Ever since the first iPhone was unveiled in 2007, Apple has mostly delighted the world with innovative features on every new iteration of the iPhone. Even the last device, 5 generations later,  the iPhone 4S is hugely successful – I still remember it selling out within hours all around the world. I for one, had to wait for the second batch here in Hong Kong.

So what’s in store for us with the next iPhone? That of course is the billion dollar question and rumors are already starting to fill my RSS feed. But rather than ponder on these rumors, I decided to create a list of things that I would like to see in the next iPhone. If you have more, I would love to hear your thoughts in the comment section below.

8 Must-Have Additions for the Next iPhone (2012)

1. Must be water-resistant : Not expecting to go diving with it, but given that more and more people are using their iPhones as a fitness device, it should be less sensitive to moisture. I for one, am a avid user of the running app “Mapmyrun” and use my iPhone 4S in a running arm-band case. By the end of a 10km run, it’s natural for moisture to creep in and work itself around and inside the iPhone. The result is potential damage to moisture sensitive internals – in my case, the microphone malfunctioned. Would like a more water-resistant design.
2. Larger screen : While the current iPhone 4S fits quite perfectly in most hands, we of the 21st century are spending more and more time on our smartphones. A larger screen will mean less scrolling, enhance multimedia experience and will be easier on our eyes. How big though? As some of you know, I’ve also got the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. I like the 4.65″ sized screen and would definitely support Apple implementing a similar display on the next iPhone.
3. Improved camera : Although the camera on the iPhone 4S is already superb, improved optics woulds would make it even more appealing particularly with the rise in popularity of apps like @instagram.
4. Larger capacity battery : This has always been a gripe of not just the iPhone but of almost every smartphone on the market. Having a larger capacity without impacting form factor would be appreciated
5. Removable battery : Another little change that would make a world of difference, especially for professionals who depend on their iPhone for important business calls or emails
6. Solar powered device : Out of left field I know, but this would be super convenient – not having to depend on the nearest power outlet or computer to charge from
7. Improved audio quality : HTC are doing it and since the iPhone has basically replaced the iPod and MP3 player function, makes sense to give it enhanced audio. Pairing up with the likes of Bose or Sennheiser would be awesome.
8. Gorilla glass : One of the biggest complaints with the iPhone 3 and 3GS was the plasticky design which led to cracks appearing especially around the headphone jack. The iPhone 4 and 4S used a metal band which give it a solid and well-built feel. The addition of gorilla glass to the mix would just further strengthen the design especially from a display perspective.

As you can see, I’m a simple gadget fan with simple needs.

Here are some more for the wishlist from some of my friends on Twitter:
@theowoo : Intelliscreen (customisable lockscreen with notes, to do list, etc.)
@kokokrunch76 : a dedicated button for camera.
@kevinyapjoco : Longer battery life. Same tech used in the new iPad
@fronbow : dual boot no jail to be broken out of, better battery/power consumption
@thomasrdotorg : API for siri
@jodiem : swipe text input
@cswanger : a longer-lasting BATTERY

What about your list? What’s missing above from your list? Tell us below in the comments section!

Fujifilm X Pro 1 Camera Review

I was lucky enough to snag a cheap deal on overseas travel to Thailand and used the savings to splash out on a new camera – namely, the new mirror-less Fujifilm X Pro 1. This camera builds upon the very impressive market inspired and started by the Leica M9, followed by a raft of competitors. Fuji announced their own “X” line in competition, with the X10 and X100 models, with fair reviews. They were good, but lacking the high-quality sensor of the VERY expensive Leica. Sony brought out their NEX-3, improved NEX-5 and the new NEX-7 as their offering, again with fair reviews, with various reasons that each model was missing “something”.

And then Fujifilm announced the X Pro 1. A photography enthusiast friend of mine that I trust summed it up beautifully: “Leica had the best sensor and lenses, which is why they have been #1, but you pay for that privilege. The sensor and lens review sites, testing SOLELY the sensor, have said this is the first sensor to beat Leica, and the lenses are of superior quality. This camera would be as good, at a third of the price.” You can’t PAY for a better rap than that!

I was curious and poked around and there were certainly many “preview” reviews of the X Pro 1 and a few comparisons to the newest Sony model and the like. The X Pro 1 came out the winner hands-down in most comparisons, but it is a bit more expensive – ~AU$2500 for the body with the 35mm lens. Sony, as a comparison, would be about $700 cheaper. Again, going back to my friend who is a prosumer camera enthusiast, “I’d by the Sony NEX-7 for my wife, but I’d buy the X Pro 1 for myself.” A clear indication that for the features, picture quality and price, the X Pro 1 will take better pictures, period.

Sample Fujifilm X Pro 1 Shot : Thailand Waterfall (Click for full 9MB version)

So what is the fuss all about? Let’s start with what this camera REPRESENTS. Yes, I realise this is not a specification list but my personal opinion. The X Pro 1 represents a professional camera that you treat like the “old days” – you like a particular shot, grab your camera, focus, light balance, shoot. No zooming, no fiddling – you want the high quality shot, you know what you need to make it look GOOD and you have the tool in your hands to make it happen instantly. Because the camera is mirrorless, the body is incredibly compact. The 35mm lens and body barely feel like more than a pocket handy cam and you feel like a camera user from the good old days.

Looks aside, the camera simply produces excellent photos, shot after shot, without exception. The colour is rich, there were no noticeable quirks or defects in any shots I took and it performs amazingly in low-light situations and high speed shots. The X Pro 1 is quick to meter and focus (if you choose to let it automatically select either or both of those settings) and you can literally snap away at anything you want. Lacking zoom of any kind, you initially feel apprehensive taking shots, until you see the results – amazing focus metering, rich colours and high enough resolution that you can crop the photo to highlight what you want. The camera build and technical specifications allow you to have excellent control over the broad ISO range, exposure length, and aperture size – basically all of the functions you WANT in a handy cam but NEED to normally carry a full DSLR to obtain. The high resolution of 16 Megapixels is more than enough for large format prints and over-proofing shots for later cropping. The standard 35mm 1.4R lens allows for easy shot selection without being lost in searching for detail. And finally, the proprietary sensor processing and mirror-less construction removes the issues with existing camera digital trickery that delivers rich colours and detail even in low light situations. The mirror-less construction keeps the size down but also allows Fujifilm to use their proprietary sensor and processing systems to great use to produce, in my opinion, the best affordable compact camera today.

To add to the excellent “single shot” performance, Fujifilm built in a number of drive options – continuous shooting with 3- or 6-fps (limited by the speed of writing to the SD Card), AE and ISO bracketing in ±⅓, ⅔ and 1 levels, video shooting (1920×1080 and 1280×768) at 24fps, dynamic range shooting and a VERY impressive panorama function – sweep the camera across a vista and it will auto-stitch the shots and produce a great wide angle shot. This last function is best used on a tripod, although it does produce passable results when done by hand. To add to all these amazing options, I particularly liked the fact that there is a built in digital level display which auto senses horizontal or vertical shooting. Combined with the grid options for the built in LCD, it makes your images perfectly centred shot after shot.

For ease of use, there are a number of buttons on the camera for accessing the functions. A handy “Q” button under the right thumb gets you full customisation menus selectable by the four-direction buttons, easily changing multiple settings quickly using the neighbouring jog dial. A dedicated auto-exposure/auto-focus button allows for semi-automated shooting if you have the right settings and want a little help. And a customisable “Fn” button allows you to rapidly set your favourite function without scrolling through the Q menu. For fine control, there are physical dials for maximum ISO (from 1 through 4000) and exposure levels (from -2 to +2 in ⅓ increments) and a physical selector for Manual, Continuous and Spot focus.

This camera does have some minor flaws which I very quickly learned to live with or ignore after using the camera for a few days. Firstly I’d say you need the fastest SD card you can get your hands on – I went for an 8Gb, 95Mbps guaranteed throughput professional card and I am glad for it. Shooting in RAW mode or a long video, you do notice the write time but it is manageable/unavoidable. A RAW shot will write in under a second, but the fact it locks the focus and display means you may be disappointed if wanting super-high-quality shots in quick succession. Secondly, the built-in viewfinder seems to be less featured that the back LCD – while the simplification of the features may be seen as a boon, but because it lacks the digital level, the fact it is off centre makes it difficult to select your shot perfectly without practice. This also means that with the supplied light hood for the lens, the bottom right of your shot through the viewfinder is blocked by the hood! To top it off, the image quality of the shot review through the viewfinder is quite low – washed out whites and too blue saturated compared to the actual shot. All in all, I quickly switched back to reviewing the shot by the back LCD. Thirdly, the amount of noise put out isnoticeable, but not irritating. It initially is concerning but ultimately comforting to hear the auto focus click or shutter engaging, but if you are truly worried, there are a number of “silent running” options to explore in the menus. Short of extremely noise-sensitive environments, this flaw is most quickly ignored.

Overall, though, these minor gripes fade away when you first start snapping shots and disappear completely when you see the results on a full resolution display. The photos are simply stunning and the feel of the camera in your hands is completely effortless. As a prosumer, you are looking for the best shot quality-for-price ratio yet with this camera, you will notice you spend less time obsessing about the shot and rather find yourself happily running around taking and appreciating your shots like a kid in a candy store. This camera may cost a bit more than the rest but the sheer joy of use, coupled with the truly staggering quality of the shots it pumps out, makes every cent worthwhile.

Recommended!

Links:
Specifications – http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/x/fujifilm_x_pro1/specifications/
Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com) review - http://www.dpreview.com/previews/fujifilmxpro1

Despite being bigger, faster and easier to use, there are grumblings online about the PenTile display which is considered inferior to Super AMOLED Plus displays. Unless users know about the ins and outs of mobile display technologies, I doubt many will really care. The main drivers behind Samsung’s choice of PenTile display technology lies in the low-power consumption and ability to display true HD. Worthy reasons.

The only other gripe I have about the Samsung Galaxy S3 is the camera: it hasn’t improved that much?! Sure it can do burst photos but that doesn’t mean much if the image quality and optics haven’t improved significantly. The iPhone 4S still trumps the Galaxy S3 here, when it shouldn’t on this device that has improved in most other areas.

Besides those two points, again, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is a brilliant device and I would crown it as the best Android smartphone on the market. So if you’re looking for an alternative to the iPhone 4S, this is it.

What are your thoughts on this device? Getting one?

Here’s the Samsung Galaxy S 3 Press Release:

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, announced today the third generation GALAXY S, the GALAXY S III. Designed for humans and inspired by nature, the GALAXY S III is a smartphone that recognizes your voice, understands your intention, and lets you share a moment instantly and easily. 

This sleek and innovative smartphone has the enhanced intelligence to make everyday life easier. With Samsung GALAXY S III, you can view the content like never before on the device’s 4.8 inch HD Super AMOLED display. An 8MP camera and a 1.9MP front camera offer users a variety of intelligent camera features and face recognition related options that ensure all moments are captured easily and instantly. Samsung GALAXY S III is powered by Android™ 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich, with greatly enhanced usability and practicality to make life easier. Packed with intuitive technology, the GALAXY S III delivers a uniquely personalized mobile experience that refuses to be compromised. 

“With the GALAXY S III, Samsung has maximized the consumer benefits by integrating superior hardware with enhanced smartphone usability,” said JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung. “Designed to be both effortlessly smart and intuitively simple, the GALAXY S III has been created with our human needs and capabilities in mind. What makes me most proud is that it enables one of the most seamless, natural and human-centric mobile experiences, opening up a new horizon that allows you to live a life extraordinary.”

Introducing Natural Interaction

The GALAXY S III enhances the interaction experience between the device and user. Smart enough to detect your face, voice and motions, the GALAXY S III adapts to the individual user to provide a more convenient and natural experience. With the innovative ‘Smart stay’ feature, the GALAXY S III recognizes how you are using your phone – reading an e-book or browsing the web for instance – by having the front camera identify your eyes; the phone maintains a bright display for continued viewing pleasure. 

The GALAXY S III features ‘S Voice,’ the advanced natural language user interface, to listen and respond to your words. In addition to allowing information search and basic device-user communication, S Voice presents powerful functions in regards to device control and commands. When your phone alarm goes off but you need a little extra rest, just tell the GALAXY S III “snooze.” You can also use S Voice to play your favorite songs, turn the volume up or down, send text messages and emails, organize your schedules, or automatically launch the camera and capture a photo. 

In addition to recognizing your face and voice, the GALAXY S III understands your motions to offer maximized usability. If you are messaging someone but decide to call them instead, simply lift your phone to your ear and ‘Direct call’ will dial their number. With ‘Smart alert,’ the GALAXY S III will also save you from trouble by catching any missed messages or calls; your phone will vibrate to notify missed statuses when picked up after being idle.

Easy and Instant Sharing

The Samsung GALAXY S III is more than a personal device that can be enjoyed by one user – it wants you to share and experience smartphone benefits with family and friends, regardless of where you are. With the new ‘S Beam,’ the GALAXY S III expands upon Android™ Beam™, allowing a 1GB movie file to be shared within three minutes and a 10MB music file within two seconds by simply touching another GALAXY S III phone, even without a Wi-Fi or cellular signal. The ‘Buddy photo share’ function also allows photos to be easily and simultaneously shared with all your friends pictured in an image directly from the camera or the photo gallery. 

With ‘AllShare Cast’, users can wirelessly connect their GALAXY S III to their television to immediately transfer smartphone content onto a larger display. ‘AllShare Play’ can be also used to instantly share any forms of files between GALAXY S III and your tablet, PC, and televisions regardless of the distance between the devices. Under AllShare Play is also the ‘Group Cast’ feature that allows you to share your screen among multiple friends on the same Wi-Fi network; you can make comments and draw changes at the same time with your co-workers, witnessing real-time sharing on your individual device.

Human-centric Design with Uncompromised Performance

The GALAXY S III not only presents features with enhanced usability, but also provides an ergonomic and comfortable experience through its human-centric design. Its comfortable grip, gentle curves, and organic form deliver a rich human-centric feel and design. Inspired by nature, its design concept is the flow and movement of nature. The elements of wind, water and light are all evoked in the physical construct of the GALAXY S III. In its essence, the minimal organic design identity is reflected in the smooth and non-linear lines of the device. Available in Pebble Blue and Marble White at launch, Samsung will introduce a variety of additional color options. 

With a 4.8” HD Super AMOLED display, the GALAXY S III offers a large and vivid viewing experience. Samsung Mobile’s heritage Super AMOLED display even enhances to HD and 16:9 wider viewing angles. To ensure faster content sharing and connectivity, the GALAXY S III offers Wi-Fi Channel Bonding which doubles the Wi-Fi bandwidth. 

The GALAXY S III also sports a range of additional features that boost performance and the overall user experience in entirely new ways. It introduces ‘Pop up play,’ a feature that allows you to play a video anywhere on your screen while simultaneously running other tasks, eliminating the need to close and restart videos when checking new emails or surfing the Web. Its 8MP camera features a zero-lag shutter speed that lets you capture moving objects easily without delay – the image you see is the picture you take. With the ‘Burst shot’ function that instantly captures twenty continuous shots, and the ‘Best photo’ feature that selects the best of eight photographs for you, the GALAXY S III ensures users a more enhanced and memorable camera experience. HD video can be recorded even with the 1.9MP front-facing camera, which you can use to capture a video of yourself. Improved backside illumination further helps to eliminate blur in photos that result from shaking, even under low lights. 

Mobile payment is also accessible with the device through advanced Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. The gaming experience is enhanced through ‘Game Hub,’ providing access to numerous social games, while Video Hub brings users high quality TV and movies. Furthermore, Samsung Music Hub will offer a personal music streaming service. Game Hub, Video Hub and Music Hub will be introduced in select countries initially and soon rolled out to global markets. 

The Samsung GALAXY S III will be available from the end of May in Europe before rolling out to other markets globally.

The most important feature of this update is improved reliability of HDR photo capture when in screen lock mode. Will definitely be testing this out today.

Here’s the full list of improvements with the iOS 5.1.1 update:

P.S. this post was done on my iPhone 4S

One other aspect I like about @instagram is that I’m able to very quickly, visually, see what all my friends (who are using it) are up to in their day. It also gives me the opportunity to like their good photos. Let’s face it, it’s nice to get some recognition regarding your photos from friends and strangers. I’ve been using it for over a year now and enjoy the community aspect of it too which is why I wrote this post.

Here are some very simple ways to increase your followership and exposure on @instagram:

9 Tips On How To Get More Followers On Instagram

1. Update your profile to include a photo of yourself – make sure it’s a good / interesting shot
2. Tell the world something about yourself. What camera you use and your purpose for being on Instagram
3. Post regularly – once a day so people will come back knowing that you’ll have more cool photos ready for them
4. Tell a story with your photos – ask yourself “Is this interesting enough to share?”
5. Comment and like generously – if you see something you like, leave a comment on why you like it and press the love heart
6. Use hash tags – these often describe and categories your photos
7. Take a look at the popular page from time to time and learn from the pros – try to apply similar filters, tilt-shift and cropping to your photos too
8. Share through all the social media channels – Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Flickr
9. Join a #photoaday meme such as the one run by @fatmumslim

Remember the whole point of it is to exercise your creative muscle and be part of a community that appreciates great photos. Don’t just join @instagram just to sell your product or service – you can normally tell the posers from the real ones quite easily.

Most importantly, have fun!

Hope these tips help. (Add me – @mr_gadget)

Press Release for Aranez Swivel New iPad Leather Case:

Melbourne, 16th April, 2012 – Today Aranez officially announced availability of the Aranez Swivel New iPad Leather Case. The standout feature of this luxurious addition to the Aranez leather case range is the unique 360 degree swivel that allows the New iPad to be positioned handsfree in either portrait or landscape. This ingenious design caters more towards users who use their iPad for entertainment purposes and who love high-quality leather.

“We listened to our customers and created the Aranez Swivel New iPad Leather Case.” said Arnold Aranez, founder of Aranez.com. “It recognizes that many iPad users out there simply love using it more for viewing movies and photos. For people who do a lot of typing on their iPad, we still recommend the Aranez Notebook iPad Leather Case. I’m extremely pleased with both of these cases”

The Aranez Swivel New iPad Leather Case is made from genuine high-grade cow leather which gives it a ultra stylish feel and finish. The New iPad Leather Case offers superior protection against daily knockabouts and elements, protecting every corner and the screen (when cover is closed). Some other notable features of Aranez Swivel New iPad Leather Case is the distinct silver stitching around the case’s edge and inbuilt magnetic strip which triggers the iPad’s smart on and off functionality.

Aranez Swivel New iPad Leather Case Specifications:
- Made from high-quality cow leather
- Fits both the new iPad and iPad 2
- Elegant silver stitching around edges of the case
- Smart on and sleep iPad functionality
- iPad screen can be rotated 360 degrees to stand in either portrait or landscape view
- All charge and audio ports are accessible even when the case is closed
- Provides superior protection for the New iPad
- Ultra stylish luxurious leather case
- lightweight and slim design

In terms of availability, at the moment you can only purchase the Aranez Swivel New iPad Leather Case at www.aranez.com for USD $79.95. Aranez ships to most countries internationally.

Follow Aranez on Twitter: @aranez

via Aranez

Last week, I took my Canon 5D M2 with my wife’s Canon 50mm f1.4 lens to a work celebration function – I forgot how much I love using a 50mm! The lack of zoom and prime functionality makes you think a little bit more about your photography, especially composition. After the posting the photos online, I had a couple of queries about the lens and camera that I used. As a result, one of my work colleagues purchased a 50mm.

Below is a great and entertaining video by my friends at @digitalrev.

In this video Kai gives 5 reasons why you need to get a 50mm – I agree with all his points:

Via @digitalrev

Features of the Sony Xperia S:

• 4.3-inch AMOLED Display with Mobile BRAVIA engine 1280×720 (HD) Reality Display
• 1.5GHz Dual-Core CPU Qualcomm MSM8260
• Android 2.3 Gingerbread (4.0 coming during the second quarter)
• HSPA 14.4Mbps 850/900/1900/2100MHz
• 1GB RAM, 16/32GB Interal Storage
• 12MP Rear Camera / 1.3MP HD Front Camera
• Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth, NFC

Sony Xperia S Unboxing Video:

So what are your thoughts? Wanting to unbox one yourself now too? 

Via @secommunity Youtube

The HTC One X is another super android featuring a brawny quad core processor inside. This is sure to be a hit with audiophiles looking for a bit of speed. As you can see from the above, it’s available in Hong Kong  and if your order from 1010 CSL, you’ll get a FREE external mobile charger!

Must get down to CSL and start playing with one over the weekend…

HTC One X Features:

• 1.5 Ghz Quad core processor
• 32GB Memory on board and 1GB RAM
• 8 Megapixel camera with LED flash, F2.0 and 28mm lens
• 1.3 Megapixel front facing camera
• Runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with HTC Sense 4
• 4.7 inch screen (1280 x 720 resolution) HD 720p touch display
• 130 grams
• Beats audio sound enhancement
• 1800mAh battery

HTC One X Video

See I told you I’m not just a Canon fanboy! Even though I’ve used Canon for most of my life and normally avoid talking to Nikon users (kidding), I’m very impressed with what Nikon have produced with their newest full-frame camera, the Nikon D800.

Nikon comes out pumped up with a vengeance especially with the huge huge 36.3 megapixel capability on this camera. See the video below by @digialrev on how it performs in real life. However I must say, it’s not the prettiest filly in the stable….

Nikon D800 Digital SLR Specifications compared to D700:

• 36.3MP CMOS sensor (compared to 12.1MP)
• 15.3MP DX-format capture mode (compared to 5MP)
• 51-point AF system with 15 cross-type sensors, rated to -2EV* (compared to -1EV)
• ISO 100-6400 extendable to ISO 25,600 equiv (compared to ISO 200-6400, extendable to ISO 12,800)
• 1080p video at 30, 25 or 24 frames per second, up to 24Mbps, with uncompressed HDMI output and audio monitoring options*
• 3.2″, 921,000 dot LCD with anti-fog layer* (compared to 3in, 921k-dot)
• Maximum 4fps continuous shooting in FX mode, 6fps in DX mode** (compared to 8fps in FX mode)
• Advanced Scene Recognition System with 91,000 pixel metering sensor* (compared to 1005-pixel)
• ‘Expeed 3′ Image Processing*
• Dual-axis Virtual Horizon (on LCD screen/viewfinder)* (compared to single-axis)

Nice work Nikon!

Nikon D800 Digital SLR Video Hands-On: