Malaysia is number 1 for mobile Internet access

This would give you an indication of mobile device usage in this country.

A study conducted by TNS which includes more than 150,000 interviews across 56 countries on consumers' online behaviour shows that Malaysia is 1 out of only 5 places in the world where smartphone usage has outstripped computers.

The 5 countries where smartphone usage has outstripped computers are:

The study found that in Malaysia, 35% of the users surveyed said that they exclusively use their smartphones and no other device to access the Internet, making Malaysia the #1 country in the world when it comes to smartphone Internet access exclusivity.

The same high smartphone adoption pattern stretched across the rest of the Asia Pacific region with many of the countries above the 50% adoption mark. Even countries that traditionally have lagged behind have registered significant growth like Vietnam at 36%, up 16 percent from 2013.


Apart from Malaysia, the only smartphone-only Internet access was true for other Asian countries:

Vietnam: 24%
Singapore: 16%
South Korea: 14%
Hong Kong: 14%

In the Western world this trend is a single-digit one, e.g. Germany is at 7%, and the UK at 6%.


Search engines

Using search engines on smartphones is ubiquitous. 72% of Malaysians do this at least once a month, and the figures are even higher in the rest of Asia  - Singapore: 88%, Vietnam: 92%, Korea: 99%, Japan: 91%. This is a global trend with the UK, France and Germany all reporting figures of 88%.

On internet penetration 

Malaysians have at least 1.2 Internet-enabled devices, which underlines the importance of the multi-screen trend: using more than one device to achieve a task, or using devices simultaneously.

"This research clearly shows that Asian consumers have taken charge of the internet, and are shaping it in their own image - Malaysians are at the forefront of this trend, using their mobile devices to access news, look for local businesses and watch videos." - Sajith Sivanandan, MD, Google Malaysia.

- Source: CW Malaysia

Copy files between Mac and iOS device using AirDrop

Except for my iPhone 5S, I haven't upgraded the operating system of my mobile devices to iOS 8 yet. Maybe not yet until all the earlier hiccups are de-bugged.

But this would be handy once I've decided to upgrade. I'll keep this for my future reference.

AirDrop was introduced in the iOS 8

With Yosemite, Apple has tried to make it easier for you to move files between devices. This is something we've been able to do with File Sharing between Macs and PCs, but now we have the option to move files between Macs and iPhones, iPads, and iPod touches running iOS 8. 

This is how it works.

On your iOS device running iOS 8 or later, swipe up from the bottom of the screen. You'll see an AirDrop entry. Tap on it and you have three options -- Off, Contacts Only, and Everyone.

• Off means, that this device will be invisible to others using AirDrop. 
• If someone who've you added as a contact on your iOS device would like to transfer a file, they can when you select Contacts Only. 
• The Everyone option lets anyone use it. We'll choose Everyone. 

Now let's move to the Mac.

On your Mac, open a Finder window and select AirDrop. Anyone around you using the same Wi-Fi network that has AirDrop enabled for Everyone (or if you're in their contacts) will appear. To copy a file from the Mac to the device, just drag the file on top of their icon. The recipient will be asked if they want to accept or decline the transfer. When they accept, the file is copied to their device.

To go in the other direction -- from iOS device to Mac -- select AirDrop on the Mac and configure the Allow me to be discovered by option. Let's choose Everyone. For this to work we must keep this window open as that tells others that we're open to an AirDrop transfer.

On the iOS device, choose a file that you want to transfer, tap on the Share menu, and you should see the person or device you wish to transfer the file to. Tap on their image and the file will start to transfer. The person receiving the file can choose to save or open the file, decline it, or save it. The received file will appear in the Mac's Downloads folder.

That's it.

For a complete and illustrated guide on how to do this, go to Mac Basics: AirDrop lets you send files from your Mac to nearby Macs and iOS devices

Reference: Computerworld Malaysia 

Five charging myths & One fact

As I travel quite a lot these days, battery life of my mobile devices become a bit of a concern. This is more so as I don't carry with me backup battery or power bank. Sure, there are some power socket outlets there at major airports, but they are limited and you find most of the time that, someone is already sitting near that corner doing the obvious.


Iimage: Sporacle

Do these captions sound familiar to you?:

• "Don't use your phone while it's charging,"
• "Don't leave it plugged in overnight"
• "Always let it die completely"

WRT battery life, there are many little rules for what you can and can't do with your smartphone. While plenty of real rules exist, there are several rumored ones you can simply ignore. Let's look at the 5 phone charging myths (as debunked by mashable) I read this while sitting at the airport waiting to board the plane:


Myth 1: Using off-brand chargers destroys batteries.

The truth: Off-brand chargers, while not optimal, are fine.

It's knockoffs you should avoid. Don't go for cheap brand knockoff chargers when you can at least purchase inexpensive, off-brand chargers (as long as they're made by legitimate retailers. Some experiment to of comparison: knockoffs and off-brand models.


Myth 2: You shouldn't use your phone while it charges.

The truth: Use it all you want, as long as you're not using a disreputable third-party charger.

There are scary reasons behind this myth. People believe that using a phone while charging will make the phone explode, or electrocute the user. That actually happened to a Chinese flight attendant named Ma Ailun in July 2013, when she used her iPhone 4 while it was charging.

However, reports say it's because Ailun was using a third-party charger, not an original Apple charger. If you're using the manufacturer-approved charger and battery, you should be fine.


Myth 3: Charging your phone overnight kills the battery.

The truth: Your phone is smarter than you think. Once it's fully juiced up, it knows to stop charging. That means the battery isn't even in use at all.

However, that doesn't mean you should be charging your phone all night, every night. You wouldn't fill a cup with water if it was already full, would you? Your battery life will last longer if you keep your phone charged between 40% and 80%.


Myth 4: You don't need to turn your phone off - ever.

The truth: Your phone may be a machine, but it still needs to take a few breaks. An Apple Genius said that in order to maximize battery life, you should turn off your phone from time to time, especially when you go to bed at night.

At the very least, Apple experts recommend turning your phone off once a week in order to preserve battery life.Turning off your phone is important for Android devices as well. A simple reboot can help restore battery life.


Myth 5: Don't charge your phone until it's completely dead.

The truth: It's better to charge your phone every day than to do a "deep charge" from time to time.

Lithium-ion batteries, like the kind used in Samsung and Apple products fare better when they're charged. If you constantly let them drain to 0%, they become unstable. Your battery has a finite number of charge cycles, and every time it fully dies, that's another cycle out the window.


Alright, okay, at lease we have one fact about phone charging:-

Fact: Heat will ruin a battery.

The truth: This is absolutely true. Heat and tech don't generally go hand-in-hand, and that's no different with phone batteries. Lithium-ion batteries heat themselves, and get hotter while they're being charged. Cold weather can also have a negative impact on a phone's life, and a cold battery will die faster than usual in low temperatures.

Your phone will be safe if you keep it within its recommended temperatures; Apple says 32^o F (0^o C)is the lowest recommended temperature for an iPhone's environment. Samsung, on the other hand, guarantees its phones can function anywhere between -4 (-20^o C) and 122^o F (50^o C).

____________________________________________________________________________
Note: Phone batteries have evolved so much over the years, becoming smarter and easier to manage. Most lithium-ion batteries, used by major retailers, should last between three and five years, if you take proper care of it.

Asus Zenfone - affordable Android phone for SE Asia market, starts at RM299

South-East Asia market is not short of high-end smartphones, and a lot of users in this region are using either the latest Samsung flagship, the Galaxy series or the top-end iPhone. But it is also in need of mid-priced to low-but-well-equipped phones. Asus meets this requirement with its latest Zenfone offerings.

The computer maker has launched the dual-SIM Zenfone series, comprising the Zenfone 4, Zenfone 5 and Zenfone 6, all named for their respective screen sizes, for the SEA market.

Asus Zenfone 6: RM899

Asus Zenfone 5: RM599

Asus Zenfone 4: RM299

Asus Zenfone 4, 5 and 6 Specifications

On paper, the Zenfone series specifications are comparable to the medium to high-end models from oher brands such as Sony, Samsung, LG and Apple. Time will tell, however, if the user experience and durability are up to expectations.

	Zenfone 4	Zenfone 5	Zenfone 6
Screen size	4-inch	5-inch	6-inch
Resolution	800 x 480  pix	1,280 x 720 pix HD	1,280 x 720 ix HD
	233 ppi	233 ppi	233 ppi
Processor	Intel Atom Multicore	Intel Atom Multicore	Intel Atom Multicore
O.System	Android 4.3 (Jelly Bean)	Android 4.3	Android 4.3
RAM Memory	1 GB	1 GB	2 GB
Storage	8GB internal	8GB internal	8GB internal
Additional	5GB Asus Cloud	5GB Asus Cloud	5GB Asus Cloud
Camera	PixelMaster	PixelMaster	PixelMaster
	18 camera modes	18 camera modes	18 camera modes
Battery	1,200mAh	2,050mAh	3,230mAh
SIM card	dual-SIM	dual-SIM	dual-SIM
Price	RM299	RM599	RM899

New in the offering are features such as What’s Next, which presents the user’s most important information on the lock screen, home screen and notification drawer. Also, there is the Do It Later feature which allows users to focus on the current task at hand by automatically creating reminders to help them follow up on things they may not have been able to attend to.

In real life, this is how the Zenfone measure up in the hand of a user.

Asus Zenfone: Prices and Availability

The phones are expected to be available in Malaysia from end-April 2014. Asus stated that the operating system can be upgraded to the latest Android 4.4 version (KitKat) by the end of the year. Recommended retail prices are as follows:

Asus Zenfone 4: RM299
Asus Zenfone 5: RM599
Asus Zenfone 6: RM899

Read more at Tech News.


TheGreenMechanics: More choices for consumers. Hopefully performance-wise, they are up to standard. Asus is pretty well known in the consumer electronic goods, in particular, computers.

Samsung brings in mobile printers for mobile Malaysian enterprise

Samsung has recently introduced the NFC-enabled colour laser printer and multi-function printers (MFP) Xpress C410W series, pioneering the mobile printing solution and NFC printer market in Malaysia.

[NFC: Near Field Communication; devices can only communicate if placed close together]


"Print directly from your smartphone" - Launching of the Xpress series printers.


With the innovation in Samsung's mobile printing solution, users are able to print high quality photos and documents from their smart devices (smartphones, tablets, etc) with ease.

The new printer Xpress C410W series consists of the C410W colour laser printer, the C460W colour laser MFPs with print, copy and scan functionality and the C460FW colour laser MFP with print, copy, scan and fax capabilities.

These three models are able to print up to 18 pages per minute (ppm) in black and white and four ppm in colour.


The Xpress C410W series printer is easy to set up with just three quick steps without the need for a USB connection between printer and computer.


The Xpress C410W series connects wirelessly with mobile devices via WiFi-Direct, allowing users to effortlessly and securely print pictures, documents, e-mails and web content by simply tapping their smart devices on the printer.

With Samsung Mobile Print app, users are able to print everything from PDF files to Microsoft Office documents such as Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations directly from their smart devices.


Who will use them

Samsung Malaysia Electronics said these printers are intended mainly for mobile enterprises, SMEs, and entrepreneurs.

"Our latest printing solutions are grounded in business owners' desire to print photos and documents directly from their smart devices. As enterprises rapidly expand their businesses, we want to empower them with innovative technology that helps them to evolve and grow their business with a competitive edge." - Samsung Malaysia Electronics president Lee Dong Yong.

Printing from smartphones?

The Xpress C410W series connects wirelessly with mobile devices for fast, integrated and convenient printing on the go. Users can effortlessly and securely print pictures, documents, e-mails and web content by simply tapping their smart devices on the printer. Scanning and faxing documents is also made easy as users are able to sync the contacts on their smart devices with the printers.

With Samsung Mobile Print App users are now able to print everything from PDF files to Microsoft Office documents such as Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations directly from their smart devices.

Owners of Samsung's Galaxy smartphones and Galaxy Tab series will be able to print images from the gallery app, documents, email and web browser pages.


Price and availability

Available from June onwards, the recommended retail prices for these Xpress printers are:

C410W   : RM665
C460W   : RM1,095
C460FW : RM1,250


TheGreenMechanics: Pretty competitive pricing for laser printers, but I've read somewhere that NFC printing on the Xpress printers is confined to Samsung smart devices only and Apple smartphones are not supported. This should not be too big an issue though, as WiFi direct printing is supported by Samsung Mobile App for Android, iOS and Windows.

One downside is the costly toner. At the time of posting, colour toners (3 toner per set) costs $54.99 (about RM178) and black toner costs $63.99 (about RM207).

Lenovo's LTE smartphone the Vive Z launched in Malaysia

Lenovo's new Vibe Z is now available in Malaysia but for the first month, this will be exclusive to Celcom customers only. It will then be available to the rest of us starting April 15.


Lenovo Vibe Z is equipped with 4G LTE connectivity


For the consumers, this will give them alternative to the expensive iPhone and HTC, and the market dominating Galaxy series. The Vibe Z screen size is 5.5-inch compared to Galaxy S5's 5.1-inch. So, this is more comparable to Galaxy Note 3 in terms of dimension.


Lenovo Vibe Z: Specifications

Screen	-	5.5-inch IPS LCD
Resolution	-	1920 x 1080 pixels, pixel density: 401 PPI
OS	-	Android 4.3 Jelly Bean
Storage	-	16GB
Processor	-	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, quad-core 2.2GHz Krait 400 CPU
RAM	-	2GB
Connectivity	-	4G LTE, 3G, DC-HSDPA up to 42Mbps, WiFi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, FM radio, A-GPS
Camera	-	Back: 13 MP with f/1.8 aperture lens, Front: 5 MP
Battery	-	3,000mAh
Dimension	-	149 x 77 x 7.9 mm
Weight	-	147 gram

Malaysia launching of the Lenovo Vibe Z. Photo: Computerworld


Lenovo says that the introduction of the Vibe Z further highlights how the Vibe series has begun to show a real impact in the premium segment of the smartphone market.

The Vibe Z focuses on the premium space of the smartphone market - gesture controls, photo enhancement software and other technologies in a razor-thin form, etc


Lenovo Vibe Z: Price

The retail price of the Vibe Z is RM1,799 but I've seen online price of as low as RM1,350 (iPmart) although this probably would not be equipped with 4G LTE connectivity.

For the early birds, they can get one from Celcom during the launch on March 15 for as low as RM688 ( I suppose this would come with a contract attached to it). You can go to Celcom website to find out more.


TheGreenMechanics:
With the rapid advancement in the manufacturing of mobile devices, prices should be going down and not up. Personal computers and laptops are good examples.

Samsung unveiled its new flagship phone the Galaxy S5

Korean electronic giant Samsung unveiled the new iteration of its Galaxy phone, the Galaxy S5, during a recent media event in Barcelona.

In a stark contrast to the rumours, the S5 doesn't have a 4K screen, it doesn't have a 3-sided display that tracks your head movement, and surprise surprise, it's not metal! It is more of a minor design and upgrades rather than a revolutionary ones.



So, here's how the new Galaxy S5 is summed up:

Design

Looks almost similar to the S4 but slightly bigger and heavier. Remember iPhone 5 and iPhone 5S? They are pretty identical, so, yeah what's the big deal, right.

The plastic back panel is a textured matte finish, with 4 choices of colours.


Specifications

The Galaxy S5 sports newer processor, bigger battery, and a slightly larger display. The 0.2GHz bump in processing power shouldn't make a lot of difference. Samsung claimed the new device will provide 20% better battery life than the Galaxy S4.

The Galaxy S5's 5.1-inch display uses the same 1920-x-1080-pixel resolution as the GS4's 5.0-inch screen. Samsung claimed the S5 includes a new advanced auto-brightness system that adjusts colors based on the lighting in your environment.




Camera

The S5 has a new 16MP camera, up from 13MP in the S4. The camera can auto-focus in 0.3-second and you can expect speedier photo taking.

The live HDR preview mode is a new feature and it allows you to check out how HDR mode will look on an image before you press the shutter button.


User experience

It is dust- and water-resistant. And it has a heart rate monitor and fingerprint scanner. Not sure if this one will work, but let's just see when the phone goes on sale.

The USB 3.0 interface should allows for faster charging and data transfers, while the new Download Booster mode that combines LTE (4G) and Wi-Fi should make for faster data transfers.


Would you upgrade?

The Galaxy S5's user interface has not been changed drastically and is seen to be more of a refinement.

If you've been using Samsung's flagship phones for a while, the Galaxy S5 looks like a little step forward from the previous generation, but not a total rebirth of a new one. Until we see the slab and feel it with our own hands, I think it is too early to tell if a S4 owner should upgrade.



Source: Computerworld

Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is world's thinnest and lightest

Sony has announced the new Xperia Tablet Z2 that it claimed the world's thinnest and lightest waterproof tablet.

It's a lighter, thinner version of the older Xperia Tablet Z, which has been given a thorough upgrade in order to help it take on the iPad Air and larger Samsung. By comparison, the iPad Air weighs 478g and measures 7.5 mm in thickness.


World's thinnest and lightest. My current iPad 3 weighs 662g; it's a monster!



Sony Xperia Z2 tablet Specifications

OS and Processor	Google Android 4.4 (Kitkat)
	2.3 GHz Qualcomm APQ8074+MSM8974AB Quad-core
	Adreno 320
Weight	439 grams
	15.49 oz
Dimensions	172 x 266 x 6.4 mm
	6.8 x 10.47 x 0.25 inches
Camera	8.1 MP
	16 x digital zoom
	Front-facing camera (2.2 MP 1080p)
Display	10.1" TFT
	16,777,216 colours, 1920 x 1200 pixels
Memory	RAM: 3 GB
	Flash memory: Up to 16 GB
	Expansion slot: microSD™ card, up to 64 GB
Durability	IPX5/IPX8 (waterproof) & IP5X (dust resistant)

Availability and price

The new Xperia Z2 Tablet is scheduled to go on sale in Europe in March 2014. No news on wider availability yet, so, we may not be able to see this in Malaysia anytime soon.

The older version was selling for RM1,499 and RM1,999 depending on model. That means you are looking at a starting price of not less than RM1,499 when it lands here.


TheGreenMechanics: Some say the iPad is overrated price-wise. There may be some point to such argument, but I think user experience also play a big part in selecting the suitable tablet. I've tried both iPad and Android-run tabs and I still prefer my current iPad 3.

The Xperia Z2 looks decent though, and it could be a game changer, especially now that Sony has stopped producing laptop and putting more effort in refining its mobile devices.

6 tips for smartphone privacy and security

You own a smartphone, or perhaps two.

Do you know that our smartphones track wherever we go, what we say, who we say it to, our likes and dislikes, and when we are playing games instead of working? And that our computers track and record the same types of information day in and day out?




There is a long literature written by R.Kaplan in the Computerworld, a link which I have provided at the end of this article. You can scroll right down if you are interested, but if you are more for tips then these are the 6 that was recommended:

Note: I found Iip no.2 to be particularly useful but it'd cost more. How about Item no.6? I think many people enjoy doing them. I see that all the time on Facebook - "Currently enjoying dinner at...", etc.


1. Make sure you continually ask yourself when using mobile devices

Ask yourself, "Do I care if anyone knows this?" where "this" means where you are, what's in the photos, what I am searching for on Google, that I am watching a movie, that I am telling a joke, or a host of other information you are producing.


2. Isolate your professional life from your personal life

While it is clearly more convenient for you to use a single device for dual purposes, realize that if you maintain the integrity of your devices you will be able to shield irrelevant and personal information from business interrogations.

While this is not ideal, it is light years better that being questioned about the homophobic, sexist, or racist joke you sent to your brother last year.


3. Keep some privileged or confidential information on your devices

While this will not likely keep your devices free from prying eyes, it will necessitate the need to implement more costly procedures in the examination of your devices which protect the integrity and character of your information.


4. Control the number and location of backups

The existence and locations of backup media can often be discovered in an examination of a device. If these backups are discovered by a competent examiner, you will be forced to produce them.


5. Don't try to fool the professionals by hiding or deleting information

Be aware that the courts have tools for punishing those who get caught. Since you likely have little idea of the operating characteristics of all the applications and the operating system running on your device, you are not capable of discreetly eliminating data from your device.


6. Quit posting everything you do on social networking sites

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Foursquare and the like are fun, but can prove dangerous to your privacy. If you do post information on social networking sites make certain you use the privacy settings so that you can limit who has access to your information on an ongoing basis and so you can demonstrate your desire for privacy to a court if it orders your information production.

At least don't use your common identity (your first and last name) to catalogue your information.



This was written by Ronald Kaplan for Computerworld and if you would like to read more, you can hop to this link.

This smartphone will self-destruct in 5 seconds

In future there is a suggestion that all phones come with a “kill switch”, which would render the phone unusable if it was stolen.

It was proposed by a senator in California and if passed it will become a law that would make it mandatory for smartphone manufacturers to include theft protection security on each phone.

This should concern everyone.

The proposers claimed it will shut down the market for stolen devices.

Problem is, this would also provide opportunity for hackers and criminals to "kill" and disable your phone, and it would still have the same effect of losing your phone.


That is for the general consumers. How about sensitive (national security) issues?

IBM is said to be working on electronics for the U.S. military that will self-destruct on command to ensure that powerful devices holding critical data stay out of the hands of the enemy.

DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency), the U.S. military's research arm, awarded a $3.4 million contract for its "Vanishing Programmable Resources" program to IBM on Jan. 31.

"Sophisticated electronics can be made at low cost and are increasingly pervasive throughout the battlefield. However, it is nearly impossible to track and recover every device resulting in unintended accumulation in the environment and potential unauthorized use and compromise of intellectual property and technological advantage." - DARPA on its website.

DARPA said on its website that it's looking for devices, such as sensors, radios and phones, that work as well as off-the-shelf commercial options but can be remotely triggered to break apart.

IBM has been tasked with developing materials, components and manufacturing capabilities. The company, according to DARPA, is working on a "strained glass substrate" that will shatter. A trigger, such as a fuse, will be used in at least one, if not multiple, areas on the device.

The trigger would be set off by a radio-frequency signal.


Source: Computerworld Malaysia

Malaysia introduced digital textbook that can be accessed online

I posted an article regarding mobile devices such as tablet to replace the heavy textbooks (thus getting rid of the back-breaking schoolbags) in 2012. Back then, using Tablets as the solution for heavy schoolbags was seen a long shot.

Fast forward to yesterday. The Education Ministry hinted a move that would solve not one but two issues with printed textbooks - accessibility and health (ergonomic) of students.

Sure, there would be pros and cons to using digital/online textbooks after using the printed versions for generations but I have confidence we will be able to find ways to get around them.


Textbook survey done in the US in 2012 by Bookboon.com. By now, the percentage would have skewed further towards digital.


Digital textbook to take national education system to greater heights
Bernama, February 7, 2014

The Education Ministry today introduced digital textbook that can be accessed online as an alternative to the printed version in a bid to take the national education system to greater heights. Second Education Minister Datuk Seri Idris Jusoh said the use of the digital textbook, with flippable pages of text and graphic, would be implemented at all schools in stages beginning this year.

"This is a process of developing and improving our national education system to be the best in the world. We are now among one-fourth of the countries in the world that had implemented it.

"We are emphasizing on self-education where pupils and students can refer to the textbook at any time and place based on their respective levels," he told reporters after launching the digital textbook here today.

Idris said in the first phase of its implementation (2013-2015), the ministry had uploaded 313 textbooks that could be accessed free of charge through the 1BestariNet portal using the ID provided to all teachers and students.

However, he said, right now, the printed textbook was still being used. For the record, the digitalisation of school textbook is being done in three phases as stipulated in the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025.

For the second phase (2016-2020), the ministry is planning to produce interactive textbook for selected subjects, which will contain elements of text, graphic, audio-visual and animation, to help students understand the subject better.

The third phase (2021-2025), on the other hand, will see the publication of digital textbook for all subjects, including for students with special needs.

Idris said when the time comes, schoolchildren would be allowed to bring their own electronic devices, such as tablet and iPad, to access the digital textbook at school to replace the printed version.


TheGreenMechanics: Few issues that needs to be addressed are accessibility/affordability of electronic gadgets to store and access the digital textbooks, connectivity, control of access to the internet, and abuse of the electronic media, to name a few.

We cannot run away from this change, but it doesn't meant it is not worth looking at.

Are Google and Apple fleecing customers with tablet storage?

I was shopping for a micro SD card the other day and found at Popular Bookstore, Kota Kinabalu that a 32GB (Class 10) card is selling for RM99 (less than £19).

Read on to find out why you should be feeling like you're being hard done by, when choosing a tablet with storage size of between 16GB and 32GB or higher.

What's the big deal about upgrading your tablet's storage size? Image: CWM

Gadget makers accused of fleecing customers

Gadget makers including Apple and Google have been accused of ripping off customers with overpriced tablet storage upgrades.

Choosing between tablet models typically means deciding whether you want mobile data or not, and how much internal storage you want. However, Which? reports that consumers are getting a rough deal when it comes to paying more for higher storage capacities.

For example, the entry-level iPad Air costs £399 for 16GB (RM1,599 in Malaysia) and you'll have to pay an extra £80 to double this to 32GB. The 32GB iPad Air with WiFi is selling at RM1,929 in Malaysia. There's no memory card slot for adding more, like many other tablets, so picking the right one is important.

Which? claims that the memory upgrade only costs Apple £6 making the upgrade a mark-up of 1,267 percent.

"16GB of Flash memory is mind-numbingly cheap now. As a general rule, for manufacturers like ourselves, Flash costs less than 40p per GB, so for companies to charge so much for an extra 16GB seems scandalous." -
Ben Miles from PC maker Chillblast.

Google and Amazon charge £70 and £40 for the same upgrade for their Nexus 10 and Kindle Fire HDX 8.9 respectively. The mark-ups aren't as bad when compared to Apple but still represent a big jump compared to the market price for memory.

"With tablets in demand this Christmas, buyers will be shocked to discover what a raw deal they're getting on built-in memory. If you want the best value storage, then buy a tablet with a SD or microSD slot and add a memory card for a fraction of the cost." - Richard Headland, editor at Which?

The other issue with storage is the fact that users don't get the advertised amount. This blew up significantly with the Samsung Galaxy S4 which touted 16GB of storage but less than half was available to the user due to the space taken up by the operating system and pre-loaded apps and software features.

Source: Computerworld Malaysia



TheGreenMechanics: I feel like I am being hard done by! Really.

Would you wear this Space Glasses to change your view of the world around you?

You’ve probably heard of Google Glass by now – the specs that overlay graphics onto the world around you. It costs $1500 to own this internet-enabled glass.

Now, a futuristic pair of ‘Space Glasses’ called META is going one step further by offering something called ‘mediated reality’.

It's basically a 3-D glasses with mediated reality

How the META works

Like augmented reality, this technology overlays text and graphics onto your field of view. However, it can also subtract objects by scanning your environment with a camera and identifying the objects around you. Once it knows what you’re looking at, it can enhance or diminish objects’ visibility so that you can add or remove them at will.

For example, imagine you're sitting in front of the telly. Meta’s built-in 720p camera will be able to recognise the TV, overlaying graphics so that it looks like they're being displayed on the screen.

Or imagine you’re holding a blank sheet of paper in front of you. The glasses will recognise it and track its position, allowing the headset to ‘print’ text or graphics onto the paper. If you bend or move the paper, the text will move accordingly, while folding the paper or turning it over will hide the text as if it were really printed there.

Priced at $667 (around RM2,158), Meta will be the first truly affordable mediated reality system available when it arrives in December this year. That's way cheaper compared to Google Glass at $1,500 (around RM4,850), but still, well... an expensive gadget.


Watch this one and a half minutes video of how it supposedly works:-



So, would you use a pair of Space Glasses to change your view of the world around you? I ticked the 'No' box. How about you?

You can get more information at Space Glasses website.

HTC One Max to come with fingerprint scanner to rival iPhone 5S

Apple is not the only one that will rush into use the fingerprint recognition technology in its mobile devices. The upcoming HTS One Max is one that will rival the iPhone 5S as soon as it becomes available soon.

It's good that your phone will finally be able to 'recognise' just yourself, the rightful owner, with a touch of your finger.


HTC One Max with fingerprint scanner. Image: Computerworld Malaysia


The first 5.9-inch phablet with fingerprint recognition coming your way?

Computerworld Malaysia showed a leaked photo of HTC's One Max phablet that has a fingerprint scanner on board. The leak via Android Community gives us the best glimpse of the One Max yet and it's complete with a fingerprint scanner to rival the iPhone 5S.

The HTC One Max, codenamed the T6, has been talked-about for a while with an alleged 5.9-inch screen. That would put it in competition with other phablet sized smartphones including the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 (5.7-inch) and Sony Xperia Z Ultra.

Word has it that the HTC One Max would be powered by a 2.3 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor and 2 GB of RAM but the generally accurate evleaks says otherwise. Other specifications include 16 GB of internal storage, an Ultrapixel rear camera, a 2.1 Mp front camera and unlike other HTC One phones, a microSD card slot.

HTC has plenty of competition from rivals including LG with its G2 and Apple with its iPhone 5S, but competition should be good from the perspective of the consumers. We shall see.


Source

Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPhone driving 55% increase in mobile phoneDisplay Revenues in 2013

Just to keep us abreast of the latest development in the display technology - used in smartphones, laptops, desktps, TVs, etc.

Source: NPD DisplaySearch

Mobile phone display market is split into two:

• AMOLED and LTPS TFT LCDs - high-end smartphone models,
• a-Si TFT LCD  - low-priced, high-volume smartphone models.

Not surprisingly, in the mobile phone sector, Samsung Galaxy and Apple iPhone lead the way in terms of deployment of displays/screens. The huge increase in revenue means more people are getting themselves smartphones. 

Meaning, family members 'talking' to their mobile devices more than talking to each other while at dining table would become a common sight.


Demand for larger, High-resolution smartphones increased

Increased demand for higher resolution, larger touch-enabled smartphones is leading to strong revenue growth in the mobile phone display market in 2013.

According to the Quarterly Mobile Phone Display Shipment and Forecast Report by NPD DisplaySearch, overall mobile phone display revenues are expected to reach $33.3 billion by the end of this year, which is a 55% increase over 2012.

This revenue growth is being driven by rising smartphone display average selling prices (ASPs). Shipments of mobile phone displays are expected to grow 15% in 2013, reaching 1.9 billion units.

Samsung with its Galaxy S4 series and Apple with its iPhone 5 series, continue to increase production volume and market share. The growth in sales for these popular smartphone brands has led to increased requirements for high-end flat panel displays, including AMOLED used in the Galaxy S4 and LTPS TFT LCD used in the iPhone 5.

The increase in OLED mobile phone display revenue can be primarily attributed to the growth in the size and resolution of AMOLED displays, as Samsung moves from Galaxy S3 models (4.8” 1280 × 720) to Galaxy S4 (5.0” 1920 × 1080, with on-cell touch).

Similarly, LTPS TFT LCD revenue growth can be attributed to the shift from the iPhone 4S (3.5” 960 × 640) to the iPhone 5 (4.0” 1164 × 640, with in-cell touch).

AMOLED is expected to take the lead in mobile phone display revenues in 2013, accounting for a 37% share, closely followed by LTPS TFT LCD with 36.1% and a-Si TFT LCD with 26.5%.

Source:  NPD Displaysearch

Recharge your cellphone in 30 seconds

If you've been wishing you don't need to wait for your smartphone to recharge, you a in for a good news. Very soon you will be able co recharge your gadget in less than 30 seconds, thanks to bright idea from a teenager - Eesha Khare.

For my hobby in photography, I'd love to have this 'supercapacitor' to recharge my Speedlight in two minutes. Right now my Nikon flashlight batteries recharge in about an hour.

Watch this clip and CNN's report here.

Teenager outsmarts Silicon Valley!

A tiny device that can recharge cell phone batteries in as little as 30 seconds won 18-year-old Eesha Khare a major science award that will help fund her college education at Harvard University.

Khare traveled from her California home to Phoenix for the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, where her invention was honored as one of two winners of Young Scientist Awards.

"I'm in a daze. I can't believe this happened," Khare, a senior at Lynbrook High School in Saratoga, told CNN affiliate, KPIX 5.

Khare's device, a black, rectangular type of supercapacitor just over an inch long, can charge a cell phone battery in 20 to 30 seconds, she said.

"I developed a new supercapacitor, which is basically an energy storage device which can hold a lot of energy in a small amount of volume," she told KPIX 5. The technology may also be able to speed up charging of automobile batteries, she said.

The award includes a $50,000 prize that will come in handy when Khare heads to Harvard in the fall, she told KPIX 5. With a laugh, she predicted that "I will be setting the world on fire."

In announcing the winners of what it billed as the "world's largest high school research competition," Intel cited Khare for recognizing "the crucial need for energy-efficient storage devices" as the world rapidly adopts portable electronics.

More than 1,500 young scientists from around the world were chosen to compete in last week's fair.


Source: CNN