Archive for the ‘iOS’ Category

New social app: NuffnangX makes it easy to read blogs on the go

Wednesday, September 19th, 2012

The free app works on iOS, Android and web platforms and helps users discover new blogs, follow bloggers’ updates and conduct two-way conversations with them while on the go.

NuffnangX is a free app for iOS, Android and Web platforms for perusing blogs on the road.

NuffnangX is a free app for iOS, Android and Web platforms for perusing blogs on the road.

Netccentric Pte Ltd, the parent company of Asia Pacific’s blog advertising community Nuffnang.com, has globally launched NuffnangX.

“It continues to be more and more challenging for bloggers to engage their readers and for readers to keep up with their favourite blogs,” said Cheo Ming Shen, co-founder of NuffnangX and Netccentric.

With thousands of blogs out there, NuffnangX hand-picks blogs to suit your reading preferences and interests.

The app serves as your personal blog shopper which selects the best blogs from around the world for you.

NuffnagX is a free app for iOS, Android and Web platforms for persing blogs on the move.NuffnangX’s Patent Pending Technology summarises hundreds and thousands of words of each blog entry on your feed to a single line that is known as the “elevator pitch” so you can decide quickly whether a blog is interesting enough for you to read.

NuffnangX also simplifies the commenting process, making it seamless and easy to use.

Both partners had met whilst studying in London, and fresh from graduation, started Netccentric Pte Ltd as the holding company for their web ventures.

Coupled with a mixed bag of working experience in the Finance and Government sectors, their first project was Nuffnang.com, Asia Pacific’s First Blog Advertising Community.

New social app: SingTel Loop & Meet organises your social life

Friday, September 14th, 2012

This free app for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets helps users to discover fun things to do and organise outings with friends.

Screenshots from SingTel's free Loop & Meet app for iOS and Android mobile devices.

Screenshots from SingTel’s free Loop & Meet app for iOS and Android mobile devices.

SingTel has launched Loop & Meet, a mobile app that enables mobile users to send event invitations quickly and easily, and tracks responses without having to sort through dozens of email and text messages.

Discover things to do. Send and track invitations. Meet up and have fun!

With Loop & Meet, users can browse through hundreds of events that are refreshed daily from inSing.com.

“We know that it is sometimes difficult to plan new activities or think of new places to visit,” said Cheong Hai Thoo, SingTel’s Head of Multimedia.

These events have been categorised for easy browsing into: movies, music, leisure, night out, arts, festivals and family.

The service allows users to invite their friends via SMS or email.

The app was developed in collaboration with app developer, Goba.

“Loop & Meet makes this process a breeze so that users will never be short of leisure and entertainment options,” Cheong enthused.

Recipients can use the SMS and web platforms to confirm attendance and chat with registered users, even if they have not installed the app.

Loop & Meet will help to track the responses and send invitees reminders if they do not respond.

This makes it easier for all users to keep track of the full event itinerary, time, place and attendees.

Free SingTel Loop & Meet app for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.Loop & Meet is an important addition to SingTel’s growing suite of multimedia offerings, which includes the skoob e-Books service, AMPed music service and deF!ND digital concierge.

Loop & Meet is available for free download from the Apple App Store and Google Play store.

Apple launches iPhone 5 with 4-inch Retina display, A6 chip and new connector

Wednesday, September 12th, 2012

No surprises as to the features of the iPhone 5 except that there’s no NFC. Most of the enhancements are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. As with its predecessors, iPhone 5 will come in 16 GB (S$948), 32 GB (S$1,088) and 64 GB (S$1,238) configurations.

It will arrive in 9 countries, including Singapore, on 21 September.

The iPhone 5 comes in Black & Slate or White & Silver.

The iPhone 5 comes in Black & Slate or White & Silver.

The iPhone 5 will run on iOS 6, which will be released as a free software update two days before the smartphone itself hits the shelves.

Apple iPhone 5
OS iOS 6
Screen 4″ Retina display
Resolution 1136 x 640
Battery mAh rating not revealed
Processor A6
Features LTE
Camera Rear: 8 MP
Front: 1.2 MP
Video Rear: 1080p30
Front: 720p30
Video Info not available
Memory Int: 16, 32, 64 GB
Ext: Nil
Size /mm 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6
Weight 112 g
Price (w GST)
  • 16 GB: S$948
  • 32 GB: S$1,088
  • 64 GB: S$1,238

The new operating system features 200 new features but will notably be foregoing Google’s Maps and YouTube apps.

The 4-inch Retina display is now taller, with 1136 x 640 pixels at a high 326 ppi resolution.

All these will run off the new Apple-designed A6 chip and 4G LTE network.

Design-wise, the iPhone 5 is a stunner, with a selection of Black & Slate and White & Silver.

The former has most of my friends salivating although the white is beginning to become somewhat commonplace by now.

And the body is only 7.6mm thin.

The rear camera now has 8 megapixels while the front 1.2-megapixel camera shoots 720p video at up to 30 fps for FaceTime HD video calls.

A new panorama feature stitches photos of up to 28 megapixels simply by moving the camera across a scene in one smooth motion – like the sweep panorama in Sony cameras.

Available in 9 countries on 21 September.

Available in 9 countries on 21 Sep.

As expected, Apple has replaced the 30-pin connector with a new 9-pin Lightning connector.

A Lightning-to-30-pin Adapter (sold separately) is available to connect the iPhone 5 to legacy 30-pin accessories.

Due to the variation in LTE networks in different countries, the iPhone 5 will come in 3 variants in terms of LTE frequencies.

The first model (A1428 GSM) works only in the US and Canada, while the second (A1429 CDMA) works for US carriers Sprint and Verizon, as well as KDDI in Japan.

9-pin Lightning connector replaces 30-pin connector.

9-pin Lightning connector replaces 30-pin connector.

The third model (A1429 GSM) runs on 850MHz, 1800MHz and 2100Mz.

This is the most international version – compatible with the most number of countries.

Note that although the iPhone 5 runs on 1800MHz for LTE, Singapore operates its LTE network on 1800MHz and 2600MHz.

So in areas where 1800MHz is not available, the iPhone 5 will fall back onto 3G.

Likewise, in countries where the 4G is not compatible with your version of iPhone 5, you will still be able to use in on 3G.

The iPhone 4S will also be available for a suggested retail price of SGD$788 (incl GST) and iPhone 4 for a suggested retail price SGD$588 (incl GST).

The first nine countries getting the iPhone 5 on 21 September are Singapore, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, the US and the UK.

The iPhone 5 will be available in 9 countries on 21 Sep and another 22 countries on 28 Sep.

The iPhone 5 will be available in 9 countries on 21 Sep and another 22 countries on 28 Sep.

Customers from these countries can pre-order the iPhone 5 beginning 14 September.

All three major Telcos in Singapore, SingTel, StarHub and M1, will be selling the iPhone 5 on 21 September.

The iPhone 5 will next hit the shelves worldwide at 22 more countries a week later on 22 September.

These countries are Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Top 3 SingTel Grid Girls for Singapore Formula 1

Sunday, September 2nd, 2012

In the finale to SingTel’s series of roadshows leading up to the Singapore Grand Prix, SingTel has unveiled the Singapore Grand Prix trophy, the top three SingTel Grid Girls, Singapore’s fastest electric go-kart racer, and the champions of the F1 in Schools programme.

SingTel Grid Girls finalists waiting with bated breath for the results of the competition.

SingTel Grid Girls finalists waiting with bated breath for the results of the competition.

Fifth time title sponsor of the Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix had teamed up with race promoter, Singapore GP to organise the “F1 for Everyone” roadshows across Singapore.

Unveiling of the new FORMULA 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix trophy.

Unveiling of the new FORMULA 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix trophy. This photo courtesy of SingTel.

The weekend finale at Big Splash saw the unveiling of a new FORMULA 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix trophy.

Arrian North and Esther Leong at the roadshow.

Arrian North and Esther Leong at the roadshow.

The new trophy was crafted by local designer Nathan Yong.

It  resembles the interlocking branches and leaves of the laurel wreath, traditionally worn as a symbol of victory at sporting events in ancient Greece.

The circular shape of the trophy also represents Speed, Connection and Unity, symbolising the coming together of top international drivers in the Formula 1 races around the world.

The event was officiated by Mr S Iswaran, Minister in Prime Minister’s Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs & Trade and Industry.

Ashvin Sandhu and Rebecca Ly Dia Dore at the roadshow.

Ashvin Sandhu and Rebecca Ly Dia Dore, two of the top 8 finalists at the roadshow.

The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the top three 2012 SingTel Grid Girls.

Top Grid Girl in 2012 is 21-year-old Ashvin Sandhu.

Top Grid Girl in 2012 is 21-year-old Ashvin Sandhu.

This is the first time that the top three SingTel Grid Girls have been selected based purely on public SMS and online voting.

1st Runner-up Emily Chia.

1st Runner-up Emily Chia

The top three girls, who were crowned at the event, will get to hold the Singapore, Formula One and Singapore GP flags at the Singapore Grand Prix this year.

The Top Grid Girl this year is 21-year old Ashvin Sandhu, an avid F1 fan who has watched almost every race over the past few years.

In second place is 21-year old Emily Chia, a lover of fast cars.

In third place is 23-year old Esther Leong who thrives on the adrenaline of the race and extreme sports.

In order to reach out to everyone in Singapore, including families, youths and people with special needs, SingTel invited students from APSN Tanglin School to experience the electric go-karts at the first roadshow in the series.

Emily Chia, one of top 8 finalists of the SingTel Grid Girl competition.

Emily Chia, looking like a doll … Barbie?

F1 excitement was also brought to the schools.

2nd Runner-up Esther Leong

2nd Runner-up Esther Leong

Displaying finesse on the circuit, students from the “F1 in Schools” programme tried their hand at Singapore’s first ever electric go-kart experience in a bid to clock the fastest race time.

The “F1 in Schools” is an international competition where school children aged nine to 19 design, manufacture and race their miniature cars.

In another thrilling speed race but on a much smaller track, students put their self-made gas-powered miniature F1 cars to the test in an exciting time-based competition.

In addition, the public enjoyed their version of the “mini” race, setting off gas-powered miniature F1 cars in a bid to achieve the fastest possible reaction timings within 0.18 of a second to win attractive prizes.

If eyes could smile ...

If eyes could smile …

To encourage more people to embrace the F1 experience both on and off the track, SingTel and Singapore GP have launched two new applications, for iPhone and Android users, to be available on the App Store and Google Play.

If eyes could talk ...

If eyes could talk …

The SingTel application is a social app that acts as a guide to inform F1 fans of the exciting activities taking place this race season.

In addition, app users can share their favorite F1 moments, activities and photos with their friends.

The Singapore GP app is meant for serious F1 fans, and has the latest news on the 2012 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX.

It will keep users up to speed with the current driver and team standings, allowing them to take part in Singapore GP contests as well as purchase tickets to the night race.

Sneak peek: Episode 2 of SingTel TGIS Season 2

Tuesday, August 28th, 2012

Episode 2 of TGIS Season 2 is due tomorrow. But if you’re still awake, you can watch the embedded video here.

In this episode, Joanne-Marie chats with Singapore’s youngest iPhone developer: 12-year-old Lim Ding Wen, who created his first iPhone app (Doodle Kids) when he was only nine.

There is also a contest that ends on 4 September, with SingTel vouchers to be won.

New company byte: Nubox

Friday, August 24th, 2012

With the opening of its 10th Apple Premium Reseller (APR) store in Sim Lim Square today, I have created a new company byte for Nubox.

Nubox is an arm of Newstead Technologies with Apple Premium Reseller (APR) and Apple Authorised Reseller (AAR) stores in Singapore.

Nubox is an arm of Newstead Technologies with Apple Premium Reseller (APR) and Apple Authorised Reseller (AAR) stores in Singapore.

Read a byte-sized profile and background information of Nubox for quick reference here.

You can also read articles related to Nubox on tech4tea.com here.

Nubox upgrades Sim Lim store from AAR to APR status

Friday, August 24th, 2012

Nubox today opened its 10th Apple Premium Reseller (APR) store in Sim Lim Square. Prior to this, it had an Apple Authorised Reseller store at the geek’s paradise.

The new Nubox APR store replaces the previous AAR store in Sim Lim Square.

The new Nubox APR store replaces the previous AAR store in Sim Lim Square.

To be awarded APR status, the store met stringent criteria from Apple: ability to offer impeccable service to customers, store location and size and availability of staff with Apple Certified Support Professional certification.

In addition to the complete range of Apple products, Nubox@Sim Lim Square will offer a quality range of third-party accessories and software as well professional services that include training and service support.

Newstead Technologies now has 11 Nubox stores across Singapore, comprising 10 APRs and one AAR in Funan Digital Life Mall. The Funan AAR will also be replaced with an APR next month.

Evelyn Chua, the Chief marketing Officer of Newstead, tells me that she plans to open a twelfth Nubox APR in Bedok Mall next year.

Store opening promotions for Nubox @ Sim Lim Square from 24-26 August, 2012.

Store opening promotions for Nubox @ Sim Lim Square from 24-26 August, 2012. Click on thumbnail to zoom in.

For the time being, the plan is to stop at twelve. You can read more about Nubox and its stores here.

As part of the store opening, there will be promotional offers from today till Sunday.

TomTom updates its Navigation app for iPhone and iPad

Thursday, August 23rd, 2012

TomTom has launched a new version (v1.11) of its Navigation app for iPhone and iPad. Users will be able to navigate to addresses found on the Internet, search with foursquare, and get the very latest TomTom maps.

Customers with an older version of the app can download it for free. For new customers, the app can be purchased for US$49.99 at the Apple App Store.

TomTom Navigation app for iPhone/iPad v1.11

TomTom Navigation app for iPhone/iPad v1.11

Drivers can now quickly and easily navigate to places they’ve found on websites and other apps by copying an address and pasting it into their TomTom Navigation app.

There’s no need to type as the app will automatically work out the destination and direct them straight there.

While v1.10 integrated Facebook with the app, v1.11 adds foursquare.

After linking foursquare to the TomTom app, users can search and navigate to their favourite foursquare places, checking in to collect points on arrival.

New printer: Canon SELPHY CP900

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012

Canon has announced its first Wi-Fi-enabled compact photo printer. The SELPHY CP900 hits the shelves in Singapore on 30 August at S$199.

The Canon SELPHY CP900 compact printer comes in black, white or pink.

The Canon SELPHY CP900 compact printer comes in black, white or pink.

With built-in Wi-Fi, the SELPHY CP900 enables users to instantly and wirelessly print photos taken with smartphones and tablets anytime, anywhere.

White Canon SELPHY CP900 compact printer.The compact printer can connect wirelessly to iOS and eventually to Android devices.

It can also connect wirelessly to a wide range of commonly-used devices like laptops and PCs to print photos.

iPhone/iPad users can print photos via Canon’s EasyPhotoPrint app which can be downloaded from the Apple App store.

The Android application will only be available end December 2012.

If you’re using a BlackBerry or Windows Phone, then you’re out of luck. You won’t be able to print directly from the smartphone or tablet to the CP900.

Black Canon SELPHY CP900 compact printer.

Black Canon SELPHY CP900 compact printer.

The SELPHY CP900’s wireless capabilities also support DPS over IP (this is a standard for interconnecting devices over LAN/wireless) for cameras to connect and print wirelessly without going through a router.

Printing from a memory card or external drives is also possible.

The SELPHY CP900 is equipped with a slot compatible with the widely-used SD/SDHC/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/ MMCplus/HC MMCplus storage cards.

It also has an USB slot for easy access to photos saved in a flash drive or hard disk.

Pink Canon SELPHY CP900 compact printer.

Pink Canon SELPHY CP900 compact printer.

The SELPHY CP900 uses a dye-sublimation system which provides excellent gradations at a high 300×300 dpi resolution.

The printer has three new optimisation scenes – Cloudy, Blue Sky and Sunset – and automatically and intelligently analyses and corrects images, correcting their brightness, contrast and reduces noise before printing.

Users can preview photos with the 2.7” LCD Display which has a wide viewing angle.

With the increasing popularity of photo-sharing software and apps like Instagram which captures photos in a square format,

“With an increasing amount of consumers using their mobile phones and popular apps such as Instagram to take photos, the SELPHY CP900 provides creative solutions which will allow for a more personalised, long-lasting copy of their photos and memories,” said Andrew Koh, Senior Director and General Manager of the Consumer Imaging and Information Products Group, Canon Singapore.

The SELPHY CP900 enables users to print square format photos from Instagram with the new 54 X 54mm square ratio paper.

Canon sticker labels available in this new size allow for easy personalisation on any surface.

The SELPHY CP900 can also print postcard size and ID photos of up to 28 different sizes (ICAO standard) with cropping.

佳能推出了新的袖珍型照片打印机。SELPHY CP900 利用dye sublimation 可引出鲜艳持久的照片。苹果iPhone使用者可利用其无限衔接能力方便印刷。Android使用者得等到年尾才会有适用的运用程序。Windows Phone 以及 BlackBerry 用户则无法直接通过手机传送印刷。” – 科技点心(微薄)

To maximise cost-efficiency, the SELPHY CP900 is also able to print ID photos of up to two different people on a single sheet of paper.

To prevent fading, photos printed with the SELPHY CP900 are protected by a durable protective print over-coating.

This protective over-coating helps preserve these precious memories for up to 100 years if kept in a photo album.

New Android app: CanonSGLens

Thursday, August 16th, 2012

The Android version of the free CanonSGLens app is now available on Google Play.

The free CanonSGLens app is now available on both iOS and Android.

The free CanonSGLens app is now available on both iOS and Android.

The Android app features detailed lens specifications of all 66 Canon EF and EF-S lenses sold in Singapore with a unique interactive simulator that allows users to compare the field of view of two camera-lens combinations.

CanonSGLens Android app on Google Play.

CanonSGLens Android app on Google Play.

It also contains interactive educational content about depth of field and exposure, which is useful for DSLR users, whether they are beginners, amateurs or professionals.

The CanonSGLens for Android app now comes with 7 new lenses for users to test out. It is compatible with smartphones and tablets running Android 2.1 and up.

Canon Singapore first launched the CanonSGLens app for DSLR users as an iOS app on 22 December 2011.

Based on monthly averages, the app has been in the top 50 downloads for iPads and top 100 downloads for iPhones in the Photo and Video category.

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