Archive for the ‘App’ Category

WeChat Singapore TVC stars Taiwan duo Rainie Yang and Show Lo

Monday, April 22nd, 2013

WeChat launches its first TV commercial in Singapore starring 杨丞琳 (Yang Cheng Lin) and 羅志祥 (Luo Zhi Xiang).

Taiwan super duo Rainie Yang (杨丞琳) & Show Lo (羅志祥)

Rainie Yang (杨丞琳) & Show Lo (羅志祥). Click for larger version to print your own poster of the Taiwan super duo.

WeChat is a social messaging application created by China’s Tencent.

It plans to expand its users in Singapore’s growing market for smartphone applications with its first TV commercial in Singapore beginning today.

As of January 2013, WeChat has hit the 300 million user accounts milestone globally.

Screenshots from WeChat

Screenshots from WeChat

In this 30-second TVC, Rainie and Show displayed romantic chemistry and playfulness through the use of WeChat’s simplest functions – text messaging, voice messaging and emoticon services.

WeChat’s star-studded TVC for Malaysia and Singapore features “Asia’s Dance King”, Show Lo and multi-talented artiste, Rainie Yang from Taiwan.

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Preview: Samsung GALAXY S4 smartphone & GALAXY Note 8.0 tablet

Monday, April 8th, 2013

Samsung Singapore today gave a sneak peek at the Samsung GALAXY S4 and GALAXY Note 8.0 which will only debut in Singapore by May and June respectively. Prices TBA.

Update (15 April, 2012):

The Samsung GALAXY S4 LTE will be officially launched in Singapore on 18 April 2013.

Registration of interest for the Samsung GALAXY S4 LTE will commence on 17 April 2013 0000 hours, with M1, SingTel and StarHub.

Alternatively, you can also visit a Samsung Experience Stores from 17 April 2013 to pre order a unit of the Samsung GALAXY S 4 With LTE by placing a $50 deposit.

Customers will receive a GALAXY S 4 With LTE Limited Edition Accessory Pack (worth $160) consisting of a car charger, desktop dock and HDTV adapter, while stocks last, when they collect their Samsung GALAXY S 4 With LTE.

Samsung GALAXY S4 and Samsung Note 8.0.

Samsung GALAXY S4 and Samsung Note 8.0.

The Samsung GALAXY S4 was launched in New York last month and is expected to hit the shelves in Singapore next month.

The superb display of the Samsung GALAXY S4 is great for browsing media rich websites online.

The superb display of the Samsung GALAXY S4 is great for browsing media rich websites online.

The version that Singapore will get is the 16GB one with 1.9GHz Quad-Core Processor, with either Wi-Fi only or 4G LTE+Wi-Fi.

For the moment, it seems the 1.6GHz Octa-Core Processor is only headed for the GALAXY S4 smartphones in Korea.

Both versions come with 2GB RAM, microSD slot for up to 64GB and 2,600 mAh battery.

Memory ranges from 16-64GB. Tech specs can be found here.

The GALAXY S4 measures 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm and weighs only 130g. An optional charging dock is available for wireless charging.

Hands-on with pre-production GALAXY S4

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Offline version of Google Translate available for Android

Thursday, March 28th, 2013

If you’re traveling overseas and facing inconveniences due to the language barrier, you can now count on the free Google Translate app on your Android mobile device – even when there isn’t any data connection.

Offline mode of the Google Translate app on Android lets you bring a translator around in your pocket.

Offline mode of the Google Translate app on Android lets you bring a translator around in your pocket.

Google Translate is a popular web service that helps translate free text and website text content from one language to another.

50 language packs available for download to use in offline mode.

50 language packs available for download to use in offline mode of the Android app.

The browser-based service is usually used on desktop and notebook computers and require an Internet connection to work.

Languages include Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

Languages include Chinese, Japanese and Korean.

Conversation mode allows voice entry and read out.

Conversation mode allows voice entry and read out.

Google has now launched offline language packages for Google Translate on Android (2.3 and above) with support for 50 languages for the app – from French and Spanish to Chinese and Arabic.

I see three key features that makes this mobile version a useful tool for the traveller.

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OANDA launches updated iPhone, iPad & Android forex trading apps

Wednesday, March 27th, 2013

The free fxTrade mobile app brings robust desktop functionality to mobile devices, including customizable charts, price alerts, overlays and indicators.

OANDA's free fxTrade mobile app is available for the iPhone, iPad and Android mobile devices.

OANDA’s free fxTrade mobile app is available for the iPhone, iPad and Android mobile devices.

OANDA, a global provider of innovative foreign exchange trading services, today announced a significant update to its OANDA fxTrade mobile applications for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.

“There are no longer any compromises when it comes to mobile,” said OANDA CEO K Duker.

OANDA’s fxTrade mobile app allows users to quickly monitor forex market activity as well as manage positions, control risk, and monitor account status and profitability while on the go.

The free app’s intuitive design makes the most of native iPhone, iPad, and Android capabilities to provide features that traders need to stay on top of the fast-moving forex market.

OANDA’s fxTrade mobile app comes with rich features and customisability.

OANDA’s fxTrade mobile app comes with rich features and customisability.

Today’s release is the result of more than 18 months of work from the OANDA mobile development team, and incorporates user feedback from OANDA customers globally.

“With this new version of our trading app, we’re providing our customers with what they want: a robust platform at their fingertips and a great trading experience, no matter where they are,” Duker added.

Mobile devices already account for 30 percent of logins and 15 percent of trades for OANDA clients, a number that has risen rapidly since the company introduced its first mobile trading app in 2010.

The OANDA mobile apps for iPhone and iPad users are available for download in the App Store, or on the Google Play apps store for Android-based smartphones and tablets.

These apps complement the OANDA MetaTrader 4 mobile applications that are available for iPhone and Android smartphones and tablets.

Key features of this new version of OANDA’s fxTrade mobile app include:

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Review: HP Photosmart 7520 e-All-in-One inkjet photo printer

Sunday, March 24th, 2013

If you’re a photography enthusiast looking for lab-quality prints at home, as well as copy, scan and fax capabilities for your home office, check out this duplex A4 inkjet printer that comes with wireless connectivity.

RRP: S$339 (incl. GST).

HP Photosmart 7520 e-All-in-One inkjet photo printer.

HP Photosmart 7520 e-All-in-One inkjet photo printer.

The Photosmart 7520 e-All-in-One printer is HP’s top all-in-one home printer for lab-quality photos.

Other models in the Photosmart series of AiO printers are the Photosmart 6520 and 5520.

Photo quality

The Photosmart 6520 and 5520 uses only four ink cartridges (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Matt Black).

The Photosmart 7520, however uses an additional ink cartridge – Photo Black – that’s dedicated to printing photos, and which enhances the quality of photo prints.

The print quality on HP’s Photo Paper was superb, with vivid accurate colour and no sign of banding.

What I was particularly impressed with was the print quality on normal paper, be it from a digital file or from a photocopy.

The copy looked identical to the original for both photos and colour illustrations.

Print quality for text documents and powerpoint graphics was also very good, although not as fast and pro-looking as most laser printers.

My Say:
The Photosmart 7520 e-AiO is great for families that print lots of photos, and needs to copy, scan and fax as well. Photo print quality is top-notch, while its wireless connectivity makes it a breeze to share the device between computers, tablets and smartphones in the home office.

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New iPad App: iTrust by Borneo Motors and SingTel

Thursday, March 21st, 2013

Borneo Motors has launched a locally-developed iPad application – iTrust – in partnership with SingTel. The app helps staff provide Toyota customers a more personalised vehicle servicing experience with enhanced interactivity.

Customers will be able to view videos of comparative testing, such as the video of a Toyota Genuine Brake Pads alongside that of a counterfeit part.

Customers will be able to view videos of comparative testing, such as the video of a Toyota Genuine Brake Pads alongside that of a counterfeit part.

The new app embodies 40 years of expertise and experience from Borneo Motors.

As most customers are not inclined to understand the technicalities of their Toyota’s servicing requirements, iTrust will enable the salesforce to explain the intricate details with clarity of visual and audio aids.

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SNEC launches mobile MyEyeDrops App for Glaucoma patients

Sunday, February 24th, 2013

MyEyeDrops App helps Glaucoma patients and caregivers to “put the right drops in the right eye, at the right time”. The FREE app works with Android phones and Apple iPhones.

MyEyeDrops App is available FREE for Android phones on Google Play and Apple iPhones on the App Store.

MyEyeDrops App is available FREE for Android phones on Google Play and Apple iPhones on the App Store.

Singapore National Eye Centre (SNEC) has launched what is believed to be Singapore’s and the world’s first free Glaucoma Eye Care App – MyEyeDrops.

Medications with pictures included.

Medications with pictures included.

Available from Google Play and the Apple App Store, the app takes away the hassle of remembering to apply eye drops at regular intervals throughout each day for patients for Glaucoma patients.

Elevated eye pressure is one of the main risk factor of glaucoma.

Regular compliance with the use of eye drops in controlling the eye pressure is critical to prevent deterioration of the disease condition which can lead to permanent loss of vision.

With this app, forgetting to apply eye drops will be a thing of the past.

In a cross-sectional population survey conducted in Singapore, the prevalence of glaucoma was found to be 3.2% in those 40 years and older.

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RIM launches BlackBerry 10 – unveils Z10 and Q10 smartphones

Thursday, January 31st, 2013

Research In Motion (RIM) President & CEO – Thorsten Heins – launched the new QNX-based BlackBerry 10 operating system and unveils the full-touchscreen Z10 and physical keyboard-equipped Q10 smartphones.

RIM is also renaming itself as BlackBerry from today.

Shareholders’ response to the launch inside. All images in this article were screen-grabbed from webcast of the event.

The first manifestation of the new BlackBerry 10 - the full-touchscreen Z10 (left) and physical keyboard-equipped Q10 (right).

The first manifestation of the new BlackBerry 10 – the full-touchscreen Z10 (left) and physical keyboard-equipped Q10 (right).

The basic premise of the new “BlackBerry experience” is about extending connectivity to everything around users – connecting the phone to the car, sound system, healthcare system etc.

Three overarching innovations to enable this are the BlackBerry Hub, Peek and Flow.

Hub is akin to the People Hub of Microsoft Windows Phone operating system and consolidates all people related and social network information and updates in one place.

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128GB for Apple iPad with Retina Display – from 5 Feb 2013

Wednesday, January 30th, 2013

Apple is increasing the maximum memory of the iPad with Retina Display to 128GB (from the current max. of 64GB).

The 128 GB versions of the iPad with Wi-Fi (SG$1,048) and iPad with Wi-Fi+Cellular (SG$1,218) will be available from 5 February 2013. Prices include GST.

Apple increases the memory of the iPad with Retina Display to 128GB (from the current max. of 64GB).

Apple increases the memory of the iPad with Retina Display to 128GB (from the current max. of 64GB). This photo is from Apple’s website.

Who needs so much storage?

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New prices for Microsoft Windows 8 from February 2013

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013

Microsoft has released prices for Windows 8 after 31 January 2013 – when the current promotional prices expire.

The new prices are much higher, so if you’re planning on upgrading to Windows 8 – get it before the end of this month.

An auspicious 88 days for Windows 8. Click to enlarge.

An auspicious 88 days for Windows 8. Click to enlarge.

88 days have passed since the global launch of Windows 8, with 60 million licenses sold, (as of 8 January).

Since the opening of the Windows Store the number of apps has quadrupled and globally Microsoft recently passed the 100 million app download mark – just two months after general availability.

In Asia-Pacific, the number of locally-developed apps is currently being added to at a rate of 50 per day and the developer community itself has swelled by 82% since the October launch.

In Singapore, more than 4,000 developers have been trained to develop apps for Windows 8 since launch.

Below are the prices for the various upgrade editions for Windows 8 from 1 February 2013.

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