Archive for the ‘Specifications’ Category

New Android smartphone: Sony Xperia Z showcased in Singapore

Tuesday, January 15th, 2013

Unveiled only last week at CES 2013 in Las Vegas, the new flagship for Sony Mobile’s Xperia smartphones was showcased in Singapore to the regional media.

The Xperia Z and its smaller variant (Xperia ZL) will be available globally in Q1 2013. Prices are yet to be announced.

Update (7 February, 2013):

The Xperia Z will debut in Singapore on 1 March 2013. RRP: S$988 without contract.

You can pre-order at  the Xperia Store, Sony Stores and Sony Centres from 15-24 February and get a gift.

Xperia Z will be available in the above stores on 1 March and from all telco operators from March 2nd onwards, in black or white. The purple Xperia Z will be available one week after on 8 March.

Sony Mobile's new flagship smartphone - Xperia Z. Available Q1 2013.

Sony Mobile’s new flagship smartphone – Xperia Z. Available Q1 2013.

The Xperia Z embodies leading edge technology that Sony had developed over the years for its wide range of electronic devices.

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New cameras and lenses: Nikon 1 J3 and S1, COOLPIX S6500 and 2700

Wednesday, January 9th, 2013

Nikon has launched in Tokyo the Nikon 1 J3, Nikon 1 S1 bodies, WP-N2 waterproof case, 1 NIKKOR VR 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 and 1 NIKKOR VR 10-100mm f/4-5.6 lenses. It also released two new compact cameras – COOLPIX S6500 and COOLPIX 2700.

Prices and availability to be announced at a later date.

From left, Nikon COOLPIX S6500, Nikon COOLPIX S2700, Nikon 1 J3 with 1 NIKKOR VR 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, and Nikon 1 S1 with 1 NIKKOR VR 10-100mm f/4-5.6 lens

From left, Nikon COOLPIX S6500, Nikon COOLPIX S2700, Nikon 1 J3 with 1 NIKKOR VR 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, and Nikon 1 S1 with 1 NIKKOR VR 10-100mm f/4-5.6 lens

With the popularity of mirrorless interchangeable lens (MIL) cameras, Nikon is beefing up its Nikon 1 line up of camera bodies, lenses and accessories, with new features and functionalities.

For those who prefer the simplicity of compact cameras, it has introduced two new cameras in its COOLPIX S-series.

Here’s a line-up with key specs.

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CES 2013: ASUS unveils Transformer AiO PC and Qube Google TV

Tuesday, January 8th, 2013

The Transformer AiO PC runs on Windows 8 and has an integral Android tablet that can be detached, while the Qube Google TV media streamer is an entertainment device with voice search and motion control.

Also unveiled were two premium monitors and a pocket router.

ASUS has unveiled a number of new innovative products during CES 2013.

ASUS has unveiled a number of new innovative products during CES 2013.

The Transformer AiO has an 18.4-inch display that doubles as a standalone tablet.

The two monitors are the PA249Q ProArt and VG248QE Fast Gaming monitors, while the WL-330NUL Pocket Router is the world’s smallest router that gives easy wireless connectivity to travelers.

In fact, the pocket router would have been exactly what I needed during my recent trip to Japan because the super-thin Ultrabook that I’d brought along didn’t have an Ethernet port and some hotel rooms had wired Internet access but no Wi-Fi.

Below are more details of the new gizmos.

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CES 2013 roundup: Sony reveals new large TVs and smartphone

Tuesday, January 8th, 2013

Here is a round-up of Sony’s new electronic gadgets for 2013, as released today during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2013 in Nevada, Las Vegas, USA.

Imagine a Sony Bravia KD-65 LED TV in your living room.

Imagine a Sony Bravia KD-65 LED TV in your living room.

This year’s line-up includes new models to Sony’s Cyber-Shot, Handycam, Walkman, Xperia and BRAVIA range of products, as well as wireless speakers.

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Review: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook

Sunday, January 6th, 2013

I brought the ThinkPad X1 Carbon along when I went on vacation in Japan in December. Why? Because it was light and slim and promised a long battery life. It did not disappoint. RRP: starts from S$2,349.

Update (7 March, 2013):

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon is on offer during IT Show 2013. For S$3,149, you get a 3rd Gen Intel Core i7-3667U 3G processor with Windows 7 Professional 64 with Windows 8 Pro Recovery DVD.

This configuration comes with 8GB DDR3 SDRAM + 256GB SSD, with Wi-Fi + 3G connectivity.

What’s more, bundled items include a Lenovo Mini-Display Port to VGA monitor cable and a USB 2.0 Ethernet Adapter!

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the ideal fit for the mobile warrior.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is the ideal fit for the mobile warrior.

Launched back in August as part of the ThinkPad’s 20th anniversary celebrations, the X1 Carbon was the world’s lightest Ultrabook at the time, and still is one of the thinnest and lightest around today (331x226x18.85 mm).

Slim & svelte is the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook.

Slim & svelte is the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook.

The X1 Carbon weighs less than three pounds, or 1.36kg – that’s less than a 1.5l soft drink bottle – thanks to its carbon fibre construction.

The Ultrabook withstood the physical rigours that we put it through lugging it from place to place.

The X1 Carbon boasted up to 8.2 hours of battery life and one of the best charge times in the industry, with rapid recharge up to 80% battery life in 35 minutes.

Indeed, the battery never once run out on me before I could hit a hotel to recharge, and the recharge was indeed rapid – wall power outlets can be much sought after when you have loads of other electrical devices to recharge at the end of a day.

The unit that I had did not come with 3G, so I had to connect using Wi-Fi most of the time. I didn’t need 3G anyway since I wasn’t data-roaming overseas.

I like the backlit keyboard so I can type in dim light without straining my eyes to locate the infrequently-used keys.

A special hinging mechanism allows the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook to be laid completely flat on the table.

A special hinging mechanism allows the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook to be laid completely flat on the table.

The multi-gesture glass surface touchpad  also made it easy to get by without having to connect a mouse.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook

Video conferencing with family and friends at home was a breeze, with the HD face-tracking camera, dual array microphones and Dolby-tuned audio.

In its effort to stay slim and light, I/O ports are limited.

There’re no VGA or HDMI ports, so I can’t plug into my external monitor at home without buying an optional cable for the mini display port.

There’s also no Ethernet ports. You might think nobody needs that since most hotels come with Wi-Fi. Well some of the hotels we stayed in only had wired Internet connections in the room and no Wi-Fi.

My say:

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon is a slim and powerful Ultrabook with long battery life and fast recharge – suitable for the mobile warrior – be it for business or on vacation. And it looks svelte and sexy to boot!

So I had to pop down to Best Denki in Kumamoto to buy a Logitec Elecom mobile wireless access point to broadcast the broadband access to the X1 Carbon, smartphones and tablet.

Review: HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus e-All-in-One inkjet printer

Saturday, January 5th, 2013

If you’re looking for a capable workhorse for your home office, this duplex A4 inkjet printer gives you the full range of print, copy, scan and fax capabilities you’ll need.

Print quality is good, operation is simple and fast – but make sure you have enough space for it.

RRP: S$499 (incl. GST).

HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus e-All-in-One inkjet prints up to 20 ppm in black, and 16 ppm in colour.

HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus e-All-in-One inkjet prints up to 20 ppm in black, and 16 ppm in colour.

The print quality of the Officejet Pro 8600 Plus  is excellent. Text documents look as if they were printed by a laser printer, while photos (printed on glossy photo paper) were crisp and vibrant.

You’ll be hard put to tell they were not printed on a dedicated photo printer.

I tested the photo-print quality by printing full A4 sized outputs on glossy photo paper.

I was rather impressed as I didn’t expect a multi-function printer meant for office-use to produce photo prints almost as well as a dedicated photo printer.

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Tomorrow! Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1 LTE arrives in Singapore

Friday, January 4th, 2013

The Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1 LTE will hit the shelves in Singapore tomorrow. The tablet will be available at S$998 (without contract), in deep grey.

The deep grey Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1 LTE Android tablet will be available in Singapore from tomorrow at S$998 (without contract).

The Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1 LTE Android tablet will be available in Singapore from tomorrow at S$998 (without contract).

Introduced back in late August last year (in the WiFi and 3G+WiFi configurations), the LTE+WiFi version of the GALAXY Note 10.1 will be available in Singapore from tomorrow.

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TODAY! ASUS TAICHI notebook/tablet hybrid available in Singapore

Thursday, January 3rd, 2013

The new ASUS convertible Ultrabook – featuring a display on either side of its cover – is available in Singapore from today for S$2,698.

The ASUS TAICHI tablet-cum-Ultrabook convertible has two screens - one on either side of the cover. Available from today in Singapore for S$2,698.

The ASUS TAICHI tablet-cum-Ultrabook convertible has two screens – one on either side of the cover. Available from today in Singapore for S$2,698.

The 11.6-inch Ultrabook runs on Windows 8 and features a 3rd generation Intel Core i7 processor and two back-to-back Full High Definition (FHD) IPS screens.

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Review: ASUS ROG TYTAN CG8480 Windows 8 gaming desktop PC

Tuesday, December 18th, 2012

The new Republic of Gamers gaming desktop PCs from ASUS ship with the latest Windows 8 loaded and the quad-core Intel Core i7-3770K processor with Turbo Gear offers one-click overclock without rebooting.

The DEFCON light of the ASUS TYTAN ROG CG8480 changes from blue to red when overclocked.

The DEFCON light of the ASUS TYTAN ROG CG8480 changes from blue to red when overclocked.

Launched in October, the ROG CG8480 (S$2,250 without monitor) is a fully loaded gaming machine packed with superb performance.

The rear of the ROG CG8480.

The rear of the ROG CG8480.

The overclocked performance was stable throughout the time that I tried out the gaming desktop.

In particular, I like the subtle lighting which changes from the usual blue to red when the machine is overclocked.

The full 4-core CPU can be instantly overclocked – without rebooting – to hit a top speed of 4.2 GHz in Turbo Gear extreme mode. The other 2 speed modes are the startup Startup mode at 3.8GHz and Turbo Gear mode at 4.0GHz.

Gameplay was smooth with the 16GB RAM and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680 2GB GDDR5 graphics card, which is capable of supporting up to four monitors (I set up mine with two), with the option to game in NVIDIA 3D Vision Surround for selected models.

The 128GB SATA3 SSD makes data access so much faster than generic hard disk drives. It can support up to 6TB SATA 6Gb/s Hard Drive (7200RPM).

What I like is there're plenty of sockets/ports in front and at the rear of the ROG CG8480.

What I like is there’re plenty of sockets/ports in front and at the rear of the ROG CG8480.

Cooling was efficient with its well-ventilated chassis and airflow. Check out the detailed tech specs of the ASUS TYTAN ROG CG8480 gaming desktop PC here.

ASUS claims that the Xonar Phoebus audio card powered by ROG Command technology can deliver up to 50% ambient noise reduction. I found the audio sounded terrific with the Dolby surround enhancements.

Superb performance at an affordable price-tag, just right for the avid gamer who doesn’t have the time, or finds it too tiresome to build his gaming desktop from scratch.

Other new models in the ROG line of gaming desktop PCs include the CG8890 and CG8580.

Nokia Windows Phone 8 Lumia 920 and 820 hits Singapore 8 Dec

Tuesday, November 27th, 2012

Almost three months after they were unveiled by Nokia and Microsoft CEOs in New York, Nokia’s first Windows Phone 8 smartphones will debut in Singapore.

The Lumia 920 (S$899) and Lumia 820 (S$699) hits Singapore shelves next Saturday on 8 December 2012.

Nokia Lumia 920 (S$899) and Lumia 820 (S$699) arrives in Singapore next Saturday, 8 December 2012.

Nokia Lumia 920 (S$899) and Lumia 820 (S$699) arrives in Singapore next Saturday, 8 December 2012.

The two new handsets will be available at Nokia retail stores, while mobile operators in Singapore are slated to announce their respective data plans for the two models.

Nokia Singapore launched the two smartphones at Harry’s Bar at Millenia Walk and handed out the devices for guests to try out the new features, as they made their way around the city on an open-top bus.

The Lumia 920 boasts Pureview imaging technology that produces sharp pictures even in low light. The optical image stabiliser (OIS) further reduced the blur.

I was rather impressed with the Lumia 920’s imaging performance. Photos were indeed bright and sharp, while videos of moving/vibrating objects appeared less jerky when compared to videos taken on the Lumia 820 and other smartphones.

JBL PowerUp Wireless Charging Speakers

JBL PowerUp Wireless Charging Speakers

The Lumia 820 is the more affordable sibling of the two, with a smaller and lower-resolution screen, smaller battery, and the run-of-the-mill camera.

It is however, more compact and lighter than its bigger brother. (Check the quick comparison here).

You can also change the back cover of the Lumia 820 to vary the colour of the phone.

Both smartphones come with the same imaging apps that were quite interesting.

Nokia Smart Shoot is for group photos – shooting multiple exposures with a single click to choose the best from each exposure.

Nokia Wireless Charging Stand

Nokia Wireless Charging Stand

Cinemagraph takes short videos where certain parts are frozen as a still shot while portions defined by you moves like regular video.

Panorama helps you do a sweep panorama shot of the landscape.

City Lens adds an augmented reality overlay over the screen when the camera is pointed at buildings and places of interest.

The idea is novel but not new, and in the short span of time that I tried it out, I found the augmented info sketchy at times while the resolution was not good enough to “lead” you to a particular place. At best, it tells you a place of interest is in a particular direction.

For really pragmatic and effective turn-by-turn navigation and search for places of interest, head back to the Nokia Maps and Nokia Drive apps, both of which have been updated with features such as indoor maps.