My Crappy Life | Syed ™

I’m sure the Asus and Google Nexus 7 needs no introduction, announced at Google I/O slightly less than 3 months ago, the 7” tablet from Google that is manufactured by Asus is finally here in Malaysia with a retail price of RM999 (16GB Wi-Fi only version). Launched here just last week, Asus and Google are only bringing in the 16GB model.

Just a quick reminder, Nexus 7 is the first tablet in Google Nexus line of devices and the lead device for Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Running on a NVIDIA Tegra 3 quad-core processor that enables a quick and snappy usage, the performance of the Nexus 7 is further enhanced by a 12-core GeForce GPU for advanced graphics. Thanks to the patented 4-PLUS-1 CPU design, you can enjoy maximum performance when you need it and power efficiency when you don’t.

Other specs on the Nexus 7 include Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, 1.2MP front camera, 4325mAh battery, 1GB of RAM, and dimension that measures at 198.5 x 120 x 10.45mm and weighs at 340g.







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You’re planning to get the iPhone 5 from Singapore but the new nano SIM card that the device uses is not yet available in Malaysia, what are you to do? Well, just get one from Maxis.

In a statement, Maxis has announced that it is the first mobile operator in Malaysia to introduce the nano SIM. Maxis says that customers who already have an iPhone 5 and those who plan to purchase the device in the future can get the nano SIM for RM25 starting September 24 at the Maxis centres stated below. Other Maxis Centres nationwide will offer the new SIM format by late September.

Klang Valley
KLCC
Taman Tun Dr. Ismail
Sunway Pyramid
The Gardens

Penang
Queensbay Mall

Johor Bahru
Danga Bay

Measuring 12.3×8.8 mm in size with a thickness of just 0.7mm, the nano SIM is 30% smaller and 15% thinner than current micro SIMs. Aside from the reduction in size and thickness, nano SIM continues uses the same smart card chips and offers the same functionality as current SIMs.





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The iPhone 5 is officially available yesterday in the first wave countries. While most owners will be treating their new gadgets with utmost care, Android Authority has taken the honours of giving it a drop test together with the Samsung Galaxy S III.

Will the iPhone 5 with its supposed sturdier build withstand more impact than the iPhone 4? Is the Galaxy S III tougher than a iPhone 5? Watch the video above to find out.

HTC has been rather quiet lately in the high end smart phone segment. The competition such as Samsung, Sony, Motorola and even LG has already up their game with their latest models and a new high-end model is due for the Taiwanese maker.

Now a new update of the HTC One X has surfaced which is said to be the HTC One X+. From what was leaked so far, the product facelift features an updated Quad-core Tegra 3 processor that runs at 1.6GHz (1.7GHz on single core mode), 1GB of RAM, 32GB of storage and runs on the latest Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS with HTC Sense 4.5.

Battery capacity is reportedly unchanged at 1,800mAh but the overall weight is slightly lighter at 129grams (HTC One X: 130grams). In terms of dimensions, the source revealed a shorter height at 133.4mm (HTC One X: 134.4mm) and slight thicker profile at 9.3mm (HTC One X: 8.9mm). According to GSMArena, there might be a possibility that the One X+ might feature a larger display up to 5.0″ but this has yet to be confirmed so far.

The next device that would be revealed is HTC’s Windows Phone 8 that’s rumoured to be called the HTC 8X. It is rumoured to have a 4.3″ 720p display, dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. Other details include a 8MP f/2.0 camera with 28mm lens and it also comes with NFC and Beats audio enhancement.

Both devices are expected to be revealed at HTC’s upcoming event on September 19. Head after the break for more details of the upcoming HTC 8X Windows Phone.



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Time has recently introduced its new Fibre 100Mbps Home Broadband that’s offered at only RM179/month. At 100Mbps, this is the fastest home fibre offering at the moment, beating the rest of the fibre players right now. Unlike the rest which offers unlimited quota until futher notice, the Fibre 100Mbps Home Broadband offering is limited to 100GB per month.

Based on their FAQ, there’s no installation or deposit charges for now and only monthly subscription fees apply. The subscription comes with a Cisco router and a free DECT phone. Just like other fibre plans in the market, the plan is tied with 24 months contract.

The high speed fibre comes with its own limit as well. Once the 100GB quota is reached, the download speed will be throttled to 1Mbps. To regain full speed, Time is offering quota top ups below:

1GB – RM10
5GB – RM25
10GB – RM50

Just like other Home Fibre offerings, Time also offers voice calls which are charged at 15sen/min. For those that make regular calls each month, there’s the Add-On Voice plan which bundles RM15 worth of credit and a lower 10sen/min call rate for just RM10/month. The voice plan also offers a low 8sen/min call rate to selected IDD destinations.

For users that use more than 100GB per month and need volume rather than speed, Time also has the Unlimited Home Broadband plans which comes with unlimited quota. Price starts from RM129/month for 8Mbps, all the way to RM399/month for 50Mbps. If you have the sudden need for speed, there’s a special 50Mbps boost option that’s being offered for plans below 50Mbps. Each month, you can have 30 hours of boost speed and if you need more, it can be purchased at RM10 for 2 hours, RM30 for 8 hours and RM50 for 20 hours.

Time Fibre is available at selected high rise residential condos and office buildings in the Klang Valley. You can check if your place is covered here.

For more information, head over to Time Fibre page.

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Thinking of owning a Samsung Galaxy Note or a Galaxy S III outright? Celcom is offering a special deal where you can buy one at lower price without contractual plans or commitment.

In conjunction with Merdeka celebration, the Galaxy Note can be yours for only RM1,788 while the latest Galaxy S III can be yours at RM1,898. That’s about RM300 off the usual outright pricing. The promo ends this coming Malaysia Day on 16th September.

For more information, head over to Celcom Merdeka Promo page to find a nearest Blue Club outlet.



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DiGi is offering a rather affordable deal on the Samsung Galaxy Gio and HTC EVO 3D. Both phones are offered for free with 12 months contract on DG Smart Plan 48 which comes with 1GB of data.

If you calculate the monthly subscription, the total ownership cost is just RM576 or RM516 if you opt for auto billing (RM5/month rebate). Not bad considering the HTC EVO 3D used be to a high end device selling at RM2,199 during launch. The Samsung Galaxy Gio is a 3.2″ HVGA device that runs on 800MHz processor while the HTC EVO 3D is a rather high end device with 4.3″ Stereoscopic 3D display and dual-core 1.2GHz processor.

At the moment, the HTC EVO 3D is temporarily out of stock. That should be a good buy if DiGi restocks it back soon.

For more information, head over to DiGi Super Sale page.



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At first glance, it’s easy to dismiss the Galaxy Note II as a bigger Galaxy S III with more RAM and a faster processor but Samsung wants to tell you that there is more to the Galaxy Note II than you think.

This 13-minute video official hands-on video highlights pretty much all the great features in the Galaxy Note II. It presence a pretty convincing case showing that Galaxy Note II is so much more than a bigger screen and better processing power.

Here are some of the cool features that we like are: Best Faces: Say you’re taking a group shot of your friends; Best Faces takes a burst and lets you choose the best looking faces of each individual in the picture. Once you’ve selected all the best faces, the Galaxy Note II will create a composite of the image with all the best faces you’ve chosen.

Air View: This is a really cool feature as well allowing you to preview document contents, calendar entries and pictures in albums just by hovering the S-Pen over the content that you want to preview. Not just that, Air View works for videos as well allowing you to preview videos just by hovering over a video thumbnail.

Quick Command: Quick Commands are customisable S-Pen gestures that make accessing your most used apps and features quick and easy. You use the S-Pen and draw a customised gesture and the command you want the gesture to do (tweeting for example). Once you’ve completed the gesture, the tweet is ready to go. It really is an amazing feature.

Screen Recorder: Screen Recorder allows you to record your actions and inputs on the screen and share it across. The feature can also record audio so you can annotate while drawing a sketch of a rabbit for example.

New Gallery Features: There are some really nice viewing options in the built-in gallery application of the Note II. Albums are also very easy to create as well.

Judging by the video, the Galaxy Note II is shaping up to be a runaway success for Samsung. Even if you think the 5.5-inche screen is huge you can’t help but to think that Samsung has packed some really innovative features into its latest flagship.







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Sony has announced its latest line up of Xperia smart phones at IFA 2012 which consists of Xperia J, Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V.

Earlier this year, we saw Sony’s NXT Series which features a unique transparent belt and this time they are bringing back the familiar arc design which was first featured on the Sony Ericsson Xperia arc. In the earlier models such as Xperia S, Xperia P and Xperia U, the absence of expansion micro SD memory slot was frown upon and it is good they have it included with the new series. All 4 are running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Jelly Bean update is expected to roll out eventually.

Apart from the return of the arc design with Sony branding, they have finally have given more hardware boost in terms of processor. Unlike its rivals that are pushing quad-core, Sony is still pushing dual-core processor smart phones but with better performance in a form of Qualcomm S4 Krait processors. Early benchmark result shows that the new dual-core S4 processors on the Xperia T, Xperia TX and Xperia V is much more superior than today’s quad-core smart phone rivals.

Sony Malaysia has shared that Malaysia will getting the Xperia J and Xperia TX but no pricing and availability dates have been provided at the moment.

Sony Xperia J



First up is the Sony Xperia J which is a entry level model among the four. It runs on a 1GHz Qualcomm MSM7227A processor mated with 512MB of RAM. On board it comes with 4GB of storage which is expandable via micro SD. Over at the front it has a 4.0″ TFT display capable of 854×480 resolution and toughen with Gorilla glass. There’s a front facing VGA camera and a main 5MP camera with assisted flash. Powering the device is a 1,750mAh battery.

The Xperia J weighs 124 grams and has a thickness of 9.2mm (just 0.1mm slimmer than the iPhone 4S). It comes in 4 colours – Black, Gold, Pink and White.









Sony Xperia T



Next is the Sony Xperia T that features a large 4.55″ TFT display capable of 1280×720 pixels resolution, a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 processor with Adreno 225 GPU and 1GB of RAM. On board it comes with 16GB of storage expandable with micro SD.

In the imaging department, the Xperia T has a 13MP with Exmor R sensor camera that’s capable of shooting Full 1080p HD video. Over at the front, there’s a 1.3MP camera that supports 720p HD video. Just like earlier Xperia models this year, it also supports fast capture that lets you take a picture in just over a second from sleep mode.

At the back, it comes with NFC and is powered with a non-user removable 1,850mAh battery. The Xperia T is 9.35mm thick and weighs 139 grams. It is available in 3 colours – Black, Silver & White.

Sony has mentioned that the Xperia T will be featured in the upcoming James Bond movie, Skyfall.









Sony Xperia TX



According to Sony, the Xperia TX is a “Xperia T” version that’s meant for certain markets and Sony Malaysia has announced that we are getting this model instead. While it looks the same, there’s a couple of differences both external and internal.

On the outside, the Xperia TX looks more like the older Xperia arc with sleek chrome lines around the sides. Even the button and micro-USB placements are similar as well with the flush volume rocker and dedicated camera button well spaced out on the right. The power button meanwhile is placed on the left. As comparison, the Xperia T has all 3 buttons – Power, volume rocker & dedicated camera button placed closely to each other on the right side. We personally prefer the TX button layout as the volume rocker placement is much more practical.

Another plus side for the Xperia TX is that the battery is removable. However it has slightly lower capacity at 1,750mAh (Xperia T: 1,850mAh) but we believe most Malaysians won’t mind if it is user replaceable. The Xperia TX is also slimmer and lighter than Xperia T at only 8.6mm thick and 127 grams heavy.

The rest of the specs are retained including the 4.55″ 720p HD display, dual-core 1.5GHz S4 Krait processor, 13MP Camera, NFC and 16GB of storage. In terms of colour, the Xperia TX comes in Black, White & Pink.





Sony Xperia V



Last but not least, the Xperia V is Sony’s ultimate LTE enabled device which is also water and dust proof resistant with IP55/IP57 rating. It is also powered with a dual-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 processor (MSM8960 variant) with Adreno 225 GPU, 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage. For display, it has a 4.3″ TFT screen that does 1280×720 resolution.

It also features a 13MP camera with Fast Capture but it is activated on the lock screen instead of a dedicated hardware button. Over at the front, there’s a front facing VGA camera. Internally, the Xperia V is powered with a 1,750mAh battery and there’s NFC support as well.

The Xperia V stands out from the rest with having 5 new features such as Bluetooth 4.0, Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2 display enhancer, ClearAudio+, HDR Camera mode & Superior Auto camera mode (intelligent scene selector). It comes available in 3 colours – Black, White & Pink.









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We’ve heard about S Cloud for quite some time now, everyone was looking forward for something from Samsung that will directly compete with Apple’s iCloud and now, here it is on the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note II. A German site, BestBoyZ discovered S Cloud in the settings menu of the device which shows close integration with Dropbox. Just a gentle reminder, each Galaxy Note II device will come with 50GB of Dropbox storage space free for the first 2 years.

Samsung did not comment on the matter but it is believed that the company is indeed working on its own cloud storage service but is providing Dropbox as an immediate solution for existing users. Speculations are indicating that S Cloud might come with its very own email service as well and it should also be available for Samsung’s range of devices including tablets, computers and even Smart TVs.

Expected to make a debut in October, S Cloud should come along with Android Jelly Bean so for S III users, you should be able to enjoy the service once you get your official Android JB update. Check out the video below, it’s in German, but at least you can have a glimpse of what’s to come.



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