Asus Zenbook UX31 Review

Having heard of numerous positive reviews about the Asus Zenbook, I received the review unit with great expectations. The Zenbook is one of the first Ultrabooks launched in the market. The name "Ultrabook" is trademarked by Intel and describes laptops that are lightweight, high performance and with long battery life.

Zenbook, shown here with the free sleeve case.

The specs of my review unit:

• Intel Core i5-2557M 1.7GHz (2 core, 4 threads, max 2.7GHz turbo)
• DDR3 1333MHz 4GB RAM
• 128GB SSD
• Intel HD Graphics 3000
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• 13.3-inch 1600x900
• 0.3M web camera
• 3mm thin at the front, 9mm thin at the rear, 1.3kg 

Comparing the 13" Zenbook with the 11" Macbook Air

Good Zen
The Zenbook launch in Singapore is rather successful. Several of my friends bought one within the first week of its sale in Singapore. Perhaps it is due to the pent-up demand for a Windows-based ultraportable laptop. Here, I list down the features that make Asus Zenbook attractive:

1. Full aluminium body with ultrathin profile. The brushed metal surface feels more durable and less prone to scratches than Macbook Air. There are ample wrist rest for typing and the large trackpad is very much appreciated.

Zenbook keyboard vs. Macbook Air

2. 2-second instant-on with Super Hybrid Engine II. Yes, the bootup and shutdown times are just as fast, but any computer running on solid-state storage drives (SSD) could achieve that. But the instant-on feature is just impressive. Not only that, but putting the Zenbook to sleep does not use up a lot of battery power.

3. Higher screen resolution at 1600x900. It's the highest resolution Ultrabook, which means your display will look sharp and you can see more rows and columns of your spreadsheet applications, or scroll less to see your Facebook feeds. The gloss screen surface has a good balance of reflectivity.

4. Effective Battery Management. Zenbook comes with its own Asus Power4Gear Hybrid battery management app to make sure you get maximum battery if you need it. For each usage profie, you can specify the maximum processor speed, which is good. When I turn on Battery Saving mode, the laptop runs in low heat. I also like that the Zenbook does not heat up when charging.

As for battery life, well, it depends on the applications. If you turn on High Performance, the full charge would barely last 4 hours. When running on Battery Saving mode and doing casual computing, the Zenbook can offer realistically 5-6 hours. Coupled with instant-on and sleep, you should be able to get through the day.

5. Audio speakers. Running on Bang & Olufsen ICEpower, the Zenbook is pleasant to listen to. You get crystal clear treble, well-delivered mid-range, and light bass. There are minimal audio distortions, prevented by audio limiter. The stereo sound permeates through the keyboard surface, giving you unblocked listening experience. But occasionally some songs with certain audio frequencies may rattle the keys. Nevertheless, I am impressed with the sound.

6. Bundled accessories. Zenbook retail package comes with adapters for VGA (D-Sub) and LAN (RJ45 Ethernet port), so that these chunky ports do not clutter the interface, and consumers can still connect to VGA and Ethernet. A premium laptop case is also included, which completes the ownership.

It is to be noted that the mini VGA port on the Zenbook is proprietary and is not the standard mini DisplayPort as mentioned by several online review sites.


Bad Zen
Despite the sleek design, thoughtful apps, and bundled accessories, I find the actual usage experience rather disappointing. Let me explain why.

1. Keyboard. It might look good, but it doesn't work quite good. Due to the shallow key action, there is a high tendency of missing key strokes, but if you alter your keyboard habits, like hitting the keys a little harder, you might be able to increase the hit rate.

There is also no keyboard backlight if your life depends on it. So, tough luck working in a dark environment, although perhaps the ultra-bright LCD screen (450 nits) could offer some illumination.

2. Trackpad. After experiencing the Macbook trackpad, no other Windows-based laptop comes close, including the Zenbook. The response is laggy and multi-touch gestures are frustrating to use. Use an external mouse to get more consistent results.


3. Wi-Fi connection. The most disappointing feature (or lack of) is the Wi-Fi radio. The connection consistently drops, indicated with a yellow exclaimation icon next to the Wi-Fi status, showing "No Internet Access". A search on google reveals that the short term workaround is to set the power profile to "High Performance". Sadly, this means the battery will drain faster and the Zenbook will get hotter. Hopefully this problem can be fixed by software updates.


The Sum of all Zen
The Asus Zenbook delivers a great impression with sleek design, custom applications and user interface. The instant on and sleep means you can use the Zenbook whenever and wherever you need it without worrying about long wake-up times, battery drain and ensuring proper shutdown. The laptop generally runs smoothly and extremely quiet. The major annoying issue is the persistent dropped Wi-Fi connection. But like what I tell my peers who spend too much time evaluating and waiting for the perfect gadget: "Don't forgo the benefits because of a few weaknesses." If you simply must have the 2-second instant-on feature, then no other laptop can beat the Asus Zenbook - for now.

Epson MG-850HD Projector with iPhone Dock

Within weeks after the EPSON blogger's event, I received the MG-850HD projector for review. And this might well be the first projector you would buy for your home.

Preview Impressions
Plug your Apple product - iPhone, iPad, iPod - onto this projector and do presentations, browse photos and watch videos! It has 2x10W speakers that pumps out decent sound for a projector. It can do keystone adjustment up to 30-degrees in all directions, so it means you can project on the screen at an angle and the output will still look in proportion. It has a light ambient sensor that also auto white balance, so you get both colour and brightness compensation. It runs on 3LCD technology which promises more faithful colour reproduction and no colour break-up (also known as "rainbow effect"). It supports multiple connectors like VGA, HDMI, Component video, Mic-In, even USB port for multimedia slideshow display. It has a built-in handle for easy of carry. It weights 3.9kg, the fan runs at only 35dB. It starts up at just 6 seconds.

And this world's first HD projector for Apple mobile devices retails at just S$1299.

Hands-on Experience

The projector is carefully designed with a clean outlook. The speakers at the back of the projector is slanted with speaker grooves. The usual AV connectors are all hidden behind removable casings, so if you were to use the projector exclusively as a standalone dock without any external device connections, the projector would look presentable. There is also a spring handle for you to transport the projector. It might seem redundant - who would carry a projector around without a bag - but the handle would be useful if you move the projector around the house.

The moment I slid out the iPhone Dock and inserted the iPhone, the projector displays a multimedia menu to let you navigate, using the projector's remote, into various folders of music and videos that are stored in your iPhone. When you choose the "Photos + More" option, iPhone apps that support display-out will be projected through the MG-850HD. It is possible to use the projector's remote to control the playback.

iPods and iPads are also supported.

Due to iOS limitations on the type of apps that can be displayed on external devices, this dock might not seem as useful. The projector's 10W stereo speakers sound adequately loud but certainly does not offer audiophile quality. In fact, the audio experience is marred by the unpleasant noise-reduction audio engine, which cuts off very soft passages like classical music. If you play pop music or movies, it should sound fine. Also, you can playback your iPhone songs without turning on the projector lamp, thereby saving electricity and heat generated from the machine.

Putting the iPhone dock capability aside, the projector performs well, though it might not be the choice of home theatre buffs because the native resolution is only 1280x800. Colours appear accurate with the 3LCD technology. Inside the menu, you can finetune the image brightness, contrast, tint, sharpness, colour tone. There are preset Colour Modes, Sound Modes to help you get the desired effects quickly.

Keystone adjustment lets me project at an angle with no image distortion!

Summary Thoughts
The EPSON MG-850HD is a multi-purpose high quality projector that offers many connectivity options. With the iPhone dock option, you might be able to convince your spouse to get one for your home. Instead of a permanent mount, you could set this up on an ad-hoc basis, like what I did during my review. When not using as a projector, you can use it like a normal iPhone dock to pump out your favourite hit tunes.

Dell U3011: UltraSharp 30-inch monitor review

After reviewing the Dell U2412M 24-inch monitor a few weeks back, Dell threw me another premium monitor. The Dell U3011 is a new 30-inch model replacing the U3008WFP. The IPS panel is factory calibrated to sRGB and AdobeRGB modes, so it saves the hassle of re-calibrating.

30-inch computer monitors are uncommon. Not many manufacturers make them because they are not as popular, and certainly not cheap. Yet Dell UltraSharp monitors are sought after by photographers, graphic designers, and anyone who requires accurate colour rendition on a huge brilliant display. The reason behind the awesomeness of this monitor:

1. the IPS (in-plane switching) LCD panel that offers minimal colour deviation when you view the screen at varying angles.
2. 117% colour gamut (range of colours), compatible with 100% sRGB and 99% AdobeRGB standards.
3. Capable of displaying 1 billion colours at 1,000:1 (typical) dynamic contrast ratio, 7ms (typical) response time.

If you are wondering why one would need a 30-inch monitor, here's a list for your consideration:

1. 2560x1600 high resolution display
If your current monitor displays only 1280x800, then the Dell U3011 is 4 times of that resolution! You can tile 4 windows on the monitor and work on all 4 windows at the same time. How useful is that? How about a web browser, a photo editor, a word editor, and a file manager, all in full view.

I could never have imagined this is attainable, and very usable...

If you often work on spreadsheets, you would certainly appreciate a high resolution monitor, which lets you see a lot more rows and columns. For photography work, you see more of the image in 1:1 pixel compared to even a typical full HD 1920x1080 monitor. Less zooming around means you get your job done with less mousing around.

This is how an Excel spreadsheet looks like on a 2560x1600 screen. (click for full image)

For multi-tasking movie buffs, you can open a full-HD size window and watch your movies while having ample space to keep a few other windows visible from view, for instance, live monitoring desktop gadgets.

Watching the Avatar movie in full HD while blogging, only possible with Dell U3011.

2. 30-inch screen size
Who doesn't like large screens? Every modern living room has a huge TV, and people tend to buy the biggest size that they can afford. But would a huge monitor be really necessary for a computer user since one usually sits close to a monitor as compared to watching TV?

My computer screen is about 2 feet away from my eyes, and a 30-inch screen is just nice to fill up my field of vision. Having a single high-res screen can be better than multiple screens, because in a multiple-screen setup, you need to turn your heads frequently to look at both monitors. And at 30-inch, the resolution is just nice, not too small unlike laptops with full-HD resolution.

Size in perspective: Dell U3011 (right), 24" Philips 240B (left), and 12.1" Thinkpad X61.

3. One monitor, multiple connectivity. 
The Dell U3011 has the following list of connectivity options, which seems to many to be true.

·         2 Digital Visual Interface connectors (DVI-D) with HDCP
·         2 HDMI connectors
·         1 DisplayPort (DP)
·         1 Video Graphics Array (VGA)
·         5.1 audio output
·         Component Video
·         4 USB 2.0 downstream ports
·         7-in-1 Media reader

So technically you can connect 6 devices to this mammoth monitor and easily toggle among them using the capacitive menu buttons, which is so cool because you activate the buttons by lightly touching, unlike most other monitors which requires you to click on the small rigid poorly-labelled buttons.

Bring your finger near to the buttons and the bottom one lights up.
Select it and the on-screen menu and all other buttons light up.

Use it not just as a computer monitor, but also as a TV to plug your DVD player, your game console, hook it to your 5.1 sound system. You can slot in your SD cards for file transfer, or easily connect your USB devices to this monitor.

Need? Or Want?
For many years, I have evolved my monitor usage behaviour, from a 15-inch monitor, to a 17-inch, then a 19-inch, then I bought a 22-inch and started a 2-monitor extended display setup, then I sold off the 19-inch for the current full-HD 24-inch. I was contemplating getting rid of the 22-inch (WSXGA+, 1680x1050) for the Dell U2412M 24-inch, but now that I reviewed this 30-incher, it appears that I might revert back to a single-display, because there are so much more pixels to offer in a single display that is easier to manage than multiple displays. Of course, there's no stopping me to buy this and hook it with my existing monitor to increase my desktop size, yet again. There is no end, is there?

Before you invest in this beauty, make sure your display card supports the extra-high WQXGA resolution. The standard HDMI cable only supports up to full-HD resolution of 1920x1080, and analogue display (VGA) connection also cannot reach the full native resolution. In my test, only the DVI Dual-link cable delivers the full 2560x1600 resolution.


Chester writes for XinMSN.

BAIT: a photostory with Angela

I did a label search on my blog and realised that my previous photostory was in 2010 February.

Angela Chew first reached out to me in June 2009 with a Facebook message to compliment my photography. It was only 2 years later that we crossed paths again. I was planning for a shoot, decided to contact her, and she agreed.

Over the course of discussion, a photostory idea came to me, and I proposed to her with a positive response.

Customising My Photostory
The shoot was executed on 29 Aug 2011. I wanted to showcase Angela's versatility, so I wrote a story in 3 parts to portray her in different styles. After a heavy downpour, we were left with less than 2 hours to do the shoot.

Photostory is my favourite way of presenting my images. I am more interested to bring out the human emotions from the images than creating picture-perfect photos.

BAIT
This photostory is told from the stalker's perspective, presented in a journal layout that belonged to the stalker. The use of different fonts portrays the various narratives - one jotted by the stalker on his journal, the second representing the thoughts of the stalker, and appearing in the final pages, the thoughts of the lady victim. The choice of the title is a play of perspectives: who is the baiter, and who is the bait?

Full photo story presentation (Flash support required)
Facebook album presentation

Rebecca: Portraiture

After a long hiatus from portraiture photography, I collaborated with Lynette for a portrait shoot on Rebecca. 

Click for larger image

With a little coaxing and directions, I managed to catch her in various moods and looks.

Read Lynette's blog entry about the shoot here.

If you like my photography, visit my Facebook page for more photos.

Dropbox Version History Saves My Day

For the past few days, I have been working on a Powerpoint presentation on my Windows desktop. Little by little, I added the slides and by late afternoon, I had an almost complete product. At some point in time, I saved it and went out to buy dinner for the family.

3 hours later, I decided to continue working on the finishing touches to the presentation. When I opened the file, I had a rude shock. There was only 10 slides out of the original 60.

Oh no. I must have hit some random "Select-Slides-Delete" keystrokes and saved the entire file without checking.

There was no other way to recover the previous version of the file in my desktop since I have already saved and closed the file earlier.

The thought of re-doing the lost 50 slides was a big setback. But I picked myself up and attempted to start creating the lost slides from memory again.

10 minutes into the re-construction, I recalled Dropbox have this versioning feature that keeps the old versions of over-written files. And it so happened that this file I was working on was stored in the Dropbox sync folder.

So I scavenged the version history of that ill-fated file on the Dropbox website, and really found the old version containing the complete deck!!

I WANT THAT FILE BACK! THE ONE WITH THE LARGEST FILE SIZE!

Thank goodness for Dropbox. I am able to recover my hard work.

Are you subscribed to Dropbox yet? Sign up with this link to get 2GB of online storage!

Thank you, Dropbox. You saved my week.

A good start, or a bad start to the New Year?

P.S. I found out that Mac OS X Lion users would have no such problems because OS X Lion has built-in document versioning. So if I were to work my project on a Mac, I could simply recover old versions locally.

Piano Spa 6: by Chester Tan and Tat Tong

It all started with a casual conversation with Tat Tong, a chart-topping music producer from T2 Productions. I told him about my past Piano Spa albums and he got inspired to produce instrumental albums. After discussing with Warner Music Singapore, Tat asked me if I would like to produce another new Piano Spa album. After giving some thought, I agreed.

The album was completed by end November, and after a few days of sorting out the licensing details, the contract was signed. And before I knew it, the album is out in stores. I first spotted it at HMV Marina Square on 27 December and excitedly informed Tat. 2 days later, Warner officially announced it on their Facebook page.

Piano Spa 6 (PS6) is Tat's first commercial instrumental album. His versatile composition styles offer the listener with an enchanting, whimsical, and moving experience. Through PS6, we get a flavour of Tat's musical calibre which reflects his vast experience in music-making.

For me, PS6 is my 5th release. After writing entirely for PS1 to 3, I collaborated with Fred Lin for PS4 and then Fred did the entire album for PS5. That was 2008. After that, Warner Music refreshed the Piano Spa series by releasing several compilation collections.

I am grateful to Warner Music for their continual support in the Piano Spa album series. I'm also privileged to produce this brand new album with an experienced musician who has produced a growing list of #1 songs in the Asian market, and whose portfolio includes music veterans like Kit Chan, Joi Chua, Karen Mok, Sally Yeh, Show Luo, plus rising stars like Christian Bautista, Jonathan Wong, Tay Kewei, Derrick Hoh.

Piano Spa 6 is now available at all good music stores. Visit our facebook page to listen to music samples.

Track listing:
CD1

1 - Awaken Dreams
2 - Daisies and the Sun
3 - Spring Bloom
4 - Last Summer
5 - Motions
6 - Old Time
7 - Our Wedding Moment (with Pachelbel's Canon)
8 - Returning to Love
9 - The Final Ember
10 - Impressions of a Broken Road
11 - There is Nothing Else to Love
12 - Twilight Passion
13 - Wishing Him Well
14 - We're at the End of Our Days


CD2

1 - Forest Dreams
2 - In The Air
3 - Fireflies
4 - Sunday Morning
5 - Walk
6 - March
7 - Enchanted
8 - Remembrance
9 - Reverie d'Amour
10 - Gnome Dance
11 - Coming Home
12 - Entering The Eternal
13 - Day's End
14 - Love of my Life

Motorola HX550 Bluetooth Headset: Hands-Free Solution Review

I remember owning the world's first bluetooth headset from Ericsson (HBH-10) back in 2001. My, it's rather weighty and comes with a limited-edition large biscuit-tin box with loads of accessories and a bluetooth receiver to plug to your compatible Ericsson phones.

10 years later, I received a Motorola bluetooth headest HX550 for review. It's so small and feather-light at only 9 grams, I can't even feel I'm wearing it. The unit has 3 hardware buttons: the volume up/down and the answer/hang up button. The flip doubles as a switch to turn on and off the unit.

Besides the weight (or lack of), the experience is much improved. It comes with voice-assisted audio prompts to inform you of the headset status. For instance, when you turn on the headset by flipping out the mic pickup, the headset will inform you whether it is paired with any device. It will also remind you with instructions on how to pair the headset with your phone device. When your headset is out of range from your paired device, you will also hear the announcement. But once you are back in range, the headset will also inform you via the voice prompt. No worries of compatibility issues, as the HX550 can pair with any mobile devices that supports the usual Bluetooth profiles.

The headset will inform you of the battery level every time you switch on so that you will not be caught with battery issues. Speaking of battery, the HX550 has a great battery life. I did not do any scientific tests, but you can rest assured that the phone battery will drain faster than than the headset itself. You can easily charge it with a micro-USB cable.

What I also like about the headset is the ear hook is easily adjustable to fit any ear. You can also pair this headset with up to 2 devices at any time. And the headset will automatically switch to one of the devices when there is an incoming call.

I'm amazed with how the HX550 instantly connects to an incoming call when you flip open the headset to switch it on. Motorola calls it the RapidConnect(TM) feature. If you are a casual headset user who do not wear it constantly on your ear, this method will save your battery life extensively.

Other noteworthy features:
- RapidCharge: 15 minutes charge gets you over 4 hours of usage
- Talk Time: 9 hours
- Standby Time: 16 days
- 300 feet range

If there is anything to nitpick, I'd say that the music playback quality is no match for the stereo bluetooth headsets which may be more practical but is double the price of the HX550. The size of the headset also means it can easily get lost in your bag. But if your life depends on owning a wireless handsfree solution, then I'd say the HX550 is a fantastic piece of gadget.



Chester writes for XinMSN.

Samsung Galaxy Note Review: Should You Upgrade Galaxy S2?

Samsung Galaxy SII and Galaxy Note

As a Samsung Galaxy SII owner upgraded from Samsung Galaxy S, my eyes gleamed when Samsung announced the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note (GT-N7000) - a larger version of the SII! Several months back, I reviewed the 5-inch Dell Streak and was tempted by its generous screen size. Thankfully, I did not have to wait too long before Samsung handed me a review unit of the Note. I certainly generated some buzz after posting some photos on my social sites as my friends kept asking me for my feedback. They all have heard of how fantastic the Galaxy SII was, yet they are enticed by the larger form factor of the Galaxy Note.

Sizing the Differences
There are just a couple of features that sets the Galaxy S2 and Galaxy Note apart.

• Processor. Note runs on 1.4GHz Cortex-A9 dual core. S2 is 1.2GHz Cortex-A9 dual core. While I feel that the S2 runs smoother and faster, the Note handles really well for a device with that screen resolution.
• Screen Size. Note is 1280x800 pixels (same as Galaxy Tab) and 5.3 inch. S2 is 800x480 and 4.3 inch. The advantages of a higher resolution screen is obvious: you can see more information in one page screen.
• Battery Size: Note is powered by 2500mAh while S2 is 1650mAh. I experience similar battery life between the 2 devices based on my kind of usage.
• Pen Input: Note supports the pen input to let you doodle stuffs.
• Interface: With a larger screen, Samsung tweaked the Galaxy Note's home screens to display 25 app icons per screen instead of 20 on the Galaxy S2. Many of the widgets from the Samsung Tab are also made available on the Note. The Note also supports more gestures like palm swipe for screenshot, Pen double-tap to open S Memo Lite. I like that the home screen pages are looped.
• New calendar app, S Planner: With a larger screen, Samsung is able to squeeze in more information, smaller tabs to let you navigate faster. The S Planner is one of the apps re-designed for high-resolution small screens using pen entries.
• Weight. What do you expect with a 5.3-incher. 178g vs. 116g doesn't seem much difference, but after you held the Note, the S2 felt feather-light.

Sizing the Experiences
Using the Galaxy Note is both a joy and a chore. It's a joy because of its generous screen size, which displays more things on one page. If you consume a lot of content and find the tablets too big, then the Galaxy Note provides a great proposition. The pen input offers another method to create content, and people who loves drawing or annotating will be able to use the Note for creative sharing of information.

Galaxy SII's 800x480 vs. Galaxy Note's 1280x800

Yet, it's a chore because you have to use 2 hands to navigate or type on the device. The Note requires a generous pocket size, and though it can fit in my jeans pocket, it does get a little tight when seated. With the Note, I cannot handle the device as nimbly as I would on normal-sized phones.

My iPhone friend getting a hands-on with the Note.

Another point to note is that not all Android apps are optimised for large screens. So on the Galaxy Note, some apps would appear with comparatively large buttons, while some might not display properly. For instance, when composing tweets on TweetDeck, the sets of icons below the "Send" button do not appear on the Note at all. In another instance, when using third-party app Widget Locker, I am unable to resize the custom slider as I did on my Galaxy S2, and I need to slide the slider at greater distances on the screen to activate the apps. On top of that, the Note feels less snappy than the S2, and that's probably due to larger resolution and extra burden of the S-Pen functionality.

Finally, the power and volume buttons are placed too high up on the Galaxy Note, almost beyond the reach of my fingers when holding the device naturally. This is a stark contrast to the Galaxy S2, where the buttons are placed closer to the mid-section, allowing ease of access by the fingers. The buttons are positioned at areas where I usually hold on when slipping in and out of my tight pockets, and that might activate the screen and potentially unlock the device.

Pen It All
The S-Pen offers an additional input method on the Galaxy Note. When you need to jot down some important information, just double-tap with the pen and the S Memo window will pop-up on the screen without requiring you to leave your current app. Using the S-Pen, you can doodle with different pressure levels to achieve varying thickness, or pull-out menus with pen gestures. You can get greater accuracy when using the S-Pen for some tasks, including playing games - like Fruit Ninja.

However, I don't find the pen as sensitive as I expected. I had to give the pen a good press against the screen before it gets recorded as a stroke. The 5.3-inch screen is rather small to scribble a lot on one page, and I find it challenging to write with the S-Pen without touching other parts of the screen with my hand, as the Note also recognises body touches as inputs.

The S-Pen is certainly a nice feature on the Galaxy Note and I would use it to spice up my photos with freehand sketches and for precision inputs. But it does not offer the same kind of pressure-sensitive entry like the normal pen tablets.

Sizing It All
The Samsung Galaxy Note screen size and the interface is clearly tweaked to improve usability akin to a mini-tablet, with the added convenience of the usual smartphone functionality.

When I initially started using the Note, I thoroughly enjoyed the large screen experience. 5.3-inch is a comfortable size to consume content, and with a higher resolution of 1280x800, I can see more information without having to swipe around or zoom out. I can even type comfortably in portrait orientation. It has the exact same resolution as the large tablets, yet it is certainly much easier to carry around than the large tablets.

The Galaxy Note is as thin as the Galaxy S2

But once I got comfortable fiddling with the Note attentively with 2 hands, I started using it like a normal phone. And that's when I find myself stumbling somewhat, because the Note is too big to be handled like a normal phone. You do need to make adjustments to some phone-using routines and get accustomed to such a large phone. For instance, when your have your hands full of stuff, it would be a little tough to use the Galaxy Note with just one hand. And, you would need to tweak your wardrobe a little to accommodate the Note (no more tight-fitting pants).

If you treasure the large screen and high resolution more than the slight bulk, then the Samsung Galaxy Note is definitely worth getting. You will get almost the similar smooth-performing experience as the well-received Galaxy S2, on a large-screen high-resolution format.

Chester writes for XinMSN.

12 Features Motorola RAZR Wins Samsung Galaxy SII

We know Samsung Galaxy SII (GT-9100) is arguably the best Android phone in the market. But where does the Motorola RAZR (XT910) stand, apart from being the thinnest Android phone (Oct 2011)? I tried the device and uncovered quite a lot of features that the RAZR is better than the Galaxy SII out of the box.

That 1mm difference.

1. Smart Actions
You can configure RAZR to trigger actions or settings based on conditions, like location, time, or when battery is low. There are presets for you to use, or you can create your own. For instance, when I am at office, my ringtone is set to vibrate. When I'm at home and it's past midnight, the ringtone is set to the lowest volume.

2. Hide Your Apps
If you want to hide those apps that you never use (or can't delete), you can hide them so that your apps drawer will not look so cluttered. It's also useful to hide apps from the casual browsers like your kids.

3. Integrated Photo Sharing
When you open the Gallery app, you can browse your camera photos, your phone storage photos, your online photos, and your friends online photos. As you browse their photos, you can comment or like them. When you browse your own photos, you can also select to upload and write comments to them too. All in one app.

4. Integrated Music Sharing
Likewise, the music player is also integrated with online content. Easily listen to Internet radio, identify songs, watch YouTube. The RAZR even streams the lyrics as you listen to songs stored in your phone.

5. Over-the-air multimedia streaming via MotoCast
By installing the free MotoCast software on your desktop or laptop, you can browse your computer multimedia content on the RAZR and watch them over-the-air. The RAZR video playback is a huge improvement from the ATRIX I reviewed months back. Now I can play almost all the common video formats including MKV and FLV.

6. File Manager with remote computer access
When you open the file manager app on RAZR, you will see options to browse files either from your phone or from other DLNA-connected devices or your MotoCast computers.

7. Data Manager to keep track of your usage
Besides breaking down your data usage by activity, you can also turn on Data Saver so that the RAZR will limit the downloads over cellular network until you connect to Wi-Fi. Now you know which apps are using up all your precious data quota.

8. Mobile Hotspot Inactivity Timeout
You can set inactivity timeout to manage your battery consumption. Very useful when you turn on the Mobile Hotspot for a quick surf on your Wi-Fi tablet and forgot to switch the Hotspot off.

9. LED Indicator
The LED indicator blinks when you have incoming notifications. Various colours indicate different apps.

10. HDMI Port
While Galaxy SII requires an external MHL adapter and power, the RAZR has a built-in micro-HDMI port, and RAZR will mirror the phone display onto the large screens, including videos. Unlike the video format limitations on the ATRIX, the RAZR can play almost all popular formats.

11. Screen Resolution
The RAZR screen is 960x540, higher than Galaxy SII's 800x480. This means the RAZR can squeeze a little more information on the same-size screen.

12. "ICE" Contact
Under the contacts app, you see a special contact type, where you can specify the people you want to contact in case of emergency. This contact type appears right on top of your contact list, so you no longer have to purposely create a contact name with symbols just to make them appear on the top of the contact list.


Many of the above RAZR functions may be achievable with third-party apps, but you would need to spend some money and time to find the right ones. 

The Bad?
With so many features, doesn't it make the RAZR a much better smartphone than the Galaxy SII? Unfortunately, the RAZR is weak in the following areas.

Camera
On paper, the RAZR captures 8-megapixel images and Full HD, just like the Galaxy SII. In fact, the quality pales in comparison. The contrast is poor, the images are grainy and lacks vibrance. Starting up the camera also takes a while.

Interface Lag
The RAZR does not run as snappy as the Galaxy SII. It can get a little frustrating when you want to get to the app that you wanted.

Overheat from use
The RAZR heats up a lot faster, and it comes from the screen surface instead of the back. It's one of the worse Android phones I have experienced: so hot that I could not put it in my trousers pocket. I suppose the thinness of the phone causes more heat to be felt on the phone surface.

Non-removable battery
Besides the inability to change batteries that may be worn over time, if you were to plug a portable battery pack, it would end up on top of the phone because the charging port sits on top. And I find myself using up the battery a lot faster than on the Galaxy SII because of all the content streaming made easy with the phone.

So thin, for what?
7.1mm sounds thin, but physically it does not look that thin. In fact, not one person whom I handed the RAZR to commented anything about the thinness of the phone - I had to "impress" them by telling them so. It led me to wonder why don't the phone manufacturers improve on the battery capacity instead of sacrificing it for size. If Motorola had made the RAZR the same thickness throughout, they might be able to squeeze another 1000mAh. Now, a phone with 2780mAh battery is certainly unheard of.


RAZR: The Connective Phone

Nevertheless, I have never been so impressed with an Android phone since the Samsung Galaxy S and SII. The list of features on RAZR helps the user reach out to the social media with ease, and connect their network of devices to access multimedia content without the hassle of wires. The built-in HDMI again makes content viewing on TV a breeze. Indeed, where connectivity is concerned, RAZR makes the cut.




Chester writes for XinMSN.

EPSON New Projectors - Blogger Event 16 Dec 2011

I spent this evening at the first-ever EPSON blogger event and they impressed me with some innovative projector products. After all, EPSON is the number one projector maker for 10 consecutive years since 2001.

EPSON MG-850HD
Plug your Apple product - iPhone, iPad, iPod - onto this projector and do presentations, browse photos and watch videos! It has 2x10W speakers that pumps out decent sound for a projector. It can do keystone adjustment up to 30-degrees in all directions, so it means you can project on the screen at an angle and the output will still look in proportion. It has a light ambient sensor that also auto white balance, so you get both  colour and brightness compensation. It runs on 3LCD technology which promises more faithful colour reproduction and no colour break-up (also known as "rainbow effect"). It supports multiple connectors like VGA, HDMI, Component video, Mic-In, even USB port for multimedia slideshow display. It has a built-in handle for easy of carry. It weights 3.9kg, the fan runs at only 35dB. It starts up at just 6 seconds.

And this world's first HD projector for Apple mobile devices retails at just S$1299.

EPSON EH-TW8000
The second projector is the worlds brightest Full-HD 3D projector, made possible by high frame refresh rate of 480Hz, twice as fast as other 3D projectors. This minimises blackout time, which translates to brighter projections. Its ventilation vents are designed at front so that you can place the projector at narrow spaces without need for clearance. With wide lens shift range, you can install this projector in any position and still achieve correct optical projection proportion.

This premium 3D projector will set you back at S$4299, a small price compared to a physical LCD TV, since this projector can project up to 300" size!

EPSON EB-455Wi
We know that a major challenge of projectors is that they require a long throwback distance to project images on the screen. With the EB-series projector, not anymore! You can mount these short-throw projectors directly above the screens and you get the output images projected in perfect proportion. The advantage of this is that you can stand right in front of the screen without blocking the projection light path.

But that's not all. You can annotate on the projected screen with the EB-455Wi using a special pen! With proper software, you can save these annotations in the computer and distribute the content. Watch this video:

While these features seem to be useful only in classroom or office environments, I like the short-throw form which means I could also install at home without the hassle of long throw set-up.

I have not been to a blogger event for quite a while, and this is one of the rare times that I blogged within the day of the event. Today's event has opened my eyes on the advancement of projection technology which I have not followed all these while. And while there may be competing products in the market, I believe they are really hard to beat the quality of the number one projector maker, 10 years running.

Review: Dell UltraSharp U2412M e-IPS Monitor

I always appreciate large monitors. I myself have 2 monitors which are set up side-by-side for extended display, allowing me to see more windows. I don't quite understand why many of my co-workers have no interest in enjoying the benefit, even though our office has quite a handful of monitors lying around since the desktop era (one colleague from another division did let in that he didn't want his co-workers to see what he was doing on his computer).

I recently received a review unit of the Dell UltraSharp U2412M monitor. This is a new 24-inch LED monitor with E-IPS (enhanced In-Plane Switching) panel, a superior display tecnology compared to the more common TN display. IPS panels produces more accurate colours and offers wider angle of view without colour distortion, a characteristics common with LCD monitors. The U2412M is priced lower than the U2410 as it is powered by the more energy-saving LED and has less connection ports.

To make room for the Dell U2412M at home for the review, I removed my other 21-inch monitor and connected the Dell unit. The Dell U2412M is so easy to remove from the box. There is a groove for me to pull the styrofoam out from the box, like a drawer. The stand is so easy to fix onto the display panel. The 2 items lock into place with ease, and it is even easier to detach them via a large spring button. Adjusting the position of the monitor is just as easy, thanks to the well-designed stand. Apart from height adjustment, it allows me to tilt, swivel and pivot the monitor, and the mechanism feels smooth and effortless. The stand even lets me tilt 90-degrees to portrait position.

Left, Philips 240B. Right, Dell U2412M.

Getting the monitor to work straight from the box takes less than 5 minutes and uses even less muscle - the Dell U2412M is pretty light for its size. Once plugged in, my Windows 7 OS effortlessly detected the monitor and auto-configured to display the native resolution.

Unlike the more expensive siblings, the U2412M does not ship with calibrated display. When compared visually with my TN-panel Philips monitor, the E-IPS pannel Dell monitor does not appear to show any pronounced advantages. But when I ran it through some monitor testing tools, the benefits of E-IPS panels immediately show. The U2412M indeed offers better colour accuracy at all viewing angles.

I like the 1920x1200 resolution of the Dell U2412M instead of the more common 1920x1080 "HD" resolution, because it is less "widescreen", a format for movie viewing but not so for content browsing. If you set up the monitor in portrait orientation, you effectively have more than double the screen resolution of 2 sets of 1280x720 monitors!

Dell U2412M (right) in vertical orientation. I see more of Facebook in a single page!

Above, you may observe that I am editing my photos on Lightroom with my left screen while opening a full-screen Facebook page on the right. I find that such a setup makes my computing work a lot more effective.

The Dell U2412M offers the convenience of preset modes to give you better display experience depending on the content you are viewing. There is the Standard, Multimedia, Movie, Game, Text modes.  I like how the On-screen display (OSD) button indicators are aligned right next to the physical buttons so that I know exactly which button to press. On most monitors, the OSD would display the actions next to the icons and I would have to match the physical buttons in order to invoke the action.

I also like that the Dell U2412M comes with 4 USB ports which you can plug your peripherals to (my Philips 240B only has one). Display connectivity ports that the U2412M support include VGA, DVI-D and DisplayPort. A DC power connector lets you power an optional Dell soundbar conveniently.

Conclusion
Like almost every great gadgets I reviewed, the Dell U2412M attracts me with the highly functional stand and E-IPS panel that produces accurate colours at all angles. For the environmentally conscious, the U2412M uses less power thanks to its LED backlight and built-in energy-management features. Getting the monitor to work from the box is so easy, unlike all the previous monitors I purchased. I will definitely consider this monitor for purchase - once my other 21-inch monitor breaks down - as it matches the size of my current 24-inch monitor for a seamless dual display setup. Plus, it offers me display flexibility thanks to the ability to rotate 90-degrees.



Chester writes for XinMSN.

RJ Rosales (1974-2011)

May, 2011

When my maternal Aunt Fay SMSed me from Sydney on Monday evening, I could not believe it. She informed me that RJ Rosales had passed away.

As Aunt Fay's godson, RJ was a regular at our family events. He engaged my help in arranging several songs and used the minus-one tracks for his public performances. He has a beautiful voice, strong yet sensitive. He played major roles in big musicals like Miss Saigon, Chang and Eng, and received a lot of theatrical exposure in recent years in Singapore. He is also well known in the Philippines and in Australia.

RJ's death must have been a big blow to Aunt Fay, who flew over to Sydney to celebrate her birthday with RJ and his family.

The YouTube video below has 2 significance. One, the song is "The Prayer", to aptly express my thoughts to him. Two, the minus-one was arranged by me.

Thank you for sharing your talents and bringing joy and beauty to our world. Be in peace, RJ.

Photo Blog: Gadgets Overdrive During my Hong Kong 2011 Vacation

While I take a break and enjoy my vacation in Hong Kong in Nov 2011, my gadgets went on overdrive.

This is the first time I brought my 4-year-old daughter abroad, so I need to make sure she is well-occupied. I brought all her favourite gadgets - the spare iPhone 3GS and the iPad, plus a comfortable pair of Sony MDR-Z1000 headphones.

Who doesn't love a pair of comfy cushiony headphones?

I also brought the Logitech Wireless Keyboard for Tablet so that I can work using the iPad more efficiently. I love the hard slip-in case that converts into a stand to hold the heavy iPad.

For my own private listening, I used the Logitech UE600vi, an absolute ear-opener. It's so light and comfortable that I could wear this whole day. The treble frequency is not high and so it's very suitable for outdoor use. In comparison, the Sony MDR-EX1000 has very clear treble sound but when used outdoors, the treble overpowers the bass.

I love Hong Kong because it is a very well-connected environment, be it transport or telecommunications. Just 12 months ago, a 7-day unlimited data VAS from CSL costed HK$178. On this trip, it costs only HK$78! Thanks to the 1O1O shop staff at the airport departure hall, I got it set up on my Samsung Galaxy S2 in a brief, while my Singapore SIM card is moved to my iPhone 3GS. Besides data, this card offers free IDD call to many countries including Singapore - pay only HK$0.28 per minute!

This was the Prepaid SIM card I bought. Link

The reason for using the Galaxy S2 for the Hong Kong prepaid SIM card is obvious: Android phones enable Wi-Fi hotspot. With that, I can tether all my mobile devices to the Galaxy S2 and enjoy data connectivity at no extra cost. I made sure all our other mobile devices' data roaming is turned off, and the Wi-Fi is connected to the Galaxy S2.

Besides the benefits of Wi-Fi tethering, the Samsung Galaxy S2 can also do USB OTG (on-the-go), which means I can plug an external storage device to the Galaxy S2 and it can read the storage device. Thus I am able to transfer photos from my cameras via a card reader to the phone and upload to Facebook. The photos are edited using the NX200 built-in editing tools and then resized.

And with so many gadgets, it is practically not possible to survive on a a couple power sockets in the hotel room. For that, I brought my own extension sockets to charge up all my devices. I even bought a portable battery pack just for this trip in case the phone battery runs out before the day ended.

Now that I've taken care of the gadgets, let me share some photos I took during the vacation and the process of capturing them.

Day 1: Going to the airport.

I took this shot on the moving taxi. After a dozen shots, this one captures the airport control tower without blur while the surrounding is. Tip: there is no way to guarantee a good shot on a moving vehicle. Just keep shooting and hold your camera steady.

Above, I used the Panorama mode on the Samsung NX200 to capture this seemingly fish-eye shot of the aircraft. You can see that Panorama modes are not limited to long stretches of images. This 4:3-looking aspect ration is achieved by panning using the portrait mode instead of the landscape mode.

Shooting without looking at the viewfinder takes some practice, but it's the only way to capture images at places where photography is not permitted. With a fast camera like the NX200, it doesn't take more than a second to get this shot and stealthily slip the camera back to my case.


Day 2: Checking the weather.

Still drizzling. Our original plan was to visit HK Disneyland on Days 2 and 3. But Day 2 weather is quite bad, so we had to hope for a better weather on Day 3. To get this shot, I had to anticipate her as she slowly heads towards the curtain.

That's Disneyland Hotel, and at the foggy distant background, the mainland Hong Kong, not the CBD, by the way. That's way too few skyscrapers if you noticed.

Bossini got the license to produce a range of Toy Story merchandise to tie-in with the opening of the Toy Story theme park in Disneyland. Unfortunately, the park only started from 18 Nov, about 10 days short from our trip. Nonetheless, Mayenne got to pose with this statue inside the 4-storey store at Sai Yeung Choi Street, among others. Notice the similar poses?

Day 3: It's Disneyland!

Weather was perfect! Cloudy cooling day with no precipitation! The moment we entered the park, we saw the queue for a photo shoot with Mickey and Minnie. We quickly got on the queue and captured this beautiful memory.

The must-watch show, Festival of The Lion King. Shooting in the dark is no problem for the Samsung NX200. Tip: set the camera to Manual exposure mode, maximum aperture, and then fine-tune the shutter speed, using the viewfinder as a guide.

I didn't take any still images of the Street Parade, because I felt that a video capture offers a better visual memory for my daughter (she still watches the video regularly at home till today). Here's one just to show the colour vibrancy of the Samsung NX200.

There were 2 things which I felt regretful as night time approached, yet the regrets were all negated by one non-event. One: the Samsung NX200 battery could not last the entire day. For that, I was fortunate to have a secondary camera, the Fujifilm Finepix F550EXR to capture video footages, while trying to conserve the NX200 battery for the fireworks. Second, I did not bring a tripod for the fireworks shoot. So I had to look for a flat elevated surface and attached my pocket flexi-pod. The only elevated surface I could find: the trash bin.

And this was the position.

But all these problems came to naught, when the PA announced that the fireworks show was cancelled!!

As the crowd dispersed, I attempted to capture a better shot of the Castle.

I wasn't able to capture any more shot, because at this point, the NX200 battery went completely flat.

Day 4: The Return

Before we checked out of the Disney Hollywood Hotel, we explored the garden, which is surprisingly well landscaped. If you are staying there, please make an effort to visit the garden.

At the airport, she insisted on handling her new luggage we bought for her. Doesn't she look like a seasoned traveller?

Credits:
I'd like to thank the following companies for lending me some of the gadgets to use for my vacation:

• Samsung for the NX200 and lenses
• Logitech for the UE600vi earphones and Wireless Keyboard for Tablet

There is also the Sony Camcorder HDR-PJ10 which was not featured in this vacation blog because, despite their kind intentions to lend me, I decided not to bring for the trip because I had too many gadgets to handle. This camcorder has a built-in projector which can project up to 60-inch size, and records with an internal 16GB memory plus optional card slot for expandability. The original intention was to use the camcorder to record videos, and at the end of the day, I could project the footages in the hotel room. I tried it in my own bedroom and the brightness is rather good. In fact, it spurred me to look around for portable battery projectors so that I could watch movies in my bedroom without all the wires and heat and fan noise from the common projectors.

If you have any questions about the post, drop me a comment. You may follow me on my Facebook photography page at Chester Tan Photography.