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
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)
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
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
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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
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.
Canon has launched the imageCLASS LBP6680x, a compact monochrome laser printer for Small Office/Home Offices (SOHOs) and Small and Medium-Sized businesses (SMBs).
Available in July for S$799.
Canon imageCLASS LBP6680x - available in July for S$799.
The Canon imageCLASS LBP6680x offers the following advanced printing capabilities.
Cost-accounting and server-based secure printing via Canon uniFLOW
Together with the launch of the new touch-screen EOS 650D DSLR, Canon is launching two new EF lenses. (Pricing & Availability to be announced later).
Canon EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens
The Canon EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM features reduced chromatic aberration with the inclusion of one UD lens element and one PMo aspherical lens element.
Pricing and availability of these two lenses will be announced at a later date. The info will be updated in this box as and when available.
Update (13 June): The EF40mm f/2.8 STM will be available from tomorrow at S$299.
When used with the Movie Servo AF of the Canon EOS 650D, it also offers smooth, speedy and quiet focusing while recording.
This is achieved with the development of a new six-group zoom system, and the adoption of a stepping motor and focus mechanism.
Along with it, the Dynamic IS system features an expanded correction range, with image stabilization equivalent to 4 stops of light, which proves very useful when shooting subjects on the move.
Canon EF40mm f/2.8 STM lens
The EF40mm f/2.8 STM comes in an ultra-compact and lightweight design, with a diameter of 68.2mm, a thickness of 22.8mm and weighing 130g, making it the slimmest and lightest EF lens produced.
A fast f/2.8 aperture, 7-blade circular aperture and aspherical lens elements enable the lens to achieve a high level of image quality from centre to corner.
Canon has unveiled the EOS 650D, its entry-level DSLR that will replace the current EOS 600D. The 18-megapixel shooter will be available at the end of June (prices within).
Instead of end-June, the EOS 650D Body and Kit 1 will be available from tomorrow. The new EF40mm f/2.8 STM lens will also be available from tomorrow at S$299.
Canon EOS 650D has 18 megapixels and a touch screen monitor.
Canon boasts that the EOS 650D is the world’s first DSLR with a touch screen monitor.
The EOS 650D features a continuous AF (autofocus) Servo and the powerful DICIG 5 imaging processor.
Price & Availability of the Canon EOS 650D
Body only
S$1,149
end-June
14 June
Kit 1 (EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS II lens)
S$1,299
end-June
14 June
Kit II (with EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens)
S$1,699
mid-July
Other enhancements include a wider ISO range from ISO 100 to 12,800 (expandable to 25,600), Multi Shot Noise Control, Handheld Night Scene, HDR Backlight Control, 9 cross-type AF points within 31 AF zones, and a Hybrid CMOS AF System.
Many of the MIL (mirrorless interchangeable lens) cameras on the market already feature touch screen monitors, but obviously Canon does not consider them as DSLRs (indeed they do NOT have mirrors).
Canon is the only major camera maker that has not launched any MIL camera yet.
I tried out the camera during the launch event at Klapsons The Boutique Hotel in Singapore.
It’s a nifty shooter for the amateur photographer looking to take his/her photography to the next level.
The EOS 650D can shoot continuously at 5 frames per second.
The continuous AF Servo was smooth and noiseless – a boon for those who zoom in and out while shooting video and don’t want the noise to be recorded. “We are confident that the EOS 650D will be a compelling choice for amateurs looking to bring their photography to the next level,” said Andrew Koh, Senior Director and General Manager of the Consumer Imaging and Information Products Group, Canon Singapore.
What’s more, the autofocus continues working when zooming in and out, rather than stay on the original focus distance at the commencement of video recording.
Along with the EOS 650D, Canon also introduced two new lenses, the EF-S18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM and the EF40mm f/2.8mm STM, featuring a stepping motor for fast and quiet autofocusing.
Pricing & availability for these two lenses will be announced later.
Nokia’s monster-imager smartphone hits the shelves (S$839) in Singapore tomorrow, in Black and White.
The Nokia 808 PureView runs on Nokia Belle (Symbian OS 10.1) and features a camera with a 41-megapixel sensor, complete with Carl Zeiss optics.
Nokia 808 PureView will be available in Singapore tomorrow (S$839), in Black and White.
The smartphone is available in Black and White and will will debut at the PC Show 2012 tomorrow at the booths of Nokia and all three major local Telcos SingTel, StarHub and M1.
41-megapixel camera sensor
The Nokia 808 PureView was first unveiled in February this year at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, together with a slew of other phones from Nokia.
The Nokia 808 PureView shoots photos at default 5MP resolution and Full HD 1080p videos. Pixel over-sampling technology is used to process image information (details, sharpness and colour) captured in the 41MP sensor into the final high-quality 5MP photo that is saved to memory.
The camera outputs photos at 2, 3, 5, 8, 34 and 38 megapixels resolution and comes with a powerful Xenon flash and LED video light.
The high-performance Carl Zeiss optics gives three times lossless zoom for stills, and 1080p full high-definition (HD) video recording with up to four times lossless zoom, giving you a smooth and completely silent zoom experience.
Black and White
The Nokia 808 PureView’s camera activates in less than a second, and photos and full HD videos can be sent straight to Facebook or Flickr for sharing – at the touch of a button.
Photos and videos can be sent to another NFC-enabled phone with a simple tap. The phone can also be hooked up to a HDTV via HDMI or wireless streaming to view the phone’s contents on the big screen.
The new Nokia 808 PureView is the world’s first device to include Rich Recording that enables distortion-free audio recording at CD-like levels of up to 140 dB, which was previously only possible with advanced external microphones.
Nokia Belle OS
This promises faithful sound recording from the lowest base levels to the highest trebles – whether you are at a concert or at a cozy recital!
The phone also features Dolby Headphone, which is exclusive to Nokia smartphones.
With Dolby Headphone, you can get Dolby surround sound playback from any stereo headphone, so you can enjoy superb surround sound quality with movies, music, and even YouTube videos for an amazing entertainment experience everywhere.
The specifications of the Nokia 808 PureView can be viewed and downloaded below.
SingTel’s 4G service will provide mobile Internet access that is up to five times faster than existing 3G-based smartphone services, with one-fifth of the network latency.
“We need to break away from the traditional one-size-fits-all approach, which is not sustainable in the long term. Today, 64 per cent of mobile data on our network is consumed by 10 per cent of our subscribers. This prevents the remaining 90 per cent from enjoying the full benefits of the network. With our tiered pricing model, subscribers will pay for what they use, and this ultimately allows us to keep prices for our plans the same over time despite rising network costs,” explained Yuen Kuan Moon, SingTel’s CEO Consumer Singapore.Users can enjoy theoretical download speeds of up to 75Mbps and typical download speeds between 3.4Mbps and 12Mbps.
SingTel will also introduce its Priority Pass traffic priority feature for the 4G service next year.
This will provide subscribers with priority for their data traffic when the network is loaded, thus ensuring smoother streaming and downloads.
Islandwide rollout of SingTel’s 4G network is expected to be completed in early 2013.
In areas where 4G has not yet been deployed, users will fallback to 3G connectivity with download speeds of up to 42Mbps.
Check the coverage diagrams at the end of this post to see when you will be enjoy LTE coverage.
Data bundle cutback
Data bundles for most of SingTel’s Flexi plans have been reduced drastically from 12GB to a range of 2GB to 12GB, although the number of bundled SMS has been increased.
“At the same time, heavy users will benefit from the significantly reduced excess usage rates. Data traffic on our mobile networks has been growing at 62 percent each year since 2010 due to the tremendous growth of smartphones, tablets and mobile content. By encouraging fair usage of the network, we will be able to deliver consistently high-quality services for our customers,” Yuen said.Charges for data usage beyond bundled allowances have been revised to $5.35 per gigabyte from 1 July to 31 December 2013, and subsequently to $10.70/GB from 1 January 2013.
Approximately 10 per cent of SingTel’s subscribers who are heavy SMS users will save from the new improved SMS bundles.
The plans will be available to all new and re-contracting customers from 1 July 2012, and will replace existing 3G Flexi and iFlexi plans.
So if you don’t want to relinquish the existing 12GB data bundle, you can let the existing contract run in perpetuity – but you’ll have to forego the handset subsidies that come with re-contracting.
Mr Yuen noted that based on current usage patterns, 90 per cent of subscribers should not incur higher charges, as their data consumption does not exceed the new bundles.
SingTel Plans
Flexi Lite
Flexi Value
Flexi Plus
Flexi Premium
Monthly subscription
$39.90
$59.90
$99.90
$205
Local outgoing minutes
100
200
500
2,000
Local SMS (new)
800
900
1,000
2,500
Local SMS (previously)
550
650
700
2,000
Local data bundle (previously 12GB)
2GB
3GB
4GB
12GB
Excess usage & data cap
$5.35/GB (w GST) for 3G subscribers.
Applicable to 4G subscribers during promotion from 1 July to 31 Dec 2013.
$10.70/GB (w GST) from 1 Jan 2013 for 4G subscribers.
Previously $2.76/MB.
SingTel claims that 90% of existing Flexi Lite use less than 2GB currently and hence will not be affected by the lowering of the data bundle from 12GB to 2GB.
Likewise, 90% of current Flexi Value customers use less than 3GB, while 90% of current Flexi Plus customers use less than 4GB.
Hence 90% of existing customers will not “suffer” from the data cutback – assuming their data usage remains unchanged.
Read about StarHub’s response to SingTel’s launch below.
Who is the most popular celebrity in the world? And which is the most popular sports team or film in the social space? starcount.com trawls 11 top social networks to bring you the vote of 1.5 billion fans.
www.starcount.com is the latest social aggregation site that was launched in Singapore last night. Check out the leaderboards of leading celebrities in the social space.
At the global launch of starcount in Singapore last night, guests invited to Pangaea in Marina Bay Sands checked their own favourites against what the social aggregation engine discovered in the social space on the Internet.
Here are the winners of the Social Star Awards 2012 for the various categories:
R&B Star
Rihana
Sportsperson
Christiano Ronaldo
Sportsteam
Barcelona FC
Game
Angry Birds
TV Show
The Simpsons
Film
Harry Potter
Film Star
Selena Gomez
Asian Star
Jackie Chan
Social Star
Ray William Johnston
Singapore
Stefanie Sun
Politician
Barack Obama
Almighty
Lady Gaga
As part of the inaugural Social Star Awards 2012, tweets were sent to the most popular personalities and entities on the social media scene from within starcount.com to congratulate them in winning the various categories.
Christiano Ronaldo pipped Lionel Messi to win the Sportsperson Award 2012, while “angry” Diablo 3 fans were disappointed that the Game Award 2012 went to Angry Birds.
Not surprisingly, Lady Gaga won the Almighty Award, as the most popular person on Earth – as at 31 May 2012. Coincidentally, she was performing live at her Born This Way concert in Marina Bay Sands.
Stefanie Sun was the most popular person in Singapore, while Jackie Chan was the most popular person in Asia and Hong Kong.
There were some surprises. Ray William Johnston, who won the Social Star Award, drew many blank looks from the guest present. The Film Star Award went to Selena Gomez. Perhaps thanks to her boyfriend?
You can check out your own genres and leaderboards on www.starcount.com.
