Tech Talk

UPDATE: I’ve updated the story with more details and pictures. If you were having trouble ordering the phone from Singapore because the country isn’t listed in the order form online, you might want to check a possible solution in the comments section (comment #7) below apparently it was listed as the “Republic of Singapore”. Google has just informed us that they’ve fixed it. Also, the Nexus One will come with a 1-year warranty and repair and support in Singapore will be provided by HTC (www.htc.com/www/support/nexusone).

Google has just unveiled its own smartphone (which also happens to be its very first consumer device), the Nexus One, upping the stakes once again in the smartphone arena. Unveiled at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California earlier this morning, the Nexus One is powered by a new version of Android (Google’s operating system for smartphones) and the hardware has been designed by Taiwanese handset maker HTC.

Earlier online leaks were pretty accurate on the phone’s form factor, technical specifications and pricing details. You can pore over the technical specifications here. There’s plenty of features that will make geeks happy. Like its fast 1GHz processory, roomy 3.7-inch LED-based touchscreen display and 5-megapixel camera. The updated Android OS looks very slick with its animated and interactive background wallpapers and 3D-like user interface.

The smartphone’s ubiquitous speech recognition feature is a surprise feature addition, allowing you to do a Google search or enter text, whether it’s for an e-mail or a note, simply by speaking into the phone. The double-microphone feature that cancels out background noise for clearer calls sounds promising too. Thanks to its cutting-edge software and hardware, Google has even dubbed it a “superphone”.

Here’s an official Google video that demonstrates what the Nexus One can do:

According to Google, the phone will initially be sold in the United States, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Singapore. But the good news is that you can order one online now (www.google.com/phone) and it will be shipped to Singapore from the US. It will be sold to consumers here without a contract or subscription plan from any of the local telcos for now. Including shipping costs (US$28.32) and its power adaptor (US$19.99) accessory, the Nexus One will cost a total of US$577.31 (S$805.70) for Singaporeans.

How does it compare to the latest iPhone? In terms of performance, the Nexus One is instantly responsive (lag was a major bugbear with earlier Android-based handsets). Its customisation options, animated user interface and interactive backgrounds provide a wow-factor for users.

However, multi-touch gestures that let  you interact more naturally with the device, are not supported on the Nexus One – however, according to Google, this can enabled through a software update. The Android platform also lags behind when it comes to the breadth of applications available for Apple’s smartphone. Hopefully, the number of Android apps will grow astronomically with the Nexus One gaining mass popularity as it takes on the role of Google’s flagship smartphone. And, of course, you don’t need to be tied to any telco to get a Nexus One – you can order it straight from Google. The price of freedom is, after all, just S$805.70.

Tags: Apple, iPhone, Microsoft, Nexus One, Zune

The great thing about technology is that there’s always something flashy and new just round the corner. It’s even more poignant as the year draws to a close.

The buzz on the Internet is that two possibly game-changing products might be announced in January (maybe, much to the chagrin of the companies releasing new gizmos at the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas come Jan 8).

First up is a smartphone from Google dubbed the Nexus One:

via Mashable

It runs the Android operating system and the sleek hardware is supposedly made by HTC. Just take a look at the specs here.

But what might make the Nexus One really compelling and change the landscape of the mobile phone industry is that it might be sold by Google, so you won’t need to go through a telco to get one, or you could just slot in your SIM card on the device to use your existing mobile phone line and data plan.

Google could also take it a step further. What if, instead of SMS, you could send an unlimited number of messages via Google Talk? And, by using its VoIP service, Google Voice, you could have unlimited talktime? Sure, both services are very much dependent on your data plan. But with data plans becoming cheaper by the year, this could possibly free you of being reliant on your telco.

Consumers could win big on this one because no longer would they be tied to a telco just because of the phones it has on its palette (cue the iPhone in its early days). Telcos will have to work harder at making their services reliable, fast and attractive to retain and gain subscribers. By side-stepping the telcos, Google can put its Android phones in the hands of more users and grow its mobile search and other online services further. Putting more smartphones in the hands of people would also open up the market for mobile applications and services.

We’ll be pretty happy if the Nexus One does come out because we’ve yet to see an Android phone on our shores that has really wowed us.

Next up are rumours of the Apple tablet yet again, with the company expected to make a product announcement at its own event in late January. Apple has built quite an empire with just the iTunes App store and the iPhone alone, so it’ll be interesting to see what this new device will bring to the table, if it does exist.

What’s interesting is that some see the tablet as one of the possible solutions to the ailing newspaper industry in the United States, where many newspapers and magazines have closed shop during the downturn. Newspapers and magazines on the iTunes store? Well, Apple’s digital marketplace has proven that it could be an effective distribution system for content, thanks to the multitude of applications, music, movies and TV shows that it currently sells.

What could a digital magazine on a tablet look like?

Mag+ from Bonnier on Vimeo.

And here’s another equally impressive demo:

Content producers are betting that the digital versions of their content, souped up with high-definition, multimedia content, might revive the interest of the masses in terms of eyeballs and paid subscriptions.

These two devices provide just an inkling of the big changes that might come in 2010. How exciting.

Tags: Apple, Digital magazines, Digital newspapers, Google, iPhone, Nexus One

Finally, smartphones based on the Google-backed Android operating system are starting to come of age. The OS will soon come in its second major iteration, and will power smartphones from the likes of Motorola, HTC and Samsung.

What this means is consumers can start choosing from a plethora of quality devices (as opposed to the one and only iPhone) that run on a modern and snappy mobile OS that provides an almost desktop-like Internet browsing experience, an amply-stocked application store that can help extend the abilities of their devices, and simple contacts integration with Facebook and Google accounts.

Death to the mediocre smartphone, I say.

Sony Ericcson is the latest to join the Android fold with its announcement of the XPERIA X10.

The impressive-looking hardware (a 3.5G smartphone with 4-inch touchscreen and 8.1-megapixel camera) is accompanied by a slick pair of custom applications, Timescape and Mediascape, which provide much more refined experiences with media playback and communicating with contacts.

Have a look at what the XPERIA X10 might be capable of when it gets on shelves in the first quarter of 2010:

Over in the United States, Motorola’s new Droid smartphone (it could possibly be called the Milestone if it arrives here) is getting lots of airtime for being a possible iPhone-killer with its well-specced hardware – a fast mobile processor that’s coupled with a 3.7-inch touchscreen and a 5-megapixel camera with dual-LED flash:

Smartphones won’t be the only devices that will get loaded with Android. Netbooks will soon be graced by the ‘droid, too:

Tags: Apple, Google, iPhone, Mobile, Smartphone

I have been hoping to write about interesting iPhone apps on a regular basis but work just seems to take up too much of my time. Now that I have time for a slight breather, I’m going to make my first iPhone app recommendation!

There are tons of apps on iTunes Store and it is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate the good apps from the bad ones. I also find it troublesome to download all those “lite” versions to test out the games or utilities.

Well, get AppReviews from iTunes Store. It is a simple app that draws all its content from iphoneapplicationlist.com – a site that provides information about the latest discounts, the hottest apps and reviews of apps. It really is a gem as it helps you to keep track of all the latest apps and discounts available.

The best part: AppReviews is free!

So, what are you waiting for?

Tags: Apple, iPhone, Mobile

It is an announcement that few envisaged or even contemplated.

But for Macintosh users with BlackBerry phones, the announcement that Research in Motion (RIM) will be releasing a BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac must be music to their ears!

Currently, if you are a Mac user who owns a BlackBerry phone, you can only sync your device with your computer using third-party software, like PocketMac or MarkSpace’s Missing Sync for BlackBerry.

Come September, with the BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac, you will be able to sync your iTunes playlist, calendars, contacts, as well as add and remove applications, and back up or update software in your BlackBerry phone with a Mac.

But why the sudden change of heart from the Canadian company?

I have a suspicion that RIM is trying to slow down the momentum of its rival offering, the Apple iPhone.

And why target the iPhone when there are so many other smartphones out there, you might ask? Well, just look at this report that highlights the fact that despite having only 3% of the world’s market share, Apple and RIM have an estimated combined 35% of the world’s operating revenue. Having a big market share doesn’t always translate to big profits.

Nevertheless, you might say that having BlackBerry Desktop Software for Mac is not going to have a significant impact on consumers, since those who are using a Macintosh probably have an iPhone, and those who have a BlackBerry probably don’t have a Mac.

That can’t be the whole truth of course. There are still plenty of Mac users who don’t like the touchscreen iPhone but prefers the buttons, email security and battery life of a BlackBerry. More importantly, there are many Mac users who are probably still on a Motorola Razr or a Sony Ericsson CyberShot, and who are contemplating the leap to a smartphone. Having a BlackBerry syncing software for Mac means they don’t have to give up their beloved Apple machines or their precious BlackBerry.

But the biggest losers are not Apple (hey, BlackBerry users don’t have to switch to Windows anymore) or its iPhone; it’s the Windows Mobile and other OS-based smartphones that will suffer the most.

By September, Apple and RIM are probably the only companies that manufacture smartphones catering to both Windows and Mac users out of the box (let’s keep Palm Pre out of the picture for now). For the savvy smartphone user who straddles between two major OS platforms, the choice will be either an iPhone or a BlackBerry. Who needs other mobile platforms anymore?

This move from RIM might not seem significant but the ripples it causes will one day turn to waves across the smartphone market.

Tags: BlackBerry, iPhone, Macintosh, RIM, Smartphone

I had the pleasure of meeting Mr Kua Cheng Hock from Adaptive Instruments while I was covering the launch of the iPhone 3GS here. He’s also from the Guide Dogs Association of the Blind and is the only blind person in Singapore who owns a guide dog as well – he’s working on getting funding so more visually-handicapped people can get one for themselves.

So why was he at the launch anyway? This might surprise you. According to Mr Kua, the iPhone is one of the few phones that’s made to be friendly for the blind right out of the box (you simply need to tweak a few settings to switch on its accessibility features). Apart from verbally relaying what’s onscreen to him so that he can operate it, the smartphone’s built-in GPS and digital compass can help him find his way. Currently, he has to carry multiple devices just to do the same thing. The all-in-one device is much cheaper too and can help him with his email and other work-related activities as well. I’ll let him do the talking:

Oh, by the way, this was shot on location with an iPhone 3GS too.

Tags: accessibility, Apple, Gadgets, iPhone, Smartphone

As we’ve mentioned in our iPhone 3GS review today, the smartphone captures decent images and movies with its 3.2-megapixel camera. It has a really intuitive way of letting you focus as well. You simply need to tap on the desired part of the image onscreen:

The square above indicates the area I’ve tapped onscreen. On the top right, you’ll see a slider to switch between video and camera mode.

The camera churns out great photos in daylight or well-lit areas despite its relatively low resolution:

Images in low-light conditions tend to suffer from some visible noise as you can see below – but it’s a general limitation of such cameras in phones:

Here’s a typical food shot in an environment with very low lighting (hey, it was closing time). The iPhone manages to pump up the exposure so that your subject is visible:

The 3GS captures VGA-quality video and also allows you to choose an area to focus on as well, just like in picture mode. This opens up creative ways in which you can capture footage. In our example below, we used its macro focus to limit the depth of field, so you can see details on the raindrops and the texture of the car door’s faux-leather trimming:

Note that the videos on this blog have been compressed because they’ve been uploaded to YouTube straight from the iPhone. As with the camera mode, the quality of the video does tend to suffer when you’re in low-light environments, with visual noise becoming rather visible:

If you’d like to see the full quality of the footage that we’ve captured, download it from here.

Tags: Apple, Gadgets, iPhone, Mobile, phone, Smartphone

Every now and then, you will hear stories of some struggling programmer who suddenly became rich because of an iPhone app he or she created.

Some have even earned hundreds of thousands! But for every successful iPhone app developer, I bet there’s a hundred iPhone developers who didn’t make  even a hundred bucks for their apps.

Still, there is not much monetary risk involved. As long as you have a computer and you know C language and programming, you are able to create something from nothing.  Well, not exactly nothing – you have to pay US$99 (Standard) or US$299 (Enterprise) to join the Apple’s iPhone Developer Program.

But this startup cost is minimal compared to  the cost of starting  a company, renting an office and hiring programmers to code the apps. At the end of the day, it’s all about your own creativity and an incredible amount of luck. If you are able to hit the right codes, you can find yourself a ticket out of your day job (that is, if you charge for your apps)!

Apple and Stanford offer free iPhone Application Programming lessons for free on iTunes, with many universities around the world offering similar courses  due to huge demand.

Back home, Singapore probably has the world’s youngest iPhone app developer in 9-year-old Lim Ding Wen, who developed the free painting app “Doodle Kids”. There are also several cool local apps, like buUuK, in App Store. However, if Singapore iPhone app developers are to make it onto the world map, they are going to need a little bit of help.

Thus, International Enterprise (IE) Singapore has tied up with Apple to conduct an iPhone Developers Briefing Session for local iPhone app developers on  April 27 from 8.30am to 3.00pm. Registration is $50 per head on  a first-come first-served basis. There will be a presentation by Apple about the right tools, resources and networks to grow iPhone app projects. 

Interestingly, the briefing also includes sharing with participants on the upcoming IE mission to Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco in June. It seems like our government is also jumping on the bandwagon in double quick time after spotting a potential gold mine.

Maybe I should start learning how to program iPhone Apps, too!

Tags: iPhone