At a glance
+ Premium design
+ Unique monochrome UI
+ NFC-ready
- Monochrome UI drowned out by colourful icons from installed apps
27 April 2012 – Manufacturer LG and designer label Prada’s partnership can be traced back to 2007, when the two companies released the first LG Prada device, which proved surprisingly popular, as one of the earliest devices to feature a capacitive screen.
Fast forward to 2012, the LG Prada 3.0, as the name implies, is the third iteration of the series, so let us see if it manages to retain the glory that its predecessors once had.
Exterior, Controls and Screen
True to the Prada name, a lot of effort has been put into the design of the phone itself, with its premium look and finish. However, the construction material could have been better, as it felt somewhat plasticky for our tastes. Still, it serves as a great fashion accessory to the brand name-conscious, just as its designers had intended.
This black slab is adorned with classy round buttons at the top, which adds to the overall aesthetics of the device. The capacitive buttons that appear when the phone is unlocked also meshes well with the theme of the device.
The 4.3-inch WVGA display is a rather standard affair for smartphones of this size, although we would appreciate a higher resolution than the 480 x 800 one on the LG Prada 3.0. Still, the less than optimal resolution is offset by the rather nice monochrome user interface, which trumps pretty much any default ones we have seen by other manufacturers.
Software, Application and Games
Joining the long line of devices that have yet to migrate to Ice-Cream Sandwich, the LG Prada 3.0 will still have you munching away at whatever the Gingerbread has still to offer. To their credit, LG took special care to include a load of rather decent applications that not only takes full advantage of the aging version of Android but the UI as well.
The Desk Home, for example, is a simple flip-over clock which meshes really well with the monochrome theme, while Car Home, is an alternative home screen that is tailor-made for when driving, should you ever have the need to.
Taking a cue from HTC, the LG Prada 3.0 also included its own weather app.
Camera, Video and Audio
The 8-megapixel shooter fitted onto the LG Prada 3.0 is not exactly the best we have seen, but it will do a fine job of taking photographs under most conditions. The controls are very intuitive, although we would have preferred more options in terms of filters to play around with.
Video playback on the phone proved to be a relatively enjoyable affair, as while the resolution could have been higher, the audio was loud and crisp.
Connectivity
The LG Prada 3.0 excels in this part, with Wi-Fi b, g, and n connections, Bluetooth 3.0 and A-GPS at the core. There is also DLNA, which is always welcome, especially if you have compatible devices to use it together with.
Then there is the implemented Near Field Communications (NFC) - While at this point there is not much use for it at the moment, you can expect to see it being prevalent in the coming year. With 1080p video recording possible on the phone, a mini HDMI connector would have been a good addition, but alas, there is none.
The battery life on the device was fairly reasonable, as we managed to squeeze a full day's usage out of it with moderate usage, including making calls, tweeting and listen to music.
Verdict
With specifications that would have made it a great contender last year, the LG Prada 3.0 does not bring too much to the table in 2012. Still, it is a very solid device that has been given a cosmetic enhancement that is bound to please even the most fussy of fashionistas. Get it if you want a high end device that also doubles as a fashion statement.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Acer ICONIA Tab W500 Review
Double the fun
JUST about every computer manufacturer is in the Tablet computer race and Acer isn't one that is going to be left out.
It has two Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) Tablet computers in the pipeline, and has just released the Iconia Tab W500.
The W500 is a different beast - it runs a full version of Windows 7 Home Premium.
So, is running a desktop operating system on a Tablet computer more practical and attractive than the Android or iOS mobile platforms? Read on to find out.
Design
Whenever I used the W500, it drew curious looks. People would often stop by to ask whether it is a netbook or Tablet computer.
The answer is that it is both. The W500 has a unique design - its keyboard can be detached which instantly transforms it from a netbook to a Tablet.
Even when the keyboard was removed, the Tablet felt thick but solid. The smooth metallic back is a nice touch but doesn't provide much grip.
It weighs 970g which is quite heavy for a Tablet which means it'll be uncomfortable to hold for very long with one hand. With the keyboard attached, the device weighs 1.5kg which is still light enough for taking it with you wherever you go.
When you need to do serious work, just plug in the keyboard and the device transforms into a netbook.
The keyboard easily attaches to the Tablet but the docking mechanism didn't feel solid and the connection was a little loose. Also, you can't close the device like a regular netbook because doing so will probably damage the docking mechanism.
The chiclet-styled keyboard felt comfortable to use and the keys are well spaced out. The only problem I had was the arrow keys which were crammed into a tiny area, making it easy to accidentally press the wrong keys.
Another downside is that the keyboard doesn't come with a trackpad and instead has a trackpoint. If you are not used to one, you will find it uncomfortable to use like I did.
The keyboard also has two USB ports - one on each side - for hooking up peripherals. Unlike most Tablet computers, it also has an Ethernet port for plugging it into a wired network.
The 10.1in touchsreen is sharp, bright, and has good viewing angles. However, the screen is a fingerprint magnet and needs constant cleaning. Also, it is very reflective so it is quite difficult to view the screen when using it outdoors on a sunny day.
We tested two first-person shooter games - Left 4 Dead 2 and Far Cry 2 - and the device was able to handle them both. However, the graphics had to be toned down significantly and some effects like antialiasing had to be turned off for the games to run smoothly.
Less demanding games like Torchlight ran without any problems on the W500.
In terms of navigation, the touchscreen was responsive and it felt quite intuitive to tap on the screen to navigate, run applications and move icons around.
Browsing the Web felt quite natural be it using Firefox, Chrome or Internet Explorer.
The only drawback is that you have to rely on the virtual keyboard for text input and it's quite clunky.
There is also a handwriting recognition feature but it often incorrectly guessed the character I was trying to write.
In terms of battery life, the W500 ran out of power after about three to four hours depending on usage.
Without external power, you'll be able to get some work done but not play a long game or watch a movie.
Speaking of movies, the W500 plays back standard definition videos fine but it can't seem to handle 720p HD videos. The HD videos appeared jerky and were not watchable.
The built-in speakers were decent and sounded better when the keyboard was attached. When the keyboard was removed, the speakers sounded flat.
Still, you are better off with a pair of headphones or external speakers for a richer audio experience.
Conclusion
The Acer Iconia Tab W500 is an interesting hybrid device that tries to be both a Tablet and netbook. The problem is that it doesn't really excel as one or the other.
When used as a Tablet, Windows 7 works pretty well but is let down by a number of things. The main shortcoming is the clunky virtual keyboard which makes text entry a nightmare.
This really spoils an otherwise wonderful experience of being able to use full applications such as Outlook for e-mail.
Of course, this can be easily solved by attaching the keyboard which effectively turns the W500 into a netbook. Sure, it's a hassle to lug the keyboard around but it's good to have the option.
The W500 isn't a particularly powerful machine - it can pretty much handle what most netbooks can but with one exception. In our tests, it faltered when it came to playing HD videos which is a big letdown. The speakers were also not that great and sounded average.
The addition of an SSD is both good and bad. The drive helps the device start up very fast but 32GB is very little space.
Overall, the Acer Iconia Tab W500 works better as netbook than a Tablet.
If you are looking for a lightweight netbook primarily for surfing the Web, the W500 fits the bill nicely.
Pros: Unique design; runs standard Windows apps; handy removable keyboard; sharp screen with good viewing angles; SSD is fast.
Cons: Windows 7 not optimised for Tablet computers; virtual keyboard is clunky; SSD offers little storage space; won't play 720p HD videos.
Iconia Tab W500
(Acer)
Tablet/netbook hybrid computer
PROCESSOR: Dual-core 1GHz AMD C-50 Fusion processor
MEMORY: 2GB RAM
DISPLAY: 10.1in (1,280 x 800-pixels) LED back-lit
GRAPHICS: AMD Radeon HD 6250
STORAGE: 32GB SSD
CONNECTIVITY: WiFi 802.11b/g/n, 10/100 Ethernet port, Bluetooth 3.0
PORTS/SLOTS: Two USB 2.0 ports, card reader (SD, MMC), HDMI port, headphone and microphone jacks
BATTERY: Three-cell lithium-ion polymer
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit)
OTHER FEATURES: Two 1.3-megapixel cameras with ambient light sensor
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 27.5 x 19.0 x 1.6cm
WEIGHT: 0.97kg (1.5kg with keyboard)
WEBSITE: www.acer.com.my
RATING: 3.5
JUST about every computer manufacturer is in the Tablet computer race and Acer isn't one that is going to be left out.
It has two Android 3.0 (Honeycomb) Tablet computers in the pipeline, and has just released the Iconia Tab W500.
The W500 is a different beast - it runs a full version of Windows 7 Home Premium.
So, is running a desktop operating system on a Tablet computer more practical and attractive than the Android or iOS mobile platforms? Read on to find out.
Design
Whenever I used the W500, it drew curious looks. People would often stop by to ask whether it is a netbook or Tablet computer.
The answer is that it is both. The W500 has a unique design - its keyboard can be detached which instantly transforms it from a netbook to a Tablet.
Even when the keyboard was removed, the Tablet felt thick but solid. The smooth metallic back is a nice touch but doesn't provide much grip.
It weighs 970g which is quite heavy for a Tablet which means it'll be uncomfortable to hold for very long with one hand. With the keyboard attached, the device weighs 1.5kg which is still light enough for taking it with you wherever you go.
When you need to do serious work, just plug in the keyboard and the device transforms into a netbook.
The keyboard easily attaches to the Tablet but the docking mechanism didn't feel solid and the connection was a little loose. Also, you can't close the device like a regular netbook because doing so will probably damage the docking mechanism.
The chiclet-styled keyboard felt comfortable to use and the keys are well spaced out. The only problem I had was the arrow keys which were crammed into a tiny area, making it easy to accidentally press the wrong keys.
Another downside is that the keyboard doesn't come with a trackpad and instead has a trackpoint. If you are not used to one, you will find it uncomfortable to use like I did.
The keyboard also has two USB ports - one on each side - for hooking up peripherals. Unlike most Tablet computers, it also has an Ethernet port for plugging it into a wired network.
The 10.1in touchsreen is sharp, bright, and has good viewing angles. However, the screen is a fingerprint magnet and needs constant cleaning. Also, it is very reflective so it is quite difficult to view the screen when using it outdoors on a sunny day.
We tested two first-person shooter games - Left 4 Dead 2 and Far Cry 2 - and the device was able to handle them both. However, the graphics had to be toned down significantly and some effects like antialiasing had to be turned off for the games to run smoothly.
Less demanding games like Torchlight ran without any problems on the W500.
In terms of navigation, the touchscreen was responsive and it felt quite intuitive to tap on the screen to navigate, run applications and move icons around.
Browsing the Web felt quite natural be it using Firefox, Chrome or Internet Explorer.
The only drawback is that you have to rely on the virtual keyboard for text input and it's quite clunky.
There is also a handwriting recognition feature but it often incorrectly guessed the character I was trying to write.
In terms of battery life, the W500 ran out of power after about three to four hours depending on usage.
Without external power, you'll be able to get some work done but not play a long game or watch a movie.
Speaking of movies, the W500 plays back standard definition videos fine but it can't seem to handle 720p HD videos. The HD videos appeared jerky and were not watchable.
The built-in speakers were decent and sounded better when the keyboard was attached. When the keyboard was removed, the speakers sounded flat.
Still, you are better off with a pair of headphones or external speakers for a richer audio experience.
Conclusion
The Acer Iconia Tab W500 is an interesting hybrid device that tries to be both a Tablet and netbook. The problem is that it doesn't really excel as one or the other.
When used as a Tablet, Windows 7 works pretty well but is let down by a number of things. The main shortcoming is the clunky virtual keyboard which makes text entry a nightmare.
This really spoils an otherwise wonderful experience of being able to use full applications such as Outlook for e-mail.
Of course, this can be easily solved by attaching the keyboard which effectively turns the W500 into a netbook. Sure, it's a hassle to lug the keyboard around but it's good to have the option.
The W500 isn't a particularly powerful machine - it can pretty much handle what most netbooks can but with one exception. In our tests, it faltered when it came to playing HD videos which is a big letdown. The speakers were also not that great and sounded average.
The addition of an SSD is both good and bad. The drive helps the device start up very fast but 32GB is very little space.
Overall, the Acer Iconia Tab W500 works better as netbook than a Tablet.
If you are looking for a lightweight netbook primarily for surfing the Web, the W500 fits the bill nicely.
Pros: Unique design; runs standard Windows apps; handy removable keyboard; sharp screen with good viewing angles; SSD is fast.
Cons: Windows 7 not optimised for Tablet computers; virtual keyboard is clunky; SSD offers little storage space; won't play 720p HD videos.
Iconia Tab W500
(Acer)
Tablet/netbook hybrid computer
PROCESSOR: Dual-core 1GHz AMD C-50 Fusion processor
MEMORY: 2GB RAM
DISPLAY: 10.1in (1,280 x 800-pixels) LED back-lit
GRAPHICS: AMD Radeon HD 6250
STORAGE: 32GB SSD
CONNECTIVITY: WiFi 802.11b/g/n, 10/100 Ethernet port, Bluetooth 3.0
PORTS/SLOTS: Two USB 2.0 ports, card reader (SD, MMC), HDMI port, headphone and microphone jacks
BATTERY: Three-cell lithium-ion polymer
OPERATING SYSTEM: Windows 7 Home Premium (32-bit)
OTHER FEATURES: Two 1.3-megapixel cameras with ambient light sensor
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 27.5 x 19.0 x 1.6cm
WEIGHT: 0.97kg (1.5kg with keyboard)
WEBSITE: www.acer.com.my
RATING: 3.5
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Asus Transformer Pad TF300T Review
Value for money
IN A mostly black and white world of Android tablets, the bright red Asus Transformer Pad TF300T is a welcome sight.
The TF300T is the latest model to be rolled out from the entry-level Transformers Pad series and it promises to offer value at an affordable price.
So, you won't see a metal back cover or Super IPS+ panel like with the premium Transformer Prime. But you can expect solid performance as the TF300T houses the same quad-core nVidia Tegra 3 processor.
As this is a Transformer model, it comes with a keyboard dock that has a multi-gesture touchpad which makes text input a breeze.
The dock also has a USB 2.0 port, SD card slot and a built-in battery that provides the tablet with an additional five hours of battery life.
If you think the red is too hot a colour for you to handle, the TF300T also comes in blue and white.
At first glance, the TF300T may look like the Prime, but on closer inspection you will see that the TF300T is slightly thicker (9.9mm vs 8.3mm) and heavier (635g vs 585g).
The tablet's IPS (in-plane switching) display has the same 1,280 x 800-pixel resolution as the Prime's Super IPS+ screen.
But the most noticeable difference is that the TF300T's display is slightly dimmer than the Prime.
Also, the TF300T is available in two capacities - 16GB and 32GB while the Prime is also available with 64GB storage.
Moving on, the design only allows the tablet to be docked in landscape mode - with the power button on top and the proprietary 40-pin connector at the bottom.
Along the left and right sides of the tablet, you will find the volume rocker, mini HDMI out, microSD card slot and 3.5mm audio jack.
While the back, like most tablets, is bare save for an 8-megapixel camera and a speaker grill.
For productivity
The TF300T runs the latest Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system with further minor customisation by Asus.
Along with the standard Google app suite, you'll find some interesting apps such as SuperNote (a word processing and note-taking app), Polaris Office (an office suite that handles Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files) and MyCloud (Asus's cloud storage solution that offers 8GB of storage).
The quad-core Tegra 3 processor handles all apps with no fuss.
The keyboard dock is quite comfortable to use and this entire review was typed using it.
Having a keyboard dock has its own advantages. It features both tablet-specific functions and keyboard shortcuts to most used options like cut, copy and paste.
The USB port can handle not only thumbdrives and external hard disks but also a mouse which comes in handy when playing some games.
For fun
When it comes to multimedia capabilities the TF300T doesn't disappoint. It supports pretty much all the popular media formats such as DivX, MPEG4, H.264, MP3, FLAC and WMA.
The tablet handled everything we played on it including 1080p videos without a hitchYou can also download others like Mobo Media Player Pro to enable it play back downloaded FLV files too To see the full power of the nVidia processor and GPU at work we ran games like Glowball: Tegra 3 Only, Guerilla Bob, SoulCraft THD and Temple Run on the machine. Suffice to say, we were not disappointed.
Just like the Prime, the TF300 sports an 8-megapixel camera with backlit CMOS sensor albeit with a slightly larger aperture of f/2.2. The Prime only offers f/2.4.
The larger aperture allows the TF300 to take better images in low light environments but with no LED light present it's better to stick to well-lit areas.
Images generally turned out good with low noise and 1080p videos were equally detailed.
Conclusions
Affordability and versatility, that's what the Transformers Pad series promises.
In terms of performance it is as good as the Prime and you'll be paying a few hundred ringgit less for the same experience.
Also, the keyboard dock makes typing faster and more comfortable and adds a few extra goodies along the way. The only catch - the TF300T is priced slightly higher than an average 16GB 10in Android tablet but that's probably because it comes with a keyboard dock.
Still, the TF300T was a fun Android tablet to use and we hated to send it back.
Pros: Solid performance; good camera; versatile keyboard dock.
Cons: A tad pricey.
TRANSFORMER PAD TF300T
(Asus)
Android Tablet with keyboard dock
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
PROCESSOR: 1.2GHz nVidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor
GRAPHICS: nVidia GeForce 12-core chip
DISPLAY: 10.1in WXGA (1,280 x 800-pixels) touchscreen
CAMERA: 8-megapixel (back), 1.2-megapixel (front)
CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi, micro HDMI out for tablet; SD card slot, USB2.0 for dock
MEMORY: 16GB storage, 1GB RAM
EXPANSION SLOT: MicroSD slot (up to 32GB supported)
OTHER FEATURES: A-GPS, 1080p HD video recording, gyroscope, accelerometer
BATTERY: 22-watt lithium-polymer (tablet), 16-watt lithium-polymer (dock)
SIZE (W x H x D): 263 x 180.8 x 9.9mm (tablet), 263 x 180.8 x 10.2mm (dock)
WEIGHT: 635g (tablet), 546g (dock)
RATING: 4 stars
IN A mostly black and white world of Android tablets, the bright red Asus Transformer Pad TF300T is a welcome sight.
The TF300T is the latest model to be rolled out from the entry-level Transformers Pad series and it promises to offer value at an affordable price.
So, you won't see a metal back cover or Super IPS+ panel like with the premium Transformer Prime. But you can expect solid performance as the TF300T houses the same quad-core nVidia Tegra 3 processor.
As this is a Transformer model, it comes with a keyboard dock that has a multi-gesture touchpad which makes text input a breeze.
The dock also has a USB 2.0 port, SD card slot and a built-in battery that provides the tablet with an additional five hours of battery life.
If you think the red is too hot a colour for you to handle, the TF300T also comes in blue and white.
At first glance, the TF300T may look like the Prime, but on closer inspection you will see that the TF300T is slightly thicker (9.9mm vs 8.3mm) and heavier (635g vs 585g).
The tablet's IPS (in-plane switching) display has the same 1,280 x 800-pixel resolution as the Prime's Super IPS+ screen.
But the most noticeable difference is that the TF300T's display is slightly dimmer than the Prime.
Also, the TF300T is available in two capacities - 16GB and 32GB while the Prime is also available with 64GB storage.
Moving on, the design only allows the tablet to be docked in landscape mode - with the power button on top and the proprietary 40-pin connector at the bottom.
Along the left and right sides of the tablet, you will find the volume rocker, mini HDMI out, microSD card slot and 3.5mm audio jack.
While the back, like most tablets, is bare save for an 8-megapixel camera and a speaker grill.
For productivity
The TF300T runs the latest Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system with further minor customisation by Asus.
Along with the standard Google app suite, you'll find some interesting apps such as SuperNote (a word processing and note-taking app), Polaris Office (an office suite that handles Microsoft Word, Excel and PowerPoint files) and MyCloud (Asus's cloud storage solution that offers 8GB of storage).
The quad-core Tegra 3 processor handles all apps with no fuss.
The keyboard dock is quite comfortable to use and this entire review was typed using it.
Having a keyboard dock has its own advantages. It features both tablet-specific functions and keyboard shortcuts to most used options like cut, copy and paste.
The USB port can handle not only thumbdrives and external hard disks but also a mouse which comes in handy when playing some games.
For fun
When it comes to multimedia capabilities the TF300T doesn't disappoint. It supports pretty much all the popular media formats such as DivX, MPEG4, H.264, MP3, FLAC and WMA.
The tablet handled everything we played on it including 1080p videos without a hitchYou can also download others like Mobo Media Player Pro to enable it play back downloaded FLV files too To see the full power of the nVidia processor and GPU at work we ran games like Glowball: Tegra 3 Only, Guerilla Bob, SoulCraft THD and Temple Run on the machine. Suffice to say, we were not disappointed.
Just like the Prime, the TF300 sports an 8-megapixel camera with backlit CMOS sensor albeit with a slightly larger aperture of f/2.2. The Prime only offers f/2.4.
The larger aperture allows the TF300 to take better images in low light environments but with no LED light present it's better to stick to well-lit areas.
Images generally turned out good with low noise and 1080p videos were equally detailed.
Conclusions
Affordability and versatility, that's what the Transformers Pad series promises.
In terms of performance it is as good as the Prime and you'll be paying a few hundred ringgit less for the same experience.
Also, the keyboard dock makes typing faster and more comfortable and adds a few extra goodies along the way. The only catch - the TF300T is priced slightly higher than an average 16GB 10in Android tablet but that's probably because it comes with a keyboard dock.
Still, the TF300T was a fun Android tablet to use and we hated to send it back.
Pros: Solid performance; good camera; versatile keyboard dock.
Cons: A tad pricey.
TRANSFORMER PAD TF300T
(Asus)
Android Tablet with keyboard dock
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
PROCESSOR: 1.2GHz nVidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor
GRAPHICS: nVidia GeForce 12-core chip
DISPLAY: 10.1in WXGA (1,280 x 800-pixels) touchscreen
CAMERA: 8-megapixel (back), 1.2-megapixel (front)
CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi, micro HDMI out for tablet; SD card slot, USB2.0 for dock
MEMORY: 16GB storage, 1GB RAM
EXPANSION SLOT: MicroSD slot (up to 32GB supported)
OTHER FEATURES: A-GPS, 1080p HD video recording, gyroscope, accelerometer
BATTERY: 22-watt lithium-polymer (tablet), 16-watt lithium-polymer (dock)
SIZE (W x H x D): 263 x 180.8 x 9.9mm (tablet), 263 x 180.8 x 10.2mm (dock)
WEIGHT: 635g (tablet), 546g (dock)
RATING: 4 stars
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Samsung Galaxy S Advance Review
An affordable Android
SAMSUNG'S flagship Galaxy S III Android smartphone may be the talk of the town but there are other handsets from the South Korean manufacturer that are worth taking a look at. The Galaxy S Advance is one such model and sits in between the high-end and entry-level models.
Stunning screen
You may not notice it at first but the glass display is actually curved so that it follows the shape of the user's face more naturally.
In typical Samsung fashion, the screen is a 4in Super AMOLED display that is bright, vibrant and sharp. It is even bright enough to be viewed outside in broad daylight.
The screen has a 480 x 800-pixel resolution. It's too bad that it is not HD but at least it uses the scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass display which is a step above most mid-range Android smartphones.
The default Android buttons are present at the bottom of the screen and two of them are the capacitive type.
With most smartphones, it's very easy to inadvertently press the capacitive button but that's not the case with the Advance which is great.
For a mid-range smartphone, the Advance has a zippy Cortex-A9 1GHz dual-core processor. It's not as fast as the quad-core processors in some Androids but it gets the job done.
We tried graphic-intensive games like Shadowgun and the performance wasn't as smooth as on the Galaxy S III but the frame rates were still acceptable.
Another disappointing aspect of the Advance is that it runs on the old Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) but Samsung's TouchWiz 4.0 glitzy interface makes it look fresh.
The built-in web browser has all the standard features and supports Flash. It's fairly fast at rendering webpages although it takes a while to load some Flash heavy sites.
The Advance's multimedia capabilities are pretty standard - the music player is basic and the video player accepts a variety of video formats including DivX, Xvid and H.264.
The speakers are impressively loud - you definitely won't have a problem hearing the phone ring even in a noisy area.
In terms of battery life, the Advance can last a day of calls, text messages and light surfing.
Photos and videos
The Advance's camera doesn't have the highest pixel count but it does a serviceable job as long as you snap photos when there is ample light.
However, the 5-megapixel camera sometimes underexposes images even when shot in bright daylight and the pictures can be lacking in contrast and brightness.
The LED flash isn't particularly powerful but it can light up subjects as long as they are close to the camera. Also, the Advance doesn't have some of the cool features of the Galaxy S III such as zero shutter lag.
There is also a second front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera which is mainly for making video calls and it worked without a hitch.
The camera also records 720p HD videos and the quality is average. This shouldn't come as a surprise considering that the Advance is a mid-range smartphone.
As with most camera phones the image will become wobbly (widely known as the jelly effect) if you pan the camera back and forth too fast.
Conclusion
The Advance is mainly hindered by an outdated operating system. It misses out on a lot of cool features offered by Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) as it runs on Gingerbread.
Samsung's TouchWiz interface makes up for it with a modern and snazzy look but it can only do so much.
Also, the Advance doesn't have cutting edge features but for RM1,099 you are getting a lot of features that matter.
Overall, it's a decent Android phone and one that's worth checking out if you feel at home with Android 2.3.
Pros: Nice screen; decent performance; TouchWiz 4.0 interface; loud speakers; affordable.
Cons: Runs on Android 2.3; camera could be better.
Galaxy S Advance
(Samsung)
Android smartphone
NETWORK: GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 2.3
DISPLAY: 4in WVGA (480 x 800-pixels) Super AMOLED touchscreen
CAMERA: 5-megapixels with autofocus, LED flash; 720p HD video recording
CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, microUSB 2.0
PROCESSOR: Dual-core 1GHz Cortex-A9
EXPANSION SLOT: MicroSD
STANDBY/TALK TIME: 550 hours/7 hours
OTHER FEATURES: Web browser, panorama photo mode, video chat
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 123.2 x 63 x 9.7mm
WEIGHT: 120g
WEBSITE: www.samsung.com/my
RATING: 3.5
SAMSUNG'S flagship Galaxy S III Android smartphone may be the talk of the town but there are other handsets from the South Korean manufacturer that are worth taking a look at. The Galaxy S Advance is one such model and sits in between the high-end and entry-level models.
Stunning screen
You may not notice it at first but the glass display is actually curved so that it follows the shape of the user's face more naturally.
In typical Samsung fashion, the screen is a 4in Super AMOLED display that is bright, vibrant and sharp. It is even bright enough to be viewed outside in broad daylight.
The screen has a 480 x 800-pixel resolution. It's too bad that it is not HD but at least it uses the scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass display which is a step above most mid-range Android smartphones.
The default Android buttons are present at the bottom of the screen and two of them are the capacitive type.
With most smartphones, it's very easy to inadvertently press the capacitive button but that's not the case with the Advance which is great.
For a mid-range smartphone, the Advance has a zippy Cortex-A9 1GHz dual-core processor. It's not as fast as the quad-core processors in some Androids but it gets the job done.
We tried graphic-intensive games like Shadowgun and the performance wasn't as smooth as on the Galaxy S III but the frame rates were still acceptable.
Another disappointing aspect of the Advance is that it runs on the old Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) but Samsung's TouchWiz 4.0 glitzy interface makes it look fresh.
The built-in web browser has all the standard features and supports Flash. It's fairly fast at rendering webpages although it takes a while to load some Flash heavy sites.
The Advance's multimedia capabilities are pretty standard - the music player is basic and the video player accepts a variety of video formats including DivX, Xvid and H.264.
The speakers are impressively loud - you definitely won't have a problem hearing the phone ring even in a noisy area.
In terms of battery life, the Advance can last a day of calls, text messages and light surfing.
Photos and videos
The Advance's camera doesn't have the highest pixel count but it does a serviceable job as long as you snap photos when there is ample light.
However, the 5-megapixel camera sometimes underexposes images even when shot in bright daylight and the pictures can be lacking in contrast and brightness.
The LED flash isn't particularly powerful but it can light up subjects as long as they are close to the camera. Also, the Advance doesn't have some of the cool features of the Galaxy S III such as zero shutter lag.
There is also a second front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera which is mainly for making video calls and it worked without a hitch.
The camera also records 720p HD videos and the quality is average. This shouldn't come as a surprise considering that the Advance is a mid-range smartphone.
As with most camera phones the image will become wobbly (widely known as the jelly effect) if you pan the camera back and forth too fast.
Conclusion
The Advance is mainly hindered by an outdated operating system. It misses out on a lot of cool features offered by Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) as it runs on Gingerbread.
Samsung's TouchWiz interface makes up for it with a modern and snazzy look but it can only do so much.
Also, the Advance doesn't have cutting edge features but for RM1,099 you are getting a lot of features that matter.
Overall, it's a decent Android phone and one that's worth checking out if you feel at home with Android 2.3.
Pros: Nice screen; decent performance; TouchWiz 4.0 interface; loud speakers; affordable.
Cons: Runs on Android 2.3; camera could be better.
Galaxy S Advance
(Samsung)
Android smartphone
NETWORK: GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 900/2100
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 2.3
DISPLAY: 4in WVGA (480 x 800-pixels) Super AMOLED touchscreen
CAMERA: 5-megapixels with autofocus, LED flash; 720p HD video recording
CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth 3.0, WiFi 802.11b/g/n, microUSB 2.0
PROCESSOR: Dual-core 1GHz Cortex-A9
EXPANSION SLOT: MicroSD
STANDBY/TALK TIME: 550 hours/7 hours
OTHER FEATURES: Web browser, panorama photo mode, video chat
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 123.2 x 63 x 9.7mm
WEIGHT: 120g
WEBSITE: www.samsung.com/my
RATING: 3.5
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus Review
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is an update from the original Galaxy Tab, and it has the smallest display amongst all its Galaxy Tab siblings. It was announced in September 2011 together with the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7.
At a glance:
+ Excellent call quality
+ Decent camera
+ Double as a remote control
+ Light and portable
– No Super AMOLED display
– Cannot charge via PC
In the Box:
- Tablet
- Charger adapter
- Cable
Exterior, Controls and Screen
Measuring 193.7 x 122.4 x 9.9mm and weighing 345g, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is slightly bigger, but thinner and lighter than its predecessor. Like any Samsung device, the power button is located on the right side of the tablet, next to the volume rocker. The SIM card and microSD card slot can be found on the left side of the tablet, leaving the audio jack on the top. There are two mini speaker grills on the bottom of the tablet, with the data connector in between them. The entire construction feels solid even though the back cover is made of plastic.
Obviously, the 7-inch display dominates the biggest area of the device, offering users 600 x 1024 pixels of resolution. However, I am not impressed with the display even it is using the same Plane Line Switching (PLS) LCD technology that can be found in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The display appears to lack the brightness and vividness that can be seen on the larger Galaxy Tabs.
Software, Application and Games
Similar to any Android tablets available in the market, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is running Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) with TouchWiz UI. Overall, the tablet is fast and responsive in terms of performance, all thanks to the 1.2GHz dual-core processor on the Exynos chipset with 1GB of RAM. Our review unit comes with a 16GB internal storage. Plus, you can expand the storage space by adding a microSD card up to 64GB.
Android Honeycomb provides a zero physical button experience, which can be good and bad at the same time. The system bar will display additional buttons when it is required. It will also auto hide when you are viewing photos in the Gallery app or playing videos. Unfortunately, this nifty feature does not work when comes to gaming, which causes accidental presses that could spoil your gaming experience.
Samsung TouchWiz on the tablet gives you the freedom of taking screenshots instantly with a tap of a button. Notes or scribbles can be added to the screenshot with the quick editor. Furthermore, it has a quick shortcut drawer on the system bar that lets you gain immediate access to apps like Phone, Messaging, Task Manager, Pen Memo, Calendar, Music, World Clock and Calculator. These apps will run on top with any existing app, allowing you to multitask efficiently and effectively without the need of switching apps.
All thanks to the build-in IR port in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, now you can use your tablet as a remote control. It supports most TVs, DVD players, Blu-Ray players and other home theatre devices. Unfortunately, we can’t find the option that let us to switch channels on Astro.
Connectivity
Unlike the bigger cousins the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and Galaxy Tab 10.1, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus supports telephony functions. This means you can make and receive calls from the tablet itself, or even send SMS. There is an earpiece strategically placed on top of the black bezel, which lets you literally use the tablet as a phone. Despite being physically awkward to hold the tablet close to your ears, it is a real surprise that the call quality works incredible well in both ends, even in a noisy environment. Alternatively, you can invest a Bluetooth headset for talking.
In addition, basic connectivity options such as HSDPA 21Mbps, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS are present. You can transfer any data from the PC to the tablet or vice-versa via the USB data cable.
Camera, Video and Audio
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus has the same 3.15-megapixel camera with LED flash as the original Galaxy Tab. However, the photos taken appear to be sharper than its predecessor. It could record video up to 720p at 30fps. There is a 2-megapixel front-facing camera located on the right corner of the bezel for video calling purposes.
Battery Life
In terms of battery life, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is powerful enough to last the entire day of normal usage with WiFi and 3G connections. Normal usage includes making a few calls and sends some SMS, taking photos and a short video, using Google Maps with GPS turned on and lots of web browsing involved.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is a nice companion for anyone who wants to use it to replace traditional diaries or planners. It is small, light and portable enough to be used anywhere. Plus, it could be used to replace your old phone. However, the average quality of the display would be the main deterrent of using this tablet. With the same pricing, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 could be a good alternative.
Conclusion: A decent and portable Android tablet if the display is not your main concern.
At a glance:
+ Excellent call quality
+ Decent camera
+ Double as a remote control
+ Light and portable
– No Super AMOLED display
– Cannot charge via PC
In the Box:
- Tablet
- Charger adapter
- Cable
Exterior, Controls and Screen
Measuring 193.7 x 122.4 x 9.9mm and weighing 345g, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is slightly bigger, but thinner and lighter than its predecessor. Like any Samsung device, the power button is located on the right side of the tablet, next to the volume rocker. The SIM card and microSD card slot can be found on the left side of the tablet, leaving the audio jack on the top. There are two mini speaker grills on the bottom of the tablet, with the data connector in between them. The entire construction feels solid even though the back cover is made of plastic.
Obviously, the 7-inch display dominates the biggest area of the device, offering users 600 x 1024 pixels of resolution. However, I am not impressed with the display even it is using the same Plane Line Switching (PLS) LCD technology that can be found in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. The display appears to lack the brightness and vividness that can be seen on the larger Galaxy Tabs.
Software, Application and Games
Similar to any Android tablets available in the market, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is running Android 3.2 (Honeycomb) with TouchWiz UI. Overall, the tablet is fast and responsive in terms of performance, all thanks to the 1.2GHz dual-core processor on the Exynos chipset with 1GB of RAM. Our review unit comes with a 16GB internal storage. Plus, you can expand the storage space by adding a microSD card up to 64GB.
Android Honeycomb provides a zero physical button experience, which can be good and bad at the same time. The system bar will display additional buttons when it is required. It will also auto hide when you are viewing photos in the Gallery app or playing videos. Unfortunately, this nifty feature does not work when comes to gaming, which causes accidental presses that could spoil your gaming experience.
Samsung TouchWiz on the tablet gives you the freedom of taking screenshots instantly with a tap of a button. Notes or scribbles can be added to the screenshot with the quick editor. Furthermore, it has a quick shortcut drawer on the system bar that lets you gain immediate access to apps like Phone, Messaging, Task Manager, Pen Memo, Calendar, Music, World Clock and Calculator. These apps will run on top with any existing app, allowing you to multitask efficiently and effectively without the need of switching apps.
All thanks to the build-in IR port in the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, now you can use your tablet as a remote control. It supports most TVs, DVD players, Blu-Ray players and other home theatre devices. Unfortunately, we can’t find the option that let us to switch channels on Astro.
Connectivity
Unlike the bigger cousins the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and Galaxy Tab 10.1, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus supports telephony functions. This means you can make and receive calls from the tablet itself, or even send SMS. There is an earpiece strategically placed on top of the black bezel, which lets you literally use the tablet as a phone. Despite being physically awkward to hold the tablet close to your ears, it is a real surprise that the call quality works incredible well in both ends, even in a noisy environment. Alternatively, you can invest a Bluetooth headset for talking.
In addition, basic connectivity options such as HSDPA 21Mbps, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 and GPS are present. You can transfer any data from the PC to the tablet or vice-versa via the USB data cable.
Camera, Video and Audio
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus has the same 3.15-megapixel camera with LED flash as the original Galaxy Tab. However, the photos taken appear to be sharper than its predecessor. It could record video up to 720p at 30fps. There is a 2-megapixel front-facing camera located on the right corner of the bezel for video calling purposes.
Battery Life
In terms of battery life, the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is powerful enough to last the entire day of normal usage with WiFi and 3G connections. Normal usage includes making a few calls and sends some SMS, taking photos and a short video, using Google Maps with GPS turned on and lots of web browsing involved.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is a nice companion for anyone who wants to use it to replace traditional diaries or planners. It is small, light and portable enough to be used anywhere. Plus, it could be used to replace your old phone. However, the average quality of the display would be the main deterrent of using this tablet. With the same pricing, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9 could be a good alternative.
Conclusion: A decent and portable Android tablet if the display is not your main concern.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Sony Ericsson Xperia Ray Review
The first thing you will notice about the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray is its size. In a market dominated by large Android smartphones, the Xperia ray is rather unique. Of course, the small size makes it easy to use and store - the Xperia ray can easily slip into one's front pocket or even in a women's dinner bag.
The review unit we received has a pink shell which makes it look rather feminine. But not to worry as it also comes in other colours, namely black, gold and white.
In use
Since it is a compact smartphone the obviously downside will be the screen size which is only 3.3in. Some may find the screen a bit too small to play games while others may find watching videos a bit of a hassle.
Although it was good enough for browsing webpages but one can't help but wish for a bigger screen for a better experience.
Despite its size, the Xperia ray's display is sharp and vibrant. Sony Ericsson says it is powered by its mobile Bravia Engine which makes it great for viewing photos and watching videos.
The display is also made from scratch resistant mineral glass so you don't have to worry about it being scratched easily.
Snapping photos and videos with the Xperia ray was a fun experience. The front-facing camera on the smartphone makes it easy to snap self-portraits in VGA resolution.
For more serious photo taking there's the 8.1-megapixel rear camera which works great and has lots of cool features such as face detection, scene detection and smile detection.
You even get three options for smile detection - big, normal and faint smile. How cool is that?
Although it doesn't have two cameras the smarphone has a feature called 3D Sweep Panorama which allows it to capture 3D images.
However, you will need a 3D TV to view them.
Other standard features include geo-tagging and red-eye reduction.
The camera can also shoot 720p HD videos and can be easily uploaded to YouTube to share them with family and friends.
The Xperia ray, which is powered by 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon processor, is fast.
Launching apps is almost instantaneous and there is no lag generally. You can download tons of app from the Android marketplace and the phone comes with a 4GB card for storing them.
For text input, the phone has a virtual keypad. It wasn't easy for me to type messages as the screen is small and the keypad is very tiny. I would have much prefferd a physical Qwerty keypad instead.
One of the nice features of the Xperia ray is its built-in radio tuner which allowed me to listen to my favourite radio station while waiting for friends. Also, the bundled earphones were pretty decent for listening to music.
In terms of battery life, the Xperia ray lasted a whole day of usage which mainly consisted of surfing the Web, watching videos on YouTube and downloading applications.
Conclusion
Overall, the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray was a fun smartphone to use even for a non-Android fan like me. It is fast, has a great camera, the screen is beautiful and comes with a nice pair of earphones.
On the downside, the Xperia ray's small screen makes it difficult to use the virtual keypad. If you are looking for a compact Android smartphone, the Xperia ray is definitely one of the better ones.
Pros: Sharp and vibrant screen, decent camera, nice earphones.
Cons: Small screen.
Xperia ray
(Sony Ericsson)
Android smartphone
NETWORK: GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSPA 850/900/1900/2100, GPRS/EDGE
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
DISPLAY: 3.3in touchscreen (480 x 854-pixels)
CAMERA: 8.1-megapixels (rear) with autofocus, VGA camera (front)
CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth, WiFi, micro USB
MEMORY: 300MB
EXPANSION SLOT: MicroSD (bundled with 4GB card)
STANDBY/TALK TIME: 440 hours/7hours
OTHER FEATURES: A-GPS, radio tuner, 720p HD video recording (720p)
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 111 x 53 x 9.4mm
WEIGHT: 100g
PRICE: RM1,279
RATING: 3.5
The review unit we received has a pink shell which makes it look rather feminine. But not to worry as it also comes in other colours, namely black, gold and white.
In use
Since it is a compact smartphone the obviously downside will be the screen size which is only 3.3in. Some may find the screen a bit too small to play games while others may find watching videos a bit of a hassle.
Although it was good enough for browsing webpages but one can't help but wish for a bigger screen for a better experience.
Despite its size, the Xperia ray's display is sharp and vibrant. Sony Ericsson says it is powered by its mobile Bravia Engine which makes it great for viewing photos and watching videos.
The display is also made from scratch resistant mineral glass so you don't have to worry about it being scratched easily.
Snapping photos and videos with the Xperia ray was a fun experience. The front-facing camera on the smartphone makes it easy to snap self-portraits in VGA resolution.
For more serious photo taking there's the 8.1-megapixel rear camera which works great and has lots of cool features such as face detection, scene detection and smile detection.
You even get three options for smile detection - big, normal and faint smile. How cool is that?
Although it doesn't have two cameras the smarphone has a feature called 3D Sweep Panorama which allows it to capture 3D images.
However, you will need a 3D TV to view them.
Other standard features include geo-tagging and red-eye reduction.
The camera can also shoot 720p HD videos and can be easily uploaded to YouTube to share them with family and friends.
The Xperia ray, which is powered by 1GHz Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon processor, is fast.
Launching apps is almost instantaneous and there is no lag generally. You can download tons of app from the Android marketplace and the phone comes with a 4GB card for storing them.
For text input, the phone has a virtual keypad. It wasn't easy for me to type messages as the screen is small and the keypad is very tiny. I would have much prefferd a physical Qwerty keypad instead.
One of the nice features of the Xperia ray is its built-in radio tuner which allowed me to listen to my favourite radio station while waiting for friends. Also, the bundled earphones were pretty decent for listening to music.
In terms of battery life, the Xperia ray lasted a whole day of usage which mainly consisted of surfing the Web, watching videos on YouTube and downloading applications.
Conclusion
Overall, the Sony Ericsson Xperia ray was a fun smartphone to use even for a non-Android fan like me. It is fast, has a great camera, the screen is beautiful and comes with a nice pair of earphones.
On the downside, the Xperia ray's small screen makes it difficult to use the virtual keypad. If you are looking for a compact Android smartphone, the Xperia ray is definitely one of the better ones.
Pros: Sharp and vibrant screen, decent camera, nice earphones.
Cons: Small screen.
Xperia ray
(Sony Ericsson)
Android smartphone
NETWORK: GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSPA 850/900/1900/2100, GPRS/EDGE
OPERATING SYSTEM: Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
DISPLAY: 3.3in touchscreen (480 x 854-pixels)
CAMERA: 8.1-megapixels (rear) with autofocus, VGA camera (front)
CONNECTIVITY: Bluetooth, WiFi, micro USB
MEMORY: 300MB
EXPANSION SLOT: MicroSD (bundled with 4GB card)
STANDBY/TALK TIME: 440 hours/7hours
OTHER FEATURES: A-GPS, radio tuner, 720p HD video recording (720p)
DIMENSIONS (W x D x H): 111 x 53 x 9.4mm
WEIGHT: 100g
PRICE: RM1,279
RATING: 3.5
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Samsung Galaxy Note Review
A larger version of smartphone had just arrived in town lately. The Samsung Galaxy Note has made an appearance with a rather large chassis when all other smartphones are trying to reduce their size into more pocket-friendly devices. However, there is more to just the large screen from the ads. Read on to find out.
Exterior, Controls and Screen
The Samsung Galaxy Note offers you a wider screen with 82.95mm width and 146.85mm of height. Mind you, in terms of screen area, the Samsung Galaxy Note has about two times the screen area offered by iPhone 4S. The thickness remains as slim as 9.65mm which isn’t much different from the Samsung Galaxy S2 with a thickness of 8.5mm. The weight has slightly increased with the larger screen a total of 178grams.
However, as a physician you may probably agree with that the wider the area, the lower the force per unit area. We tested holding the Note with one hand while doing some work on it. Yet it doesn’t tire out the wrist even after 10 minutes of holding.
At the bottom of the screen you will find the three main controls to the phone same as the Samsung Galaxy S2; Menu, Home and Back (left to right). On the upper-right of the phone you will be able to find the lock key and the volume control on the upper-left. The S Pen will be hidden at bottom right of the device. It is right underneath the Back button.
With the large screen comes with a proportionate higher screen resolution. The Samsung Galaxy Note offers 1280x800pixels on its 5.3-inch display. The technology used will be the HD Super AMOLED. This type of display is usually found in laptops or tablets, and rarely on a smartphone (Samsung Galaxy S2 was using Super AMOLED Plus on 480x800pixels).
The combined display technologies gives the device a fine touch to the picture quality, and to be able to display it on a wide screen is definitely a plus point for it.
On to usage, the wide screen offers a much easier and pin-point accuracy User-Interface. Though both S2 and Note are using the same TouchWIZ 4.0 UI, but when you use the on-screen keyboard you will find that the keys are of a much bigger size on the Note. If you prefer to doodle around you may prefer the S Pen for the pin point accuracy but if you want to type text or messages, the extra-big-keyboard will be very useful.
Still, with such size, the Samsung Galaxy Note is definitely not pocket-friendly. During our testing, we struggled at times to fit the phone in/out of the pocket. It often gets stuck on the edge of the pocket. Also, the location of the S Pen might annoy you at time when you are running an apps and needed to use the S Pen, you might accidently place your thumb on the Back button to slide the S Pen out. An advice is that, before you pull the S Pen out, lock the screen with whatever apps you are on, pull the S Pen out and unlock the screen. This will avoid you getting lost on whatever you are doing on the phone.
Software, Application and Games
The Samsung Galaxy Note still runs on the, Android 2.3.5 or Gingerbread (Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich is not available for the Galaxy Note at the time of writing). Hopefully, there might be an update soon.
There aren’t many changes done for Android 2.3.5 at least not on the Note except for improved Gmail application.
However you can look forward to their new software such as the feature shortcuts for S Pen. For example, holding the S Pen’s button and double tapping on the screen allows you to take a screenshot.
The Samsung Galaxy Note also comes with the new S-Memo which allows you to write or dribble down your memo. The combination of S Pen and the widescreen works well on the S-Memo. Better yet, you can even include a Google Map into your doodle to make reminders which we will whow you in the next paragraph.
The S-Planner allows you to create Timelines to specify a schedule for the weekdays and another for weekends. S-Planner also allows you to link memos that you have written with S-memo and make it as a reminder. Thus, you can have the Google Map included in your doodle and make a reminder for where you have to go on the specific date.
Next is the S-Social Hub. The S-Social Hub is an app that allows you to connect all your Facebook, Twitter and Linkedln account into your phonebook. It means that any updates from whichever social network account can be directly viewed from the S-Social Hub. In addition, the S-Social Hub allows you to doodle any picture that you are about to upload to your social network account.
The last app will be the S-Polaris Office. It works like a mini version of Microsoft where you can view your documents and presentations slide and even make changes to it.
Connectivity
The Samsung Galaxy Note supports GSM connectivity and comes with a LTE receiver, however the standard is not supported locally yet. HSPA is supported and there is WiFi and WiFi hotspot functionality. Bluetooth v3.0 is supported as well.
Camera, Video and Audio
The camera offers up to 8-megapixels of picture quality for the main camera and 2-megapixels for the front camera. And again I will emphasize that a picture displayed on a wider screen does make a difference. With the combination of the 1200x800 pixels and HD Super AMOLED, the picture quality will be much more pleasant to your eyes.
The screen size makes a difference. If we compare this against an iPad 2 which offers a 9.7-inch display; the iPad 2 only has 1024x768 pixels, with a 0.7-megapixels main-camera and no retina display. By comparison of the specs, you may find that the Samsung Galaxy Note has a better advantage with its smaller display.
The video recording is supported up to 1080HD quality. All these can be stored in the 16/32GB internal storage and you have the option of using the microSD slot that supports up to 32GB.
For the sound system, be reminded that the device comes with an in-ear handsfree in case you need to have some personal time for your own music. The handsfree can be handy especially with this huge device. It may also not be a good idea to place the big device on your face as you make calls.
The speaker on the device is placed behind it on the bottom. So make sure that the phone is placed with the speaker on the front when you play through the speaker unless you want to listen to reflected sound from it.
Battery Life
The battery provided is a 2500 mAh lithium-ion. That is 1.5times longer lasting than the Samsung Galaxy S2 (2500 mAh vs 1650 mAh). However, how long does the battery really last? During our test-run, we played a HD-ready movie back-to-back (with no other application running. WiFi, Bluetooth and 3G were all turned off) and the battery lasted for a long eight and a half hours before it automatically stop the media player itself (the phone remains turned on when the battery is critical and you can still go through your files and games until the battery dies off, but the media player is off-limits).
In addition, when we were playing the movie back-to-back, there was barely noticeable heat even after the long eight and a half hours of playback. However, while we transfer files into the phone internal storage, the heat is more noticeable.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy Note pairing up with the wide screen and S Pen will be viewed as a breakthrough in the market. However, for those who were using smartphones and PDAs since the 1990’s may already be familiar with the use of a stylus pen. So it seems that the stylus pen is once again making a comeback. Nevertheless, the improved specs of the modern device will give users a different feel.
Overall the main feature of this phone will be its wide screen and technologies used for the graphics. The wide screen made a difference to all the other usage on the phone. Typing messages became more fluent and doodling was made to be more enjoyable. The Samsung Galaxy Note is a bridge between tablet and phone.
We can look forward to the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade. This device may have a better boost when the system is upgraded and the quality of graphics displayed remain.
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