Archive for the ‘Software’ Category

Raoul showcases Fall Winter 2014 collection with iQNECT app

Saturday, October 4th, 2014

Raoul offers an interactive shopping experience of its latest Fall Winter 2014 collection through the launch of its collaboration with iQNECT, with promotions below.

All shoppers need to do is to download the IQNect app and visit Raoul (located at #02-49 Paragon), snap pictures of selected Raoul looks and be taken on a virtual journey to New York Fashion Week and this season’s Lookbook.

All shoppers need to do is to download the IQNECT app and visit Raoul (located at #02-49 Paragon), snap pictures of selected Raoul looks and be taken on a virtual journey to New York Fashion Week and this season’s Lookbook. Photo taken with Samsung GALAXY S5 smartphone.

Through the iQNECT app, Raoul is transporting shoppers from its boutique in Singapore to the heart of New York Fashion Week through rich branded content and information on their mobile devices.

The Raoul FW14 collection pays homage to Wiener Werkstatte – a progressive alliance of artists and designers founded in 1897.

Some of the more conscious and graphic approaches to the design ideals of this movement inspired the strict black and ivory diamond-shaped graphics in linear silhouettes along with the overblown flower motifs.

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New PayPal mobile SDK help Singapore businesses go mobile

Thursday, October 2nd, 2014

PayPal partners with local merchants to create seamless mobile app experiences and to solve business productivity challenges.

“With smartphone adoption growing and smart devices become more integral to our daily lives, it is more important than ever for businesses to adopt mobile strategies with flawless purchasing experiences,” said Lawrence Chan, Vice President of Merchant Services, Asia Pacific and General Manager for Southeast Asia and Japan, PayPal.

“With smartphone adoption growing and smart devices become more integral to our daily lives, it is more important than ever for businesses to adopt mobile strategies with flawless purchasing experiences,” said Lawrence Chan, Vice President of Merchant Services, Asia Pacific and General Manager for Southeast Asia and Japan, PayPal.

PayPal has announced the general availability of its new mobile software development kit (SDK) in Singapore.

“In 2013, PayPal processed $27 billion in mobile payments globally, so we understand the challenges and opportunities of capturing the mobile market. We are excited to be announcing the launch of the new mobile SDK in Singapore, which offers businesses a simple and secure way to accept mobile payments, as well as the innovation to push the boundaries of mobile commerce and drive productivity,” Chan added.

The new mobile SDK eliminates app redirects, provides a one-time sign-in for future payments and enables both PayPal and credit card payment processing options.

With this, consumers can make seamless and secure payments across their favourite apps in just a few clicks.

PayPal is announcing the launch with four merchant partners which will be the first local businesses in Singapore to go live with the mobile SDK:

  • Coastes
  • HotelQuickly
  • My Laundry Box
  • Dilivr.it.

Key Features of the new mobile SDK

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Samsung launches GALAXY Note 4, Note Edge, Gear S and Gear S in Singapore

Wednesday, October 1st, 2014

The GALAXY Note 4 (S$1,088), Gear S (S$498) and Gear Circle (S$168) will reach Singapore on 11 October and but you can register your interest for the Note 4 from noon tomorrow (2 October). The GALAXY Note Edge 4G+ will be available in Q4 2014.

The GALAXY Note 4 4G+ will be available in Singapore from 11 October 2014 in Charcoal Black and Frost White. The Note Edge 4G+ will only be available in Q4 2014.

The GALAXY Note 4 4G+ will be available in Singapore from 11 October 2014 in Charcoal Black and Frost White. The Note Edge 4G+ will only be available in Q4 2014.

The slew of mobile products were first unveiled during IFA 2014.

I first played with these new gadgets when they were brought to Singapore for a preview 2 weeks ago.

They are indeed exciting additions to Samsung’s line of mobile devices.

Recommended retail prices in Singapore are listed below.

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First look: BlackBerry Passport smartphone in Singapore

Tuesday, September 30th, 2014

BlackBerry officially launched the new Passport smartphone in Singapore tonight. It has actually gone on sale with the three main Telcos in Singapore for S$938 (incl. GST but excluding line contract) on 26 September.

First impressions: Overall, the BlackBerry Passport is a handsome and sturdy smartphone that puts greater productivity on the fingertips of road warriors.

First impressions: Overall, the BlackBerry Passport is a handsome and sturdy smartphone that puts greater productivity on the fingertips of road warriors.

The square-screen design is really unique and gives a beefy look to the phone.

The build looks sturdy and with the squarish aspect ratio, is probably less bendable than the usual longish form factor of regular smartphones.

The BlackBerry Passport with a square screen.

The BlackBerry Passport with a square screen.

The wider screen makes reading documents a lot easier, without having to scroll left-right in addition to scrolling up and down.

The Passport is definitely too wide for one-handed operation – but who uses a BlackBerry with one hand anyway?

And since people expect to use two hands when using the Passport, ladies with smaller palms may not object too much to the increased girth of the new smartphone.

As expected, the physical QWERTY keyboard makes typing so much easier than on a virtual keyboard onscreen, especially for ladies with long nails.

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Contest: Plantronics 2015 PLT LABS – App Innovation Contest

Friday, September 26th, 2014

Form teams of 1 to 5 members and compete against contestants from 33 countries for cash prizes of up to US$85,000. Deadline for registration and submission of ideas is on 15 November, 2014.

20 teams from those who entered will be selected to enter the Semi-Finals, out of which 10 will make the “Finals”. The top 5 teams will be selected for the ultimate Winners Round where the top three winners will be decided.

20 teams from those who entered will be selected to enter the Semi-Finals, out of which 10 will make the “Finals”. The top 5 teams will be selected for the ultimate Winners Round where the top three winners will be decided.

Contestants will have access to Plantronics APIs, SDKs, and product concept prototypes and work in teams to build new applications and business models in one of the following categories:

  • Business applications for mobile devices
  • Applications for people with limited mobility
  • Personal applications for mobile devices

The winners will be announced on 9 May, 2015.

Plantronics will loan the 20 Quarter-Finalists teams a prototype device, to build and test their application.

Teams will use this prototype device to further develop their idea and submit a sample code and design of the application interface.

The Plantronics Judges will select the top 10 teams as Semi-Finalists to proceed to the Finals round.

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New arrivals: BlackBerry Passport smartphone in Singapore

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

BlackBerry Passport targets productivity for professionals with square (1440 x 1440 pixels) touch screen and QWERTY touch-enabled keyboard. Available from tomorrow, 26 September, 2014 (M1, SingTel, StarHub) at S$938 (incl. GST).

Inspired by actual passports, the universal symbol of mobility, the size and form factor of BlackBerry Passport is portable enough to easily tuck into pockets and use wherever you go.

Inspired by actual passports, the universal symbol of mobility, the size and form factor of BlackBerry Passport is portable enough to easily tuck into pockets and use wherever you go.

BlackBerry has launched its new smartphone in Singapore – the Passport, targeted towards business professionals looking for greater productivity.

The smartphone utilises Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for the display and forged stainless steel for added strength and durability.

The large square screen is designed for viewing and creating content, and everyday tasks like reading and writing emails, reviewing and editing documents, web browsing, and map navigation.

The large square screen is designed for viewing and creating content, and everyday tasks like reading and writing emails, reviewing and editing documents, web browsing, and map navigation.

The BlackBerry Passport includes the first touch-enabled keyboard with gestures that make typing, editing and navigating more efficient and accurate.

According to a BlackBerry user study, BlackBerry Passport’s new QWERTY keyboard is almost four times more accurate than BlackBerry 10 virtual keyboards – the error rate is on average 74% lower – so there are fewer typos.

The BlackBerry Passport and the Porsche Design P’9983 smartphone from BlackBerry are the first devices to launch on BlackBerry’s latest OS platform, BlackBerry 10.3.

They come preloaded with new productivity-enhancing features including BlackBerry Blend and BlackBerry Assistant, as well as the BlackBerry World storefront and Amazon Appstore, offering access to apps for work and play.

Highlight features of the BlackBerry Passport include:

  • High-Resolution Square Screen – The BlackBerry Passport includes a 4.5 square-inch screen with a 1:1 aspect ratio, 1440 x 1440 pixel (453 dpi) HD display and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 for added strength.

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New arrivals: Lumia 830 Windows Phone 8.1 smartphone

Thursday, September 25th, 2014

Microsoft today announced the availability of the Lumia 830 in Singapore for S$529 from 27 September, 2014 (M1, SingTel, StarHub).

The Lumia 830 will be available in a range of colours including bright orange, bright green, white and black.

The Lumia 830 will be available in a range of colours including bright orange, bright green, white and black.

The Lumia 830 comes with PureView imaging, integrated Microsoft services, wireless charging, optimised image stabilisation and SensorCore.

It has a 10-megapixel PureView camera with ZEISS optics, Rich Recording, and the thinnest optical image stabilisation system to date for Lumia phones.

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New arrivals: ASUS MeMo Pad 8 and Fonepad 8 Android tablets

Wednesday, September 24th, 2014

The new ASUS MeMo Pad 8 (S$499) and Fonepad 8 (S$299) tablets feature the next generation 64-bit Intel Atom ‘Moorefield’ quad-core processor and ASUS ZenUI interface. Avaialble in Singapore from 10 October, 2014.

Both the ASUS MeMo Pad 8 (S$499) and Fonepad 8 (S$299) run Android 4.4 KitKat operating system and ASUS ZenUI interface, which features more than 200 software tweaks over previous ASUS interfaces.

Both the ASUS MeMo Pad 8 (Left, S$499) and Fonepad 8 (Right, S$299) run Android 4.4 KitKat operating system and ASUS ZenUI interface, which features more than 200 software tweaks over previous ASUS interfaces.

The interface sports a new visual design with modern ‘flat’ icons, customisable vivid colour themes that match the tablets’ colour, as well as a cleaner layout that clearly presents all necessary information at one glance.

Despite its larger display, the ASUS Fonepad 8 has almost the same width as the previous generation 7-inch Fonepad.

Despite its larger display, the ASUS Fonepad 8 has almost the same width as the previous generation 7-inch Fonepad.

Weighing at just 299g, ASUS boasts that the 8-inch MeMO Pad 8 (ME581CL) is the world’s lightest 8-inch tablet with Long-Term Evolution (LTE).

It features the next generation 64-bit Intel Atom Z3560 1.8GHz quad-core processor, and ultra-fast connectivity with 802.11ac Wi-Fi and wireless Near-Field Communications (NFC).

The ASUS Fonepad 8 (FE380CG) delivers powerful mobility with the next generation 64-bit Intel Atom Z3530 1.3GHz quad-core processor and 3G phone functions.

With its narrow bezel measuring just 5.06mm and a 72.2% screen-to-body ratio, ASUS claims that the 8-inch ASUS Fonepad 8 has the largest viewing area for any 8-inch phablet in the market.

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New arrivals: HP computers & printers for the millennials

Wednesday, September 24th, 2014

HP has launched the Pavilion x2 tablet/notebook hybrid, ENVY Beats All-in-One desktop and three wireless inkjet printers – ENVY 5640 eAiO, ENVY 5530 eAiO and ENVY 7640 eAiO. Price and availability below.

(Left) The ultra-portable HP Pavilion x2 detachable PC/tablet (S$499) is designed for customers who want to simplify their life with a single device that transforms from tablet to laptop. (Right) The HP ENVY Beats All-in-One (S$1,599) is equipped with quad speakers and quad subwoofers all in a sleek desktop design.

(Left) The ultra-portable HP Pavilion x2 detachable PC/tablet (S$499) is designed for customers who want to simplify their life with a single device that transforms from tablet to laptop. (Right) The HP ENVY Beats All-in-One (S$1,599) is equipped with quad speakers and quad subwoofers all in a sleek desktop design.

HP’s new slew of consumer products are targeted towards the millennials – young working adults from their mid-twenties to the mid-thirties.

Pricing and availability is tabulated below.

HP Products Starting prices Availability
Pavilion x2 S$499 6 October
ENVY Beats All-in-One S$1,599 October
ENVY 5640 eAiO S$199 1 November
ENVY 5530 eAiO S$159 1 November
ENVY 7640 eAiO S$299 1 November

The new HP Pavilion x2 is a full-featured 10-inch diagonal Windows tablet that transforms into a full-featured laptop with a detachable dual-purpose keyboard/cover that both protects the screen and serves as a multi-position stand.

“Customers have told us they want devices that offer flexibility and performance while reflecting their personal sense of style. The products we are announcing today include innovative designs, vibrant color options, choice of operating system and computing power to enable the way that customers communicate, play and live,” said Serena Yong, general manager, Printing and Personal Systems, HP Singapore and Malaysia.

The HP Pavilion x2 is a portable, versatile, highly affordable 2-in-1 PC powered by the latest-generation Intel Atom processor, and features front-firing speakers with DTS sound and a battery that lasts up to 11.45 hours.

The HP ENVY Beats All-in-One provides music lovers and movie fans with good sound quality with quad speakers and quad subwoofers.

It has a 23-inch diagonal Full HD IPS 10-point touchscreen display that tilts up to 30˚ so that users can sit comfortably while using it.

HP’s three new ENVY printers enable direct printing from smartphones and tablets.

The new HP ENVY 7640 and 5640 e-All-in-One printers will feature a new WiFi Direct feature, allowing users to maintain a simultaneous connection with both the printer and the Internet.

Print direct from smarthones and tablets: ENVY 5640 eAiO (left, S$199), ENVY 5530 eAiO (top, S$159) and ENVY 7640 eAiO (right, S$299).

Print direct from smarthones and tablets: ENVY 5640 eAiO (left, S$199), ENVY 5530 eAiO (top, S$159) and ENVY 7640 eAiO (right, S$299).

The new devices can also be set up quickly and easily with a smartphone or tablet.

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Tech focus: StitMe – keeping your phone numbers private

Wednesday, September 24th, 2014

Our phone numbers are something we hand out readily to our contacts, yet we would like to protect them from misuse. StitMe is a service that enables users to control who can call you and when, without divulging your real number.

StitMe allows you to keep your mobile number private and control who can call you and when.

StitMe allows you to keep your mobile number private and control who can call you and when.

I was having tea the other day with Gurtaj Singh and he caught my interest with this app that he had launched just recently in the US.

It’s called StitMe and is not available outside of US yet but it sounded like it had great potential to solve one of the biggest dilemmas of the modern age.

You want as many friends, colleagues and potential contacts to be able to contact you, but you don’t want to receive calls from unwarranted telemarketers because your telephone number had been harvested and compiled in some call list that are being sold or circulated without your consent.

Worse still, in the US, anybody can use your telephone number to do a reverse number lookup (the equivalent of a Whois query) and get personal information about you like your residential address etc.

This is where StitMe comes in – users of the free service need not hand out their real telephone numbers anymore.

Between two StitMe users, all you give out is your StitMe User ID.

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