Archive for the ‘Phones’ Category
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012
Local production “那个夏天” will premiere in Singapore on March 8, 2012 (Gala on March 6). The Chinese movie was partly sponsored by Research In Motion – BlackBerry smartphones and Playbook tablets were used in the movie.
BlackBerry users include Aloysius Pang, Kimberly Chia and Dasmond Koh (below). Photo provided by Dasmond Koh.
“Timeless Love” is produced by Noon Talk Media and was shot mostly in Bintan. This youth romance and motivational movie is co-directed by Mediacorp Artiste Dasmond Koh (许振荣) and veteran director Lim Koong Hwee (林坤辉).
Directors Dasmond Koh (许振荣) and Christopher Lim (林坤辉)
The cast includes Cynthia Ruby Wang (王心如), Joshua Ang (洪赐健), Aloysius Pang (冯伟衷), Kimberly Chia (谢静仪), Xu Bin (徐彬), Josephine Chan (陈映珍), Eugene Lim (林建辰) and Michelle Tay(郑荔分).
Morgan (Aloysius) visits a fictitious island where his grandmother (Wang) had her first love in her youth that didn’t quite work out.
He is accompanied by his friend Sky (Xu Bin) and trailed by paparazzi Uri (Eugene) who meets and falls in love with Xiao Wei (Kimberly) – a sweet and jovial girl who is the sister of the owner of the island, Eden (Joshua).
Morgan goes in search of his grandmother’s story while Uri and Xiao Wei falls for each other.
But history threatens to repeat itself as Uri discovers that his is stricken with terminal illness.
The relationship is put to the test as Xiao Wei discovers his secret identity.
The movie revolves around the six youngsters, with a theme of friendship and love.
Timeless love, "那个夏天"
Why “Timeless”?
奶奶在年轻时，和他的初恋情人在一个岛上邂逅，续而相恋的经历，让她一生无法忘怀。
当年，Eden（现今岛上的年轻岛主）的爷爷，把一只表送给了和他热恋中，向海洋的奶奶。
不久后，Eden的爷爷发现自己患上了绝症。
因为不想成为心爱的人的负担，他毅然和向海洋的奶奶分手。
备受打击的奶奶，把表抛进了大海后，离开了小岛。
Eden的爷爷也因此在岛上立了个规矩，凡是到岛上来的人都要交出手表。
因为这个岛是不应该有时间的！
Dasmond Koh, Kinberly Chia and Aloysius Pang will be sharing how they use their BlackBerry devices in their daily lives and during the movie making.
Tags:BlackBerry, RIM
Posted in Announce, BlackBerry, Lifestyle, RIM, Shows | 6 Comments »
Tuesday, January 31st, 2012
Three months after Research In Motion (RIM) and Microsoft released the open beta version in more than 30 countries, the general availability of “BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365” has been launched in over 50 countries today.
RIM launches BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365
BlackBerry Business Cloud Services for Microsoft Office 365 is a new service for business and government organizations that extends Microsoft Exchange Online to BlackBerry smartphones and allows customers to manage their BlackBerry deployments in the cloud.
“This new cloud-based option allows customers to cost-effectively support mobility across their organizations and easily manage and secure their BlackBerry deployments,” said Alan Panezic, Vice President, Enterprise Product Management and Marketing at RIM.The service is available at no additional charge to current enterprise subscribers of the Office 365 suite or standalone Exchange Online and works with BlackBerry smartphones on business or consumer data plans.
BlackBerry Business Cloud Services offers advanced administration and flexible smartphone self-service features to support an organization’s BlackBerry deployment in the cloud.
Managed service providers, systems integrators, carriers, resellers and other partners can also use the cloud service to manage BlackBerry deployments on behalf of their customers.
Key features remains the same as the open beta version and include the following:
- Wireless synchronization with Microsoft Exchange Online email, calendar and organizer data from a BlackBerry smartphone
- BlackBerry Balance technology, which presents a unified view of work and personal content on a BlackBerry smartphone while keeping the content separate and secure
- An intuitive web-based console for IT administrators to provision, manage and secure BlackBerry smartphones from anywhere
- Online access to employee self-service smartphone security functions, allowing users to easily reset a device password or remotely lock or wipe a device in the event of loss or theft
Customers can go to www.blackberry.com/cloudservices to get started.
Tags:BlackBerry, launch, Microsoft, Office 365, RIM
Posted in App, BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Launch, Microsoft, Office, Phones, RIM, Software | No Comments »
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012
BlackBerry maker – Research In Motion (RIM) – has named Thorsten Heins as President and CEO of the company.
Mike Lazaridis remains Vice Chair of the Board while Jim Balsillie takes on a Director role at the company. This is effective immediately.
Outgoing Co-chairs and Co-CEOs Jim Basillie and Mike Lazaridis
Heins was also appointed to RIM’s Board. He joined RIM from Siemens Communications Group in December 2007 as Senior Vice President for Hardware Engineering and became Chief Operating Officer for Product and Sales in August 2011.
I believe Heins does not have time on his side, given BlackBerry’s rapid loss of market share to rival Android devices and Apple iOS products.
“We have a strong balance sheet with approximately $1.5 billion in cash at the end of the last quarter and negligible debt. We reported revenue of $5.2 billion in our last quarter, up 24% from the prior quarter, and a 35% year-to-year increase in the BlackBerry subscriber base, which is now over 75 million.” – Thorsten Heins, new President and CEO of RIM.RIM’s market share of smartphones in the US declined from a market leading 44% in 2009 to 10% in 2011, according to market researcher NPD Group.
BlackBerry has been growing outside of America but it is facing similar challenges from its competitors in those markets as well.
Coming from within RIM instead of outside, the natural question will be whether Heins will be doling out “more of the same” at RIM.
I’m not sure having been in RIM since 2007 is necessarily something that will be seen as positive for Heins.
Investors will be keen to know if he had his own ideas but could not act on them because he was not the CEO.
Heins will have a very short time to show how different he is from his predecessors, that he has his own vision and roadmap to bring RIM back to its previous success.
Thorsten Heins, new President and CEO at RIM
I’m hoping his “I don’t think that there is a drastic change needed” spiel during his first press conference as CEO is merely paying due respect to his predecessors.
The succession plan was submitted by the two Co-Chairs and co-CEOs, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie. RIM’s Board of Directors acted on their recommendations after conducting its own own due diligence.
Investors had forced RIM to consider a change in company leadership in 2011 and was stalled with the company’s promise to study the matter.
RIM promised a resolution in January 2012 and I’ve been wondering if they were going to make the move, after their closed-door meeting in mid December.
Mike Lazaridis, who co-founded RIM with Doug Fregin in 1984, has become Vice Chair of RIM’s Board and Chair of the Board’s new Innovation Committee.
As Vice Chair, he will work closely with Mr. Heins to offer strategic counsel, provide a smooth transition and continue to promote the BlackBerry brand worldwide.
Barbara Stymiest, who formerly served as a member of Royal Bank of Canada’s Group Executive and has been a member of RIM’s Board since 2007, has been named the independent Board Chair.
John Richardson, formerly Lead Director, will remain on the Board.
Prem Watsa, Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings, also was named to the Board, expanding it to 11 members.
Tags:BlackBerry, Playbook, RIM, smartphone, tablets
Posted in Announce, BlackBerry, BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry Tablet OS, Commentary, Enterprise IT, Gadgets, Opinion, Phones, PlayBook, RIM, Tablets, Tech news | 1 Comment »
Thursday, January 19th, 2012
Bose has introduced the Bluetooth Headset Series 2. It is available in Singapore for S$249.
Bose Bluetooth Headset Series 2 (S$249)
The Bose Bluetooth headset Series 2 assures conversations remain clear and natural – even in challenging environments, or when surrounding noise levels change suddenly.
The headset integrates Bose full-range audio and A2DP, and comes in either right or left-ear versions.
Availability
The Bose Bluetooth headset Series 2 is available for S$249, and includes a portable zipper case, a one-foot USB cable, and three StayHear tips (small, medium, large) for a personal fit.
The Bose Bluetooth headset Series 2 can be purchased from selected partners, Atlas Experience Audio Visual Boutique at TripleOne Somerset and Bose at Millenia Walk.
The Bose Bluetooth headset Series 2 includes a proprietary dual microphone system to improve speech intelligibility beyond that of conventional Bluetooth headsets, rejecting background noise and tremendously reducing the audible effects of wind.
Bose proprietary signal processing further counteracts the unwanted sounds of a wide variety of places – gusty walkways, commuter rail platforms or airports.
To keep incoming voices clear, Bose TriPort acoustic structure and Bose Adaptive Audio Adjustment technology react automatically as noise levels change so that there’s no need to adjust volume settings or strain to hear a conversation.
The new internal antenna substantially reduces acoustic artifacts – the “pops,” “clicks” and “buzzes” familiar to Bluetooth headset owners – and minimises reception difficulty between the headset and a phone being carried in a pocket.
Compatibility
The Bose Bluetooth headset Series 2 is compatible with devices using the Bluetooth 2.1 (or earlier) specifications that support the Bluetooth hands-free or A2DP profiles.
For consumers who want to maintain an active connection between their headset and two Bluetooth enabled devices, it includes multi-point functionality.
Tags:Atlas, Bluetooth, Bose, headset, smartphone, tablets
Posted in Accessories, Audio, Bose, Gadgets, Launch, Music, Phones, Prices, Specifications, Tablets | 1 Comment »
Monday, January 16th, 2012
Upgrades to BlackBerry 7.1 (dates TBC) and BBM6.1 (available now), and Visa certification for BlackBerry smartphones.
The BBM6.1 upgrade is available now in BlackBerry App World.
The updates were released by Research In Motion (RIM) during CES 2012.
BlackBerry 7.1 upgrade – dates TBC in Asia
For users of the latest BlackBerry 7 smartphones, some of the features of the BlackBerry 7.1 OS upgrade are described below.
Keep smiling with the free BBM6.1 upgrade.
With the addition of BlackBerry Tag, users of NFC-enabled BlackBerry smartphones (incl. Bold 9900, Curve 9360 and Curve 9380) can instantly invite a friend to BBM, exchange contact information, documents, URLs, photos and other multimedia content, as well as pair their BlackBerry smartphone with an NFC enabled Bluetooth device.
Turn your BlackBerry smartphone into a mobile hotspot that can be shared by up to 5x Wi-Fi-enabled devices, including laptops and tablets.
Free upgrade to BlackBerry Messenger 6.1
Universal Search has been further improved to help users find what they are looking for. The enhancement includes an auto-suggest feature that intelligently filters Bing search results to offer users a variety of relevant Web sites based on their search terms.
Customers with a BlackBerry Curve 9360 or 9380 smartphones will find a nice surprise with the BlackBerry 7.1 OS update in the form of an FM radio.
BBM6.1 upgrade – available now in BlackBerry App World
This upgrade offers support for animated avatars (animated GIFs), a dozen new and fun emoticons to spice up conversations, and the ability to customize chat bubbles with different colors.
BBM6.1 is available now on BlackBerry App World.
In addition, the new BBM app allows users to add customized personal messages of up to 160 characters in their online Profile, more than double the length supported in previous versions.
Users can now set the picture for their BBM avatar directly from the camera app – simply snap a picture and select “Set as BBM Display Picture” from the menu.
Read the full press release here.
Visa certifies BlackBerry smartphones for use as Visa Mobile Payment Devices
Following the approval of BlackBerry devices as the first certified smartphones of the MasterCard PayPass program, Visa has certified the BlackBerry Bold 9900, BlackBerry Curve 9360 and BlackBerry Curve 9380 as compliant payment products available for commercial deployment by financial institutions.
All the new devices certified by Visa can use the built-in NFC (Near Field Communication) technology to facilitate wireless payments using contactless payment terminals.
Read the full press release here.
Tags:BlackBerry, Bold, CES 2012, Curve, RIM, smartphone, update, upgrade
Posted in Announce, App, BlackBerry, BlackBerry OS, Bold, Curve, Gadgets, Operating Systems, Phones, RIM, Software | 1 Comment »
Monday, January 16th, 2012
An advanced messaging experience; innovative people-centric calendar and contact apps; and improved office productivity tools are some of the features in the PlayBook OS 2.0 upgrade.
An advanced messaging experience with a powerful unified inbox.
Announced during CES 2012, and expected to be available in February 2012, the free upgrade will enable customers to be even more connected and productive with heaps of new features.
People-centric calendar and contact apps integrated with social networks.
For an advanced messaging experience, a powerful unified inbox integrates with built-in messaging and social networking sites (Twitter, LinkedIn etc), as well as ‘tabbed email’ for managing multiple accounts.
You can also compose and edit messages in rich text and manage you inbox with useful new tools (for setting out-of-office alerts, signatures etc).
There are innovative people-centric calendar and contact apps that connects and feeds from your social network to make organising your day and getting in touch with people easy and fast.
Enhnaced office productivity tools such as Word To Go & Print To Go.
Remote control your PlayBook using your BlackBerry smartphone, especially if your PlayBook is connected to a TV via the HDMI output – perfect for watching movies or typing out notes.
Revamped and improved productivity tools with new Documents To Go, and Print To Go application for wireless printing and enhanced browsing, plus much more.
Tags:BlackBerry, CES 2012, Opera, OS, Playbook, RIM, tablets, update, upgrade
Posted in Announce, BlackBerry, BlackBerry Tablet OS, Gadgets, Operating Systems, PlayBook, RIM, Software, Specifications, Tablets | No Comments »
Thursday, January 12th, 2012
The Huawei Ascend P1 S is the slimmest smartphone in the world in the 4.3” smartphone class, measuring just 6.68mm at its slimmest point; while the Huawei Ascend P1 measures at 7.69mm thin.
The Huawei Ascend P1 and Huawei Ascend P1 S was announced during CES 2012.
Huawei announced the Huawei Ascend P1 and Huawei Ascend P1 S at CES 2012.
With the Ascend series of smartphones, Huawei promises fast multi-tasking, video replay and gaming experience for consumers
Ascend P1 S, the world's slimmest smartphone from Huawei, measuring just 6.68mm at the slimmest.
The smartphones in the series will boast SUPER AMOLED screen with Corning Gorilla Glass and will ship with Android 4.0 upon availability.
They will be powered with a dual core 1.5GHz Texas Instrument OMAP 4460 Cortext-A9 processor, 1GB RAM and 4GB ROM.
Both will be equipped with an 8-megapixel BSI rear-facing and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera, with the ability to capture 1080p HD videos.
The camera comes with dual flash LED and HDR effect optimization.
The Huaweil Ascend P1 and Ascend P1 S have the same tech specs except for the thickness and battery rating.
The Huawei Ascend P1 has a 1670mAh battery while the Huawei Ascend P1 S features a whopping 1800mAh battery.
Both smartphones utilise a PPVD back cover coating that evenly distributes heat, and sport a strong metallic, three-dimensional design with a delicate texture.
Huawei Ascend series: three colours to choose from.
The Ascend P1/P1 S is available in metallic black, ceramic white and cherry-blossom pink with more colors to come.
The Huawei Ascend P1/P1 S will be available in Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America, Australia, Middle East, and China from April 2012.
Here are the tech specs for the two phones.
(more…)
Tags:Android, Android 4.0, Ascend, Huawei, Ice Cream Sandwich, smartphone
Posted in Android, Announce, Exhibition, Gadgets, Huawei, Phones, Specifications | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
The latest version of the TomTom App (V1.10) integrates TomTom navigation with Facebook and Twitter allowing users to navigate to friends, places and events more easily.
The new TomTom App will be available within Q1 2012. Customers who already have the App (V1.9) will be able to download the new features for free.
TomTom App for iPhone/iPad integrates with Twitter and Facebook.
The TomTom app uses social networks as a source for turn-by-turn navigation.
The TomTom App for iPhone and iPad will be the first to use social networks as a source for turn-by-turn navigation.
It can automatically plan routes based on information from Facebook events, places and friends.
Drivers can also use the App to share their destination and arrival time on Twitter, Facebook, by email and SMS text.
The current TomTom App for iPhone/iPad (V1.9) already offers drivers:
- The updated and accurate maps with no need for a mobile signal or data plan.
- Free daily map changes from the TomTom community through Map Share.
- Reliable arrival times at all times of day with IQ Routes.
- Real-time camera alerts via TomTom Speed Cameras.
- A powerful search with Google and Facebook.
- Clear turn-by-turn guidance while on the phone thanks to iOS Multitasking support.
- Seamless integration with contacts, photos, music, email and calendar.
Tags:Apple, Apps, Google, GPS, navigation, TomTom
Posted in Announce, App, Gadgets, GPS, iPad, iPhone, Phones, Prices, Software, Specifications, Tablets, TomTom | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, January 11th, 2012
Nokia and AT&T announced the Nokia Lumia 900 at the 2012 International Consumer Electronic’s Show (CES) – the first Windows Phone 7 smartphone from Nokia to feature high speed LTE connectivity.
Large screen, large bandwidth and “large” camera – Lumia 900 will be larger than life.
Nokia Lumia 900 unveiled during CES 2012 on 9 January.
With Nokia’s largest display, the Nokia Lumia 900 delivers a rich content experience from a phone that still fits easily in your hand.
The Nokia Lumia 900 has a 4.3-inch AMOLED ClearBlack Display, for rich, bright images both indoors and out in the sun.
The Nokia Lumia 900 has a large 4.3-inch AMOLED ClearBlack Display.
However, resolution is only 800×480 pixels.
Cutting edge 4G LTE technology enables faster connection speeds of up to 50Mbps on AT&T’s 4G LTE network.
The Lumia 900 is powered by a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8055 + MDM9200 processor, with a long- lasting battery with 1830mAH for 7 hrs talk-time and up to 300 hrs on standby.
Nokia’s third Lumia smartphone (after the Lumia 800 and Lumia 710), the Nokia Lumia 900 builds on Lumia’s head-turning design on the outside and a rich social and Internet experience on the inside.
People Hub is the quickest way to connect with friends using Live Tiles for real-time updates and a fast Web browsing experience with Internet Explorer Mobile.
The Nokia Lumia 900 is designed for the US and comes with 4G LTE.
The camera will put greater pressure on compact cameras. The 8-megapixel camera comes with a large aperture of f/2.2 and wide angle at 28mm. Add to this a Carl Zeiss lens and dual LED flash, it will the owner greater impetus to leave the compact camera at home.
Video is so-so, with hi-res video capture at 720p/30fps. A second, front-facing 1-megapixel camera for video calls has an f/2.4 lens and 30fps capture.
Here is the full data sheet for the Nokia Lumia 900:
(more…)
Tags:4G, CES 2012, LTE, Lumia, Lumia 900, Nokia, smartphone, US, Windows Phone 7
Posted in Announce, Gadgets, Lumia, Nokia, Phones, Specifications, Windows Phone 7 | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
Here’s a quick round-up of smartphones announced prior to the four-day CES 2012 (10-13 January 2012) being held in Nevada, Las Vegas. Offerings from LG, Huawei, Nokia and Sony.
Sony Xperia S with 4.3-inch 720p screen, 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 12-megapixel camera.
LG from Korea has unveiled the Spectrum, which runs on Android 2.3 (upgradeable to 4.0) and has a 4.5” full HD display, a 1.5 Ghz processor and an 8-megapixel camera.
Huawei from China has announced the Android 4.0 Ascend P1 and Ascend P1 S, which will be available in Asia Pacific in April 2012.
Ascend P1 S, the world's slimmest smartphone from Huawei, measuring just 6.68mm at the slimmest.
The Huawei Ascend P1 S is the slimmest smartphone in the world in the 4.3” smartphone class, measuring just 6.68mm at its slimmest point; while the Huawei Ascend P1 measures at 7.69mm thin.
Both have Super AMOLED screen with Corning Gorilla Glass.
Sony from Japan has announced Xperia S, its first next generation smartphone from the new Xperia NXT series, after it bought over Ericsson’s 50% stake in the former Sony-Ericsson joint venture.
The Xperia S has a 4.3-inch 1280×720 screen, 1.5GHz dual-core processor and 12-megapixel camera.
It will be available globally from Q1 2012 with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. It will be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in Q2 2012.
Nokia from Finland has announced the Lumia 900 for the US market. It will basically be another Lumia 800 but with a bigger screen and battery, as well as LTE.
That’s all for now, will add on as more smartphones are unveiled in CES 2012 over the next few days.
Tags:Android, CES 2012, Gingerbread, Huawei, Ice Cream Sandwich, LG, Nokia, smartphone, Sony
Posted in Android, Events, Exhibition, Gadgets, Huawei, LG, Nokia, Operating Systems, Phones, Sony, Specifications | 2 Comments »
Management shakeup at RIM
Tuesday, January 24th, 2012BlackBerry maker – Research In Motion (RIM) – has named Thorsten Heins as President and CEO of the company.
Mike Lazaridis remains Vice Chair of the Board while Jim Balsillie takes on a Director role at the company. This is effective immediately.
Outgoing Co-chairs and Co-CEOs Jim Basillie and Mike Lazaridis
Heins was also appointed to RIM’s Board. He joined RIM from Siemens Communications Group in December 2007 as Senior Vice President for Hardware Engineering and became Chief Operating Officer for Product and Sales in August 2011.
I believe Heins does not have time on his side, given BlackBerry’s rapid loss of market share to rival Android devices and Apple iOS products.
“We have a strong balance sheet with approximately $1.5 billion in cash at the end of the last quarter and negligible debt. We reported revenue of $5.2 billion in our last quarter, up 24% from the prior quarter, and a 35% year-to-year increase in the BlackBerry subscriber base, which is now over 75 million.” – Thorsten Heins, new President and CEO of RIM.RIM’s market share of smartphones in the US declined from a market leading 44% in 2009 to 10% in 2011, according to market researcher NPD Group.
BlackBerry has been growing outside of America but it is facing similar challenges from its competitors in those markets as well.
Coming from within RIM instead of outside, the natural question will be whether Heins will be doling out “more of the same” at RIM.
I’m not sure having been in RIM since 2007 is necessarily something that will be seen as positive for Heins.
Investors will be keen to know if he had his own ideas but could not act on them because he was not the CEO.
Heins will have a very short time to show how different he is from his predecessors, that he has his own vision and roadmap to bring RIM back to its previous success.
Thorsten Heins, new President and CEO at RIM
I’m hoping his “I don’t think that there is a drastic change needed” spiel during his first press conference as CEO is merely paying due respect to his predecessors.
The succession plan was submitted by the two Co-Chairs and co-CEOs, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie. RIM’s Board of Directors acted on their recommendations after conducting its own own due diligence.
Investors had forced RIM to consider a change in company leadership in 2011 and was stalled with the company’s promise to study the matter.
RIM promised a resolution in January 2012 and I’ve been wondering if they were going to make the move, after their closed-door meeting in mid December.
Mike Lazaridis, who co-founded RIM with Doug Fregin in 1984, has become Vice Chair of RIM’s Board and Chair of the Board’s new Innovation Committee.
As Vice Chair, he will work closely with Mr. Heins to offer strategic counsel, provide a smooth transition and continue to promote the BlackBerry brand worldwide.
Barbara Stymiest, who formerly served as a member of Royal Bank of Canada’s Group Executive and has been a member of RIM’s Board since 2007, has been named the independent Board Chair.
John Richardson, formerly Lead Director, will remain on the Board.
Prem Watsa, Chief Executive Officer of Fairfax Financial Holdings, also was named to the Board, expanding it to 11 members.
Tags:BlackBerry, Playbook, RIM, smartphone, tablets
Posted in Announce, BlackBerry, BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry OS, BlackBerry Tablet OS, Commentary, Enterprise IT, Gadgets, Opinion, Phones, PlayBook, RIM, Tablets, Tech news | 1 Comment »