Camera-less BlackBerry Curve 9360 arrives in Singapore

June 18th, 2012

The camera-less BlackBerry Curve 9360 is now available in Singapore. Suitable for those who need a camera-less smartphone for use in an environment where security concerns forbid the use of cameras or devices with cameras – such as military camps and installations.

The camera-less BlackBerry Curve 9360 is now available in Singapore.

The camera-less BlackBerry Curve 9360 is now available in Singapore.

The BlackBerry Curve 9360 was first unveiled in August last year and launched in Singapore in October.

The Curve 9360 comes equipped with the BlackBerry 7 OS and enables users to connect to the Internet, play games, BBM and be socially connected at all times.

Happy Father’s Day

June 17th, 2012

Yay, it’s Father’s Day today! To all fellow fathers out there – Happy Father’s Day!

DIY ice-cream for Father’s Day. Photo taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 using “Cute Dessert” Scene Mode.

DIY ice-cream for Father’s Day. Photo taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5 using “Cute Dessert” Scene Mode.

And for those looking to do something different for your father or the father of your children, here’s something you can try – especially if he’s allergic to dairy products or diabetic.

Delicious & healthy! No post-processing on the photo except cropping and resizing. I’m impressed with the sharp focus (despite being hand-held) and vibrant colours.

Delicious & healthy! No post-processing on the photo except cropping and resizing. I’m impressed with the sharp focus (despite being hand-held) and vibrant colours.

Thankfully I’m neither of these but it was fabulous to be served with a big dollop of this home-made ice-cream first thing in the morning of Father’s Day.

So here’s the how-to, courtesy of mamatimes.wordpress.com.

Keep a couple of bananas until the skin turns slightly black cos some netizens say they have to be really ripe. Slice them up and put them in the freezer.

You can add other fruits, like strawberries. Just toss them into the freezer. Once frozen, throw the lot into a food processor and you’re done.

What’s left is the dressing up and topping. You can add rainbow candies, grounded peanut or chocolate chips or powder. Enjoy!

Conference: BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour

June 16th, 2012

Registration is open for the BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour taking place in 23 cities and 19 countries. Registration is FREE.

Registration is open for the full-day BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour events.

Registration is open for the BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour events.

The BlackBerry Jam World Tour begins on 19 June 2012 and will comprise a series of one-day events dedicated to providing the developer community with insights on the BlackBerry 10 platform.

Dates & Venues for the BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour.Experts will be present to share tips and tricks and other information with developers to help them create apps for BlackBerry 10.

From 2-12 July, the Tour will stop at six cities in the Asia Pacific: Bangalore, Delhi, Beijing, Singapore, Jakarta and Sydney.

The full list and dates of the venue can be found here.

Ten registrants will also have the opportunity to pitch their apps to fellow attendees in “Lightning Pitches”.

The winner will be voted by attendees and announced during the closing reception.

Qualified developers who attend the BlackBerry 10 Jam World Tour will be provided with a BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha device, a prototype device created specially for developers to help them prepare for the launch of BlackBerry 10.

Research In Motion (RIM) will determine which applicant qualify for the Dev Alpha device based on applicant information. For a start, those who have already received a device before will not be able to receive another.

IGN Entertainment and Spiral Media to publish IGN Asia Pacific

June 15th, 2012

The world’s largest gaming website has launched an Asian edition. IGN Asia Pacific will cover – in English, Chinese and Malay – 10 markets in the region.

IGN Asia Pacific covers 10 markets including Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong and China.

IGN Asia Pacific covers 10 markets including Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong and China.

IGN Asia Pacific is under the day-to-day operation of the publishing team at Blah! Asia, a division of the Asia Pacific social entertainment media house Spiral Media.

The site is in English, Chinese & Malay.

The site is in English, Chinese & Malay.

Veteran games industry figure Maxime Villandré will serve as the Editor-in-Chief of the new edition, managing editorial teams based in Kuala Lumpur and throughout Asia.

Countries covered include Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Hong Kong and China.

IGN.com is the world’s most popular games and entertainment network and the new deal significantly grows IGN’s local presence in one of the world’s largest and fastest growing gaming regions.

Asia Pacific joins licensed IGN sites now live in Germany, Sweden and the Middle East.

According to Comscore, IGN is the largest Video games and entertainment news publisher in the Asia Pacific region across all markets, far larger than its closest competitor Gamespot.

GALAXY Tab 2 tablets arriving in Singapore

June 14th, 2012

Samsung is bringing in to Singapore the GALAXY Tab 2 (10.1) 3G tablet (S$798) on 16 June, and the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) tablet (S$598) on 23 June. Prices include GST but excludes line contract.

Update (22 June, 2012):

Samsung has just announced that the GALAXY Tab 2 (7.0) will only be available in Singapore on 30 June 2012. Price remains unchanged at S$598 (inclusive of GST) without contract.

Pricing and availability of the Wi-Fi versions for the GALAXY Tab 2 series will be announced closer to the launch date.

Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 in 7-inch and 10.1 inches.

Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 in 7-inch and 10.1 inches

The GALAXY Tab 2 series of tablets are Samsung’s first Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich tablets. There are now some 400,000 apps for Android phones and tablets.

The GALAXY Tab 2 tablets are available in 3G and WiFi versions.

Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 (7) and GALAXY Tab 2 (10.1)

Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 (7) and GALAXY Tab 2 (10.1)

GALAXY Tab 2 Series offer users easy multimedia access, playback and sharing experiences with Samsung Hub services.

Samsung’s Music Hub provides a full music store solution with access to over 17 million tracks.

GALAXY Tab 2

GALAXY Tab 2

The Readers Hub provides access to over 2.3 million e-books, 3,500 magazines and over 2,000 newspapers in 51 languages, while Game Hub instantly connects users to the latest game titles.

Samsung’s upgraded Touchwiz user interface features Hub widgets for one-step access to users’ content in Hubs.

The device also presents S Suggest, a new service offering recommendations of apps suited to users’ tastes directly on a home screen.

Samsung’s AllShare is a content-sharing service that allows users to search for and play video, photo, and music files freely across their GALAXY Tab 2 Series from PCs and other Samsung smart devices – such as PC, TV, mobile phone, and digital camera – by using the local network for streaming playback.

With the voice call capability, the GALAXY Tab 2 Series can be used as a phone, serving as a second device in case they misplace their primary phone.

It also lets users spontaneously arrange multi-party video calls via Google+ hangouts, as well as engage in group chats or micro-communities to collectively chat or share content.

In addition, ChatON, Samsung’s cross-platform communication service, connects all phone users of any platform into a single community.

Rear of the Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 tablets

Rear of the Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 tablets

ChatON uses phone numbers instead of ID and passwords, and provides easy instant messaging and group chatting in various formats — images, video, voice, contacts — to make messaging simple and intuitive.

Below are the main technical specifications of the two Samsung GALAXY Tab 2 tablets.

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New NIKKOR lenses: Nikon 24-85 lens and 18-300mm lenses

June 14th, 2012

Nikon has announced, worldwide, two new NIKKOR lenses: AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm F/3.5-4.5G ED and AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR. Pricing & availability TBA.

Nikon has more than 70 lenses in its NIKKOR range.

Nikon has more than 70 lenses in its NIKKOR range.

The AF-S NIKKOR 24-85mm F/3.5-4.5G ED is a compact, lightweight Nikon FX-format standard zoom lens suitable for a variety of shooting situations.

Nikon has produced more than 70 million NIKKOR lenses to date.

Nikon has produced more than 70 million NIKKOR lenses to date.

The AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-300mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR has the world’s highest 16.7x zoom ratio for an interchangeable zoom lens for DSLR cameras.

The total production of NIKKOR lenses for Nikon interchangeable lens cameras has reached 70 million at the end of May 2012.

The current NIKKOR brand offers a broad lineup of more than 70 lenses, including fisheye lenses, super wide-angle to super telephoto lenses, zoom lenses, Micro lenses, and PC-E lenses.

Read more about the two new lenses below.

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TODAY! Canon EOS 650D body, Kit 1 and 40mm pancake lens hits the shelves

June 14th, 2012

Instead of end-June, the Canon EOS 650D Body and Kit 1 (EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens) are now available. The new EF40mm f/2.8 STM lens also hits the shelves today at S$299.

Canon EOS 650D Kit 1 (with EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens).

Canon EOS 650D Kit 1 (with EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens).

The Canon EOS 650D Kit II (with EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens) and the new EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens are still not available yet.

Canon EF40mm f/2.8 STM lens

Canon EF40mm f/2.8 STM lens

Available from today
Canon EOS 650D
Body S$1,149
Kit 1 S$1,299
EF40mm S$299

New Android smartphones: Sony Xperia miro and tipo

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.

Update (6 September, 2012):

The Xperia tipodual is now available in Singapore for S$268 from M1 and Sony stores.

Sony Mobile Xperia miro and Xperia tipo

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

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.

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New Android smartphones: HTC Desire V and Desire C

June 12th, 2012

The HTC Desire V (S$498) and Desire C (S$338) are the successors to the HTC Desire. Both Android 4.0 smartphones will feature Beats Audio technology and hit the shelves in Singapore from this Saturday, 16 June.

The HTC Desire V (S$498) and Desire C (S$338) will be available on 16 June 2012.

The HTC Desire V (S$498) and Desire C (S$338) will be available on 16 June 2012.

The HTC Desire V is available in Polar White and Stealth Black.

HTC Desire V

The new HTC Desire V and Desire C are also among the first entry-level smartphones to offer Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Both phones come with two years of free 25GB Dropbox space.

Beats Audio technology is integrated into the software and hardware of the phones to provide a powerful, yet rich studio-quality sound experience – whether the user is listening to music or playing a game.

The HTC Desire V has a 4-inch display, a 5-megapixel camera with WVGA video recording, and a 1650mAh battery.

It runs on a 1GHz CPU; and is available in Polar White and Stealth Black.

The HTC Desire C is available in Flamenco Red, Polar White and Stealth Black.

HTC Desire C

The HTC Desire V supports dual SIM cards so you can keep two active numbers in the same phone – there is no longer any need to carry two phones.

The HTC Desire C has a 3.5-inch (320 x 480) display, a 5-megapixel camera with VGA video recording, and a 1,230mAh battery.

It runs on a 600MHz CPU; and is available in Flamenco Red, Polar White and Stealth Black.

I am particularly partial to the Flamenco Red skin for the HTC Desire C. Doesn’t it just evoke impressions of Darth Maul?

Below are the key specifications of the HTC Desire V and HTC Desire C.

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New Android smartphone: HTC One S

June 12th, 2012

The HTC One S is the fourth and last smartphone in the HTC One series to be introduced in Singapore.

It will be available in Gradient Metal from this Saturday, 16 June, for S$948 (without line but including a Beats Solo Headset).

Update (19 July, 2012):

The HTC One S Regular Edition will be available at S$748 from this Saturday, 21 July. The HTC One S Regular Edition does not include the Beats Solo Headset.

The HTC One S Deluxe Edition, which includes the Beats Solo Headset is still available at S$948.

The HTC One S will be available in Gradient Metal.

The HTC One S will be available in Gradient Metal.

The HTC One S is the slimmest of the four phones in the HTC One series of Android phones. The others are the HTC One X, HTC One V, and HTC One XL.

HTC One S Android 4.0 smartphone

The HTC One S is launched with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich; HTC Sense user interface; and runs on a 1.7 GHz dual-core CPU.

It has a 4.3-inch (540 x 960) screen, an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording, and a 1,650 mAh battery.

As with the other phones in the HTC One series, the phone excels in its camera and audio performance.

S$948: HTC One S bundled with a Beats Solo Headset

S$948: HTC One S bundled with a Beats Solo Headset

The camera has an f/2.0 aperture and 28mm wide angle lens, captures a shot in 0.7 seconds and in burst mode can shoot up to 60 continuous snapshots at one go.

Bundled with a Beats Solo Headset, HTC One S users enjoy a superb audio experience with Beats Audio Technology, which is integrated into the hardware and software of the smartphone.

Other notable features include an internal storage of 16GB with 2 years’ worth of free 25GB Dropbox storage; and the ability to playback the smartphone’s content on a large screen, via an optional HTC Media Link HD accessory.

Below are the key specifications of the HTC One S at a glance.

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