Archive for September, 2014
Tuesday, September 23rd, 2014
Singapore officially welcomed the Xbox One today at 1300hrs.
Update (9pm, 23 September):
Xbox One fans got to pit themselves against each other on board the Singapore Flyer, against the Skyline.

Singapore F1 GP may be over but #Xbox One fans are still racing the McLaren on #Forza5 in the Singapore Flyer. #XboxOneSG. Photo taken using Samsung Galaxy S5 and posted on Instagram.

Microsoft Xbox One Launch at Funan DigitaLife Mall. Photo: Microsoft Singapore.
The event kicked off with pre-order collection amongst the mass of over 500 fans as they turned Funan DigitaLife Mall into a sea of green.
“The feedback from our fans in Singapore has been overwhelming. We are on track to making this the biggest ever Xbox launch in history in Singapore. Today marks a historic day for us and our fans,” said Hanson Yap, Marketing Manager, Interactive Entertainment Business, and Microsoft, Singapore.
The console launch continues into the evening as invited fans battle it out in the sky onboard the Singapore Flyer.
The iconic landmark will light up Singapore’s skyline with the Xbox’s signature green – telling Singaporeans that the new entertainment console has landed.
This holiday, gamers will be able to create Car Clubs of up to 1,000 members and race through a wide-open world featuring the stunning landscapes of Southern Europe in “Forza Horizon 2”.
(more…)
Tags:Assassin’s Creed, Call of Duty, Dead Rising, FIFA 15, Forza, Funan, Halo, Kinect, launch, Microsoft, Singapore, StarHub, Xbox, Xbox One
Posted in Accessories, App, Entertainment, Events, Gadgets, gadgets, Games, Gaming, Gaming, Launch, Microsoft, newArrivals, Software, Tickers, Xbox | No Comments »
Sunday, September 21st, 2014
Photo of the Day: Brought my daughter back to where I had discovered this kindle of kittens last year. Lo and behold, they were all still there sans one or two who had been adopted or died.

This photo was taken just after the cat had scuttled into the safety of this drain as it eyed us warily with its dilated eyes. It was already twilight and rather dark in the drain but the A7R didn’t have any problems getting a focus on the cat, although I had to dial up the ISO to its maximum of 25,600. The result was not surprisingly grainy but it was amazing that we even got any shot at all in that dim light! Photo taken with a Sony A7R full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, with a 55-210mm E-mount zoom lens. 184mm, f/6.3, 1/250 sec, ISO 25,600. Photo credit: John Tan.
In particular, there was one black and white cat which I had photographed previously (see below).
“陪伴小女儿重游去年拍摄小猫咪的地方,发现当时只有几个星期大的小妈咪如今已长大了。连小女儿也觉得些许感概。但看到它安然成长,却也是一种安慰。祈福它与同伴们日后也能够继续安然度日。” – 科技点心(微薄)
We had so much fun comparing the fully grown cat with the photos that I’d taken of the kitten a year ago to affirm they were the same cat – the lines emanating from the corner of the eyes, and the stripes on the forehead.
The retirees looking after the cats confirmed that these cats were indeed those kittens all grown up.
(more…)
Tags:A7R, animals, cats, kittens, photography, photos, potd, Singapore, Sony
Posted in A7, Cameras, cameras, Gadgets, gadgets, MIL, Photos, POTD, POTD, Sony | No Comments »
Saturday, September 20th, 2014
Dell’s new portfolio promises more productivity in smaller and thinner devices.
These include the OptiPlex Micro PCs (fr S$419 – now), Latitude 3000 Series (fr S$779 – now) ,Latitude 5000 Series (fr S$1,119 – Sep 26), Latitude 13 7000 Series 2-in-1 (fr S$1,719 – Oct), Latitude 14 Rugged laptop, and Dell UltraSharp 27 Ultra HD 5K monitor (Q4, 2014).

Dell Latitude family featuring Dell Latitude 13 7000 Series – 13-inch 2-in-1 notebook computer in the center with tablet disconnected from keyboard attachment; Dell Latitude 14 3000 Series (left) – non-touch 14-inch notebook computer; and Dell Latitude 14 5000 Series (right) non-touch notebook computer.
Dell offers encryption, authentication and malware prevention from a single source via its Dell Data Protection portfolio.

Dell OptiPlex 9020 Micro desktop PC.
Dell has buillt management capabilities into its Latitude and OptiPlex portfolio to help users maximise their hardware investment and the all-new Dell Client Command Suite offers free automation tools to help significantly reduce time spent on deploying, monitoring and updating systems.
To help ensure outstanding reliability, each Latitude and OptiPlex system undergoes rigorous accelerated life cycle and torture tests for extreme heat, hinge endurance and twists.
(more…)
Tags:business, commercial, DELL, desktops, laptops, Latitude, monitors, notebooks, OptiPlex, PCs, Singapore, transformers, ultrabooks
Posted in Dell, Enterprise IT, Gadgets, gadgets, Hybrid, Launch, Monitors, newArrivals, Notebooks, notebooks, Prices, Specifications, Ultrabooks, Windows 8 | No Comments »
Friday, September 19th, 2014
Infosys and Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) is expanding their partnership to deliver next-generation infrastructure and data center transformation solutions to enterprises.

Infosys will also establish a center of excellence to co-create ‘pay-per-use’ solutions with HDS.
The new solutions will help improve operational efficiencies and facilitate smooth transition of their IT infrastructure to new cloud-based environments.
“Hitachi Data Systems and Infosys have a long history of collaboration. We are pleased to take our relationship to the next level by delivering the latest Hitachi Data Systems ‘Continuous Cloud Infrastructure’ solutions to help our mutual customers, around the world, deploy the most available, automated and agile environment for next-generation data centers and cloud solutions,” said Brian Householder, Chief Operating Officer, Hitachi Data Systems.
Enterprises can then convert a significant share of their capital expenditure, related to infrastructure and data center management, into operational expenditure.
The new data center transformation solutions, developed by Infosys and HDS, are tailored to meet refresh cycles of enterprise data centers.
The two partners will also create reference architectures and solution frameworks to accelerate private cloud deployments.
Infosys Cloud Ecosystem Hub is a first-of-its-kind solution that helps enterprises build and manage a unified hybrid cloud environment.
(more…)
Tags:cloud, data centers, enterprise IT, HDS, Hitachi Data Systems, Infosys, infrastructure
Posted in Announce, Business IT, Enterprise IT, Events, News, Press Release | No Comments »
Thursday, September 18th, 2014
Samsung Singapore showcased in Singapore today a few of the devices unveiled during IFA 2014 – namely the Galaxy Note 4, Galaxy Note Edge.
Also available for hands-on were the Gear S smartwatch and Gear Circle Bluetooth wireless earphones.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge with its innovative curved-edged screen, with Montblanc leather flip covers for the Note 4 in the background.
Both the Galaxy Note 4 and Note Edge now have the same Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixels) as the LG G3 but on a larger 5.7-inch screen, and the S Pen and S Note have been improved to enhance their functionality and productivity.

Samsung Gear Circle, with the ear buds “stuck” together magnetically, can be worn around the neck like a necklace when not in use.
The rear camera now has 16 megapixels and the front has 3.7 megapixels with an f1.9 lens.
By the way, the processor that’s going to ship to Singapore is the Snapdragon with 3GB RAM.
The Note Edge really does look novel with the sharp display on the curved screen that wraps around the thin right edge of the phablet.
The Gear S smartphone runs on the Tizen OS and has its own nano-SIM slot so you can place and receive calls independently of a smartphone.
It can also store and play music directly and be paired with the Gear Circle.
First Impressions:
Having used the Galaxy S4, Note 3 and now using the S5, I find the Note 4 and Note Edge exciting new additions to the Galaxy flagship devices.
(more…)
Tags:Android, Berlin, earphones, Galaxy, Gear, Gear Circle, Gear S, headsets, IFA, Note, Note 4, Note Edge, phablets, Samsung, smartphones, unpacked
Posted in Accessories, Android, Audio, Brief, earphones, Events, events, Gadgets, gadgets, GALAXY, Note, Phones, Prices, Samsung, smartphones, smartwatches, Specifications, Watches | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, September 17th, 2014
Trend Micro has launched the security solution to reduce vulnerabilities to intrusion of privacy and offers protection anytime, anywhere and on any device. Available in Singapore from 19 September for one (S$39), two (S$99) and three (S$129) devices.

Available in Singapore from 19 September at all leading IT retailers and online at the Trend Micro website – for one (S$39), two (S$99) and three (S$129) devices.
To protect consumers from the perils of Internet across multiple devices, Trend Micro has released its most comprehensive security solution available that offers protection from cyber threats for PC, Mac, Android and now iOS platforms.

The new Trend Micro Maximum Security Cloud Edition improves consumer security and privacy across PC, Mac, iOS and Android devices.
Trend Micro Maximum Security Cloud Edition is an all-in-one consumer solution that helps resolve both security and privacy issues that continue to plague Internet users.
As mobile device accounts are becoming more commonly shared with home computer networks, Trend Micro developed the Maximum Security Cloud Edition to provide protection for users no matter which device is being used at any given time.
Solutions like Trend Micro Maximum Security Cloud Edition are more necessary than ever, as verified by the results of a recent poll revealing that risky behavior by Internet users was generating new attack opportunities for cyber criminals.
(more…)
Tags:Maximum Security, security, Singapore, Trend Micro
Posted in Announce, Figures, newArrivals, Prices, Security, Software, Specifications, Study, Trend Micro | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 17th, 2014
The new portfolio promises dramatically increased compute capacity and efficiency, speed of IT service delivery, and application performance.

With new technology features and workload-optimised design, the new server portfolio advances HP’s vision for compute, the future of data center technology.
HP has announced a new portfolio of HP ProLiant Generation 9 (Gen9) Servers that promises to help customers reduce cost and complexity, accelerate IT service delivery and enable business growth.
Pricing and availability
The new HP ProLiant Gen9 servers are now available through HP and worldwide channel partners.
Flexible investment and migration solutions including technology refresh, trade in, dual usage and transition services available from HP Financial Services.
Pricing will vary based on model and customer configurations.
IT organizations – under increasing pressure to quickly and efficiently deliver more applications and services, as well as store and deliver exponentially increasing amounts of data while reducing costs – are constrained by traditional data center and server architectures.
The new HP ProLiant Gen9 Servers are designed to address these challenges, delivering flexible, scalable computing resources that are aligned to companies’ business goals.
(more…)
Tags:Gen9, HP, OneView, ProLiant, servers
Posted in Business IT, Events, Gadgets, gadgets, HP, Launch, servers | No Comments »
Wednesday, September 17th, 2014
Olympus’ Flagship OM-D E-M1 has been re-launched with enhanced features for professional photography and a new silver coloured option. The Silver Edition will be available from November 2014. Price TBA.

The new silver version of the OM-D E-M1 has silver painted top and bottom chassis plates, with colour-matched buttons and dials.
The second-generation firmware for the flagship E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera will be available to existing E-M1 owners for self-installation.

More pro features in Version 2 firmware.
Version 2.0 of the E-M1 operating firmware will come pre-installed with all new silver models of the OM-D E-M1 camera, as well as future-production of the black coloured models.
E-M1 camera owners can upgrade their cameras themselves to the new firmware 2.0 specification by downloading and self-installing the new firmware via the Olympus Digital Camera Updater app on their computers (with internet connection).
E-M1 firmware version 2.0 is expected to be available end September 2014.
New features enabled by the firmware upgrade include:
(more…)
Tags:cameras, MIL, Olympus, OM-D EM-1, OMD
Posted in Announce, Cameras, cameras, Gadgets, gadgets, MIL, newArrivals, Olympus, OM-D, Specifications | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 16th, 2014
The Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS (SEL1635Z) lens has a versatile wide-angle zoom range and is optimised for Sony A7 series 35mm full-frame cameras. Available in Singapore from November 2014. Price TBA.

Unveiled at Photokina 2014: Sony Vario-Tessar T* FE 16-35mm F4 ZA OSS (SEL1635Z) lens.
The lens ships with Optical SteadyShot in-lens image stabilisation and is compact and portable.
It is built with dust and moisture resistant design.
(more…)
Tags:A7, Alpha, lens, lenses, Photokina 2014, Sony, Vario-Tessar, ZEISS
Posted in A7, Accessories, Exhibition, Gadgets, gadgets, Lens, MIL, newArrivals, Photography, Sony, Specifications | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 16th, 2014
An online poll finds that 3 in 4 Internet users in Singapore are concerned about privacy on Social Networks. However, almost 66 percent of respondents in Singapore are not protected on their mobile devices and personal computers.

The recent online poll was conducted by Trend Micro Incorporated – a global developer of security software – between August to September 2014 surveying 744 respondents in Singapore.
Internet users in Singapore are concerned about sharing private information on social networking sites (76%), and as many as 69 percent of respondents deleted or hid timeline posts they had shared previously.
“电脑防卫软件出版商 Trend Micro 的网上调查显示,新加坡的网上用户注重社交网络的私隐,但大多数人的电脑与手机却未安装安全软件。” – 科技点心(微薄)
Security solutions are therefore more necessary than ever, as verified by the results of the poll revealing that risky behavior by Internet users was generating new attack opportunities for cyber criminals.

“Consumers today are very reliant on their devices, with an average individual owning around five digital devices each. Yet, they often forget that having more devices also increases their exposure to cyberattacks,” said Terrence Tang, Senior Director of Consumer Business, Asia Pacific, Trend Micro.
Survey findings included:
(more…)
Tags:infographics, Maximum Security, security, Singapore, Trend Micro
Posted in Announce, Figures, Infographic, infographics, Reference, Security, Study, Trend Micro | 1 Comment »