It’s Christmas Day! I hope everyone had a great 2011. Have a Happy X’mas!
Best Christmas Wishes from tech4tea.com
Merry Christmas! Goodbye 2011!
December 25th, 2011Dedicated K-Pop channel on MSN
December 24th, 2011MSN portals across Asia Pacific Region will host entertainment channels offering fans a chance to win a trip to Osaka, Japan for the January 2012 Golden Disk Awards.
MSN portals dedicated to Hallyu fans in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Phillipines and Korea.
Fans of K-Pop or ‘Hallyu’, will now be able to visit their local MSN websites across Asia to get the latest updates on their favourite popstars and songs, as the portals unveil dedicated channels in Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines.
In Singapore, the xinMSN’s Hallyu Channel gives fans full access to in-depth features, backstage photo galleries and even videos of the top events and happenings in the world of Hallyu.
Golden Disk Awards 2012
As the official partner of the prestigious Golden Disk Awards 2012 in the region, MSN portals will provide exclusive access to behind-the-scenes content.
Since its debut in 1986, the Golden Disk Awards has held sway as Korea’s most authoritative music awards, even being described as “the Grammies of Korea”.
This year’s awards will be a glitzy affair on 11th and 12th January 2012, at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka Japan.
2012 will be the second straight year that the “MSN International Award” will be presented to the artist with the No.1 song of the past year – the winner will be selected based on tallying judges’ assessment and fans’ votes.
This is the only award that allows the fans’ voices to be heard directly, and the nominees include ‘Mr. Simple’ by Super Junior, ‘The Boys’ by Girls Generation, ‘Fiction’ by Beast and ‘Lonely’ by 2NE1.
Fans can log onto their local MSN portals to cast their votes until December 26th, 2011.
Contest on MSN
By participating in The Search for the Golden K-Pop Fan, the lucky winners could walk away with an all expenses trip for 2 to the Golden Disk Awards 2012.
There are three ways to participate in the contest, choose from any of the following:
Photo competition – The K-Fanatic: Take a photo of your K-Pop memorabilia collection and show us what it takes to be a true fan!
Photo/Video contest – Star Style: Which K-Pop star inspires your fashion sense the most? Emulate the look and score some brownie points with your signature dance move.
Video contest – Charming Crooner: Let us hear your desire to join the stars by singing a tune or two by your favourite band. Keep things short and sweet by sending a video that’s below one minute long.
To enter the MSN Golden Disk Awards competition, fans can visit the following links in their local countries to begin voting immediately.
All prize winners will be notified by email, and the results of the Contest will be published on the Contest Site on 2nd Jan 2012.
Entries close on 29th December 2011. The competition is open to participants above 18 years of age residing in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, and Korea.
The Leica V-Lux 3 and the gingerbread men
December 23rd, 2011My wife hijacked the Leica V-Lux 3 review unit to snap photos of the gingerbread men she’d baked for our children’s friends. In return, I decided to hijack my wife’s X’mas project for this post.
Two happy gingerbread men posing for the camera.
This turned out to be a good test of how user-friendly the compact digital camera is.
These two gingerbread men aren't running anywhere.
My wife was making little gift bags of DIY gingerbread man decorating kits for our children’s friends when they came for a party.
In a very pretty cookie bag were a gingerbread man she’d baked, a star cookie, a packet of M&Ms, a tube of icing, with a candy cane thrown in in case gingerbread man needed some support.
Included were simple instructions on decorating the cookies, printed on my newly bought Epson printer.
Wifey claims to have technological skills stuck somewhere in the Jurassic age, so the main test of the camera would be its ease of use.
DIY decorate your own gingerbread men goodie bag.
Actually, she’s a better photographer than I am, it’s just that she had left the snapping to me all these years and has gotten left behind in the film era.
She managed to turn it on, find the right auto dial, turn it to macro mode and snapped away.
The lighting was rather challenging because it was raining all day so she couldn’t take the photos outdoors in natural lighting.
Instead, she was restricted to our dining room, with very dim lighting, which caused a lot of shadows.
According to her, “the camera was really easy to use, it focused very quickly even though the objects were very close and not well-lit.”
The Leica V-Lux 3 preserved the ambience of the living room light but produced sharp images even though the snapshots were taken handheld without using a tripod.
That’s saying something about the ease-of-use of this camera and its focusing ability.
The photos turned out really well. So was the reception to the gingerbread men.
Top ten: YouTube music videos in 2011 – Globally
December 22nd, 2011What are your favourite music videos on YouTube?
Here are the most-watched music videos on YouTube in 2011 (globally):
1. Jennifer Lopez – On The Floor ft. Pitbull
Here are the rest of the Top Ten:
Top ten: YouTube community videos in 2011 – Globally
December 22nd, 2011“The 10 most-watched YouTube videos of 2011 show that around the world, whatever language we speak, there are certain things that bring us all together around a computer screen or mobile phone — adorable babies, talented performers, and clever advertising.” — YouTube Trends Manager Kevin Allocca.
Globally, the most-watched YouTube community videos in 2011 are:
1. Rebecca Black – Friday (OFFICIAL VIDEO)
The rest of the Top Ten videos are:
Top ten: YouTube music videos in 2011 in Singapore
December 21st, 2011In a year when YouTube reached 48 hours of content uploaded every minute, YouTube viewers in Singapore couldn’t get enough of global smashes from LMFAO, Jennifer Lopez and Bruno Mars, as well as viral hits like the comedic tunings of “Nice Guys” (finish last), and local YouTube hit Yam Ah Mee.
In Singapore, the most watched music videos from major music labels in 2011 are:
1. LMFAO – Party Rock Anthem ft. Lauren Bennett, GoonRock
Here are the rest of the Top Ten videos:
Top ten: YouTube community videos in 2011 in Singapore
December 21st, 2011What are the YouTube community videos that netizens in Singaporeans love most in 2011? Yes, other than that remix of Singaporean General Election sensation Yam Ah Mee. Ryan Higa’s “Nice Guys” tops the list.
In Singapore, the most-watched YouTube community videos of 2011 were:
1. Nice Guys
Here are the rest of the Top Ten videos:
New Soundbars: Bose Lifestyle 135 and CineMate 1 SR systems
December 20th, 2011Bose has unveiled its first soundbars. The Bose Lifestyle 135 System (S$4,999) and CineMate 1 SR System (S$2,999) are now available in Singapore.
Bose Lifestyle 135 System (S$4,999) from Atlas Singapore
Bose’s first soundbar solutions offer audio performance and placement flexibility to deliver home theatre sound from a single speaker array, and a new wireless Acoustimass module
“Most conventional soundbars are bulky and hard-to-place, or thin but unable to deliver life-like sound,” said Dr. Michael Tien, CEO of Atlas Sound & Vision.
“The new Lifestyle 135 and CineMate 1 SR systems deliver a powerful audio experience that defies their size and elegant design – whether you’re watching a movie, playing a video game, or listening to music.”
The Lifestyle 135 system includes a media console for up to six HD sources (four HDMI inputs), an AM/FM tuner, and a dock for iPod or iPhone.
Featuring the proprietary Bose Unify intelligent integration system, the media console acts as a central hub and makes connecting devices to the console hassle-free.
The CineMate 1 SR system attaches directly to a TV with just one cable – simple and easy.
Both soundbar set-ups feature a programmable remote that controls the system and nearly any connected source, be it a Blu-ray Disc player or a cable box.
PhaseGuide Technology:
Immersive Sound From One Visible Speaker
The Lifestyle 135 system and CineMate 1 SRsystem are the first Bose speakers to feature the advanced PhaseGuide sound radiator technology.
PhaseGuide sound radiator technology
This technology was originally used in the company’s VideoWave entertainment system – Bose’s high-definition television that integrates a complete home theatre sound system behind a 46” 1080p LCD display.
Combined with proprietary TrueSpace digital processing circuitry, PhaseGuide technology transforms the listening experience.
Discrete sound seem to emanate from places where there are no speakers, and it comes from a single array that measures just 2.4″ deep, 36.8″ wide and 4.9″ high.
The new Acoustimass module delivers low notes with cinematic impact.
Smaller than previous Bose Acoustimass modules, its wireless link allows it to be hidden, completely out of sight.
Soundbar Setup:
Horizontal, Vertical, Anywhere in the Room
Unlike conventional soundbars, the Lifestyle 135 and CineMate 1 SR systems have true placement flexibility: they can be positioned near the TV, wherever it is, and in two orientations – without compromising audio performance.
The Bose FlexMount automatic placement compensation senses whether the speaker has been placed horizontally on a table, or mounted vertically on a wall.
It automatically adjusts the sound, offering owners two choices for soundbar setup with the same assurance of spacious, natural sound.
Bose ADAPTiQ audio calibration technology offers another performance assurance: the system will deliver optimal sound in any room.
It first recognises where the system is located, then compensates for how the acoustics of the space affect its audio quality.
The sound is then customised based on the room’s unique size, shape, even furnishings.
SingTel BroadBand on Mobile price plans
December 20th, 2011SingTel has just launched its Prestige 75 LTE mobile broadband service.
The price plan for the BroadBand on Mobile (BBoM) Prestige 75 LTE is shown here.
| SingTel Broadband on Mobile Prestige 75 LTE Price Plan | |
| Price (including GST) | $69.90/month |
| Data Bundle | 50GB 3G data (21Mbps) + 10GB LTE data |
| Excess Charges | $0.512/MB, Capped at $94.16/month |
| Download Speed | Theoretical: 75Mbps Typical range: 3.4Mbps to 12Mbps |
| Comes with free LTE dongle and free Wireless@SG (3Mbps) | |
For comparison, here are the price plans for its other BBoM packages.
| 3G Mobile broadband plan | Theoretical speed | Typical download speed range | Price |
| Classic 3.6 | 3.6Mbps | 0.8Mbps to 2.1Mbps | $29.90 |
| Priority 7.2 (with Priority Pass) | 7.2Mbps | 1.4Mbps to 3.7Mbps | $40.00 |
| Premium 21 (with Priority Pass) | 21Mbps | 1.7Mbps to 4.8Mbps | $59.90 |
SingTel launches commercial LTE mobile broadband
December 20th, 2011SingTel toady announced the commercial launch of the Mobile Prestige 75 (S$69.90 per mth), the first LTE service in Singapore for both consumer and business customers.
Eventually, coverage will grow to 80% of mobile data users by end 2012 and 95% by 2013.
Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) today announced the commercial launch of its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) BroadBand on Mobile (BBoM) service.
Fast speed
Bandwidth consumption profile
Yuen Kuan Moon, SingTel EVP of Digital Consumer said that SingTel does not offer any unlimited data plans, although the 50GB limit is more than enough for most consumers.
He revealed that 89% of SingTel’s subscriber base consume less than 10GB per mth, 10% consume 10 to 50 GB, while only 1% consume more than 50%.
This effectively means that 11% of subscribers consume 60% of data traffic.
The service offers theoretical download speeds of up to 75Mbps and typical download speeds between 3.4Mbps and 12Mbps.
It provides mobile Internet access that is more than three times faster than existing 3G-based services, with only one-fifth of the network latency.
SingTel 4G LTE will enable many bandwidth-intensive applications, such as cloud storage, music/video/HDTV streaming, video conferencing, online gaming, mobile data networking, rich voice etc.
SingTel’s BBoM Prestige 75 LTE will provide performances and services approaching that of fixed line networks. For instance, it will take only 2 min 14s to stream a 3.5 min-long snippet of video from YouTube.
Coverage evolution
At launch, the service provides outdoor coverage in the central financial district and other areas that experience high data usage.
At launch, SingTel BBoM Prestige 75 will cover the CBD and more than 100 sites.
This includes Shenton Way, Orchard, City Hall, Marina Bay, River Valley, Tanglin, Newton, Novena, Kallang, Rochor, Outram, Tanjong Pagar, Jurong West, Boon Lay, Bukit Panjang, Bedok and Changi.
In-building coverage is available in major shopping malls such as Ngee Ann City, Plaza Singapura, Ang Mo Kio Hub, Tampines Mall, West Mall, Parkway Parade and Jurong IMM. Office buildings such as Republic Plaza and Temasek Tower are also covered.
The service falls back to SingTel’s 3G-based Premium 21 service when users roam outside the LTE coverage area.
USB dongle
Mr Yuen said that SingTel is progressively expanding its network, which is expected to be able to provide LTE coverage for 80 per cent of mobile data users by the end of 2012.
By 2013, coverage will be extended to 95 per cent.
BBoM plans
Broadband on Mobile Prestige 75 will initially be available for USB dongle modems only.
Support for LTE-enabled smartphones and tablets will only be available when these mobile devices become more readily available in the market later on in 2012.
Existing 21Mbps 3G Broadband on Mobile Premium 21 customers can upgrade to LTE with a top-up of $10 per month.
The price plans for SingTel’s various mobile broadband plans can be found here.
