Surface RT Launch Party

surface booth babes

It’s finally here! I had a sneak peak at the ultra-light Microsoft Surface RT during the Windows 8 launch in Singapore last year and was very impressed by it. It’s a thin, sleek and amazingly crafted device functions and both a tablet and laptop!

surface rt launch party

The Surface RT Launch Party was held in Publika on the 25th of April.

microsoft surface

There was a lot of people lining up to be the first in Malaysia to own one of these babies.

tablet made into skateboard

There’s even a custom-built skateboard from a Microsoft Surface device! Carlos Lacerda, the Managing Director of Microsoft Malaysia came on stage on one of these to deliver his speech.

tablet skateboard

They basically turned a Surface into a skateboard. Check it out! It’s incredible! 🙂

elecoldxhot

There was also a performance by a dance crew Elecoldxhot featuring Surface devices. I’ve seen them before and they really hyped up the crowd at the launch.

danny ong

Danny Ong, the Chief Marketing and Operations Officer gave a demonstration of the capabilities of the Surface RT device.

mizz nina surface launch

Mizz Nina also came on-stage to do an impressive choreographed song and dance routine.

mizz nina windows surface

She is also an early adopter of the Surface and told us how using it has allowed her to write songs, review contracts and proposals while keeping in touch with her fans on social media and playing games at the same time!

surface launch

Everyone had a chance to check out the Surface in detail at the demonstration booths all around. It’s really quite impressive and loaded with cool features!

Full size USB port
There’s a full size USB port on the Surface (as in the tablet, not the top – lame joke) which allows you to connect to all sorts of devices. You can plug in anything from a thumb drive to external card readers for your digital camera memory card.
MicroSD slot
The Surface also has a microSD slot so you can expand the memory of the device or transfer files. It’s a feature that is lacking in a lot of other tablets, and a very important one.
HD video-out
It also had a HD video-out port so you can connect it to a large screen television to to show off your vacation photos at home to friends or present a slideshow during a business meeting. It’s the ports on the Surface that makes it so versatile.

surface rt

Touch Cover / Type Cover
There are two options for the Surface device:

  • Touch Cover comes in five vibrant colors and comes with a slim, spill-resistant keyboard
  • Type Cover combines the speed and comfort of a classic keyboard with a super-thin classic keyboard

Unlike other tablets which are not designed to be a hybrid, the Surface does not require third party or aftermarket keyboards to turn it into a notebook. The laptop functionality is built natively into the tablet – the two types of covers comes with an magnetically attached keyboard! There’s a kickstand on the tablet that allows you to use it like how you’ll use a regular laptop.

surface office apps

Surface starts at RM 1,549 and comes with Windows RT – a touch operating system that allows you to have the full Windows experience that you’re used to. There’s Live Tiles and you can download the apps you want from Windows Store. Microsoft Office Home and Student 2013 RT is also included so you can get all your work done as you would with a regular laptop! I was really impressed by it.

surface skateboard

(and also the Surface tablet custom made into a skateboard)

surface owners

Serious. Fun. Starts. Meet Surface.

Wherever I may roam…

photos

I have a couple of things that I always carry around – a camera is one of them. I usually have a compact digicam which I use to take photos of everything that, er…catches my eye.

However, that is just one of the gadgets I carry. I have to lug around a dSLR, a tablet, and cell phones while I’m on assignment. I’m a freelance writer for a couple of publications so usually I carry this battered and gaudy sling bag which totally clashes with my outfit 9 times out of 10.

north face

It’s red. It doesn’t go well with any color (except maybe red). The North Face sling bag can get rather heavy when it’s fully loaded too. I have always wished for something that just integrates everything…

…and I’ve found it! 😀

samsung galaxy note

The Samsung GALAXY Note is very high on my list of stuff to get right about now coz it has just about everything I want. The 8 MP back camera beats the image quality of the digicam that I usually carry around. The 5.3” screen makes it easy for me to jot down notes while I’m covering an event. It also happens to be a cell phone that you can easily slip into your pocket!

People always ask me why I don’t use pen and paper. Well, the answer is quite pragmatic – writing on a tablet saves you from having to transcribe it again – it’s already in digital format. I can even write an entire article and send it to my editor on a tablet, but then again it doesn’t solve the integration issue. #firstworldpains

The best thing about the Samsung GALAXY Note is that it offers all the performance, functionality and features of a tablet in a portable smartphone!

It also keeps you connected and entertained with games and all the email, messaging and social media applications you’re used to in today’s stay-connected world.

Here’s some of the awesome features that Samsung GALAXY Note has:

android gingerbread

Android 2.3 Gingerbread running on a 1.4 Ghz dual-core processor
It’s one of the fastest Android smartphones around

screen

5.3” HD Super AMOLED display
It’s like the Goldilocks story – not too big, not too small, just right! You can slip it in your pocket (try doing that with a full sized tablet) and it has enough high resolution screen real estate to work (and play) with

camera

8 MP camera
The cameras in smartphones nowadays are so good you don’t even need a separate digicam for regular use. I notice that you tend to take far more photos when it’s easy e.g. just whipping out your cell phone, instead of digging around for your digicam. Catalog every minute of your life! 🙂
There’s a 2 MP front camera for Skype or video chatting too.

Anyway, I’ve been lusting for the Samsung GALAXY Note ever since they launched it on the 11th of November at La Bodega in Pavilion. I’ve done a bit of research and Celcom’s plan sounds like the best among them. You can get a Samsung GALAXY note for as low as RM 1,368 (normal retail price is RM 2,299) with the Celcom Exec 250.

celcom

My cell phone bill usually goes slightly over RM 300 per month so this would be the ideal one for me. I need that 5GB of data volume per month and you can’t go wrong with Celcom – it has the widest network coverage in Malaysia. The network quality is awesome for data and calls and the connection stability is rock solid.

Get more details and find the perfect Celcom Samsung GALAXY Note plan Find out more about the Samsung GALAXY Note packages that Celcom offers and get more details on the pocket tablet here.

Samsung GALAXY Note – the phone-tablet hybrid

notebook pencil

I get a lot of questions about what I’m doing right now. I’m actually a freelance writer. I do assignments for a wide range of publications around the world.

Now, this is all well and good, but as anyone can tell you, the tools of the trade for a writer is…

(No, not a notebook and a pencil, that was 20 years ago)

It’s a tablet.

However, I’ve always found tablets a bit clunky to carry around. I have to bring a special tote bag when I interview people and cover events and it’s just a bit too unwieldy. I need something a bit smaller and yet does everything a tablet can.

samsung galaxy note

Thus, I’ve been eying the new Samsung GALAXY Note with a lot of interest. I have been hearing a lot of good things about the new it and the first thing that impressed me was the size:


Samsung GALAXY Note – Portability

It fits in your pocket! The same goes for all smartphones but what differentiates the Samsung GALAXY Note is the sheer size of the screen. It’s a 5.3-inch HD WXGA resolution (1,280×800) screen!

That makes it just about perfect for work – you can slip it inside your pocket but the screen is still large enough so you don’t have to squint whenever you type.

Samsung GALAXY Note full specifications:

Network

  • HSPA+ up to 21Mbps 850/900/1900/2100
  • 4G LTE
  • EDGE/GPRS 850/900/1800/1900

Processor

  • 1.4GHz Dual Core Processor

Display

  • 5.3” WXGA (1280 x 800) screen
  • HD Super AMOLED

screen

Platform

  • Android™ 2.3 (Gingerbread)

android gingerbread

Camera

  • Main(Rear) : 8 MP with LED Flash / Front : 2 MP
  • Action Shot, Beauty, Panorama Shot, Smile Shot

camera

Video

  • 1080p Full HD video recording & playback
  • Recording: 1080p @ 24~30fps/
  • Playback: 1080p @ 30fps
  • Codec: MPEG4/ H.263/ H.264/ DivX, Xvid, WMV, VC-1

Audio

  • Codec : MP3, AAC, AMR, WMA, WAV, FLAC, OGG
  • Music Player with SoundAlive
  • 3.5mm Ear Jack, Stereo FM Radio with RDS

Multi Input

  • Full touch
  • + S Pen (Advanced smart pen)

s-pen

Connectivity

  • Bluetooth® technology v 3.0 + HS
  • USB 2.0 HOST
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi Direct

Sensor

  • Accelerometer, Digital compass, Proximity, Barometer, Light

Memory

  • 16GB Internal memory
  • + microSD (up to 32GB)

Size

  • 146.85 x 82.95 x 9.65 mm, 178g

size

Amazing right?

The Samsung GALAXY Note is the most talked about Android phone on the market right about now. I can see how the Polaris Office works for me too:


Samsung GALAXY Note – Polaris Office

It has the full range of features you’ll expect to find in an office productivity suite on the PC. It’s perfect for someone like me who writes for a living! It’s compatible with the Microsoft Office suite, has handwriting recognition and I can just send off articles to my editor right from the phone itself.

Also, for those moments when you feel a need to catch up with your friends on your social feed, there’s always the Social Hub and Reader Hub:


Samsung GALAXY Note – Social Hub & Reader Hub

It’s perfection! The Samsung GALAXY Note is just the thing I need for my work (and play) – it’s not too big, not too small, and does everything I need it to.

This feature packed pocket tablet launched on 11/11/11 in Malaysia. I looked around and the retail price for it is RM 2,299. You can get it for cheaper if you sign up with one of the telcos.

galaxy note

I really love what the Samsung GALAXY Note has to offer. I wish I have one so I can carry a single device instead of a tablet and a smartphone. It has an awesome 8 MP camera too so it can probably replace your digicam for everyday use.

I want! smirk

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