My Crappy Life | Syed ™

The HTC One X is HTC’s range topping model from the HTC One series. Powered by a 1.5GHz Nvidia’s Tegra 3 processor, this is the first quad-core Android smart phone to hit the market and at an attractive price tag of RM2,099.

Looking at the device at the first time, the white HTC One X appears to be cheap with its plastic looking body. However just like the Nokia Lumia 800 / N9, the HTC One X is made out of polycarbonate which gives it a nice feel in the hands. There are no visible screws and the only visible slots are micro-USB at the sides and the microSIM tray at the top. Unfortunately the 1,800mAh battery is non-removable and there’s no expansion microSD slot.

As demonstrated earlier, the HTC One X’s 8MP camera is amazingly quick. It is capable of shooting at 4FPS up to a total of 99 photos continuously.

Overall, the HTC One X is an amazing device not just because of its cutting edge hardware but how the hardware is so completely and seamlessly integrated with the Android OS. The skin is very much improved with HTC Sense and we like the little touches that it bring.








(Soyacincau)

At the HTC One series regional launch, we managed to get a closer look of the HTC One V. The One V is the lowest entry model in the One series line up which comes with a familiar iconic design of the HTC Legend/Hero.

Looking beyond the modest 1GHz single core specification, you’ll find what is probbaly the best Android smart phone for under RM1000. It runs on the latest Android 4.0.3 with the HTC Sense 4.0. In the One V, HTC has combined top notch build quality, iconic design, premium aluminium unibody with a very capable camera that can shoot 2FPS for up to 99 photos in a single burst. The intuitive UI makes the device that’s not only unique in the entry level segment but also one that has the makings of an overall class leader.

If you’re interested, you can check out the HTC One V yourself at HTC’s roadshow at Pavilion this coming Monday 2nd April. U Mobile and DiGi have revealed their bundled plans and we are expecting the other telcos to offer it on contract soon.

Watch our first impression in our hands-on video above to find out more. In case you’re wondering, the video above was shot entirely on the HTC One X. Head after the break for size comparison with the HTC Legend.




(Soyacincau)

If you’re using a 2011 Sony Ericsson Xperia smart phone, heads up as Sony is expected to roll out Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade in mid-April, which is just 2-3 weeks from now.

For the first wave, the update will roll out to Xperia arc S, Xperia neo V and Xperia ray and the entire exercise could take approximately 4-6 weeks.

The next wave will start around end May or early June and this will include Xperia arc, Xperia PLAY, Xperia neo, Xperia mini, Xperia mini pro, Xperia pro, Xperia active & Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman.

So far no mentions of the latest Xperia S and Xperia Blog expects it sometime after June 2012. Just a week ago, Sony had announced its first ever Ice Cream Sandwich device – Sony Xperia neo L in China.

HTC claims that One X can take a picture in just 0.7 seconds. The 8MP camera is also capable of shooting 4 full frames per second up to 99 shots at one time — that’s faster that some full-fledged DSLR shooters. But how fast is the HTC One X?

We compare the HTC One X with two of the fastest Android shooters in the market right now. How will the HTC One X stack up against the Fast Capture feature on the Sony Xperia S and the Zero Shutter Lag capability of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus?

Check out the video right after the jump to find out. Get ready to drop your jaw when the One X starts that 4FPS rapid-fire mode.

Love our coverage of the HTC One series so far? Well you can get yours now from DiGi from as low as RM1,249 for the HTC One X (RRP RM2,099) and from RM299 for the HTC One V (RRP RM999). Order (and pay of course) one now from DiGi’s Store Online and have it delivered to your doorstep by 6 April 2012, the date of the local availability of both new phones.

HTC One X

12 Months

DG Smart Plan 48 – RM1,699

DG Smart Plan 68 – RM1,649

DG Smart Plan 88 – RM1,549

24 Months

DG Smart Plan 48 – RM1,599

DG Smart Plan 68 – RM1,399

DG Smart Plan 88 – RM1,249

HTC One V



12 Months

DG Smart Plan 48 – RM799

DG Smart Plan 68 – RM699

DG Smart Plan 88 – RM599

24 Months

DG Smart Plan 48 – RM649

DG Smart Plan 68 – RM449

DG Smart Plan 88 – RM299

We have a pair of HTC’s upcoming One devices caught on video. The first is an unboxing of the HTC One X and where normally I tend to pass on unboxings, I seem to be eating up any bit on info/leaks on the One X I can get. This phone has consumed me. Just as a warning, the video comes from a French site, so unless you took French instead of Spanish in high-school, you’re probably not going to understand very much. Don’t worry, the HTC One X in all of its elegance speaks for itself.



Next up is the HTC One V, which will be headed our way on Virgin Mobile and additional regional (possibly even national) carriers. While most Android fanboys would as soon spit on a 1GHz device as look at one, the One V definitely hold it’s own in the world of “budget” devices. This could be the one entry level device to rule them all (pun intended). When Phandroid traveled to Spain for MWC a few weeks back, HTC didn’t exactly have a working model of the One V so it’s nice to be able to get a glimpse of what we can expect. Even in this blurry cam video.



Remember, not every Android user is using the highest-end phone and most likely your less tech-savvy friends and family will be opting for entry level devices once their contract is up.

What you see above is the gTar, an upcoming electronic musical instrument from Bay Area-based startup, Incident Technologies. It's got what appears to be an iPhone docked in the pick-guard and it looks pretty cool lit up in the teaser video after the break. Beyond that, there's not a ton of information about the thing available online, but we did some digging and have pieced together a pretty good idea about the thing. The device made an appearance at South by Southwest earlier this month, and bits and pieces have made their way into the web by way of startup site AngelList and social networks like Facebook, Twitter and, of course, YouTube. A posting on the former describes it as "a consumer electronics device that enables an interactive music entertainment experience to anyone without any kind of previous musical knowledge."

From the looks of it, the thing is a little bit Guitar Apprentice and a little bit Tabber. Unlike the plasticky Guitar Apprentice, however, this device looks like a genuine guitar (strings and all), albeit one with a light up fretboard for Tabber-like educational purposes and a "docked mobile device." The guitar also makes it possible to share music socially, though it's not entirely clear whether this is accomplished via the docked smartphone or an external output like a PC, though given the company's connections to the developer community, we suspect that both will be options, be it through built-in functionality or available APIs. The gTar is also being positioned as a music creation device, rather than simply an educational tool or a simple overblown Guitar Hero-style controller.

Being able to touch, click and press your way around an operating system with a variety of hardware configurations, while not alienating potential upgraders, is no mean feat. That said, Microsoft thinks it might have the solution. By introducing a new mode, a 20 pixel buffer will be designated to working with those edge swipes we've heard about. It'll also go towards preventing accidental hits around the, typically less sensitive, edges of older screens. It does mean that you'll be losing a little real estate, but perhaps a small trade-off for being able to keep your Windows 7 touchscreen device. Going forward, Microsoft will be working with hardware providers to ensure new gear really shows off the new features of Win 8, but for now, legacy users can look forward to a better experience. Hit the source below for the full rundown.

If you can’t wait to get your hands on the quad-core HTC One X, an online retailer SuperBuy has started accepting orders for as low as RM1,999. That’s RM100 less than the expected RRP of RM2,099.

In the Q&A section, the retailer reveals that their HTC One X is an original unit from SIS distribution with 2 years warranty. Stocks are expected to arrive next week and they do provide free shipping.

The HTC One series will be launched regionally tomorrow with Malaysia launch happening on Monday. We are expected to get a hands-on with the HTC One devices tomorrow and if you have any questions, do tweet to us at @soya_cincau.

For more information, head over here.

While Galaxy S II owners here in Malaysia wait anxiously for the Android 4.0 update to be available, let’s take a look at the enhancements the new firmware will bring to the world’s most popular Android smartphone. Here’s a side-by-side comparison video of the Galaxy S II running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and Android 2.3 Gingerbread.

There are quite a number of enhancements making tasks like switching off apps and managing browser tabs much simpler and faster. If you’re more of the manual reading type, you can check out the Samsung Galaxy S II Ice Cream Sandwich Guide for Consumers.

The pretty nifty guide talks about everything from how to get the ICS update for your Galaxy S II to almost all of the changes the update brings. It’s really useful and you can download the PDF here.

Google Malaysia today announced that it has added Bahasa Malaysia, Traffic and Transit support for Google Maps users in Malaysia on both the desktop and mobile versions of the application.

With the Traffic feature, you can now track traffic conditions in real-time right in Google Maps with colour-coded indicators showing whether a stretch of road is congested or free-flowing. However at launch, the service is available for roads in Klang Valley only.

The Transit feature on Google Maps provides step-by-step travel directions to travel using the public transportation system in Malaysia including bus, LRT, monorail and Komuter. Transit also gives users information on where bus stops and train stations are located.

Google says that the data used for the Traffic and Transit features is gathered from a variety of sources including the Department of Transportation, private data providers, and users of Google Maps for mobile who contribute anonymous speed information through Google’s traffic crowdsourcing feature.

We’ve tested the feature briefly and while Transit is not perfect, it does provide a good general guidance if you have no clue as to which bus or train to catch to head to a particular destination. Traffic on the other hand is spot-on, the real-time traffic update is immensely useful as a traffic monitoring tool giving you accurate information on traffic conditions allow you to plan your travel in advance.

Traffic, Transit and BM language support are much welcomed but we’re kind of disappointed there’s still no support for Google Navigation here in Malaysia. In any case, the three new enhancements is a good start. Here’s hoping that other cool and useful Google Maps features will make it to Malaysia very soon.

In the meantime, you can check out Traffic Transit and BM language support on maps.google.com.my

We might be a little bit late to the party but it has come to our attention that the new and much awaited Proton P3-21A's official name might have been out in open. The car which is rumored to be unveiled on April 6th is said to carry the name Proton Prevé as shown by the image above.

According to Google Translate, the word “prevé” carries couple of meaning such as “expected”, “provide” and “anticipate” in Spanish. To be frank, we have no idea how does those words relates to the new Proton P3-21A right and as usual, we advise all to take the name with a grain of salt until the official confirmation by Proton. However, according to the rumors on the street, the name is already more or less official.

(Lowyat.net)

In another bout of weird names, the rumor mill is running rampant that the next Sony PlayStation – fondly labeled as the PlayStation 4 – might be named as Orbis. However, the name made more sense to us as compared to what Proton did to its new car since the word orbis means “world”, “circle” and “orbit” in Latin and this might be a continuation to PlayStation 3’s “It Only Does Everything” tagline.

The new console is said to be powered by AMD x64-based CPU as well as the Southern Islands GPU that is currently used in the AMD Radeon 7000 series graphics card. Other than that, the new console is also said not to feature any backward compatibility function with existing PlayStation 3 games and will come together with an anti-used games system that might spell trouble for users who like to trade games with each other.

Last but not least, Sony targets to release the new gaming console sometime in 2013 holiday season. Of course, none of these informations are officially confirmed and since the said release date is still far away, many things will change along the way. Nevertheless, what do you think of the “Orbis” name for the next PlayStation console

(Lowyat.net)

Still paranoid about a friend sneaking past your four-dot-oh facial security and revealing all your little secrets? Worry no more, as Sammy's got a solution for you. The new feature is stuffed inside the tasty ICS being delivered now to global Galaxy S IIs, adding the need to blink in order to bypass the Face Unlock screen. Aside from the eyelash-flashing bit included in the upgrade, Samsung's Product Planning Team says they've also added Photo Editor, Beta Font, Snapshot and a novel S Go Launcher Pro.

The title is self-explanatory. Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich goodness for the HTC Sensation XE is now available in Malaysia complete with a refreshed version of HTC’s Sense UI skin (version 3.6) as well.

To get it, go to “Software Updates” button under the “Settings” menu. The update is nearly 300MB big, so WiFi connectivity is always a good idea to ensure a smooth and speedy update.

This is it ladies and gents, we’ve just received confirmation that the HTC One series will be launched in Malaysia in the first week of April right after the regional launch happening in Singapore at the end of this week.

The HTC One trio will be introduced to the local media on April 2 and we expect the device to be in stores by Friday April 6. Yesterday, U Mobile kicked-off proceedings with its HTC One X and One V registration of interest and we’re expecting Celcom, DiGi and Maxis to start cluing consumers in on their plans for the HTC One series within this week as well.

In terms of pricing, the current estimates are: HTC One X — RM2,099, HTC One S — RM1,899, and we’re pegging the HTC One V to be below RM1,000 (though rumours are saying that it could be priced at around RM1,099 to RM1,199).

Some things on the Internet simply cannot be logically explained. Like this photo shoot from a LiveJournal blog by Russian user strenger.

According to the Google Translate, which I often doubt the accuracy of, strenger was called to a friends one evening to document some sort of dinner preparation when things took a turn for the interesting. Apparently, the woman found torturing the Galaxy Nexus in the photo shoot is doing so because she had a fight with her significant other. And he’s the one who bought her the phone.

The pictures really speak for themselves. The Galaxy Nexus was fried, used as a cutting board, drenched in raw eggs, covered in ketchup, used as a sponge to do dishes, thrown in a blender and dumped into a pot of boiling hot water. After all that, the phone supposedly still works. Yeah, sure.

I’m not quite sure if this is some sort of odd marketing campaign, or just one man’s freakish fetish finally coming to fruition. It’s almost disturbing in a weird way. But I’m sure there’s some sort of message to get out of the whole thing. I’ll let you know when I figure it out.













(Androidandme)

Today Verizon Wireless announced the full details for their next budget-friendly 4G LTE smartphone. The LG Lucid will be available in stores and online on March 29th and retail for $79.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.

A quick review of the specs show this is a decent Android phone for the price. The LG Lucid features a large 4-inch display, dual-core processor, and 4G LTE connectivity. We will reserve judgement till we get our hands on one, but the LG Lucid has the potential to become our best budget phone pick in the next Verizon buyer’s guide.

Highlights of the LG Lucid include:

• Android 2.3 (upgradable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich)
• 4 inch display protected by Corning Gorilla Glass
• 5-megapixel rear-facing autofocus camera with flash and full HD (1080p) video capture, front-facing camera
• 1.2 GHz dual-core processor (model unknown)
• 1 GB RAM

It’s unfortunate that new phones are still shipping with the Android 2.3 operating system that debuted in 2010, but at least Verizon guarantees it will eventually receive Android 4.0. No timeline for the software upgrade was provided, so keep that in mind if you are thinking about picking one up.

If you’re in the market for a 7-inch tablet, now is the probably the best time to get one. Samsung has revised the prices for two of the best 7-inch tablets in the market at the moment.

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 is now RM1,899 from RM2,099 and the Galaxy 7.0 Plus has been reduced to RM1,399 from RM1,699.

The revised pricing makes the 7-inch tablets from Samsung a tantalising proposition. The Galaxy Tab 7.7 features the largest Super AMOLED Plus display on a consumer device. At 1280×800 resolution, you’re assured of sharp images and videos as well. In addition, the 1.4Ghz dual-core Exynos processor and 1GB RAM makes the Galaxy Tab 7.7 the most powerful 7-inch tablet in the Malaysian market at the moment. Have we mentioned that the 3MP camera is among the best we’ve used as well?

The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is by far the best value for money device you can get right now. For a smidgen under RM1,400, you get the same processing power as the Galaxy S II, a 7-inch 1024×600 pixel PLS LCD display and a very impressive 3MP rear shooter. With the 7.0 Plus there’s an infra-red port as well. Coupled with a pre-installed app, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is a rather good universal remote as well.

On top of all this, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and 7.0 Plus can handle phone calls, text messages and support Whatsapp, there’s nothing in the market that comes close these two can offer at the moment.

Earlier on we saw both DiGi and Maxis being listed as official HTC One series launch telcos. Now out of the blue, U Mobile has started its registration of interest for the HTC One X and HTC One V.

According to the ROI page, registration is now open from now until 29th March and users will be informed 30th March 2012 on collection and plan details. This indicates that the HTC One series is very likely to be launched in the first week of April with U Mobile as one of the first telcos to offer it. So far DiGi & Maxis have yet to reveal anything for the 2012 HTC devices.

In terms of pricing, it was earlier revealed that the HTC One X will be likely going for RM2,099 and the One V priced about RM1,099-RM1,199.

Head over to U Mobile to register your interest.

The HTC One regional launch is happening this weekend in Singapore where we are hoping to get a hands-on real soon.

Maxis has finally revealed its Sony Xperia S bundling from as low as RM1,099. This comes after the other 3 telcos had offered theirs.

As per other Android smart phone bundles, the Xperia S is offered on postpaid plan with add-on data package of 1GB (RM48/month), 3GB (RM68/month) and 6GB (RM98/month).

You’ll get to choose between 3 contract durations of 12 months, 18 months & 24 months as well. Bundled pricing as follows:

1GB (12 months) – RM1,699
1GB (18 months) – RM1,599
1GB (24 months) – RM1,399

3GB (12 months) – RM1,599
3GB (18 months) – RM1,499
3GB (24 months) – RM1,299

6GB (24 months) – RM1,099

For more information, head over to Maxis.

The One X is not officially here... yet. That hasn't stopped someone from putting the new superphone through the benchmarking wringer, however. Turns out, that dual-core Snapdragon S4 SoC may be all it's cracked up to be, as screencaps have popped up online showing scores that blow away damn near every mobile device under the sun. Apparently, an AT&T employee put the One X through its paces, and if the scores are to be believed, it smoked the Galaxy Nexus in Quadrant and handily outperformed even the quad-core Transformer Prime in Vellamo.

Looking to pick up a Windows Phone handset on Big Blue? You might want to sit tight for a few days. AT&T has just confirmed to us that the HTC Titan II will be hitting the carrier's U.S. stores on April 8th, the same day that the Lumia 900 is set to ship. HTC's flavor will retail for double the price of Nokia's new flagship, priced at $199.99, and takes the award for highest megapixel count, thanks to its 16MP backside-illuminated sensor with an f/2.6 AF lens in tow. It also includes a 1730mAh removable battery and a familiar design that's nearly identical to its predecessor. We were quite impressed with that camera during our test at CES, however, so if you're looking to replace your first-gen Titan with a very capable cameraphone, this may be your best bet.

Looking for a reasonably priced Android smartphone with decent performance and built quality? Then you should consider giving Motorola a try. The under-marketed brand (here in Malaysia) has dropped the pricing for its three most popular smartphones.

The sexy RAZR is now RM1,699 from RM1,999. We’ve been using the RAZR for a while now and it just gets better and better with each firmware update. Motorola has also significantly improved the camera performance with the latest firmware update. Built-quality is top drawer and despite the ultra-thin form-factor the RAZR is tough as nails. We can attest to this having dropped the device from various heights on a variety of surfaces – including ultra-abrasive tarmac – numerous times. If you are not one to go with the Galaxy S II crowd, the RAZR is definitely worth a look especially now with the reduced pricing.

The Atrix 2 and robust Defy+ have their pricing revised as well and honestly there’s a lot to like with the pair, it’s just that Motorola Malaysia is not marketing the devices as much as they should.

The Atrix 2 is now RM1,399 from RM1,599, it features a 4.3-inch 960×540 pixels display, 1Ghz dual-core processor, 8MP rear camera with 1080p video, 21mbps HSPA+ connectivity and a 1785mAh batter.

The all-weather Motorola Defy+ is now RM899 from RM1,099 with a 1Ghz single-core processor, 512MB RAM, 3.7-inch display with 854×480 pixel resolution and a 1,700mAh battery

If you’ve been eyeing for a Galaxy Tab 7.7, now you have an alternative choice for bundling on Maxis from as low as RM1,299. Interestingly the RRP is now listed at RM1,899 which is RM200 less than its original launch pricing of RM2,099.

The Super AMOLED tablet is offered on Maxis Internet Value Plan 50 & 75 which comes with 1.5GB and 3.5GB respectively. In terms of contract duration, there’s 12 months and 24 months option.

Head over to Maxis tablet page for the full details.

The time is finally here for all you Samsung Galaxy Note owners out there. Cruzer Lite — makers of the hit Androidified line of TPU cases for the Galaxy Nexus and Droid Razr and Razr Maxx — is ready to outfit your G-Note in style with 14 all new “Personas of Andy” designs. There’s pretty much something here for everybody with designs of our beloved “Bugdroid” displayed in a variety of styles and designs, and all being offered for the low price of $15.



If you were really hoping to get one of their Androidified cases (the ones we featured and gave away a few weeks ago) for your Galaxy Note, Cruzer Lite did let us know that those should be made available in the coming days. We’ll definitely keep you posted and may even have a little something special planned for you guys as well.



As always, if you feel like dressing up and protecting your device with these Persona cases, enter the code: BUY2GET1 at checkout for Cruzer Lites special buy 2, get one 1 free deal. Now you can change up the look of your device on whim to better suit your mood for the day.

Though attention has shifted to Huawei’s quad-core devices since January, the Ascend P1 still looks to make a splash. The handset, which was first unveiled at CES, looks to make its debut in April according to news out of a recent Huawei event. The phone will launch first in China and follow up with releases in Europe, Russia, Japan, and Australia. A potential North American release was not detailed.
The Huawei Ascend P1, though specced with a dual-core processor and 4.3-inch qHD display, is lacking in wow factor compared to the ultra-thin Ascend P1 S (featuring near identical internal hardware) and the quad-core Ascend D Quad. It still looks to be among the best Huawei has ever offered. Considering the manufacturer’s history of entry level devices, that’s not a hard mark to meet.

Click Image to enlarge

P1′s HSBB plans dubbed “P1 Fiber” was revealed yesterday with consumer plans starting from RM169 monthly. Just like its existing OnePlans, the package comes with a home and outdoor modem solution.

Naturally most users will compare P1 Fiber service directly with the other HSBB players such as Unifi and Maxis. Although they looked the same there’s a big difference in terms of bundled extras such as voice calls, IPTV, add-on broadband and etc. Click on the table above to view the comparison.

In terms of all round solution, TM has a well balanced offering with unlimited calls to TM’s wide network of nationwide fixed lines and HyppTV IPTV service. For those who are already a Maxis subscribers and make more phone calls to Maxis numbers and overseas, their Home Broadband solution seems to more inticing with its generous bundling of voice calls including IDD and mobile. For P1, the key differentiation would be the 1Mbps mobile broadband with dedicated 3GB of quota. Despite having the “OnePlan” naming, the mobile broadband doesn’t share the home broadband quota.

All 3 come with 24 months contract and charges RM200 for installation. Currently TM and Maxis are waiving the installation charges. In terms of Fair Use Policy (FUP) enforcement, both TM & Maxis have yet to impose them which means it is still unlimited download for now.

P1′s Fiber service is expected to be launched this week and they are likely to offer introductory promotions to entice new subscribers. All P1 Fiber details above are derived from yesterday’s discovery. To stay competitive, P1 might just offer installation waiver and unlimited quota for a limited time.