IFA GPC 2017 commences from 20-23 April so we spent most of today in the air, flying 8 hours from Singapore to Dubai in UAE; and another 8 hours onwards to Lisbon, Portugal; with a 6-hour transit in the Dubai International Airport.
IFA Global Press Conference 2017 is happening this weekend in Lisbon, Portugal. I will be covering this consumer electronics and home appliances showcase, as part of a small group of media the show organisers invited from Singapore.
The media delegation from Singapore is part of an international corp invited by Messe Berlin, the organisers of IFA and this Global Press Conference.
IFA this year will be from 1-6 September, 2017.
As a lead-up to the actual trade show in September, the organisers have gathered some of the key exhibitors and media from around the world in a preview mini-show, featuring product showcases, as well as briefs and presentations on the latest trends on consumer electronics and home appliances.
Samsung kicks off huge publicity campaign in Singapore with pop up Galaxy Studio to showcase the Galaxy Plus ecosystem surrounding its newly launched Galaxy S8 & Galaxy S8+ flagship smartphones.
Galaxy Studio showcases the new line-up of device and service additions to the Galaxy ecosystem that puts the newly launched Galaxy S8 and S8+ at its heart.
“At Samsung, we remain committed to building an ecosystem of devices that will not only redefine, but also complement consumer lifestyles. The latest Galaxy S8 and S8+ are at the centre of this ecosystem, and we present Galaxy Plus so our customers can fulfil more and get more from their mobile experiences,” said Eugene Goh, Vice President, IT & Mobile, Samsung Electronics Singapore.
The Galaxy Studio consumer event is held in celebration of the recent launch of the Galaxy S8 and S8+, and will be held at Civic Plaza, Ngee Ann City, from tomorrow till 29 June.
Galaxy Studio will be open from 14 April to 29 June, 11am to 9pm daily, with the exception of 22 April to 24 April, where it will be opened at 9.30am to 11pm.
Galaxy Studio will introduce the new “Galaxy Plus” ecosystem, offering options for consumers to get more out of their Galaxy S8 and S8+.
This includes the Samsung DeX Station, Gear VR with Controller, Gear 360 (2017) and the Mobile Photo Printer.
More details about Samsung Galaxy Plus from the press release is appended below.
The G6 is LG’S flagship smartphone sporting a sleek 18:9 aspect ratio, beefed up rear dual cameras and a stunning display all ready for HDR movies. Price in Singapore: S$988.
My take: The LG G6 packs a large display in a compact body, and is a strong flagship offering that goes back to basics to strengthen usability. Its 18:9 aspect ratio introduces new flexibility in terms of screen layout and user friendliness. The G6 also makes it easy to share the good photos it takes on social media through tight integration in the user interface.
The LG G6 sports a 5.7-inch QHD+ display with an 18:9 wide-screen aspect ratio.
The 2,880 x 1,440 pixels on-screen has a high resolution of 564ppi that’s similar to the 570ppi on its rival, the Samsung S8.
The LG G6 was first unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2017 towards the end of February and will be officially launched in Singapore tomorrow. I have been trying out the G6 (pre-launch handset) to get a feel of the new smartphone.
Samsung unveiled their new flagship Android smartphones at the Samsung Unpacked 2017 event in New York which was streamed live to fans all around the world. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will be available in select countries from 21 April.
Update (5 April, 2017):
Registration of interest and pre-order for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will commence from 7 April 2017 at all telecommunication operators, major consumer electronics stores’ websites, Lazada Singapore and Samsung Experience Stores.
Pre-order for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will also be available at the Galaxy Studio at Civic Plaza, Ngee Ann City during opening hours from 14 April 2017.
The Galaxy S8 and S8+ will be available in colour options of Maple Gold, Midnight Black and Orchid Gray from 29 April 2017 at the recommended retail price of S$1,148 (S8) and S$1,298 (S8+).
The devices will be available at all local telecommunication operators, major consumer electronics stores, authorised mobile retailers, Samsung Experience Stores and Lazada Singapore.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 measures 5.8 inches while the S8+ is a bigger 6.2 inches. Both have Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back.
The 5.8-inch Galaxy S8 and 6.2-inch Galaxy S8+ sport infinity bezel-less displays and offer a connected ecosystem of services and an intelligent interface.
Samsung kick-starts the new year and unveils the first of its #Galaxy offerings for 2017 – the new Galaxy A series (from 21 Jan) mid-tier smartphones: 5.2-inch A5 (S$548) and 5.7-inch A7 (S$648).
The Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017) will be available in three stylish colours – Black Sky, Gold Sand and Peach Cloud. The Galaxy A (2017) Neon Flip Cover is available in Black, Gold, Pink and Blue at $78.
Also released today is the Black Pearl version of the Galaxy S7 edge (S$1,198) from 7 Jan.
Samsung Galaxy A3 has been excluded from the series in Singapore, probably because it’s too close to the S$398 Galaxy J7 Prime – the top end of Samsung’s entry-level series of smartphones that’s available in Singapore.
The new Samsung Galaxy A series smartphones were launched in Singapore at Cocotte, the farm-to-table French Kitchen in Little India.
For the first time on the Galaxy A series, the smartphones are equipped with IP68-certified water and dust resistant capabilities, allowing it to withstand elements including rain, sweat, sand and dust.
It also enables users to enjoy versatility in its use – with a longer battery life and Fast Charging capabilities, the smartphones are ideal for active mobile lifestyles.
The Mate 9 is Huawei’s flagship phablet boasting the fabulous camera from P9 that was co-developed with Leica and now improved, a fast Kirin 960 processor and Android 7.0 Nougat with EMUI 5.0 user interface. Price in Singapore: S$898.
My take: The Huawei Mate 9 is another winner from Huawei. The Android 7 flagship phablet works swiftly as a smartphone and has a fabulous camera that churns out wonderfully toned black and white snapshots. Fantastic for monochrome shooters that want Leica-like photos without any post-editing.
The 5.9-inch smartphone has dual SIM slots capable of supporting 4G and 3G networks.
The Huawei Mate 9 ships with 4GB RAM and 64GB memory, and you can use the secondary SIM card slot to add up to 256GB from a microSD card.
Have been trying out the Huawei Mate 9 since its launch & availability in Singapore last month. Was curious to see whether the camera performance of the Mate 9 had improved over the P9, which had impressed me when I tried it (see the P9 photos here).
With the demise of Samsung’s Galaxy Note7, the Huawei Mate 9 is a strong candidate to take up the mettle left by the Korean flagship phablet.
The phone sports a Type-C USB socket – an adaptor to convert into a regular mini-USB is included in the box – and has a 4000mAh battery that can be SuperCharged for a day’s usage within 20 minutes.
I brought along the Mate 9 when I went on vacation in Taiwan to put it through the grind of daily usage, and to take some photos with its fabulous camera (see the Mate 9 photos here).
There’s been much excitement surrounding the launch of the entry-level Xiaomi Mi Max phablet some six months ago. Oliver Ong Chor Yew bought one online to review it below.
Editor’s note
Xiaomi’s reputation for selling well-spec’ed phones at super low prices manifests itself in the Mi Max, offering huge value to the consumer.
I tried out the phablet too and found it was indeed slightly unwieldy to use one-handed.
But its huge and bright screen is great for reading ebooks, watching videos and surfing the Web.
And the battery life is the longest I’ve encountered – only the ASUS Zenfone Max is comparable.
You won’t get the same quality and feature set of the Samsung’s unfortunate flagship Galaxy Note7 – but at only a fraction of the price, Xiaomi’s Mi Max presents itself as an extremely value-for-money alternative to grab part of the market share vacated by the Note7.
Hence, I’ve included the Xiaomi Mi Max in the tech4xmas gift list.
Read Oliver Ong Chor Yew’s review below.
The Xiaomi Mi Max fresh out of the box (left), and the home screen (right).
My Mi Max is a 6.44inch large-screen phablet with android 6.0 and MIUI 8.0 interface.
Overall verdict
With the $259 price tag and the huge screen size, the Mi Max is a good budget phone for every use.
The camera image quality is quite good.
Fingerprint sensor is extremely responsive and the device build quality makes this phone worth buying.
It is powered by a 4850mAh non-removable Li-Ion battery which is a standard for mid-range to high end phone nowadays.
The Mi Max has a Qualcomm snapdragon 650 chipset with Hexa-core processor (4 x 1.4GHz Cortex-A53 & 2 x 1.8GHz Cortex-A72) and 3GB RAM.
This model I am reviewing is the 32GB variant which costed me S$259on Qoo10 at the time of this review was written.
There is a 64GB variant with Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 Octa-Core processor.
First impressions
The device is quite huge and it is quite difficult to use with one hand.
The build quality is quite sturdy and it feels like I am holding a premium device.
Sample shot of the cloudy blue sky, taken using the Xiaomi Mi Max.
Epson showcased its latest smart solutions to show how its new innovations can power the future of businesses.
Update (18 November, 2016):
Giveaway on Epsons Facebook Page: If you’re a Manchester United and Epson fan, here’s how you can stand a chance to WIN an Epson-Manchester United T-Shirt.
“ESTC returns this year to simplify and make intelligent business solutions more accessible to every business,” said Tan May Lin, Epson Singapore’s General Manager (Sales, Marketing & Customer Service Division), at ESTC 2016.
The global technology leader in printing, visual communications and digital imaging demonstrated integrated solutions that addressed the varied needs that businesses had in their work processes.
ESTC 2016 is the second edition of Epson’s bi-yearly convention to engage corporate partners and customers to raise awareness on its range of business products and solutions.
A large format printer for the marketing department, showcased at ESTC 2016 in the Sands Expo and Convention Centre at the Marina Bay in Singapore.
Epson showcased new business products ranging from office scanners to its new ultra-short throw interactive projector, mobile point of sales systems and wearable technology such as the Moverio BT-300 smart glasses and BT-2000 smart headset at the convention.
The convention was held today at Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre and attended by 153 guests including business partners, end users, media and distributors.
Integrating intelligent solutions for business success
Epson’s showcase offered insights as well as real-life demonstrations on how companies can develop a holistic strategy when investing in technology.
