Samsung Unpacks the Galaxy S4

I just finished watching the livestream of the unveiling of Samsung's 2013 version of its flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4.  All I can say is that the company really went all out in presenting its new gadget in a, ummm, big way at the Radio City Hall in New York City.

Let me give you the important details first - the specs of the new phone.   The key specs include a 5-inch Super AMOLED display with 1080p HD resolution, an Exynos 5 Octa eight-core processor in the international version and a quad-core Snapdragon chipset in the U.S. version, a 13-megapixel rear camera, up to 64GB of storage, 2GB of RAM, microSDXC support and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the latest available version of Google’s (GOOG) mobile platform. 

JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung claims that  "All the innovative features of GALAXY S 4 were developed based on the insights and needs we found from our consumers all around the world."

So what are these innovative features? For one, the Galaxy 4S sports a new 13-megapixel rear-facing camera, and a 2-megapixel front camera.  It also has a dual camera mode, which allows you to use both cameras at the same time.  A dual video mode also allows you to speak with somebody in a video call while showing him or her what you are looking at.

When Samsung said that this new phone will connect people even more, they weren't only talking about the support for up to 6 different band sets which allows it to function in most LTE coverage areas as well as enabling global LTE roaming.  It also meant to say about the  'S Translator' which provides instant translation, using text or voice translation on applications including email, text message and ChatON. This instant translation is possible both from speech to text and text to speech and ensures that you can rely on the correct information whilst abroad.

Based on the presentation this morning, it appears that the best features of Samsung Galaxy 4S are not in the hardware but in the applications.  It still runs on Android, particularly 4.2.2,  but added some new features.

One is the Smart Pause which lets you control the screen by where you look.  The feature stops and starts video based on whether or not you’re looking at the screen.  Now before you jump and down thinking that you can control it with your eyes, it seemed that the phone detects the movement of your head; whether you are facing the camera or looking somewhere else.  Similarly, the Smart Scroll allows you to scroll the browser or emails up and down without touching the screen. It recognizes your face looking at the screen and movement of your wrist and then scroll the pages up or down accordingly.

Air View allows users to hover with their fingers to preview the content of an email, S Planner, image gallery or video without having to open it. You can even see a magnified view on the internet browser, or a phone number saved in the speed dial on the keypad. With 'Air Gesture', you can change the music track, scroll up and down a web page, or accept a call with a wave of your hand.

As I've said earlier, Samsung put on quite a show which included a tap dancing boy who took almost 20 minutes before showing off the new phone and a group of bridesmaids who danced to show the other features of the phone. But it seemed that they forgot to include some very important details: the price and the availability of the S4.  The online buzz is rife with speculation that it will come out in April in the US with the major telecom companies carrying it.

Well, I hope Pinoy Samsung fanboys won't have to wait longer to get your hands on this new gadget.

photos from online sources.

LYTRO: The Future of Photography?

An exciting revolution is about to happen in the way we take pictures.  A start up company in Silicon Valley called LYTRO is set to release a new kind of camera to the consumer market.

They call it the light field camera and what it does is it uses the power light to help you capture life's precious moments.  The secret is in the sensor which captures all the light rays in the scene.  Unlike conventional cameras, this new sensor records the color, intensity, and direction of the ray of light.  A special software inside the camera will process all these information to allow the viewer to switch focus points.  

Thia means there is no need to worry about focusing your shot anymore or whether the auto-focus function in your camera actually focused on your intended area.  In fact, the company's slogan is "Shoot now, focus later."

You can give it a try with the photo below.  Click on Elvis and see what happens.

Want to try more of this? Then head off to the company's website and have fun with their Picture Gallery.

The New Nikon D5100

Nikon recently announced the Nikon D5100, a Nikon DX-format digital-SLR camera equipped with a vari-angle monitor, and a 16.2 megapixels CMOS image sensor and the EXPEED 2 image-processing engine that enable high-resolution rendering.  

It is also equipped with the D-Movie function that supports recording of full-HD (1920 X 1080p, 30p) movies.  Along with this, are the in-camera movie editing functions that allow users to delete unnecessary portions from the beginning and/or end of movie files. There is also an HDMI output so that the users can show off their full-HD videos to their family and friends.

What I am excited about the Nikon D5100 is the Special Effects mode.  This is the first Nikon DSLR to offer this feature and the user can choose from seven special effects, including selective color where the entire photo is in black and white except for the elements chosen by the user.  There is also the night vision which  allows the user to capture images even in extremely dark places.  The special effects can be viewed through the lens before shooting, allowing users to see and confirm the results.  Complementing these features is the new High Dynamic Range (HDR) function which captures two shots at different exposures and combine these to create a single image that has little or no loss of highlights.

Another neat feature of this camera is the vari-angle monitor. The vari-angle monitor opens from 0 to 180° to the side, and can be rotated up to 90° clockwise and up to 180° counter-clockwise when it is open.  This will come in handy when shooting in a crowded place and the standard monitor won't do the job.  The 3-inch monitor is also bigger than the one in Nikon D5000 and since the hinge is now on the side, it will not hit the tripod when the camera is mounted.


The Nikon D5100 allows continuous shooting at up to approximately 4fps.  It also has a quiet shutter release mode for shooting in places and situations that needs quieter shutter operations.

The Nikon D5100 comes with an AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR kit lens. It is not yet available in the Philippines but it has as estimated selling price of $899.95 in the United States.

Favorite Apps

In one of our discussions, one of my fellow Mac fans asked us what iPad or iPhone Apps are our favorites and can't live without. I told him I have a number of favorite apps but not necessarily I can't live without. I downloaded some apps from the Apps Store to my iPad and use some of them more often than the others.

One of these is Pulse, a news aggregator developed by two Stanford students. It combines the convenience of RSS feeds with the engaging interface of a web browser. What I like about this app is that I can choose which news provider to subscribe to and place them in a grid. I can access them anytime I want and get updated on current and tech news without leaving the app.

For making on the spot reports and other documents, I use Pages. It is almost the same as the desktop version except that when sent through email, you will have to convert your work into a document that Pages could read. Otherwise, it's the only app I need to make documents.

I use iBooks and Kindle for iPad alternately to read my e-books because I have books on both formats. My only issue about reading on an iPad is eyestrain. Yes, even with the adjustable brightness, I cannot read as much as I would with paper book. This is one reason why I am contemplating on buying a Kindle.

Another favorite is Magic Piano. I can actually make music with this app even if I don't know how to play the instrument. All I did was turn on one of it's auto modes and voila! I can play music from it's songbook by just following the falling dots on the screen.

If I have time to waste, which is very seldom, I play games on my iPad. The big screen on this baby could sometimes make me waste more time than I should.

There's Angry Birds, the insanely addicting game that involves slinging birds to beat the green pigs that stole their eggs. The game is so wicked because its levels become more and more challenging as you progress.

Also wicked is Zynga's Scramble. It looks easy because you only need to make words from random letters on a 4x4 board. Try playing the online mode and compete with other players around the globe. The next thing you knew, hours have passed and the deadline you're trying to meet has come closer.

These are the apps that I use most of the time. There are others on my iPad that are also worth mentioning and I would discuss on another post.

Smart Bro Pocket WiFi

Smart Bro recently launched its Pocket WiFi, a 3G+WiFi router that allows up to 5 persons to connect at one time.  This is  Smart's answer to Globe's MyFi which was released in July.

This new service is available on postpaid for now at PhP495  for 50 hours per month.  Add another PhP150 for the device for the next 24 months lock-in period.  So that means you should fork out a total of PhP645 for 24 months.  Should you exceed the 50 hour limit, you will be charged  Php10 for every 30 minutes.

Smart promises a connection speed of up to 2Mbps and a nationwide coverage, unlike the SmartBro Share-It which is area specific.  That means, you can create your own hotspot wherever you are in the country.

I'm a SmartBro user whenever I go out of town but I use the USB dongle.  I could easily connect wherever there is a Smart cellular coverage and the speed is good enough.  In fact I used it  during my trips to Pagudpud and Bohol and I couldn't complain with the connection I got on both occasions .  If the same is true with this service, then it's worth trying.  The only thing that's holding me back is the 50 hour limit per month.  Yes, it's handy when I am out of town on a short period of time but when I am on vacation or something, I could easily use that up within a week.  Why Smart did not offer an unlimited plan is a mystery.  A little birdie told me though that Smart may have placed the time limit because   this new service might compete directly with their other products, like Smart Share It which has a Plan999 unlimited connection.

Skype 5.0 for Mac Beta now available

Skype recently announced the release of a beta version of Skype 5.0 for Mac.  The new version features a single window for ease of use and integrated the Address Book so you can call, IM and SMS your contacts even when they are offline.

Another new feature of the beta version is group video calling which allows you to make video calls with more than two people at a time.  Just make sure that they are also on Skype 5.0 Beta for Mac or Skype 5.0 for Windows for group video calling to work.  It is free for now but the company would probably start charging fees after the Beta stage.

The new Control Bar allows you to manage calls from a mini Skype control bar that sits on top of any open web page, document or photo.

For more information and to download the beta version, click here.

Goodbye Sony Walkman Cassette Player

Sony Corporation announced last week that it has already stopped production of the iconic Sony Walkman Cassette Player and the lot that rolled out of their factory in Japan last April were the final batch.

The Walkman first came out in July 1979 and revolutionized the way we listen to our music.  I was still in high school then and we were still using vinyl records played in large bulky stereo systems to listen to our favorite tunes.  The first time I saw an actual unit was before I graduated from high school when a classmate brought one to school.  We were all excited to try the player and he gave all of us to try it.  The first song I heard on a Walkman was "Boat on the River" by Styx.

It wasn't until I was in college that I finally owned a Walkman. By then, it has become more common and smaller.  A housemate had one that was only slightly bigger than the case of the cassette tape.  It was also during that time that we started producing "mix tapes" that we share among ourselves.  A housemate who had a good system in their house would gather all our tapes and choose the best cuts.  He would give each of us a tape of the music he has selected and we would play them as we go about our usual activities.

When I started working, the Walkman proved to be indispensable during my trip to and from work.  I put on my headphone, pump up the volume and I am by myself.  We also used it in our work to record and transcribe meetings, lectures and seminars proceedings.  At about the same time, a new technology was also slowly encroaching in the market of the cassette tape.  The era of the compact disc has began.  I would say that this was the beginning of the end of the cassette tape and the Walkman.  In fact, a few years later I bought my own CD Walkman and never went back to the cassette tape.

Digital music also gave rise to the MP3 format and the cassette tape was almost completely pushed out of the shelves.  It was just a matter of time before someone would come up with an idea for a gadget to play MP3s and revolutionize the way we listen to our music yet another time.  In 2001, a company in Cupertino unleashed the iPod to the world and the final nail to the coffin of the cassette player was placed forever.

But that's how it is with technology.  It is always changing.  Someone always has something that will change our lifestyle and the way we do things.  

Sony said that their factories in China will continue to produce Walkman Cassette Players for their markets in Asia and the Middle East.  The name Walkman will also live on through their digital players, although these gadgets wasn't able to dominate the scene the way their older sibling did for decades.

Sony Walkman Cassette Player, dead at 31.  Thanks for all the musical fun and the memories.

No Need to Take Out 11-inch MacBook Air at Security Check in US Airports

from apple.com

Here's another reason to get a Macbook Air: the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) in the US said that the 11-inch MacBook Air need not be removed from bags at airport security checkpoints.

The TSA told CNN that the device got the special exemption because it is "smaller than the average-sized laptop" just like a netbook.  OK, do I hear Steve Jobs screaming "The MacBook Air is NOT a netbook!".  Of course it isn't.  We all know that internally, I mean, the technical specifications of the MBA are far superior than any netbook out there.  However, the security people in the US are more concerned of the size of the gizmo than its power.  Anyway, the iPad gets similar privilege from the TSA so let's just say that the 11-inch MBA belongs to the same category as the iPad per TSA standards.

There's no word though whether the 13-inch model gets the same exemption.    TSA requires that bigger portables be screened separately because they are harder to see in a bag with other contents. Although it has the same internal components as its smaller sibling, it is about the same size as most notebooks computers. This could result to the 13-inch MBA not getting the same special entitlement.

iPad Orientation Lock Switch to become Mute Switch with iOS 4.2

I just finished reading an article on 9to5Mac that says that when the iPad is upgraded to iOS 4.2, the orientation lock will become a mute switch.  As the article pointed out that since the change will be done through software, there will be a way to choose one or the other, or even both.

Well, think again.

The same article carried an email exchange between a 9to5Mac reader  and Steve Jobs where the latter confirmed the reconfiguration and that the switch will not do both functions; nor there is a way to choose which function to assign to the switch.  It will just be a mute switch. Period.

If you ask me, I would rather have the orientation lock function because I use my iPad a lot for reading books with iBooks or my PDF files with GoodReader.  I like reading on the bed and it would really be a challenge to do that when the screen would keep rotating.  Perhaps it's Jobs' way of telling me not to read on bed.

Why make it a mute switch when we could just adjust the volume to zero?

Smart Communications is official carrier of Windows Phone 7 in RP

Smart Communications is the official partner of Microsoft to bring the Windows Phone 7 to the Philippines in the last quarter of this year. 

The two companies have been working closely together since last year to provide a special combination of service platforms and bring the service locally.

"In the past year, we have seen a rise in the use of data—something that we have eagerly anticipated for quite some time now. We saw the surge in the use of mobile Internet—for e-mail, browsing and social networking—plus a host of other data-related transactions using Smart mobile phones. These developments are clear opportunities for Smart services to grow and move forward, to help us succeed in bringing our customers closer to the future of telecommunications."

Microsoft promises that Windows Phone 7 will bring a new experience to people and help them quickly fine and use data, information and services from the Internet and its applications.  The news phones are distinguished by unique design and integrated experience built from Microsoft's innovation such as, Microsoft Office Mobile, Windows Live, Bing and more.

By the way, unlike Apple which manufactured both hardware and software for its iPhone, Microsoft will not be making the devices for their platform. Instead it has partnered with handset makers Samsung, HTC, LG, among others, to produce the phones that will carry the new OS.  

Coming in Summer 2011: Mac OS X Lion

It wasn't only the MacBook Air that Steve Jobs announced in yesterday's Back to the Mac event.  The main subject, in fact, was the next iteration of the Mac OS X operating system, Lion.  If the pundits are to be believed, this will be the last of the big cats and they saved the last for the king of the jungle.

Steve Jobs said in his keynote address that "Lion brings many of the best ideas from iPad back to the Mac, plus some fresh new ones like Mission Control that Mac users will really like."

Some of the features of the upcoming operating system include:

• The Mac App Store works the same way as the App Store and you may purchase applications using your iTunes Account.  It promises to revolutionize the way we Mac users install our software and more.  Applications may be installed in every Mac a user owns and then updated regularly.  Jobs announced that the Mac App Store will be available within 90 days.

• The Launchpad gives instant access to all your apps with just a click on its icon on the dock.  Open windows fade away and apps are displayed in full screen just like in the iPad.  A swipe will show multiple pages of apps and these may be arranged according to the user's preference.

• The Mission Control gives us a bird's eye view of what is happening in our Mac.  It works almost like the Expose and Dashboard combined with Spaces thrown in.  With a swipe gesture, the user will see all open windows grouped by apps, other full screen apps as well as other Spaces.

Lion will also employ the multi-touch experience of the iPad.  Instead of the screen, however, we will be using the trackpad to pinch and swipe.  The applications will also open in full screen, just like in the iPad.  User could pinch to adjust the size of the display.

Indeed, Apple brings back to the Mac the technology it has developed for its iPod, iPhone and iPad through the Mac OS X Lion.  I'll surely upgrade once it is available.

The New Mac Book Air

photo from apple.com

 Steve Jobs revealed the much anticipated MacBook Air refresh at the Apple's Back to the Mac event this morning. The thinnest Mac ever now comes in two variants, 11-inch and 13-inch.

The new MacBook Air models come with flash storage so anyone who uses iPhone or iPad already should be familiar with this type of storage. Both models have Core 2 Duo processors, NVIDIA GeForce 320M graphics cards, and 2GB RAM that can be upgraded to 4GB from Apple's online store.

Apple claims that battery life is up to 7 hours for wireless web browsing on the 13.3-inch model while 5 hours on the 11.6-inch model, and up to 30 days for both sizes when in sleep mode.

The new MacBook Air also comes with Multi-Touch trackpad that lets the user pinch, swipe, or rotate to adjust an image, zoom in on text, or advance through a photo album. There is also a FaceTime camera that will allow the user to make video calls through the Internet. FaceTime for Mac is still in Beta though.

Since the new MacBook Air has no internal optical drive, it comes with a "Software Reinstall Drive" that will be used to restore Mac OS X and iLife.

We checked the Apple Store Philippines and found out that the new models are now available and ship within 2 business days. Prices are as follows: For the 11-inch models, PhP51,990 with 64GB storage and PhP61,9990 with 128GB storage; For 13-inch models, PhP67,9990 with 128GB storage and PhP83,990 with 256GB storage.

A Brief Introduction

This blog will be about technology in the Philippines. We're still putting our acts together and will soon start posting here. Please be patient. Thanks for taking a peep.