Posts Tagged ‘smartphones’
Tuesday, January 13th, 2015
Samsung has launched in Singapore its GALAXY A Series of Android smartphones. The mid-range smartphones include the 4.5-inch A3 (S$448), 5-inch A5 (S$598) and the 5.5-inch A7 (S$TBA).
The A3 and A5 will be available in Singapore on 16 January while the A7 will be available this quarter.
The new GALAXY A series comes in three sizes (from left) – the 5.5-inch A7 (S$TBA), 5-inch A5 (S$598) and the 4.5-inch A3 (S$448).
The A3 and A5 were launched in Korea on 31 October, 2014 while the A7 was launched on 12 January, 2015 in Korea.
First impressions
I like the thin metallic body of the A-series.
The GALAXY A3 4G will be available from January 16 in Pearl White and Midnight Black, at $448 without contract. The Platinum Silver, Champagne Gold (24 January), and Soft Pink (February) versions will be available later.
The beauty face feature is really interesting.
This offers three ways of enhancing your selfies – skin retouch, eyes enlargement and face-slimming.
There are sliders to let you control how much of the effect to apply, and you can preview the effect as you drag the slider to the left or right.
The skin retouch effect is nothing new and is basically the run-of-the-mill skin blurring functionality which produces instantly-recognisably fake blurred skin.
So it’s good that you can use a slider to limit how much of the effect to apply to avoid appearing too amateurish.
The GALAXY A7 4G will be available this quarter in Pearl White and Midnight Black.
The eyes enlargement effect is really interesting but you have to try-and-error, as the effect can be either flattering or downright weird.
I was most impressed with the face slimming feature. I can see how it’s going to be flattering for many to see their face slimmed slightly.
All three models come with SUPER AMOLED screen for a vivid and colourful display.
The A-series GALAXY smartphones are priced more affordably than Samsung’s two flagship smartphones – the Note and S series.
(more…)
Tags:A3, A5, A7, Android, Galaxy, launch, Samsung, selfies, Singapore, smartphones, wefies
Posted in Android, Events, events, Gadgets, gadgets, GALAXY, Launch, newArrivals, Phones, Prices, Samsung, smartphones, Specifications | Comments Closed
Tuesday, November 25th, 2014
Microsoft Devices offers the 5-inch Windows Phone 8.1 phablet at an affordable S$199. The budget phablet comes with a 5-megapixel front camera and dual SIM.
The Lumia 535 Dual SIM will be available in a range of colours including orange, white, cyan and black. Bright green and dark grey are not available for Singapore.
First announced on 10 November in the US, the Lumia 535 will debut in Singapore on 5 December, at an affordable price of S$199.
The Lumia 535 offers five free integrated Microsoft experiences:
- Make memorable Skype video calls and seamlessly switch between voice and video with built-in Skype integration. Fit more memorable backgrounds or add more friends into Skype video calls and selfies with the 5 MP wide angle front facing camera.
- With Microsoft Office Mobile, you can now access, edit and share Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents and OneNote notebooks wherever you are, with the pre-installed Microsoft Office suite.
- Save and sync photos, videos and Office documents securely with 15GB of free OneDrive cloud storage.
- Connect with work and personal e-mail while on the go, with built-in Microsoft Outlook.
- Add a whole new dimension to your console entertainment with Xbox One SmartGlass, the perfect companion app if you want the best of your Xbox One from both in your living room and on the go. Connect and control your Xbox One and stay connected with the games and gamers you like.
Lumia 535 sports a 5-inch qHD (960 x 540 pixels, 16:9) IPS made of Gorilla Glass 3 with capacitative touchscreen at resolution of 220ppi.
(more…)
Tags:availability, Lumia, Lumia 535, Microsoft, Nokia, phablets, prices, Singapore, smartphones, Windows, Windows Phone
Posted in Announce, Availability, Gadgets, Lumia, Microsoft, Microsoft Devices, newArrivals, Nokia, Phones, Prices, smartphones, Specifications, Windows Phone, Windows Phone 8 | 1 Comment »
Monday, November 24th, 2014
HTC hopes to reinvent mobile photography and imaging with the HTC Desire EYE “double exposure” smartphone, the RE fun camera, EYE Experience imaging software, and enhanced Zoe video editor.
The HTC Desire EYE will be available in Singapore from 27 November at SITEX 2014 at S$728 S$628, through StarHub and M1.
Errattum:
HTC has updated that the price of the HTC Desire EYE in Singapore during SITEX 2014 to S$728 from the S$628 in the original press release.
HTC Desire EYE (left, in White and Coral Red duotone) phablet and HTC RE (in green) camera.
HTC has announced two new innovative gadgets which I had the chance to preview last week – the RE fun camera and Desire EYE Android phablet – both of which are water proof.
HTC RE camera
The RE camera will be available from late December onwards. HTC has yet to announce its price tag in Singapore.
(more…)
Tags:Android, cameras, Desire, HTC, phablets, RE, Singapore, smartphones, waterproof
Posted in Accessories, Cameras, cameras, Events, events, Gadgets, gadgets, HTC, HTC Desire, Launch, newArrivals, Phones, Prices, smartphones, Specifications, Tablets, tablets | No Comments »
Sunday, November 16th, 2014
From 27 November, the final of the four large annual IT exhibitions in Singapore will take place for four days (27 – 30 Nov) at the Singapore EXPO, in Halls 5 & 6. SITEX 2014 will open daily from 11 am to 9 pm (Admission FREE).
SITEX 2014 @ Singapore EXPO (Halls 5 & 6) from 27 – 30 November. Admission FREE, daily 11am to 9pm.
Established in 1988, SITEX 2014 will see more than 500 brands of infocomm and consumer electronic products spread over more than 200,000 sq ft of exhibition space.
For SITEX 2014, I’ll be compiling selected promotions and flyers from the exhibitors in a photo album on the tech4tea.com Facebook page.
(more…)
Tags:accessories, audio, cameras, computers, EXPO, IT exhibition, printers, promotions, Singapore, SITEX, SITEX 2014, smartphones, tablets
Posted in Brochures, Events, events, Exhibition, Gadgets, Prices, Promotions, Shopping | No Comments »
Thursday, November 6th, 2014
Opera claims that its Video Boost is a first for mobile web browsers, offering faster loading time and money savings from data reduction (compression). Available now FREE from Apple App Store.
The new Opera Mini 9 for iOS comes with video boost feature that compresses video before delivering to your mobile phone, saving you from staring at the video-buffering wheel, as well as data savings.
iPhone and iPad users will see less of the dreaded video-buffering wheel, using the new video boost feature in the Opera Mini 9 web browser.
“This is the first time video optimization has been integrated into a web browser, so your browser can now take pride of place as your favorite video app. Video snags are a small problem, but an annoying one — a pothole on the internet highway. And Opera fixed it,” says Lars Boilesen, CEO of Opera Software.
People love watching video on their mobiles and tablets.
Unfortunately, this can eat up a data plan quickly, and stalled videos waste time and create frustration.
Opera Mini boasts that it can address this problem with video boost.
Video boost brings down buffering time for eager video viewers, by reducing the size of video data.
Using the Rocket Optimizer engine from Opera’s Skyfire division, video boost can also save users on their data bills.
Optimising videos is becoming increasingly important, as video viewing explodes on mobile phones.
(more…)
Tags:browsers, compression, data, downloads, iOS, iPad, iPhone, mobile, Opera, smartphones, tablets, video
Posted in Announce, App, Apps, Availability, Browser, Internet, iOS, Opera, Software, Video, YouTube | No Comments »
Saturday, November 1st, 2014
As a pioneer of 2-in-1 mobile devices, ASUS offers with the PadFone S the portability of the smartphone and the larger screen of a tablet by selling both at the price of one device.
Two colours are available for the ASUS PadFone S – Dark Ruby (shown above) and Pure White. Photo: ASUS Singapore.
The PadFone S was launched in Singapore on 14 October, 2014 together with 11 other new mobile and computing products.
The PadFone S is a 5-inch Android smartphone that comes with a PadFone S Station.
The PadFone S I reviewed was the Pure White version. Normal retail price: S$449.
You can use the PadFone S on its own like any smartphone or you can slot it into the back of the PadFone S Station and use the combination as an 8.9-inch tablet, leveraging the larger backlit Super IPS display of the Station.
PadFone S Promotions
The PadFone S retails for S$449 normally but until 2 November, you can purchase it at S$399 and receive a 1-year Screen Replacement Warranty free.
There is also a Facebook contest by ASUS Singapore with a PadFone S up for grabs.
Simply Like, Post, Tag and Share by 4 November.
You can’t use the PadFone S Station on its own though, because it is simply a dumb display with no computer processors within.
Actually, the Station has more – it also includes a 4990mAh Li-Polymer (non-removable) battery to provide the larger energy demands of powering a larger display.
The larger battery can also be used to charge the PadFone S to extend its battery life from 22 hours talk-time (3G) to 64 hours.
The combined PadFone S in the Station felt a little bit hefty though, at a combined weight of 664g.
My view:
I found the ASUS PadFone S provided me with the portability of a smartphone and – only when I need it – a truely larger display and usability of a tablet –> all at the price of a single device (or less).
(more…)
Tags:accessories, Android, Android 4, Apps, Asus, KitKat, PadFone, PadFone S, phablets, prices, promotions, reviews, Singapore, smartphones, tablets, ZenUI
Posted in Accessories, Android, Apps, Asus, Gadgets, gadgets, Phones, Prices, Review, smartphones, Specifications, Tablets, tablets | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 21st, 2014
The GALAXY S3 Neo smartphones will be used in a UN project for the three worst-hit African countries. The donated smartphones are worth about US$1 million.
Update (23 October, 2014):
LG Electronics is also contributing 2,000 smartphones to the United Nations’ response to the deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa.
“We hope that our contribution will make a difference as the UN and NGOs fight on the front lines to improve healthcare, food security and sanitation in areas affected by the Ebola epidemic. This endeavor is representative of LG’s ongoing mission to use its technology to contribute toward resolving global issues,” said Choong-hak Lee, senior vice president and head of LG’s corporate social responsibility efforts.
The donated smartphones from LG will be provided to healthcare and other key personnel dispatched by the UN in the affected areas where they are urgently needed.
The smartphones will allow for fast and seamless communication between the teams on the ground, focusing on medical data gathering, monitoring and planning.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) will facilitate the distribution of the mobile devices.
According to OCHA, almost one billion dollars will be needed to address the immediate humanitarian needs caused by the Ebola virus.
Almost 5,000 people have been infected with Ebola since the outbreak started in West Africa in March with more than 2,400 individuals having died across the region.
Support from LG and other international partners are critical to the UN’s efforts to stabilize the outbreak.
All donated smartphones will be destroyed once the virus outbreak has subsided.
The smartphones, to be donated through the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA), will be used in the Humanitarian Connectivity Project, the UN’s IT project that utilises mobile devices to provide humanitarian support in disaster areas.
The donated GALAXY S3 Neo smartphones will be used in 60 Ebola medical clinics in the three worst-hit African countries, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
By installing the UN’s Smart Health Pro mobile application, medical staff can utilise the smartphones to treat patients and collect medical data, while quarantined patients can contact their families using the devices.
(more…)
Tags:Congo, CSR, Ebola, Galaxy, Ghana, Guinea, LG, Liberia, S3 Neo, Samsung, Sierra Leone, smartphones, South Africa, UN
Posted in Android, Announce, Gadgets, gadgets, LG, Phones, Samsung, smartphones, Tickers | No Comments »
Tuesday, October 14th, 2014
In its main product launch for 2014 in Singapore, ASUS launched a slew of 12 new business, consumer and gaming products – including the Transformer Book T300 Chi, ROG G751 and ZenWatch.
The three hero products for today: ASUS Transformer Book T300Chi, ROG G751 and ZenWatch.
Many of the devices were first unveiled during IFA 2014 in early September, the highlight of which was the ZenWatch – the company’s first wearable device.
It will be available in Singapore for S$299 from end of 2014.
ASUS Eeebook X205
Another significant milestone is the unveiling of devices incorporating the latest Intel Core M processor, also unveiled during IFA 2014 – the Transformer Book T300 Chi is one of the earliest off the block to ship with the new chip.
The new Core M, which enables razor-thin, energy-efficient, fanless designs for 2-in-1 devices must have played a large part in making the Transformer Book T300 Chi the world’s slimmest 12.5-inch detachable 2-in-1 tablet.
(more…)
Tags:Asus, EeeBook, events, hybrid, IFA, Intel, launch, PadFone, ROG, Singapore, smartphones, tablets, Transformer, Zenbook, ZenWatch
Posted in Asus, Desktops, Events, events, Gadgets, gadgets, Gaming, Hybrid, Intel, Launch, newArrivals, Notebooks, notebooks, Phones, Prices, Promotions, smartphones, smartwatches, Specifications, Tablets, tablets, Ultrabooks, Watches, Windows 8 | No Comments »
Saturday, October 11th, 2014
I was wondering how well Intel has penetrated the mobile market. Here are some quick updates from Jonathan Ong, Area Sales Manager of Intel Singapore & Malaysia.
Intel’s Atom processors are being adopted in smartphones and tablets in the mobile devices market.
According to the September report of the Strategy Analytics, Intel ranked second in Application Processor Shipment in Q2 of 2014.
The keys to their mobile strategy:
- Compute performance based on true 64-bit architecture
- Global communications platforms
- Leading manufacturing technology
Intel Atom processors focus on providing the performance demanded by today’s road warriors.
There are now more than 200 smartphone/tablet designs currently in the market or coming this year in over 150 countries.
Examples of their latest smartphone partner products include:
Tablet partners include Acer, Dell and Lenovo, amongst others.
(more…)
Tags:Acer, Aspire, Asus, Atom, CPUs, Galaxy, GoFaster, hybrids, Intel, IntelMobility, mobility, PerformanceMatters, processors, Samsung, smartphones, Switch 10, tablets, transformers, Windows, Windows 8, ZenFone
Posted in Acer, Asus, Dell, Events, Gadgets, gadgets, Hybrid, Intel, Lenovo, Notebooks, notebooks, Party, Phones, Prices, Samsung, smartphones, Specifications, Tablets, tablets, Windows 8 | No Comments »
Thursday, October 9th, 2014
Following the success of its well-received LG G2, I like the large stunning QHD display of the LG G3 and totally enjoyed using the flagship smartphone over the past few weeks.
The LG G3 is available in Singapore in 32GB (S$868) and 64GB (S$928) models.
The LG G3 is one of the first smartphones to sport a 5.5-inch Quad HD display – other makers are only now beginning to ship QHD on their flagships.
Top edge of the LG G3.
The 538 ppi resolution of the G3 is one of the highest in the market now and is equivalent to four times the resolution of HD and almost two times that of a Full HD display.
The sharper detail was remarkable especially when viewing 4K video on the display. Even Full HD video looked sharper and clearer.
The LG G3 is one of the best smartphones that I’ve used that are currently on the market. Fast and smooth, with great display and excellent camera.
The other thing that impressed me was the camera (sample shots at the end of this review).
The 13-megapixel rear camera comes with OIS+ (Optical Image Stabiliser Plus) and uses an innovative Laser Auto Focus for faster and more accurate focus on the subject.
The LG G3 comes in five colours: Metallic Black, Silk White and Shine Gold, Moon Violet and Burgundy Red.
The result is sharper photos and a faster response time.
(more…)
Tags:Android, G3, KitKat, LG, phablets, reviews, smartphones
Posted in Android, Gadgets, gadgets, LG, Phones, Prices, Review, smartphones, Specifications | No Comments »
