Calvin's Tech Blog

[Nokia] Camera Extra Giving Lumia The Edge

2012-06-27T09:56:00.001-07:00

I recently saw this video and the first thing that pop up in my mind is "Finally a good camera app". However it's only available for US and China market for now while worldwide have to wait for July.

Here are some features from Camera EXTRA:
Face swap (between images) @ 0.06 - 0.12
Self timer @ 0.15 - 0.19
Frame burst (of 3) @ 0.22 - 0.26
Intelligent panorama @ 0.28 - 0.36

[Nokia Lumia 900] Bloggers Preview

2012-06-27T08:59:00.001-07:00

To me, Nokia Lumia 900 is a big upgrade from Lumia 800. Bigger screen and an awesome front camera. I notice that the main camera still has a problem to auto focus in low light just like the Lumia 800 (Nokia N8/808 to the rescue) with the same pink tint problem appearing in most pictures. This phone aims at working class in general, however still can be used by social hipsters like me capturing group photos with me in the frame or just vblogging with the wide angle front camera. Here are some pictures from the event.

Some feedback/review received from people/bloggers/reviewers.

Some of the features found in the Lumia 900.

Nokia's exclusive services.

Very clear, sharp, less frame lag and overall good color reproduction.

Nokia Lumia 800 Review

2012-04-02T10:11:00.000-07:00

Hi, there its been a long time since I last blog about Nokia products. So here my review (but more or less my experience of) Nokia Lumia 800. Nokia Malaysia actually lend me a Magenta unit for few days earlier than my Black unit, for some amazing everyday project and a short video (can be found below). Sadly only the short video can be made while the 12 videos clip featuring various themes of "Amazing Everyday" concept was lost as someone stole the SD cards during the Videoshoot.

OK NO MORE SAD STORY LETS GO!!!
Part 1: Sexy Design

The size of the Lumia 800 sit prefect well in my hands, not to big not to small. I can grip it in my palms the hold day, unlocking it, looking cool in public while checking for Facebook status. The overall design give the user a premium feel and many of my friend agrees on this. Unlike other brands where they race with one another to produce the slimmest, the lightest, the high end hardware stuff which actually doesn't work (come on N9 beats majority of the high end phones in multitasking) and etc. To me it feels unnatural. Like mention in Nokia's Lumia 800 video it the a phone where industrial design meets metro (the OS) design. In short, an organic phone. Clearblack ROCKS!!!

Part 2: Camera

Yes, I still love my Nokia N8. But, Lumia suits to my needs too. First feature I love the most is the 2-3 seconds pressing shutter to active the camera app. How often we find those on other phones? Usual normal phone we are force to unclock/semi-unlock the phone then tap on the camera icon to activate it. I find myself shooting street photography and just simple candid moments easily. However autofocus tend to be inaccurate to low lights (Nokia N8 to the rescue!!!!!). So now my usual weekend travel cameras are Nokia N8 for portraits, sport and landscape while Lumia 800 handle candid/street type. Even the Lumia lacks the best sensor or performance of the N8 it trades that for "sharing" function where after you snap a photo you able to upload to social networks right in the app itself. I have challenge 15 people on that feature and yes I smoked both Andriod and Iphone users.

Part 3: Nokia apps

Note: Had to make my phone to SG region to get some sevices like Nokia Music and Xbox as Malaysia has yet to have the local support ( 02.04.12)

Nokia Music - Cool way to find and save favorite musics offline to your phone. Safes the hassle of finding song on PC than transfer to phone. Make pyment if you want to safe the song to your phone and share on other devices.

Nokia Map - Finds places (well duhh....). But we are able to get further info like address, phone number and websites. And often (lately) I'm using the function to give my photography client address and phone number of place where we going to meet up.

Nokia Drive - Same function like in Symbian, only thing I can't set till today is "Drive home". Small issue Nokia N8 acts as my backup.

Contacts Transfers - Kids/Teens/Adults please don't use this feature to steal other people phone contact info. Maybe jealous boy/girl-friend should use this often. Just KIDDING. Saves my time transferring my contact from Nokia N8 without the use of PC.

Creative Studio - Yeah!!! Panorama feature!!!!! way better than symbian in my opinion. Great app Nokia should add even more filter in the future.

Part 4: Apps from Window Phone OS
1. Gallery importing photos from Facebook albums.
I love this feature so much. I able to show my photography clients my work/portfolio while chatting with them. Save me lot of time then conventional method of transferring files.

2. Microsoft Office.
I found good use of it during my class. Often I tend to forget to bring my notes and all I got to do is open the powerpoint slides on my phone and what ever additional note I'll write on a piece of paper. Checking group assignment on the fly too. I can't do this on my Symbian phone.

3.People Hub.
A great way to stalk your friend every few micro second on social network. The only thing I would like to see in the future is the ability to share status of our friends to our own wall.

In Short
The a simple phone to interact with. Awesome integrated features in normal apps. However, there are some things which I'm not too keen about it (only a few). First is the speak located at the bottom, once you play a video the sound feels half sided an very often I'm using my beats audio set with it. This phone can't really multitask like Nokia N9 more like Mutli-resuming, my test shows after the 5th heavy usage app the phone just jammed unlike the N9 where I test before (in my youtube channel) is able to run 11 apps (2 of which is games). I want a bigger pictures live tile, maybe show two picture same time. More live tiles of other apps.
I will still recommend this phone to anyone cause its simple to operate. Remember I only blog so far based on my experience and opinion of this phone.Nokia I know you seeing this . . . NFC PLEASE!!!!!!!

Unboxing Video

A simple video shoot featuring Nokia N9 and Nokia Lumia 800 (other my other photography channel)

Here are some other reviews from my friends: (Click the name below to view the notes)
1. Nicholas Gow
2. Mike Zheng
3. Jason Quek
4. Yoake Hikaru
5.Kien Seng

Other related videos
Nokia Lumia Malaysia Launch

Downloadable Wallpaper from my photography service : here

Remember to like us on Facebook
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Calvin How / Calvin Pixels Photography

Nokia N9 Unboxing and Review (w/ Improvement Suggestions)

2011-10-29T07:04:00.000-07:00

Recently Jason from Jasonteh.com (Nokia Ranger) and I organize a Nokia gathering in Malaysia. I took the oppurtunity to made and unboxing video. I made a simple and "jolly good happy" style of unboxing as didn't prefer serious types (will do something cool for the next one). Device courtesy of Jason and Carolyn Hikaru, thanks for helping.

Ok back to the review part. I have yet to receive my review unit so I'll review based on my experiences from the preview session, meego meetup and the gathering. Therefore, I won't go over the specification of the phone as it can be obtain at my blog. Let me start with what I like about the Nokia N9. First up, the operating system. Its running Meego Harmattan and peopleonly shadow on the term "dead OS". I don't think is a dead OS, as Meego help set a platform for Nokia's future phones may it be Meego, Symbian, Windows or Other OS. With the Nokia N9, Nokia learn how to prefect the unibody of the polycarbonate plastic for Nokia Lumia/future phones, making Qt more powerful with additional feature that relates to UX - UI - SI (social integration) and so on.

Meego is the only first OS that bring out the full potential of user experience (UX) with gestures and collaborating it with in what we called user interface (UI) and social integration(like in the notification screen with Facebook, Twitter sync harmoniously with SMS, email etc.. You won't get lost at any part of the phone it has five simple and different views; the unlock screen, multitask screen, apps screen, notification screen and the app you are running. Meego runs on a 1Ghz core seem to be more fluid and responsive than other OS, I recall running 30+ apps (games,camera,doc and etc) and it works like a charm no jet lag. With such power and simplicity anyone can pick the phone (Nokia N9) can start using it, takes roughly less 5 minture to master it an you are on the go. That Simple!!!

One of the key features that most people talk about its F2.2 aperture camera. What people don't know its 2 stop faster than F2.8 which means capture more light in low light and receive fast light during the outdoor.With such big aperture one can performance subject isolation technique, in simple terms separating your subject from the background by blurring it out (bokeh effect) in video recording. Unlike a basic F2.8 where you can seeing your subject as well as a dull boring background. Thats where Nokia N9 come to the rescue. Its like a mini DSLR with basic features but with a good lens (imagine a additional DSLR lens with such big aperture would cost example, RM870 Nikkor F/1.8G). Though I would say Nokia N8 will still remain as " " THE" " cameraphone while Nokia N9 is a fun phone to capture great moment may it be low light or outdoor without worrying much about lighting.

The features I would like to see improvement is on operating system level

- Option for manual contrast as the Nokia N9 always set itself to auto which lead to over darken or grey-ish of photo sometimes.

-Enable colour tone (like vivid and black&white)

-Simple effects (like lomo,cartoon, 1874 which can be found in Symbian^3 photo editor)

-Enable folder at apps view (some might like it on but I like as it is)

-Nokia Bubble alternative alike for unlock screen

-Add new gestures to the current one ( like circle to activate X app, S-shape swipe to open messaging)

- Maybe app alike to Siri (iphone 4s)

Nokia Gathering @ KLCC

2011-10-19T07:58:00.000-07:00

Introduction:
Experience the Nokia N9 if you havent own yours, understand the difference between various mobile phone, understanding the concept of photography like panning effect, close up challenge, perspective photography and etc. You can also give your feedback to us be forward to Nokia at the gathering.

Join us for the gathering and have fun sharing and learning how to unleash the real potential of your Nokia phone in photography
Participation is FREE and limited to 20 participants only. First come, first served due to limited space.

Learn to master this shots
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenokiagallery/collections/72157624928852359/

or

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thenokiagallery/sets/72157627745035575/detail/

Venue:
Date : 23rd October 2011
Venue Location : KLCC area ( to be confirm which location to meet)
Time : 10.00am

Please provide your contact number for easy reference.

SEE YOU THERE

Nokia N8 @ KLCC by thenokiagallery, on Flickr

Benefits to attend:
01. Learn the basic fundamental of photography
02. Understand the camera setting of your Nokia mobile phone
03. 5 great tips on how to master your Nokia mobile phone in photography
04. Experience my world from the lens of a your nokia mobile phone hands on
05. Fun Competition with great prizes by Nokia (as long as the phone is a nokia)
06. FREE FOOD special thanks to Nokia Malaysia
07. Test various model of Nokia phones and devices like DSLR and etc
08. Meet new friends and other sifu sifu in various fields.
09. Share your opinion and ideas with the group
10. Test out mods and apps from other users
12. Experience creative shots with your nokia mobile phones
13. Take photos of various kind of soft toys like Angry Birds, Danbo, Molome, nendo and many more
14. Experience nokia mobile phone such as Nokia N8, Nokia C7, Nokia N9, Nokia N900, Nokia X7 and etc

We will be bringing some soft toys like Angry Birds, Molome, Danbo .... etc.

Kindly pm aspire2oo6 here or calvinpixels here if you are interested before 21st October 2011 due to reservation.

Guest Lists (20/20): (will be updated at LYN)

Acer Aspire S3 Product Launch Malaysia

2011-10-18T01:25:00.000-07:00

Recently Acer (Malaysia) launched a new product line called Acer Aspire S3 under Ultrabook category. It has the power and the productivity of a Notebook PC with additional features found in Smartphones and Tablet PCs (i.e fast start up and internet connectivity). The Ultrabook is very slim and light-weight, similar to MacBook Air.

There are two innovations that make the Aspire S3 stand out. Firstly, the Acer Green Instant On has two sleep modes which makes the ultrabook resume from sleep mode ultra-fast. In Sleep mode (normal) the Aspire S3 will resume in 1.5 seconds, and in Deep Sleep it resumes in 6 seconds. It has a 7 hour battery life when in use and up to 50 days battery life in deep sleep mode. Secondly, Acer Instant Connect allow users to access the Internet in only 2.5 seconds, which makes it roughly 4 times faster than conventional connection.

Acer Aspire S3 is powered by Intel’s 2nd Gen Core processors including Instant On, Instant Connect and long battery life. Its elegant, slim (at 13mm thick) and lightweight ( less than 1.4kg) design plus fast reboot and connectivity will definitely satisfy the demand of users who are always on the go. The ultra-slim aerodynamic design features a strong and lightweight aluminium or magnesium alloy chassis, and a lid with a fingerprint-free metal finish that feels as smooth as silk.

It comes in two models (click the picture below to view the specifications). The i5 core model comes in 320Gb HDD and is priced at Rm2,599 while the i7 core model comes with 240Gb SSD and priced at Rm3,999.

Nokia 603, Nokia Luna Bluetooth

2011-10-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

Nokia 603 is another affordable, colorful and cute Symbian Belle smartphone that is NFC ready. Its seamless compact design has a 3.6inch ClearBlack scratch resistant screen (to optimise for use in sunlight) . The price is EUR 200* (price subject to change). For more info, click on the data sheet below.

Nokia Luna is a unique designed in-ear device with easy pairing of NFC. It has eight hours talk time and there are various colors to choose from. Nokia's "Always Ready" technology enables the user to answer calls simply by popping out the earpiece, and end call by placing it back in its cradle. Priced at EUR 69*. For more info click on the data sheet.

MaxQ P7-II ( Malaysian Android Tablet) Review

2011-10-06T06:11:00.000-07:00

This is my first official review of Android OS device. MaxQ is based in Malaysia (more info about other device, pricing and store location can be found at maxq.com.my). They constantly showcase their products with promotions at PIKOM PC Fair or Malaysian IT Fair. I have being testing and using the tablet in my college work for a month now and I must say it is smooth, performance wise. The only problem I face is the battery life which lasts 4 hours with continuous hardcore usage. This is considered good for a new brand in the market. I going to use this tablet for a new project in my new blog soon.

The good thing about MaxQ compared to other local brands is countinuos product support like Android OS updates (can be found at facebook Page or Group). MaxQ has several service centers located in Kuala Lumpur and Shah Alam. Some people have asked me, "What about other local brands?" Well, they have service centers too but unlike MaxQ, they do not have online support and multiple service area.

Here are some guidelines to choose a local branded tablet:

-Do they have service centers? How many and where are the location?
-Any online support?
-Will they inform users of any software updates?
-Do your live testing there by bringing a pendrive with songs and videos.
-Prepare questions beforehand and pressure the sales staff with them. If they can answer your questions with confidence and without hesitation, it means they faith in their products.

During my last visit to the Malaysian IT Fair, I acted like a "village kid" with no knowledge of technical specs. I was surprised that sales staff from the other brands were giving over rated statements which goes something like, "Only our brand supports 3G USB stick, others cant, BELIEVE ME!!" or "Their brand is from China, we are from Malaysia", (although the box says made in China). In order to prevent confusion that may arise from over zealous sales pitch, it is wise to use the guidelines above to compare the different brands. This will save you a lot of time finding a tablet that caters to your needs and is value for money.

Specification:

-Andriod OS 2.3 w/Flash 10.1.

-Samsung A8 cortex core @ 1.2Ghz (support 3D graphics).
-8 Gb internal storage w/ up to 32Gb micro SD card support.
-7" TFT LCD, resolution 800*400.
-Multi-Touch function (3 point touch) capacitive touch screen.
-Support 1080p HD.
-0.3M pixels front front facing camera only.
-WIFI model, 3G via USB broadband.

-3000mAh battery capacity.
-2x mini usb 2.0 (Host + On-the-go) & HDMI port.

Additional accessories:
-HDMI cable, car charger, tablet display stand, mini keyboard and pouch.

Nokia 600 700 701, The NFC movement

2011-10-05T22:38:00.000-07:00

Whats new in Symbian Belle?

The unlock screen with notifications.
2.Flat menu (new status bar & toolbar).
3.NFC (pairing, sharing,play and discover).
4.Dynamic widgets (up to 6 home screens).

The three new phones concept was created based from feedback by a consumer focus group. Nokia 600 aims to target the youth segment. For its recommended retail price of RM740, it is a budget priced smartphone with a loud speaker. (Successor to X6 upgrade from 5220, 5230, 5800 and the only model with secure NFC hardware).

Nokia 700 is the smallest and slimmest of the three phones. The recommended retail price is RM1025. Its target is the female segment. For those who don't carry handbags, the phone fits snugly into tight jeans pockets. No more ugly bulging pockets for the ladies! Plus the phone will hardly take up space in smaller clutch bags. (Successor to 5230, C6-01 upgrade from 6700, C6, C5-03).

Nokia 701 is dedicated for people on-the-go and professionals. With the ClearBlack display, the screen is the brightest compared to other smartphones in the market. The recommended retail price is
RM1130). (Successor to C7 upgrade from 6710).

The NFC movement by Nokia ( NFC HUB -> www.my.nfc-hub.com )

Mr Gary Chan ( Head of Ecosystem & Developer Experience ) and Mr Tay Eng ( Category Maketing Mananager) helped to elaborate futher about NFC, its plans and its movement towards a new ecosystem with just a simple gesture of tapping.

Whats NFC (Near Field Communucation)?

1. Simple & Secure wireless connectivity/communication technology.
2. 13.56 Mhz (424kbits/s), oprates distance up to 4cm (easy gesture of tap).
3. 2 types Open and Secure (for micro payments).
4. Service intiater (brand engagement, social network like facebook likes, start sevice or apps).

NFC versus QR barcode.

NFC - PROS
-works instantly by touch, design can be merged with product, larger storage (more data put in), multi usage (app launch, FB like, Twitter follow etc), data rewritable.

NFC-CONS
-requires NFC hardware, new to consumers.

QR PROS
-no hardware required, recognisable.

QR CONS
-inconvenient (camera, focus, snap), large visual impact on product, limited data, read only.

Question and answers?

Q: What about NFC on Nokia WP7?
A: Till today it doesn't support on OS level.

Q:Why did NFC take so long to reach in the market?
A: NFC requires an ecosystem around it (a movement by an organization, in this case Nokia). Someone to produce the tags as well as to program and monitor the campaign. An NFC-Hub was created for this reason as a service to do all that.
Calvin's POV: Sony has made a video of NFC. Yet is still a concept till today. As far as current progress, Nokia has made the effort to open and spread this ecosystem and has provided a set of NFC accessories and a special service called "The Hub". read more....

Q: Whats NFC Hub? Does Malaysia has its own?
A: Yes. Malaysia has its own (www.my.nfc-hub.com). Malaysia is the second market in the world with localise hub-site. Creating your own campaign is easy too, via a step by step guide. Few things you can do with the tags:-
-> create a campaign like facebook likes, follow on twitter, foursquare check-in, even a NFC business card (will be getting one too).
-> unique campaign. For example, click Starbucks' like the facebook page to get free coffee.
-> NFC is used in Museum of London.
-> NFC app called Poken track and manage tap NFC tags.

Note: NFC is a standard that any brands can share like Bluetooth connectivity. Although it is powered by Nokia, it uses the name NFC-Hub (not Nokia-Hub). The simple NFC tag starts around RM10 for a very basic design and features.

Facts: Do you know NFC is also included in older devices (some are secure NFC)? Lets see the evolution of NFC over the years:
2005 -> Nokia 5140i & 3220.
2007 -> Nokia 6131 NFC.
2008 -> Nokia 6212 clasic.
2011 -> June -> Nokia C7 & Oro.
-> Q4 Nokia N9, 600, 700, 701.

Check my previous blog about Nokia 600 700 701: Here

Remember to like us on www.facebook.com/CalvinPixels

also on twitter.com/CalvinPixels

Malaysia's First MeeGo Network Meetup

2011-09-27T00:11:00.000-07:00

On 15th September 2011, a group of MeeGo (or Meamo) lovers gathered at the Wings Musicafe near Berjaya Times Square, together with app developers and special quests from various companies to share and explain MeeGo OS and its projects. The quests were MeeGo speaker Mr. Philippe Coval from France,Ms. Eda Lim ( Nokia Developer Marketing Manager) and Mr. Asri al-Baker (local app dev. & blogger).

After the talks by the 3 quests, we were given the opportunity to play around with Nokia N9 and Mr. Asri's Nokia N950. Many of Meamo's users were impressed by the MeeGo Harmattan performance and its' UI. I didn't get much time to play with any of the devices as I was helping the crew to do some recording (video below). This is my 3rd handling experience with Nokia N9 and I must say this again :- BEAUTIFUL in many angles and in many ways.

Credits and special thanks to Mr. Andy Ang for allowing me to use his pictures.

(Mr. Philippe Coval)

(Ms. Eda Lim)

(Checking out the Nokia N9)

[Nokia N8] Project True Story: The International Student

2011-09-01T08:17:00.000-07:00

     A video recorded entirely on a Nokia N8 (As proof, a behind the scenes video will be shown below) featuring my friend from college, Yassir. Special thanks to my friend Kong Dickson and Faris Zainal for helping me out with the project.

     What inspired me to make this project happen is contributed by a few factors. The first is to share with people the truth inside the life of an international student and his experiences, as local people always have a false conception of our friend. I also made this video to send a message to people that we should start understanding others before judging them with negativity
The second would be owning a DSLR (Nikon D5100). It got me thinking to make short stories like those on YouTube but thinking back a DSLR is so commonly used so I went for Nokia N8 as my main tool. I have seen those N8 videos where most of them are stop motion and short stories for entertainment which lacks a true story.

     So, I came up with an idea to make a project with my friends called Project True Story (The video is the first episode of the series). We also accept entries (e-mail us) from other people as a story should be shared and inspire. Here is the making of or behind the scenes video. :)

We did this project with only a total of 4 people (including me) without the support of others and our own college (they didn't like the idea). We are starting another True Story Project next week and hopefully is up by next month. Good news is our video and blog is featured at WOMworld/Nokia heres the link to it.

First Impressions: Nokia 600 (loudest), Nokia 700 (smallest), Nokia 701 (brightest)

2011-08-25T11:03:00.000-07:00

Nokia 700: Nokia’s smallest smartphone

At 50 cm³, weighing 96g at 110 x 50.7 x 9.7 mm, the Nokia 500 became Nokia’s most compact smartphone in the Symbian range and the most compact touch monoblock smartphone in the world. What it lacks in size it makes up for its function, with a single-tap NFC sharing and pairing capabilities, a 1Ghz processor, 3.2 inch AMOLED screen ClearBlack display, 2GB of internal memory (with the option of using a 32GB microSD card for a total of 34GB), HD video capture and 5MP full focus camera with LED flash. It's also Nokia’s most eco-friendly smartphone. With a long battery life, extensive use of eco-friendly materials and features to minimize battery consumption, it is the perfect smartphone for any environmentally-conscious smartphone user.

Nokia 701: Nokia’s brightest smartphone

The Nokia 701, a sleek, slim smartphone incorporating the world’s brightest mobile phone display, based on a 3.5 inch ClearBlack display that makes it perfect for indoor and outdoor use. It also has active noise cancellation for the clearest sound quality and provides single-tap NFC pairing and sharing capabilities, allowing content to be shared and sound to be streamed wirelessly to headphones and NFC-enabled speakers. Its based on Nokia C7 design, Nokia 701 smartphone also has a 1GHz processor, 8MP full focus camera with dual LED flash(2X digital zoom, 2^nd front-facing camera and HD video recorder). It comes with 8GB internal memory and the possibility to increase to 40GB by installing a 32GB microSD card.

Nokia 600: Nokia’s loudest smartphone

The Nokia 600 punches a big sound and a big personality in a small body and is Nokia’s loudest at 106 Phons. With built-in FM radio antenna for listening to radio without headphones and FM transmitter that makes it possible to broadcast music from your phone to any FM radio, the Nokia 600 is a music-lover’s dream. With 60 hours of music playback time, an incredibly powerful external loudspeaker and the ability to also stream music wirelessly to NFC-enabled accessories, it is the perfect smartphone to get the party started. Available at a lower price point than the Nokia 700 and Nokia 701, the Nokia 600 still comes with a 1 GHz processor; 5MP full focus camera with LED flash and HD video capture, and 2GB of internal memory with ability to increase to 34GB using a 32GB microSD card.

First Impressions: Symbian Belle & Nokia Essence Bluetooth Stereo Headset

2011-08-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

The new Nokia Essence Bluetooth Stereo Headset uses special active noise cancellation technology to eliminate an unprecedented 99.8% of background noise – delivering pure, high-fidelity sound no matter how noisy the surroundings for people who don’t want to sacrifice audio quality when going wireless. Using NFC technology, the Bluetooth headset can be paired with any NFC-enabled smartphone simply by tapping the two devices together.

Symbian Belle is the latest line up in the Symbian platform a successor of Symbian Anna. Symbian Belle increases the number of home screens from three to six providing more room to display applications and services. Live widgets now comes in five different sizes, making it livelier and giving users more flexibility to personalize. It also includes a pull down menu and taskbar to access notifications from any of the home screens (like in android) and further enhancements to the Web browsing experience.Symbian Belle provides Nokia’s most competitive, seamless and intuitive Symbian experience so far.

The most exciting features is the single-tap NFC sharing and pairing capability (which sadly Nokia N8 doesn't have) allowing contacts, videos and images to be shared with other NFC-enabled devices, as well as pairing with NFC accessories such as speakers and headsets. Gaming fans also benefit from the NFC capabilities of the new handsets with the ability to unlock additional levels in Angry Birds or find a hidden blade in Fruit Ninja just by touching two NFC-enabled devices together. On the Nokia 701 smartphone, which comes preloaded with Asphalt5, two friends can even pair to compete on the same racetrack.

Symbian Anna Has Touch Down To Malaysia !!

2011-08-22T09:28:00.000-07:00

I just receive a mail from Nokia Malaysia about the recent and official update of Symbian Anna. Apparently Anna was release last weekend (news from other blog) the same time as the unfinished version of Bella(which I'll blog later on). The update is made available officialy from 22 August 2011 onwards via www.nokia.com.my/anna for Malaysia. Judging from the the replies I get from friends and viewers, they are happy with the update itself and the agree on few things. Which is SPEED, EFFICIENCY and PORTRAIT QWERTY. (Read till the end something is happening on the 24th of August)

I'll sum up the key features in Symbian Anna:

- User Interface: Fresh new look and feel to the Nokia N8, Nokia C7, Nokia C6-01,and Nokia E7 with crisp icons and multiple usability enhancements. Typing on the virtual QWERTY available in portrait mode.

-Maps and navigation: Enhances Nokia Maps with better search functionality, new public transportation

routes and the ability to check-into favorite geo-social network sites like Facebook, Foursquare and Twitter

-Browsing: Faster,easier-to-use browser, delivering quicker page loads and improved device navigation.

-Better for business: True business-grade security with improved data encryption on

Nokia smartphones and securely access their company intranet with IPSEC and SSL VPN enablers.

-Near Field Communications (NFC): Software update also activates the NFC hardware in the Nokia C7 so people can now simply tap their Nokia C7s together to share contacts, photos, videos and play games.

Notes to editors
Symbian Anna Key features:
-Virtual portrait QWERTY for fast, one handed typing
-An easier to use and faster browser, delivering quicker page loads and improved navigation
-Refreshed Nokia Maps including simpler search, new public transportation routes and the ability to check-in to Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare or local social networks
-A feature toshare your location via email and SMS(even to non-Nokia phones)

Features for business users:
-Instant messaging and presence with Microsoft Communicator Mobile
-E-mail enhancements including full meeting request support
-True business grade security with hardware accelerated encryption
-Easy and secure intranet access for business users who want to access their company intranet

Features for developers:
Flashlite 4
Java Runtime 2.2
Qt Mobility 1.1
Qt4.7

Tittle: "Something New On Symbian", I can assume that its another Anna OS add-on for now as Symbian Bella will only be release around the 4Q or beginning of next year. So stick around this 24th August and see what it's all about at Nokia's fan page.

Nokia N9 Preview Malaysia : Swipe for Action, Be The Action

2011-08-12T03:41:00.000-07:00

So, I was invited by Nokia Malaysia via its PR company to attend a preview of Nokia N9 blogger session last Thursday (4th August). As some may have noticed I have being collecting question since last Monday itsself via Twitter hashtag (#N9) under the name @calvinpixels and in Facebook. Overall I would say the event was "Party Rock" because I was one the few people in Malaysia to touch, feel, play and test and most importantly SWIPE non-stop.

I also released 3 videos before I posted this blog due to college assignment. Yes, I was the youngest (19 years old) among the group but that didn't stop me from recording comparisons, live testing and interview or talking with people from Nokia. Some famous tech bloggers were there too (smile).

I like this phone for its speed and simplicity, throught the event I can guarantee that I did not come across with any lag from the apps (you'll see in the video below just how much apps I forced to launch), no problem with the switch between apps (real-time multitask homescreen) and most importantly easy access to notifications through swipe gestures. I'll explain more in the 3 videos below.

MeeGo OS power!!!!

Back To The Good Part (interview)

So I had the opportunity to interview Steven from Nokia and the results as follow:

Q: Will Nokia continue supporting MeeGo development?

A: Yes, we will but with the continuous demand and support from people.

Q: Will it support landscape mode in future firmware updates?

A: At this moment I can't promise anything because it depends on the developer's decision, we will wait and see for the updates.

Q: Will it get full adobe flash support like the N900?

A: Not until now. We belief that HTML5 gives a more pleasurable experience to users and that's why we emphasize it.

Q: Since Nokia N9 uses micro-SIM card, can a normal altered card (by cut edges) be used?

A: We have to refer back to operators as both are different types of SIM cards, if the operator allows them then it is a yes, but from Nokia's point of view we don't encourage it.

(Calvin's respond: Some people are able to cut off the edge of a normal SIM card and put it in their iPad or iPhone 4)

Q: Can it be overclock (OC) like in the N900? (Currently my N900 is at 1Ghz from 600Mhz)

A: There's a possibility because MeeGo is an open development, as long as developers makes app to OC or work on the development or projects to OC it.

Q: Could you explain more on the social integration which is featured in the contacts?

A: We have tried to integrate the contacts by importing contacts via social networking (like Facebook and Twitter) and if you know the person's personal phone numbers and email you can actually merge all 4 into 1 contact view everything about that person will be in 1 view, you even can extract their picture from Facebook and use it as their contact picture.

Q: Is there any physical button can be use as a shutter button?

A: At this moment no, because the side buttons functions as volume and power button.

(Calvin's respond: Maybe in the future, yes like Camera+ and iPhone but right now it is not possible)

Q:What app format is it running on .deb (like in MeaMo N900) or .sisx?

A: (Updated, Thanks to Mr Glen from Nokia) Its running on deb. format.

Q: What is the real battery life of stand by, music playback and talk time, as different sites show different figures?

A: More info can be found at developer.nokia.com ,but there is a battery saving feature that can be turned on, turned off and or set automatically. Automatic mode helps to optimize and cut down more power usage when you have less activities on the phone.

(Calvin respond: This is one feature (the automatic mode) which Symbian^3 lack (Steven agrees))

Q: People from the N900 world would like to know the other improvements in MeeGo N9.

A: First, both is on two different platforms, obviously N900 is running on MeaMo while MeeGo is a joined effort with Intel but is more flexible than N900 based on specs as it runs on 1Ghz processor and 1Gb ram. It's more decent as we include WiFi-Hotspot (N9 can be a router), news feed (includes notifications) and the simplicity of the 3 views and UI gesture, THE SWIPE. This are the key improvement.

Q: What is one time account access and its security features?

A: The reason being the statement of log in once is that N9 comes with a account controller, you only can log in at one place (app) and exit from it, another reason is that it is more convenient to users as there is less hassle to log in and because of the live feed at the event view.

Q: Anything else you would like to share with the users?

A: The simplicity of the swipe, which not all companies have right now, the live multitasking (see your apps running in realtime), not only cutting down the loading time, you can also do something else at the same time. For example, while waiting for a website to load, in terms of design the screen the icon looks like it is floating.

Back To The Good Part (Live Testing, Auto-focus Comparison and More)

Conclusion, will I get this phone? Yes. I hope to have an opportunity again do more testing and in-depth review in the future. Thats all for now. . . . see ya!!

Here the specification sheet of Nokia N9(click to enlarger

First Impressions: Nokia 500 Fast, Light, Multicoloured

2011-08-03T09:02:00.000-07:00

Lets talk about specs first:
- Symbian^3 Anna
- 1GHz processor
- 2GB of storage memory, (expandable to 32GB using the micro-SD card slot)
- 3G data up to HSUPA speeds
- Bluetooth 2.1 and Wi-Fi b/g
- Measures 111.3 x 53.8 x 14.1mm and weighs in at 93g – (lightest Symbian^3 phone so far)
- Comes with 2 interchangeable covers
-3.2-inch capacitive touch display, resolution of 640 x 360 pixels.
-5-megapixel camera

Most people will think that is a small screen or a low mega pixels camera is another "cheapy" phone. However, at first sight, I see convenience, lightweight, portability and most important POWER from the 1Ghz processor which is found widely on android phones. Its battery is able to MAX out your battery life for 5-7 hours of talk time, 450+ hours of standby mode and 35 hours of music playback. The Nokia 500 will cost just €150 before taxes and subsidies, and will be available from the third quarter of this year.

The base colour of the phone is available in black or white with multiple interchangeble coloured covers. So far I have seen dark silver, light blue,olive green, orange, pink, purple and red based on the links and videos I have seen. I feel that there will be more colors sold as accessories. This phone aims to be a mid-range smart phone at an affordable price with value for money for its 1Ghz processor speed, just like Lamborgini Weight to Power Ratio concept.This is good for people who wants to start with smart phone, maybe for school teens or people with a second number who wants a dedicated phone just for social networking (Like me, a Facebook and Twitter freak). Good news! Since it has a 35 hours music playback why not "combo" it with Nokia's bluetooth stereo headset BH-111.

P.s: Girls, I've just made a recipe for you here. A white pink phone with a pink BH-111 bluetooth headset.

Guys, you might try a black orange with BH-108 bluetooth headset.

Just some suggestions :)

Nokia 500 Official page here

Nokia Recyclimpics 2011 ( Malaysia ) - Event Coverage

2011-07-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

An event was held on the 1st-3rd July (Pre-hyped on 29th June) at Midvalley, KL. So what was this Recyclimpics? Easy, recycling old or unused handphones, batteries, chargers and headsets from any brand which were wrapped in bubble packs by Nokia's crew and use these packs to play few games and collect points to stand a chance to win a new nokia phone, Nokia E7 and etc. A lucky draw for each item recycled like a notebook, a bundle of recycled pencil, 4GB pendrive and more can also be obtain. (click read more)

Sounds like a 'quick-rich' scheme or a marketing gimmick but it is not. The main idea is to recycle in a safe way than to throw it to the dump site which will affect the environment. For every product recycled, you will receive a tree certificate where you can go to www.nokia.mynewtree.com and registered your own tree named after you. The trees are planted in Ciliwung, Indonesia, a deforestation land where Nokia will replant a tree for every product recycled (a small move that can change our future). You will receive GPS coordinates and view your tree in picture form which is updated every 6 months.

Can't make it to the event but want to contribute back to nature ? The public still have a chance to participate in the Recyclimpics for another 6 months in 10 of the Retail Stores in the Klang Valley (addresses of these stores are in the Nokia Facebook Recyclimpic page). Nokia have already planted more than 116,000 trees through their sponsorship with WWF Indonesia in three locations – Kalimantan, Lombok & Ciliwung. So take this opportunity and contribute back to the nature.

3 games that you can do with your recycled 'goods'(click to enlarge)

My China phone which was recycled.

I had the opportunity to record an interview with Mr. Francis Cheong, Senior Sustainability Manager Markets, SEAP where he explained futher about the reason this event was held, its purpose and how a phone or other items is recycled at 98% efficiency.
Part 1

Part 2

What else was fascinating there other than recycling? A human model and and bench made out entirely from recycled parts from phones and batteries. The bench was rarely empty as it became a subject of photography, here's some of the pictures.

Remember, we recycle not for today, it's for a better future.

Random pictures:

More pictures can be found here:
Link 1
Link 2

AsiaSoft Games Festival 2011 Malaysia - Event Coverage

2011-06-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

Held at Concourse Area, Fahrenheit 88 (Formerly KL Plaza), Kuala Lumpur. So my first impression was, why Asiasoft? I felt that the event area was small and to cross from one side to another was difficult. Anyway there was around 7 game booths (Cabal SEA, Maple Story SEA, Aika SEA, Planet Arkadia, Playpark, XW online SEA, and a random Chinese game). Everyone was in a gold rush mode to get a goody bag containing magazines, lanyards, a poster calender and an energy drink each with an additional lucky draw item from a box (Ouch, I only got a notepad). The lucky draw items were mostly T-shirts, folder, notepads, key chains and etc.....(click read more)

The catch is you have to fill up the Pursuit card to get those items with a stamp from all 7 game booths. Not to worry as it is easy to obtain the stamps at the expense of a long queue. That made me sad as I want to be on stage to get a Gunner specs (mid-day) and some other pricey goods.

But, only two things interest me a lot, the first is CabalSEA, a sneak peak of the new dungeon, Marquinas Outpost and Drei Frame armor . We had to form a tag team of two people to finish up the dungeon with premade characters. Once finished, we can win each a T-shirt ( labeled either Procyon or Capella ), and got myself a Procyon Shirt (will upload here picture soon)

Overall, the management did a good job in promoting various games with the pursuit card ( I didn't know XW online and Planet Arkadia even existed), nice goodies give away ( Gunner specs and Razer esentials) and most importantly the friendly staffs of Asiasoft from my point of view. Only thing is that I wished Asiasoft Malaysia will pick a better location (bigger area) and throw in more exciting activities next time.

Heres a 45 second preview of the event: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qldsHm9ZiCM
Picture from event: http://www.flickr.com/photos/calvinpixels/sets/72157626926518019

Even my pet angry bird 'Red Commander' was enjoying it.

Nokia Malaysia World’s Biggest Angry Birds Playground (Guinness World Record)

2011-06-14T03:15:00.000-07:00

To all angry bird shooters or hog hunters of Malaysia, we made a new guinness world record of 2032 link (1000 break point) participants in the Most People Playing in a Mobile Phone Game Relay. Yeahhhhhhhhhh! This couldn't be achieved without Nokia's effort to team up with Rovio Mobile, the creator of Angry Birds, to set this event but some where along the line many people seem to not notice that Nokia Malaysia is involved.(Most of the prizes are from the angry bird collectables only 1 Nokia E7 and a bluetooth set was given out)

It was held at the Boulevard Strip, Low Yat Plaza in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on June 11, 2011 from 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Free admission, free popcorn/cotton candy, game showdown, sling n' win and others mentioned below. Good news, they showed the Nokia X7 during the event, i couldn't check whether its a dual or quad-speaker. Anyway I have added a overall video coverage of the event below. Pictures only have added watermark (some do not have, to allow original EXIF info to be intact) no further editing.

Heres Jin from Hitz.fm walking towards the main stage(my morning street photography).

Free Face Painting

Reverse (going up instead of down) bungee, CameraPro app high key effect

Action @ Main stage area ( Jin and Fay throwing free shirts to people!!! yipee!!)

Nokia's Team Bird Crew, always smiling and cheering people up

Video coverage(do turn the volume up):

Nokia N8 review and walkthough

2011-06-04T10:46:00.000-07:00

One word, Nokiaaaaaaaa! I've been using the same brand since Form 1(2005) and occasionally I've switch between brands (CSL,Samsung,BB) to explore different alternatives. My nokia hierarchy started from

XM (XpressMusic) 5300 -> XM 5610 -> XM 5800 -> Nokia N8

I got my N8 since February this year and never stopped spamming pictures since then. With the help of other N8 users my skills in photography have improved and this motivates me to get a DSLR soon. But lets get back to the main star here. Nokia N8 itself.

(Here's my N8 w/ Danbo -picture taken by jasonteh.com)

General

The first device running on the Symbian^3 OS. Powered by huge 12mp image sensor (so far in the market) of 1/1.83 and is assisted by a strong Xenon flash as well as auto-focus function. The device also supports 720p recording. 16GB internal storage with micro SD card up to 32GB, a whooping 48 GB combo dedicated to photos and HD recording so you won't have to worry much about storage. More info can be found Here

Hardware/Software experience

When holding the phone, you will feel it's solid due to its anodized aluminum body and only weighs 135g. It's using a Gorilla Scratch Resistance glass with a capacitive multitouch screen. 16:9 nHD display of 640x360 pixel with 16.7 million colors, sadly without clearblack display. The device is running on a 680Mhz ARM 11 processor with BCM 2727 GPU.

Although it doesn't have high end specs like those on Android phones, it still runs smoothly as I turn off those RAM consuming apps in the background and the 3G settings which gives me a battery life up to 4 days standby(normal usage) and 1 day if taking photos continuously for a few hours(average of 4-6hours). When playing music at full volume, the playback is smooth and no distortion can be heard but if the gap of the speaker is closed, music tends to be muffled, using a headset or Bluetooth headset can help overcome this problem.

With HDMI cable provided you can hook it up with HDMI input of TVs and play 1080p (yes, you can even if it says 720p) and songs as the "small metal box" gives a punch of DivX codec support and Dolby 5.1. Good for us anime/otaku lovers who wants to watch anime on-the-go with mkv HD format as it's using DivX codec to play the video. But the real DEAL is its USB on-the-go feature, I'm able to transfer my pictures and HD recordings without hooking it up to any the PC/Notebook around. The best part is I don't have to Bluetooth the pictures I help capture for my friend for college projects, all I have to ask is the USB and N8 works its magic (Imagine: Bluetooth them to their phone and they hook it up to their PC/notebook, kinda wasting time as it's a longer process is taken).

With Ovi maps I have my journey well planned ahead and using roads/highways first time i feel confident that i won't get lose (No more calling people for directions, Yeah!!). However not all building/road name are registered in the map, occasionally i have to manually set my location and it guides me there.

Camera (King of camera phones)

4000x3000 pixels(12mp 4:3 ratio) and 4000x2248 (9mp 16:9 ratio) does very well in most scene modes like landscape, close up and portrait but be aware when taking pictures in low light as lower shutter speed can cause blurriness in pictures. It has Geotagging, face detection function and photo/video editor but I know you don't WANNA hear specs, you need samples, and here are some (none of these pictures are edited some added watermark only)

Panning shot during F1 race

Close up, smooth BOKEH!! at the background imagine capturing colorful BUGS!!

landscape mode, the colour capture is striking as if N8 was using an ND filter

Most people won't belief that those 3 of my best picture is taken with N8, by viewing the EXIF info.from flickr (click the picture to view in flickr site) only you would belief me.
More photos can be found here Flickr

Here a review and minor walkthrough for Nokia N8

Special thnks to Jason Teh (jasonteh.com) for me helping me out.

Nokia BH 505 Bluetooth Headset Review

2011-05-26T22:45:00.002-07:00

I recently won 2 bluetooth headset from nokia and i did my version of my review