Archive for the ‘Operating Systems’ Category

New arrivals: Samsung Galaxy Tab S2 Android tablet in Singapore

Thursday, July 23rd, 2015

The new Galaxy Tab S2 comes in 9.7-inch and 8-inch form factors as well as 4G+ and Wi-Fi configurations, with 32GB memory and microSD support up to 128GB.

Prices range from S$598 to S$798 (see below). Black available from 7 August while Gold will be in later August.

At just 5.6mm thin and weighing only 389g (9.7”) and 265g (8.0”), Samsung claims that the Galaxy Tab S2 is the thinnest and lightest tablet of its size in the market, and is packed with powerful performance features to offer enhanced usability, whether for productivity and multitasking, or simply enjoying immersive content anytime, anywhere.

At just 5.6mm thin and weighing only 389g (9.7”) and 265g (8.0”), Samsung claims that the Galaxy Tab S2 is the thinnest and lightest tablet of its size in the market, and is packed with powerful performance features to offer enhanced usability, whether for productivity and multitasking, or simply enjoying immersive content anytime, anywhere.

Samsung is targeting users looking for a premium tablet for multimedia entertainment and personal use.

The 4G+ LTE Category 6 capability (for the 4G+ versions) promise users faster Internet access for browsing and downloading content.

Prices and detailed descriptions from the press release below.

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New arrivals: Huawei P8 flagship smartphone and wearables

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2015

Huawei launched its Android flagship smartphone – the P8 – during CommunicAsia2015 and showcased three wearable products – the Huawei TalkBand B2, TalkBand N1 and the Huawei Watch. Prices below.

The Huawei P8 measures 144.9 x 72.1 x 6.4mm and weighs 144g.

The Huawei P8 measures 144.9 x 72.1 x 6.4mm and weighs 144g.

Richard Yu, CEO of the Huawei Consumer Business Group introduced the Huawei P8 smartphone for the Southern Pacific Region at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

For Huawei, the Southern Pacific Region comprises Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines and Singapore.

The P8 was first launched globally in London in April this year and is part of the company’s transition from a B2B entity to a consumer centric brand.

The three wearable products – the Huawei TalkBand B2, TalkBand N1 and the Huawei Watch (currently under development) – were all launched at the Mobile World Congress 2015 in March 2015.

Huawei P8

The Huawei P8 has a 5.2-inch FHD screen with 1920 x 1080 pixels (424ppi, 16 million colours) and capable of playing 1080p video.

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TODAY! New arrivals: HTC Desire 626 smartphone in Singapore from 30 May

Saturday, May 30th, 2015

The HTC Desire 626 will be available in Singapore from TODAY at S$358 in White Birch and Blue Lagoon with M1, Singtel, StarHub and major retailers.

HTC's new entry-level Android smartphone, the Desire 626 is now available in Singapore (S$358).

HTC’s new entry-level Android smartphone, the Desire 626 is now available in Singapore (S$358).

The 5-inch HTC Desire 626 is slightly smaller than the pricier 5.5-inch Desire 826 (S$498) that hit the shelves in Singapore last week.

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Twitter launches Periscope on Android (already on iOS)

Wednesday, May 27th, 2015

You can get Periscope free on the Google Play Store.

Periscope is now available for Android.

Periscope is now available for Android.

Periscope enables users to start or watch a live video broadcast.

Android owners using Version 4.4 (KitKat) and above can download Periscope from Google Play.

Periscope on Android has all the same core features of the existing Periscope:

  • start a public or private broadcast.
  • choose to allow comments from just those you follow.
  • interact with a broadcaster by chatting or sending hearts.

There are a few things that are unique to Android:

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New arrivals: Ultimate Ears UE MEGABOOM wireless mobile speaker

Tuesday, May 26th, 2015

The new UE MEGABOOM from Logitech is expected to be available in Singapore in July 2015 for S$399.

The UE MEGABOOM from Logitech Ultimate Ears come in an assortment of bright colours.

The UE MEGABOOM from Logitech Ultimate Ears come in an assortment of bright colours.

The new UE MEGABOOM portable wireless speaker from Ultimate Ears promises more power, more sound and more bass.

The UE MEGABOOM works standing upright and lying down.

The UE MEGABOOM works standing upright and lying down.

Similar to UE’s first mobile speaker, UE BOOM, the new UE MEGABOOM blasts 360-degree sound with heart-pounding bass.

The UE MEGABOOM is waterproof – IPX7 certified – with stain-resistant acoustic skin, and a durable grab-and-go design.

The portable speaker weighs less than 900 grams, features a 20-hour rechargeable battery life and 100-foot wireless Bluetooth range.

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New arrivals: BlackBerry Leap in Singapore for business users

Sunday, May 24th, 2015

The mid-tier 5-inch all-touch smartphone is now available in Singapore for S$389 from M1, Singtel and StarHub.

The new BlackBerry Leap is an all-touch alternative to the mid-tier BlackBerry Classic.

The new BlackBerry Leap is an all-touch alternative to the mid-tier BlackBerry Classic.

BlackBerry Leap is basically the all-touch version of the Classic – the other BlackBerry mid-tier smartphone – for those who prefer an onscreen keyboard over the traditional QWERTY keyboard in the similarly-priced sibling.

Like the Classic, the new Leap is targeted mainly at the business user whose main priority is to get work done – effectively and efficiently – while on the go.

BlackBerry Leap features the latest BlackBerry 10.3.1 operating system, an edge-to-edge five-inch HD display and more than a full day’s battery power.

First look

I had a quick hands-on with the new BlackBerry Leap last week when John Sims, BlackBerry’s President of of Global Sales was in town last week to brief the deployment of a new automated fare collection system in Southeast Asia that’s based on the company’s QNX Neutrino OS.

Check out the first impressions below that I had from trying out the phone over lunch.

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New arrivals: HTC Desire 826 dual sim in Singapore from 23 May

Saturday, May 23rd, 2015

The HTC Desire 826 dual sim will be available in Singapore from TODAY at S$498 in White Birch and Blue Lagoon with M1, Singtel, StarHub and major retailers.

Update (29 May, 2015):

The smaller entry-level sibling of the 5.5-inch HTC Desire 826 – the 5-inch Desire 626 will be available in Singapore at S$358.

The mid-range HTC Desire 826 dual sim is useful for frequent travels that needs to slot in a second SIM card using the local network of their destination.

The mid-range HTC Desire 826 dual sim is useful for frequent travels that needs to slot in a second SIM card using the local network of their destination.

The HTC Desire 826 dual sim is driven by the new Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 615 Octa-Core 64-bit processor with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage with microSD expansion up to 128GB.

A range of accessories including the HTC Dot View case will also be available for the HTC Desire 826 dual sim.

A range of accessories including the HTC Dot View case will also be available for the HTC Desire 826 dual sim.

The phone uses Nano SIM cards and is capable of 4G LTE streaming.

It ships with Android 5.0 Lollipop OS with HTC Sense user interface, on a 5.5-inch Full HD 1080p display.

The phone is powered by an embedded 2600mAh Li-polymer battery.

The HTC Desire 826 dual sim promises immersive HTC BoomSound with Dolby Audio surround sound from your phone.

The smartphone comes with an audiophile-grade headset that is tuned for HTC BoomSound with Dolby Audio, offering a cinematic surround sound experience.

HTC was the first phone maker to put dual front-facing stereo speakers on a smartphone.

HTC was the first phone maker to put dual front-facing stereo speakers on a smartphone.

The HTC Desire 826 dual sim has 13-megapixel cameras on the front and rear, so that selfie lovers can enjoy great image quality for their self-portraits.

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QNX tech powers MSI Global’s automated fare collection system

Thursday, May 21st, 2015

QNX Neutrino OS will be powering the fare collection system deployed in thousands of devices throughout Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand.

On bus terminal powered by the new automated fare collection system. “MSI’s experience with QNX Neutrino has been very favorable and we will continue to leverage the same secure OS for our future projects,” said Silvester Prakasam, fare system business unit head, MSI.

On bus terminal powered by the new automated fare collection system. “MSI’s experience with QNX Neutrino has been very favorable and we will continue to leverage the same secure OS for our future projects,” said Silvester Prakasam, fare system business unit head, MSI.

QNX Software Systems Limited, a subsidiary of BlackBerry Limited, today announced that the QNX® Neutrino® OS is powering a new fare collection system in Southeast Asia.

MRT gates at a Downtown Line station in Singapore using the new system. “Creating a solution that could gain widespread adoption was also a key consideration in our choice of OS, and with QNX Neutrino we were able to create a design that is fast and reliable, yet affordable to customers in cost-sensitive regions.” added Prakasam.

MRT gates at a Downtown Line station in Singapore using the new system. “Creating a solution that could gain widespread adoption was also a key consideration in our choice of OS, and with QNX Neutrino we were able to create a design that is fast and reliable, yet affordable to customers in cost-sensitive regions.” added Prakasam.

The system includes automatic gates, ticketing machines, and onboard bus equipment, throughout the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including Singapore, the Philippines, and Thailand.

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Review: Lumia 640XL Windows Phone phablet from Microsoft Devices

Tuesday, May 19th, 2015

The 5.7-inch Lumia 640 XL (S$429) comes with Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim, a 13-megapixel rear camera and 3000mAh removable battery. Wee Wu Neo from The Neo Dimension checks out the affordable phablet from Microsoft Devices.

The Lumia 640 XL will be available in matte cyan, orange, black, and white.

The Lumia 640 XL will be available in matte cyan, orange, black, and white.

The Lumia 640 series features the first Microsoft-branded LTE smartphones since the acquisition of Nokia Mobile.

By the look of its price and hardware specification, the Lumia 640 series exhibits almost identical performance to the Android Motorola MotoG.

The Lumia 640 XL with its 3000mAh removable battery. Photo credit: Wee Wu Neo.

The Lumia 640 XL with its 3000mAh removable battery. Photo credit: Wee Wu Neo.

This review covers the Lumia 640 XL, the Windows Phone phablet in the Lumia 640 series.

Design and Build

The Lumia 640 XL measures 157.9 x 81.5 x 9.0mm and weighs 171g.

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Sony showcases BRAVIA 4K LCD & Full HD TV 2015 lineup

Thursday, May 14th, 2015

Sony Singapore showcased the BRAVIA 4K LCD and Full HD televisions that were announced earlier this year at CES 2015 – with new models ranging from 32 to 75 inches in size, some based on Google Android TV and impressively thin models thinner than a smartphone. Prices TBA.

The Sony Bravia X9000C is only 4.9mm at its thinnest - thinner than some smartphones.

The Sony Bravia X9000C is only 4.9mm at its thinnest – thinner than some smartphones.

This new lineup for 2015 will soon be available in Singapore, with models rolling in as early as next month – June 2015.

Sony BRAVIA KDL-65W850C with Google Android TV.

Sony BRAVIA KDL-65W850C with Google Android TV.

The 4K models ships with advanced 4K X-Reality PRO upscaling technology by analysing and upscaling content to 4K resolution.

The X9000C Series 4K LCD TV (in 55 and 65 inches) is only 4.9mm at its thinnest part and with its tiny frame – mount it on the wall and it’ll appear like a floating display.

The Bravia X series as well as the W800C and W850C will support Google’s Android TV operating system, making it easy to stream videos, function as a gaming device, and provide enhanced features like Google Cast and Voice Search.

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