ASUS Padfone Review: First 24hr Impressions

24 hours ago, I received the complete review package from ASUS consisting of the Padfone (A66), the Padfone Station and the Keyboard Dock.

It's finally in my hands after almost a year of wait. So obviously I can't wait any longer to share with you my first impressions within a day.

It Is Responsive. It Is Fast.
Padfone is the third Android smartphone I've tried that runs on Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) OS, after Galaxy Nexus and HTC One X. It feels responsive, the homescreen swipes around fast, switching between apps is fast.

I am surprised that despite running on Snapdragon S4 dual-core 1.5GHz, the Quadrant benchmark score of 5076 surpasses the HTC One X 1.5GHz quad-core processor, and blazes past Galaxy Tab 7.7 running on dual-core 1.4GHz. I know the Quadrant tests may not be a true indicator of performance, but still, it's a good feeling to see such high score coming from a modest Padfone.

I do notice sometimes the Padfone got "stuck", probably due to some background tasks. For instance, it took a long while loading the call history when I assessed. But when I tried again later, it feels normal.

Padfone + Station = Transformer Pad

Once I dock the Padfone to the Tablet Station, it took less than 5 seconds to start up the Tablet. The Tablet homescreen displays an entirely different set of icons and widgets from the Padfone.  I do not feel any unusual lag under Tablet mode. It just behaves like any normal tablet, in fact, you might be mistaken as a normal Asus Transformer Pad.

Once the Padfone is removed from the Station, the Padfone instantly resumes to phone mode. However, if your app is on display, there is a high chance that it will be force-closed because it does not support dynamic display switch. Just go back to homescreen before ejecting the Padfone and it will be fine.

And There's the Keyboard Dock
Dock the Padfone Station to the Keyboard Dock and you get a complete laptop solution just like the Transformer. For insights on the Transformer + Dock setup, refer to my Asus Transformer review.


Camera Is Not Up To Expectations
The camera is probably the most disappointing feature of the product. While the quality of the 8mp f/2.2 camera is slightly above average, the camera suffers slow focus, slight shutter lag, and inconsistent auto white balance. The front camera is out of focus and there is no AF option. The ICS camera effects list are absent.

Another 13 Days More

I will be holding on to the review units for 2 weeks. Join my facebook page at http://facebook.com/musicphotolife , add me at my twitter feed at http://twitter.com/musicdiary . Leave comments below and I'll try to answer if I can.

HTC One X: Review

After Google Galaxy Nexus, the HTC One smartphones are the first Android phones in the market that are launched with the latest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS pre-installed. On top of that, HTC has customised the OS with HTC Sense 4.0, transforming the phone to be less geeky and more user friendly, to such extent that even a seasoned Android user like myself could be unaccustomed when handling the HTC phones.

HTC One X and One V

Let's check out the specs of the HTC One X:

• 4.7-inch 720x1280 (HD) resolution
• 1.5GHz quad-core
• Built-in 32GB user memory (no microSD card slot)
• 1GB RAM
• 1800mAh battery
• Uses MicroSIM
• NFC
• 8 megapixel camera f/2.0 28mm with dedicated imaging chip
• 1080p video recording
• Pre-installed with Android 4.0 ICS
• 130g

The review unit is white in colour, made of polycarbonate body and Gorilla Glass. For its size, the phone feels light on the hands. One thing which baffles me is why all the phone makers - except Samsung - continue to position the power button at the top of the phone. As smartphones get larger, it becomes more difficult to reach for the power button using one hand. I also do not favour the micro USB port located at the left side instead of the top or bottom of the phone.

Sense-sational Experience
The experience of a HTC device is defined by its interface and tools, HTC Sense 4.0. The HTC One X is heavily customised to rid the user of the boring Android stock interface.

Using the "Personalize" menu, you can conveniently change the theme, the skin, or customise the lock screen. You can choose from various preset lock screen settings, like "Photo Album", "Productivity", "Friend Stream". These styles will allow specific content to be displayed on the lock screen without unlocking.

HTC has also maximised the homescreen by removing the Google search bar, moving the 3 on-screen button as touch buttons below the screen. The result is a very well-spaced homescreen, but still retaining the 4x4 layout. I thought HTC could have optimised by adding another row or increasing the icon size, but I guess you could use third party launcher apps to achieve that.

HTC One X appears warmer and more pleasing than Samsung Galaxy S2.

The Super LCD 2 panel is a beauty, the colours appear warm, better contrast and more pleasing than the Samsung Galaxy S2. The large 4.7-inch HD screen means you see more information on-screen with less scrolling, as highlighted in my earlier Google Galaxy Nexus review.

Personally, despite running on quad-core processor, the phone does not feel exceptionally fast. There are noticeable lags when performing some actions, for instance, pressing the "Recent Apps" button. Indeed, Quadrant benchmark runs off the roof at 4785, but I still experienced occasional non-response from apps, which I attributed to the stability of the Android 4.0.

The battery does not last longer than my Samsung Galaxy S2, despite a larger battery capacity. And since the battery is fixed, you cannot swap battery when it's low. Your best bet is to keep it charged or buy a portable USB battery pack.

Sound Worthy
HTC has tied up with Beats Audio to incorporate their audio engine. When you plug the HTC One X to any headphones, the Beats Audio sound enhancer will be enabled. Pity that the earphones included in the retail package is not Beats-branded. I find the Beats Audio enhancement natural-sounding and it boosts the loudness and clarity of the music tracks.

Camera Wonder 
The most unique offering of HTC One has got to be the camera. The camera starts up fast and auto-focuses continuously so that you do not need to pre-focus. HTC builds a dedicated imaging chip so the phone can capture 99 frames at one go. Even when shooting multiple single shots, I don't feel any processor lag. I like how you can do video recording instantly without having to switch to video mode.

My favourite feature has got to be the ability to capture full-resolution still images while video recording is in progress. No need to decide between high-quality still image captures and HD video recording. HTC One X lets you do both at the same time without lag.

HTC One V
If you find the HTC One X pricey (and perhaps too large), HTC One V is a more compact and affordable variant. It also comes with HTC Sense 4.0, Beats Audio, and 5mp camera for 99-consecutive shots. As it uses a lower-powered 1GHz processor, some limitations naturally exist: the phone feels more laggy, lower-resolution screen, less supported video formats, capture only HD-size still images while doing video recording. The body feels more rugged and you can expand the memory with microSD.

• 3.7-inch 480x800 resolution
• 1GHz single-core
• Built-in 4GB user memory
• Expandable microSD card slot
• 512MB RAM
• 1500mAh battery
• 5 megapixel camera f/2.0 28mm with dedicated imaging chip
• 720p video recording
• Pre-installed with Android 4.0 ICS

It's The One
HTC One X is the most powerful smartphone in the market now. It's the first Android phone after the Google Galaxy Nexus to be pre-installed with the Android 4.0 ICS. The large screen and lightweight body is an ease to use, plus the camera is the best that any smartphone can offer. This is the phone to capture your memories, both still and video at the same time.

I would buy it because:

• The camera is fantastic. I can capture video and still images at the same time
• The screen is large and bright
• It is lightweight

I won't buy it because:

• There is no microSD card slot to expand the storage
• The battery is not removable
• The power button is hard to reach using one hand
• White colour is hard to maintain

Motorola Atrix 2 and Lapdock 100

Last year when I reviewed the ATRIX with Lapdock, it was a new experience using a phone that transforms into a workable netbook.

Now, the new ATRIX 2 has released and offers improved user experience and specs from the original ATRIX.

• 8 mp camera (vs. 5mp)
• Full HD 1080p video recording (vs. 720p)
• 4.3" qHD screen (vs. 4")
• 4GB onboard system memory, 1GB RAM (original ATRIX has 16GB built-in user memory, but this new one is also priced lower)
• 147grams
• 1735mAh battery capacity (vs. 1930mAh)
• RRP S$699

List of Likes on the ATRIX2:
- Sleep mode lets you turn the phone off and all radio activities, conserving precious battery life, but you can turn on the phone instantly without waiting for the boot up.


- Social-enabled apps like Gallery, Music, help you to reach out to your contacts. When you open the Gallery app, you can browse your camera photos, your phone storage photos, your online photos, and your friends online photos. As you browse their photos, you can comment or like them. When you browse your own photos, you can also select to upload and write comments to them too. Likewise, the music player is also integrated with online content. Easily listen to Internet radio, identify songs, watch YouTube. The ATRIX 2 even streams the lyrics as you listen to songs stored in your phone.


- Over-the-air content management. By installing the free MotoCast software on your desktop or laptop, you can browse your computer multimedia content on the ATRIX 2 and watch them over-the-air.  When you open the file manager app on ATRIX 2, you will see options to browse files either from your phone or from other DLNA-connected devices or your MotoCast computers. The ATRIX 2 also comes with Phone Portal app to let you manage your phone content over a web interface.

- Shortcut camera button, always taken for granted, helps you start up the camera app any time without having to look for the icon on the screen.


- Micro HDMI port, a standard feature on all Motorola Android devices, lets you mirror your screen to any HDMI-supported display.


- Matt rear casing offers good grip and durability.


- 10 free EA games, making the ATRIX 2 a little more appealing. But I find some of the games like FIFA 10 require a larger screen size to better enjoy the gaming experience.

List of Dislikes
- MicroSD card is required to store user content. There is no built-in storage, unlike the original ATRIX.
- Rear casing can be difficult to remove without strong fingernail.
- It's the same uninspiring Motorola interface design like all previous models.
- The fingerprint security has been removed. Pity, as it would have been a unique feature for ATRIX devices. I would go for this compared to the face-unlock feature on the new Android 4.0 ICS.

Lapdock 100
On its own, the ATRIX 2 offers nothing compelling compared to the competitors. But it shines when paired with the Motorola Lapdock.

The new Lapdock 100 is remodeled to allow a wider range of Motorola smartphones to be plugged to it. Its design is a more futuristic take compared to the previous slim compact mould. With the new Lapdock, your Motorola smartphones will be charged by the Lapdock battery when plugged in. The keyboard is also gapless like normal desktop keyboard instead of the chiclet style which I abhor. There are custom functions on the first row of the keyboard, similar to what the Asus Transformer dock is providing.

Other than the design, I don't observe any major difference with the original Lapdock. The webtop app still only supports Firefox browser and every other function is handled by the native phone app via a separate window. You would not get a complete laptop experience with the Lapdock, but if your life depends on desktop web browsers, then the Lapdock will help you attain higher productivity. The speakers are not top-notch, but delivers decent sound for general listening.

Final Thoughts
The ATRIX 2 is a minor product upgrade from the first ATRIX, offering similar feature sets and experiences. The price is competitive and will appeal to Android users who have many social accounts and like to share content yet not tech savvy enough to look for third party apps. The ATRIX 2 easily feeds the user with social news, contact photos and music on the ATRIX 2.

The Lapdock 100 is redesigned to generically work with more Motorola devices as the connector is a flexible cable. Its primary purpose is for you to access a Firefox web browser with a full keyboard rather than surfing on the small phone with half the screen occupied by the soft keyboard. Remember: the Lapdock runs the real desktop version Firefox browser, unlike Android or iOS web browsers. You also get a multi-window interface to let you tile or cascade your windows.

The ATRIX 2 alone might not be a compelling smartphone choice, but when connected to the Lapdock 100, makes a viable alternative to a netbook.

Instagram for Android

Gene Goh, a good friend who is a great wedding and lifestyle photographer, is also an Android phone user. Like me, he has been waiting for the launch of Instagram on Android. This morning at 2am, it is finally live. Here's his brief note, published with his kind permission.


Visit his Facebook note here.

My Quick Take on Instagram for Android
by Gene Goh on Wednesday, 4 April 2012 at 09:33

Instagram for Android has just been released, and I'm beginning to see why this app has caused such a stir in the iPhone photography world.

This is a review on the Instagram app, and I will modify it as I find more features and find out more on working with this app. Do pardon me if I have made any wrong assumptions.

I've been using Vignette, a paid Android app, to process my photos and share them on Facebook. While Vignette has many customizable options to process your photos, it takes a while to choose which processing style you want. That has deterred me from processing my photos as it simply takes too much time to get my photos processed.

So far, what I'm impressed with Instagram are the following:

• Established Instagram social network
• Relatively fast startup time
• On the fly preview of effects
• Nice lomo/retro effects
• Elegant frames for images
• Option to import existing photos for processing
• Very easy-to-use interface
• Saves an original copy of the photo in the camera folder and saves the processed copy in the Instagram folder, useful for rework

What I think is lacking in Instagram:

• Restricted by square crop
• Somehow I am restricted to a resolution of 1536x1536 even though I have set my native camera to full 3264x2448
• According to engadget, Instagram has a max resolution of 2048px. After some tests, I found that Instagram resizes the image to 1224px if the camera is set to larger than 2048px on the shorter side. However, it does not resize the image if the camera is set to less than 2048px.
• Option to start in camera mode instead of showing Instagram feeds upon startup

Asus Transformer Prime TF201: Quick Review

Last year, I was one of the first 100 to pre-order the Asus Eee Pad Transformer TF101. It was indeed a transforming experience, being the first tablet with integrated foldable keyboard. I wrote a comprehensive review on it, covering my thoughts on how such a tablet device can work for me.

One year later, the Transformer Prime TF201 is released. I have since sold my original Transformer and bought myself a proper laptop to meet my needs. While a laptop can't last as long as a tablet, nor has much interactive fun apps to occupy your idle time, a laptop allows me to be productive in what I want to do, for instance, drafting this blog entry in a fast food restaurant.

Attention to curvy details

But that doesn't mean a hybrid tablet computer like the Transformer is not useful. If you find an Android tablet very useful but wished for a more integrated device with keyboard that comes with more battery, USB port and an SD card slot, to boost your productivity by a notch, then you should try the new Transformer Prime and power up your mobile lifestyle.

Transformer Prime in Champagne Gold

Here's the list of improvements on this second generation Eee Pad Transformer: Prime TF201.

• Thinner, lighter and made of brushed aluminium body, giving a much more premium feel. (537g vs. 680g. With dock, the TF201 weighs 1123g. And if it's of any interest, the new iPad 3 weighs 652g)
• More powerful quad-core Tegra 3 processor (vs. dual-core Tegra 2) with an additional low-power core for minor activity to further save your battery utilisation.
• 8 megapixel rear camera (vs. 5mp on the TF101)
• The dock lock mechanism is improved, so it's easier to dock.
• New Transformer comes with vibration for silent notification.
• Trackpad is more sensitive - perhaps too sensitive for some.
• The power button is now moved to the top instead of next to the volume rockers, so that you will not accidentally press the power button when you wanted to control the volume. But the lock key on the keyboard is still at the same position, and I tend to press that accidentally when I wanted to hit "backspace".
• Better screen quality thanks to Super IPS+, but still the same reflectivity, which is rather annoying.
• Plays video files and games smoother

Overall, the new Transformer Prime TF201 offers some improvements compared to the original Transformer TF101. You will not feel drastic benefits if you plan to upgrade, unless you are a gamer, or use the camera to take a lot of important photos, or prefers the weight and design of the new model. 

And when you upgrade the Transformer Prime to ICS (Android 4.0), you will enjoy the ICS benefits plus a handful of Asus custom settings, apps, widgets and enhanced notification window, which I find very useful.

• Task manager widget - easily monitors open apps and kills them
• Dual battery indicator - no need third party apps
• Asus notification panel - comes with additional setting icons, similar to Samsung Touchwiz
• ICS improvements (which I have shared in my Galaxy Nexus review) like Gmail swipe-to-next, Notification swipe-to-remove, nice icons

My experience with the Transformer Prime is dented primarily by the OS, which doesn't seem to run optimally. Issues include frequent lags, unresponsive apps, and slow camera operation like laggy shutter (a far cry compared to the Galaxy Nexus). These problems are not traits I expect out of a quad-core processor. I suppose future firmware updates may smoothen things out.

Transformer Prime on top of the Macbook Air. Just as sexy and stylish.

If you have always wanted an Asus Transformer but never got the chance to own one, the new Transformer Prime might interest you due to its Zenbook-like design. The lack of 3G models might discourage mobile warriors to get one, but casual users can easily rely on their mobile phone's Wi-Fi hotspot to provide data connectivity.

Sony Tablet P: Clamshell Review

Sony should not have called it a tablet.

The unique clamshell device runs on Android OS 3.2 Honeycomb (upgradeable to OS 4.0 ICS in future), has two 5.5-inch TFT display sporting 1024x480 resolution, powered by dual-core 1GHz Tegra 2 processor, lets you play PlayStation certified games, SIM-enabled, built-in 1GB memory, supports external microSD card.

Sony calls it a Tablet P, but it shouldn't be marketed as a tablet.

Not A Good Tablet
Here's why this device does not work well as a tablet.

Dual screen. Technically, 2 screens are better than one. The Table P has a combined resolution of 1024x960. Unfortunately, not all apps support the full-screen view. The result: only one screen can be used, so instead of a larger screen, you end up with a viewable screen size of a mere 5.5-inch.

Dual screen does not quite work well when typing. At the normal "landscape" orientation, the Tablet P is too wide and its side bezels too thick for thumb typing. At the portrait orientation, some keys appear in between 2 screens!

In general, the 2-screen design is not natural to use for most apps that are designed for single screen.

Memory. Tablet P does not come with any built-in user memory to store user data. The 1GB is used by system. Without inserting an external memory card, you cannot say, take picture with the camera. I don't know of any tablet that does not have built-in user memory.

Sound. Sadly, the Tablet P sound quality is rather poor and weak. I was unable to impress my peers with video and music playback.

But A Great Personal Device
OK, imagine this is not a tablet. Here's what this device can do that sets it apart from other conventional tablets.

Dual screen. Sony has customised several apps to showcase the dual screen capability. Here's a list.

Camera: top screen shows the list of previously saved content, the bottom screen shows the camera live preview.

Video: top screen shows the content, the bottom screen shows the controls.

Music: top screen shows the playback controls and artwork, the bottom shows the albums in the form of artwork thumbnails. You can interact with them by moving them around, as if they are physical albums laid on a table.

Gallery: when opening an image to view, the top screen shows the main image, the bottom shows the rest of the images in the album which you can scroll. When you select another image, it will appear in the top screen.

I really like how these apps make use of the dual screen. When you use these apps, they don't look at all like tablet.

Compact Clamshell. The Tablet P is a compact and portable tablet for such a large screen, at only 372g. The beauty of the clamshell design is that I can put the Tablet P on the table and tilt the screen to watch videos, as a bedside clock, or watch for incoming updates. Even when hand-holding the device, I can adjust the top panel for optimised viewing angle while holding the bottom panel in a comfortable position. My favourite feature is to be able to do video recording without the need of a stand. And with the live preview displayed at the bottom screen instead of the top, I could capture still and video images at odd angles, not unlike cameras with articulated screens.

Notification light. No other mainstream tablets have a notification light. The Tablet P has it, so you'll know when you need to turn on the device to read your incoming messages.

Removable Battery. If you are a heavy user, you can easily buy extra battery to last you the whole day.


Final Words, and I'll Say That Again
Sony should not have called it a tablet. The Sony Tablet P is a personal touchscreen device, one that lets you play PlayStation games, enjoy music, video and photos, one that lets you capture photos and videos in various angles, one that connects to your social network via 3Gw. And it's a device that runs on Android OS and that, by the way, supports all Android apps, which you may use but not optimised for the device. Maybe then, more people will find good reasons to buy it. Would you, if it's not called a tablet?

Google Galaxy Nexus: Review

For months after the announcement of Android's latest OS 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS), Galaxy Nexus remains as the only smartphone officially running on ICS. Even new Android phones launched after Galaxy Nexus are still installed with the Gingerbread OS 2.3.6. As for existing handsets, the update rollout is frighteningly slow. This has led to consumer hesitation on whether to purchase these new mobile phones with an old OS. While these new phone manufacturers have promised to release the ICS update, the actual date remains unknown.

So we ask yourselves this question: are the ICS enhancements really great? We look to the Galaxy Nexus for answers.

Being the official ICS smartphone, the Galaxy Nexus contains all the features that Google wanted, but that does not mean it has everything that consumers want. As a Samsung Galaxy S2 owner, I reviewed the Galaxy Nexus with an open mind and, as usual, less of a technical view and more of an experiential perspective. (To learn the new features of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, head on to this official link - http://www.android.com/about/ice-cream-sandwich/ )

Design
The Galaxy Nexus sports similarity with the Samsung Galaxy S2: a bulge bottom and a flexible plastic casing for the battery. The front screen is slightly concaved to offer added ergonomics in phone handling. The earphone jack is at the bottom, something that male users like me might appreciate because I keep the phone head first in my trouser pockets.

The phone is slightly bigger than the Galaxy S2, but after a while, you get used to the size. Even after inserting the Google search bar (permanent) at the top and the favourites icons at the bottom, and not forgetting the 3 on-screen buttons, the home screen icons are comfortably spaced out, thanks to higher resolution. And with that, the status bar can squeeze a lot more notification icons. Sadly, the battery indicator still does not show the remaining battery percentage.

What I Like
Here are a list of features that I find nice about the Nexus (and ICS).


Font. Some people hate it. But I like it. It's clean, clear and contemporary. It might be inspired by Windows phone, which I also liked.

Screen resolution. At 1280x720 in a 4.65" super AMOLED screen, the Nexus packs a lot of pixel density for a "retina display" experience. You see more information in one screen without the need to scroll around too frequently. The colour reproduction is much better than the Galaxy S2, which suffers blue tint. Despite having similar resolution as tablet, the OS does not display apps on the Nexus in the tablet layout, something which the Samsung Galaxy Note does.

Screen capture anytime. Nexus allows the user to capture screen shot by pressing the vol-down and power buttons simultaneously. I can practically capture any screen, allowing me to share review screen shots with great ease.

Recent shares. Some apps like camera displays your most recent share apps so that you can quickly use them without searching them again.

Camera shutter lag. Or lack of! Shot to shot is so instantaneous, I had to double check if I actually took the shot. I would prefer if there is an indicator on-screen to show that I have captured the shot, for instance, a blink on the screen.

Notification light. Samsung Galaxy never has one of these, and so I really appreciate having these. Some apps even let you define the notification colour so that you can easily identify which apps have incoming notifications, even without turning on the phone screen.

Slide to read next/previous messages. With Android 4.0, some apps like Gmail allows you to swipe the email to read the next or previous messages. The best part is that, when you swipe back to the earlier message, it remembers the position, so you do not have to scroll back to where you stopped.

Slide to remove notifications. Previous versions require you to either click the notification to read it and at the same time remove it, or click the "Clear all" button to remove all notifications at once. Now, you may choose to selectively remove each notification by sliding it out of the window. This allows me to keep the notifications I want while removing those that I want to ignore.

Photo gallery and editor. The new gallery is more compact which allows display of more gallery folders in a single page. The editor has a lot more useful functions to create photo effects and face touch-ups.

Camera live effects. Finally, the Android phone camera offers fun live effects that have existed on desktop webcam apps for the longest time. The effect feature serves as an entertaining feature for my young daughter, who is ever so delighted to see her own face transformed "live" on the phone display.

Sync frequency on email. Galaxy Nexus allows me to modify my email sync frequency in just 2 clicks. Previously, I had to navigate into the email options to look for this option. However, unlike other custom email apps like Samsung Galaxy S2, the Nexus does not allow different sync frequency for on-peak and off-peak.


What I Don't Like

No enhanced app features. Galaxy Nexus offers the plain interface and basic apps. Comparing to the Samsung Galaxy S2, for instance, the Nexus lacks a few conveniences, like the ability to assign ringtone on any track I play on the music player, the ability to search for contacts using the phone dial. For that, I'd prefer my Galaxy S2 over the Nexus.

Action bar: hide and seek. The action bar is where you select options available for each app.This action bar can appear on top or at the bottom of the app, which in my opinion is not very consistent.

On-screen keys positioning. The Galaxy Nexus has a huge blank space at the bottom, which would have no purpose since the action keys are now on the screen. As a result, I find it a little stretched to reach for the on-screen keys.

Image quality. The 5mp camera captures normal quality, incomparable to Galaxy S2. Upon closer inspection, the Galaxy S2 camera images are heavily sharpened to give you the illusion of sharp images. Even so, I thought the Nexus lacks sharpness, which means I might have to do post processing before sharing.

No external memory card slot. Need I say more?


Improvements That Don't Matter
The following lists are things that don't make an influence to my decision for using Galaxy Nexus or ICS, either because they are not practical to use, or I can easily find third party apps to give me the same features.

Face Unlock

As useful as it may sound, it would be rather silly to use, because you had to point the phone at your face to unlock. Imagine doing that during office meetings, or while you are driving. No worries, though. If the app is unable to recognise the face, you may proceed to unlock with a pin. But I might as well set to unlock by pin in the first place.

Near Field Communication
There is still no real application as yet. For now, you can use the Galaxy Beam to interact with another Galaxy Nexus device to share information.

Improved Apps
Galaxy Nexus (or ICS for that matter) has improved the usability of several apps, but the features are already available as pre-installed apps by other phone makers or as third party apps available on the Google Market. Here's what ICS offers, and see if these features sound familiar to you.

• Lock screen: you can activate camera.
• Incoming call management: quickly reject the call with pre-defined SMS messages.
• Data management: captures the data usage of apps. 
• Phonebook: offers you a single view of the contact's social feeds.

Final Words

The value of getting an Android phone running on stock OS is to be able to update the phone to the latest version without waiting months for the phone makers to develop their own custom version. The beauty of Android phone is that you can replace any apps with third party equivalents - even the Phone Dialer, the SMS, the Calendar, the Contacts manager, and the Home Screen. But for most consumers, they want a phone that works.

The Galaxy Nexus offers the latest yet the most basic Android experience, and despite a list of things I don't like (or don't matter), I really enjoy using the phone. And since you can easily replace apps with third party ones, the minor quibbles shouldn't really matter much. The camera quality might be a drawback for heavy camera users, as well as the lack of external memory card slots for the video-heavy users.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 and 7.0 Plus: Review and Compare

Samsung has the most number of tablet variants in the market. They have the 5-inch Galaxy Note, the 7-inch Tab original, the Tab 8.9, Tab 10.1, and the just-announced Galaxy Tab 2 in 7-inch, 10.1 inch, and Galaxy Note 10.1. Basically, you can find a Samsung tablet between 5 and 10.1 inch that meets your size needs.

On this blog post, I'm going to compare the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and 7.0 Plus, which I received from Samsung for review.

The Difference
Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is essentially an upgrade of the original Galaxy Tab (7.0) with the exact screen resolution of 1024x600, while the Tab 7.7 is a new model and the first tablet to use Super AMOLED Plus screen and follows the more common 1280x800 size.

Here's a breakdown of the differences, Galaxy Tab 7.7 vs. 7.0 Plus (source: Samsung website)

• Processor: 1.4GHz Dual Core vs. 1.2GHz Dual Core
• Weight: 340g vs. 345g
• Thichness: 7.89mm vs. 9.96mm
• Screen: 1280x800 Super AMOLED Plus vs. 1024x600 TFT 
• Battery: 5100mAh vs. 4000mAh
• SAR: 0.079 W/kg vs. 0.977 W/kg
• Retail Price: S$898 vs. S$768

The Tab 7.7 is clearly the winner in every aspect. The higher-resolution AMOLED Plus screen looks sharper in higher contrast and displays more pixel information. Even when running on the same Android 3.2 Honeycomb OS, there are subtle additional features on the 7.7. For instance, the Live Panel on the 7.7 can stack multiple apps but the 7.0 Plus can only pop one app at a time. The settings colour theme on the 7.7 is black (conserves battery on AMOLED screens) while the 7.0 Plus is white.

Check out the rear of both Tabs. The 7.0 Plus replicates the Tab 10.1 glossy plastic finishing while the 7.7 sports a new metallic finish.

What impresses me is that Samsung still retains the ear speaker so that the Tab functions exactly like a mobile phone. I know it does look outrageous holding such a large Tab - I mean, people already felt the 5-inch Galaxy Note is huge - but you know you at at least make use of it to make calls if your bluetooth headset or wired earpiece is nowhere to be found.

The Tab uses the same ear speaker as the Galaxy S2 (left).

Sadly, the camera quality is still not comparable to high-end mobile phones like Galaxy S2, which means it could be a deterrent for people who might consider ditching their pocketable phones for this multi-functional goliath.

Does 7.7 Inch Work?
I have tried several 10-inch tablets. I have reviewed the 5-inch Galaxy Note. I have tested numerous mobile phones of 4-inch screens. Now that I have experienced the 7.7 inch Tab, I think it's a great size. It's not too big and heavy, nor too small which strain your eyes. At 340g, it's a nice weight for prolonged usage. At 7.7 inch, it's a nice size when viewing from about a feet away. Thumb-typing in portrait mode is comfortable. The size is even better for playing Draw Something, a cross-platform game for Android and iOS devices. Samsung made it bigger and yet lighter than the 7.0 Plus.


The Verdict
The Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus feels and looks dated. Unless you really can't afford the additional S$100+, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is the one to own. Higher processor, larger screen, higher resolution, thinner and lighter, it is a small price to pay for a newer tablet experience.

12 Features Motorola RAZR Wins Samsung Galaxy SII

We know Samsung Galaxy SII (GT-9100) is arguably the best Android phone in the market. But where does the Motorola RAZR (XT910) stand, apart from being the thinnest Android phone (Oct 2011)? I tried the device and uncovered quite a lot of features that the RAZR is better than the Galaxy SII out of the box.

That 1mm difference.

1. Smart Actions
You can configure RAZR to trigger actions or settings based on conditions, like location, time, or when battery is low. There are presets for you to use, or you can create your own. For instance, when I am at office, my ringtone is set to vibrate. When I'm at home and it's past midnight, the ringtone is set to the lowest volume.

2. Hide Your Apps
If you want to hide those apps that you never use (or can't delete), you can hide them so that your apps drawer will not look so cluttered. It's also useful to hide apps from the casual browsers like your kids.

3. Integrated Photo Sharing
When you open the Gallery app, you can browse your camera photos, your phone storage photos, your online photos, and your friends online photos. As you browse their photos, you can comment or like them. When you browse your own photos, you can also select to upload and write comments to them too. All in one app.

4. Integrated Music Sharing
Likewise, the music player is also integrated with online content. Easily listen to Internet radio, identify songs, watch YouTube. The RAZR even streams the lyrics as you listen to songs stored in your phone.

5. Over-the-air multimedia streaming via MotoCast
By installing the free MotoCast software on your desktop or laptop, you can browse your computer multimedia content on the RAZR and watch them over-the-air. The RAZR video playback is a huge improvement from the ATRIX I reviewed months back. Now I can play almost all the common video formats including MKV and FLV.

6. File Manager with remote computer access
When you open the file manager app on RAZR, you will see options to browse files either from your phone or from other DLNA-connected devices or your MotoCast computers.

7. Data Manager to keep track of your usage
Besides breaking down your data usage by activity, you can also turn on Data Saver so that the RAZR will limit the downloads over cellular network until you connect to Wi-Fi. Now you know which apps are using up all your precious data quota.

8. Mobile Hotspot Inactivity Timeout
You can set inactivity timeout to manage your battery consumption. Very useful when you turn on the Mobile Hotspot for a quick surf on your Wi-Fi tablet and forgot to switch the Hotspot off.

9. LED Indicator
The LED indicator blinks when you have incoming notifications. Various colours indicate different apps.

10. HDMI Port
While Galaxy SII requires an external MHL adapter and power, the RAZR has a built-in micro-HDMI port, and RAZR will mirror the phone display onto the large screens, including videos. Unlike the video format limitations on the ATRIX, the RAZR can play almost all popular formats.

11. Screen Resolution
The RAZR screen is 960x540, higher than Galaxy SII's 800x480. This means the RAZR can squeeze a little more information on the same-size screen.

12. "ICE" Contact
Under the contacts app, you see a special contact type, where you can specify the people you want to contact in case of emergency. This contact type appears right on top of your contact list, so you no longer have to purposely create a contact name with symbols just to make them appear on the top of the contact list.


Many of the above RAZR functions may be achievable with third-party apps, but you would need to spend some money and time to find the right ones. 

The Bad?
With so many features, doesn't it make the RAZR a much better smartphone than the Galaxy SII? Unfortunately, the RAZR is weak in the following areas.

Camera
On paper, the RAZR captures 8-megapixel images and Full HD, just like the Galaxy SII. In fact, the quality pales in comparison. The contrast is poor, the images are grainy and lacks vibrance. Starting up the camera also takes a while.

Interface Lag
The RAZR does not run as snappy as the Galaxy SII. It can get a little frustrating when you want to get to the app that you wanted.

Overheat from use
The RAZR heats up a lot faster, and it comes from the screen surface instead of the back. It's one of the worse Android phones I have experienced: so hot that I could not put it in my trousers pocket. I suppose the thinness of the phone causes more heat to be felt on the phone surface.

Non-removable battery
Besides the inability to change batteries that may be worn over time, if you were to plug a portable battery pack, it would end up on top of the phone because the charging port sits on top. And I find myself using up the battery a lot faster than on the Galaxy SII because of all the content streaming made easy with the phone.

So thin, for what?
7.1mm sounds thin, but physically it does not look that thin. In fact, not one person whom I handed the RAZR to commented anything about the thinness of the phone - I had to "impress" them by telling them so. It led me to wonder why don't the phone manufacturers improve on the battery capacity instead of sacrificing it for size. If Motorola had made the RAZR the same thickness throughout, they might be able to squeeze another 1000mAh. Now, a phone with 2780mAh battery is certainly unheard of.


RAZR: The Connective Phone

Nevertheless, I have never been so impressed with an Android phone since the Samsung Galaxy S and SII. The list of features on RAZR helps the user reach out to the social media with ease, and connect their network of devices to access multimedia content without the hassle of wires. The built-in HDMI again makes content viewing on TV a breeze. Indeed, where connectivity is concerned, RAZR makes the cut.




Chester writes for XinMSN.

Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S: Review

Sony Ericsson and I were old friends. Before there were slim phones, there was Ericsson T28. Before there were colour screen phones, there was Sony Ericsson T68. Before there were touchscreen smartphones, there was Sony Ericsson P800. These are phones that I had the privilege to own and experience.

Now, there is Sony Ericsson Xperia arc S, the phone with an arced back. The moment I switch on the phone, the crisp LCD display impressed me. Specs in summary:

• 117 grams
• 1.4GHz Qualcomm processor (not dual core)
• 8.1 megapixel Exmor R Camera f/2.4
• 4.2-inch Reality Display TFT LCD 854x480 pixels
• Shatter-proof sheet on scratch-resistant mineral glass
• 320MB system memory
• 2nd microphone at the back of the phone near the camera lens
• HDMI mirror output (excellent!)
• Capture screenshot easily by opening the power button menu

Xperience
Being a single core, the arc S certainly cannot match the processing power of dual-core phones, but it certainly feels fast when navigating among apps, perhaps partly due to the fast screen animations. Like every other branded Android phones, Sony Ericsson customised the OS and included a handful of pre-installed apps and custom settings. I like the data monitor app that tracks data usage, the LiveWare Manager that auto-launches app when accessory is connected. When you pinch the home screen, instead of displaying all the pages like most Android phones, the Xperia arc S shows all the widgets floating around, and you can shake the phone to shuffle them. I also like how the installed apps can be easily sorted by tapping the sort icon on the lower left of the app list screen. Saves a lot of trouble searching for apps.

Timescape is Sony Ericsson's answer to managing your social feeds, including SMS, email, Facebook, Twitter. You can find dozens of plug-ins in the Android Market, for instance, Foursquare, Gmail. Timescape merely aggregates the feeds, and when you select the item, it will bring you to the app or online to retrieve the full information.

Battery life is no worse than the average Android phones, considering it runs on higher processor. I can last one working day of usage despite turning on Timescape, Gmail and Tweetdeck.

Capturing Images
The Xperia arc S comes with a dedicated camera button at an extreme corner. The 2-step shutter button is small and stiff, so I find it hard to take a shot without jerking the camera. The button would be useful only to start the camera easily, but I would prefer activating the touch-capture mode to snap your images.

As for the camera quality, The Xperia arc S is touted to perform well under low light conditions. A simple comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S2 shows the following result:

Xpera arc S vs. Galaxy S2. Scene Mode: STD

The Galaxy S2 refuses to shoot at higher exposure despite increasing the EV. So I switched to Night Scene Mode on the S2 and got this:

Xpera arc S vs. Galaxy S2. Scene Mode: STD vs. Night

The Xperia manages to capture decent images under low-light normal mode, while the Galaxy S2 captures more details at lower noise level after coaxing it with Night Mode. If I were to switch the Xperia to Night Mode, the shutter speed became far too slow for me to shoot handheld. The result then seems to be the reverse of the Samsung - underexposed.

Xpera arc S vs. Galaxy S2. Scene Mode: Night

Conclusion: Xperia arc S standard scene mode is more flexible in capturing images for all lighting conditions, but noise level is generally higher than Galaxy S2.

Weaknesses
As a top-range model, the Xperia arc S lacks many features that are present in other competitors.

• No front-facing camera for video chats or self portraits.
• Small system memory to hold all your apps. Once you run out of system memory, you will not be able to add more apps, unless you install supported apps on external SD card.
• No built-in user memory. The Xperia arc S relies on the external microSD card to store user data.
• Lock screen does not have any direct music player controls when media is playing. A shame considering Sony Ericsson to be associated with portable music players.

Summary Impression
The Xperia arc S stands out to me as a uniquely designed lightweight smartphone that provides above-average screen display and OS performance with 1.4GHz processor. It is integrated with Facebook connectivity, and together with Timescape, encourages ease of social interaction. The HDMI-out port lets the user share content on large HDTV easily. I like the interface theme and animations are smooth. Consumers who want a touch of style for their phone should look at this.