The high price of materialism
Something interesting that we thought we’d share with you.
Research consistency shows that the more the people value materialistic aspirations and goals, the lower their happiness and live satisfaction and the fewer pleasant emotions they experience day to day.
Depression, anxiety and substance abuse also tend to be higher among people who value the aims encouraged by consumer society.
Samsung Galaxy S tweaked “Value Pack” firmware leaked
While the original Galaxy S users are still uncertain of Samsung’s decision on official Ice Cream Sandwich update, their software team has already started working on an update. According to the source, the Galaxy S firmware was dated 29th December which is quite recent.
Sammobile managed to grab hold of a leaked firmware which appears to be Android 2.3.6 update with several new enhancements. This is likely to be the value pack which was mentioned earlier on.
It offers Face Unlock, an updated Lockscreen from the Galaxy Note , a Photo Editor from Galaxy S II, faster auto-rotate response and ability to take photos while recording a video. Overall, this is no Ice Cream Sandwich OS but it brings the latest features of the Galaxy Note/Nexus to the original Galaxy S.
To download, head over to XDA Forums for the full details. Do note that this is not an official release endorsed by Samsung so flashing your firmware with this version is at your own risk.
LG Prada 3.0 could sell for less than RM1,800
Online retailer in the UK, Clove, has revealed the pricing for the LG Prada 3.0 fashion phone. Arriving to the UK in early February, the Prada phone will sell for GBP358.33 (excluding VAT). The price gives us some indication of how much the device will retail for when it comes to Malaysia, if LG decides to bring it to Malaysia.
Looking at current exchange rates, the LG Prada 3.0 costs around RM1,750 based on the UK price. Taking into account that devices sold in Europe generally carry a premium of around 10 – 20%, we believe that LG has room to price the stylish phone very competitively if it decides to bring it to Malaysia.
The LG Prada 3.0 turned a few heads when it was officially announced last month. The style-centric Android smartphone has its place amongst some of the most stylish Android devices in the market thanks to its unique couture-inspired design and a slender 8.5mm profile.
In terms of specs the LG Prada 3.0 sits at the bottom end of the top-of-the-line Android smartphone category with a 1GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4430 processor that’s similar to the Optimus 3D but LG has upped the RAM to 1GB in the Prada 3.0 (whereas the Optimus 3D only had 512MB of RAM).
The Prada 3.0 boasts one of the brightest displays for a smartphone with its 4.3-inch 800×480 resolution NOVA display pushing a brightness of 800 nits, which is 100 nits brighter than the LG Optimus Black. This should provide better outdoor visibility during sunny days.
At the back, the Prada 3.0 features an 8MP camera capable of shooting 1080p, there’s also a 1.3MP camera forward-facing camera. Other specs include dual-speakers, 8GB on board memory, micro SD memory expansion, 1,540mAh battery and NFC.
The Prada 3.0 runs Android 2.3 Gingerbread that has been given the Prada treatment with a custom monochrome UI, at the moment there’s no word on whether the device will be upgradable to Ice Cream Sandwich.
So fahionistas, a Prada branded smartphone for less than RM1,800…what do you think, stylish and affordable enough to tickle your fancy?
Sony Ericsson CNY 2012 Promo Deals
Sony Ericsson is also doing a promo for this coming Chinese New Year. Not only the official outright price for selected devices are reduced but they are throwing extra goodies such LiveView, Bluetooth headset and some Android merchandises.
Here’s the list of devices on offer:
Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S – RM1499
Sony Ericsson Xperia ray – RM1099
Sony Ericsson Xperia play – RM1099
Sony Ericsson Xperia pro – RM1299
Sony Ericsson Xperia active – RM899
Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V – RM899
Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman – RM899
Sony Ericsson Xperia mini pro – RM788
Sony Ericsson Xperia mini – RM699
The LiveView worth RM288, which is a 2nd remote screen for your phone is offered free with Xperia arc S, Xperia pro, Xperia ray, Xperia play & Xperia active.
In addition, they are also giving out their VH110 bluetooth headset worth RM108 with purchase of Sony Ericsson Live with Walkman, Xperia mini, Xperia mini pro, Xperia neo V and Xperia active.
This promo runs from 7th January till 21st January 2012. Head after the break for the promo leaflet.
Official renders of the white Galaxy Nexus break cover. Looks much better
When we posted news about the existence of the white Galaxy Nexus, we thought the picture didn’t look quite right. It looked too white for our liking.
Turns out, the earlier picture is not the final version that will be released to the public, the one you see here is. The major difference you can here is that the front panel is now all black which, in our opinion, looks much better. What do you think?
In any case, the white Galaxy Nexus is slated to be release in the UK only at the moment. There’s no word on whether it will make it here, but that’s not to say that it won’t. We have a feeling that if sales of the black version look promising, Samsung will consider bringing in this white version.
Speaking of sales, DiGi has already started taking pre-orders for the black Galaxy Nexus on its DiGi Store Online. Prices start at RM1,399 with 24 months contract. Orders will be delivered to customers starting January 13. Celcom will also be offering plans for the Galaxy Nexus, we have unconfirmed details here. Celcom will start sales on January 13 as well. For those of you who are wondering whether you can purchase the Galaxy Nexus outright without contract, the answer is yes you will be able to. Selected Samsung retailers will sell the device on the same day.
So what will it be? White or black?