Following our previous Camera Shootout for Videos, we have done some sample shots during the day. This time we tested the HTC One, BlackBerry Z10, Nokia Lumia 920, iPhone 5 & Sony Xperia Z. The Sony Xperia ZL was dropped this time as it produces the same result as its water resistant sibling.

Among the smart phones we have tested, only HTC One and Sony Xperia Z offers native HDR Video recording. It is worth pointing out that the Nokia Lumia 920 is rather steady thanks to its optical image stabiliser.

Head after the break to view the samples. Don’t forget to change the resolution to HD to watch it in higher quality.

Read the rest of this entry »

	Android, BlackBerry, Blackberry OS, HTC, iPhone, iPhone OS, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Product review, Sony, Windows Phone
	blackberry, BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Z10 camera, BlackBerry Z10 Malaysia, HTC, HTC One, HTC One camera, HTC One Camera Comparison, HTC One Malaysia, iPhone 5, iPhone 5 camera, iPhone 5 Malaysia, Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 920 camera, Nokia Lumia 920 Camera Comparison, Nokia Lumia 920 Malaysia, Sony Xperia Z, Sony Xperia Z camera, Sony Xperia Z Malaysia

The BlackBerry Z10 is a refreshing new touch screen device but hardcore QWERTY users would be looking forward to the BlackBerry Q10 which is expected to launch next week. The BlackBerry Q10 is the touch and type BlackBerry 10 device which retains the familiar traditional QWERTY keyboard that existing BB users can’t live without.

While the current Z10 in the market doesn’t seem to support 4G LTE in Malaysia, it looks like the Q10 variant that we are getting supports LTE with 1800MHz/2600MHz frequencies. This discovery was spotted by the sharp eyed folks at Lowyat.Net that has been monitoring the SIRIM database.

To recap on the specs, the Q10 comes with a smaller 3.1″ touch screen Super AMOLED display that pushes 720×720 pixels resolution. Underneath, it runs on similar dual-core 1.5GHz processor with 2GB of RAM. Storage wise it has a 16GB with the expandable option via microSD. Since the QWERTY is more catered towards hard core users, the battery capacity is bigger too at 2,100mAh which is 300mAh more than the Z10. The same 8MP main shooter and 2MP front facing camera remains unchanged on the Q10 as well.

Head after the break for introductory and hands-on video of the BlackBerry Q10.

Read the rest of this entry »

	BlackBerry, Blackberry OS, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS
	4G LTE, blackberry, BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry 10 Malaysia, blackberry malaysia, BlackBerry Q10, BlackBerry Q10 Malaysia, BlackBerry Q10 Malaysia Launch

After comparing photos taken with the 6 devices – HTC One, BlackBerry Z10, Nokia Lumia 920, iPhone 5 & Sony Xperia Z/ZL, it is time to compare its Full HD 1080p video capabilities. For this test, we recorded in both indoors and outdoors. Don’t forget to change the resolution to 1080p to watch the sample video in its full glory.

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out the photo comparison of the 6 devices over here.

Head after the break for the video comparison.

Read the rest of this entry »

Android, BlackBerry, Blackberry OS, HTC, iPhone, iPhone OS, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Sony, Windows Phone

blackberry, BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Z10 camera, BlackBerry Z10 Malaysia, HTC, HTC One, HTC One camera, HTC One Camera Comparison, HTC One Malaysia, iPhone 5, iPhone 5 camera, iPhone 5 Malaysia, Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 920 camera, Nokia Lumia 920 Camera Comparison, Nokia Lumia 920 Malaysia, Sony Xperia Z, Sony Xperia Z camera, Sony Xperia Z Malaysia, Sony Xperia ZL, Sony Xperia ZL Camera, Sony Xperia ZL Malaysia

We have 6 smart phones from 4 different operating systems on the table. It’s time for another round of camera shootout with the new HTC One, BlackBerry Z10, Nokia Lumia 920, iPhone 5, Sony Xperia Z and Xperia ZL.

The HTC One uses 4MP effective Ultrapixel camera while the iPhone 5 and BlackBerry Z10 comes with a 8MP shooter. Stepping up the game is the Nokia Lumia 920 which its 8.7MP PureView camera with optical image stabiliser. While the Lumia 920 camera is rated at 8.7MP, it shoots a maximum of 7.9MP in 4:3 aspect ratio as the additional pixels are used to accommodate 16:9 shots at 7.1MP resolution. Last but not least, we have the Sony Xperia Z/ZL with the highest megapixel count of 13MP.

So which is the better performer? We let you be the judge and you can check out our sample photos after the break.

Read the rest of this entry »

Android, BlackBerry, Blackberry OS, HTC, iPhone, iPhone OS, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Nokia, Sony, Windows Phone

blackberry, BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Z10 camera, BlackBerry Z10 Malaysia, HTC, HTC One, HTC One camera, HTC One Camera Comparison, HTC One Malaysia, iPhone 5, iPhone 5 camera, iPhone 5 Malaysia, Nokia Lumia 920, Nokia Lumia 920 camera, Nokia Lumia 920 Camera Comparison, Nokia Lumia 920 Malaysia, Sony Xperia Z, Sony Xperia Z camera, Sony Xperia Z Malaysia, Sony Xperia ZL, Sony Xperia ZL Camera, Sony Xperia ZL Malaysia

We are into our 2nd week with the BlackBerry Z10 and we can say that it is a refreshing reboot of the BlackBerry smart phone experience. The BlackBerry Z10 is an all touch screen device and it uses a lot of gestures to move around. Initially, we expected the learning curve to be steep for the all new operating system but surprisingly we managed to picked it up rather naturally.

To recap on the specs, the Z10 runs on a dual-core 1.5GHz processor with 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage, 2MP front facing camera and a 8MP main camera. The display is one of the highest pixel density for this size at 355ppi on its 4.2″ display. In terms of resolution, it pushes 1280×768 pixels. It also comes with NFC compatibility and the removal back cover gives you access to its 1,800mAh removal battery, microSD expansion and micro SIM slot. In case you’re wondering, transferring photos to another Android smart phone via NFC is rather seamless.

Using the BlackBerry Z10 is quite a breeze with the BlackBerry Hub, which acts as one stop centre for calls, SMS, BBM, Email, Twitter and Facebook updates is stored in a unified manner. The middle pane houses the multi-tasking view where all the running apps are displayed in a 2X2 grid. This is accessible by swiping from bottom to top in any situation.

While swiping upwards, this gives a peek on the notifications on the BlackBerry Hub. To access the hub directly, you’ll just need to swipe up then move to the right in an upside down L motion. Settings are accessible by swiping downwards. These gestures are better illustrated in the hands-on video above.

How are we liking the BlackBerry Z10? It is one of the freshest approach to mobile right now and certainly a big step forward. We like the fact that you can wake the screen by just swiping upwards in sleep mode. However this may pose a problem of accidental screen unlocks in the pocket but it is good to know that there’s an option to disable gesture while the phone is in sleep mode.

Those who are very well used to the tactile feel of a QWERTY keyboard might be better off with the upcoming BlackBerry Q10 which is launching end of this month. That doesn’t mean that the Z10 keyboard is bad but in fact it is pretty responsive and we liked how it is able to predict your next possible word like SwiftKey. Switching to numbers and symbols is accessible easily by simply flicking the keyboard downwards.

Now onto the downsides. There are some software refinements that the Z10 is lacking in order to make this the perfect device. For example the camera isn’t always ready to take pictures if you have shared or viewed a photo previously. Normally when you launch the camera app, you would naturally expect it to be ready to take the shot. On the Z10, you might end up looking at your last photo or in the sharing app if you didn’t close them right after taking your last picture. Limited number of native apps is a hurdle for the Z10 but it is good to know that selected apps from Android such as Instagram can be side loaded.

Watch out for our full hands-on review coming soon.

	Android, BlackBerry, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Product review
	BB Z10, blackberry, BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Z10 Hands On, BlackBerry Z10 Malaysia, BlackBerry Z10 Review, Z10 Review

If you’ve been holding out for the BlackBerry Q10, your wait may soon be over.

BlackBerry Malaysia will be making an announcement about the Q10 at the end of this month and that can only mean one thing. The QWERTY keyboard-endowed BlackBerry 10 device is coming to Malaysia soon. And by the looks of it, the Q10 might be available in Malaysia much earlier than the June date BlackBerry announced previously. Definitely great news for BlackBerry fans.

No indication on pricing and operator availability just yet but Maxis and Celcom are strong contenders for the accolade of launching the Q10 first in Malaysia, so let’s wait and see. Stay tuned.

	BlackBerry, Blackberry OS, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS
	blackberry, BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry 10 Malaysia, blackberry malaysia, BlackBerry Q10, BlackBerry Q10 Malaysia

TuneTalk is not missing out and they too are offering the BlackBerry z10 from as low as RM999 with TuneTalk points redemption of 17,000. This should be good news for TuneTalk subscribers that have been raking up the points. It is also available outright purchase at RM2,188 and they will have it delivered for you for free.

On top of that, TuneTalk is throwing in a Free TuneTalk SIM pack, Free 1 month Cun Plan subscription (1GB + 60 minutes of calls) and a Free QPR Jersey while stocks last.

For more information, head over to TuneTalk’s BlackBerry z10 page.

	BlackBerry, Blackberry OS, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Players on the Field, TuneTalk
	blackberry, BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Z10 Malaysia, BlackBerry Z10 Tune Talk, rim, Tune Talk, Tune Talk BlackBerry Z10

If BlackBerry Z10 deals from Maxis, Celcom and DiGi don’t tickle your fancy, you’ll be happy to know that the device is also available from U Mobile starting from RM1,268 with contract.

Overall the U Mobile plans are nothing to shout about but we like how they are straightforward and simple to understand. Aside to that, we can’t really recommend the U Mobile plans over say something from Maxis or DiGi but come back for our BlackBerry Z10 plan comparison to see which telco suits you.

In the meantime, head on over here for more details on BlackBerry Z10 packages from U Mobile

	BlackBerry, Blackberry OS, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Players on the Field, U Mobile
	blackberry, BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Z10 Malaysia, BlackBerry Z10 U Mobile, rim, U Mobile, U Mobile BlackBerry Z10

For about a month, the BlackBerry Z10 was exclusively offered by Maxis so if you wanted to get the device with contract, you didn’t really have much of a choice. But thankfully for you that exclusive deal with Maxis has ended and you can now get the Z10 from all the major telcos including DiGi.

DiGi has released its packages for the BlackBerry Z10 and the device can be yours for as low as RM899 if you sign-up for the DG Smart Plan 148 for 24 months that is.

On the skin of it, DiGi’s BlackBerry Z10 offering looks to be slightly better overall but it there is far too many trade offs (like cheapest plan only allow you to use bundled minutes and SMS on net). We’ll have to do a full on comparison to tell you which one offers the best deal. Stay tune for that. In the meantime, if you want to know about DiGi’s BlackBerry Z10 offerings, click here.

Read the rest of this entry »

	BlackBerry, Blackberry OS, DiGi, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Players on the Field
	blackberry, BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Z10 DiGi, BlackBerry Z10 Malaysia, DiGi, DiGi BlackBerry Z10

The single telco exclusivity for the BlackBerry Z10 has ended and it is finally available on Celcom from as low as RM1,188. As usual, it is bundled with the standard Celcom First plans and bolt-on internet of 1GB/3GB but this time around, the BlackBerry Z10 is also bundled with 5GB data plans as well. For those that don’t expect to make much calls, there’s the Celcom First mPro Plus of 5GB at RM88/month which comes with free 60 minutes of calls and 60 SMS each month.

Bundled pricing as for the BlackBerry Z10 follows:

Celcom First Prime + Mobile Internet (12months) – RM1,688
Celcom First Prime + Mobile Internet (24months) – RM1,588
Celcom First Premier + Mobile Internet (12months) – RM1,588
Celcom First Premier + Mobile Internet (24months) – RM1,488
Celcom First Elite + Mobile Internet (12months) – RM1,488
Celcom First Elite + Mobile Internet (24months) – RM1,328
*Advance payment between RM250-600 required during sign up

mPro (5GB) + Celcom Voice (24 months) – RM1,188
Celcom First mPro + Free Voice/SMS (24 months) – RM1,288
*Advance payment of RM700 required during sign up

For more information, head over to Celcom’s BlackBerry Z10 page.

Read the rest of this entry »

	BlackBerry, Blackberry OS, Celcom, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS, Players on the Field
	blackberry, BlackBerry 10, BlackBerry 10 Malaysia, BlackBerry Z10, BlackBerry Z10 celcom, BlackBerry Z10 Malaysia, BlackBerry Z10 Plans, BlackBerry Z10 Pre Registration, BlackBerry Z10 ROI, Celcom, rim