Reactions to Apple iPad [Updated]

This morning (10:00 US PST) Steve Jobs introduced the Apple iPad to the highly anticipated crowd at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center.

The specifications on the device are:

  • Display: 9.56 inches (242.8 mm) IPS display
  • Width: 7.47 inches (189.7 mm)
  • Depth: 0.5 inches
  • Weight: 1.5 pounds
  • 16, 32, or 64 GB solid state hard drives
  • Processor: 1 GHz Apple A4 chip
  • Wi-Fi: 802.11n
  • Battery: 10 hours, over 1 month standby
  • Other features: Speaker, Microphone, 30-pin connector, Accelerometer and compass

WiFi version:

  • Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n)

WiFi + 3G version:

  • Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n)
  • UMTS/HSDPA (850, 1900, 2100 MHz)
  • GSM/EDGE (850, 900,1800, 1900 MHz)
Price/Models 16GB 32GB 64GB
WiFi USD499.00 USD599.00 USD699.00
WiFi + 3G USD629.00 USD729.00 USD829.00

Continue reading “Reactions to Apple iPad [Updated]”

My Transformation to Nexus One [Updated]

On Jan. 22 I received my Nexus One directly from Google.

Since I lived in Hong Kong I bought the USD529.00 fully unlocked version.

The purchasing experience at Google’s Nexus One web site was very present. Google recognized I already had a credit card in my Google Checkout account, and auto filled the shipping address for my order. After choosing the unlocked version of the Nexus One, it automatically chose an AC adpater suitable for Hong Kong. I guess that’s because of the shipping address. I excluded it as I believe it is more convenient to charge via USB.

Within 24 hours I received a message from Google stating that my order had shipped. For international orders Google use DHL as the carrier.

Continue reading “My Transformation to Nexus One [Updated]”

Apple Event January 27, 2010 Confirmed

It appears that various media like: EngadgetArs Technica, FoxNews, have now received the official invitation from Apple for the event on January 27, 2010 at 10:00 (US PST) held at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco.

Fox News even went as far as reporting that they have confirmation of the topics that will be presented by Apple. These being the new tablet, iPhone OS 4.0 and a new version of iLife.

iPhone 4th Generation Summarized Visually

This is a visual summary created by Siko for the French web site Nowhere Else, it summarized all the rumores surrounding the upcoming iPhone from Apple.

Besides the features are values indicating the likelihood for the feature to be true. All of these are educated guesses and none have been commented or confirmed by Apple themselves.

Google Nexus One for Sale in Hong Kong

Stores in Hong Kong are starting to sell the Google Nexus One.

This store in Wanchai Computer City is asking for HKD5880.00 (cash price), which give it a mark up of HKD1554.47 when compared to buying the phone directly from Google

Nexus One = USD529.00
Shipping to Hong Kong = USD28.32
Total purchase price = USD557.32 (approximately HKD4325.53).

Given the high mark up, I don’t see why anyone would purchase the Nexus One from these stores in Hong Kong, unless they do not have a credit card (Google uses Google Checkout which accepts credit cards only). Plus all Nexus One purchased from Google has the option of adding up to two lines of engraving to the back of the phone.

Smartone-Vodafone Began Its Transition (Updated)

Smartone-Vodafone logoThis morning when I plug my iPhone in to iTunes, it reported that there is a new carrier update. The .IPCC file is what was updated and each Apple carrier partner in the world has one of these files. Visual Voicemail and Tethering are dependent on these files to be activated officially on the iPhone.

So with my report yesterday regarding SMV’s Voicemail migration and today’s appearance of the .IPCC file, SMV is well on its way to become Apple’s 2nd official carrier partner in Hong Kong.

[Update: January 16, 2010, 19:00]
After restarting my iPhone I now have Internet Tethering back. What I also had to do was to remove the Profile originally created with Help.Benm.at.

How I Became a SSD User

I like to share with my readers the process in which I became a SSD (“Sold State Drive”) user.

The price of SSD drive is still way more expensive than a regular HDD, especially when you compared the cost per GB (Gigabyte).

In Hong Kong on average one can find a reasonably fast 7200rpm 1TB (Terabyte) 3.5″ internal drive for about HKD790.00. Even if you purchase a USB capable external enclosure that is only an additional HKD120.00. Giving you a cost per GB of HKD0.91/GB.

On the other hand the Intel SSD X25-M 160GB cost me HKD3770 at the beginning of January, giving me the cost per GB of HK23.56/GB. This means using a SSD cost 24.89 times more.

How I come to decide on purchasing the Intel SSD X25-M? Partially it is because of the reviews and information gather from AnandTech’s web site, plus the feedback from various people about Intel and OCZ SSD.

Continue reading “How I Became a SSD User”