsung Venture Investment’, and could be used for GALAXY S4’s ‘Group Play’ service.

Developers who wish to participate should sign up directly on the App Challenge website and register their apps on Samsung Apps from 20th June to 31st August 2013.

Below is Samsung’s press release for more details.

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Fuji Xerox adds PhotoNote application to its SkyDesk Services

Thursday, May 16th, 2013

The PhotoNote app digitses analog material into an online photo notebook – for more efficient management and more effective communications.

New freemium app from Fuji Xerox: PhotoNote - an online photo notebook.

New freemium app from Fuji Xerox: PhotoNote – an online photo notebook.

SkyDesk PhotoNote captures and stores analog content into digital form for more efficient storage and access and enables these content to be easily shared with co-workers, partners or customers for more effective communications.

Most of the features are free, with additional storage and Excel conversion feature available as paid options (prices within).

The app works with iOS and Android and is available in Singapore, Australia and Japan.

PhotoNote digitises physical memos or meeting notes jotted down during business discussions and stores them in the cloud – enabling easy access by the user and quick sharing of the information with others.

To digitise printed material, forms, handwritten memos and whiteboards, simply snap a photo using a smartphone or digital camera and upload the photo onto SkyDesk on the cloud.

The PhotoNote app automatically conducts image processing and OCR conversion, storing the image together with tags and additional text annotations, as well as text data from the conversion.

Easy search can be done on the database of PhotoNote records based on recorded time/date, tags, and the converted text.

Prices (excluding GST)

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New Windows smartphone: Nokia unveils Lumia 925 in London

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

The Nokia Lumia 925 introduces a metal design, includes PureView camera innovation, new features and new third party applications.

Nokia 925 comes in black, white and grey and sports a metal design.

Nokia 925 comes in black, white and grey and sports a metal design.

The Nokia Lumia 925 includes advanced lens technology and imaging software to capture clearer, sharper pictures and video, including low light images.

Nokia Lumia 925
OS Windows Phone 8
Screen 4.5″ AMOLED
Resolution 1280 x 768
Battery 2,000 mAh, Wireless charging
Processor 1.5 GHz Dual-core Snapdragon, 1GB RAM
Camera Rear: 8.7mp PureView with OIS
Front: 1.2mp
Video 1080p @ 30fps
Memory Int: 16 GB
Ext: 64 GB microSD
LTE, NFC Yes
Size /mm 129 x 70.6 x 8.5
Weight 139 g
Price S$TBA

The Nokia Lumia 925 also introduces the new Nokia Smart Camera mode, coming as an update to all Lumia Windows Phone 8 smartphones.

Nokia Smart Camera captures ten images at once and edits the pictures with options like Best Shot, Action Shot, and Motion Focus for creating the perfect high quality image.

Nokia also announced Hipstamatic’s new app, Oggl, will arrive on Nokia Lumia smartphones, allowing people to take and share pictures with like-minded creatives and photography enthusiasts from around the world.

In addition to sharing photos on Oggl, users can simultaneously share photos on social networks including Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Tumblr, Flickr and Instagram.

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Samsung Knox approved by DoD for use by US Government

Monday, May 6th, 2013

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has approved mobile devices enabled with Samsung Knox for use in DoD networks, after the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) finished the testing of Samsung Knox devices.

Samsung KNOX is a comprehensive enterprise mobile solution that addresses the mobile security needs of enterprise IT without invading the privacy of its employees.

Samsung KNOX is a comprehensive enterprise mobile solution that addresses the mobile security needs of enterprise IT without invading the privacy of its employees.

What does this mean for consumers?

“Samsung Knox delivers fundamental security at the platform level, while leaving the user experience consistent,” said Injong Rhee, Senior Vice President and Head of B2B R&D Group, Samsung Electronics.

It means that Samsung devices equipped with Knox are so secure that even the US DoD has approved its use in its internal networks.

The recently launched GALAXY S4, for instance, is Knox ready.

It also means that enterprise IT administrators can sleep easier if their employees use their Knox-enabled mobile devices for both work and personal stuff.

Apart from Knox on the GALAXY, DISA also approved BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 on BlackBerry’s Z10 and Q10 smartphones, as well as PlayBook tables.

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LG and Google launch Nexus 4 in Singapore (S$668)

Friday, May 3rd, 2013

Designed collaboratively by LG and Google, Nexus 4 – with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean – is now available in Singapore at S$668 (16GB).

Nexus 4 from Google and LG is now available in Singapore for S$668.

Nexus 4 from Google and LG is now available in Singapore for S$668.

Nexus 4 is the newest smartphone in the Nexus line-up from Google.

Nexus 4
OS Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
Screen 4.7″ IPS
Resolution 1280 x 768, 320ppi
Battery 2,300 mAh
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro, 1.5 GHz Quad Core
Camera Rear: 8mp
Front: 1.3mp
Video HD
Memory Int: 16 GB
RAM: 2 GB
Size /mm 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1
Weight 139 g
Price S$668

The phone comes with a Qualcomm Quad Core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM and the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Nexus 4 has a 4.7-inch 1280 x 768 True HD IPS Plus 320 ppi resolution touch screen made with scratch resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 2.

Running on Jelly Bean, Nexus 4 ships with the latest Google apps.

These include Google Now – your personal information manager; Google Maps – for turn-by-turn GPS navigation with live traffic info; as well as 3D Maps, Street View and Indoor Maps.

Nexus 4 has an 8-megapixel rear camera and 1.3-megapixel HD front camera.

It has an embedded 2,100mAh Li-polymer battery.

Nexus 4 comes with the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Nexus 4 comes with the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.