Latest News

The Nokia Lumia 1520 recently made an appearance in several live shots along with a press render showing off the Nokia phablet in all it's extra Windows Phone 8 column glory. In the live shots on the other hand, the phablet looks to be placed side by side with a Sony Xperia Z perhaps to compare thinness. Overall, the rather extended camera hump doesn't seem to get in the way of things too much. While it supposedly packs in a 6-inch Full HD 1080p screen, it still looks holdable within one hand. Other expected tech specs for the smartphones include a Snapdragon 800 processor, 2GB RAM, 32GB storage. The images also seem to confirm a PureView camera sensor with ZEISS lens. Check out the pics in the article.

When it was first introduced, the Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch was said to only be able to work with Samsung Galaxy smartphones and even then, it would only work with the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 at the time. While it still only works with the Note 3 a recent announcement reveals that the smartwatch may soon be compatible with any smartphone provided that it supports Bluetooth LE and has Android 4.3 (which still means no go for you iOS users hoping for some cross compatibility). According to the announcement, firmware upgrades are being sent out and the Gear may soon be compatible with the Samsung Galaxy SIII, Samsung Galaxy S4 and Samsung Galaxy Note II. Ryan Bidan, Samsung Director of Product Marketing said:

"[I]t is just the timetable of bringing that software to other devices. It is nothing other than engineering work to do it.... Part of that functionality is tied to some updates in Android 4.3. So we are working to bring 4.3 to all those devices as well and so that is definitely one of the factors influencing adoption.
    [...]
We were working to make sure that we had the right engineering to do it on the Galaxy Note 3. So, here we are at the launch of the Galaxy Note 3 and here is Galaxy Gear. There is more to come, for sure."

While the Sony SmartWatch 2 got announced in June 2013 it was originally scheduled to reach Malaysia in September 2013. Sony Mobile Malaysia recently changed this to October but gave a more definite date range this time around. This time, they say that the Sony SmartWatch 2 will be available in Malaysia from 15 October 2013 to 20 October 2013. While this solves the issue of a Malaysia release date, it doesn't answer the question about pricing, but we should find out about that soon. In addition to this information, Sony Mobile Malaysia also said that the SBH52 Smart Bluetooth Handset would also be coming along with the Sony SmartWatch 2. Released together with the SmartWatch 2 in tandem with the Sony Xperia Z Ultra the Handset is priced at RM480 but will likely be available with the Sony SmartWatch 2 next month.

Celcom is currently offering 2 new devices for their Celcom First plans in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active. The Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 will be offered from RM888 while the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active will be offered from RM1388. Both are available on the Celcom First voice and / or data plans under 12 month or 18  month contracts.

Both devices offer LTE support but while the Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 is a dual-core 8-inch tablet, the Galaxy S4 Active is the rugged waterproof version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone. You can get more information regarding this deal from the respective Celcom Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 8.0 and Celcom Samsung Galaxy S4 Active sites. Alternatively, you can also check out our other Celcom telco plans as well.

Panasonic recently made an announcement that they would be officially withdrawing from the consumer smartphone market. $15 billion worth of losses is nothing to sneeze at and is probably the main reason why Panasonic are doing so. While they tried to expand in Europe last year from March 2012, the attempt didn't come out as planned. Kazuhiro Tsuga, President of Panasonic had this to say:

"it's not acceptable for the company to be bleeding red ink like this, so we have to think about ways to develop assets that we do have in a more effective direction."

Panasonic will continue to sell consumer handsets in emerging markets (like Malaysia) but won't be making the devices themselves. Rather, the brand will be Panasonic but the manufacturers will be different. In related news, Panasonic may still be developing a Toughphone like their now famous Toughbook line of notebook computers, which may or may not see the light of day. No news on Malaysia release dates or pricing just yet but we will keep you posted.

Just revealed at the IFA 2013 and already the Sony Xperia Z1 has been officially launched in Malaysia. The smartphone formerly known as the Honami sticks in a 20.7MP 1/2.3-inch Exmore RS digital compact camera sensor along with a 5-inch Full HD Triluminos display smartphone, Sony G Lens, a 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor and 2GB of RAM into the now familiar Omni-balance designed form factor. The Xperia Z1 looks and feels like other premium Xperia Z smartphones as it maintains the same aluminum unibody chassis sandwiched by two slabs of tempered glass. While the Z1 is IP58 water proof certified it also packs in a dedicated camera button, so you can bring it underwater with you and take advantage of the powerful camera. Sony Mobile Malaysia say that the Sony Xperia Z1 should be available in the first week of October 2013, while a whole bunch of accessories will come later in mid-October.

Nikon recently announced their new Coolpix S6600 and Coolpix P7800 digital cameras. What makes the S6600 so notable is that it is the first Coolpix S-series to get a vari-angle monitor which is also available for the Coolpix P7800. The S6600 is more of a flexible consumer model but offers a Gesture Control function for self portrait shots. Other tech specs for the S6600 include a 16MP backside illumination CMOS image sensor, lens-shift vibration reduction, 12x optical zoom NIKKOR lens featuring 2cm macro and built-in WiFi for easy wireless transmission.

Sony recently unveiled their first consumer 4K Handycam with the Sony FDR-AX1 4K Handycam. Granted, most of the 13MP smartphones packing a Snapdragon 800 processor can record 4K video as well but the 4K Handycam is aimed squarely at the professional with the ability to record 4K and HD movies in XAVC S format. This is done using MP4 AVC/H.264 Long GOP for video, Linear PCM for audio compression all saved in an MP4 file format. Tech specs for the 4K Handycam include a 4K (3840 x 2160) capable 1/2.3-type Exmore R CMOS image sensor, G Lens, 2 XQD memory card slots, HDMI 2.0 and 20x optical zoom. Features include Optical SteadyShot, up to 4 filter settings, 5 paint functions and more. As usual, no specific release dates for Malaysia but it is expected to arrive in October 2013 for around $4499.99 (RM14976).

The Toshiba Encore is probably the 2nd touchscreen tablet in the first wave of 8-inch Windows 8 tablets and devices below or around $300. Toshiba recently announced the Encore with features that include Windows 8.1 and the free Microsoft Office package. Other tech specs include dual microphones, a 2MP front camera certified by Skype, an 8-inch HFFS display with multi-touch and 1280 x 800 pixel resolutions, a quad-core Intel Atom Bay Trail processor and 32GB worth of storage. Connection-wise the tablet packs in a Micro USB 2.0 port, micro HDMI port, dual-band WiFi and a GPS. No exact Malaysia release dates were available but it is expected globally in November 2013 for $329.99 (RM1096). The tech specs make the Toshiba Encore a very tempting device, but we'll hold off judgement until we see what sort of keyboard and other accessories the tablet will be packing.

Ever wanted a better camera for your smartphone but didn't want to buy a new smartphone? Well now you can, as Sony officially announce their Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX10 wireless lens cameras. Designed to be paired up with your smartphone (and probably tablet) it is basically the telescoping zoom part of a digital camera with wireless and NFC capabilities. The lens cameras mark the first of the QX series in Sony's Cyber-shot range and they can be used with any iOS and Android smartphone. Confirming many of the tech specs and features from past leaks and rumours the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100 and QX10 have the following tech specs:

• Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX100
• 1-inch 20.2MP Exmor R sensor
• Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T lens (3.6x optical zoom)
• BIONZ image processor
• manual focus/zoom control ring

• Sony Cyber-shot DSC-QX10
• 18.2MP Exmor R sensor
• 10x optical zoom
• built-in optical image stabilization
• 4 oz