Maxis reduces monthly mobile internet plan rates
Maxis has finally revealed its new reduced monthly mobile internet plans. Just recently, most Maxis subscribers with mobile internet plans were bumped with higher data quota for free. The most recent we’ve seen is existing 500MB subscribers at RM58/month are upgraded to 1.5GB/month.
Comparing the new rates with the previous one, the 500MB and 3GB plans are reduced by RM20. The 1.5GB option is currently missing form the table but there’s a new 1GB option at RM48/month. Another plan that’s missing is the 6GB option at RM98/month. Overall, the reductions are pretty good which saves you RM240/year.
Maxis still charges excess fee if you exceed your monthly quota but the rates are now cheaper at 30sen per MB. Previously it was charged at 10sen per 10KB which is about RM10 per MB. For more information, head over to Maxis Mobile Internet section.
The Sony Ericsson Xperia HD is revealed
This is the almost certainly confirmed Sony Ericsson Xperia HD, one of the possibly three Sony Ericsson smartphones that’s scheduled to make their world debut at CES next week. As you can see, there is not much difference from the Nozomi device we saw earlier.
In terms of specs, it looks like the rumours are valid as well. The Xperia HD — as it would likely be called — features a 4.3-inch display with 1280×720 HD resolution. The 12MP camera is also present and you can expect it to be able to shoot 1080p HD videos. In addition to that, there’s a dual-core 1.5Ghz processor (a Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8660 unit), 1GB of RAM and 8GB of on board storage. Unfortunately, the device does not have expandable memory. We believe the Xperia HD will not carry the “arc” monicker because its design does not feature a prominent arc that made the Xperia arc and arc S so distinctive.
Also unfortunate is that the Xperia HD runs on Android Gingerbread 2.3.7 rather than Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This is weird because Sony Ericsson said last year that all new phones released in 2012 will run ICS. Another way to look at this would be that Sony Ericsson wanted to be able to launch the device at CES and didn’t have enough time to develop a custom UI for ICS. If this is indeed the case, we assume that the Xperia HD will very likely get ICS soon after release.
With just a few days away from the unveiling of Sony Ericsson’s 2012 line-up, we’re pretty excited to see what the manufacturer has in store – though we can’t agree with the new design direction. The Xperia arc and ray are amongst some of the most aesthetically pleasing smartphones in the market today, it’s sad to see that Sony Ericsson didn’t continue this trend for 2012.
In any case, we will be at the heart of the action at a regional Sony Ericsson launch happening at the same time as CES in Shanghai. You know what to do.
When too much is too much
We’ve featured the Sith Lord on SoyaCincau.com a couple of times and he’s appeared in a few other ads promoting a plethora of other products. Has commercialisation of movie characters gone beyond reason that it affects your relationship with the iconic character?
Actor endorsements, cross-promotion and product placement are almost as old as the medium of film itself and as a society we’ve come to accept it. However, it seems a little repugnant to use a fictional cinematic character to endorse products, and raises new issues for me, especially when it’s a character as iconic as Darth Vader. First and foremost it feels like a collision between art and commercialism. With an actor, you’re conscious that it is within their job description to play a part, and to a small degree, there is a bond of trust and honesty. However, when it’s a fictional character, it can be manipulated to espouse the benefits of anything the client wishes, reducing it from the result of a creative process to a mere corporate mouthpiece. Essentially, the character is torn from the fantasy realm, and thrust in to the real world, now just a commodity like those it is trying to sell.
Read more about it here.
Another mysterious Sony Ericsson appears
This is the Sony Ericsson Xperia MT27i “Pepper”. Rumoured specs include a 1GHz dual-core processor, a 480×854 3.7-inch screen, and a 5-megapixel camera with 720p video. Other hardware noticeable in the blurry pictures includes a secondary mic for active noise-cancellation, a front-facing camera, and a notification LED.
The MT27i is believed to be the successor to the Xperia neo V and it looks to have been inspired the Sony Ericsson T610 and that can be a good thing.
So as things pans out, it looks like Sony Ericsson is set to reveal three new devices next week — the high-end LT28at aka the Xperia Ion, the Nozomi and this one. We’ll be close to the action when it happens, so keep it locked on to SoyaCincau.com for the latest.
A couple more pictures of the MT27i after the jump.
Steve Jobs on copying
“Picasso had a saying. He said, good artists copy, great artists steal. And we have always been shameless about stealing great ideas.”
Steve Jobs.
The excerpt was taken from the 1996 three-part documentary Triumph of the Nerds: The Rise of Accidental Empires. All full versions of series is available for viewing right after the jump. We’ve also included a bonus documentary — Pirates of Silicon Valley.
Whether you’re a geek or a nerd, consider these documentaries absolute essential viewing. Please also take some time to read this: Rich Neighbor with Open Doors – Apple and Xerox PARC.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus: Celcom & DiGi Plans compared
UPDATE: Celcom finally reveals official Galaxy Nexus bundled plans. Details are the same however there’s no mention of RM60 rebate.
UPDATE 2: DiGi has made some drastic changes on their Galaxy Nexus offering. They no longer offer 12 months option and the offered device price is now RM1,999 with more rebates on the monthly subscription fee. Check out the latest comparison at the bottom of the post after the break.
Original Post Before 16th January
The highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy Nexus with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich will be officially available in Malaysia on Friday the 13th. DiGi has fired the first salvo by offering pre-orders ahead of launch from RM1399. Meanwhile Celcom too is expected to offer the Galaxy Nexus from as low as RM1368.
So what’s the difference between the 2? First is the contract duration where DiGi offers 12 & 24 months while Celcom offers 12 & 18 month options. Next is the subscription plan where both offerings are different.
On DiGi, the subscription fees are the lowest but that’s because it only comes with mobile internet data and calls & SMS are charged separately. This is perfect for those that hardly make much calls or SMS and rely greatly on mobile internet for communication with apps such as WhatsApp, FB Messenging and etc. For Celcom, all 3 plans on offer comes with bundled voice calls and SMS with its Celcom Exec plans.
So how much does it cost to own a Galaxy Nexus on these bundled plans? Read on for more.