Huawei P9 smartphone

Huawei P9

I got a chance to play around with the new Huawei P9. It’s co-engineered with Leica and meant to reinvent smartphone photography. The thing that jumps out the most is the dual-lens at the back of the phone. That’s right, this smartphone has TWO lenses instead of the usual one at the rear. It also has 2 sensors so you can capture more light. I took it out to snap photos during the weekend.

Huawei

Nowadays, smartphones are primarily used to take photos of weekends, food and miscellaneous daily happenings to post to Instagram, Facebook, blogs. That’s what I use mine for anyway, and the image quality so good that I don’t feel the need to carry a regular digicam or dSLR anymore. It’s still not as good as a dSLR, of course, but the Huawei P9 is really close, close enough that I’ll choose the portable smartphone any day.

Professional Mode

The Huawei P9 has dual 12 MP cameras with a professional mode! This allows you to control all the aperture, shutter and ISO settings and save photos in RAW so it feels like a dSLR.

Tokyo Secret

The technologies packed into the smartphone camera is quite impressive too – there are now built-in dual-core ISP (image signal processors), professional DSP, and depth-measurement ISP for improved image focusing, speeds and processing. This allows you to take action shots of fast moving objects in low light conditions.

HDR

There are several presets you can use to take good photos well, like the HDR mode.

Document

The P9 has a feature which automatically takes documents too! I found that quite useful.

Chateraise

The lens are co-developed with Leica so the image quality is really good.

Honey Wings

I love how bright and vibrant the colors are.

Pocky Brazilian Orange

I got this new Pocky Brazilian Orange just to show off the intense color production of the camera. I can’t go back to using faded looking smartphone cameras after this beautiful shot. Oh, and the Pocky is pretty good too, it’s a Japan import to celebrate the Rio Olympics and it tastes intensely orange-y.

Panoramic

This is the Panoramic mode.

Photos

The camera will also auto-detect faces and focus on them.

Flash

There’s also a 8 MP front facing camera for selfies too! This was taken in pure darkness and the built-in flash went off, illuminating my face well enough to temporarily blind me. It also colored my face pretty decently, when you keep in mind that this was taken with zero other lighting, it’s really impressive. I remember when 8 MP was a lot for a rear facing camera in a smartphone and now even the front-facing ones are 8 MP. Amazing!

Beauty Mode

The Huawei P9 also has a dial for “Beauty” which can go from 0-10. You remember those third-party apps that some teenagers use to artificially enlarge and add shine to their eyes and add a BB cream smooth sheen to their skin? It’s all built-in now – no need for 3rd party apps.

Beauty

I took one as a demonstration. This is ultra boosted up to a 10 so it looks mildly ridiculous. I personally don’t approve of apps like this coz I don’t like how it looks. I don’t use them myself but that may be due to the fact that I already have nice eyes genetically (thanks mom). I can see that a lot of people like them though, so to each his/her own.

P9 Home

The smartphone also does everything well. I like the automatic step counter and the vivid 5.2” FHD display. The 3,000 mAh battery is pretty useful too. I don’t need to recharge every few hours and it works for up to 24 hours at full capacity in my daily tasks. There’s a fingerprint sensor and a virtual triple antenna with WiFi+ 2.0 which switches automatically between HSDPA+ and WiFi networks. I love the feel of the aerospace-class unibody aluminum and 2.5D glass. The Huawei has all the functions of a modern smartphone you’ll expect and more.

HuaweiP9

I actually saw the Huawei P9 advertisement in the cinema and thought it looked like a brilliant smartphone. As the smartphone market matures, non-camera technical specifications have increased so much that it makes little difference even in the most graphics intensive games. As such, it falls to other things to differentiate one smartphone from another and I like the direction the Huawei P9 is taking with the camera. It’s the most useful thing on a smartphone for most people and I appreciate how the superior camera and lenses allows me to capture high quality photos in such a small and sleek handset.

U Mobile new iPhone 6s / iPhone 6s Plus plans allows everyone to own one with zero-deposit no-credit-card installments!

iPhone 6s Plus

U Mobile is one of the launch partners of the iPhone 6s and they’re offering a great deal with their all-new Flexi U MicroCredit. You can own a brand new iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus with no deposit, no collateral and no credit card required! You just need to pay for the device over time. This applies for both postpaid and prepaid plans.

I’ve gone through this plan and it’s very innovative – they’re the first to allows anyone, and I literally mean everyone, to own an iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus. This level of affordability based on your means opens up possibilities for students and young adults who don’t own a credit card as well as working adults who wants some flexibility in payment terms.

U MicroCredit

The best thing about the U Mobile Flexi U MicroCredit is the ability to choose the financing amount (RM 1,000 to RM 3,500) and repayment tenure (12 months – 36 months). That means you’re the one who selects the amount of financing you need and the number of months you want to repay the installment.

The affordable monthly installment starts from just RM 48. You can even elect to pay in cash if you don’t have a credit card.

There’s also a Full Financing option for the people who wants a complete loan.

Here’s an example of how it works:

U MicroCredit Plan

The prices are all inclusive of GST and the above calculation is based on a fixed interest rate of 1.2% for Flexi U Mobile MicroCredit and an interest rate of 0.84% for full financing.

iPhone 6s Plus Plans

The plans come with increased data allowance from i60 upwards with unlimited calls if you go for the i90 plans and above. They also have a clause called Contract Freedom which allows you to terminate your contract with zero penalty fee for postpaid subscribers!

Of course, you’ll need to pay back the subsidy for the remaining number of months left in your contract but it’s still a pretty sweet deal if you decide you want to change your mind.

There’s an upfront payment for prepaid subscribers but postpaid users who pay via credit card and subscribe to auto debit for their monthly commitment will have the upfront payment credited back to them over 24 months.

U Mobile Trade In

U Mobile also has a trade-in offer where you can give up your old smartphone in return for rebates up to RM 1,900!

iPhone 6s

You can apply for MicroCredit here (or walk into any U Mobile branch) and collect your iPhone 6s or iPhone 6s Plus from a U Mobile branch or dealer. Get more details on their iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s plans and Trade-In Offer and own your dream device now!

My experience with the iPhone 4

iphone 4 box

I’ll give you a bit of history about myself. I’m an early adopter – my first PDA was a Palm m505 back in 2001 and I’ve used Pocket PCs, Blackberry and Windows Mobile smartphone but never one with an Apple OS.

iphone 4 front

I was determined to let the iPhone 4 be my first induction into the world of Apple and all that it has to offer so during the Maxis iPhone 4 launch, I got one and tested it out.

microsim

The iPhone 4 uses a microSIM, which is a bit of a hassle considering I have two Maxis devices. I switched to a microSIM for the review and used a microSIM adapter but in the long run I think I’ll get another SIM from Maxis.

cutting sim

I saw someone getting his Hotlink SIM card cut into a microSIM at the Maxis Center. You can probably do it yourself but Maxis has the proper tool to get it down to size.

That’s one option if you don’t want to go for a microSIM swap.

itunes

The first thing I did when I got everything up and running is to download iTunes and do an upgrade to iOS 4.1. It has a whole host of features ranging from a new HDR photography setting to video uploads straight to YouTube. I was surprised at the ease of a core upgrade – it’s just a click away. This review is done using an iPhone 4 running iOS 4.1.

maxis center

Anyway, I have heard much about the HD video recording and camera capabilities of the iPhone 4 and it didn’t let me down. You can tap the screen to focus when taking photos and videos.

Here’s a video taken using the iPhone 4:

I like the crisp video recording and the easy to use camera (which boasts 5 MP with LED flash). It’s also easy to use and great for the times when you don’t want to lug out another digicam. All the photos in this post are taken using the iPhone 4 except for screengrabs and the ones which features the iPhone 4 in it (obviously).

os4

There is also a geotagging feature which is very nifty for us but I imagine it’s not something members of Al-Qaeda would appreciate very much. smirk

You can opt to turn it off though.

sixthseal

The iPhone 4 also has Retina Display which truly showcases the high resolution 3.5″ screen. It’s not just anti-aliasing but a true testimony to the rich and crisp display. You can zoom in to photos, games and eBooks and everything will still look awesome!

ebook

I don’t need it that much considering I’m not lacking in eyesight but it’s a useful feature to have when someone sends you a photo in an email with a high resolution photo of their friend and you want to…er, take a closer look, shall we say, at her features. 😉

wifi

The other feature I really liked which is lacking in all the other smartphones I’ve used is the auto WiFi detect feature.

facetime

The application that impressed me the most is FaceTime. I would even go so far as to call it the “killer app” of the iPhone 4. You know how the Blackberry has BBM? Well, this is like a souped up BBM that goes way beyond text and into the realm of real time video calls!

facetime with aud

FaceTime only requires WiFi to work so you won’t have to go on roaming when you’re out of the country (unlike BBM). If you’re travelling and you have a work related call or just want to show your friends the place you’re at, use FaceTime! It’s free!

The iPhone 4 has two cameras like most video call enabled smartphones. However, what differentiates FaceTime is that you can instantly switch from the front camera to the back one with a tap of the screen to show the person you’re calling where you are. It sounds like a no brainer but it totally blew me away!

ibooks

I’m a newbie to the iPhone as I mentioned and what (pleasantly) surprised me is the ease of which you can purchase applications and books. There is no need to muck around and sync stuff or manually enter your payment details. Your credit card details are stored securely via iTunes and you can just tap and purchase on your iPhone 4!

I know this sounds kinda jakun but hey, it’s my first iPhone okay! :p

It is also rather dangerous for me since I’m quite the impulsive shopper. I just tap and buy and the next thing I know I’ve got more apps than I need and a morbid fear of my credit card statement. smirk

essentials

However, most of the essential applications are free so just grab those and you’ll be ready to go! Twitter, Facebook, foursquare, Messenger and more is just a quick download away so you’ll be able to communicate with your friends whenever, wherever.

I like how some of the applications have more features on the iPhone 4 compared to other smartphones.

youtube

YouTube works very well on the iPhone 4 due to the high resolution screen and I didn’t have any of the so called antenna issues while making calls so it’s all good to me!

angry birds

I love the games they have on the iPhone 4 too! =D

iphone photo

It is a device that looks good (hey, it’s an important factor for some people). The sleek and slim design is aesthetically pleasing and you’ll be tempted to put your iPhone 4 on the table just to get admiring stares from people. *

* Not recommended in KL due to our sizable community of snatch thieves

iphone 4 back

The iPhone 4 is the epitome of Apple’s philosophy – a user friendly phone that packs a lot of technological features bundled into a sleek and sexy device. I’ve been using it since I got it at the Maxis launch and I’m lovin’ it! 🙂

Keeping your head above water

water start

Aquaphobia
(noun)
An abnormal fear of water

water fear

I like to bring around a compact camera that I can slip into my pocket for capturing moments – it’s like an auxiliary brain for me. I bring a digicam everywhere and if you’re clumsy person like me, you’ve no doubt dropped your digicam countless of times.

waterfall

I have even dropped it in a waterfall, much to my chagrin. The digicam was a complete write off but luckily the memory card was still intact. Sigh. The quote which goes “Fire, water and government know nothing of mercy” is true indeed…until now! (at least the water part)

carosel

I have recently acquired a Sony Cyber-shot TX5 camera which meets all my requirements – it’s water-proof, shock-proof, dust-proof and even temperature-proof!

cable car

I decided to take it for a spin up in Genting under different conditions to see how well this camera performs. I intended to go to Fraser’s Hill but decided that Genting gives me a more exhaustive repertoire of lighting conditions and shooting opportunities.

bowling

This is my favorite photo. The Cyber-shot TX5 has excellent low light performance. I used the Handheld Twilight mode and it captured all the psychedic details in this rave-meets-bowling center perfectly.

psychedelic

I haven’t bowled in years and Naomi beat me by 3 points. >.< It was luck more than anything, I got a strike once and a spare in another but most of my attempts went down the drain (pun intended).

The next day was spent at the theme park where I covertly recorded several of the rides. *feels like James Bond* smirk

This video illustrates just how good the recording frame rate of the Sony Cyber-shot TX5 is. It’s that ride in Genting called Space Shot where you drop so fast the seat of your pants actually lifts off the ride for a second.

The best thing about the video recording function in the TX5 is that it records in Full HD at 1280 x 720! I wish I had this when I went to KK coz my other digicam only records at a paltry 640 x 480 – which was awesome…in the 90’s. >.<

food

I also like the easy mode switching in the TX5 – there’s Scene Selection, Anti Motion Blur, Inteligent Auto Adjustment and…iSweep Panorama!

angry whopper

A very angry Whopper

Okay, now here’s some proper shots in Gourmet Mode:

I went to Manhattan Fish Market to check out their new offerings – it’s a new menu based on American Idol:

manhattan idol

Manhattan Idol.

Flamin Tuna Pie

Flamin’ Tuna Pie. They really mean flaming when they say it, the cheese is heated until it’s warm.

Flaming Tuna Pie

Awesome presentation and a great dish but my favorite, hands down goes to:

shrimp on the rocks

Shrimp on the Rocks. Fresh and juicy shrimps served on a bed of ice with Cajun Honey Mustard as the dip. Delicious!

Sony_TX5_Image

Well, if you’re been using digicams for a long time you’ll know how difficult it is to get panoramic shots in the past. It used to be all manual – take a photo and part of that will show up for you to align with your next shot. It’s just painful to have to do that and most of the time it doesn’t come out right.

genting panorama

However, with the iSweep Panorama mode, you just need to literally sweep your Cyber-shot TX5 to capture a panoramic scene! The wonders of modern technology!

theme park panorama

Underwater video is a breeze to use too. You might get a couple of weird looks since water-proof digicams aren’t that common (underwater casings alone sometimes costs more than the actual digicam). I’ve actually gotten stares and even a shouted warning – “Hey, careful, your camera is touching the water!“. Haha!

water zen

Unlike the bulky monsters in the small water-proof digicam segment, the Sony Cyber-shot TX5 manages to come up with a tough water-proof, shock-proof, dust-proof and temperature-proof digicam that is sleek and slim. You’ll be proud of slipping this baby out when you need to take photos and it’s sturdy enough to go anywhere with you.

Even underwater so you can take photos like this:

rainbow fish

Trust me, a water-proof digicam is a sound investment – hey, water damage is pretty common, someone might even spill their cocktail on your camera on a weekend night out. 😉

us

You have the option of taking photos is 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio too!

teddy bear

Nuffnang is running a contest called My Water Moments – just take a photo and explain how it connects to the theme of The World’s Slimmest Water-proof camera. Hint: Write about how the photo would be improved if you have a water-proof digicam like the Cyber-shot TX5. It’s water-proof up to 3 meters! You also need to mention the features of the cam before submitting the URL here.

The best 3 entries will be given a free Sony Cyber-shot TX5 digicam! =D

naomi water

The Sony Cyber-shot TX5 retails for only RM 1,499 and comes with the ExmorR sensor for low light performance. It has a burst mode capable of 10 frames per second at 10.2 MP which makes it ideal for me for those of you who’ve endured my constant requests of taking several shots in a row coz the perfectionist in me demands the best shot. Heh!

pose

Now, I’ll only need to ask you to take one photo…in burst mode. smirk

Lead and I shall follow

directions

I am notoriously bad with directions. I have problems remembering roads and routes and going places is always a chore for me since I have to account for time spent getting lost. >.< I used to get by with handwritten directions scribbled on a piece of paper after a quick consultation with Google Maps but the problem with that is…

…holding a piece of paper in your hand while driving is not exactly what you do if you want to pass a driving exam. 😉

garmin asus nuvifone m10

I managed to get my hands on the Garmin-Asus nuvifone M10 courtesy of Kim to test out. Garmin – the King of GPS, on a phone running Windows Mobile 6.5.3!

Alright, I admit I have my doubts about GPS enabled phones so I decided to take this out for a spin.

The Good
The M10 includes a windscreen mount so you can dock it while driving, like a regular GPS

The Better
It also connects to the cigarette lighter thingy in the car and charges the phone while you’re using it!

The Best
The Garmin-Asus nuvifone M10 READS OUT ROAD NAMES

Keep going on Jalan Sulaiman

Heh! I love the foreign accent in the M10.

nepalese food

Anyway, as I was saying, I used the M10 to get to this Nepalese food place near Kota Raya. I am suitably impressed with the device – it gets me where I want to go, it’s as good as a dedicated GPS unit and you don’t even have to keep it in your car (coz it’s a cell phone) so you don’t have to worry about walking out to find your side window smashed by some desperate person trying to hock your GPS unit.

This is the 5 MP cam on the phone in action:

pron

Jerine‘s stash of por…er, I mean TV series. 😉

birthday present

Her early birthday present for me – Macallan 12 year old single malt!

Alright, I know most of you have short attention spans so let me put in point form what I like about the Garmin-Asus nuvifone M10:

word mobile

  • The burst mode – it takes 3 photos in a row. It’s perfect for me coz I take 3 photos using regular digicams anyway just to get the right one
  • It’s running on the latest version of Windows Mobile
  • As per the above you get the best of Microsoft – Office Mobile. I wrote this in Word Mobile
  • Facebook? YouTube? Internet Explorer? No problem – like I said – Windows Mobile 6.5.3
  • Awesome Garmin GPS functionality!
  • Messenger! Communicate with your friends on the go!
  • Geotagging on the photos you take – let you friends know where you are
  • 3.5″ WVGA touch screen – no more squinting!

gps

This is an engineering review unit – the Garmin-Asus nuvifone M10 will be released on the 25th of March! It’s the best GPS phone I’ve ever seen – and the awesome thing is you have one less gadget to lug around. Integration FTW, it’s the way of the futureeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

All photos taken with the awesome 5 MP cam on the Garmin-Asus nuvifone except the ones which has the phone it in, obviously. 🙂

I kena conned in Singapore

PSA: DO NOT USE HOTEL CURRENCY EXCHANGE!!!

punked

I exchanged RM 800 for SGD 311.20 which is a 0.389 exchange rate. It’s ridiculous!
Yee Hou told me it was more like a 0.24 rate outside hotels and a quick check via XE.com verified that it is 0.24542 so I should have gotten SGD 329.840 instead of SGD 311.20.

However, it’s not that bad la…SGD 20 is about RM 50 and I paid more than that for drinks last night so for the convenience, well, *shrugs*.

If you’re changing large amounts of $ it’s not advisable though. I have access to my Xpax BB WiFi so I could have checked the going rates but I was tired after the Nuffnang Awards. Oh well.

BTW, I’m starting to love my BB, I can’t believe how I lived without it before. Imagine Twitter, MSN and surfing at your fingertips with QWERTY!

I’m off for the Singapore Tourism Board tour. Catch ya on the flipside.

Curveball

xberry party registration

I was supposed to attend the Xberry party last Saturday but couldn’t coz I had a business trip to Korea. The date changed at the last minute, so that threw me a Curveball (pun here) of sorts since the means to be in two geographical locations at one time is not generally known to the average man. However, the wonders of modern technology managed to bring you these pictures:

xberry party

dj

cheesie

…which Cheesie took for me.

I was there in spirit, if not in flesh. 😉

carol

Xpax was kind enough to allow me to pick it up at a later date. Carol just passed it to me and I’m going to activate the SIM card now. Review of the Blackberry Curve 8520 soon cheers to Xpax!

Busan, Korea

pusan

I am here for the Pusan International Film Festival 2009. Unfortunately, I’m here for work, not leisure. T_T

I took this photo on the way coz…this is lame but I’m suaku k, it’s the shops over shops in a building that I really love about Korea.

Not in Korea?

Republic, Sunway is where it’s at! Go to the XBerry Party tonight and get a chance to win a BB Curve 8520 in the lucky draw. You have to get yourselves invites though.

Posted: 9:08 pm Korean time

Lost

ppc car keys

I just came back from an ordeal worthy of the series Lost. It happened in a car park instead of a sentient island that moves around, but lost is still sesat. It’s a tribulation worthy of publication in the Reader’s Digest Crisis and Catastrophe anthology.

PPC picked me up since my car was in the workshop and thus I didn’t take a photo of the parking spot when I alighted (which I usually do if I’m the one behind the wheels). Thus, we were thrown way off course when the time came to leave the mall. 

blame

I was assigned to pressing the car key alarm while PPC kept a lookout for her car and Kalai guided us to the path of enlightenment.

We were seriously considering going to the security post and asking for the guard buggy service to ferry us across the massive acreage of the car park when we took a last gamble at Parkson. 

parkson

We spent a WHOLE HOUR searching for the car! WTF! This would have never happened if we had the foresight of taking a photo of the car park space when we parked.

ppc car park lot

Me thinks this is high time for PPC to preregister for the Xpax BB so we won’t have to hike for 60 minutes in the claustrophobic and humid car park.

To add insult to injury, we couldn’t find the car at Solaris, Mont Kiara at our next stop for dinner! OMFG! How can you lose a car in a small place like that?

dinner at boston solaris mont kiara

Answer:

car park lift

We didn’t see the Car Park Elevator. >.<

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