My Samsung Phone

The Galaxy W is my first smartphone and I got it almost as soon as it became available. As far as I was concerned I am a genius because I bought a phone that can compete with the iPhone 4 of that time at less than half the price. It was perfect.

But it wasn't long before I find that the phone started to lag. I upgraded, this time to a Galaxy S3. At last, a flagship in my hand. Surely, this is the phone that will do everything I need smoothly and quickly. 

I was wrong again. Apps constantly forced closed, skipped frame in my game, a screen that constantly turned itself off (it appear to be an overzealous proximity sensor) and a battery that drains itself quickly are among the many problems I faced. It became a frustrating experience just making a call because I couldn’t end the call as the screen won’t come back on. Eventually a factory reset solved the problem (except the battery drain) although I must comment that an iPhone never require a reset to runs smoothly. I know because my sister uses an iPhone 4 with 8GB and she never face a single problem. It isn’t an issue of usage either as I WhatsApp more while she Facebook more. She doesn’t play game on her phone after she gave up Candy Crush but the heaviest game I have in my phone is only the “Beach Buggy Blitz” which runs problem free on my old tablet.

Speaking of which the tablet in question is actually a Samsung too. Ironically the old dual cored Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus is the best Samsung device I ever owned. I never have a problem with it and its battery just last, even when I have a 3G SIM inside for data. And Beach Buggy Blitz runs smoothly even on the highest graphic setting compared to the (now ex ex) flagship S3 which sometimes lag even at the lowest setting. I kinda missed my tablet after I sold it and have grown to prefer its on-screen keys compared to the one physical two capacitive combos of most Galaxy branded products.

Did I just have a bad copy? I think it’s something simpler. When a lightly skinned mid-range tablet runs more smoothly than the heavily skinned flagship phone, the reasonable conclusion is simply that TouchWiz customization messed up Android optimization!

In fact, here’s an idea for a Nokia promotion. Run a campaign asking users, “How’s your phone after a year?” and let participants compared one of their year old Samsung against a one year old Lumia. I am reasonably confident most will find the Lumia running way more smoothly. Problem is it can be quite a smear campaign against Android as people may assume the problem is with the platform. It is not. My tablet already proven itself a smooth operator on Android as has my friend’s HTC HD2 which she been using for more than 3 years without a problem.

I really am not a Samsung hater. In fact I really liked the Note 3 and was almost willing to accept its physical and capacitive buttons combo (again) but I just can’t get past the fact that I am almost expecting its performance to slow down after some usage (my boss who upgraded from an iPhone to it has already started complaining). My S3 is behaving now, albeit at lower than optimum performance but I don’t know when it will start misbehaving again.

It’s obvious my next phone will not be a Samsung but change is not easy especially since I really like its camera and a good camera is one of my important criteria. I am already very used to changing the focus to macro when shooting up close, or fiddling with the exposure compensation or metering mode and quickly changing the resolution if I just want to share something over WhatsApp. The options available within its own camera app is one thing that I really come to appreciate. 

Pocket friendly Android

Budget smartphones hunters will be thrilled by recent announcement of several value for money Android handsets for the local market, all below the price of RM1000.

Top of the list will be the Samsung Galaxy W, which feature a phenomenal upgrade from its predecessor the Galaxy Ace. Screen resolution sees an increase from HVGA resolution to . Even more impressive is the processor speed which has been bumped up from a modest 800MHz to a speedy 1.4GHz, along with higher RAM and ROM. Cameara resolution is maintained at 5MP but then again, the Ace has one of the best 5MP snapper around. It was even better than then flagship Galaxy S and many of the 8MP units presently available. The good news however is that video recording has also been upgraded to 720p HD resolution. Its exterior design is a fresh departure from the conventional design commonly used by Samsung and it somehow reminded me of a Blackberry. However, it's not as good at creating a slim illusion, looking a little thicker even though both the W and the Ace share the same 11.5mm thickness. The Galaxy W has been announced for a price of RM999.

Even more affordable will be the Galaxy Y, which many cited to be the replacement for Galaxy Mini. I doubt that though as spec wise, there is hardly any upgrade. In fact, the screen shrunk slightly to 3" of low res display and the camera been downgraded from 3.15MP to a mere 2MP. And even though it now has a faster 832MHz processor, it isn't bundled with a graphic accelerator like the 600MHz processor in Mini. The Galaxy Y is a budget phone at RM499 and it looks like a budget phone with a screen that is too small for its body.

Right between the two is HTC Explorer, priced at RM759, with a spec slightly lower than The Wildfire S. HTC tends to be pricey due to their preference for premium material for the housing and to my best knowledge, this is the first HTC phone to be launched at a price tag below RM1000 so compromises is to be expected. This unit seems encased in a soft plastic material that will probably be great to hold but I can't say I appreciate its aesthetic. We also get 3.2" display, 3MP camera running on a 600MHz processor. The HTC unit has the advantage of being skinned with the very popular Sense UI.

The Galaxy W seems to be the best choice here, being more able than last year flagship. It's also the most expensive among these few but we could argue that the rest are simply too far behind. Finally, the still unannounced Sony Ericsson Neo V deserve some attention with specs very similar to the Galaxy W. If the price matches, it would give the W a good fight with its sheer good look alone.

Meego got me go-ing

I recently had a chance to fiddle with the new Nokia N9 recently and my reaction to that was
"What was Nokia thinking?"

To start off, the N9 has got an odd design. It has a curved display when the other's are flat and sharp corners when the rounded corners are the norm. Except for its two rounded sides, all other surface is flat. It has no button on its face and this new level of minimalist design squeezed a 3.9" screen into a body only marginally bigger than the iPhone. The phone looked rather blocky but its slim profile and display curved glass that almost cover the entire front from edge to edge gave it an unusual appeal that screams one of a kind. It's a trick of course as the display isn't really as big as the glass itself but it makes it look really good. I can't say I like the overall design although I must admit the design of the display over the AMOLED screen really capture my eyes. Don't judge it merely by the photos though as the N9 looks better in real life.

As unusual as the design of the phone is, it is the OS inside that everyone is excited about. Here is how the N9 basically works. Unlock the phone by switching the unlock button or by simply double tapping the screen. We will see a screen that shows all the updates of your friends or whatever news you subscribe to. One swipe and we arrive in the menu screen, through which we access all settings and apps. Another swipe will take us to the task switcher, for quick access to any unclosed application. That's it! That is all we need to know to start using the N9. It's almost as intuitive as the iPhone, plus some extra functionality, like iOS Expanded Edition.

Back to the question earlier, what was Nokia thinking?

They finally have something that excite the world which they co-own, which may become their golden ticket back to the number one spot, and their decision is to let it go and focus on Window Phone, which they will never own, and which other manufacturers could use as well? Again, what was Nokia thinking?

I cannot say for sure they made a mistake but the decision is made and it is unlikely the N9 will be receiving much after sales software support / updates. It doesn't even have Whatapps while Nokia alredy made a deal to have Whatapps developed for its non-smart feature S40 platform. Maybe that is why it wasn't released in the US or Europe and instead, we in Malaysia are the 'lucky' one to have it. Because we are less demanding for such updates.

Whatever it is, at least Intel is smart enough to realized Meego generated too much excitement to be discontinued and found a new partner in Samsung to continue its development under the name Tizen. Even if Tizen really grow, I can't imagine Samsung rolling out new updates for a Nokia device. Furthermore, Nokia still owns the beautiful rounded icons design used in Meego's menu.

It's a shame. Meego is such an easy platform to fall in love with and the N9 is really beautiful. Again, Nokia comes so close to creating a winner but it still couldn't reach the finishing line. One last time: What was Nokia thinking? Sigh...

The Nexus Prime!

Obviously Google had this planned from the very beginning. Very quickly after the announcement of the iPhone 4S, they released a teaser for their upcoming event on Oct 11, where they are likely to announced the new Nexus Prime.


The video hinted on perfect combination obviously refering to Android's latest Ice Cream Sandwich, which combine the best of Gingerbread for mobile and Honeycomb for tablet. We also got a glimpse of the Nexus Prime and it looks hotter than an iPhone. Nexus is the phone manufactured specifically to showcase Google latest Android platform. HTC manufactured the original Nexus before Samsung took over with Nexus S. While it was initially believed that Google will choose a different manufacturer for the next Nexus, they surprised everyone by sticking with Samsung.

While the previous Nexus phone already got a curved front, this new design took it to another level as the entire thing is curved and super slim. The previous only employed a curved glass over a flat display but given the dimension of this new Nexus Prime, the new device could very well be using a real curved display. After all, Samsung already got that technology which they showed off long ago. It certainly look like it would be an exciting design but we can only find out after the Samsung Unpacked event on 11th this month.

iPhone 4S - Do you want one?

The world was waiting for a 5 but all they got is an S. (Ha ha ha, go ahead and read that last part out loud.)

Unlike the launch of of the iPhone 4, the 4S barely excite the crowd despite its self proclamation as the most amazing phone in the world. So disappointed is the world that Apple's stock took a 5% dip. To be fair to Apple though, these disappointment really comes from an overtly high expectation. Any other manufacturers which release such update would be met with greater cheers.

So what is new with the 4S? It is still housed in the same beautiful exterior and its still excellent Retina display wasn't upgraded in any way. This design, when released last year blew everyone away. It didn't looked as much like a phone as it does as a communication device form the future. I got to admit that I was more curious how Apple will better the exterior design more than what they have to offer on the inside.

The camera itself was upgraded to 8MP and 1080p Full HD video recording. Samples photo from 4S was released by Apple and they look amazing. They are professionally taken of course but I believe in any hands, it would still produces photos comparable to those of the Galaxy S2. It's still a little nosier but it isn't too prominent.

A more subtle but important changes would be the antenna. The original design of an outside antenna wrapping the side of the phone sound like genius but when held with the left hand, disrupt signal to the point of dropped call. Only one of my iPhones totting friends has such complaint though, even if she choose to blame it on Digi instead. It remain to be seen how this slight modification would improve the signal.

On the inside the phone is running iOS 5 on a A5 dual core chip. Yup, the iPhone got dual core now albeit still capped at 1GHz compared to dual core 1.2GHz of the Galaxy S2 or HTC Sensation. I remember however that Google themselves admitted that Gingerbread wasn't yet optimized for a dual core processor. Optimized or not, these Android monsters are already blazing fast in their performance. If the iOS are better at taking advantage of the dual core chip, it could potentially be, though I suspect, not perceptively faster than its competitors.

As for the iOS 5 which was introduced much earlier, it supposedly brings 2 noticeable addition. The notification area and possibly homescreen, both which are long available to Android devices. The iCloud integration shows potential though. This service let you store files in Apple server so it may be easily shared. For example, you take a photo and it shows up immediately on your PC for you to work on. The next generation of Window Phone devices will come with 25GB of free cloud storage but it is not clear yet what iCloud would offer.

The highlight of the 4S however is the integrated Siri Assistant, previously available as a free app for iPhone 4. It is basically a voice command app but with a bit of a human touch as it's smart enough to understand normal speech instead of instruction specific command. It's like having a personal assistant by your side as it answer your question, managed your schedule, take note and make contact for you. There are many a phone with voice command function but Siri took it to a new level of smart. As one of the key selling point for the iPhone 4S, the original siri in the App Store has been hastily removed. Too bad.

Now, that wasn't so bad was it? The phone has gone dual core with its camera upgraded in addition to the iCloud service and Siri integration. what more can we ask for? I am tempted to believe the disappointment really stems for the fact that it didn't get a brand new look. Unfortunately, that alone may be enough to convince most people to just stick to their 'old' iPhone 4 because there may be a new iPhone out there now but the previous model is still pretty good.

Neo is the One

Most people are looking at Android as the ultimate contender for iOS. Samsung got real close with Galaxy S but it just isn't good looking enough while its successor S2 is too big for many people's liking. I keep looking at Sony Ericsson Neo. It is not a flagship but consider this. It's about the same size as the iPhone 4 but with a slightly bigger screen. That's a Bravia powered 3.7" screen to match iPhone 3.5" Retina display. On top of that , it's a really good looking phone too.
Android Gingerbread, and looking good

Sony Ericsson's current range of Xperia is built on two selling points. The aforementioned Bravia and also the Exmor R backlit camera. Both of these features are imported from Sony's range of LCD TV and digital camera. The latter promises better low light photography and with the Neo, we got it in a pleasing 8MP resolution. An upcoming update will also enable the camera to shoot in 3D panorama which is brilliant when you think of the mechanism to make that possible.

As with high-end Android, the Neo again better the iPhone with Flash support and a wider range of connectivity. With its graphic assisted 1GHz processor, everything runs smoothly on the Neo with fluidity comparable to the iPhone 4. In fact, the isn't any one major aspect I can think of that the iPhone 4 can claim to be significantly better than the Neo. Hardware wise, it pretty much do everything an iPhone can, plus the Android advantage of things the iPhone can't.

This would be my choice of the iPhone alternate but for one problem - it's not officially available in Malaysia. Production of this phone was disrupted by the double disaster in Japan and Malaysia is one of the country that won't get it. That is pretty much confirmed with the already availability of the much newer Ray in the local market (Why, Sony?). But all is not lost and this post is not a waste of time after all as Sony already planned to release the Xperia Neo V which is basically the same phone but with a lower 5MP camera (and hopefully lower price). That sounded like a downgrade until you see how gorgeous it looks in white, which isn't available for the original Neo.
Gorgeous in white

The Neo is desirable, something many other high performance smart phone is not able to achieve. If you really must have it and don't mind the risk of purchasing an AP unit, you can get it at around RM1100. Otherwise, just wait for the Neo V.

Wave of Excellence

As if the battle between Apple's iOS and Google's Android is not intense enough, there is also the Bada platform. Developed by Samsung and based largely on Android, it's really still in its infancy and fussier users often don't even consider it to be a smart platform. I chose to write about it however because this software usually comes in great hardware.

Eager to promote their very own platform, Samsung gave the best they've got in their first Bada device. Samsung Wave S8500 has the best screen with the Super AMOLED and the best audio with speaker reportedly from audio specialist Harman Kardon all housed in a premium metal body. To complement these outstanding A/V prowess, the Wave is given a capable video player that plays practically all type of available video format. It's 5MP camera with HD recording is well tweaked and widely lauded to be among the best in the market.

Look may be subjective but for people who likes it, it's way better than the generically safe design most other touchscreen phones uses. It's an acquired taste and I do find the widescreen in an elongated body to be sexier although I got to admit a regular ratio will let you type more comfortably in portrait mode as well as easier to view a map or website. It's great for watching video though, especially on that marvelous SuperAMOLED screen. Despite all this activities, the Wave ensure you remained connected for a long time as its power usage is very efficient with its battery quoted to last up to 600 hours in standby.

More than a year after its release, the Wave is a phone that is still hard to beat but can we say the same about the underlying Bada platform? As a software, Bada is largely based on Android and has nothing unique to offer to the market. Fortunately, it also means it's familiar and pleasant to use. What is unfortunate is that many apps common to iOS and Android, especially the communication apps is not available to Bada. I reckon I can have whatever apps I want in an accompanying Android tablet but I would prefer to have my Whatappps inside my phone.

It's a shame. I love the Wave for its premium good look, superb multimedia capabilities, exceptional imaging and the 'just right' size to fit in my pocket without compromising much on screen size. But I just gotta have my whatapps. Otherwise the original is available for about RM1000, if you can find it. There was a shortage of the SuperAMOLED screen forcing Samsung to released Wave 2, a similar device with a bigger albeit inferior display screen. The next genaration is also coming with the Wave 3 already been announced. The original Wave, the current Wave 2 and the upcoming Wave 3

Oh, the SuperAMOLED shortage is nothing to worry about as Samsung already has new plant manufacturing these screen that is increasingly common in Samsung devices. Of course, they also got the new SuperAMOLED Plus which is even greater.