Archive for the ‘Android’ Category
Monday, December 12th, 2011
The long-battery-life Huawei Honor smartphone was launched on 7 December 2011 and will be available in Singapore from 16 December at S$528 (incl 7% GST).
| Networks |
WCDMA/HSPA+ 900/2100 MHz; GSM 850/900/1800/1900 MHz |
| Speed |
HSPA+ DL 14Mbps/UL 5.76Mbps |
| Display |
4″ FWVGA (854×480 pixels) capacitive touch screen |
| Operating System |
Android Gingerbread 2.3 |
| Memory |
512MB RAM, 4GB ROM, up to 32GB micro SD |
| Camera |
8 megapixel autofocus HD and 0.3 megapixel |
| Size/Weight |
122mm x 61.5mm x 10.9mm (LxWxT) / 135g |
| Connectivity |
WLAN 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, micro-USB connector, 3.5mm audio jack, DLNA-certified |
| Processor |
1.4 Ghz Qualcomm Snapdragon |
| Audio |
FM radio, MP3 ringtones, Dual-MIC |
| Battery |
1900 mAh Lithium-ion |
| Sensors |
Accelerometer, proximity, ambient light, Gyro, compass, Assisted GPS |
| Additional |
Access to CloudDrive (available end Q1 2012) |
Tags:Android, Gingerbread, Honor, Huawei, smartphone
Posted in Android, Cloud, Gadgets, Huawei, Phones, Prices, Specifications | 3 Comments »
Friday, December 9th, 2011
For business folks who need a long battery life, check out the Huawei Honor (S$528 incl GST), which features a 1,900 mAh battery, a 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and an 8 megapixel HDR-enabled camera.
Huawei Honor (S$528 incl GST) will be available in Singapore from 16 December.
The high capacity battery promises to provide the longest battery life among smartphones in the 4-inch screen range – lasting up to three days on a single charge
“Huawei Honor is a high performance smartphone which is simple-to-use, but also packed with advanced technology that allows people to communicate, connect, entertain and share content easily,” said Alan Wong, Chief Marketing Officer, Huawei Device, South Pacific Region.Huawei Honor runs on Android Gingerbread 2.3 operating system and has a 16M true colour Full Wide VGA capacitive touch screen (854×480 pixels).
Its 10.9 mm thin body weighs 135g and includes a gyroscope, G-sensor, and proximity and light sensors.
The smartphone is DLNA-certified to enable interoperability with other DLNA-certified devices such as digital cameras, game consoles and TVs.
This makes it easier to share digital photos, music and videos between different devices.
Here are the main tech specs for the Huawei Honor.
Honor customers will get access to Huawei’s ClooudDrive, which will be available in Singapore by end Q1 2012.
This frees users from the constraints of on-board storage, by storing their media files in the cloud.
The Huawei Honor will be available in Singapore from 16 December 2011.
Tags:Android, cloud, Gingerbread, Honor, Huawei, smartphone
Posted in Android, Cloud, Events, Gadgets, Huawei, Launch, Phones, Prices, Specifications | 3 Comments »
Friday, December 9th, 2011
Huawei has announced the availability the Vision which available in Singapore at S$$438 incl GST.
Huawei Vision (S$438 incl GST) with its "3D" carousel User Interface.
The Vision is Huawei’s most stylish smartphone yet, featuring Huawei’s stunning “3D” user interface. “3D” as in a carousal animation display for its app menu, rather than the visualisation of three dimensional physical objects.
“The Huawei Vision represents a smartphone crafted with the perfect balance of technology and style in mind,” said Alan Wong, Chief Marketing Officer, Huawei Device, South Pacific Region.Huawei Vision features a 3.7-inch capacitive touch screen and has an aluminum alloy uni-body in silver, and crystal sculptured curved lens for its screen.
It measures only 9.9 mm at its thinnest point and weighs 121g.
The smartphone was bestowed the iF Design Award 2012 recently for its design.
Huawei Vision sports Qualcomm’s 1GHz Snapdragon processor and runs with Android Gingerbread 2.3 operating system.
It supports 720p video recording and has a 5 mega pixel auto focus camera with LED flash.
Other features include Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, high-speed WiFi 802.11b/g/n for Internet connectivity, and the full range of messaging tools – SMS, MMS, email, push mail and IM.
Here are the main tech specs for the Huawei Vision.
Tags:Android, Gingerbread, Huawei, smartphone, Vision
Posted in Android, Events, Gadgets, Huawei, Launch, Phones, Prices, Specifications | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, November 15th, 2011
Skoob is the first service to offer works by Singapore writers as well as study guides and educational books for local primary and secondary school students.
Launched by Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) today, skoob offers more than 39,000 local and international bestsellers for smartphones, tablets and PCs.
“The Singapore market has long been overlooked by e-book services from abroad. With the launch of skoob, Singapore readers finally have a service that offers local books and caters specifically to their tastes and needs,” said Goh Seow Eng, SingTel’s Chief of Digital Home.It is the first e-book service to accept payments in Singapore dollars and offers tremendous savings versus the cost of traditional paper books.
For example, fans of John Grisham can enjoy his novel, The Confession, at S$9.00 instead of S$17.07 at a bookshop.
Neil Humphreys’ acclaimed Complete Notes from Singapore is available at S$13.90 instead of S$29.90.
“It also provides local publishers and writers with a powerful digital platform that allows them to reach a wider audience,” Goh added.Skoob also offers a range of classics for free download, such as Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.
Skoob is available on Apple and Android tablets and smartphones via a free app. It can also be enjoyed on PCs and Macs using standard browsers.
Customers have the flexibility to download books on up to five devices. Payments can be made via Singapore credit cards. SingTel customers can choose to have purchases conveniently charged to their monthly bills.
“We are continuously working with publishers to expand our catalogue. We believe skoob’s range of local study guides and educational books will be well received by school students, and we are looking to include assessment papers soon,” Goh revealed.Mr Goh said that skoob is an important addition to SingTel’s growing suite of multimedia offerings, which includes the AMPed music service, deF!ND digital concierge, ESC games service, De!ite e-magazine service, exCite web video app and mio TV.
Skoob offers titles from six global publishing houses: Random House, Penguin, HarperCollins, Hachette Book Group, Simon and Schuster and Macmillan.
The service carries local titles, study guides and educational books from: Popular, Marshall Cavendish, Cengage Learning, Asiapac, Flame of the Forest, McGraw Hill, Sunbear, Monsoon, Singapore Asia Publishers (SAP) and Janus Education.
Chinese language books will be available soon.
Tags:Android, Apple, BlackBerry, desk, eBook, notebooks, smartphone, tablets
Posted in Android, App, iOS, Launch, Mac OS, SingTel, Software, Windows 7 | No Comments »
Monday, November 14th, 2011
The Galaxy Tab 8.9 is now available in Singapore, with the 3G (16GB) model retailing at S$768.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 Android Honeycomb tablet at S$768 today.
The GALAXY Tab 8.9 now joins Samsung‘s 10.1 and 7-inch GALAXY Tab to provide consumers with an array of tablet sizes, depending on their needs and preferences.
At just 8.6mm thin and weighing only 453g, the GALAXY Tab 8.9 is targeted at today’s mobile professional, from writing emails on a business trip to reading an trashy eBook in bed.
Key highlights of the GALAXY Tab 8.9
- Samsung’s own TouchWiz user interface implemented on the Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) platform, offering enhanced multi-tasking, user interaction and navigation.
- Supports HSPA+ network speeds of up to 21Mbps as well as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n connectivity to deliver rapid mobile download speeds and reduced data transfer times.
- A 3-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front camera, providing smooth transition and seamless 1080p HD video and Flash playback for a rich entertainment experience.
Detailed specifications of the Galaxy 8.9 are tabulated below:
| Display |
8.9” WXGA 1280×800 |
| OS |
Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) |
| Processor |
1GHz Dual Core application processor |
| Memory |
16 GB |
| Connectivity |
Bluetooth® technology v 3.0
USB 2.0
WiFi 802.11 (a/b/g/n) |
| Camera |
Main(Rear) : 3.0-Mega Pixel Camera AF with LED Flash
Front : 2.0-Mega Pixel Camera |
| Video |
Format : MPEG4/H263/H264, Divx/Xvid
Playback : 1080p Full HD Video @ 30fps
Recording : 720p HD Video |
| Audio |
MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, OGG, MIDI, AMR-NB/WB 3.5mm Ear Jack, Stereo Speaker |
| Enterprise Solutions |
Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync
Polaris Office |
| Value-added Features |
Android Market |
Google Mobile Services :
Google Talk Video Chat, Google Maps, Books, etc |
| Samsung TouchWiz UX |
| Samsung Mini Apps Tray |
Social Hub, Readers Hub
*Availability differs by region |
| Adobe Flash Player 10.3 |
| Sensor |
Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Ambient Light sensor |
| Size |
230.9 x 157.8 x 8.6 mm, 453g |
| Battery |
6100mAh |
| Network |
HSPA+ 21Mbps 850/900/1900/2100
EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900 |
| Price |
3G (16GB) at S$768 |
Tags:8.9, Galaxy, Honeycomb, launch, Samsung, tablets
Posted in Android, Gadgets, Galaxy, Launch, Prices, Samsung, Specifications, Tablets | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 8th, 2011
The GALAXY Note (S$998, 16GB) will be available in Singapore in November 2011, and the GALAXY Nexus (S$948) in January 2012.
Samsung and Google has jointly launched the GALAXY Nexus, the world’s first smartphone running Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest release of the Android platform.
GALAXY Nexus features a 4.65” HD Super AMOLED touch screen display with 1280×720 pixels and a 1.2 GHz dual core processor with 1GB RAM.
It also sports a 5-megapixel rear camera and a 1.3-megapixel front camera; and comes with 16GB or 32GB of onboard memory.
Samsung has also announced the launch of the GALAXY Note, a device that tries to combine the larger screen size of tablets with the portability of smart phones.
The 9.65mm thick GALAXY Note features the world’s first and largest 5.3” HD Super AMOLED touch screen display at WXGA (1280×800, 285ppi) resolution. It works with pen-input technology using a stylus called the S Pen.
Powered by a 1.4 GHz dual-core processor, the gadget runs on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and comes with 16GB onboard storage, with a microSD slot that supports up to 32GB.
GALAXY Note comes with an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 2-megapixel front camera.
Tags:Android, Gingerbread, Google, Ice Cream Sandwich, Nexus, Note, Samsung, smartphone, tablets
Posted in Android, Cameras, Gadgets, Galaxy, Google, Launch, Phones, Prices, Samsung, Specifications, Tablets | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, October 19th, 2011
It’s been a busy few days of earnings results from IT bigwigs. Here’s a quick sum-up of the state of the IT industry:
Yahoo! did well with profits beating estimates – could it be because expectations were low?
Conversely, Apple didn’t do so good, missing analysts’ predictions for the first time in at least six years – but that’s probably because expectations were so high!
Google’s doing real well with sales and profit beating estimates – from search advertising growth as usual.
Microsoft is patting itself on its back – for not having bought Yahoo! back in 2008. And taking a swipe at Google’s Android – Steve Balmer says you need to be a computer scientist to use an Android smart phone, unlike Windows Phone 7.
RIM’s still trying to find its way forward by taking a step backward – trying to bridge new QNX with “old” BlackBerry OS 7 – hope that works out.
Amazon is being sued for screwing up the career of an actress by revealing her real age against her will in IMDb.
On the corporate IT front, industry bell weather IBM missed analysts’ estimates on slowing revenue growth at its software, hardware and services businesses.
Tags:Android, Apple, BlackBerry, Google, IBM, Microsoft, RIM, Windows Phone 7, Yahoo
Posted in Amazon, Android, Apple, Enterprise IT, Figures, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Opinion, RIM, Tech news, Technology, Windows Phone 7, Yahoo | No Comments »
Friday, October 14th, 2011
Western Digital offers an easy way to set up a personal private cloud to share documents and media – using the WD My Book Live network drive and mobile apps for Android and iOS smart phones and tablets.
The drives comes in 1TB (S$209), 2TB (S$239), and 3TB (S$299) capacities and are priced roughly US$50 more than non-network external drives with the same capacity.
I’d posted not long ago about setting up a home shared network hard drive in order to share documents and media – photos, music and video – in a private personal cloud in the comfort of the home.
That was followed with a case study of setting up and using the Seagate GoFlex Home storage system – a similar network attached storage (NAS) drive.
My Book Live is a network attached storage drive from Western Digital
The WD My Book Live network drive from Western Digital is also connected directly to the wireless router to plug into the home wireless network. Both Macs and PCs can store, access and share documents, as well as stream media from the drive.
With all the buzz about consumer public clouds and enterprise private and hybrid (private/public) clouds, the WD My Book Live makes it simple to set up your personal private cloud with the hard-disk and data physically sitting in the security of your home.
Access to this personal cloud can be extended beyond the home to the Internet. Any computer given the access rights can access the shared documents and media on the WD My Book Live through www.WD2go.com.
My Book Live comes in capacities of 1TB, 2TB and 3TB
In addition, Android and iOS mobile devices (both smart phones and tablets) can get mobile access to the files stored on the drive via the WD2go apps from Western Digital. The WD Photos and basic WD2go app are free and allows viewing files and streaming media from the WD My Book Live.
For US$2.99, the WD2g Pro app adds the ability to “clip” files – basically download a local copy of files and media to the mobile device; and allow users to share files by emailing either a copy of the files or a link to the WD My Book Live.
Note that once the link is sent out, anybody with the link will have access to that file. There is no expiry date for the sharing, like in Seagate’s GoFlex Home. The only way to stop sharing that file is to either remove that file or rename it – but that affects everybody to whom you’ve sent that link to.
Naturally, both the network drive and the router must be connected and powered up for access. And access from mobile devices is only via the apps over the Internet – instead of direct access over the local home wireless network.
That means that even if you’re at home, the app in your smart phone or tablet will still have to go to the Internet (via wireless or 3G) and come back into the home wireless network to access the files on the WD My Book Live. This is similar to the GoFlex Home.
But Western Digital does not limit the number of users or computers that can share the WD My Book Live. The GoFlex Home limits the number of users/computers that can be set up to connect with it to just 5. GoFlex Home customers need to subscribe to pay to enjoy unlimited connections.
| Capacity |
WD
My Book Live |
Seagate
GoFlex Home |
| 1 TB |
S$209 |
S$179 |
| 2 TB |
S$239 |
S$239 |
| 3 TB |
S$299 |
S$339 |
WD My Book Live features a built-in media server that streams music, photos and movies to any DLNA-certified multimedia device such as a WD TV Live network media player, Blu-ray Disc player, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and connected TV.
My Book Live comes in capacities of 1TB, 2TB and 3TB and is compatible with both Windows and Mac OS, as well as DLNA/UPnP enabled devices.
Tags:drive, media player, smartphone, tablets, Western Digital
Posted in Android, App, Cloud, Events, Gadgets, iOS, iPad, iPhone, Launch, Phones, Prices, Specifications, Tablets, TV, Western Digital | 1 Comment »
Thursday, October 13th, 2011
Western Digital launches a slew of media storage, networking and playback products for the connected lifestyle.
Western Digital My Book Live personal cloud storage
The premise of the Connected Life solution from Western Digital is the simple set-up of a private personal cloud where media can be accessed and shared from any computer at home.
This personal cloud can also be extended into the Internet so that mobile devices such as smart phones and tablet computers can also access data and media in the cloud using apps, while computers can use a browser interface.
The centrepiece of the Connected Life solution from Western Digital is the My Book Live network attached storage. With capacities ranging from 1TB to 3TB, these network capable external hard drives are connected directly to the wireless router at home so that any computer – be it a Mac or a PC – can store and access the media in the drive.
Western Digital WD TV Live streaming media player
The WD TV Live media player that is connected to the wireless network can then stream media from My Book Live and play photos, music and videos on a large TV screen. It can also stream media directly from Internet services such as YouTube.
Outside home, data and media on My Book Live can be accessed on mobile devices using WD apps WD 2go (free), WD 2go Pro (US$2.99), and WD Photos (free).
Tags:Android, cloud, drive, iOS, iPad, iPhone, media player, smartphone, tablets, Western Digital
Posted in Accessories, Android, Cloud, Events, Gadgets, iOS, iPad, iPhone, Launch, Media player, Phones, Prices, Specifications, storage drive, Tablets, Western Digital | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, October 5th, 2011
Adobe announced its slate of six new apps for Apple iPads and Android tablets during the MAX 2011 conference in Los Angeles. Here’s a brief description of what each of the apps does.
Each of the six apps has an introductory price-tag of US$9.99. The Android version is will be available in November 2010 while the iOS version will only be available in 2012.
| Adobe Touch App |
Description of App |
Adobe Photoshop Touch
|
Transform images with core Photoshop features in an app custom-built for tablets. With simple finger gestures, users can combine multiple photos into layered images, make popular edits and apply professional effects. The tablet-exclusive Scribble Selection Tool allows users to easily extract objects in an image by simply scribbling on what to keep and then what to remove.
With Refine Edge technology from Adobe Photoshop, even hard-to-select areas with soft edges, such as hair, are easily captured when making selections. Additionally, the app helps users quickly find images, share creations, and view comments through integration with Facebook and Google Search. Using the syncing capabilities that are a component of Adobe Creative Cloud, files can be opened in Adobe Photoshop. |
Adobe Collage
|
Capture and refine ideas and concepts by combining inspirational images, drawings, text and Creative Suite files into modern, conceptual mood boards.
Features include importing of images, four customizable pen types for drawing, adding text, and applying color themes. A virtually unconstrained canvas grows as needed to accommodate more assets. Files can be shared or transferred for access in Adobe Photoshop. |
Adobe Debut
|
Present designs to clients and stakeholders virtually anywhere. Adobe Debut quickly opens tablet-compatible versions of Creative Suite files for convenient and beautiful viewing on the tablet, including Photoshop layers and Illustrator art boards. Feedback is gathered using a markup pen tool to add notes and drawings on top of the work. |
Adobe Ideas
|
Easy-to-master, vector-based tool for drawing. By using a stylus or finger, strokes appear smooth at any zoom level. Starting with a blank canvas, users can choose color themes, and pull in tablet-compatible image files that can be controlled as separate layers. Finished results are easily accessed in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop. |
Adobe Kuler
|
Generate color themes easily to inspire design projects. Color can be explored and discovered, with hundreds of thousands of Kuler themes already available via the creative community. Social engagement in the community is enhanced by rating and commenting on themes, which can be exported as color swatches for Adobe Creative Suite projects. |
Adobe Proto
|
Develop interactive wireframes and prototypes for websites and mobile apps on a tablet. Ideas are communicated and shared with teams and clients using a touch-based interface.
Gestures quickly express a design concept, explain website structure or demonstrate interactivity. The wireframe or prototype then can be exported as industry standard HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and shared in popular browsers for immediate review and approval. |
Tags:Adobe, Android, Apple, Apps, iOS, iPad
Posted in Adobe, Android, App, iOS, iPad, Launch, Prices, Software, Specifications, Tablets | 1 Comment »
