For a music player, the Sony Walkman Z1050 packed some solid specifications:

• Nvidia Tegra 2 1GHz (Dual Core)
• 512MB RAM
• 4.3″, TFT color display with white LED-backlight, WQVGA(800 x 480 Pixels)
• Built-in FM Tuner
• 16GB Storage Capacity
• Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, WiFi IEEE 802.11b/g/n
• GPS/Accelerometer/Magnetometer
• HDMI Micro/3.5mm Audio Jack/Proprietary Connector (WM-Port)
• Android Version 2.3 (Gingerbread) Operating System
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 70.9 x 134.4 x 11.1 (mm)
• Weight: 156g
• Battery Life (Music): 20 Hours
• Battery Life (Video): 5 Hours

It can be considered an Android Phone without the phone and camera functionality. Yeap, you read it right, there is no camera in the Sony Walkman Z1050 which is perfect for National Service (NS) people as well as military related organisations.

Despite it comes with Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), it will be upgradable to Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) later this year.

The main selling point of the Sony Walkman Z1050 is of course the audio quality. First up is the new S-Master MX digital amplifier which is a unique technology by Sony that reduces noise levels and distortion to enhance your music. There are another 3 audio technologies (Clear Bass, Clear Stereo and Digital Sound Enchantment Engine (DSEE)) that improves the audio quality. With the Sony Walkman Z1050, you also get a pair of EX headphones (Engadget’s comment mentioned it might be the EX300).

The xLOUD speaker system within the device produces pretty clear and loud sound when playing audio files, but when it comes to video, the audio from the video playback was very soft.

The Sony Walkman Z1050 supports Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA), you can simply stream your music, videos and photos to any DLNA-compatible TVs, PCs or home audio system.

There are 2 downsides of the Sony Walkman Z1050. The first is the price, it will be retailing for SGD$429 which is incredibly steep. Apple iPod Touch (32GB) (current generation) is only retailing for SGD$428.

I seriously have no idea how Sony is going to market this. The only selling point to justify the steep price is the sound quality. I am not an audiophile person, but my fellow tech bloggers told me that the audio quality is pretty good, definitely better than Apple iPod Touch.

The second downside is the use of proprietary connector for syncing and charging? Seriously? The proprietary port is also known as the Walkman Port (WM-Port). It is a USB 2.0 compliant 22-pin connector which is used for syncing and charging the device. The package does include a USB to WM-Port cable (duh), but I just don’t understand why can’t they use Micro USB.

Sony Walkman Z1050

Sony Walkman Z1050 – Micro HDMI, Dedicated Music Button, Volume Buttons

Sony Walkman Z1050 – 3.5mm Audio Jack, Proprietary Connector (WM-Port)

Sony Walkman Z1050 – xLOUD

Sony Walkman Z1050 – Cover Art

Sony Walkman Z1050 – Visualizer

Sony Walkman Z1050 – Equalizer

I am a huge fan of ESET NOD32 and have been using it since v2. All my computers and even my mom’s office computers are protected by NOD32. It is fast, real fast and does not take up much disk space at all because of the use of assembly language in the products.

Other competitors started with a bloated antivirus software and try to un-bloat it because these days no one wants a bloated antivirus software to bog down their computer while ESET starts off with a lightweight antivirus. This give ESET a significant competitive advantage.

The CTO of ESET, Pavol Luka, was there as well. He was working for ESET since the 1990s before he entered university. He left ESET to pursue his education and joined back again upon graduation. He does coding and did some coding for NOD32 Antivirus v2. So he know his stuff well!

Pavol Luka (ESET CTO) and I

If you are wondering how the company got its name ESET, it is named after an Egyptian goddess, Isis.

NOD32 got its name from a TV medical drama series in Czechoslovakia back in 1977, titled, Nemocnica na Okraji Disku (Hospital at the End of the City) and 32 means 32-bit which they release it back in 2003 for Windows (before that it was just named NOD for MS-DOS).

ESET Smart Security 5 and ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5 offer various new and improved features including:

• ESET Live Grid, cloud-based reputation and protection technology
• New Removable Media Control, with more granular control of external devices
• Parental Control (ESET Smart Security 5 only)
• Advanced Host-based Intrusion Prevention System (HIPS)
• Gamer Mode

ESET Smart Security 5 Box

ESET Smart Security 5 Box Contents

Another reason why I am using NOD32 AntiVirus for my mom’s office because the prices are very reasonable.

The prices of ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5 & Smart Security 5 are as follows:
ESET NOD32 Antivirus 5

• 1 User, 1 Year- SGD$29
• 1 User, 2 Years – SGD$45
• 3 Users, 1 Year – SGD$49
• 3 Users, 2 Years – SGD$75

ESET Smart Security 5

• 1 User, 1 Year- SGD$39
• 1 User, 2 Years – SGD$59
• 3 Users, 1 Year – SGD$59
• 3 Users, 2 Years – SGD$89

You can get 1 user (for 1 or 2 years) and 3 users (for 1 or 2 years) off the shelves at most computer stores, but if you need more customization like 5 users for 2 years, you need to get them from the distributor which is Version 2 in Singapore via their online store.

Official Sites

• ESET
• ESET NO32
• ESET Smart Security
• ESET Online Store

mig33 Developer Program Launch

About mig33 Developer Program

The Developer Program is a joint initiative by our company, and also both East Asian social networking services: Japan’s GREE and China’s Tencent QQ, valued at USD$2.5 billion and $43 billion.

The launching event will be attended by our CEO and co-founder Steven Goh; our Vice President of Business Development Chris Chandler; and Director, Head of International Alliance Division at GREE Daisuke Kobayashi.

Developers and partners alike will gain a better insight into our basic technical architecture, the Developer Program, and the opportunities made available by our partnership with GREE.

Developer Program Launch

Date: 20th July 2011
Venue: Chijmes Hall, 30 Victoria Street, Singapore
Time: 5pm – 8pm

If you are a developer or have interest in apps whether it is business or development related, feel free to drop by.

You can RSVP over at Flickevents.

Looking forward to seeing you guys there!

PS: The Javascript code in the image above is real, try it out and see what is the output. It is written by my senior Software Engineer Timothee.

Copy and paste the code below in Firebug or Chrome Developer Tools:

n=17260027;s='';do{s+=String.fromCharCode((n&63)+50)}while(n>>>=6);s;

The location was at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre (Hall F) instead of the the usual SingTel Comcenter. As this is a proper convention center, the space is huge and it is fully air-conditioned. This time round, it is strictly by appointment basis and no walked in is allowed. They are a few “layers” of security to make sure that happens. Even if your appointment is at 3am but you came at 11pm, they will make you queue up under the 3am queue. As long as people followed by their appointment timing, things will be smooth.

Left is 12am Queue. Right is 3am Queue

I reached there about 9.30pm and the queue was not that long which is a good sign. At 10pm they are let into the hall to process the necessary paper work. Once that is done, they will get a queue number and they are free to roam around the hall (including going to the toilet) while listening to the DJ’s music and live performance by a local band named, 53A. Glenn Ong was the host this year, he has been hosting all 3 iPhone launches. He saw me playing with my iPad and when I let him played with it, he is convinced that he is going to get one!

Trade-in Booths

Liftstyle App Booth

There are small booths around the hall ranging from displaying SingTel’s exclusive localized mobile applications to iPhone 4 accessories and even trade-in booths. All these are done before the midnight launch of the iPhone 4. So when the clock strikes 12, all you have to do is wait for your queue number to be called, get your iPhone 4 and pay it!

Counters

There are a total of 80 counters there this year which is much more than previous iPhone launches. Once the clock strikes midnight, the black curtain covering all the 80 counters were lifted! It was a pleasant surprise as I expected it to be some iPhone 4 display!

Technically it should not take you more than 1 hour from queuing to walking out with your iPhone 4 in your hands. I hope SingTel will keep to the same arrangement when iPhone 5 is launched next year.

1st 10 Customers Who Queue For The 1am Slow

Instead of the 1st three who will get coverage from the press, this time round it will be the 1st ten customers.

The 2 major complains I have is that the music is way too loud, it makes it difficult for the Customer Service Officer (CSO) to listen to what their customers are saying and also the light should be brighter as I heard some mid-aged people complaining the light is too dim for them to see clearly.

<rant>Marina Bay Sands is not drivers friendly as the parking charges are way too expensive. SGD$8/hour and capped at SGD$24/day. I have to park at Marina Square which is only SGD$2.14 per entry and walked all the way to Marina Bay Sands and back which adds up to like 6KM in total. To those people taking MRT, the nearest MRT is either Marina Bay or City Hall and the walking distance from the MRT stations are equally far! Maybe next time the location can be changed to Suntec City or even Singapore Expo!</rant>

Bloggers

More Photos

Videos

For more videos, check out the official SingTel iPhone Team YouTube channel.

SingTel has chosen a new and bigger venue to launch the new iPhone 4 this year at Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre. We are selling the phones at a centralised location so that all customers with appointments can buy their phones from one place conveniently. The larger venue also allows customers to be entertained by interactive demo zones where they can access and learn about SingTel’s latest mobile apps ranging from navigation to shopping apps. Customers can also enjoy food and beverages, plus song and dance performances.

To provide customers with a convenient and great iPhone 4 shopping experience, SingTel is using an appointment system. Customers chose from 13 time slots spread over 2 days (30 and 31 July) to purchase their iPhone 4. This provides an overall faster transaction time in a conducive shopping environment, better crowd control and also minimizes queuing time. The timeslots start from 12am – 9pm (30 July) and 11am – 9pm (31 July).

Customers will only be served based on their pre-appointed timeslots and are advised to arrive within that window period to avoid extended queuing time. As stocks are very limited, we regret that we are unable to accept any walk-in customers.

Customers can visit the SingTel iPhone 4 bulletin board http://www.singtel.com/iphone4 for more updates.

We thank our customers for their support and understanding.

See you all there at Marina Bay Sands tonight!

Media Launch

Samsung has partnered SingTel to launch the Samsung Galaxy S in Singapore. SingTel is the first telecom operator in the world to carry the Samsung Galaxy S.

Samsung Galaxy S

The Galaxy S is an Android 2.1 phone featuring a 4″ super AMOLED screen display and a 1GHz processor. The phone displays is less reflective yet able to retain the brilliance of colors and sharp clarity. It is amazingly responsive even when typing on the keyboard. It also have haptic feedback that indicates by vibrating when you touch on any virtual keys (Li Xiang is very amaze with this).

For Google enthusiasts, Galaxy S supports several Google mobile services such as Google Search, Gmail and Google Maps. Sign up 3G Flexi plans with SingTel, you will be able to enjoy services like MobileTV and Singtel AMPed bundle with this phone.

The fun part of Galaxy S, it has a 5 pixel camera and a front facing camera. Capabilities like Auto focus, Continuous shot, Self shot, Action shot, Add me, Cartoon shot, Smile shot, Vintage shot, Panorama shot, Anti-shake, Blink-detection and Auto contrast are part of the package. It allows HD video recording and playback too. Also, Galaxy S is expandable up to 32GB of external memory via microSD.

Super Junior

Samsung and Singtel are both very honored to fly Super Junior all the way from South Korea to be the ambassadors for Galaxy S.

Samsung Galaxy S Specifications

Network

• HSDPA 7.2Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps
• 3G (900 / 1900 / 2100 MHz) EDGE, GPRS Class 12
• GSM Quad Band (850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 MHz)

OS

• Android 2.1

Display

• 4.0″ WVGA 16M SUPER AMOLED (480×800) with mDNIe

Camera

• 5.0 mega-pixel Camera + VGA Video Telephony Camera, Auto focus
• Continuous shot, Self shot, Action shot, Add me, Cartoon shot, Smile shot, Vintage shot, Panorama shot
• Anti-shake, Blink-detection, Auto contrast

Video

• HD video playing & recording (1280 x 720) up to 30fps
• Playback: DivX, XviD, H.263, MPEG4, WMV
• Recording: H.263 (.3gp format)

Audio

• MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC+, WMA

Value-added Features

• Integrated Messaging “Social Hub” (basic)
• Android Market for more applications and contents
• FM Radio
• Augmented Reality with Layar Reality Browser
• 1 GHz Application Processor
• SMS/ MMS/ Email/ Exchange ActiveSync
• Sensor: Accelerometer, Proximity
• Offline & No SIM Mode, Handwriting Recognition: English & Simplified Chinese RSS Reader, Mobile Widgets

Connectivity

• Bluetooth Technology v 3.0
• USB v2.0 (High-Speed)
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• AllShare (DLNA)
• Mobile AP (wireless Internet tethering)
• TV Out
• GPS

Memory

• 16GB internal memory
• 8GB external microSD slot (up to 32GB)

Size

• 64.2 x 122.4 x 9.9mm
• 118g

Battery

• 1500 mAh Talktime: 13 hours (2.5G), 6.7 hours (3G)
• Standby: 250 hours (2.5G), 200 hours (3G)

SingTel’s Galaxy 3G Flexi Price Plans

Galaxy 3G Flexi Lite

• Monthly Subscription: SGD$39
• Local Outgoing Calls: 100 minutes
• Incoming Calls: Free
• Local Data Usage: 12GB

Galaxy 3G Flexi

• Monthly Subscription: SGD$56
• Local Outgoing Calls: 200 minutes
• Incoming Calls: Free
• Local Data Usage: 12GB

Galaxy 3G Flexi Plus Plan

• Monthly Subscription: SGD$95
• Local Outgoing Calls: 500 minutes
• Incoming Calls: Free
• Local Data Usage: 12GB

Enjoy FREE 24 months MobileTV viewing on your Galaxy S! Basic Pack from these 4 channels

• Channel NewsAsia – An Asian TV news channel that provides news and information on global developments with Asian perspectives.
• Bloomberg TV – Real-time financial news from the world’s unrivalled financial authority.
• ETTV Asia – Taiwanese news channel specially designed for Asian viewers.
• Dragon TV – Leading Mandarin channel from Shanghai, offering news, lifestyle programmes and more.

Notes

• Data usage capped at SGD$30/month for unlimited usage
• Unlimited song downloads with no data charges from AMPed Music Store
• Extra 200 minutes free talktime when calling to SingTel and SingTel Mobile numbers for Family & Friends

Photos

Flickr: SingTel’s Media Launch of Samsung Galaxy S with Super Junior 06062010

Official Samsung Site: Samsung Galaxy S
Official SingTel Site: Samsung Galaxy S
Press Release: SingTel and Samsung bring to Singapore the “Smart Life” with Samsung Galaxy S
Press Release: SingTel and Samsung launch Samsung GALAXY S with Korean pop sensation, Super Junior

Written by Lester Chan + Li Xiang

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

SingTel’s CEO for Singapore, Mr Allen Lew said that ‘there are ‘tens of thousands’ on its reservation lists’, and those who registered online will get priority for the iPhones.

Online reservation is open until Aug 17. Mr Lew said SingTel will release the price of the iPhone later.

SingTel on Monday said its regional mobile user base was up 45 per cent to almost US$198 million (S$280 million). in the second quarter against a year earlier.

India led the way as SingTel’s mobile associate Bharti added a record 7.4 million new users to bring its total mobile base to 69.38 million at the end of June, the Singapore telecom carrier said in a statement.

Bharti, the largest GSM operator in India, makes up 35 per cent of SingTel’s mobile base in the Asia-Pacific.

SingTel, the largest telecom firm in South-east Asia, holds a 30.44 per cent stake in Bharti as well as stakes in other mobile firms in the region.

For SingTel’s other associates, mobile users at Indonesia’s Telkomsel rose by 1.11 million during the June quarter to 52.44 million and Thailand’s AIS subscribers increased by over 877,000 to 25.96 million.

SingTel’s wholly owned Australian unit Optus added 101,000 users during the quarter to 7.24 million while in Singapore, its mobile subscribers grew 182,000 to 2.75 million.

Source: Straits Times: iPhone on sale from Aug 22

Singtel Email: It’s coming on 22 August 2008!

Singtel Email: iPhone 3G NEWS from SingTel