Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman now available in Malaysia
Sony Ericsson today announced the local availability of its music-centric Live with Walkman Android smartphone. The Live with Walkman (yes, that’s what Sony Ericsson is calling it) features a dedicated walkman hardware button that provides instant access a built-in music player that is deeply integrated with Facebook enabling instant music and media sharing through the social media site.
Running Android 2.3, the curvy, glossy finish device features a 3.2-inch mineral glass display pushing out 480×320 pixel resolution, a 1Ghz processor with 512MB of RAM, 1,200mAh battery and a 5MP rear camera that shoots 720p HD video. There’s also the *Sony’s xLOUD feature that enhances audio output of the device.
The Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman comes in tow colours — black or white — and retails for RM999. As an introduction, the device comes bundled with a FREE Sony MDR-ZX100 Headset worth RM78 (available while stocks lasts).
Nokia’s Windows Phone devices will be announced this quarter says Reuters
CEO Stephen Elop has indicated that Nokia will be unveiling its first Windows-based smartphones this quarter. Elop says that there is a market for an alternative to Apple and Android.
“Our belief is that there is a clear opportunity for an alternative ecosystem,” Stephen Elop told the audience at a technology fair in Helsinki, adding that he saw the battle extending to tablet computers and televisions.
A Windows Phone-based Nokia appearing before the end of this year is pretty much expected. This was also mentioned during the Nokia N9 Malaysia launch event held last month. The question now is whether Malaysia will be one of the markets where Nokia will launch its Windows Phone device this year, considering that there is a large Nokia and Microsoft presence in the country.
While there is no official word on this at the moment, rumours are rife that the launch of Windows Phone Nokia devices hinge on the local support for Windows Phone Marketplace. Currently local support for Marketplace is one of the biggest issues with Windows Phone in Malaysia. Aside from the lack of features compared to iOS and Android (which has been somewhat addressed with the release of Mango recently), local Marketplace support is a huge barrier for Windows Phone to gain any traction in Malaysia.
Windows Phone is a big deal for Nokia, it signifies Nokia’s competitive entrance into the smartphone arena and it will want to make sure that it creates the right environment for its Windows Phone devices to thrive — and the key to this will be Marketplace.
So for those who are wondering when Nokia Windows Phone devices will come to Malaysia, the answer, it looks like, rests on Microsoft.
[source]
Let’s talk iPhone: Interactive inforgraphic on the history of the iPhone so far
Here’s a little catchup material for those who will be staying up to catch the blogs reporting live at the Apple iPhone event.
Impress your friends with your in-depth knowledge of everything iPhone courtesy of this interactive infographic from Thinglink, a startup that makes interactive photos and ads.
The new iPhone (or iPhones) will be revealed to the world at 0100hrs our time October 5. We got a few more hours till the world goes crazy. Make the most out of it with this excellent piece of reading material till. Head on over to after the jump for the full monty.
HTC Sensation now at RM1,799
The HTC Sensation is also seeing a price cut with the outright pricing now revised to RM1,799 from RM1,999. When first announced in Malaysia, it was originally selling for RM2,299. Since Samsung Galaxy S II now selling for RM1,899 is a direct competitor, the price reduction is necessary to stay competitive.
In terms of telco bundling, DiGi has revised its bundling offer on DG Smart Plan 68 to as low as RM1,149 with 24 months contract while Maxis from as low as RM999 with 24 months contract of 3GB data plan. For more information, head over to DiGi’s HTC Sensation page or Maxis Android page.
Thanks to try for tipping us in the comments.
Let’s talk iPhone: Here are the live blogs we recommend you follow
Whether you’re a hater or a cult follower, there’s one thing you can’t deny, this week everyone will be talking about iPhones. After 18 months in the making, the new iPhone will be announced early 0100hrs tomorrow morning (October 5, Malaysian time) in California and the world will be watching.
At this point in time, no one seems to agree how many iPhones will be announced and what it will be called. Will it be iPhone 4S or will it be iPhone 5, or will it be both? With one being a high-end model and the other, a entry-level variant. At the moment however, everything we know are based on speculations and rumours.
What a lot of people seem to agree on is the specifications of the device. The new iPhone is expected to run Apple’s 1Ghz dual-core A5 processor and it is expected to have 1GB RAM. Pundits have also come to a consensus on the iPhone’s camera, in the latest iteration, the iPhone is very likely to have 8MP shooter. What’s a little vague but still a reoccurring point, is the new iPhone’s screen size. Talk is rife that the iPhone 5 will feature a larger screen up to 4-inches across.
A part from hardware, software will also be a strong emphasis in the new iPhone. iOS 5 and could will be a big thing in the new device. The “Let’s Talk iPhone” title in the Apple media invite strongly suggests that speech-based and voice recognition software will be a prominent theme during the announcement. There has long been speculation that Apple was working to integrate more advanced voice recognition features into iOS since its acquisition of Siri in 2010. This functionality has been dubbed “Assistant” that lets you access various native apps such as email and contacts all through voice commands.
Yet, once again, all these are still unconfirmed at this point in time.
In any case, everything will be answered in less that 18 hours and if you’re like us, you will want to follow the minute-by-minute updates on what Apple will unveil at the iPhone event. Here are some of the live blogs that we follow and we recommend you do to.
Engadget Live
Gizmodo Live
Gdgt Live
Reuters Live Blog
Mac|Life Live
Ars Technica Live
Bonus tip: Tracking realtime results direct from Google realtime gives a good overall picture on the conversations on the new iPhone.
The event is happening at 1000hrs Pacific Standard Time or 0100hrs our local time. However you can start logging in to these blogs as early as 0000hrs. We will be up to catch the action as it happens.
Celcom & DiGi updates Samsung Galaxy S II subsidised pricing
A few days back, Samsung has slashed the popular Samsung Galaxy S II by RM200. As a result, Celcom and DiGi has revised its subsidised bundled pricing which offers it as low as RM998 on Celcom and RM1199 on DiGi. This is a reduction as much as RM210 on Celcom and RM150 on DiGi.
So far there’s no change from U Mobile’s offering of RM849 on U Premium contract, which is one of the cheapest offering we’ve seen to date. Also surprisingly Maxis, the first telco to offer the Galaxy S II has removed all traces of the device from their website.
For more information, check out the Samsung Galaxy S II page on Celcom & DiGi.