Wednesday, February 29, 2012

[Confirmed] iPad 3 Launching on March 7th


Apple had confirmed that the Special Media Event will take place on March 7th as earlier anticipated. From the picture above which is coming from Apple's invitation, it does show an iPad 3 launching with a tagline "We have something you really have to see. And touch.".

Taken a closer look at the picture, we could see the missing home button. The picture might also suggest a Retina display but nothing could be certain until at least March 7th.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

[Rumor] iPad 3 Belkin Case?



Side-by-side comparison with iPad 2 case

As March 7th is getting closer, more and more news surface regarding the next generation iPad. This time around is the iPad 3 case from Belkin. Belkin is one of the renowned Apple case manufacturer. The 3rd picture suggests that the new iPad 3 would have little or no changes on its physical outlook.

Source: Weibo

[Rumor] Possible Higher Price of iPad 3. Shipment Itinerary Revealed?


Above pictures are taken from China's popular micro-blogging website, weibo denotes that the iPad 3 will cost higher than the current iPad 2. Fourth column shows the iPad 3 price after conversion to RMB. Looking at the models, there doesn't seem to be any hint on LTE models.


The 2nd picture would be more interesting. It was taken from a popular chinese forum, WeiPhone which shows possibility the shipping itinerary of the iPad 3 from UPS via Chengdu, China in which Apple supplier Foxconn is located. Judging by the dates, it could very well be the next generation iPad 3.

[MWC 2012] Nokia 808 PureView - 41MP Camera Phone


Nokia seemed to be focusing very hard in terms of camera capabilities. Recent MWC 2012 shows that Nokia is in it with the new Nokia 808 PureView which features 41 megapixel worth of camera sensor. Obviously this is by far the highest megapixel on a smartphone anyone has ever seen. The only problem is that it is running on Symbian Belle OS instead of Windows Phone OS.




Specification as below:

  • 1.3GHz single-core processor
  • 512MB RAM
  • 4-inch AMOLED with 360 x 640 screen resolution
  • 16GB internal memory with 48GB microSD Card expandable
  • Carl Zeiss lens with 41MP, Xenon Flash
  • 1400 mAh battery capacity
  • Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi, NFC
  • micro USB, HDMI
Source: Nokia

Google Voice Action (Android) vs iPhone 4S Siri (iOS)



Motorola released a video showing comparison of Google Voice Action based on Motorola Atrix 2 with the Siri of iPhone 4S. From the direct comparison, the Google Voice Action beats the Siri almost in any case.
Judge for yourself.

Sunday, February 26, 2012

[Rumor] Nokia Lumia 610


Going ahead of the MWC 2012, there seemed to be a leak info that Nokia will be releasing a lower range Lumia 610. The Lumia 610 will feature 3.2-inch display with 3MP camera. Most interesting would be the color combination of the Lumia 610.

[MWC 2012] Samsung Galaxy Beam - Specification Revealed


Samsung announces first product of MWC 2012 in Barcelona - Samsung Galaxy Beam.
JK Shin, the President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics is excited about the prospect of this device in terms of leisure as well as business. The Galaxy Beam allows the users to spontaneously share photos, videos or media contents with the 15 lumens projector capabilities. It was also mentioned that the projection could be up to 50-inch wide.







Below are the specification of Galaxy Beam:

  • 1GHz dual-core processor
  • 8GB internal memory with 32GB microSD Card expandable
  • 4-inch display with 480 x 800 screen resolution
  • 5MP rear camera with flash, 1.3MP front-facing camera
  • capable of 720p@30fps video capturing
  • battery capacity of 2000mAh
Source: Samsung Mobile

Saturday, February 25, 2012

iPhone Stove? iStove?


This is how extreme things get in China. Police recently seized 2 warehouses in China containing absolutely amazing counterfeit of the Apple iPhone - the China iStove



Source: MIC Gadget

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Malaysia's Own Smartphone Under RM500


Local company DMD Mobile Sdn. Bhd. is shaking the smartphone industry at least in Malaysia with an entry price of RM500. Device features Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread and will be packed with latest updated features like Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. Executive Chairman Datuk Dr. Mohammed M. Daud the company is currently working with the telcos to provide bundled mobile and online communication package with an entry price of RM10/month.

DMD Mobile Sdn. Bhd. is expected to launch the smartphone into international market during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona come Feb 28th. The smartphone is expected to be sold in South Asia as well as Middle East.

Below are the specification of the Smartphone:

  • 650MHz processor
  • 256MB RAM
  • 512MB internal memory with 32GB expendable micro SD Card
  • 2.6-inch capacitive touchscreen with 320 x 240 screen resolution
  • Bluetooth 4.0
  • WiFi
  • NFC
  • 3.75G HSDPA
  • 3MP rear camera with VGA front camera
  • Battery capacity of 1150mAh
Source: DMD Mobile

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

[Rumor] Further Pictures of iPad 3

Below are more pictures from MIC Gadget purportedly showing the next generation iPad. Judge yourself..





Source: MIC Gadget

[U Mobile] Samsung Galaxy Nexus Plan Revealed. Plans Compared between U Mobile, DiGi, Celcom


U Mobile is the latest telco to join in the field of bundling Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Lowest commitment would be 24 months and the device price would costs RM1749. Monthly subscription of RM28/month will provide you with 1GB data. U Mobile provides up to 12 months installment for the device itself which translates to RM146/month.


Comparison table may look somewhat confusing but the most important part to look at is the last 2 rows which shows the total committed amount upon completion of the contract. U Mobile plan weighs the cheapest while Celcom has the highest amount but with RM50 worth of calls/SMS. DiGi on the other hand has a monthly fee of RM28 which is similar to U Mobile but after the RM15 and RM5 rebate if you sign up for auto-billing. If not, you will need to pay RM48 per month.

Source: U Mobile

Monday, February 20, 2012

[Rumor] iPad 3 Now Being Rumored Not to Have A6 Processor, A5X instead?


As the days are numbered for the release of the next generation iPad, rumors are flying all over the internet regarding what would possibly be coming up in the iPad 3 hardware. Latest circulation from Chinese forum quoted that the logic board above would be the next generation iPad. From the picture above, it is clearly shown A5X. Would it be that the next generation iPad's processor not be A6? No quad-core?

Sunday, February 19, 2012

[Rumor] iPad 3 to Spot 8 Megapixel Camera


News are circulating in Hong Kong regarding the next generation iPad camera resolution. It is widely expected to be 8MP, similar Sony sensor as the iPhone 4S. That would be a superb spec bump from the pathetic iPad 2 camera. Let's see if it's true.. 

Blackberry OS 10 Pre-Release Images


Crackberry guys managed to get a sneak preview of the upcoming Blackberry 10 OS. At a first glance, it looked almost similar to the Windows Phone GUI. I guess RIM really needs to pull this new OS together to revive the Blackberry status back to number 1 position in the smartphone category.


Video call seemed to be one of the new feature in the new Blackberry 10 OS.

Source: Crackberry

[Celcom] Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Plans Released. Plans Compared with DiGi.



Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 was recently released for sale and the above are the plans from Celcom. Shortest duration and lowest monthly commitment plan would be the Celcom Broadband Lite + PPU Voice. PPU here stands for Pay-Per-Use. Similar to what DiGi has been offering, plan include only data package. Calls and SMS are charged separately according to the table above.



The above table shows the comparison between DiGi and Celcom. Total cost after 12 months would be the same for both.

Thanks to "anonymous" for the correction. 

Source: Celcom

Saturday, February 18, 2012

iPad 3 Retina Display Confirmed?


Folks from MacRumors were able to obtain apparently the iPad 3 display and put it under the microscope for inspection. The result shows a 4x4 density pixel, similar to iPhone 4. The panel is 9.7-inch which is the usual size for the iPad will bring us 2048 x 1536 resolution a.k.a Retina Display.


Apple is scheduled to launch the next generation iPad in the Media Event on March 7th.

Source: MacRumors

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Mac OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion - This Summer


Next on the Apple line-up is the update for the Mac OSX 10.8 Mountain Lion. It goes by the tagline "Inspired by iPad. Re-imagined for Mac". That would simply mean you will see more and more of iPad applications incorporated into the Mac OSX. To name a few - Message, Notification, Reminders, Game Center, AirPlay Mirroring, etc.

As a starter, Apple has released a beta version of the Message. Give it a try here.




This would be something similar in the past when Apple launches Snow Leopard as a major updates to Leopard. This time around, it would be Mountain Lion as the major updates to Lion.

Source: Mountain Lion

[Rumor] iPad 3 in Apple Special Media Event on March 7 ?


Sources are leaking that Apple will hold a special media event on March 7th to announce the next generation iPad. Expected upgrades include 2048 x 1536 retina display and A6 quad-core processor. WSJ had also earlier confirmed that the next generation iPad will have 4G LTE from AT&T. Other rumored upgrades are the 5MP rear camera and a HD FaceTime camera.

Sony Takes Over Sony Ericsson. Renamed Sony Mobile Communications


Sony reportedly bought over the remaining 50% shares from Ericsson ending the partnership. It was reported that Sony spent $1.37 billion. Sony Ericsson is now named as Sony Mobile Communications.

Press release:

Sony to Rename the Company Sony Mobile Communications and Accelerate Business Integration
February 16, 2012, Tokyo, Japan - Sony Corporation ("Sony") today announced that the transaction to acquire Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson's ("Ericsson") 50% stake in Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB ("Sony Ericsson") has been completed as of February 15, 2012 (Central European time). This marks the completion of the transaction jointly announced by Sony and Ericsson on October 27, 2011, and makes Sony Ericsson a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony.

Sony will rename Sony Ericsson "Sony Mobile Communications", and further integrate the mobile phone business as a vital element of its electronics business, with the aim of accelerating convergence between Sony's lineup of network enabled consumer electronics products, including smart phones, tablets, TVs and PCs.
Source: Engadget

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

[DiGi] Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 Plans Released


DiGi recently announced the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 package. Just a recap, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 features a 7.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus display with a screen resolution of 1280 x 800. It has the capability of playing Full HD videos but only has a 720p compatible video recording with the help of its 3MP rear camera. Front facing camera is featured at 2MP. The new device spots a 1.4GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM. Unfortunately, it will only be running on Honeycomb Android for the moment.



As my usual calculation, I would only mention plans which offer lowest commitment duration and cheapest monthly commitment. For DG Smart Plan 48, you pay a monthly fee of RM43 (after deduction of auto-billing) and you get 1GB worth of data plan. On top of that, the device itself cost RM1749 for a 12 months commitment. If you add all of them up, the total commitment upon completion of 12 months would be RM2265. Taking into consideration the device is RRP at RM2099, this package seemed to be a good bargain.

Source: DiGi

Apple to Lose iPad Trademark in China and Risk Paying 2.4 Billion in Compensation?


Is Apple getting into trouble in China? It all began when Apple file a lawsuit against a China company named Proview Technology of the name iPad. Sometime back in Dec 2011, the result were out and Apple surprisingly lost the lawsuit. Subsequently, Apple filed for an appeal to the Higher People's Court. In the event if the appeal is also rejected, sources are saying that Apple may risk paying 2.4 billion Yuan as a compensation.


Thanks to weibo, the picture above shows the legitimate document that Proview Technology holds the rights to the name IPAD since year 2000. Spokesperson from Proview is quoted to be saying that Proview is asking for a court order to stop the sales and marketing of the iPad products in China and also demanded an apology from Apple.

So, what happens now to the current sales of iPad in China? Amazon China has reported to remove the sales of iPad and iPad 2 from their website.


A quick check on Amazon China webpage on iPad or iPad 2 brings the result of only accessories. Up to date, there is no official statement from Apple regarding the halt of sales of iPad in China.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Nokia Lumia 800 Plans Comparison


The major telcos in Malaysia have already released their respective plans for the first Windows Phone of Nokia. Below are the comparisons of Maxis, DiGi and Celcom.


The comparison only features the lowest total commitment you have to make which is 12 months and also lowest monthly plan. At the first glance, it would seemed like DiGi is the cheapest but take note that with DiGi SmartPlan 48, there are no calls or SMS in the package. It only includes 1GB data plan.
As usual, the above comparison is only just a guide. Final decision should take into consideration the network coverage, the 3G speed, reliability, service and etc..