Gleanings of the new Apple iPad

The new Apple iPad has recently been made available unofficially in Malaysia.  In line with the Malaysia Boleh slogan, our friends in Low Yat have been parading the iPad for a few weeks now.  The iPad probably made its way to our shores not long after Apple launched it in the US.

A quick tour of this new and nifty device brings some euphoria of sorts.  Especially so when it is so new and it is here in Malaysia.

The immediate reaction when the iPad was taken out of the box was the elated WOW!  Apple sure knows how to make these devices and they did not disappoint.

If you have used the iPhone 3G or the iPod Touch, you will find that the iPad is very much in line with the look and feel of the exquisite and excellent designed device.  Apple knows what the people want.

Between HTC, Google, Apple and Nokia

Recently, after using a number of cool and latest smart phone gadgets, it’s really time to share some insights to each of these devices.  Granted, the thoughts here are really my personal experiences but it should be fairly representative of these different classes of devices.

I hope you will find this useful as you consider spending some money on new and nifty devices.  I am comparing the HTC Touch Pro 2, HTC Hero, iPhone 3G and the N97.  They should be representative of their own classes of gadgets.

Enjoy!

Hello World – The Nexus One

Google announced the Nexus One smartphone that is branded by the company.  It is manufactured by the world’s leading manufacturer of smartphones – HTC.  The device will surely be superior in form, quality and stability than other Android-based devices from other manufacturers as HTC knows how to build them.

As the US got excited and hearing Google making it available as unlocked sets as well, there seems to be quite an excitement stirred around the world.

As for Malaysia, we will have to wait but not too long.  The unofficial sets will make their way to our shores soon enough.

The specifications for this little beauty of a competitor to the Apple iPhone is found here.

I feel that Google is making definite and clear strides to positioning a worthy iPhone competitor in the Nexus One.  All the specifications are there.  Just that the applications available on the Android platform is way behind both the iPhone and Windows Mobile.

Once you take a closer look at the Nexus One, you will see that HTC is custom building a Hero/Touch HD2-like PDA phone for Google.  HTC’s experience in making Windows Mobile PDA phones like their latest Touch HD2 will come in very handy to provide the quantum leap for Google to catch up with Apple.

In the Nexus One, I believe HTC is making a version of their Touch HD2 to run on Android instead of Windows Mobile.  All of the Nexus One specifications are already found in the Touch HD2.  These include the GPS, touch screen, 4GB micro SD, 512MB RAM and ROM, etc. which are Windows Mobile standards.

So making Android run on this should not be too difficult since they own the design and can adapt it easily in their state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Taipei.

This is good business for HTC as their Q4 revenues dropped by 30%.  This will surely provide a long term stable revenue stream for HTC in the forseeable future if Google has the might and clout to fight against the Apple iPhone and the rumored upcoming iPhone 4G.

For now, let’s see how the Nexus One will fare.  The price seems to be a good buy at below RM1,800.  I think the price will be closer to RM2,400 after it officially arrives here sometime later this year.  By which time, HTC will probably have a Touch HD3 out with features better than the Nexus One but running on Windows Mobile.

Good luck to the Nexus One!  Kudos, Google, for your courage to step up to Apple.

.

HTC and Sony Ericsson Christmas Goodies

Updated: HTC had a launch on their new products on 6 November.  More to follow.

Oh it’s early November but Christmas decorations are already at Starbucks.  How fast did the year pass?  The HTC Viva was just released and we should be able to quickly see a few neat goodies from HTC.  These are the HTC Touch 3G, HTC Touch HD, Sony Ericsson X1 and a new extended battery for Diamond.

HTC Viva – For the Newcomers

We have just seen the arrival of HTC Viva at our shops.  A spruced up Touch with a slightly larger screen, the Viva remains attractive to the entry level PDA user who will practically get everything but no 3G/HSDPA and GPS.  If you really don’t care about that, GSM and GPRS/EDGE with WIFI is probably all you will ever need with a decent camera all found in the Viva.

Furthermore, the other chief attractiveness is the price itself.  The RM1,200 price tag makes the Viva the lowest priced full function PDA Phone in the market as well as the smallest in its class.  Think O2 Mini but smaller frame and thinner, and voila, you get the Viva.  It’s definitely better than any phone in the market at that price point.

The TouchFlo 2D interface is good enough and intuitive for first time users.  If you make friends with the retailer, you can get heaps of software, be it games, applications and utilities.  The Windows Mobile platform has some of the best software available to the Viva user.  Note that you may have to pay them some service fee for their trouble.  Smile and be nice.  You might get away from paying for it.

Again, it’s a good second device but if you are already an experienced user of Windows Mobile devices, wait for HTC’s next models coming soon late November, early December.

X1 is definitely coming to Malaysia

The Sony Ericsson X1 is definitely on the way to the shores of Malaysia.

The X1 is coming to Malaysia

After some false alarms if the X1 will make it, Sony Ericsson finally figured out that the X1 will feature in the year end line up.  The X1 is the first Windows Mobile device of Sony Ericsson.  It has been introduced to the public for the longest time now, since the early part of 2008.  Everybody has been wondering if the X1 will ever make it to the market and there is a very good chance it will be here in Malaysia come end of the year.

And that’s this year, 2008!

HTC Touch Viva Coming Very Soon!

HTC Viva will be in Malaysia very soon

I had the chance of playing with the new HTC Touch Viva yesterday in Malaysia and I must certainly admit that I was very surprised by this little baby of a device.  Pleasantly surprised, in fact!

Especially given the entire package of the Viva with almost everything you would want in a PDA phone together with the PRICE of …

Sony Ericsson X1 – Key Features to Oogle

Here's looking at the back

The X1 has a number of key features that you will definitely find very useful and can become possible influencing factors in your buying decision, apart from the very elegant QWERTY keyboard (read here).  In that secret meeting with X1, he showed me all the juicy features that I will share here.  I also got a peek at the X1 Whitepaper that defines the technical features of this baby.

Omnia Prices Coming Down So Soon?

Now available in Malaysia

In my earlier posting of the Omnia (read here), I had predicted the 16GB model to be at RM2,500 and the 8GB model at RM2,300.  It was my wish that the price for the 8GB model would dip below RM2,000.

When it was launched (also previewed at PC Fair earlier this month), the 16GB had a retail price of RM2,999 and the 8GB at RM2,799.  That was merely a brief 2 weeks ago.

Sony Ericsson X1 – Keyboard seemingly better than TyTN II

Arc Slider Design

The X1 comes with what Sony Ericsson calls an Arc Slider Design where by sliding out the screen reveals a really neat keyboard.  The screen slides out and slightly up in an arc fashion, hence, the name.  But it doesn’t tilt upwards like the HTC TyTN II, just slightly up.  It’s somewhere between the TyTN and the TyTN II.  What you will find in the brush metal body bracing the keyboard is a set of great QWERTY keys and those keys are probably one of the best I’ve used so far.  We’ll tackle the screen in another posting.  More on the keyboard.