I was invited to Showcase Nokia 2009 where Nokia launches the Nokia E55, Nokia E75, Nokia N86 8MP, Nokia 6710 Navigator and the Nokia 6720 Classic at ZIRCA, Clark Quay, Singapore.

Showcase Nokia 2009 Pass

Nokia E75

Nokia E75 Press Images

The E75 is the exact clone of E51 just that it includes a slide out full QWERTY keypad. Thickness wise, it is not much thicker and it sports a 3.2MP camera. It is mean to be a scaled down version of E71. But personally, I will choose E71 over this anytime!

• Nokia E75 Official Site
• Nokia E75 Datasheet
• Nokia E75 Specification
• Nokia E55 & E75 Press Release

Nokia E55

Nokia E75 Press Images

I think the E55 looks much nicer than the E51, it is meant to replace the aging but popular E51. The keypad needs a lot getting used to, due to the fact it is a half QWERTY. In other words, each number of the keypad will only correspond to only 2 letters instead of the usual 3 on the normal keypad. The feel of it is solid but give me a very plastic feeling instead of the E51 which gives me a metal feeling. Thickness wise, it is still as thin as the E51 and sports a 3.2MP camera instead of the 2.0MP camera in E51. I seriously love the design, it reminds me of the smaller version of E71.

• Nokia E55 Official Site
• Nokia E55 Datasheet
• Nokia E55 Specification
• Nokia E55 & E75 Press Release

Nokia N86 8MP

Nokia N86 8MP Press Images

I think the Nokia N86 8MP was not announced in the Nokia event at Mobile World Congress (MWC) yesterday But it was announced in Singapore yesterday at Showcase Nokia 2009. The embargo is till 4pm today, but apparently nobody conveyed to me about this during the event. The only time I get to know that there is an embargo is from a text message from Text 100 saying that the press release within the thumbdrive given to us stated that the embargo date/time is in the long file name of N86. Upon double checking it, there is indeed the embargo and hence I removed the N86 portion of the blog post. The filename column of my Windows Explorer is not even wide enough to see the full filename and that is why I never notice it. But if I didn’t check the press release thumb drive (normally I don’t), I will still publish the blog post, photos and video that I took of the N86.

The N86 is Nokia first’s 8MP camera (Sony Ericsson has release 12MP one). Actually MP doesn’t matter because you are not going to print that large photos anyway and they do take up a lot of space. Personally I think 3.2MP is the idea one. It is the quality of the lenses and the flashlight that matters. The N86 has something called the “automatic aperture control” which controls the size of the aperture automatically depending on the surrounding lighting. It has a dual LED flash to support poor lighting during video recording. Personally I prefer the Xeon flash from N82 over dual LED anytime as I don’t know how many people actually use dual LED for video recording. I think people tend to take more photos than videos on a phone.

Design wise, it is similar to Nokia N97 design style but I think that N97 design is much better. Personally, I think that the N86 is set to replace N82 + N85!

Both the Nokia N86 8MP and N97 will be out before June 2009 accordingly to the spokes person. Finally the N97 prototypes are in Singapore, few days ago when I was at the Nokia Office, the N97 protos were not there yet.

• Nokia N86 8MP Official Site
• Video Of Nokia N86 8MP
• Nokia N86 8MP Datasheet
• Nokia N86 8MP Specification
• Nokia N86 8MP Press Release

Showcase Nokia 2009 Gallery

I was invited to a one hour session on Nokia Comes With Music at Nokia Singapore Office. The Nokia Comes With Music service will arrive on our shores soon while the much anticipated Nokia 5800 XpressMusic will arrive on our shores before the end of this month.

What is Nokia Comes With Music?
Taken from the press release:

“Comes With Music sets a precedent for consumer value and convenience that the rest of the digital entertainment industry is already copying,” said Andrew Connell, Head of Entertainment & Communities Category Management, Nokia. “The freedom and simplicity of the service is unparalleled. Comes With Music gives you unlimited access to the millions of tracks in the Nokia Music Store and the music is all yours to keep – because its not a revolution unless you get to keep your music.”

Nokia plans to roll out the commercial Comes With Music service in Singapore and Australia in Q1 2009. These markets follow after the United Kingdom which will be the first Comes With Music market with sales starting this month.

EMI Group has joined as the latest major label to support Comes With Music, in addition to Universal Music Group, Sony BMG Music Entertainment and Warner Music Group. In Singapore, Comes With Music will be supported by prominent Asian independent labels, Ocean Butterflies Music and Rock Records Singapore. “We are very pleased to also have leading Asian labels as part of our Comes With Music offering for Singapore consumers. This will allow our consumers to enjoy even more localized music as long as they want, anytime anywhere”, said Grant McBeath, General Manager for Singapore.

Comes With Music offers one year of unlimited access to the entire Nokia Music Store catalogue and customers can keep all the music that they have downloaded at the end of the year to continue enjoying their music collection. Comes with Music will be available across a range of Nokia devices, including the new Nokia 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia N95 8GB and Nokia 5310 XpressMusic.

Summary, taken and updated from previous blog post:

• It is a pre-paid service that is bundled to Nokia mobile phones. Currently available on the 5310 XpressMusic, N95 8GB and 5800 XpressMusic
• You need to pay a little bit more for the bundled phones
• Prices for Singapore is still unknown at the moment
• You get 1 year of unlimited music downloads through Nokia Music Store
• The music you downloaded, you get to keep it after the 1 year
• It is DRMed and hence the format is in WMA
• Music is sync between your computer and mobile phone and hence only one registered computer AND one registered mobile phone is allowed
• Deactivation of laptops/mobile phones is allowed to a maximum of 4 times per year
• Currently they have 5 million tracks
• Over the air downloading of music tracks is allowed on your mobile phone using WiFi or 3G network

Recap Blog Posts

• Nokia XpressMusic 5800 “Tube” (Exclusive)
• Nokia Remix 2008 Singapore Party
• Nokia Remix 2008 Singapore

Press Release: Nokia Amps Up Music Offering with the debut of Comes With Music and the New Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

Facebook Gallery: Nokia Singapore Office

I was invited by Derrick to attend the first Lenovo Blogger Night which is held at 7atenine (pronounced as 7 8 9) located at the Esplanade Mall. Food and drinks were good, ambiance as good as well as there were not much people. There were about 20 of us, about 10 where bloggers and the rest were Text 100 or Lenovo Staff. There is the first time I attended a Lenovo event. I was suppose to attend one last year, but was unable to make it as my Dad is leaving for Vietnam the next day.

Besides food, there are 5 new upcoming computers, 4 laptops and 1 desktop. I am not able to get a clear shot of the computers because spot lights are used and if I do, my shadow will block the image. If I use flash, the shadow problem will be gone but the picture will be overexposed!

Lenovo ThinkPad W700
The ThinkPad W700 is a 17″ notebook which weights about 3.7kg and it has an inbuilt Wacom Digitizer. It is currently available but the price will set you back because it will cost you SGD$8,000!

• Processor: Intel Core 2 Extreme processor X9100 ( 3.06GHz 1GHz 6MB )
• Operating system: Genuine Windows Vista Business
• System graphics: NVIDIA Quadro FX 3700 1GB
• Total memory: 2 GB PC3-8500 DDR3 SDRAM 1066MHz
• Display type: 17.0 ” WUXGA TFT with integrated camera LCD Glossy 1920×1200
• Hard drive device: 160GB 7200
• Network card: Intel Wireless Wi-Fi Link 5300
• Optical device: DVD Recordable
• Warranty: Three years parts and labour (system battery: one year)
• Pointing device: ThinkPad UltraNav + Pantone Color Sensor + WACOM Digitizer
• Battery: 9 Cell Lithium-Ion

Lenovo IdeaPad Y Series (Y450, Y550, Y650)
Lenovo IdeaPad Y Series namely the Y450, Y550 and Y650 will be launching sometime in March 2009, just in time for the IT Show 2009 which will be held in Suntec City from the 12th to 15th March 2009. The 3 models are closely related. The Y450 gives you a 14″ screen, the Y550 gives you a 15.6″ screen and the Y650 gives you a 16″ screen. The flagship model will be the Y650, it is the biggest in size, but also the lightest. In contrast the Y450 is much smaller but heavier.

Here is a quote from the press release:

Lenovo’s latest IdeaPad Y Series laptops deliver powerful Hi-Definition entertainment in new sizes that are smaller, thinner and lighter than the previous generation to give more choices to consumers. The three Y Series laptops – the Y650, Y550, and Y450 – share the same modern soft black design featuring an interlocked hexagon pattern on the top cover along with a discrete copper accent around the perimeter of the laptop.

Lenovo delivers its first 16-inch widescreen laptop, the IdeaPad Y650, as one of the thinnest and lightest 16-inch laptops1. In fact, the laptop weighs less than many 15-inch laptops, providing users with an additional inch of screen space without compromising on mobility. Making use of advanced materials, Lenovo has engineered the laptop down to a slender one-inch at its thinnest point with a weight of just 5.6 pounds.

The expanded Y Series adds new screen sizes to the IdeaPad laptop lineup: the 16-inch Y650, the 15.6-inch Y550, and the 14-inch Y450. The new Y Series laptops are configurable with up to 500GB of hard drive storage space and up to 4GB of DDR3 memory.

To provide an exceptional Hi-Definition entertainment and multimedia experience, the Y Series laptops are equipped with 16:9 format glossy widescreen panels, optional latest generation NVIDIA GFX graphics for gaming and smooth HD video playback and Dolby Home Theater surround sound. The IdeaPad Y650 laptop also features JBL speakers for a rich sound.

Lenovo IdeaCentre A600
The IdeaCentre A600 is Lenovo answer to the HP’s TouchSmart PC. Instead of making the a touch screen (which lags on the TouchSmart), the A600 includes a Wii-like remote control (they call it motion drive) that allows you to play games that is of similar sort. The A600 is quite afforable which is between the SGD$2,000 range.I think my dad can get this!

Here is a quote from the press release:

Lenovo brings consumers the next generation of desktop computing with the IdeaCentre A600 – Lenovo’ s first all-in-one desktop. The new, sleek IdeaCentre A600 all-in-one features a 21.5-inch frameless screen, and provides discerning space-conscious and style-conscious users a modern design that measures only one inch at its slimmest point, making it one of the slimmest all-in-one desktop PCs2.

For the entertainment enthusiast, the all-in-one offers true entertainment experience featuring a 16:9 aspect ratio screen for cinema-like viewing and support for 1920×1080 full HD resolution, delivering outstanding image quality. The integrated speaker system includes a bass sub-woofer and Dolby Home Theatre audio certification, while the optional Blu-ray player completes the home cinema experience. Users can also take advantage of a digital TV tuner for watching and recording their favorite TV programs. Users can opt to include the Microsoft Vista Media Center for easy recording of TV programs and interactive navigation between videos, music and TV programs.

For gaming enthusiasts, Lenovo developed the 4-in-1 optional remote controller. It is the first to bring PC users the ability to play games using the remote control’s ‘motion drive’ feature, which controls on-screen objects according to the movement of the remote.

Unlike other remotes, the Lenovo 4-in-1 remote controller can also be used as a VOIP handset to make and receive phone calls over the Internet, similar to a typical cordless telephone. The remote also serves as a media center/TV remote, and with Microsoft Vista Media Center users can use the controller to operate DVDs, movies and TV. Additionally, the remote functions as an “air mouse” so it can be used to operate the cursor on the screen.

At the core of the all-in-one is a powerful desktop computer with choices of Intel Core2 Duo processors, optional ATI Radeon graphics card technology with DirectX10 support, up to 4GB of fast DDR3 memory for improved multitasking and up to 1TB (1,000GB) of hard drive space for storing hundreds of videos, music and other documents. Equipped with the latest high-performance mobile processor technology, the all-in-one runs whisper-quiet even when performing intensive tasks.

PS: I love press releases, they sums up everything for you!

PS2: Added Lenovo IdeaPad S10 (SGD$699) to my wishlist!

Press Release: “Thin is In” for Consumer PC Design as Lenovo Debuts Super-Slim All-in-One Desktop and 16-inch Laptop

Facebook Gallery: Lenovo Blogger Nite 2009

I was invited to the Singtel’s Flagship Shop located at #B1-98/99 in the new Jurong Point 2nd Extension (JP2) by Ivy. We are given a tour around the store as well as introduction or some of the unique store features.

Singtel Shop – #B1-98/99 JP2

The store feature 4 external interactive displays, 2 on each side. You can get to know more information Singtel’s Products without the need to enter the store or when the store is closed. While I was there waiting, I notice that many people who passes by cannot resist the temptation of not touching the screen.

1 of the 4 External Interactive Displays

Read More (391 More Words, 8 More Images, 2 More Videos)

Just came back from the launch of Intel Core i7 at Equinox, Swissotel The Stamford. This is the second time I have been to Equinox, the first time was attending OCBC Chinese New Year dinner with my mom.

My Badge

Equinox is located at the 70th floor of Swissotel The Stamford and you can expect the view to be fantastic.

Nice View Of The CBD

The place is pretty small, there were about 10 PCs setup with games running on the Core i7 and it doesn’t lag! Maybe because some of the gaming rig are using Nvidia SLI/ ATI CrossFire graphics card. There is also a demo by an Australian Overclocker which uses liquid nitrogen (he literally brought the whole tank of liquid nitrogen) to overclock the Core i7. He did not show us what clock speed is it running but rather the temperature of the CPU which is about 4deg;

I am very expressed by the speed of the processor, there is a demo between a Core 2 Quad and Core i7 processor base on 3D rendering and video encoding, and the results are impressive. I love the hyper-threading (HT) on the Core i7 which makes your OS recognize it as 8 cores instead of just 4, similar to the technology used in Pentium 4 half a decade ago.

Core i7 Specifications in CPU-Z

There are 3 flavors of the Core i7 available, Core i7-920 running at 2.66GHz, Core i7-940 running at 2.93GHz and Core i7-965 XE running at 3.2Ghz. It is available in Sim Lim Square as of today, they started shipping it 2 weeks ago to retailers at Sim Lim Square but they only can start selling from today onwards.

Prices wise, it is pretty steep, ranging from SGD$919 to SGD$2,176 with motherboard bundle and not forgetting it only support DDR3 RAM (which is expensive now) if I am not wrong.

Core i7 Prices – Click To View Larger Image

You might want to wait till next year for the price to drop before upgrading your computer. It suddenly makes my Core 2 Quad Q9450 very outdated. But I think the next time I change my computer (5 years later in 2013), it should have at least 16 cores and with HT, it will become 32 cores.

I have uploaded the pictures take I took to Facebook, you can check out here.

Wilfrid if you are reading this, thanks for the dinner treat =D