My Crappy Life | Syed ™

Samsung Galaxy S II i9100G owners can now do the happy dance as Samsung has started rolling out Android 4.0 update for the TI OMAP-based device. The update is currently being released across several countries but it is not considered as a global release just yet so users in Malaysia may or may not have received the update. If you’re an i900G owner, check Kies of any update notifications. If there is any please do let us know so that we can update this post. Thanks in advanced. In the meantime, check out the new features you will enjoy with ICS on the Galaxy S II. Here’s a comparison between a Galaxy S II running Android 2.3 Gingerbread and a Galaxy S II running ICS

A new Sony mobile device has made an early appearance, rumoured as the entry level Sony ST21i that carries the codename “Tapioca”.

The device is said to carry a Qualcomm MSM7227 800MHz processor, 3.2″ HVGA display (320×480), 512MB of RAM and a 3MP camera. It comes with a 1,460mAh battery with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich installed. Spec and screensize wise, the ST21i is a model below the Xperia neo L which was announced recently with Ice Cream Sandwich installed. In terms of design, it does have an elevated display design like the Xperia Sola but we won’t expect it to come with the Floating Touch feature.

Earlier on we’ve seen some sample pics of the upcoming Sony LT29i and now it was recently spotted in the wild. From the blurry pic, the new device codename “Hayabusa” seems to be utilising on-screen buttons just like the Galaxy Nexus.

According to XperiaBlog, the LT29i will come with a 4.55″ screen pushing 1196×720, a dual-core 1.5GHz processor that could possibly be a Qualcomm S4 MSM8960 and a new improved 13MP camera. Other rumoured specs include a 16GB on board storage, microSD card support, 1GB of RAM, NFC, LTE and a 1,700mAh battery.
The LT29i is expected to be launched sometime in July with a higher price tag than the Xperia S.

The device that you’re looking at is apparently the much anticipated Galaxy S III. Whether it is or not, we can’t be certain at this point but it does look very much like the illustration in the leaked service manual posted earlier.

Whether this is the next Galaxy or not, one thing is for certain, it’s not really much of a looker and it’s certainly a design that we’ve seen before – the Galaxy Nexus.

If this is indeed the upcoming Galaxy smartphone, Samsung’s definitely not going to break new grounds with in terms of design. In terms of hardware, there’s nothing groundbreaking either. With a quad-core processor confirmed for the new Galaxy, Samsung is not the first to arrive at the party and almost all of the flagship Androids released this year is expected to pack a four-core processor and then some.

So what will the next Galaxy bring in terms of innovations? The answer is obvious. The next big thing in mobile devices will be software the features it brings. We’re certainly expecting a lot from Samsung with its new flagship smartphone and a faster processor, a better camera in a thinner body ain’t going to cut it anymore.

It’s going to be interesting to see what innovations Samsung will bring with TouchWhiz. Come May 3, let’s see what Samsung’s got.

Last month, Sony was rumored to be bringing out a flagship phone this Summer. Codenamed LT29i Hayabusa, we had little to go on than an idea of what it’d look like and what chipset it’d house (Snapdragon S4). Today, a Chinese blog may have revealed the full slate of details we’ve been looking for. We’ve learned that the variant of the S4 processor may be that of the S4 Pro, an SoC with an upgraded GPU compared to the norm.

There’s also supposed to be a 13MP camera with HDR video recording capabilities and superior lowlight performance, a 4.55 inch HD reality display, a 2200mAh battery and will be around 7 millimeters thin. It looks to be a beast of a phone whenever it launches, a phone that may hit store shelves as the Xperia GX. As a quick added bonus, check out some photo samples from a phone said to have the same sensors below.

Bits and pieces of the Samsung Galaxy S III are starting to surface as we are just a week away from the May 3rd Unpacked event. This time, Sammobile claims to have a copy of the upcoming Galaxy service manual which reveals a bit more on the specification and design.

The design matches earlier speculation with a less boxy look with more rounded and curved edges. We’re probably looking at a design that’s similar to the HTC One X and the Galaxy Nexus.

The biggest anticipation would be the choice of materials used for the body. Samsung is popularly known for its plasticky body but they have done a good job in making it feel premium with textured design. At the moment, rumours are suggesting new materials like ceramic.

According to the spec sheet, it shows 1.5GHz Quad core although it was announced yesterday that the new Galaxy will be running on a 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad processor. For display, it is written as 4.8″ Super AMOLED MIPI and comes with a 8MP camera with assisted flash. Perhaps just like the prototypes, Samsung is also messing around with unconfirmed draft service manual copies to prevent leaks like this.

Samsung is definitely doing a better job in managing possible leaks this time around. All we can say is stay tuned this coming 3rd May for the official reveal.

Samsung today has revealed its first ever quad core processor, the Exynos 4 Quad. It is based on 4 Cortex A9 built on 32nm HKMG process that’s clocked at 1.4GHz. Compared to the previously announced 2GHz dual-core Exynos 5250 processor, the new Exynos 4 Quad boast double the processing power with 20% less power consumption. It will be interesting to see how does its processing power and battery life stack up against the Nvidia’s Tegra 3 4-Plus-1 quad core solution. In addition, it also boasts better image processing for photos with its energy efficient internal ISP solution as well as seamless Full HD content playback with its multi format codec (MFC). The Exynos 4 Quad is currently in production and will be used for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy model. More information on the Exynos 4 Quad here. Head after the break for the promo video.

If you’ve ever been wondering whether the next Galaxy from Samsung will indeed be called the Galaxy S III or is it really going to use the model number GT-i9300, the answer is yes on both accounts. It was recently spotted on Samsung’s very own Kies app that the GT-i9300 model for the Samsung Galaxy S III. Spotted by SamMobile, the Kies software – that is used for syncing purposes – has 2 Galaxy S III models – GT-i9300 and GT-i9300T; “T” could stand for a different radio frequency or a different carrier. Unfortunately, Kies may leak the model number but the real device remains unknown; it uses a Galaxy Note for the image instead of the real device.

A new Samsung GT-I9300 prototype has leaked onto the internets, posing once again for the camera. And while at first glace it seems as if there’s nothing new here, those with a keen eye will notice the inclusion of a new, what appears to be, a customized virtual menu button for Samsung’s TouchWiz’d UI on top of Android 4.0 (below).
It’s not uncommon for manufacturers to actually add functionality with the skins the place on top of stock Android, and it looks like Samsung is addressing an issue that has bugged many when making the transition over to Android 4.0. You can see from these images, taken by a Chinese forum site called Mobile01, the prototype Galaxy S III still features the same, boring casing Samsung has used to disguise their next flagship whenever it leaves for testing.
I remember someone once saying that the inclusion of virtual buttons in ICS gives Google control of placement but it looks like it’s provided an easier method for OEM’s to shuffle around those buttons and mess with their users “just because.” You guys happy to see a bigger, drop-down like menu button? Here’s to hoping TouchWiz will allow for further customizing of the rest

The 5.3″ Samsung Galaxy Note is now more affordable with its pricing now slashed from RM2,299 to RM1,999. This is a rather hefty RM300 reduction and could be an indication that its next Galaxy S III flagship device would be coming very soon. In terms of telco offering, Maxis, DiGi, & Celcom has revised its bundled pricing respectively. If you’ve been eyeing for a extra large device that’s perfect for scribbling or watching movies on the go, now probably is a good time to get one.

The anticipation is going through the roof. After a teaser site, Samsung released a teaser video that aside from the glaring stab at the Apple crowd, tells you very little about the new Galaxy smartphone. But is the teaser video just another opportunity for Samsung to poke fun at iSheeps? We don’t think so. We feel that Samsung wants to tell us more about the next Galaxy that it first seems. We analysed the clip and found what we feel are some important clues about the next Galaxy – a device that is shaping up to be the most anticipated Android smartphone ever launched since the Nexus One. Let’s take a look. The video begins with a bold statement – “Truly smart technology becomes a natural part of life”. This suggests to us that the next Galaxy will feature a design that places a considerable emphasis on ergonomics as well as technology and features that bring a level of man-machine interaction that is unlike anything the world has ever seen. What this new level of man-machine interaction is exactly remains to be seen but the earlier rumours of eye-tracking technology are one possibility that comes to mind. The other strong statement in the teaser is “Where a galaxy fits perfectly into your hand”. This suggests that Samsung will be showcasing a new design approach for the next Galaxy, one that focuses heavily on ergonomics and tactile feel. This relates very closely to the many rumours about the next Galaxy being made out of ceramic. This also suggests that the next Galaxy will feature a design language that is far removed from previous Galaxy devices. Though we don’t think Samsung will use ceramics in the new Galaxy but the device will feel like it was made out of the material. That’s pretty much what we can gather from the teaser video. Of course none of this is confirmed but after sifting through the many rumours, we feel there are some connections to be made. What remains to be seen now is whether we are right or completely wrong. Thankfully, the wait won’t be long and we’re expecting more details to make its way to the public space as we move closer and closer to the May 3 launch date.

Adobe's biggest day of 2012? Go ahead, don't be afraid to call it what it (probably) is. For starters, the outfit is introducing Creative Suite 6 to the world in formal fashion, with 14 applications either unveiled or refreshed. Photoshop CS6 is graduating from beta -- seeing an update that'll provide "near instant results" thanks to the Mercury Graphics Engine -- while Content-Aware Patch and Content-Aware Move are sure to please artists suffering from the "Surely you can fix this in post!" clientele backlash. Adobe Muse is happily entering the scene for the first time, described as a "radical tool that'll enables designers to create and publish HTML5 web sites without writing code." (We're still waiting for Flash to comment.)

In related news, those who aren't up for paying $1,299 (and up) for one of the new suites can try something a bit different: monthly installments. That's coming courtesy of Creative Cloud, an quasi-new initiative designed to harness the power of cloud-based app distribution and streaming in a way that'll make CS6 more accessible than any of the packs that came before. You can tap into CS6's amenities over your broadband connection for $74.99 per month, while those who agree to an annual subscription can get in for $49.99 per month. To be clear, that provides unbridled access to any CS6 tool: Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Premiere Pro and AfterEffects, and the rest of the gang. If you're jonesing for Photoshop alone, that one will be available for $29.99 per month month (no contract) or $19.99 per month (annual agreement). There's no set release date just yet, but we're told to expect the new goods "within 30 days," and pre-orders seem to be a go. Head on down to the source links for more details on each individual aspect, and catch a promo video for the cloud-based subscription offering just after the break.

Samsung has started a timer at a special teaser site called tgeltaayehxnx. The scrambed text is actually an anagram for “The Next Galaxy” which makes it obvious what this teaser is for.
While the official Galaxy S III is set to be revealed next Thursday (3rd May), we could be seeing split second glances of the new device like the Galaxy Nexus in its Unpacked teaser video. Hopefully it looks nothing like the prototypes we’ve seen so far.

It’s all happening at 7PM tonight at http://www.tgeltaayehxnx.com.

The HTC One X features a unibody polycarbonate design which is tough enough to withstand day to day abuse. Surpringly, HTC is reported to be introducing a series of case for the HTC One X that comes in striking colours.
The folks at Android Central managed to get a hands-on of the new case which they claim to be good in the hands and easily removable. Initially we thought the case might be able to protect the bulging camera but the case seems too thin to provide additional padding around the area.

ASUS's G-series has been warming the laps of gamers for a while, whether it's the smart G74 or the elder statesman G73JH. The newest splinter of the G-team, however, is the G55 line. Right now, it's the G55VW-DS71 that's just had its specifications splayed out for all to see. It'll be a quad-core i7-3610QM Ivy Bridge chip calling the shots, with a 2GB NVIDIA GTX 660M providing graphical backup. A solid 12GB of DDR3, 1,333MHz RAM and a 750GB HDD will come with the configuration mentioned here. There are two drive bays, though, so you can set it up to your liking, and higher spec versions of this 15.6" machine will be coming in the future. It's only up for pre-order at the moment, but $1,475 will make sure it finds its way to you once released, hopefully around the end of this month -- the Intel gods willing.

The device was a mystery until a couple of days ago. The official HTC Japanese website let the info leak through its hands. It was quickly pulled from the site, but only to be officially announced the day after.
The device is now scheduled for release during the summer (2012) for the Japanese Market. Sadly, it will probably not be reaching other countries. Based on its specs, though, it seems like it could just be another version of the HTC One S in a much different package.


HTC J Specifications

• Android 4.0 with HTC Sense 4
• 4.3-inch qHD OLED display
• 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor
• 1 GB of RAM
• 8 MP rear-facing camera / 1.3 MP front-facing camera
• 4G WiMAX connectivity
• Beats Audio

Our fellow Japanese Android fans can look forward to this one. Pricing information is not yet available, but it will be released for Japanese carrier KDDI. As for us, we will have to go for the other HTC One S versions.

Ladies and gentlemen, we’d like to officially introduce you to the Samsung Galaxy S III. If the design of the handset looks a bit uninspired, that’s because test units of the Samsung Galaxy S III have all been built inside a temporary shell meant to disguise the phone and keep the final design of the handset a mystery until it is finally unveiled on May 3rd in London.

According to Tinhte (a Vietnamese technology blog), the specs in the handset pictured above match those of the Samsung GT-i9300 which surfaced recently. There is no guarantee that the Samsung Galaxy S III will ship with the specs listed below, but they do appear to be more reasonable than some of the more outlandish spec rumors we have heard in the past.

• 4.6-inch SuperAMOLED 720p display (320 DPI)
• 1.4GHz quad-core processor
• 1GB of RAM
• 16GB of internal storage and microSD card slot
• 8 megapixel camera with LED flash and 1080 video capture
• 2,050 mAh battery
• NFC radio integration
• Android 4.0.3 with Samsung’s TouchWiz UI

For a closer look that the Samsung Galaxy S III (or whatever the handset will eventually be named), check out the embedded video and image gallery.

Korean newspaper Maeil Business believes that Samsung's finally ironed out the kinks in its S-Cloud service and will unveil it alongside the Galaxy S III at next month's event. The Korean giant will reportedly offer an "unlimited service" with less of the content or storage restrictions imposed by iCloud. It'll also apparently come with a VOD-store, offering up audio and video content for a fee, presumably beside what's available in Google Play. It's also reporting that the company's Media Solution Center has asked Microsoft to join KT and Amazon in developing the infrastructure to ensure a smooth launch. Either way, it's not long now until we know for certain, so be sure to join us on May 3rd for the whole story.

A screen protector is just an overpriced plastic sheet that does very little in protecting the screen of your prized smartphone. Sure it’ll keep the screen of your phone free from scratches but drop your phone on the pavement and there’s really nothing much a flimsy screen protector can do to protect it from the impact. That is unless you use Buff – a screen protector that is incredibly tough, capable of withstanding knocks from a mug, a hammer and even a brick.

What makes the Buff screen protector special is its construction which consists of four impact absorbing and dispersing layers. This special construction not only make the Buff screen protector tough as nails but also help it reduce air bubbles trapped beneath the protector if the protector is not properly applied. Buff says unsightly bubbles will disappear within 24-48 hours, depending on room temperature.

Wondering where you can get a Buff screen protector? Currently, no one knows how or where to get one. At this point, they don’t appear to be available on the BUFF website, although word has it that these ultra-tough screen protectors are going for around US$20 — $30 around the web. Good luck finding one. And if you do find one, let us know.

Celcom is offering up discounts and freebies on tablets, smartphones and at the I Love Tablet Fair 2012 happening in Kuantan this weekend (20 – 22 April) 10am to 10pm at the East Coast Mall.

Some of the Deals on offer include:

-From RM1,228 for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 with subscription to either the Broadband Lite + Voice @ RM38/month, Broadband Basic + Voice @ RM58/month or the Broadband Advance + Voice plan @ RM88/month.
-From RM918 for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 with subscription to either the Celcom Exec 50 + mBasic @ RM78/month, Celcom Exec 50 + mAdvance @ RM98/month or the Broadband Basic + Voice @ RM58/month.
-From RM1,178 for the Galaxy Tab 10.1 with subscription to either the Broadband Basic @ RM58/month or the Broadband Advance plan @ RM88/month.
-The Galaxy Tab 8.9 is also on offer from RM1,288 with subscription to either the Broadband Basic @ RM58/month or the Broadband Advance plan @ RM88/month. For the Galaxy Tab 8.9, Celcom is throwing in a keyboard dock worth RM299 for free as well.

The Celcom I Love Tablet Fair 2012 brings some interesting deals on the latest smartphones as well like the HTC One X from 1,358 with and the One V from RM398, both with subscription. Celcom will also offer a RM120 rebate across 12 months when you sign up for any Celcom Exec plan at the fair.

The Sony Xperia S is also on offer from RM1,218 with subscription. Celcom is giving away the Sony LiveView worth RM288 to the first 20 customers to sign up with them.

Beyond these deals, Celcom say there’s a lot more going on at the I Love Tablet Fair 2012 in Kuantan’s East Coast mall with surprise deals and discounts offered on the spot. So if you’re in Kuantan and don’t have anything to do this weekend, you might want to drop by at the East Coast Mall to see what Celcom has in store.

For full details on deals and offers at the the Celcom I Love Tablet Fair 2012, click here.

Whoa, there. We're still weeks away from an official big stage unveiling, but it looks like Samsung's next Galaxy phone is already out there. Vietnamese site Tinhte, which has past form on these kind of things, has got it hands on the GT-I9300 -- purportedly the Galaxy S III if Samsung decides to follow its own naming convention. According to the specifications leaked, the phone houses a 4.6-inch display at 720 x 1184 resolution (320 DPI, depending on whether you include those on-screen Android buttons), while a quad-core 1.4 GHz processor works on keeping the Ice Cream Sandwich OS running smoothly. Other hardware mentions include 1GB of RAM, 8-megapixel camera, 16GB of storage plus microSD capability.

According to Tinhte, the 2,050mAh battery will arrive with NFC capabilities baked in, like the Galaxy Nexus before it. There's an iffy plastic rim surrounding to the whole device that has apparently been added not to ruin the surprise of how the device looks ahead of its official launch. While we've seem some similar hardware leaks already, this video makes a very strong case for it being the real deal. Take a look for yourself right after the break, alongside a picture of the back.

Update: It looks our source link has disappeared and the video has now gone private. Fortunately, we grabbed our own copy of the video and you can find it below.

Update 2: We reached out to Samsung for a comment, and here's the not-so-surprising response:

"We will be able to tell you more at the 2012 Samsung Mobile Unpacked."

By now, many of you have had your eye on the HTC One X since it was released in Europe a few weeks ago. For us here in the states, we’re simply waiting until May 6th for the device to arrive on AT&T before we have decide if we’re going to pony up the cash for it. But whenever buying a new device, there’s often one question that sits in the back of everyone’s mind. One that not too many people are brave enough (or have pockets deep enough) to find out the answer to. How well can this device — the HTC One X in this case — survive a drop? It’s almost too painful to even think about.
Well, the boys at HTCPedia were brave/crazy enough to find out the answer to this question by subjecting their HTC One X to a variety of common drop scenarios, first one at hip height, then the more unlikely shoulder height drop, and finally, the worst scenario that could ever befall a device, that 1 in 6 chance a phone actually lands flat on its screen. How well did the HTC One X perform? This one’s hard to watch.



Dropping your brand new device onto cold, hard pavement is a very real possibility that most owners will experience at some point in their handset’s life. What’s funny is even the sound of a device hitting the ground is almost universally identifiable, sending shivers down the spine of anyone who cares about their phones as much as Android fans do. It’s almost like dropping a child.

Okay, this will be the last of the Galaxy S III rumors for the night, I promise. If you were wondering if Samsung would opt for a new, more advanced dual-core Exynos processor in the global version Galaxy S III, or go with a quad-core variant, apparently, folks at The Verge got the answer today from their sources. Looks like Samsung will, in fact, go with the quad-core Exynos for the next iteration of the Galaxy S series letting the world know that more is better (or at least playing into that stigma). According to the source we can expect, “superlaxative benchmarks” or something to that degree. Keep in mind, it’s still very possible that Samsung could opt for different processors based on regional carrier compatibility, similar to what HTC did with the One X to get it working properly on AT&T’s 4G LTE network.
And, while there’s been some talk that the Samsung “Galaxy S III” title hasn’t been officially set it stone, one of our readers did a little sleuthing around and found an interesting late night tidbit on Samsung’s official site. Seems if you jump to http://www.samsung.com/galaxysIII the URL will be formatted and forwarded to a new address, in which the URL will eventually take you to the typical “Page Not Found” message. What’s interesting is that if you try something a little more crazy and totally off the wall, like http://www.samsung.com/galaxysyomomma you’ll notice that a new page is present but different from the previous one. No formatting. No forwarding. Nothing.

When the iPhone 4S was launched, most telcos are offering all in one plans with bundled voice, text and data. With more people getting onto the Whatsapp, Skype and other VOIP/IM bandwagon, not many would need that much talktime and bundled SMS. To address such usage patterns, DiGi is finally offering the iPhone 4S on DG Smart Plan 48, 68 and 88 which comes with 1GB-5GB monthly data quotas.

The full DiGi bundled pricing for the iPhone 4S as follows:

DG Smart Plan 48 (iPhone 4S 16GB) RM1,849
DG Smart Plan 48 (iPhone 4S 32GB) RM2,149
DG Smart Plan 48 (iPhone 4S 64GB) RM2,449

DG Smart Plan 68 (iPhone 4S 16GB) RM1,699
DG Smart Plan 68 (iPhone 4S 32GB) RM1,999
DG Smart Plan 68 (iPhone 4S 64GB) RM2,299

DG Smart Plan 88 (iPhone 4S 16GB) RM1,549
DG Smart Plan 88 (iPhone 4S 32GB) RM1,849
DG Smart Plan 88 (iPhone 4S 64GB) RM2,149

iDiGi 88/138/238 (iPhone 4S 16GB) RM2,090
iDiGi 88/138/238 (iPhone 4S 32GB) RM2,390
iDiGi 88/138/238 (iPhone 4S 64GB) RM2,690

From the above device pricing, the iDiGi plans look more pricey but in actual fact, DiGi subsidise heavily on the monthly subscription instead of the device on iDiGi contract. As usual, all iPhone 4S contracts on DiGi are tied to 24 months duration.

For more information, head over to DiGi.

Maxis too has offered something similar a few weeks ago by bundling the iPhone 4S on its Internet Value 50 and Internet Value 75 which comes with 1.5GB – 3.5GB monthly data quotas.

he next Galaxy or anticipated as the Galaxy S III is a one of the best guarded secrets at the moment. With just 2 weeks away from its May 3rd reveal, we have yet to see a confirmed leak unlike other smart phones we’ve seen before.

Just recently BGR Brasil has released photos which purported is the upcoming Galaxy S III. They have reported that the device is thinner, heavier and comes with a 12MP shooter. Looking at the photo above, it does resemble the earlier leaked i9300 which isn’t the new flagship phone that we’ve been waiting for.

However taking a closer look at the photo above, there’s a difference with the i9300 that we saw earlier. If you noticed, the front of the device seems to be encased in another body. From the looks of it, it does look like a Galaxy Nexus inside. The front home button looks dodgy and we might potentially see a button-less design in the final product.

It appears that Samsung is adding mock design or cases to thwart premature leaks of its upcoming product. A very smart way to prevent sharp shooters of catching it in public while their product guys are doing real life test. If the “additional” case theory is true, the upcoming device could be even thinner and lighter than what was earlier reported. Since Samsung is extremely cautious, it is possible that there are multiple test prototypes and the final product could be extremely different from what we’ve seen so far.

It is tax filling month and most people would like to save as much as possible through tax relief incentives. One of such tax relief is for computer purchases made every 3 years which entitles you a relief up to RM3,000.

In this day and age, tablets such as iPads, Galaxy Tabs, Transformer, Xoom & Playbook have been gaining popularity. So are these new devices entitled for such tax relief?

According to someone who have asked, LHDN has replied:

if the tablet computer only have computer features and is for home and family use only, then it will be treated as “computer” and is entitled to the personal income tax relief of up to RM3,000, claimable once in 3 years.

So this means, tablets including iPad are included in the tax relief as long as it is for personal and not for business use. However there’s another condition, it must not have any mobile phone features. If the tablet allows normal mobile calls and sends text messages, you’re not allowed entitled for this relief. Sorry Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, Tab 7.7 and Galaxy Note users.

So currently the safest option is if you purchased an iPad, Playbook and WiFi only Android Tablet. To be extra sure, it is best to double check with the folks at LHDN. Who knows they might expand the definition again.

(Soyacincau)

This is, well, a little strange. The fine folks over at Netbooknews are reporting that Samsung has ended production on the GT P5100 -- better known as the Galaxy Tab 2 10.1. The story comes courtesy of an unnamed "Korean Samsung insider" who claims the device is getting upgraded to a quad-core CPU. Whether the chip in question is the much lauded 32nm Exynos 4412, which packs not only four Cortex A9 cores, but four Mali 604 GPU cores as well, is unknown. It's also not clear how this is going to affect US launch plans. Rumors are the Galaxy Note 10.1 will be getting a similar brain transplant before hitting the market. Sadly, all we can do right now hold our breath and wish real hard that both will hit shelves sooner rather than later and with an extra pair of cores in tow. Sammy better get a move on too if it's gonna have to give Uncle Sam another crack at this slate.

(Endgadget)

This is it people. Samsung has confirmed that it will unveil the next Galaxy smartphone on May 3 at a special Samsung Unpacked event happening in London based from Tweakers.net, who’ve received an official invite from the Korean company. An anonymous Samsung employee has also confirmed the news to DDaily over in Korea. In addition to this, Samsung via its official Twitter account released what is believed to be the same image as the official invite.

In the invite, Samsung is very careful not to reveal the name of the new Galaxy smartphone. While the consensus is for the Galaxy S II replacement to be called the Galaxy S III, Samsung has not confirmed this, which also leads to the possibility of the much anticipated device to be called something else entirely OR that it could also mean that Samsung is referring to a totally different Galaxy device altogether.

Very little about the Galaxy S III – or the “next Galaxy” (sounds similar to Apple’s decision to call the iPad 3, the new iPad!) is known to the public. Speculations are rife but not much has been confirmed. Top on the list of specs expected to make it to the next Galaxy is a 1.5Ghz quad-core Exynos processor with 1GB RAM, a 12MP camera with 1080p video and built-in software with special effects like slow-mo and time-lapse mode. In addition, the camera is said to be capable of shooting videos at 60fps (standard is 30fps). There’s also a 4.8-inch 720p Super AMOLED HD display with a 1280×720 pixel resolution and a 305ppi pixel density promising a razor sharp viewing experience.

Other specs include NFC support, a 1.3MP front camera with 720p video and a removable 1,750mAh battery and 32GB of on board storage. In terms of dimensions, the Galaxy S III is said to have a thickness of 8mm – not ultra-thin but still thin by today’s standards.

While the specs look promising, we’re still not seeing anything spectacular. There are rumours that the that the device will be made out of ceramic and Samsung will embed wireless charging technology in the Galaxy S III but these nuggets of info, like the rest, are still rumours.

By now, most of you already have your calendars marked for May 3rd. That’s the day the Galaxy S III, Samsung’s best kept secret, will be unveiled unto the world. As that date draws nearer, the folks at BGR are claiming another “breaksclusive,” this time revealing some of the alleged specs we can look forward to from Samsung’s next flagship.
According to sources, the GSIII will be available in both a 16GB and 32GB versions, feature the rumored quad-core Exynos processor with LTE compatibility and will also — get this — come with a 1080p HD display. This is the second exclusive from BGR where they mentioned the 1080p display and I wouldn’t take that spec with anything more than a grain of salt. While manufacturers love to best other OEM’s devices when it comes to specs, at the same time, they also have to give themselves some elbow room to grow for the next year’s model. Leap frogging over a 720p HD display when current Galaxy S II’s only feature WVGA, just doesn’t make much sense business wise. I’d be willing to bet a SAMOLED Plus 720p HD display will be the official spec. If I’m wrong on this, I’ll eat my underpants.
It was also said that the Samsung is prepping for a huge marketing push where the Galaxy S III will be featured as the official smartphone of the 2012 Summer Olympics. With the attention of just about every country in the world watching the games, Samsung has also planned for simultaneous launch event for the GS3 to occur in New York (US), Seoul (Korea) and Dubai (somewhere near Florida I believe?). We wont have to wait too much longer to see if these rumors pan out, but just don’t go expecting pink unicorns or else you may end up disappointed.

You know how prices of gadgets always drop drastically over some time, especially when a newer technology comes by? Well, with the introduction of newer phones especially those announced at the recent MWC 2012, the existing ones like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy Note, Galaxy Tab 7.7 and HTC Sensation XL are now cheaper and so, it’s time for telcos to revise their price. DiGi recently lowered its package price for the above mentioned devices so check out the new prices compared with the old.










(Lowyat.net)

Will 2012 be the year you buy a smartwatch? I have dreamed of a smartwatch that did not suck for a long time, and it looks like this year might finally be the time to purchase one.

Back in 2010, I pleaded with people to buy the Sony Liveview, in hopes they would make a better model in the following years. Sony listened to feedback and this year they debuted the Sony Smartwatch at $149, which has been met with mostly positive reviews. It features an improved color OLED display with multitouch, support for lots more apps, average battery life of 3-4 days, and it can be found online for as low as $117.

Sony’s Smartwatch looks impressive and I still might order one, but in the last week the upcoming Pebble watch has been getting a lot of buzz and now I’m having second thoughts.



Pebble launched a Kickstarter project to raise $100,000 for their e-paper watch. In a little under a week, they have raised over $3,100,000 from 22,204 backers and the support keeps coming in.

So what makes the Pebble so special? For starters, it supports both Android and iPhone, which will attract a larger group of developers to make applications. Compared with the Sony Smartwatch, the Pebble offers roughly double the battery life (7 days) and it will be waterproof.

The Pebble should also be infinitely customizable. It will ship with a handful of downloadable watchfaces and its own official app store, but Pebble has provided the tools that will allow almost any geek to tweak the smartwatch to their liking. It features integration with ifttt.com (perfect for non-coders), a RESTful API (for medium-coders), and a full SDK (for boss coders).

Like the Sony Smartwatch, the Pebble will debut with a suggested retail price around $150. However, you can score one of the first Jet Black Pebble watches when it launches later this year by pledging only $115. If you pledge an additional $10, then you can pick one Pebble in any color (choose from Arctic White, Cherry Red, Voter’s choice or Jet Black).

We don’t know exactly when the Pebble will launch, but it’s expected to ship sometime around September. Those who pledged $235 for the hacker special will receive a prototype watch in August so they can start coding their apps early.

Looking at the Sony Smartwatch and Pebble, each one has its own advantages. The Sony model is available for purchase today and it features a multi-touch color display, while the Pebble will have a longer battery life and likely more developer support.

The Samsung Galaxy S Advance is finally announced in Malaysia with the retail price tag of RM1,299. This model comes right between the Galaxy W and the Samsung Galaxy S II.

The Galaxy S Advance comes with a slightly curved 4.0″ Super AMOLED screen that pushes 800×480 pixels resolution and a dual-core 1.0GHz processor with 768MB RAM. It comes with a 5MP main camera with assisted flash and a front facing 1.3MP camera. Although it looks like a mini Galaxy Nexus, the 5MP shooter is only capable of shooting 720p HD videos.

Juicing up the device is a 1,500mAh battery and internally the Galaxy S Advance runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The version that’s coming to Malaysia comes with 8GB of storage which is expandable via microSD up to 32GB.

This is probably the last model to be introduced before the unveiling of Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy model next month, which we’re hoping is the Galaxy S III. If not, we might be seeing another stop gap model in the form of i9300 with a high density display.

This is it. If you’re anticipating for the high resolution new iPad, your wait is finally over as Apple has announced 20th April 2012 as the official availability for Malaysia and other 11 countries including South Korea and Brunei. Our neighbouring Thailand will be getting theirs the following Friday on 27th April.

Pricing wise we don’t expect deviation from the current RM1,499 starting price for the 16GB WiFi version. As for the 4G + WiFi version, although it isn’t fully supported in Malaysia, we believe it will still make an entrance considering it supports 3G and HSPA+ speeds up to 42Mbps.

The new iPad isn’t a huge leap forward compared to the previous version apart from the high resolution screen, faster processor and improved 5MP camera. The new version is slightly thicker and heavier but it shouldn’t be that noticeable. If being the latest isn’t a priority, you can snap the iPad 2 from the Apple Online Store from just RM1,199 while stocks last.

Just as promised, Sony has started rolling out Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update for Sony Xperia models launched in 2011. Currently the roll out has commenced with Xperia owners in the Nordic region.

Xperia Blog has posted a brief first impression of the update on the Xperia arc S. So far, according to them, their Xperia arc S doesn’t feel any faster or slower after the update.

Among the changes are quick dial, new recent apps viewer, quick response for incoming calls, improved email app and better monitoring & control over mobile data. To maintain an optimal user experience, they have included a Performance Assistant which lets you disable certain apps from running for better performance.

There’s the Cosmic Flow wallpaper that we’ve seen from the Xperia S but it isn’t the live version. To screen capture, it is no longer accessible with the power button. Instead it is now activated by pressing the power and volume down button together. Overall, while it brings up the version up a notch to 4.0.3, some features have to be disabled or watered down for a decent user experience. Obviously there’s no Face Unlock since the arc S lacks a front facing camera.

The next question is when will this roll out to the rest of the world and how long will it take for it to reach the latest Sony NXT Series line up.

I have never been a fan of "designer" phones, simply because I can’t remember one that isn’t outdated. But there really has to be a market for such devices considering someone seems to be rolling out another every now and then.
The latest devices in the category are the Prada-styled LG Optimus L series (the L3, L5 and L7). The L7 is the premier phone of the three, yet comes with only a single-core 1 GHz processor, 512 MB RAM, and 4GB on-board memory. On the good side, you’ve got a 4.3" IPS display and Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. There’s also a 5 MP camera and a microSD slot, and if you’re in France or other parts of Europe you can get the device unlocked for 319 Euros ($420) towards the end of this month. The L5 should be out in May, too, while there’s no word on the L3.

Can't say we're surprised, but Meizu's finally giving us the lowdown on the quad-core variant of its flagship Android smartphone. Simply dubbed the MX Quad-core, this new device will be powered by a Cortex-A9-based, 32nm HKMG (High-K Metal Gate) quad-core Samsung Exynos chip -- no word on the clock speed or RAM, but we're betting our money on the Exynos 4412 that goes up to 1.5GHz. Meizu claims this will save up to 20 percent of CPU power consumption compared to its dual-core counterpart. Also, the battery will be bumped up from 1,600mAh to 1,700mAh -- we shall see how much difference this makes when we eventually get our hands on the phone. And yes, in addition to the original white back cover, you'll be able to swap it with one of the five optional colored covers pictured above.

On the software side you'll get a Meizu-customized Ice Cream Sandwich system (aka Flyme OS), though it isn't clear whether the company will stick to its old promise of simultaneously releasing a vanilla ROM. The rest of the new phone's identical to the dual-core MX, especially the 4-inch 960 x 640 ASV display and the eight-megapixel BSI camera. While there's still no microSD expansion, here's some good news to make up for this flaw: the base model starts at 32GB and it'll cost the same as the current 16GB MX! In other words, come June the unsubsidized MX Quad-core will go from ¥2,999 (US$480) in China and HK$3,099 (US$400) in Hong Kong; and then there'll also be a 64GB version priced at ¥3,999 (US$635) and HK$4,099 (US$530), respectively. Meanwhile, starting today, the original MX is reduced to ¥2,399 (US$380) and HK$2,599 (US$335).