Galaxy Nexus

I’m stoked to finally get my Samsung Galaxy Nexus! Ever since its unveiling I’ve been contemplating a switch to the Android OS. I personally think this is a good time to try out the Android OS because Apple has stagnated with the Iphone 4S and Windows Phone is still struggling to capture the smartphone market share. I’m also keen to integrate Google+ and my other google apps with my phone.

A local telco offered the Galaxy Nexus on its plan starting from the 13th of January. Nevertheless, I was skeptical whether it would be available here, on Borneo of all places.  But a quick trip to the nearest and only Samsung Elite Partner (SEP) revealed that the Galaxy Necus would indeed be arriving on the 14th.

Some quick thoughts on the Galaxy Nexus:
1. The screen is gorgeous – but battery sapping. Thankfully the phone seems self aware of this, and will conserve screen display as much as possible. The widgets and homescreen are fantastic and definitely provide more functionality compared to the Windows Metro system and iOS. The live wallpapers are a delight to behold. And hooray for customization.

2. I’m enjoying the google integration already. Calendar and Gmail work great. There’s a whole host of google apps such as Google Translate and Google Goggles in the Android Market.

3.  Call quality is good so far. Furthermore the volume bug appears to have been fixed.

4. The camera is as swift as advertised, but good luck stabilizing the photo. Overall camera quality was decent, but lags behind the Iphone4S

5. Bluetooth, transferring apps, docs and music is so easy with the Android. It made me realize how uncomfortable the Itunes program makes me feel.

6. There are a few blips here and there that you seldom see on the iOS or Windows Phone 7, such as programs suddenly shutting down.

In a nutshell, the Galaxy Nexus is a powerful pocket machine that doesn’t dumb down the user experience. I’m most happy with my purchase and hope I can utilize the phone to its fullest potential.

-KL

Eyeing new stuff

Recently my laptop informed me that its battery is reaching the end of its life. It was almost 2 years ago that I first got my Dell Studio XPS 16 and it has served me well for the most part. I still like its subtle backlit keyboard, wide screen and decent graphics. But where to go from here? Gaming laptops are notorious for being neither mobile nor graphic intensive especially when compared to a desktop of equivalent price. But as a student who gets around, I realized that mobility is not a luxury, but a necessity.

I’ve looked through some of the possible candidates for my new laptop. I wanted to get a notebook with Class 1 graphics this time e.g the best graphics that a laptop can offer. In addition, SSD is the rage these days and I’m looking forward to lightning fast boot speeds. A good screen is also important as I watch a cornucopia of TV shows and movies on my laptop. Finally I’d like a laptop that offers Blu-Ray support so that I can see what all the fuss is about.

Three brands have grabbed my attention thus far;
1. Alienware
2. Asus
3. MSI

Initially I thought Alienware would be the most expensive of the lot, and on closer look I found its design to be jarring and immature. But MSI’s higher range gaming laptops eclipsed even the Alienware juggernauts. Overall I preferred Asus’ G series notebooks which even offered 3D functionality on its screen and were priced decently.

Intel Core i7-2670QM (4 core)-2.0GHz (Turbo up to 2.9)
– Intel® HM65 Express Chipset
– Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium (64 Bit)
– 17.3′ FHD Color Shine ( LED / 3D )
– 8GB DDR3 1333 MHz SDRAM,
– 640GB  + 640GB 5400rpm Hard Disk Drive
– NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX560M with 3GB GDDR5 VRAM
– Blue-Ray DVD Writer
– 3-in-1 card reader ( SD/ MS/ MMC)
– webcam 2.0 camera
– Integrated 802.11 b/g/n
– Built-in Bluetooth™ V2.1+EDR
– 10/100/1000 Base T
– 1 x Microphone-in jack
1 x Line-in Jack
1 x VGA port/Mini D-sub 15-pin for external monitor
1 x USB 3.0 port(s)
3 x USB 2.0 port(s)
1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert
1 x HDMI
– 8 Cells Battery : 5200mAh
– 32.5 x 42.0 x 2.09 ~6.20 cm (WxDxH)
– 4.28 kg (with 8 cell battery)
– color : Black Rubber Painting design

 

– Intel Core i7–2670QM (4 core)-2.2GHz(Turbo up to 2.9)
– Genuine WIndows 7 Home Premium (64 Bit)
– 8GB(4GBx2) DDR3 1333MHz SDRAM
– 15.6′ HD Color Shine LED / 3D
– 640GB + 640GB SATA Hard Disk Drive
– NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560M
– 2GB GDDR5 VRAM
– Blue-ray DVD Writer
– 5-in-1 card reader ( SDXC/ MS/ MS Pro/ MS Duo/ MMC)
– 2.0 Mega Pixel Fixed web camera
– Integrated 802.11 b/g/n
– Built-in Bluetooth V2.1+EDR
– 10/100/1000 Base T
1 x Microphone-in jack
1 x Headphone-out jack
1 x USB 3.0 port(s)
3 x USB 2.0 port(s)
1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN insert
1 x HDMI
– 8 Cells Battery: 5200 mAh 74 Whrs
– 39.1 x 2.7 x 2.0 ~5.0 cm (WxDxH)
– 3.78 kg (with 8 cell battery)
– 2-year limited global hardware warranty.

Both Asus G series laptops offer NVIDIA Geforce GTX 560M which is a high range graphics card where notebooks are concerned. As mobility is a big issue for me, I’m leaning towards the Asus G53SX with its 15.6′ screen and lighter weight. But I suppose my preference is still subject to change as I research more models.

Randomly cool stuff

1. Dell has announced (or leaked?) its arrival into the smartphone business to Engadget with its mobile phones entitled Flash, Smoke and Thunder. Its flagship model? The Dell Lightning whose specifications wowed the tech community. And it runs on Windows Phone 7 (read: Flash) which has always intrigued me aesthetically. As a proud owner of a Dell Studio XPS 16 laptop I’m excited about this. In addition Dell is also penetrating the tablet PC category with its Looking Glass.

2. Johann Hari has a great article entitled “Heaven: A Fool’s Paradise” over at The Independent where he breaks down why people believe in heaven and how the concept of heaven changes with the milieu of civilization

3. A new article on Nature says that researchers found no improvement in mental abilities with “brain training” computer games.

4. James Randi’s 3 year old video is republished on TED – it’s a powerful and evocative take down of psychic abilities and homeopathy.

5.  This is a cool video of a plane getting struck by lightning.