Showing posts with label tech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tech. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Apple, iPhone, Auckland, Repair, North Shore, Unlock, Vodafone, Australia, davidlim

Iphone 5 Charger

TAIPEI/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Apple Inc's new iPhone will drop the wide dock connector used in the company's gadgets for the best part of a decade in favor of a smaller one, a change likely to annoy the Apple faithful but which could be a boon for accessory makers.

The iPhone 5, Apple's next generation iPhone expected to go on sale around October, will come with a 19-pin connector port at the bottom instead of the proprietary 30-pin port "to make room for the earphone moving to the bottom", two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

That would mean the new phone would not connect with the myriad of accessories such as speakers and power chargers that form part of the ecosystem around iPods, iPads and iPhones, without an adaptor.

That means new business, analysts say.

"It represents an opportunity for accessory vendors," said Pete Cunningham, London-based analyst at technology research firm Canalys. "The iPhone connector has been a standard for a long time now and I would expect the same to be true for a new connector, should Apple change it as expected."

Apple did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment.

Tech blogs have long speculated on the demise of the 30-pin connector, which at 21 mm wide takes up a chunk of space, especially as the latest technologies such as microUSB offer more power in less space.

They say that a smaller connector would give Apple more scope for new product designs or a bigger battery, or simply to make ever smaller products.

Switzerland's Logitech, one of the biggest makers of Apple speakers, declined to comment.

But some enterprising vendors in China have already begun offering cases for the new phone, complete with earphone socket on the bottom and a "guarantee" the dimensions are correct.

For some in the peripherals industry, the change could open doors to new business.

"iPod docking speaker sales have been declining for one or two years," said an employee of a Hong Kong-based company that designs speakers especially for Apple products.

"My previous factory is a lucky one. They shifted the focus to Bluetooth speakers, which proved a wise decision now," the employee said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"It looks like while iPod speaker sales are going down, Bluetooth speaker sales are going up."

HAPPY TO UPGRADE?

Apple has already said that some users of older models of its Macbook computers won't be able to use the latest operating system to be announced soon, but analysts think it will be kinder to mobile gadget users.

"Apple needs to find a solution not to disappoint their current clients who want to upgrade to the new iPhone but are tied to an expensive accessory that have bought," said Franciso Geronimo, London-based analyst at technology research firm IDC.

"I believe Apple will come up with some sort of adaptor so the new iPhone can be used with previous connectors."

It could be a difficult change for Apple to manage, even with an adaptor.

"With a smaller connector, what am I going to do with my loudspeaker at home and the fitness pack that I use when I go to the gym? That's the question," said 24-year old Travis Tam, who owns an iPhone 4 and works as an account executive at a social networking company in Hong Kong.

"I feel that the premium gap between the next iPhone 5 and newest Android models is getting much smaller these days. That will mean that details such as having a smaller connector will mean more in whether I will continue to use an iPhone and switch to other Android phones."

A salesman surnamed Chan at an Apple reseller in Hong Kong thought a smaller connector would be a "pain", and would spoil the clean lines and seamless connectivity that is Apple's trademark.

"There are ways around it as some of the speakers have an audio input point that can be connected directly to any iPhone with a earphone jack. It's not a very elegant way of doing things, but it's an alternative," he said.

In the end though, Apple fans are Apple fans.

"I don't think it will stop Apple consumers from buying the new gadgets," said C.K. Lu, Taipei-based analyst at research firm Gartner. "Many companies are interested in developing accessories for Apple because Apple users are more open and willing to buy accessories."

This post is sponsored by:    
Dr Mobiles Limited 
1 Huron Street, Takapuna, North Shore 0622    

Tel: (09) 551-5344 and Mob: (021) 264-000      
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Sunday, December 25, 2011

2012 Tech News Update: Samsung I929 Galaxy S II Duos with dual-network support pops up

It appears that Samsung has quietly released a new member of their Galaxy S II family. The Samsung I929 Galaxy S II Duos is the China telecom version of the extremely popular smartphone and is the first Galaxy S II device to come with both CDMA2000 and GSM support.
The Samsung I929 Galaxy S II Duos is built around a 4.52" WVGA Super AMOLED Plus screen and features a 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU. The company hasn't published the exact details of the chipset, but the clock speed of the CPU suggests that the Galaxy S II Duos runs on a modified Exynos.

Samsung I929 Galaxy S II Duos
 Samsung I929 Galaxy S II Duos Samsung I929 Galaxy S II Duos Samsung I929 Galaxy S II Duos Samsung I929 Galaxy S II Duos Samsung I929 Galaxy S II Duos

The China-bound Samsung I929 Galaxy S II Duos comes with an 8 megapixel 1080p video-capturing main camera and a 2 megapixel front-facing snapper. The smartphone comes with Android 2.3 Gingerbread at launch, but hopefully, will join the rest of the Galaxy S II family in getting ICS update at the start of next year.
As expected, connectivity is well covered with Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, microUSB and 3.5mm audio jack all on board. There are 16GB of onboard storage, which is expandable by up to 32GB thanks to the microSD card slot.
Samsung I929 Galaxy S II Duos is slightly thicker (9.8mm) and heavier (132 g) than its international sibling, but has a larger, 1800 mAh battery, to show for it.


This post sponsored by:
Dr Mobiles Limited
1 Huron Street, Takapuna, North Shore 0622
Tel: (09) 551-5344 and Mob: (021) 264-0000
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Sunday, December 11, 2011

Christmas, 2011 Tech News Update: The New Motorola RAZR XT910


Armed to its newly sharpened teeth and carrying the legacy of a legend, the Motorola RAZR XT910 is out looking for blood. The blood of the best Android phones on the market. And it will cut them where it hurts - their screens, chipsets, cameras and build.
Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910
Motorola RAZR XT910 official photos
The 4.3" SuperAMOLED screen boasts higher resolution than, say, the Samsung Galaxy S II. It bumps up the pixel density to 256ppi (up from 217ppi). And with a dual-core processor running at 1.2GHz and 1GB RAM, it's got enough processing power to challenge the other dual-cores. It has an 8MP camera with 1080p recording too.
But even those specs just aren’t as impressive as the sheer look of the thing. The RAZR droid is only 7.1mm thick throughout (take that Japan-only phones) and about 10.7mm at the bulge that holds the camera and loudspeaker.
And by the way, the rest of the specs are pretty exciting too. Here's the best part of them - and the not so good.

Key features

  • Stunningly thin 7.1mm body, splash resistant
  • Quad-band GSM and quad-band 3G with HSDPA and HSUPA
  • 4.3" 16M-color capacitive SuperAMOLED touchscreen of qHD resolution (960 x 540 pixels, 256ppi), scratch-resistant Gorilla glass
  • Dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 processor, PowerVR SGX540 GPU, TI OMAP 4430 chipset; 1GB of RAM
  • Android OS v2.3.5 with customized UI
  • 8 MP autofocus camera with LED flash; face detection, geotagging; 1.3MP front-mounted secondary camera
  • 1080p video recording @ 30fps; Slo-mo VGA@120 fps
  • Dual-band Wi-Fi ab/g/n; Wi-Fi hotspot functionality; DLNA
  • GPS with A-GPS; Digital compass
  • 16GB storage; expandable via a microSD slot
  • Accelerometer and proximity sensor
  • Standard 3.5 mm audio jack
  • microUSB port (charging) and stereo Bluetooth v4.0 with LE and A2DP
  • standard microHDMI port; Web Top compatible (docks sold separately)
  • Smart dial, voice dialing
  • Office document editor; MOTOPRINT app to print Office docs
  • Active noise cancellation with a dedicated secondary mic
  • DivX/XviD/X264 video support
  • Web browser with Adobe Flash 11 support

Main disadvantages

  • The phone is thicker at the top
  • Bigger than other phones with the same screen size
  • Screen uses PenTile matrix (offset by high ppi); a little dim too
  • No FM radio
  • No dedicated shutter key
  • MicroSIM card support only
  • Non-user-replaceable battery
The RAZR may be thin but it's hardly fragile - it uses Kevlar to cover its back and Gorilla Glass to secure the front. It's splash-resistant too.
Are the other droids shaking in their boots already? They should be - the Motorola RAZR has an impressive array of accessories by its side, including one that turns it into a full-fledged 14" Android-running netbook (full-size keyboard, Firefox browser, etc.).
Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910
Motorola RAZR live photos
The expectations are high - with this many talents on its resume, the Motorola RAZR will try to slash other droid's hopes of being the best. But does it have the (retail) package for it? And is the hardware as good as it sounds?
If you're not afraid of sharp objects, jump to the next page and find out. We've got our first aid kit at hand, just in case.


The Motorola RAZR XT910 retail package

Motorola put the RAZR XT910 in a box that's thinner than usual to emphasize one of the phone's great merits. It still contains all the essentials - a compact charger that uses the microUSB cable, a one-piece headset (in-ear design) and manuals. The earphones are branded ROKR - recycling old glory doesn't stop at RAZR obviously.
Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910
Motorola RAZR accessories
We were kind of hoping for an HDMI cable but microHDMI aren’t that hard to come by. The big-ticket items like the Lapdock 500 Pro or the HD Dock aren’t part of the bundle either, those are sold separately (but we've seen good package deals for the ATRIX, so you might want to wait for one of those if the Lapdock is a must-have).

Motorola RAZR 360-degree spin

The Motorola RAZR measures 130.7 x 68.9 x 7.1 mm - super slim but not small. It weighs 127g, which isn't much for a droid with a 4.3" screen (but we’ve seen lighter too).


Design and build quality

The original Motorola RAZR became a design icon and one of the most coveted phones in its time. This new droid reincarnation has a lot to live up to then - and Moto have done a good job at it.
Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910
Old and new RAZRs side by side
Instead of the all too common rounded rectangle design, the RAZR is beveled at the corners and the piece of Gorilla Glass is somewhat of a hexagon. The Kevlar back is even more recognizable and brings carbon-fiber-like aesthetics to the phone (we've seen luxury phones with similar kind of finishing).
Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910
The Motorola RAZR XT910 sized up against the HTC Sensation XL and Galaxy S II
The Motorola RAZR uses a SuperAMOLED screen that measures 4.3" in diagonal and dominates the front. It has higher resolution than the equally-sized screen on the Samsung Galaxy S II, but unlike it, it uses the old PenTile matrix.
Still, the qHD resolution of the RAZR's screen gives it higher pixel density - 256ppi for the Motorola vs. 217ppi for the Samsung. You can see the PenTile matrix if you look at it from real close, but at any reasonable distance it's all but invisible. If you put the RAZR and the Galaxy S II side by side and look at text (or something else with a lot of detail), the Galaxy S II actually looks a little sharper even though it has a lower ppi. Again, it's hardly noticeable if you don't have both screens in front of you. We observed the same thing back in the day when we reviewed the Motorola Atrix.
The screen offers deep blacks and great contrast the way only an AMOLED can and excellent viewing angles - there's no color or contrast loss at all. It matches the readings for the SuperAMOLED Plus screen on the Samsung Galaxy S II, but it's not the AMOLED brightest display we've seen.
You can find more information on your display test here.
Display test 50% brightness 100% brightness
Black, cd/m2 White, cd/m2 Contrast ratio Black, cd/m2 White, cd/m2 Contrast ratio
Nokia X7 0 365 0 630
HTC Sensation XL 0.22 231 1045 0.52559 1085
HTC Titan 0.26 233 891 0.56567 1007
Motorola Atrix 4G 0.48 314 652 0.60 598 991
LG Optimus 2X 0.23 228 982 0.35 347 1001
Sony Ericsson XPERIA Arc 0.03 34 1078 0.33 394 1207
Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II 0 231 0 362
Motorola RAZR XT910 0 215 0 361
HTC Incredible S 0.18 162 908 0.31 275 880
Apple iPhone 4 0.14 189 1341 0.39 483 1242

Moving on, above the display we find proximity and ambient light sensors along with the 1.3MP secondary camera. A notification light will blink green in case of missed events. The earpiece is also here, below the Motorola logo, finely etched in a metal plate that proudly contrasts with its black surroundings.
Underneath the display are the traditional four capacitive keys in charge of Android navigation - Menu, Home, Back and Search - and the mic pinhole.
Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910
Capacitive keys below the display • Earpiece, sensors and front-facing VGA camera
The top of the Motorola RAZR is where the three wired connectivity ports are lined up within a nice strip of rubberized plastic. They are the 3.5mm audio jack, the microUSB port and the microHDMI port. All three are uncovered and risk getting filled with dust over time.
Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910
3.5mm audio jack, microUSB and microHDMI ports on top
The left side of the handset is very tidy, only featuring the microSIM and microSD card slots hidden under a shared plastic lid. It is hard to open and we're afraid we might at some point pull too hard and damage it. The memory card is very easy to put in and pull out while the SIM card is near impossible to retrieve after it's been inserted. It either doesn't have a push-to-eject compartment, or our unit was faulty.
Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910
The microSIM and microSD slots are under a protective flap
The right side of the Motorola RAZR features the big Power/Lock key and the volume rocker. The Power/Lock key has a different texture than the volume rocker, so they're easy to tell apart by touch. The volume control is small and not terribly comfortable to use.
Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910
The Power/Lock key is easy to reach • The volume rocker
The bottom of the Motorola RAZR is completely bare.
Motorola RAZR XT910
Nothing interesting at the bottom
The back on the other hand is rather interesting. The phone is a single solid piece - there's no actual battery cover. The Kevlar rear has a distinctive pattern and a nice, rubbery feel to it, which improves grip.
The top part of the back protrudes to accommodate the 8MP camera, the LED flash and the loudspeaker.
Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910
The back of the RAZR looks like it means business
Now, most thin phones have such a bulge but it's usually at the bottom making them easier to hold. Putting all those things at the top makes the Motorola RAZR a little head-heavy.
Anyway, also on the back is the noise-cancellation microphone placed in the same position as the mouthpiece.
While we can't pop the back cover to take a peek inside, we know there's a massive 1780mAh Li-Ion battery that's officially quoted at 304 hours of standby and 9 hours 20 minutes of talk time.
Motorola went for modern durable materials in the construction of the RAZR XT910 and the results are very good. The phone is very solid (it helps that there are no detachable parts) and will slip into any pocket wide enough. The tightly packed internals of the phone enjoy some limited resistance to splashing water, but you have to be careful with it since the wired ports are completely unprotected.
The RAZR is very thin - thinner than all smartphones we've tested so far - and it feels different. A super slim handset, but rather tall and wide, it's not too comfortable and secure to hold at least at the beginning. The thicker part at the top didn’t prove to be a problem really.
Motorola RAZR XT910 Motorola RAZR XT910
The Motorola RAZR XT910 held in hand




This post is sponsored by:Dr Mobiles Limited
1 Huron Street, Takapuna, North Shore 0622
Tel: (09) 551-5344 and Mob: (021) 264-0000
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Saturday, November 27, 2010

2010 Review: Samsung S8530 Wave II - Go with the Wave! (preview, tech, news, report, Auckland, "Android Repair"


Introduction


They shall come in wave upon wave. Or so it seemed in the beginning. Samsung certainly wanted a strong start for their own Bada OS and they had it. It is usual for sequels to be questioned and belittled. That’s one thing the Wave II doesn’t have to worry about. It’s bigger and heavier than the original.  http://tiny.cc/samsung8530

When the second gen phone has a familiar sounding model name with an actual ordinal number in it – that doesn’t mean a complete lack of imagination. It’s a way to promote continuity. The Wave II has this base covered too – it’s nearly the same phone as the first Wave but presumably upgraded to reach to a more high-end market segment. Here’s a quick recap of its specs:

Key features

3.7" 16M-color Super Clear LCD capacitive touchscreen, WVGA (480 x 800 pixels), multi-touch input, scratch-resistant glass surface
Slim and solid metal body
Bada OS 1.2 with Samsung Apps
ARM Cortex A8 based 1GHz CPU
Quad-band GSM support with dual-band HSPA
Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n connectivity with WPS support, Wi-Fi tethering
Built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS support, digital compass, Samsung LBS powered by ROUTE 66
5 MP autofocus camera with touch focus and LED flash, geotagging, face, smile and blink detection
720p video recording at 30fps
2GB internal storage, microSDHC card slot
Standard microUSB port and Bluetooth v3.0 with A2DP
Standard 3.5mm audio jack, TV out
Stereo FM radio with RDS, FM recording
Webkit-based Samsung Dolphin Browser 2.0 with Flash support
YouTube client, Facebook and Twitter integration
DivX/XviD video support
Good audio quality
Main disadvantages
Limited number of available applications
Super Clear LCD can’t match SuperAMOLED
Card slot under the battery
No lens protection
SatNav software only a 30-day trial
No ambient light sensor to adjust screen brightness automatically
Poor loudspeaker performance
Wave II over original Wave
Latest Bada OS 1.2
Swype-like T9 Trace text input
Over-the-Air software updates
Larger 3.7" touchscreen

Yep, we know, it’s not a great update. Plus the first three differences over the original Wave are about to be washed away once it receives its due software update to Bada OS 1.2.
 

The Samsung S8530 Wave II may not be the upgrade that all users have been waiting for, but the phone runs the latest version of the Bada OS and has kept all the great features of the original: from the powerful CPU, to premium connectivity and HD video recording.

And all this is delivered on a larger 3.7-inch display. Sure, it’s no SuperAMOLED screen but Samsung promises the LCD screen is not your ordinary screen, too. You see, good things come in limited number and Samsung is pressed to supply enough SuperAMOLEDs for their Android and Windows Phone 7 operations.
 

Bad luck for the Wave II, we guess. Even worse for the original Wave – this phone will be as good as discontinued when the stocks run out. The Wave II will take over and that’s that.
Anyway, Samsung are probably not giving up on their Bada OS. If it eventually becomes the base platform for all their midrange touch phones, they will be extremely well positioned to adapt to the new market reality.
 

It’s not about the business benefits or the multitasking – it’s as simple as apps. Users love to have them and makers love to sell them. Imagine being able to do that on all levels – from the most basic feature phones to the top-of-the-line smart devices. That must be enough reason for Samsung to keep their commitment to Bada.


Like it or not, the Samsung S8530 Wave II is just a step in the process. We’re about to see whether it’s as compelling as its predecessor. As usual, we start with the design and hardware, and then put Bada 1.2 under the microscope.

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