Gadgets and Devices to Watch For in 2013

2013 is surely a year where there are major product launches. And these new devices and gadgets are also milestone products and worthy of serious consideration if you are looking for an upgrade to your own stable.

For gamers, prepare for the fight of the year where Sony and Microsoft will be launching new flagship products in their Playstation 4 and Xbox One respectively this coming Christmas.

For gadgets and devices geeks and enthusiasts, you will be spoilt for choices like never before. Worthy of consideration is Sony’s Xperia Z Ultra which is pushing the phone/tablet or phablet to a beautiful 6.4-inch display packed with the best Sony can offer.

For notebooks or tablets (noteblets?) which will be in a hybrid design now, 2013 will bring you the best of both worlds from Samsung in their Ativ Q and Apple in a speculated MacBook Pro refresh.

SE Xperia Arc – a worthy iPhone4 challenger!

If you are looking for a new and nifty PDA phone that is comparable to the Apple iPhone4, look no further. Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc is all set to pose a serious challenge to Apple iPhone4.

I’ve been on the PDA phone scene since the beginning of such devices from the Palm Treo days through the O2 xda family then the HTC. Now every serious phone manufacturer must compete else they will be set by the wayside.

Thanks to Apple, they certainly know how to legitimize the PDA phone market by whizzing past all competitors by a mile when they first came out in 2007.

For the first time since the Apple iPhone was launched, I can safely say that our wait is finally over and now we have the formidable iPhone challenger in the SE Xperia Arc.

(For the full specs, please check out here).

Here are some key highlights that is worth mentioning:

1. 4.2″ 16M color Reality Display 854 x 480 resolution

Although the iPhone4 has a smaller 3.5″ 960 x 640 resolution with Retina Display (the Arc has the Reality Display), there is little difference in visual quality. SE touts the Bravia Engine enhancing display which is found in their LED TVs today.

The display of the Arc will give an exciting first glance attraction with impressive real life visuals.

A larger than iPhone4 display allows the Arc to be easier visual for the eye for video, games, ebooks and Internet browsing.

2. Sleek Streamline Slim Body

SE has departed from the basic Windows PDA phone format popularize by HTC. Although the Nexus and the first Xperia X1 were made by HTC, this little baby of the Arc has probably found a new constructor.

Whoever that may be, the quality that comes with SE phones has gone up a notch with the Arc.

The way the Arc can contain a 1500 mAh in that sleek body is truly an amazing engineering feat.

3. Highly Responsive 1GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 GPU, Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon

The Xperia Arc has a very responsive user interface. Watch the demo on YouTube here http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Ds0G9LgFarsU&sa=U&ei=1Z2YTe7bGKL50gHXuaSOBg&ved=0CAsQtwIwAA&usg=AFQjCNEbulwxe2Kf3g0WGWU1Cwba1CDArg.

The Arc has truly matched the iPhone4.

4. 8MP Camera with 720p video capability

As HD is now the video standard, the Arc ensures that it meets the industry standard. It comes with an HDMI port for video and sound output to your LED Bravia TV.

Not forgetting the 1.3M front camera, the Arc has more than adequate high quality photography fun combined with the Reality Display.

Cons

This is hard to say because there isn’t any major flaws. Some may find the device a bit big but the sleek slim design makes it easier to hold and store in the bag or pocket.

Otherwise, there is no real down side to the Arc. The Android 2.3 is perhaps the best version to date from Google with all the kinks worked out already. All the important components are at the industry best. A worthy opponent to the iPhone4.

Sony Ericsson is targeting the Malaysia launch in April timeframe at a great price of RM2,099.

Watch for this iPhone4 worthy CHALLENGER.

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!

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.

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. 

Sony Ericsson X1 – A Sexy Body

A sneak preview of the X1

Meeting the X1 the other day was really cool especially when it was a secret one.  A peek at his body showed an incredibly strong frame.  After all, it’s stainless steel.  Reminded me of Superman, the man of steel.  In X1, of stainless steel.  The cool steel has a robust feel in the palm although a tad heavier than normal.  Steel caged frame in PDAs is a rarity actually.  The classier ones were made of expensive aluminium but they were softer.  Once dropped, you get a permanent dent.  In the case of X1, you can throw it at a robber and will still be intact.

Sony Ericsson X1 – An Early Impression

I had the privilege to meet up with X1 from Sony Ericsson this afternoon at a secret location.  He was cautious to meet with me because his time is not yet come.  Fortunately, this meeting was arranged by a very good friend who could pull strings in high places for me.  This secret meeting revealed a closer look at the X1 albeit from my early impressions for now.  X1 allowed me to take some pictures with him and I will be sharing some of them here over the coming weeks.

Sony Ericsson X1 – A Strip Tease in Parts (1)

The new and yet to be released Sony Ericsson X1 is building new momentum of ardent followers.  The first Windows Mobile device in the Sony Ericsson family, I’m sure their trademark of having a great camera, music walkman and excellent consumer designs will be retained by them.

The new and exciting X1

Many who have seen the online pictures are captivated by the marketing flair and my view is for such excitement to be taken with a pinch of salt.  The photography has made many salivate when looking at the new X1.  Experience tells me that the real thing may look and feel quite different.

Anyway, this posting is to let you know that I may soon lay my hands on a pre-engineering set of the X1.  I’ll share my thoughts with you as I unveil what we can all expect of the X1 over the coming weeks.

Certainly, Sony Ericsson will want to exceed the expectations of the P series of PDA phone products and the X1 is poised to take the throne for the king of the line for now.

Stay tuned for more X1 news here!  And the news will pertain mostly to our Malaysian market.  I intend to do a strip tease of X1 here, little by little. 😉

Sony Ericsson X1 – An Early Impression (just arrived)