Archive for the ‘Xperia’ Category
Saturday, December 1st, 2012
So we decided that there was a 2-week window to grab a quick break. But that’s like one-week away. Is it possible to plan the usual DIY self-drive holiday at such short notice?
Aerial view of Fukuoka, our gateway to Kyushu.
The answer is yes, with the advent of the Internet. Here’s a recap of what I did for my own holiday.
Cutting it close
I booked the air tickets the day we decided to go for the break, the car rental the next day, 3 hotels on the third day, and the remaining 3 on the fourth day.
The remaining days were spent planning the itinerary for each stop.
It’s as close to the date of departure as I’ve ever tried going on a self-planned, self-drive vacation.
First the obvious, decide how long you’ve got and where you want to go. In my case, we’ve long wanted to visit Kyushu in Japan, and the window of opportunity available was roughly two weeks.
If you’re thinking of visiting Japan, I recommend this site called japan-guide.com. It has comprehensive descriptions of popular tourist spots all over Japan, as well as travel tips for Japan.
Even more useful is its forum where vacation planners get their queries answered in detail with advice from a community of fellow travelers, as well as useful links to resources – such as timetables, rates etc – outside of the website.
Next book the air tickets. The availability and price of last-minute tickets usually determine whether your vacation destination will become a reality.
Cameras of choice
For this vacation, I’m entrusting our memories to the Nikon D800, with the AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED and the AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lenses.
That’s almost 4 kg of camera gear but for the sake of image quality, I believe the 36.3-megapixel full-frame camera and two FX lenses from Nikon are worth every ounce of their weight.
Besides, we have the rental car to carry the gear between sights.
For a second camera, my wife will be carrying our trusty Olympus E450 with the ZUIKO DIGITAL ED 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 kit lens.
I use Zuji.com to get a feel of the airlines plying Singapore and the possible stops and the price range, then if there’s time, check competing sites or the airline’s website for better rates.
For Kyushu, it was pretty straightforward, only Singapore Airlines fly directly there from Singapore – to Fukuoka. It’s straightforward until you hit the SIA website. For a premier airline, it sure has a terrible website for bookings and reservations – plenty of long waits.
Next is the car rental. I use ToCoo car rental. It helps you check the rates for multiple car rental companies with cars available in the cities where you intend to pick up and drop off the car. But you’ve got to compare rates manually yourself.
Computing on the go
For computing, I’m bringing along the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook, a BlackBerry PlayBook, and the Seagate 1TB Backup Plus.
The X1 Carbon is sleek in design, wonderfully thin and light, yet powerful enough for surfing Web and running Photoshop and Dreamweaver CS6 for photo-editing and blogging back in the hotel room.
The 7-inch PlayBook keeps the children entertained with game apps, and serves as an e-book reader. Its biggest bugbear is that it’s the Wi-Fi version and does not have 3G, but I don’t use 3G data in Japan anyway.
To store and back up the 40MB RAW photo files generated by the D800, I brought along the 1TB Seagate Backup Plus Portable Drive. The 2.5-inch plug-and-play drive constantly backs up the hard disk and makes posting photos online a breeze.
Usually, I pick up the car at the airport, drive off to the first destination and return the car at the airport I’m flying off from. If the pick-up and drop-off locations are different, check if a surcharge is levied and how much it is.
Fuss-free music
For music in the hotel room, we’re bringing along the Jabra Solemate portable speaker. Instead of lugging stacks of CDs around, simply download your favourite tracks onto an SD card and plug it into the Solemate.
What I like most is we can play our song collections and playlists wirelessly from our smartphones, tablet and Ultrabook via Bluetooth. It’s portable, easy to use and the sound quality is superb.
Finally, book the hotels. I know some Japanese so I used to browse Japanese booking websites and hotel websites directly, calling them on the phone for enquiries and reservations.
This time round, I discovered that my favourite accomodation-booking website for Europe holidays – booking.com – now has quite extensive list of hotels in Japan. Enough to find hotels that fit your budget in most places in Japan.
I like booking.com because of its clear information and easy booking. So even if you don’t know ANY japanese, you can still find and book accommodation easily.
Smartphones
We don’t use smartphones an awful lot, but for the record, we’re bringing along the Android Sony Xperia ion and an aging iPhone 3GS.
I’ve left the Nokia Lumia 900 at home because Nokia maps does not have the navigation map for Japan, and I’m renting an English GPS with the car anyway.
Another website that I tried last year – hotels.com – seems to be only beginning to move into Japan, with poor selection and high prices. I’m hoping there coverage and pricing will improve over time.
Once you’ve gotten the flight, car and hotel bookings out of the way, what remains is the physical packing for the big day.
Tags:Backup Plus, Carbon, D800, holiday, ION, Jabra, Japan, Japan 2012, Kyushu, Lenovo, Nikon, Olympus, Seagate, Solemate, Sony, travel, ultrabook, vacation, X1, Xperia
Posted in Apple, Audio, Cameras, DSLR, Events, Gadgets, Holiday, Japan 2012, Lenovo, Lens, Lumia, NIKKOR, Nikon, Nokia, Notebooks, Olympus, Phones, Photography, PlayBook, RIM, Seagate, Sony Mobile, speakers, storage drive, Tablets, Travel, Ultrabooks, Xperia, Zuiko | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, November 21st, 2012
Sony Mobile will be at SITEX 2012 at Hall 5, Booth 5A01. There will be discounts for their smartphones, including the latest Xperia SL.
The new Xperia SL and Xperia ion are among the Android smartphones that Sony Mobile is retailing at SITEX 2012.
Purchase either the Xperia J (S$398) or Xperia acro S (S$698) and get a pair of Raine Yang concert tickets (worth S$156) free.
Above are the discounts for other Sony Mobile Android smartphones. Follow the links to read the details for each model.
Tags:Android, EXPO, IT exhibition, promotions, Singapore, SITEX, SITEX 2012, SITEX 2012 smartphones and tablets, smartphones, Sony Mobile, Xperia
Posted in Android, Exhibition, Gadgets, Phones, Prices, Promotions, Sony, Sony Mobile, Xperia | No Comments »
Monday, October 22nd, 2012
Sony Xperia SL is now available in Singapore in black, dark silver and pink at a recommended retail price of S$668 (without contract) at Xperia Concept Stores, Sony Stores and Sony Centres.
The new Sony Xperia SL from Sony Mobile comes in black (not shown above), dark silver or pink.
Based on the popular Xperia S, the new Xperia SL boasts a sharp 4.3-inch Reality Display with Mobile BRAVIA Engine.
| Sony Xperia SL |
| OS |
Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) |
| Screen |
4.3″ 720p HD TFT |
| Resolution |
1280 x 720 (342ppi) |
| Battery |
1,750 mAh, embedded |
| Processor |
1.7 GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 Dual Core |
| Features |
NFC |
| Camera |
Rear: 12 MP |
| Front: 1.3 MP |
| Video |
1080p HD |
| Memory |
Int: 32 GB |
| Ext: |
| Size /mm |
128 x 64 x 10.6 |
| Weight |
144 g |
| Colour |
Black, Dark Silver, Pink |
| Price |
S$668 |
The 720p HD TFT display (1280 x 720 pixels, 342 ppi) has 16 million colours and has a shatter proof sheet on scratch-resistant glass.
HD content can be shared through DLNA, HDMI and BRAVIA Sync through quick and easy streaming to other screens.
Xperia SL features a 12MP fast capture camera that goes from sleep to snap in just over a second with a single key press.
The smartphone runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) and a 1.7 GHz Qualcomm MSM8260 Dual Core processor, with 32GB eMMC flash storage and NFC.
Xperia SL is PlayStation Certified.
Three new media applications – WALKMAN”, “ALBUM” and “MOVIES” – provide enhanced entertainment experiences, and shares content amongst friends via social media connectivity.
Tags:Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, Singapore, smartphones, Sony Mobile, Xperia, Xperia S, Xperia SL
Posted in Android, Availability, Gadgets, Phones, Prices, Sony Mobile, Specifications, Xperia | 1 Comment »
Thursday, September 6th, 2012
The Xperia tipodual from Sony Mobile is now available in Singapore. The dual-SIM smartphone is available in black or silver at S$268 (without contract) at M1.
Only the dual-SIM version of the Xperia tipo dual is available in Singapore.
The dual-SIM version of Sony Mobile’s Xperia tipo has hit the shelves in Singapore.
| Sony Mobile Xperia tipodual |
| OS |
Android 4.0 (ICS) |
| Screen |
3.2″ TFT |
| Resolution |
320 x 480 |
| Battery |
1,500 mAh |
| Processor |
800 MHz Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM7225AA |
| Camera |
Rear: 3.2 MP |
| Front: Nil |
| Video |
VGA (640 x 480) |
| Memory |
Int: 2.9 GB |
| Ext: 32 GB microSD |
| Size /mm |
103 x 57 x 13 |
| Weight |
99.4 g |
| Price |
S$268 |
The Xperia tipodual is available at M1, Xperia Concept Stores, Sony Stores and Sony Centres.
Running on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), the Xperia tipodual accepts two SIM cards and allows users to easily change from one network to another.
This can be done by simply pressing a dedicated button on the smartphone
There is no need to switch off and on the phone or go through complicated menu-selections.
The Xperia tipodual has a 3.2-inch display, 3.2-megapixel camera and 1,500mAH battery.
The smartphone comes with a dedicated setup guide, and a built-in application enabling users to monitor their data usage and battery life.
Tags:Android, Android 4.0, ICE, Ice Cream Sandwich, M1, Singapore, Sony, Sony Mobile, tipo, tipo dual, Xperia
Posted in Android, App, Availability, Gadgets, Operating Systems, Phones, Prices, Software, Sony, Specifications, Xperia | 1 Comment »
Sunday, August 26th, 2012
This Thursday, the third of four large annual IT exhibitions in Singapore will kick off at Suntec Singapore. For four days from 30 August to 2 September, the COMEX will open from 12 noon to 9 pm (Admission FREE).
COMEX 2012, 30 August to 2 September, 12 noon to 9pm, Levels 3, 4 and 6. Admission FREE.
COMEX 2012 will be held on three Levels – 3, 4 and 6 of Suntec Singapore. With more than 830 exhibitors, COMEX claims to be Singapore’s biggest IT and consumer technology exhibition.
I will be listing some of the promotions available during the exhibition. To see a consolidated list of postings related to COMEX 2012, click here.
You can also click on the COMEX 2012 button (that looks like the logo above, on every page of tech4tea.com during COMEX 2012) near the top of the sidebar on the right and below the search box.
Here are the floor plans for the exhibitors on Levels 4 and 6.
The four major IT exhibitions in Singapore are:
Tags:COMEX, COMEX 2012, COMEX 2012 accessories, COMEX 2012 cameras, COMEX 2012 computers, COMEX 2012 printers, COMEX 2012 smartphones and tablets, IT exhibition, Singapore, Suntec
Posted in 3D, Accessories, All-in-One, Appliances, Audio, BlackBerry, Bold, Bravia, camera flash, Cameras, Compact camera, COOLPIX, Curve, Desktops, DSLR, EOS, Events, Exhibition, Fax, FinePix, Gadgets, Galaxy, Gaming, GPS, Graphics tablets, headphones, HTC One, Inkjet, iPad, iPhone, iPod, IXUS, Keyboards, Laserjet, LED, Legria, Lens, Lumia, Lumix, Mac, Media player, MFC, MIL, Monitors, Mouse, NIKKOR, Notebooks, Omnia, Optimus, Phones, PIXMA, PlayBook, PowerShot, Projectors, Promotions, Rangefinders, RAZR, Recorder, Regza, Scanners, Software, storage drive, Surface, Tablets, Torch, TV, Ultrabooks, Videocams, Walkman, Xoom, Xperia | 4 Comments »
Friday, August 3rd, 2012
Sony Mobile Communications today announced the official launch of the three Android smartphones in Singapore. The Xperia ion (S$798), Xperia acro S (S$698) and Xperia go (S$488) are available from today.
The Sony Xperia ion, Xperia go, and Xperia acro S are available in Singapore from today at all Sony stores, Sony centres, Xperia concept stores and operator stores.
The Xperia ion is Sony Mobile’s new flagship smartphone and offers a brilliant HD experience on a large 4.6-inch screen.
The Xperia go and Xperia acro S are water and dust resistant.
| Sony Mobile |
RRP |
Colours |
| Xperia ion |
S$798 |
Black |
| Xperia acro S |
S$698 |
Black and White |
| Xperia go |
S$488 |
Black, White and Yellow |
* Prices do not include line contract.
These three smartphones were among six that Sony Mobile showcased in Singapore back in June.
Tags:Android, Android 4.0, available, Ice Cream Sandwich, ICS, Singapore, smartphones, Sony Mobile Communications, Xperia, Xperia acro S, Xperia go, Xperia ion
Posted in Android, Availability, Gadgets, Launch, Operating Systems, Phones, Prices, Sony, Xperia | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
Sony Mobile has unveiled another two new Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) smartphones. The Xperia ion takes over the flagship role from the Xperia S, while the Xperia neo L is a follow-up to the Xperia neo V.
Both smartphones will be available in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in calendar Q3 2012.
New flagship from Sony Mobile: Xperia ion; and the Xperia neo L.
The Xperia ion and Xperia neo L were launched today as part of Sony Mobile’s South East Asia debut of a slew of six new Xperia smartphones.
The Xperia ion and Xperia neo L are part of a slew of six that debuted in SE Asia today. From left: Sony Xperia ion, go, acro S, neo L, miro, and tipo.
The other four phones were the Xperia go, Xperia acro S, Xperia miro and Xperia tipo.
They had been unveiled progressively over the past two weeks.
New flagship Xperia
The 4.6-inch screen of the Xperia ion is bigger than the 4.3-inch display of the Xperia S.
The Xperia ion also has a microSD card expansion slot for up to 32GB – which the former flagship model lacked.
The Xperia ion has a massive 4.6-inch display (1280 x 720 pixels on a 16-million colour TFT), and a high-capacity embedded 1,900mAH battery.
Both the rear (1080p) and front (720p) cameras are HD capable.
The 12-megapixel rear camera boasts a quick sleep-to-snap speed of just over a second via a single key press.
The Xperia ion will be available in black in Singapore; and in black and red in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Sony Xperia neo L
The Xperia neo L has a 4-inch display (480 x 854 pixels on a 16-million colour TFT), a 5.1-megapixel (720p) rear-camera, VGA front camera, and a 1,500mAH battery.
It has a sleek curved back design and glossy finish; and incorporates Sony’s xLoud technology for crisp and loud sound.
The Xperia neo L is available in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in both black and white.
The tech specs for the Xperia ion and Xperia neo L can be viewed/downloaded below.
(more…)
Tags:acro S, Android 4.0, Art Palates Café, debut, GO, Ice Cream Sandwich, Indonesia, Malaysia, miro, Singapore, smartphones, Sony Mobile, South East Asia, tipo, Xperia ion, Xperia neo L
Posted in Android, Announce, App, Events, Gadgets, Operating Systems, Phones, Software, Sony, Specifications, Xperia | 6 Comments »
Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
The six new models are: Xperia go, acro S, miro, tipo, ion, and neo L. The first four models were announced over the last two weeks, while the Xperia ion and neo L were unveiled today.
All six phone models will be available in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in calendar Q3 2012.
Mathew Lang, Corporate Vice President and Head of SEA & Oceania Customer Unit, Sony Mobile at the event at Art Palates Café, Istana Park, Singapore.
The Xperia ion is the new flagship smartphone for Sony Mobile.
Its 4.6-inch display is bigger than that of the 4.3-inch in the previous flagship Xperia S.
Water resistant Sony Xperia acro S. Don’t try this at home. Photo taken with Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF5.
The Xperia ion also includes a microSD card expansion slot for up to 32GB – which was absent in the Xperia S.
The Xperia go and Xperia acro S are stylish, durable and water-resistant.
They are supposedly water-proof up to a depth of 1m.
The Xperia miro offers deep Facebook integration and features Sony’s xLOUD audio technology together with the Xperia neo L.
The Xperia tipo comes in both single and dual SIM versions.
The latter allows one-touch switching between two numbers through a dedicated network switch button on the phone.
All six models either ship with Android 4.0 installed or can be upgraded over-the-air to Android 4.0.
The six new Android smartphones debuting in SE Asia in Q3 2012: Sony Xperia ion, go, acro S, neo L, miro, and tipo. Photo taken with Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GF5.
With such a range of smartphones catered to different tastes and needs, Xperia fans willl be spoilt for choice when shopping for their next smartphone.
Below are the technical specifications for the six Xperia smartphones from Sony Mobile.
(more…)
Tags:acro S, Android 4.0, Art Palates Café, debut, GO, Ice Cream Sandwich, Indonesia, Malaysia, miro, Singapore, smartphones, Sony Mobile, South East Asia, tipo, Xperia ion, Xperia neo L
Posted in Android, Announce, App, Events, Gadgets, Launch, Operating Systems, Phones, Software, Sony, Specifications, Xperia | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, June 13th, 2012
Sony Mobile has unveiled two new Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) smartphones that are designed to be stylish, fun and easy to use. One of them has a dual-SIM version available (Xperia tipodual).
Both smartphones will be launched globally in calendar Q3 2012.
Sony Mobile Xperia miro and Xperia tipo
The Xperia miro has a 3.5-inch display, 5-megapixel camera and 1,500mAH battery.
Sony Xperia tipo & miro
It provides deep Facebook integration and Sony’s xLOUD audio technology in a slim and stylish design.
The Xperia tipo has a 3.2-inch display, 3.2-megapixel camera and 1,500mAH battery.
It comes in both single and dual-SIM versions – no more hunting for dual-SIM adaptors that might not be compatible with your single-SIM phone.
You can have two separate lines, one personal and one work-related, on the same phone.
In some countries, different networks charge different rates for voice and data, local and overseas.
With the Xperia tipodual, users can switch – at one touch – to the cheaper network for whichever mode they are using.
The press release and specs can be viewed/downloaded below.
(more…)
Tags:Android, dual SIM, Ice Cream Sandwich, miro, smartphones, Sony, tipo, tipo dual, Xperia
Posted in Android, Announce, Brochures, Gadgets, Phones, Sony, Specifications, Xperia | 2 Comments »
Wednesday, May 30th, 2012
Sony Mobile has unveiled two new stylish, durable and water resistant Android smartphones. Both smartphones will be available globally in Q3 2012.
Dust & Water-resistant Xperia go and Xperia acro S from Sony Mobile
The Xperia go and Xperia acro S are built with extra durability and water resistance.
Xperia go & acro S
This is consistent with the trend of making electronic gadgets waterproof to enable an adventurous lifestyle.
Both smartphones have scratch resistant mineral glass displays for protection against dust and water immersion.
The Xperia go has a 3.5-inch display, 5-megapixel camera and 1,265mAH battery.
It will be launched on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) but upgradeable to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).
The Xperia acro S has a large 4.3-inch display, huge 12.1-megapixel camera and 1,840mAH battery.
It will be launched directly on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).
The press release and specs for both smartphones can be viewed/downloaded below.
(more…)
Tags:acro S, Android, GO, Ice Cream Sandwich, smartphones, Sony, water, Xperia
Posted in Android, Announce, Brochures, Gadgets, Phones, Sony, Specifications, Xperia | 4 Comments »
