Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus - Simple Review After One Month

Introduction

Before I begin, I would like to point out that I use an Apple Iphone as my daily driver for the last ten years, although I had the opportunity to use an Android OS mobile phone for a short period of time throughout the years. I like the simple and yet easy to use interface by the iOS platform. Lately, however, things have changed.

My Requirements in a modern smart phone

I have decided to switch to the dark side and use an Android OS mobile phone instead. My requirements are simple. With the Android OS platform, I just need a well all-rounder phone with at least 64GB of storage with the ability to use MicroSD cards to increase the storage of the mobile phone. The camera phone have optical image stabilisation (OIS), it must have a headphone jack and some sort of water resistant. Last but not least, the mobile phone must not be too expensive. 

Samsung Galaxy S9+

In the end, I have decided to try out the Samsung Galaxy S9 plus (S9+) with 128GB. It is a single SIM and it does not come with a hybrid SIM tray. The reason why I have not chosen the 256GB is that it is not available in the United Kingdom unless it has been done via a grey import which you could obtain it from the internet. I have reliable sources informing me that a brand new SIM free 256GB hybrid SIM S9+ will cost around £850 in Asian countries, particularly in Hong Kong. I don't think I would rely on a grey import because Samsung will not honour the warranty in UK, unless the device is sold in EU countries. Having said that, there are occasions where mobile phones being purchased through an official Samsung outlet within the EU countries have been refused repairs by Samsung UK. That is why it is best to buy the device in UK.

Specifications on the Samsung Galaxy S9+

CPU/GPU/Modem:
Since I have acquired the device in the UK, it comes with the Samsung Exynos 9810 (4x2.7Ghz Mongoose M3 & 4x1.8Ghz Cortex A55) and the GPU is powered by Mali G72MP18. Anandtech has done a very good job in producing a report, comparing the Exynos 9810 on the S9+ with its predecessor, the Exynos 8895. Honestly, I am a big fan of the Exynos, although the performance may yet beat the Snapdragon 845 chipset which it could be found inside S9+ devices being sold in the US and China. The radio modem inside the S9+ is a beast. It is compatible with 2G, 3G and over 22 4G bands! I am most impressed!

Body/Display/Camera/Memory
I like the shinning glass front and back body of the S9+. On paper, both front and back glass are protected by Gorilla Glass 5 with an aluminium chassis. I like the non-slip sides as it has some grip. It helps to prevent accidental drops of the phone. It is 189g in weight and I fancy the 6.2" display with 1440x2960ppi. The screen is gorgeous! However, I feel that sometimes the amber sensor on the S9+ may need software tweaking to allow better calibration of the screen brightness when automatic brightness has been selected.

Last year, I have tried out the S8 instead of the S8 plus, simply because both of these devices only came with a single camera lense. The S9+ now comes with a dual camera setup back camera with stunning results when taking pictures or videos, thanks to its new main dual aperature 12MP camera lense, capable of switching between f1.5 and f2.4. The secondary lense at the back is also 12MP with f2.4. Both of these lenses has Optical Image Stabilisers. It is a hardware stabiliser, unlike the new Sony XZ2, relying on Electronic Image Stabilisers which is software based. The S9+ could video up to 2k resolution at 60fps and it comes with a super slow motion mode. It allows users to take videos  up to 960fps at 720p resolution. Perhaps Samsung may want to improve on the super slow-mo and allow users to take slow-mo at 1080p in the near future. The secondary camera comes with a 8MP lense with f1.7 aperature and it supports autofocus and users can take videos up to 1440p at 30fps. Both primary and secondary lenses will support High Dynamic Range capture. The S9, on the other hand, will only have one 12MP primary camera with dual aperatures.

Samsung has decided to officially sell their S9+ in the UK that comes in 128GB of internal storage and 6GB of RAM. It is strange as they also sell 64GB and the 256GB version as well but they only sell the 128GB officially in the UK. That is pretty strange. I guess that it is their strategy of promoting the S9+ over the S9 as the S9 will only have 64GB of storage.

Navigation
One thing that I like Samsung phones so much is due to their willingness to support many GPS technologies. The S9+ is no different. The device support A-GPS, GLONASS(Russian GPS system), BeiDou (Chinese GPS system, and GALILEO (EU GPS system). Too bad as Samsung could have included QZSS (Japanese GPS system) but I dont' think that it is a problem as the system will soon be integrated into GALILEO. With four GPS systems located inside the S9+, it will give users a more accurate reading of their locations. This is great!

Good Points
For the past one month, I had the privilege to use the S9+ and I am finding it difficult to move back to the Apple Iphone anymore. This is because the device is jam-packed with features that is equipped with 2018 specifications. It comes with a rather curvy screen (Infinity Display) with good brightness. It allows users to see the screen under direct sunlight. Apart from that, the phone has improved Iris and facial scanner. I have tried it and I am happy with the improvements. However, I would not rely on it too much though. I am more comfortable with the finger print reader instead.

I also like the fact that the S9+ is water resistant (IP68) and it comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack! This is less getting popular as many modern devices have done away with a 3.5mm headphone jack (*cough* *cough* Apple). The 3500mAh battery can easily last me for one day with moderate usage. On the other hand, I do appreciate that Samsung has included a MicroSD slot to increase the internal storage. This is just nice as I have purchased a 128GB Samsung EVO Plus (Read Speed: Up to 100MB/s; Write Speed: Up to 90MB/s) to compliment the 128GB UFS 2.1 internal storage.

The S9+ runs on Samsung's own UI (Touchwiz) based on Android 8.0.0 Oreo. It is destined to receive Android 8.1 very soon. It supports Wifi calling and 4G calling (subjected to network settings). Apart from that, the bundled AKG tuned headphones is just marvellous! The sound quality on the supplied headphones is stunning, although the bass could have been more punchy but I am not going to complain. I am satisfied with the sound quality on the headphone provided. The stereo speakers on the S9+ is also an advantage to Samsung, simply because they failed to implement a pair of speakers on the S8/S8 plus devices. The S9/S9+ is a good buy with stereo speakers! I like the good sound range coming out from those two speakers on the S9+. I am impressed. Moreover, using navigation apps on the S9+ is a breeze. Locations will only take a brief moment to get locked on, much quicker than the S8 that I have used last year. I am also in favour of the fast charge and wireless charging! It will save me from the need to plug in the usb c cable to recharge the phone all the time. Potentially the usb c charging port will be preserved for longivity. Samsung has bundled a full usb A to usb C adaptor as well as a microUSB to usb c adaptor in the box itself. I like it!

Bad Points
There are several small issues that bugged me when I was using it as mt daily driver for the past one month. First of all, it is much better to use the phone with both hands as it is rather large. It is also slightly heavier at 189g. With my Ringke cover, it has increased the weight of the device to 195g. Certainly it is not light but it is acceptable, taking into account the screen size of the device and the heavier battery on the S9 plus. Secondly, it is not a cheap device. However, just give it 6 months and it will be more affordable. Thirdly, 4G calling is not possible if you have purchased a unit directly from Samsung. This is because 4G calling will only work if the firmware is network specific, i.e. if you are running on EE in the UK, you need to obtain an EE firmware. Otherwise 4G will not function. That is why there are many people who will sign up to a contract with network providers just to use 4G calling. The workaround is to flash the device with an official firmware from the network. However, you are running at a risk as Samsung would not accept any tempering with the device.

Overall
In summary, I have more love to the S9+ than doubts. I will certainly give it a thumbs up and I will use it as my daily driver. It is a marvellous piece of engineering. It shows that Samsung is listening to customer's feedback. I am quite happy because most of the mobile networks in the UK is optimised on an Android OS mobile phone and not on the iOS. I could be wrong but I have tried so many devices for the past few years and statistics would tell me that mobile networks in the UK is optimised for Android OS. I don't get signal problems when I am using the S9+ or any modern flagship mobile phones running on the Android OS but I do get signal issues when using an iphone device.       

3UK - Optimised for Android OS?

I have been using the mobile network 3 for more than ten years. During these ten years, I have been complaining a lot about their poor mobile network quality. I have always been using an Apple iphone as my daily driver. I seldom use an Android OS mobile phone for a long period.

For these ten years in the making, I have been frustrated with the poor quality signal that I have been receiving. I did not once suspect that the network is optimised for Android OS until recently.

For this test, I have used the iphone 6, 6s, 7, 8 (All designated for EU consumers) and compare it with Samsung Galaxy S7, S8 and S9 plus. All Samsung Galaxy phones are equipped with Samsung's own Exynos chipset and not chipsets from Qualcomm. I have only used one SIM card (with the appropriate adapters) from 3UK for all mobile phones that I have mentioned above. All tests were conducted from the same spot for ten minutes with me running Speedtest via Google Chrome browser on all mobile phones three times. I also made calls from one location to see whether the signal is stable or not.

From my observations, all iphones had the tendency to drop from 4G to 3G when trying to run Speedtest. Moreover, I can't make use of 4G Calling on the iphone 7 and iphone 8 despite the assurance by 3UK that it is available. I then realise that the reason for the inability of me to use the iphone 7 and iphone 8 to make 4G calls is due to the fact that the iphones are locked to LTE Band 3 (1800mhz) for most of the time. 4G calls are only available to 3UK consumers if the mobile device is locked to the LTE Band 20 (800mhz) frequency. 3UK customer services will tell you that your area is covered by HD Super Voice (It means that you can make 4G Calls) but they would not tell you that your mobile phone must be connected to LTE Band 20 to be able to enjoy HD Super Voice. In order for you to make use of HD Super Voice, you must also disable wifi. Please make sure that you have a valid SIM card. If you want to know more about which frequency your iphone is currently locked to, please follow the instruction by accessing the telephone dailer and type in the codes below:

*3001#12345#*

You will only be able to check the band frequency if you are running on 4G though. Once you have inserted the code above, you will have to follow the instruction below:

LTE > LTE Neighbor Cell Meas > freq_band_ind

Check on the number to the right of freq_band_ind. If you see 20, it means that you are locked to LTE Band 20 and HD Super Voice is available to you. If you see the number 3, it means that HD Super Voice will not be available to you.Please also make sure that Mobile Data is switched on and it involves data and voice. This can done via:

(a) Settings > Mobile Data > Mobile Data (switch it on); and

(b) Settings > Mobile Data > Mobile Data Options > Voice & Data

The trouble is that all iphones that I have tested were locked to LTE Band 3 for most part of the tests, although LTE Band 20 is "widely available" as what 3UK customer services have informed me about it.

Once I am satisfied with the tests that I have done, I turned over to test out Samsung mobile phones. I could have used other Android OS mobile phones but I have managed to acquire these few mobile phones to test. All Samsung mobile phones that I have mentioned above have been tested at the same location as the iphones with wifi switched off. 

Once you have done it, please go to the dailer and insert these codes:

*#0011#

Look under the second line within the SERVICEMODE and you will find a word called Band. Look at the number just beside the word Band. If it is 20, it means that HD Super Voice will be available but if it is 3, it means that HD Super Voice is not available on the 3UK network.

Often than not, HD Super Voice is always available on compatible Samsung devices but not iphone. Why would this be the case? I suspect that there are three possibilities:

(a) 3UK's software is not optimised to use on the iphone range;

(b) Iphones's software are not optimised to run on 3UK's masts; and

(c) Both (a) and (b).

In the end, I have to start using Android OS mobile phones to enjoy HD Super Voice offered by 3UK. I think that is the only solution.

Samsung Galaxy S6/Edge - A Short Review

By now, the Samsung Galaxy S6/Edge is no longer news anymore. You could see that Samsung have sold many of their latest flagship in the world and yet, they are still lagging behind Apple in terms of profits.

What is the secret ingredient?

Most probably it is down to (a) Reliable product; (b) Excellent customer service; and (c) Innovative.

Samsung have tried their level best to capture as many markets as possible but Apple seems to be trying to make as much money as possible with a strict budget.

Around six months ago, Samsung released their latest Galaxy S6 and the Galaxy S6 Edge for the first time. Many people were amazed at the curve screen on the s6 Edge and the new technology which came with the devices. After using both devices for a few months, these are the personal opinions of both the Samsung Galaxy S6/Edge:

Samsung Galaxy S6:

I am pretty chuffed at the in-house cpu/gpu chipset (Exynos 7420) from Samsung. If you remember, Samsung developed most of the major components in the device itself to minimise in using out-sourced materials (including memory and storage). The device comes with a primary 16MP camera with OIS on the device is the star attraction and a 5MP selfie camera. Apparently Samsung could not fabricate enough supply of their ISOCELL sensors for the primary camera. They have to rely on Sony. Honestly, the primary camera produced pretty good pictures as well as 4K recording, although you would have to scarify video stability and taking pictures which video recording if you proceed to record 4k videos. You would also need to bear in mind that 4k videos will consume lots of storage. I have recorded a few 4k videos and the quality is mind-blowing. It should not have any problem with storing a few 4k videos when you have 128GB internal storage.

On the other hand, the 5MP selfie camera is no slouch though. I am pretty impressed with some of the pictures as well as videos taken by the front camera.

Speaking about internal storage, Samsung have optimised the SGS6 for internal storage only. Gone are the days of the Galaxy range which one could install microSD card on it. It appears that it is the trend now with the release of the latest Galaxy Note 5. I don't really mind using a mobile phone without the microSD support because I know that the transferring speed of the SGS6 is fast and consistent as compared to using a microSD card. Unless one is using the Samsung Pro+ microSD card which has a maximum capacity of 64GB, you might find that the write speed as well as the reading speed is significantly reduced. Samsung has released the standard microSD card, EVO, EVO+, Pro, and the Pro+ for your liking. If you are interested in faster accessing speed, I would recommend the Pro. If you want the ultimate microSD offering from Samsung, get the Pro+. However, you need to bear in mind that the SGS6 will not accept any microSD card.

Apart from that powerful Exynos 7420 cpu, coupled with the fast Mali T760MP8 gpu, as well as the fast storage (read the short review by Chris Smith), I am also impressed with the beautiful 5.1" QHD Screen. You may have come across the 577ppi screen density but what it matters is that it is bright and it works beautifully under strong sunlight. It is, sometimes, better than some of the ClearBlack Display from Nokia. Obviously, one may argue that the ClearBlack Display from Nokia is not the latest technology but nevertheless, it is still one of the best screen technologies around. Samsung clearly done well in this area.

I am also impressed with the overall dimensions and build quality of the device although some may argue that it is difficult to repair. It is somehow true, taking into account that it comes with a sealed battery which is difficult to replace. One would need to remove the back cover and the mid frame to get through to the 2,550mAh battery. More importantly, the device comes with both front and back, glass panels, protected by Gorilla Glass 4. Personally, I did not try out whether the front or back glass panel will break easily since I am pretty careful with my devices. You could be the judge for yourselves (link 1, link 2, and link 3). I always have a protector case for the phone by Ringke. They will include a screen protector for the purchase with the phone cover. If you require better protection, perhaps a Zagg Invisible Shield screen protector for the SGS6 will be adequate.

Besides the above, I am also pretty happy with the physical home button on the phone itself. This is a trend to forgo the need of a physical button but Samsung have retained it. I congratulate Samsung for such feast.

I am not going to discuss about the Lollipop 5.1.1 OS in the SGS6 because there are improvements being made at this point. I don't have much problem with the OS apart from the fact that I could not uninstall all the bloatware that I don't need. I feel that Samsung should make it a point that such apps should be made optional where customers could uninstall them if they wish to do so.

What I like about the SGS6:

(a) Both cameras will produce good quality pictures as well as good videos;
(b) Comes with GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS and Beidou;
(c) It is equipped with the latest Exynos 7420 which is arguably the fastest chipset around, although Samsung is working on a chipset based on the Snapdragon 820;
(d) It has an IR blaster! Newer mobile phones e.g. Samsung Note 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ have omitted such function (Shame on you, Samsung);
(e) Perfect for one hand operation;
(f) Good voice quality when talking on the phone;
(g) The menu and the running of apps suffer no significant delays; and
(h) It is equipped with NFC and it supports fast charging 2.0 and wireless charging.

What I wish Samsung could have improved on the SGS6:

(a) Deploy firmware updates faster;
(b) Where is Android Pay at this moment when Apple Pay have been deployed? and
(c) Larger battery is required!




Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge:

There are not many differences between the SGS6 and the SGS6 Edge apart from the larger 2,600mAH battery on the SGS6 Edge and the curved screen. It also makes the SGS6 Edge lighter than the SGS6. Honestly, I don't feel comfortable in using the SGS6 Edge due to the fact that I am always afraid that the curved screen might get damaged easily. That was why I stick to the SG6 instead. You will definitely feel the weight difference when you are using the SGS6 Edge.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Review

Ever since Samsung has launched their phablet Samsung Galaxy Note, I have been interested in acquiring a phablet from Samsung. It did not happen until they released the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. My intention of writing up this article to look deeper into the hardware and the relationship between the hardware and the complimentary Android OS 4.4.2 Kitkat OS into the Samsung Galaxy Note 3[SM-N9005] (hereinafter SGN3). I will also be writing up in regard to the day-to-day userbility of the phablet.

What's Under the Hood

I am pretty impressed with the hardware of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. I am happy that Samsung has placed a 13MP camera at the back as well as a 2MP camera at the front for video conference or for taking selfie pictures. The 5.7" Super AMOLED capacitive screen with 386ppi is ever so responsive and it is being protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The device comes with microSD card support and for this review, I have used a Samsung Pro microSD card to conduct various tests. The Samsung Pro microSD allows a read speed of 70MB/s and a write speed of 20MB/s.

I am equally impressed with the 3GB RAM and the 32GB internal storage of the device. Please be careful as there are many versions of the device being sold in the UK so potential buyers will have to be careful before they make a decision to buy a SGN3. The list below will indicate the availability of the SGN3:

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SM-N9000 - With 3G connectivity;
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SM-N9002 - With 3G and dual SIM card support;
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SM-N9005 - With 3G and LTE; and
Samsung Galaxy Note 3 SM-N9009 - CDMA 2000.

The N9005 which I am using comes with LTE Cat4 download and upload with usb 3.0 support. The SGN3 uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 which runs at 2.3 Ghz and it is a quad core Krait 400 cpu. The SGN3 supports A-GPS and GLONASS for the Russian GPS and its SAR rating for use in the EU is 0.29 watt/kg when using it closed to a person's head and 0.36 watt/kg if worn on the body. It comes with an S pen which is highly sensitive.

Android 4.4.2 OS KitKat

When you purchased the SGN3, it will most probably be equipped with the Android 4.3 Jelly Bean OS. You will then be asked to update the OS to 4.4.2. I would suggest that users should update the OS first before installing any softwares on the device. Once you have updated the OS to 4.4.2, I would suggest that you should rest the phone and then you could start install your favourite apps on the device.

Advantages of using the SGN3

When you start using the SGN3, you might feel that the device is quite big in your hand. If that is the case, you could activate the phone's one-hand opetation within settings. This will enable users to execute a function by using one hand only. Users may also feel that the screen is a beauty. I am most impressed with the smoothness of the menu speed. The screen is readable under strong sunlight. You may also want to enable 'Developer options' via this way - Settings - General - About device. Once you are within 'Above device', please click many times on the 'Build number' until you are being told that 'Developer options' is available.

With the developer options, you could actually disable many animations to speed up the menu even further.

Besides that, I am also impressed with the performance of the 13MP digital camera. With the upgraded firmware to 4.4.2, I do not experience any lag when taking pictures. Moreover, with the video function, users can also enable the 'smooth recording' under 'recording mode' to enable 60fps recording. The result is ever so stunning! The pictures taken under normal sun light is ever so impressive, similarly with the video recording under normal sunlight. However, I think the Nokia Lumia 1020 produced better pictures and videos under low light. However, the Nokia Lumia 1020 suffered from 3 seconds delay in between taking pictures. The delay has been reduced to 2 seconds after the upgrade to Nokia Black. If you are an iphone user, you might find taking pictures or videos on the Nokia Lumia 1020 inconvenience. I hope that futher firmware updates on the Nokia Lumia 1020 will enable zero shutter lag on the Nokia Lumia 1020.

Despite many complaints about its inbuild wireless antenna performance, I do not find any problems when using it though. I like the fact that the SGN3 has many inbuild features eg: NFC, bluetooth 4.0 and other 2014 specifications, I have yet to try out many of its features except for Bluetooth 4.0. I am happy to report that the bluetooth 4.0 performed remarkably.

With the 5.7" inch screen, watching movies on the SGN3 is exceptionally marvellous. The screen is crisp and clear without any lagging. Moreover, the device supports many audio and video codecs. The speaker is good but I would recommend using a pair of loud speakers if you want to watch a movie on your desk with the phablet.

The removable 3200mAh battery has solid performance! Usually a single charge will allow me to use it for one day. This is good due to the fact that the screen on the SGN3 is huge!

I seldom use the S Pen so I could not really commend on it but it looks cool.

I can report that the day-to-day usage of the phone to receive and make calls is good. I don't have any problems with drop signals despite using SIM cards from many mobile network operators in the UK. The GPS lock is fast and I am equally impressed.

Disadvantages

While I have not encoutered any problems with the userbility when using the SGN3, I find that the phablet may be slightly too big to keep it in my back pocket. On the other hand, the weight of the phone at 168g is way heavier than the iphone 5s which I am so accustomed to. However, I find that the 168g is nothing compared to my good old Nokia E90 which is weighted at around 200g with cover.

Conclusion

I feel that Samsung has done a good job in producing the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. However, in anticipating the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 4 after the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S5 a week ago, I hope that the successor to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will include optical image stabilisation.

Keep up the good work, Samsung.

Nokia Lumia 1020 - Make or Break

Ever since the very first leak about the so called Nokia "EOS" being widely distributed across the internet, I have been fascinated by the hardware of the device. I want to witness myself during the launch of the "EOS" which is now known as the Nokia Lumia 1020 as I am really interested in the performance of the 41MP camera on the phone itself.

I gather that the initiative to launch a new 41MP camera device is nothing new to Nokia. If you noticed during the beginning of Steven Elop's address recently, he voiced out Nokia's innovation in creating good camera mobile phones which includes the Nokia N8, Nokia 808 Pureview and now the Nokia Lumia 1020.

Since the launch of the Nokia Lumia 1020 (hereinafter NL1020), many sample videos and still pictures have being uploaded onto Youtube. From my understanding, the six element Advanced Carl Zeiss lens 41MP camera is a serious threat to both the Apple Iphone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 range of mobile devices.

Traditionally, the camera function on the iOS is pretty slick as users can always experience zero lag shutter. There are still some lag on the Samsung Galaxy S4 despite the South Korean's beat effort in providing zero lag shutter speed. I believe that the NL1020 has the potential to chew away some of both Apple and Samsung's customer if users are longing to  use an alternative device to an SLR camera.

On paper, the NL1020 is superb. The hardware and the design of the mobile device is somehow similar to the Nokia Lumia 920 minus the weight (The NL1020 is slighter lighter) and the NL1020 comes with a huge camera lens. I will be very interested to get myself a Nokia Lumia 1020 for a spin since I am in the mood of taking pictures. The good news is that the NL1020 will be available in the UK via both 3UK and O2 beginning of September 2013. I guess it will be worth waiting for the device to be purchased in September 2013.

Let's face it - Nokia has the upper hand in relation to the camera device on a mobile device but Nokia is not alone in this area. There are many companies who are offering 13MP cameras on mobile phones which includes Samsung. I think consumers might just get themselves a NL1020 although it is not running on a quadcore cpu or even loaded with an Adreno 330 gpu. However, the device will come with 2GB RAM which is worth mentioning. Most probably the NL1020 will come with the next generation of Windows Phone 8 or WP 8.1.

I think Nokia should release the NL1020 to users within two weeks of launch as it will help the company to regain some market share. Otherwise Nokia might face their biggest threat from Apple when they launch their successor to the Iphone 5.

Good luck to Nokia.

Samsung Galaxy S4 I9502 (Dual Sim) Review

I have always been a fan of Apple since the inception of the Iphone 2G. However, time has come to move on from using the Iphone 5 since it is no longer my preferred choice for my daily use. This comes as no surprise because I am getting old and I could not rely on the small 4" screen on the Iphone 5. Please don't get me wrong as it is a formidable mobile phone. It will allow users to multitask and it has great features. Among them would be the great variety of apps and also the user friendliness of the iOS. Coupled with the soon to be launched iOS 7 to the mass public, it will certainly capture more customers.

However, I need a change at this point in time. This is crucial because I want to have the ability to insert two sim cards on a mobile phone itself without compromising the great functionality of a mobile phone. From the past, we have many dual sim mobile phones manufactured by Samsung, Nokia, HTC and Alcatel but it does not provide the state-of-the-art functions eg: 8MP digital camera with 441ppi resolution screen. One could argue that HTC has just released a dual sim version of their highly popular HTC One and it will be sold in many countries including Russia.

It is understood that the HTC One is one of the best mobile phones in the 2013 era. This mobile phone supports the LTE and it has a pair of stereo speaker. Apart from that, the UI is smooth and it is just about the right weight although it has its share of problems. I like the exceptionally good 4MP digital camera which HTC could have improved on the hardware of the digital camera.

The Nokia 920 is another good contender. It has a beefy battery and comes with Windows Phone 8. I have posted an article evaluating the quality and the friendliness in using the Nokia 920. The only possible criticism with the Nokia 920 is with the size and weight of the device. It is bulky and it reminds me of the Nokia E90 which I've used a good few years ago. The Nokia 920 supports LTE and comes with lots of modern era features including NFC. However, it should be taken into account that there is no external memory slot so users will only be able to utilise the in build 32GB of memory which is sufficient. I don't think the Nokia 920 will be suitable for me due to the weight of the device.

I then sat down and think of a formidable device which will be suitable for me and I will be able to keep it for a little longer than most of the mobile device which I have used before. I then started thinking of Samsung with their newly launched Samsung Galaxy S4. The problem with the Samsung Galaxy S4 is that it comes with many variations. The only Samsung Galaxy S4 (SGS4) variation which is available in the UK only comes with 16GB of internal storage. Moreover, users will only have less than 10GB out of the 16GB storage space to use due to the pre-installed softwares. Having said that, Samsung has just issued a firmware update to address this problem but it will only be available to the I9505 variation for this moment.

The updated firmware seemed to have allow users to install their apps on the external memory card but nonetheless, it is not acceptable. Many mobile phone users like me would have to resort to buying mobile phones online in order to obtain a 32GB or even a 64GB version of the SGS4.

Besides that, I would also require dual sim support on the mobile phone. It seems that the I9502 variant will suit me well so I've managed to secure a 32GB SGS4 I9502 from China since it is only available in China.

The I9502 is a serious contender to the Iphone 5. It has a bigger 5" screen on the SGS4 and it supports dual sim although the second sim slot will only support GSM and not 2G or 3G frequencies. Nonetheless, I have the opportunity to use only one mobile phone instead of having two mobile phone with me at all time.

The I9502 is similar to the I9500 variant as it uses the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa 5410 chip. Apart from the variation from the I9500, the other difference will be in the form of its OS. This is because the I9502 is exclusive to China Unicom so it does not include Google Store but rather China Unicom's own webstore. Apart from that, it also includes Samsung App. Many users of the I9502 have tried to install Google Store on their I9502 devices without any success.

What is required of a I9502 user to install Google Store on their devices will be the need to obtain the latest firmware from samfirmware.com. Once a user has secured the latest firmware, it will be useful to download Odin 3.07 and to obtain the files to Root the I9502. You will be able to retrieve the files and specific instructions to Root the I9502 here. You would also require the Google app file which you can download from here.

It is fairly easy to install Google Store but you need to understand that I bear no responsibility if it bricks your mobile phone. In addition to that, I would also advise I9502 users to back up their ROM before doing the following procedure.

The steps to install and run Google Store successfully is fairly simple. All you need to do is to point your browser here to go through the steps in order to successfully install Google Store. You need to bear in mind that you need to use Google Translate to translate the website language from Thai to your desired language. Apart from that, it will be as easy as ABC.

I have to comment that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a worthy contender. It has a superb 13MP digital camera. It has a good sized battery and it is light! I did not use many of its in-build features eg: S Beam and S Voice as I do not require such function.

Good luck have a good time!

Update:

19 June 2013

I am in no position in trying to make use of the many advanced features of the SGS4 including air view because I find it a hassle to do so. I think Samsung would have to provide future firmware updates to enhance their capabilities. Apart from that, I am quite happy with the device.

At this moment in time, there is a new firmware for the I9502 which users could obtain it from samMobile here. I have managed to flash the new firmware and it has increased the phone's internal storage. However, it will not upgrade your I9502's baseband. I am still trying to silent the camera sound on the I9502 without any joy.

26 June 2013

After using the I9502 for nearly two weeks, I can confirm that I am impressed with the device. Many people have criticised the device for the lack of LTE but they have to understand that the device is exclusive to China Unicom and they have not released the 4G service in China. There is no use of installing an LTE radio on the I9502. 

I hope that China Unicom will release an updated firmware which will allow I9502 users to transfer installed apps from the internal memory to the external memory card soon.

12 July 2013

I am satisfied with the performance of the I9502. I am most happy with the fact that I do not need to carry two mobile phones. I hope that China Unicom will release an updated firmware to address the possibility of installing apps on the memory card soon.

Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE - I9305

If you are excited with the launch in New York on 14 March 2013 for Samsung's flagship Samsung Galaxy S4, you will be thrilled, at least, for now, with the Samsung Galaxy S3. If you think that the S3 is just plain, what about the upgraded S3 with 4G radio then?

The standard Galaxy S3 comes with lots of goodies including a 4.8" Super AMOLED screen and 8MP camera at the back and a 1.9MP camera at the front. It comes with a removable 2100mAh battery with NFC installed on the battery itself. The S3's hardware is quite new as it packs a quadcore 1.4Ghz and lots of 2012 hardware specification. With the purchase of an S3, a user will have up to 50GB usage of dropbox for two years for free. This is a bargain. I'm more interested in the satellite navigation as it comes with A-GPS and GLONASS. Best of all, the SAR UK is just 0.24 W/kg (head)! I'm truly amazed as not even Nokia can pull this off! I can remember that the Nokia Lumia 920 was more than 1W/kg! The screen is protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass II and it runs on the Android 4.1.2 OS at the time of writing this article.

The TouchWiz UI on the S3 is smooth and I have no complaints.

What about the S3 LTE then?

The Samsung Galaxy S3 LTE is definitely a step up from the normal S3. The difference between the S3 and the S3 LTE is minimal but nonetheless it is worth mentioning. Apart from the difference in the chipset of the S3 LTE which incorporates an LTE chipset, it comes with 2GB ROM instead of the standard 1GB ROM. Since I have the S3 LTE, it will be a good point to try out the 4G radio on the phone. I've managed to collect an average download speed of 45MB/s and an upload speed of 35MB/s in London so it is pretty good considering that the average 3G download speed is around 8MB/s and 1.5MB/s upload.

I'm not too happy with the 2100mAh battery as I need to recharge the phone once every day with Skype and the weather always working at the background. I was thinking of getting a beefier battery for the S3 LTE. Well, I've got a 3000mAh battery from Samsung the other day and guess what? I could stay on for two more days with the new 3000mAh battery! One downside to it is that the weight of the phone will increase from approximately 131g to around 145g but it feels good in my hand. This could never be compared to the Nokia Lumia 920 which I had before as it was pretty heavy.

In conclusion, the S3 LTE packs a punch with the 3000mAh extended battery from Samsung. if you are wondering whether I will be getting the S4, I would say no as I don't think a phone with a 5" screen is worth buying since I already have the S3. Maybe it will be a good idea to give it a pass until the next year when Samsung release a successor to the S4.

Samsung Galaxy S3 3000mAh Extended Battery

If you own a Samsung Galaxy S3 (Irrespective of whether it is a LTE or non LTE version) and you find that the battery could do a better job, you might just be in luck. This is because Samsung has released a 3000mAh battery for the Samsung Galaxy S3 (SGS3). Samsung called it the "Extended Battery Kit" instead.

You could get a piece of it from Amazon or eBay and it will most probably cost you around £30. The whole package will include a back cover for the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the 3000mAh battery which has NFC embedded on the battery itself.

My first impression of the battery and the back cover is that the SGS3 has gained around 20g but I think it is acceptable. With the 3000mAh battery, the back cover is smooth and it does not show sign of an extended battery has been fitted so kudos to Samsung.

With the extra 900mAh, the battery could last me for another day which is really good. I feel that the extra 900mAh is worth the money and it makes the SGS3 more sturdy too so I'm quite happy with the performance of the extra capacity battery so far.

Update:

19 June 2013

Please let me know if anyone is interested in acquiring the extended battery as it has no use for me now since I have upgraded to SGS4. I am willing to sell it for £20 including postage to EU countries. Please leave a message for me if you are interested.

Samsung Galaxy S IV - Worth the Wait?

I keep myself busy in reading e-books but nonetheless, I am overjoyed to have stumbled upon a leaked information regarding the upcoming Galaxy S IV. Mind you, I am a fan of Samsung as of late. I think I am going through a phrase whereby I'm pretty sick and tired of the Iphone as it is similar to the predecessors while the Nokia is trying to do some serious catch up. Mind you, the Iphone 5 is a good piece of hardware. Coupled with the stunning and superb iOS 6, the stability and speed of the menu will keep many people happy and consumers will be very willing to pay more for an Iphone 5.

Apart from that, consumers have lots of choices when it comes to the apps on the iOS. Nobody will be able to deny that Apple has the most apps available for consumers to download at this moment. In addition to that, the front 1.3MP camera on the Iphone 5 does very good indeed under low light too. The only complain which I have is the screen size on the Iphone 5. It is nothing compared to the modern 2012 specification flagship mobile phones. Does it justify to buy an Iphone 5? Most probably yes. This is because the Iphone 5 would retain its value for at least 60% even you have used it for more than 6 months. 

On the other hand, the Nokia flagship, ie: Nokia Lumia 920, is heavy and loaded with Windows Phone 8 (WP8). While it is not the best looking phones around, it is one of the best featured WP8 phones around. I am truly impressed with the 4.5" screen with ClearBlackDisplay and High Definition plus and the 8.7MP digital camera with Pureview function. I am just not used to such a heavy phone as I have lost touch with the Nokia E90 for more than two years now. Presently, you can purchase a Nokia Lumia 920 for around £350 SIM FREE.

Samsung, on the other hand, is on the driving seat for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S IV (SGS4)which will be launched on 14 March 2013 in New York. Presumably it has a 4.99" screen and all the specified hardware and software which were announced lately, I don't think I will stick to the SGS4 as it is just too big. While I can justify to have a 4.8" screen, having a 5" screen is just too big. I am only concern with the size of the screen which looks crazy when you are on the phone without using a headset. 

If the leaked information is true, it will mean that the SGS4 has the best specification on a mobile phone until now. Perhaps Apple will be cooking a customised ARM processor next?

Update:

19 June 2013

We now know that the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a formidable device. Samsung has just announced the Samsung Zoom and they might be releasing a Snapdragon 800 variant of the SGS4. I just could not wait to see the outcome when it is launched. It is also interested to know that Samsung will be releasing the next generation Samsung Galaxy range of mobile phones to include LTE- Advanced technology. I just could not wait for the launch of their new mobile devices!

25 June 2013

The Samsung Galaxt S4 LTE-A is launched in South Korea!!!

Iphone 5 - Reinvention or Uninspiring

At this time of posting, it will be understood that many people would have read the review about the latest incarnation by Apple to introduce the new Iphone 5 to the public. The new Iphone 5 is priced from £529 (I would assumed that it will be the 16GB version) and it is £30 more expensive than the 16GB Iphone 4s last year although Apple have maintained that the price is the same for both Iphone 4s and 5.

I would not bore you guys with the specifications of the new Iphone 5 as you could click here to have a look at its specifications. The major difference between the outgoing Iphone 4s and Iphone 5 is the later sport a bigger 4" IPS Retina screen with a different design dock connector which Apple labelled it as "Lightning". I suppose Apple want to introduce a slimmer chasis by doing so. Apart from that, the heart of the Iphone 5 is a complete customed A6 cpu with quadcore gpu provided by PowerVR? It also come with 4G or LTE for many countries including the UK. The Iphone 5 will support dualband wifi and stereo wireless bluetooth. The chasis is now slimmer but taller and yet, lighter. The back camera is the same as installed on the Iphone 4s but slimmer. It will be pre-installed with iOS 6. The front camera has now being upgraded to support 720p recording and it comes with 16/32/64GB variant similar to the Iphone 4s.

Personally, I have nothing against Apple in respect of them introducing the Iphone 5. I find that the Iphone 5 is "innovative" but lacked "punch". First of all, existing dock connecters will have to use a separate adapter for the Iphone 5 so it will mean more money would have to be spent to use the Iphone 5. Secondly, the screen size is still quite small as compared to the Samsung Galaxy S3 and we do not know the battery size until it is being sold. I would presumed that the battery will be much bigger taking into account the LTE chip inside. I would not be surprised if the Iphone 5 will not be able to survive the durability test.

Apart from that, the 16GB variant cost £529 while the 32GB will be £599 and the 64GB will be priced at £699. If one needs 64GB, it will be better for him/her to get a SGS3 16GB and buy a 64GB SDXC memory card which the memory card will only cost around £50. Since the SGS3 16GB cost around £420, the total price for the phone and the memory card will sum up to £470 which is far from the asking price of the Iphone 5 at £699.

Last but not least, the iOS is well known to be a closed system and yet it is quite secured. However, taking into account the cheapest SIM free Iphone 5 will cost £529, it will most probably stop people from buying it out right but "chained" to a 24 months, 18 months or 12 months contract.

If you ask me whether I will change my mind in getting the Iphone 5 instead of continue using the SGS3, I will stick to the SGS3 as I will give the Iphone 5 a miss this time.

Samsung Galaxy S III - An Overview

As you  might take note, the Samsung Galaxy S III (SGS3) has taken the world by storm. Not only has it beat Apple 4s' pre-order in the UK (I9300) but it has managed to sell 20 million worldwide only after 100 days. The device has received wide praises without any known problems. Best of all, it comes with Ice Cream Sandwich a.k.a. Andriod 4.0 OS from stock. This is a remarkable figure considering the fact that Samsung took nearly one year to release the SGS3. The question to ask is whether Samsung will be able to take the beating when the purported Iphone 5 when it is going to launch on 12 September 2012 in the USA.

Frankly, it does not really matter at this stage because the competition between Samsung and Apple will only get better as the time goes by. One can remember the recent debacle when Samsung lost to Apple in the USA and in return, Apple is seeking almost US$1 billion as compensation but Samsung fared better in Tokyo and also in South Korea. Personally, this feud will not end here but it might cause a domino effect on Apple's relationship with Samsung.

History will reveal that Apple rely heavily on Samsung to produce display, cpu/gpu and memory chipset for its Iphone range since its inception. However, with the recent battle in the court around the world, it has come to a crossroad where Apple has started to diversify its source of components, resulting in buying less from Samsung. It might be a problem for Samsung because Apple is their main customer for memory chip but Samsung does not need to worry because other memory supplier might not be able to produce "Just in Time" or as quickly as Samsung so Apple may still need to rely on Samsung in the end.

One may argue that Apple is jealous of Samsung's fame in releasing the SGS3 but one principle remains: Samsung is copying Apple without paying Apple and that is what Apple is not happy with. There are many commentaries regarding the battle between two giants but it all boils down to one single factor - patent. Samsung is arguing that if Apple were to win, they will wipe out other competitors and it is not good for consumers.

If one were to pause and look at the brilliant SGS3, he/she will immediately fall in love with it. Personally, Samsung has made the right choice in releasing the Iphone 4s/5 killer a.k.a SGS3 a good four months before the release of the Iphone 5 in September 2012. In doing so, Samsung has the upper hand. Apple, on the other hand would have to rely on the support of Apple's diehard fans. Many critics have suggested that Apple's next generation Iphone will beat Samsung's feast but we should see when the time comes.

The love for the SGS3 comes as no surprise for many people. First of all, it has a large 4.8" Super AMOLED screen with Corning Gorilla Glass 2. The screen is vibrant and it weighs 133g with a fully loaded radio chip to include LTE for certain countries and NFC. The battery is beefy at 2100mAh and it accepts microSD cards up to 64GB. Bear in mind that 64GB memory cards are called microSDXC. It will be very useful for users of the SGS3 to purchase at least a class 10 memory card to ensure that data access is fast.

If one is so used to the Apple Iphone 4s, he/she will be happy to know that the 4.8" screen is exceptionally clear and bright. One could adjust the contrast of the phone which you could not do so with the Iphone. Even the purported Iphone 5 comes with a 4" screen so it is "less able" than the mighty SGS3.

Personally, I have no issues with the SGS3 at this moment. There are two universal advantages of the SGS3 over the Iphone 4s: its signal quality and also the SAR value. If you noticed, the signal quality of the SGS3 is significantly better than the Iphone 4s and the SAR value of the SGS3 is significantly lower than the Iphone 4s even though the SGS3 incorporates an LTE chip. Usually the Iphone 4s will register a full 2G on the Iphone 4 but with the SGS3, it register a 3bar/5bar 3G signal! Can you see the difference? The SGS3 has lower SAR value than the Iphone 4s which is good; it has better signal quality than the Iphone 4s which is pretty good and it does not cost as much as the Iphone 4s! Best of all, the SGS3's S Voice will help the user and not limited to the USA, so unlike the Iphone.

However, there are may people who will sit and wait for the release of the Iphone 5 before making a move to choose either the new Iphone or get the SGS3 but I'd take chances on the SGS3 instead.

Update:
15 September 2012 - There is a slight issue with the SGS3's camera. The videos produced were really washed out even though I have tried to change the settings. Maybe I am just too used to the colours on the Iphone but I am not giving up. I really hope that the Jelly Bean update next month will include the camera fix.

Samsung Galaxy Gio

I did have a chance to review the Samsung Galaxy Gio lately when I flashed the phone's firmware from 2.2 to 2.3.4. On the 2.2 version itself, the menu speed was pretty slow and I was surprised that the owner of the phone is happy with the phone! Most probably he is not interested in getting newer firmware until his apps kept on crashing.

Oh well, I do find the Samsung Galaxy Gio is a good backup phone to use. I am saying this is because it has all the 2010 specification (single core 800mhz cpu) with a reasonable 3.15MP camera with autofocus (Why can't Nokia release their new phones with autofocus?).

The Gio is light and it supports 3G apart from the normal quad band GSM frequencies. For a mere £150, it supports wifi, bluetooth and A-GPS!!! That is so good on Samsung's part, don't you think so? I feel that Samsung is fast gaining on the smartphone segment and I would not doubt their capabilities!

After flashing the unit to 2.3.4, the menu speed is much faster and I don't encounter any crashing of the existing apps on the phone itself. I have to say that the phone is pretty light! ( don't you think that Samsung seems to be on the lighter side these days especially with the Samsung Galaxy S2?)

I think for the given price and the specification, it is a worthy contender to many Nokia phones out there. I just don't understand those designers at Nokia are thinking of. I hope that they will be able to release better models soon.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Gio is a good mid range mobile device. Its SAR is low (less than 1w/kg). RF quality is top notch so there is no problem with it. Don't expect this phone to shoot HD videos as it will only manage VGA resolution. It's a shame that the phone does not support video calling. Oh well, if it supports video calling, it would not be a backup phone then, isn't it?

2011 Will be an Interesting Year for the Mobile Industry

From my point of view, 2011 will be a year of quadcore firepower on high end mobile devices in the market. As we progress through dualcore cpu + gpu this year, next year will see that most of the high end mobile devices will be better spec.. In doing so, it will definitely speed up on the time of waiting and it will definitely add value to a consumer's experience.

What does it mean for companies? When we are talking big about quadcore cpu + gpu, it would mean that companies would have to release in big quantities of a multicore cpu + gpu to speed on up processing time. Besides that, I could imagine watching 1080p videoes will be easier.

At this very moment, the best dualcore mobile device that we could buy is the Samsung Galaxy S II. I am sure that there will be better mobiel devices out there but this is the best money can buy at the moment. I have read on the internet that the company is going to release the Galaxy S III next year. It might include quadcore cpu + gpu and NFC hardwired onto the mobile device!

While quadcore cpu + gpu is good progress, we must not forget about the software developers. There is no point of having a blazing good hardware but it does not have good software support! One good example will be the OS itself. Android OS is quite advanced in the sense that it is a multicore platform. We need more software developers to utilise the many cores of the mobile device. Otherwise it would be a waste of space!

Apart from that, it is important to have good battery power. What I am trying to point out is that it is important for manufactures to release a mobile device which could at least allow the battery to last for a single day under heavy usage. This would mean having thinner but better capacity battery. I do hope that Nokia will be able to install their famous 1500mAh battery onto each and every high end phones as it will definitely help in reducing the number charging cycles. I was really disappointed with their Nokia N8 as it was only equipped with a 1200mAh battery! It was suppost to last around 400 hours on standby (on 3G) but to me, it only last for around three days!!! Eventually I had to abandon the N8 after the PR 1.2 kept on crashing expecially after taking a few pictures and the need to recharge the phone twice a day under light usage.

I am using a Samsung Galaxy S II at the moment. I do have Skype running at the background all the time 24/7 on 3G and a single charge would last me for at least a day. I do not need to bring my charger along whever I go, so much better than the times where I had the Nokia N8. Without a shadow of a doubt, the N8's camera lens is still superior to many, including the Samsung Galaxy S II. I think Samsung needs to improve on the camera software.

In the end, good luck to them! As for consumers, we will have more choice next year! We will see watching closely with the launch of Windows 8 for tablets next year...

Samsung P1000 Galaxy Tab

I was given the opportunity to have a look at the P1000 Samsung Galaxy Tab for a few days. It was already running on the Android 2.1 and the owner was keen to have the firmware upgraded to 2.2.It was rather difficult for him to do so because there is no firmware upgrade option on his Galaxy Tab (strange but true).

To start off with, I do feel strange holding on to a 7" tablet and making calls. The Galaxy Tab, by no means small for a person holding on to it. I think it is only good if the user were to use a bluetooth headset for making or receiving calls - It will not be weird then. The screen is capacitive and runs smooth even with the Android 2.1 firmware. I have no problem with it.

Apart from that, it is powered by a 1Ghz ARM A8 single core cpu and a PowerSGX 530 gpu. It supports flash and it is also equipped with a front 1.3MP camera and a back 3.15MP autofocus digital camera with an LED flash. Apart from that, it has bluetooth and supports quadband GSM and 3G. Users would have to differentiate it with the P1010 as the P1010 does not come with radio support for voice calls.

In that two days of trying, I have been able to upgrade the firmware to 2.2 and it is beautiful! The internal 16GB storage and 512MB of RAM is sufficient for everyday use. In fact, I think web browsing is good too! I have tried watching 1080p videos on youtube and it can run but the graphics were choppy. Besides that, the device is considerably light at 385g.

So far I do not have any problems with the Galaxy Tab. However, I would hope that Samsung will release a dualcore Galaxy Tab 10.1 with 3G but no voice communication soon. Battery life on the P1000 is pretty solid at one day of moderate usage.

Given the fact that the Galaxy Tab P1000 is now being sold at £256 online (brand new), I see no reason why people should wait for the Tab 10.1 though. However, we have to take into account that there are other alternatives to the Galaxy Tab, noticeably the Apple Ipad 2 and the Motorola Xoom which both have more capabilities than the P1000. It is all up to a buyer to choose... I would wait for the Ipad3...

Samsung Galaxy S II

I am convinced that by the time you read this article, the internet would.be flooded with reviews about.the newest member of the S series - The Samsung Galaxy S II. However, I am here to give an account of my experience with this mobile device.

From my findings, the S II concept was released back in February 2011 and it was stated to break the monopoly of the Iphone. Fast forward three months later, the S II had over 3 million pre-order worldwide. Well, can it beat the Iphone 4 in that category?

The Iphone 4 is quite different from the Samsung Galaxy S II. First of all, the technology of the Iphone 4 is rather outdated. It comes with a single core A4 cpu and it has 512MB RAM and you could choose either 16/32 GB version which comes in either black or white. I don't see.why people are so hyper about the launch of the white colour of the Iphone 4 when the upcoming Iphone 5 is around the corner!

I think the down fall of the Iphone will be the unavailability of an external storage for the iphone and the restricted ecosystem. We would have to watch out for the launch of the Iphone 5 soon.

On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S II is a serious contender for the Iphone range. It has a bigger screen at 4.3 inch which uses Super AMOLED Plus technology and comes with an onboard 16GB memory for storage! It has 1GB of RAM and it is less than 0.9cm thick!!! The best part is that it comes with a 1650mAh battery!

The device supports quadband GSM and UTMS and it comes with a front facing 2.0MP camera. The camera at the back is a 8MP autofocus lens with flash! Apart from that, it has all the usual specifications of a 2011 mobile device. I have to say that the Samsung Galaxy S II is worth buying at the moment. It has all the qualities which you would expect from a reputable manufacturer like Nokia but instead I have found it in Samsung and not Nokia. It is a shame as I might be homing towards the Nokia E6 later.

In the mean time, the Samsung Galaxy S II is the mobile device for me. It has everything that a geek would want - flexibility in the Android 2.3.3; 8MP autofocus digital camera capable of shooting 1080p videos at 30fps; 4.3" super screen; a brilliant 1650mAh battery which last me more than 24 hours on a single charge which I would never be able to do so on the Nokia N8; usb on the go and so on.

However, there is something which I don't like about the Samsung Galaxy S II. I don't like the virtual QWERTY keyboard as it is not as accurate as the iOS... Perhaps Samsung software engineers would be able to release a fix. At this moment, the Anna OS from Nokia is just a hype as it has yet to materialise - Look at other manufacturers like HTC and Samsung - They are looking at quadcore cpu in the near future!!! Where is Nokia at this moment? It is rumoured that they are going to release their very first dualcore cpu mobile device. I hope that they will release the mobile device soon or else they will be left behind!

Nokia still has a thrump card - Their 12MP Carl Zeiss autofocus wide angle digital camera on the Nokia N8 is still the best in its class. I would just wish that Samsung will be able to emulate Nokia's success. Long live technology!!!

Perfect Mobile Device

It has been said that technology will always be on the move and there is nothing to stop it from improving. I have to agree with the statement. If you could recall ten years ago, nobody would have thought about using computers fitted with quad core cpu or even dual core gpu! Well, it has since moved on. Similarly, it goes the same to mobile device too. It all started off with Motorola's chunky mobile phone and then Nokia took over with their 'Matrix' style mobile phone. Not long after that, we had a fierce battle between Motorola and Nokia. Nokia seems to have won the race until Apple came along which changed the whole scenario.

These day, we are talking about dual core cpu on a mobile phone e.g. LG Optimus 2X, Samsung Galaxy S II and the Motorola Atrix. These dual core mobile phones are equipped with up-to-date gpu to speed up games and play demanding 1080p video files. The only question remain - which is the best?

Let's start off with Motorola. Ever since the mobile arm was separated from its parent company, they are moving towards the positive direction. They enjoy good mobile phone sales throughout the world and nothing is going to stop them from progressing. I believe that it is time for them to release better mobile phones to compete with other manufacturers like HTC and Apple. Recently they have released the Motorola Atrix which will allow customers to attach the mobile phone to a netbook. Users will be able to access their Atrix using the Motorola dock station. I like it! However, the attached software is nowhere flexible as you are chained by Google. Besides Atrix, one worthy mobile phone to mention is the Motorola Defy. It is a rugged mobile phone but lacked proper software to run the mobile phone so it is not so perfect then. I would give it a pass for Motorola unless you are well verse with Google.

Moving on to HTC. The company is making lots of profit lately as they have been releasing lots of new mobile device by the month! This is just fantastic! However, it is not all bed of roses as their mobile phones are marred by tiny speakers and bad battery life, not to mention the Android OS which is bound by Google. I'll give it a pass even though their first dual core cpu mobile phone will be release very soon.

What about Samsung then? Samsung is a good brand but their proprietary OS e.g Bada needs more fine tuning. To be fair, they have good hardware but short of good software to run it. In the end, you would have to give up apart from having the Samsung Galaxy S II! The beast is worth while using it as it is fast and furious and it does not break your hand (it is light). It has everything you need and it runs on the latest Android OS. Wonderful! Apart from Samsung Galaxy S II, I don't think there is a worthy mobile phone unless you are talking about the Samsung Wave II.

What about Vodafone then? Hum... I will give it a pass. ZTE? Well, I would try ZTE Blade or the Orange San Francisco as a back up mobile phone. It is cheap and cheerful at £99 on Pay as you go.

Nokia? Well, they have a fantastic PC Suite and free Ovi maps of the world; fantastic hardware especially on the Nokia N8 with 12MP digital camera but they have not release any mobile device with dual core cpu!!! What is going on with Nokia? Moreover, their Symbian ^3 OS should have an update to "Anna" a.k.a. PR 2.0 but it has yet to materialise via a Nokia updater. Shame on you Nokia!

Last but not least, we have Apple. It comes as no surprise as the Apple Iphone 4 is the benchmark of all mobile phones. This is because the iOS is stable and fast! It is only an disappointment on their restrictive file system and the not-so-good 5MP camera where it is nowhere near the quality of the Nokia N8. Kudos to the Apple team for releasing a good product every time!

Well, will there be a perfect mobile phone? I don't think so...

Samsung GT-B7722

Have you ever thought of using two SIM cards at the same time? Well, if you have thought about it, you may want to think about the Samsung GT-B7722. Until now, mobile phones which supports dual SIM cards are made popular with Chinese and Russian manufacturers. It is safe to assume that Samsung is the leader in manufacturing dual standby mobile phones. Previously we had the D780, then the B5722 and now the B7722.

You may want to ask - "What is so special about the B7722?"

Well, to begin with, Samsung is clever to improve on its dual SIM card mobile phone. With the B7722, the first SIM slot is not only supporting GSM, it is also 3G enabled (supporting WCDMA 2100 only). Both SIM cards are on standby at the very same time and the user could receive and make calls on both SIM cards.

Besides that, the B7722 is also Wifi capabled and it comes with the usual bluetooth and 5MP autofocus digital camera. I am pretty impressed with the B7722 at this very moment. Users of the B7722 can also take standard 0.3MP videos and make VGA video calls! That is so cool, don't you think so? Apart from that, the B7722 user can also increase its memory storage to 16GB with the help of a microSD card. I would recommend Scandisk or Kingston in this case.

Some of you might be asking me whether the OS is responsive. I have to say that there are no significant lag in the menu speed but the browser might be a slight problem. I am saying this is because even though the browser supports flash, loading time is quite slow. It is so much different if you were to use an Iphone 4 or a Nokia N8. I wish that Samsung will improve on its browser performance via an OTA update soon.

When you are using the Samsung B7722, you do feel special. Do you know why? It is one of the very first dual SIM mobile phones to support 3G on it. Battery life is quite good even though it is running on two SIM cards. I would only need to recharge the phone on every alternate days (The Samsung B7722 comes with a 1200mAh battery). I think this is so much better as compared to the Iphone 4 (which comes with a 1420mAh battery) as I do always have to recharge the Iphone 4 every night or sometimes after 8 hours!

Since I am quite particular with the SAR, I have to give the Samsung B7722 a full 5 star. Do you know why? The SAR on the B7722 is only rated at 0.7W/kg at most! It is just fantastic, don't you think so? It puts RIM's Blackberry to shame!

I do feel good when I am using it even though the screen is resistive and it is only 3.2", unlike the Iphone and the N8. Nevertheless, it is light and easy to use. The only major drawback from using the Samsung B7722 is that it does not come with A-GPS. If you want to use Satellite Navigation, you would have to use an external bluetooth GPS or get yourself a TomTom or a Garmin Nuvi instead. Some people would prefer that it comes with everything... Well, you can't have everything though!

Update:

Criticisms

I gave up on the Samsung just after a short while. Do you know why? The main reason is that the UI is not user friendly at all! First and foremost, I can't type properly. When I use the landscape mode, the virtual QWERTY keyboard is just too tiny to work on. Samsung also did not provide a stylus pen to help users to overcome the problem. Secondly, the browser is a no no. It is running on 1.6 Dolphin! I have tried to use Kies to update the firmware, it does not allow me to do so.

Worst of all, Samsung app market is incompatible with the Samsung B7722! How great is that? There is no compatible skype apart from the in build Facebook and MSN Messenger app. I have tried using Skype Lite but it will charge me for incoming call, unlike using any Symbian s40 devices from Nokia where users will not be charged for incoming call.

Apart from the above criticisms, I still can't access to full flash. I think Samsung is making a big mistake by not improving on its firmware. The phone is good in the sense that you can use two SIM cards at the same time but the firmware is far from perfect. Perhaps Samsung should follow the footsteps of Android by releasing new firmware so often.

In essence, the Samsung B7722 is a good phone but a big let down in its firmware. I will most probably stick to the good old Nokia N8 instead.

Apple Ipad Review

Ever since the launched of the new Apple Ipad 2 in the United States, many people are looking forward to buying the new toy from Apple. Not everyone is keen in getting the new Ipad 2 as it will be more expensive than the original Ipad when it is being launched on 25 March 2011. In doing so, I've managed to secure an Apple Ipad myself for a test drive.

The unit which I'm using at the moment is the 16GB version with wi-fi and 3G. Here is a short review of the original Ipad:

Hardware
The Ipad is fully featured with a 9.7" capacitive screen which supports 16M colours. I do find the screen to be perfectly legible under direct sunlight. I've also tried out the 3G service from 3UK. I have to say that there are times where it showed full bar 3G on the Ipad but I could not surf the internet at all. I have come to a conclusion that it is all due to the problem with 3UK and nothing to do with the 3G hardware on the Ipad. The reason given is I've inserted the same micro SIM into an Iphone and I could not surf the internet even though it was showing a full bar 3G. I then made a quick call to 3UK regarding the matter. The service office at 3UK did not acknowledge anything wrong with their network but instead sighting the problem on the Ipad.

*sigh* ( How can you improve the quality of 3UK's customer service? They are going from bad to worst.)

Apart from that, the bluetooth works fine and the A-GPS worked all right. So far there is no problem with the hardware. I'm quite impressed with the smoothness of the screen and the thickness of the Ipad itself although you can counteract me by saying that it is even lighter on the Ipad 2. I do understand that but with the Ipad, it is making itself known. It has some weight on it and you do feel that its existence. Perhaps Apple could make the next generation of Ipad even lighter, say around 500g, perhaps?

If you were to compare the Apple Ipad with the Smasung Galaxy Tab, you will feel that the Ipad is a little bit short of functionality. There's no way in which you can make and receive a call using your Ipad and you could also not take any pictures with your Ipad as it does not have any cameras at all. This is rather different with the Ipad 2 as you have two cameras, one is 0.7MP at the back which is capable of 720p video recording and a 0.3MP at the front for video calling.

With the in-build battery, it is rated at 24.8Wh and it gave me 11 hours on one single charge for the last few days. Impressive?

Software
The iOS 4.2.1 on the Ipad is running smoothly. I have yet to encounter any problems with it at the moment. I have compared the Ipad to the Samsung Galaxy Tablet and found out that the Galaxy Tablet is easier to transport due to its size and weight but the screen is not as big as the Ipad, hence the screen is not as comfortable to read as the Ipad. I do feel that a 10" screen is just perfect.

Besides that, the Andriod 2.2 on the Galaxy Tab is superb but it is destined to be upgraded to 2.3 or even 3.0. With the upcoming Galaxy Tab 10.1, it will surely be a good competitor to the Ipad 2. As for the original Ipad, the iOS has been upgraded to 4.3. I hope that with the launch of the Iphone 5 in the summer, the iOS will be upgraded to 5.0! Let's hope that Apple will also support the Ipad with its iOS 5.0. Otherwise, I will be most happy to stick with the iOS 4.2.1!

Verdict
The Apple Ipad is nice to use for surfing the internet without one needing to switch on their netbook to do so. It does not have any cameras and it does not support voice calling or even sending text or receiving text messages. It does not allow you to upgrade the storage space by adding an external memory card as it uses flash memory on the Ipad. It is also slightly heavy at 730g ( with wi-fi + 3G). Even with the new Ipad 2, I would still consider it as heavy. I will be waiting for a few years down the line waiting in anticipation for a lighter tablet from Apple (~500g, perhaps?).

It is also easy to use as it uses the same platform as the Iphone and it is very user friendly. It is very useful for me in my line of work. Previously I was tempted to try out a Samsung Galaxy Tab but found out that the screen is a little bit too small. It is a pity that the Motorola Xoom has yet to launch. I am sure that with dual core cpu and GPU on the Xoom, it will provide sufficient competition to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Tablet 10.1 and also the Ipad 2 which runs on dual core CPU too.

As far as I'm concern, I am happy with the Apple Ipad. Thinking of it, I have to set out the highest admiration for Steve Jobs and his team. It's very useful for anyone including business people on the road as the battery on the Ipad could last me for 11 hours, one hour more than the claim by Apple. I think it could last 11 hours because the battery is still new and I was only using it for word processing and slight usage to surf on the internet.

Watch out Apple, here comes Samsung!!!

I am sure that you have heard of the newly launched Apple Iphone 3GS with the 'S' stands for 'Speed'. Specifications of the CPU is pretty impressive - 600mhz ARM Cortex A8 with in build GPU and double the memory and an impressive L2 cache. Couple with the flawless Mac OSX, it is next to perfection.

However, the Iphone 3GS was launched back in July 2009. Now, it is August 2009. Samsung has landed ARM another job to produce a much updated Cortex A8 CPU - 45nm and with the speed of 1Ghz with inbuild GPU, just like the CPU on the Iphone 3GS but nearly double the speed of the Iphone 3GS and more memory too. Couple with the latest touchscreen UI which Samsung is improving on its mobile phone devices as we could see on the Samsung Omnia HD, it will be much better than the Iphone 3GS. Consumers will be able to record and playback true 1080p HD movies without any jerkiness on their mobile phones. Can you imagine that in the future? p>
Well, the 'Hummingbird', as what they called the CPU, will be a star of the decade. We have seen the launched of Toshiba's TG01 - a small PDA/phone with the size of a Nokia E71 but longer, managed to survive critics as to the functionality of the mobile phone. It is a smartphone, no doubt but what is more important is that the CPU is power efficient. It will enable the battery to last longer than before.

I am not surprised if other companies like Samsung will be able to launch new mobile phones incorporating the Cortex A8 CPUs to impress consumers. This will enable them to get more percentage in the already stagnant mobile phone pie. I really hope that Nokia will be able to release some good mobile phones with the ARM Cortex A8 CPU. It will be interesting to see the selling price of such phones. In fact, ARM is doing good. Bravo!!!

SGH-D780 Update

I have to admit that I was right in purchasing a Samsung SGH-D780 to accomodate two sim cards instead of having the need to bring along two mobile phones with me all the time. I think it is time for me to give a proper evaluation as to the many features of the phone.

I bought the phone from Lowyat Plaza. It is an original handset, not AP set and carries 2 years warranty from FMG (First Mobile Group). I do recommend people to look around in Lowyat and Sungai Wang before making any purchases into mobile phones.

Basically, the phone came with a screen protector which is useful against scratches. The protector will not peel off after a period of time. The whole set of the mobile phone includes: one handset, one original battery, a data cable, a wall charger, a manual, a cd containing Samsung Service Suite(similar to Nokia Service Suite) and the box itself.

There are many features which I could tell but basically, you can insert two sim cards and they will be active (that is provided both sim cards are still active). It has bluetooth version 2.0 build in and supports GSM 900/1800/1900 networks. Please take known that the second sim card or 'secondary' sim card would only take it GSM 900 or GSM 1800 frequencies and it is limited to making and receiving call, same goes to text messages.

it has an in build mp3 player and supports video, provided you are using the correct codecs. It is also equipped with a 2.0 MP digital camera without autofocus and can record videos at 15fps. You can increase the phone's memory by adding a microSD card. I would recommend 4GB as the maximum storage although the phone supports SDHC.

I have no complaints regarding the phone except for a few minor points: first of all, there is no 3G support and the battery is quite weak. On the whole, it is a good phone which saves you the hassle to carry an extra phone. I do like candy bar type of phones as slide phones are well known to create problems after using it for a period of time.

Given the price at around RM935 with a 2GB of microSD memory, it is well worth it. It is a good backup phone too!