Gadgetry

[Maxis] Samsung Galaxy Note Plans

2012-02-05T10:44:00.000+08:00

Maxis too has jump into the Samsung Galaxy Note bandwagon but with much delay. Anyway, the cheapest combination to own a Galaxy Note with Maxis would be signing up with Value First (RM30/month) and a 1GB data plan (RM48/month) which would give you the smartphone for RM1749 for a 24 months contract. So, in total after 24 months, you would have paid RM3621.

When comparing with DiGi, the total payment after 24 months would be RM2781 but that does not include any other calls or SMS/MMS chargers. The 24 months plan only includes 1GB data plan. For comparison sake, assume monthly calls or SMS to be RM30/month, you will approximately be pay RM3501. Slightly cheaper than Maxis by RM120.

With Celcom the monthly commitment of RM88/month, you will get 1GB data plan with RM50 calls and SMS. For a 18 month contract, the smartphone is priced at RM1748. In total after 18 months, you will pay RM3332. So for comparison purpose again with 24 months, the total payment is RM3861.
Taking the comparison of Maxis's 18 months contract, the difference between Maxis and Celcom would be RM3332 (Celcom) - RM3253 (Maxis) = RM79. Maxis is slightly cheaper but Celcom has a RM50 monthly calls and SMS credit when compared to Maxis which is RM30.

Source: Maxis

iFeng 4S - Hairdryer

2012-02-04T19:01:00.001+08:00

Wonderful China! This time hairdryer tribute to Steve Jobs. Literally calling it iFeng 4S. Feng means wind in English.
Look carefully, Steve's name is on the hairdryer as well.

Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 Retail Price Revealed (Malaysia)

2012-02-02T21:53:00.001+08:00

The Nokia Lumia 800 and Lumia 710 retail price in Malaysia was revealed at RM1650 and RM999 respectively. The price looks attractive as the hardware specification looks quite good. Lumia is the first official Windows Phone running on Nokia devices.

Nokia Lumia 800 has a 3.7-inch AMOLED display with the 480 x 800 resolution. It has 8MP rear camera with Carl Zeiss Optics with dual-LED. Unfortunately there is no front facing camera, therefore video call is not possible. Device is running on 1.4GHz single-core processor with 512MB RAM. Internal storage of 16GB with no SD Card expendable possible. Battery has a capacity of 1450mAh which is slightly more than iPhone 4S which is 1420mAh. Obviously it will be running on the Windows Phone Mango 7.5.
RRP: RM1650

Nokia Lumia 710 has also a 3.7-inch display non-AMOLED but with the same screen resolution of 480 x 800. It has a 5MP camera with single-flash and it does not have front facing camera as well. Apparently the Lumia phones does not feature video calls. Device is running on similar internal hardware as the big brother Lumia 800 which is 1.4GHz single-core processor with 512MB RAM. Internal storage capacity is only 8GB with no SD Card expandable as well. It has a slightly lower battery capacity of 1300mAh and will also be running on the Windows Phone Mango 7.5.
RRP: RM999

Source: Lumia 800, Lumia 710

Android and Windows 7 Ang Pow

2012-02-01T20:48:00.000+08:00

Windows Mobile 7 and Android version of angpow is also available in Hong Kong. Personally I think the Windows version has a better creativity. It features the home screen of the actual Windows OS.

Sony Tablet S - Finally Showing Sign of Selling in Malaysia

2012-01-30T21:16:00.000+08:00

Talking about late, Sony finally announces registration of interest in Malaysia. Sony initially announces the Tablet S way back in April 2011. Eventually it gets pre-ordering started in the US sometime in Sept 2011.

It comes only in 2 models, 16GB and 32GB. Both only WiFi models. Take a look at the price again, it is the exact price of the iPad 2 with similar capacities. By pre-ordering, you will get a slip case worth RM139. Nevertheless, the shipment for pre-ordering will only start by 28th Feb 2012. A quick check on the Sony US store, both the models are having $100 discount which brings the 16GB price to $399.99 and 32GB price to $499.99.

The Sony Tablet S features a 9.4-inch display with 1280 x 800 screen resolution. It is be powered by the Android Honeycomb. Running on NVIDIA Tegra2 processor which has 1GHz speed and 1GB RAM. Units comes with 5MP rear camera but a much disappointing 0.3MP front camera. One feature worth noting is that Sony intends to control all Sony appliances with the built-in IR.

One thing is still missing, what happened to the Sony Tablet P, the ones which feature dual 5.5-inch display?

Source: Sony Malaysia

iFong = iPhone, iYou = iPad ? Deliciously Taiwan

2012-01-26T12:24:00.000+08:00

Taiwan bakery has stepped up the game by creating the packaging of their famous cake products in the form of Apple iPhone and iPad packaging. iFong is the packaging material for the pineapple cake whereas the iYou is the packaging material for the grape cake.

iFong

iYou

Apparently in such iPhone/iPad packaging style, it attracts more customers during occasional period.

Source: MIC Gadget

Happy Chinese New Year 2012

2012-01-23T11:45:00.000+08:00

Would like to take the opportunity to wish all a Happy Dragon Chinese New Year.

iPhone 4S and iPad 2 iOS 5.0.1 Jailbreak is Finally Available

2012-01-21T14:30:00.000+08:00

The expert jailbreakers from greenpois0n have finally release the A5 untethered jailbreak for iOS 5 and iOS 5.0.1. The A5 processor refers to iDevices like iPad 2 and iPhone 4S.
The program used for this jailbreak is called Absinthe. Currently, this program is only available in Mac OSX. For Windows freaks, you guys just have to hold on to your horses..

Go to iClarified for the details on how to jailbreak iPad 2 and iPhone 4S via Mac OSX.

Source: iClarified

Huawei Honor U8860 in Malaysia for RM1099 (February)

2012-01-21T13:02:00.000+08:00

Back in Nov 2011, we mentioned that Huawei will be releasing an interesting Android version of the smartphone. According to our sources, the Huawei Honor will be made available in Malaysia starting from next month with the price of RM1099.
Just a recap, the Huawei Android is powered by 1.4GHz processor with 512MB RAM. It has a display of 4-inch with a screen resolution 854 x 480. Rear camera 8MP, front camera 2MP. Most interesting would be the battery. It has 1900mAh capacities which Huawei is saying it could lasts up to 3 days. Initial release will be running on the Android Gingerbread 2.3.5 with Huawei's proprietary UI called Huawei Android Platform (HAP 5.1).

iPad 2S Hypercover

2012-01-19T23:11:00.001+08:00

I'm not sure if I should even be calling this a rumor. Chinese producer Chinee has started placing the case on the next generation iPad 2S on the website. It features a black microfiber textured leather stand cover. According to sources, it was reportedly thicker than the previous iPad 2 but the overall shape is exactly the same. So, is this just a fake or did the Chinese case manufacturer got it right upfront?

Source: Chineestyle

iPad 2 and iPhone 4S Jailbroken iOS 5.0.1 Coming Very Soon

2012-01-18T21:03:00.000+08:00

pod2g had released a picture of the jailbroken iPad 2. Video below shows the jailbroken of iPhone 4S. Both running on the latest iOS 5.0.1.

We should be expecting an official release soon..

Source: pod2g

[Updates] Steve Jobs Figurines - Apple Wins

2012-01-18T11:10:00.000+08:00

It would seemed that Apple won the legal action to stop in icons from selling Steve's figurines.
In icons made an announcement on 15th Jan 2012.

Below is the full announcement..

"On 5th October 2011 Steve Jobs, the genius, great inventor and visionary, passed away. For the past 25 years I have been a big fan of Steve Jobs following his achievements religiously and using Apple products. His passing left me with emptiness, sadness and a feeling of great personal loss. (I am sure that these sentiments are felt by all of his fans) Four years ago I created a single figurine of Steve which I placed on my desk next to my Mac. I decided to share this memento with the rest of his fans as a commemoration to Steve. The figurine, especially his facial features, was adjusted countless times to achieve his likeness in my memory. I strove to perfect the figurine with the spirit of Steve Jobs because only this will properly reflect my respect and admiration of him.
I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that the original intention for creating the figurine was driven by a fan’s admiration of Steve. We respect copyright and trade mark rights and therefore indicated on our site that we were not providing any Mac, iPhone and iPad models with the figurine. Further, we haven't used any Apple related brands. Unfortunately we have received immense pressure from the lawyers of Apple and Steve Jobs family. Regardless of the pressure, I am still Steve’s fan, I fully respect Steve, and his family, and it is definitely not my wish or intention that they be upset. Though we still believe that we have not overstepped any legal boundaries, we have decided to completely stop the offer, production and sale of the Steve Jobs figurine out of our heartfelt sensitivity to the feelings of the Jobs family.
We understand that this decision will cause many of the fans' disappointment, but please forgive us as there is no other alternative unless to have the blessing from Steve Jobs family… We will aim to have full refund to the fans who have pre-ordered.
Lastly, we wish to thank everyone for their admiration and appreciation of the figurine, and again we offer our sincere apologies to affected fans."

Source: in icons

Wikipedia Blackout for 24 Hours Starting at 0500 UTC

2012-01-18T10:49:00.002+08:00

Quoted from Wikipedia..

"Today, the Wikipedia community announced its decision to black out the English-language Wikipedia for 24 hours, worldwide, beginning at 05:00 UTC on Wednesday, January 18 (you can read the statement from the Wikimedia Foundation here). The blackout is a protest against proposed legislation in the United States – the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) in the U.S. House of Representatives, and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA) in the U.S. Senate – that, if passed, would seriously damage the free and open Internet, including Wikipedia."

That's less than 3 hours away from now..

Update: This is how the website looks like now.

Source: Wikipedia

Where is the Excavator? On Top of the 12-Storey Building!

2012-01-17T21:27:00.000+08:00

Amazingly China.. In Taiyuan City, Shanxi, China is where this happen. An Excavator was seen on top of a reported 12-Storey building performing its duty. How on earth did it get up there in the first place?

Source: MIC Gadget

[DiGi] Samsung Galaxy Nexus DiGi Plan Updated (more expensive)

2012-01-17T21:01:00.000+08:00

Not sure what happened but DiGi had recently updated the Samsung Galaxy Nexus plans. The most obvious impact would be the device price itself. During the pre-ordering phase, the lowest price of the device was RM1399 for a 24 months DG SmartPlan 68 plan but now it's RM1999 regardless of which plan you choose. That only reflect RM100 savings from the original retail price of RM2099.

Below is the pre-ordering promo banner taken from DiGi approximately 10 days ago.

Not sure what is DiGi up to. Anyway, the table below shows the difference in the total commitment after 24 months.

The new plans only have 24 months contract. The 12 months contract plans were removed in the latest update. Nevertheless, the monthly commitment charges were also reduced. For DG48 plan, the monthly commitment is now RM28 from RM43 (DG48) previously. All the prices are after auto-billing rebate. In total, for DG48 plan, you will be paying additional RM90 when compared to the previous plan. But for DG68 plan, your additional payment is RM360. You can refer to this previous post for the previous plans.

Source: DiGi

[Maxis] iPhone 4S Chinese New Year 32GB iValue 4

2012-01-17T20:20:00.001+08:00

For this Chinese New Year, Maxis made a special promotion on the 32GB iPhone 4S. With 24 months contract on iValue 4 plan, you get the iPhone 4S 32GB for free. Originally with the same plan, you will have pay to additional RM350 for the device.

New Plan:

Old Plan:

Source: Maxis

[U Mobile] Chinese New Year Lucky Draw

2012-01-15T15:05:00.000+08:00

To kick off the Dragon year, U Mobile is giving out free lucky draw prizes if you are spending RM28 and above at the U Mobile Store. It could be subscription to a new line, top up, broadband modem, subscription to mobile internet, etc. Lucky draw period is from 9th Jan ~ 31st Jan 2012.

Lucky draw prizes are as below:

Pls also read the fine print carefully.

Prizes obtained are transferable within 24 hours. Winners of the Blackberry devices must subscribe 1 month postpaid or prepaid BIS plan. The devices has no warranty claims possible.

Winners of the modem would be required to sign up for 1 month postpaid or prepaid broadband service. 42Mbps modem winners would have to subscribe to MB128 plan. As for the Double Digit 88 winners, you are required to sign up any postpaid plan.

Source: U Mobile

Motorola Xoom 2 Launches in Singapore

2012-01-15T14:33:00.003+08:00

Motorola recently launches its 2nd generation tablet, Xoom 2 in Singapore. As promotional launching, first 200 customers will be entitled to a free Motorola Bluetooth keyboard and mouse worth SGD $168. The promotional offer is only available on selected outlets in Singapore starting from 13th Jan 2012. One feature worth mentioning is the Splash Guard resistance to spills.

Xoom 2 was first announced in Nov 2011. Currently it has only the 3G edition with 32GB storage with the price of SGD $978.
In the earlier announcement, there should be another model Motorola Xoom 2 Media Edition which is 8.2-inch display. Unfortunately, it is not available at the moment.

Source: Motorola Singapore

Apple MY Online Store Ships iPhone 4S Within 3 ~ 5 Days (reduced)

2012-01-15T12:00:00.001+08:00

Apple Malaysia Online Store has reduced it's shipping duration from 1 ~ 2 weeks to 3 ~ 5 days. Stocks seemed to be getting more. Even though shipping duration is reduced, each customer is still limited to purchase only a maximum of 2 devices.

Source: Apple Store

[Rumor] iPad 3 to Have HD Screen, 4G and Quad-Core (Bloomberg)

2012-01-15T00:20:00.000+08:00

Bloomberg has recently releases a statement that the next generation iPad 3 will feature a HD display, 4G LTE networking capabilities as well as quad-core processor. This indeed is a perfect combination for the iPad 3 if one must say. It was also mentioned that the iPad 3 would be in full fledge production by Feb 2012.

"It's no surprise that the iPad 3 will have a better screen: The iPhone has long had the more beautiful "retina" screen, and a device like the iPad, meant for reading, should have one too. It's also no great shock that Apple would put a quad-core processor in there, especially given the positive reception of the Asus EeePad Transformer Prime. As you can see in the video below, the Prime appeals to gamers because of its quad-core processor."

Conservatively, I think we should only expect that the iPad 3 would feature a higher screen resolution and an improved battery life.

Source: Bloomberg

[Celcom] Samsung Galaxy Nexus Plans Released

2012-01-14T15:28:00.000+08:00

Samsung finally released its package for the new Samsung Galaxy Nexus. There are 2 types of plans, namely Exec Plan and Biz Plan.
The cheapest Exec Plan has a monthly commitment of RM88/month. As such plan, for a 12 months contract, you pay RM1708 for the device itself. This will come out to the total bill after 12 months of RM2764.

Source: Celcom

Flying MyVi

2012-01-12T22:37:00.000+08:00

TheStar reported that approximately 7.20am yesterday, there was a bizarre accident involving a black MyVi. Eyewitness were reported saying that the car went out of control, hit a pile of sand and ended up on top of the parked van.
The accident was reported on Jalan Yunus, Kota Baru.

Source: The Star

Angry Birds Sing.. Karaoke

2012-01-12T20:50:00.000+08:00

I'm getting more and more speechless to what extend the Chinese creativity are. Featuring the latest karaoke sensation - Angry Birds Karaoke.
Chongqing city, somewhere in China, there is such karaoke with the angry birds theme. I'm pretty sure this is not official from Rovio. Just like how the Chinese did the Angry Birds Theme Park.

Waterproof Your iPhone Without Casing?

2012-01-11T20:18:00.000+08:00

In the recent CES 2012, Liquipel introduced an interesting piece of technology that waterproof-ed your iPhone or as a matter of fact any devices. It was noted that it uses some kind of special coating which coats the entire device. This will definitely comes handy for those people who likes to dropped their phones in the toilet bowl..
Now the question is, when will it comes straight from the smartphones manufacturers?

Take a look at the videos below for demonstration.

Source: Liquipel

[Rumor] Pegatron to Ship 1st Batch of iPad 3 in March 2012

2012-01-11T19:36:00.001+08:00

Chinese sources are claiming that the next generation iPad 3 will be shipped out sometime in March 2012 in which Foxconn will be contracted to produce 85% while Pegatron would be producing 15%. Apple is creating a secondary supplier for unforeseen circumstances. It was also said that the first production batch LCD would be from Sharp. Other expected upgrade is the higher screen resolution aka retina display for iPad.
Obviously these are all rumors as what we had in the past.

Source: AppleInsider