Dell XPS 15z: Laptop Review

When I reviewed the Dell Vostro earlier, I thought it was already a well-tuned machine - except the speakers wasn't that great.

Then Dell passed me the XPS 15z for review, and I was more impressed. It's got most of the advantages of the Vostro plus some more.

For a start, the product packaging departs from the warehouse-brown box look. Upon opening the box, you will find another laminated storage box. The items in the inner box - laptop, charger, install discs, manuals - are neatly compartmentalised.

In the previous XPS models, the interior looks no different from the regular Dell models, but with 15z, Dell radically redesigned the interior.

The 15z impresses me with the following:

• Full HD 1920x1080 resolution over 15.6" screen size is really a comfort to view.
• Very bright display - 300 nits. I can view it even under bright light conditions. 
• Powerful sound reproduction, thanks to top-facing speakers, unlike the Vostro and Inspiron models where the speakers are placed below the laptops.
• Aluminum and magnesium-alloy casing gives the XPS 15z a good firm exterior feel.
• The power indicator blends into the striped-hinge design. Small problem: the indicator is hard to see under bright light conditions.
• For absorbing the impact of closing the laptop, rubber linings go around the screen instead of short rubber strips. A well-thought design feature.
• Longer lasting 8-cell battery, but not removable.
• 5-point battery check button allows you to check remaining battery level. Useful when the laptop is not on and you wondered if you should charge the laptop.

What I don't quite like about this product:

• Heavy, albeit solid feel.
• No VGA port, though it comes with a mini Display Port, which means you can purchase converters.
• No USB ports on the right side, which means right-handed users have more cable mess when plugging USB peripherals.
• Multi-touch gesture is not responsive at all. Very frustrating to use it.
• I personally do not like the stylised keyboard fonts.
• Battery is not removable, but then again, the battery would probably outlast the usefulness of the laptop.
• Slot-in CD/DVD drive motor is very noisy, kind of spoils the elegance of this product.

The designers of Dell XPS 15z has indeed put in some commendable effort to make this product look stylishly modern. I also like the overall build, screen quality and OS response, thanks to above-average processor and hard disk specs.

In pursuit of minimalist design, the XPS 15z comes with less connectivity ports than the Vostro and Inspiron: 2 USB 3.0 ports, 1 USB/eSATA combo port, 1 HDMI 1.4, 1 mini Display Port, 1 multi-card slot.

At a premium price over the other Dell consumer or business models, the XPS 15z gives a sturdier build, larger 15.6" full-HD 1920x1080 resolution, 8-cell battery, larger touchpad, and better-sounding speakers. So if you fancy the design, I'd say it's a great model to get.

Panasonic Lumix FT3: Element-Proof

The Lumix FT3 is water proof (12 metres), shock proof (2 metres), freezeproof (-10 degrees Celsius), dustproof, comes with altimeter (measures altitude), barometer (measures atmospheric pressure), compass, GPS, records 12 mega-pixel images and Full-HD, with 28-128mm f/3.3-5.9 lens... I mean, you can bring this device anywhere on Earth!

The Lumix FT3 does not have that as many features as the earlier Lumix FX78 and TZ20 cameras I have reviewed. What it does have are:

• Intelligent Auto (iAuto)
• Normal Auto
• 30 SCENE modes
• 3D Photo mode (MPO format)
• ISO 100-1600
• LED Light for video recording
• LUMIX Image Uploader
• Resize, Cropping and Video Trimming

What I like about the FT3:

• The camera starts up rather fast, just like the FX78 and TZ20. This allows me to capture spontaneous moments easily.
• The camera shutter and shot-to-shot responses are speedy too - plus points for candid shots.
• The hardware buttons are responsive and easy to press.
• The LCD monitor viewable angle is very wide without affecting display contrast.
• The lens does not protrude, so I can conveniently place the camera face-down even when the power is on.
• Built-in LED light for video, not powerful, but still, useful.

Screen captures of a video shot on FT3.

Reservations about the FT3:

• Heavy image blooming when light hits on the lens.
• Tele-end of the lens does not deliver good optics.
• Although shockproof, FT3 body will still be damaged. The review unit I am using already has "battle scars".

I have always wanted to get a waterproof camera myself, but I understand it is not possible for a waterproof camera to achieve the same image quality and features as a normal camera. The Lumix FT3 does not differ far from this truth. Nevertheless, it's impressive that the handling of FT3 is on par with the compact cameras like Lumix FX78: under normal lighting situations the image quality is actually comparable to the Lumix TZ20. So I would say that the FT3 comes close to what I would want for a waterproof camera, except when blooming appears on the images. My search continues.

Dell Streak: My favourite 5-inch Smartphone

Dell Streak remains till today the largest screen smartphone in the market (the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7 is not really a smartphone because you cannot hold the device up to your ears and talk to the other calling party). Although the device was out for more than 7 months in Singapore (even longer globally), I would still like to share with you my views.

During a Dell event last October (2010), I managed to see a working copy, but had no more than one minute to try the device. Thanks to XPR who followed up in my innane interest in this mammoth (by today's standard) phone, I was couriered a unit within 24 hours of my discussion.

Let's jump straight into the good things about the phone:

• Generous 5-inch display to let you enjoy content with comfort. If you use third-party launcher apps, you can fill up more icons per screen
• Very natural typing experience when using on-screen keyboard in portrait mode
• Clear phone voice quality of the other party
• It charges from flat to full in just 2 hours
• The gloss-coating chilli-red colour is stunningly eye-catching (yes there are the usual black colour for the understated masses).

The challenges?

• Device is a little too big for one-hand operation, but I can still manage it.
• Interface is less robust. This phone was built based on the ancient Android 1.6 OS then updated to Android 2.2 during Singapore launch. Therefore, it is clear during my reviewing period that the phone did not perform as optimally as phones like Dell Venue which was built for newer Android OS.
• Battery drains excessively. With my kind of heavy usage, it barely lasts 6 hours.
• Proprietary dock port means I have to bring the cable with me.The rest of the Android devices use the universal micro-USB.
• Camera shutter lag, which is common for smartphone cameras.

In perspective, the Dell Streak was never designed with the phone as a primary function. Its touch icons and lock screen are oriented in landscape, the power button is around the mid-point of the device. It is really intended as a mini-tablet for two-handed usage, and included phone functions to give the device an added selling point. Despite the bulk, I am quite happy to put the Streak against my ear for a decent conversation, though I don't know how that looks from the passers-by.

A 5-inch device like the Dell Streak would be the perfect device to satisfy both your phone and tablet needs. Small enough to put in your large pocket yet big enough for consuming content comfortably. Between my Galaxy S and Dell Streak, I would pick the latter, though I would be mindful of the battery drain. A backup battery is highly recommended. And a large pocket too.

Nokia E6 Review: Improving on the Tradition

Hi, Nokia. Hi, Symbian. It's been a while since I've left you - the E72. I embraced Android and all its large-screen touchscreen glory. And now you have returned, as Anna. Will you win my heart again?

At one look, the Nokia E6 looks no different from the earlier QWERTY-laden E-series, which could be a good thing for users who do not like to attract attention. The build material of the back cover follows the E71 while the front is detailed after E72. In short: rock-solid.

Uncanny resemblance to the E72, no?

In its heart, though, a major revamp. Now running Symbian Anna, the E6 is a major (albeit late) improvement from E72. You get a higher-res screen of 640x480, an 8-megapixel free-focus camera, multi-touch capabilities. The E-series just got much better.

You must love the compact size, and the ability to combine QWERTY key entries with touchscreen navigation. Yet, the standard 5-way navipad still works for the traditionalists.

The back is in entire black - just like E71.

Alas, the E6 came too late in this era of touchscreen devices.

• Screen size is just too small, ironically worsened by the 640x480 resolution, making all the fonts and images even smaller. Most apps are not optimised for the high resolution in 2.4" screen, which necessitates larger image thumbnails, font size and buttons
• Insufficient screen space to view large content and to navigate. On Gravity app, I can only see 3 tweets per page, whereas I can view twice as much on Galaxy S.
• Although Symbian is capable of multi-tasking, if you push the OS, the interface would get laggy.
• Widgets does not allow resize and does not refresh as frequent as I would like to.
• If you run too many background services like push mail, the phone heats up very fast and also drains battery fast. This is an existing behaviour for almost all smartphones with multi-tasking capabilities

Apps (like Dropbox) not optimised for the high-res E6. Fonts appear too small

Images appear sharp and with good contrast

E6 is an excellent upgrade to the current E-series users. The form factor has not changed yet you can now navigate the screen more intuitively via touch. It is an extremely compact device that lets you manage telephony and texting functions efficiently, and is well suited for brief review of push content. The phone is capable of handling multiple email accounts and social networking feeds if you are not particular about screen size. If the above usage pattern suits you, then the E6 should be a favourite.

Comparing screen size with Dell Streak, which is 800x600.

But if you, like me, have already ventured into the large-screen touchscreen realm, there is no turning back to the previous-generation form factor. What Nokia should have done is to increase the size of the E6 to an "acceptable level" so that the screen size and keypads are bigger. The E6 screen is simply too small to handle the social media content navigated by big fat pointers.

Chester Tan: COMPASS Young Composer of the Year

Last evening, I received the COMPASS Young Composer of the Year award at the 16th COMPASS Awards. I was also awarded the Top Local Instrumental Contemporary Song of the year.

It's a surprise win after 14 years of composing (from Uni days) and 6 years since I starting publishing my songs (first album in 2004).

When I embarked in writing instrumental music exclusively, I know that it's a road less travelled. But I do it because I like it, and because I believe in the music that I write. Each of them are a fragment of my emotions, my music diary.

Credit goes to my manager, Gilbert Ong, for pushing my works commercially. Thanks a heap to Publisher Richard Lim and Album Concept James Kang who conceptualised Piano Spa. Thanks to Warner Music for pushing 5 albums out in the market. With these collective efforts, I got my awards. Biggest thanks to wifey for her support all these years. Thank you for giving me time and space to develop my passions.

Like they say, Patience is A Virtue.

I performed a medley of songs at the awards presentation:
1. My Favourite Time of the Year (Top Local Instrumental Contemporary) from Piano Spa 3
2. Dance with The Clouds from Piano Spa 4
3. Shyanne from Piano Spa 4
4. Dreams of Tomorrow from Piano Spa 2



It's an honour to join the rolls of the following past winners for the Young Songwriter/Composer Award (and can only win this award once):

15th (2010) - Tay Chee Wei 郑旨为 (first non-pop recipient)
14th (2009) - Xiaohan 小寒
13th (2008) - David Tan (Electrico)
12th (2007) - Corrinne May
11th (2006) - JJ Lin 林俊杰
10th (2005) - Eric Ng 黄韵仁
9th (2004) - Lim Yeek Sinn 林毅心
8th (2002) - Tan Han Jin 陈奂仁
7th (2001) - Tanya Chua 蔡健雅
6th (2000) - Liew Chee Vun 刘志文
5th (1999) - Leong Wai Foong 梁伟丰
4th (1998) - Kevin Quah 柯贵民

For the full list of recipients of the 16th COMPASS Awards, click here.

Chester Tan's facebook page for music is at http://facebook.com/chestermusic . Chester also seeks creative passion in photography and his works are collected at http://facebook.com/chesterphoto

All I Ask Of You - The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber

Last evening, I watched "The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber" musical event, rekindled my love for this song, which I've not played on piano for years. So I decided to record my rendition here for your enjoyment.

As for the show, it's enjoyable, allowing me to listen to snippets of all the musicals that Sir Webber wrote. The Marina Bay Sands Grand Theater is magnificent. Andrew himself was present - in the form of video - which drew the most laughs as he shared some of his honest views.

I'm not exactly a fan of live performances because in most cases the sound balancing does not do justice to the performers as well as listeners. In this case, some of the musical numbers had overpowering accompaniment while a few had the singers putting the sound system to the test when they sang at the top of their lungs. I also don't quite like the renditions of some songs but well that's a personal preference.

In short, a good effort to present a compilation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's famous musical pieces in a relatively static stage presentation filled with looped video projections, sparse stage choreography, and 100% raw vocal prowess.

DELL Laptops Review: Vostro 3000 and Inspiron R

Dell's PR agency, XPR, passed me the Inspiron 14R and Vostro 3450 for review. Both models have identical sizes and specs with some tweaks to fit the target market. How do the features differ? Here's a brief write-up.

The Dell Inspiron R is a laptop series that is fun, fast and stylish. Being consumer-focused, these laptops come with interchangeable lids to let you personalise the look. It comes pre-installed with applications like Dell Stage to give quick access to your multimedia content. Instead of remembering passwords, you can use face-recognition as a means to login.

The Dell Vostro 3000 series is targeted at business users, providing security features like fingerprint reader, and comes with technical support to ensure your business keeps going. Its aluminum finishing offers higher durability and can sustain more aggressive handling.

Between the 2, Inspiron R is better for these:

• Better speakers with SRS Premium Sound
• Swappable lids and colour choices
• Supports Intel Wireless Display (not much use unless you have compatible devices)
• Glossy LED display (1366x768) for the extra clarity when viewing photos and watching movies
• Trackpad supports more multi-touch gestures than Vostro
• Default 90W charger vs. Vostro's 65W charger means Inspiron can charge faster.

But I prefer Vostro for these:

• It runs visibly faster and more stable than Inspiron. I attribute that to the faster 7200rpm hard drive, or perhaps Dell souped up the Vostro. Or perhaps Inspiron has more background services that slow it down.
• Matt LED display (1366x768) is more comfortable for lengthy use
• Aluminum finishing at the back of the laptop and the sides. The Inspiron could suffer scratches more easily with its plastic gloss material.
• Back-lit keyboard, excellent for low-light use
• Slightly lighter

Brushed finishing of Inspiron R

Professional matt look of Vostro

Apart from above, both laptops have identical hardware ports placements, fan vents, keyboard layout, etc.

• eSATA-USB-PowerShare combo port. PowerShare allows you to charge your devices even when the laptop is powered down.
• 2x USB 3.0 Super Speed ports
• HDMI ports, supports 1.4 for 3D output
• Wireless 802.11a/b/g/n
• Bluetooth 3.0
• HD camera
• DVD+-RW Combo Drive
• Switchable graphics with integrated and discrete options
• 3 Quick Launch keys to the right of the keyboard.

I'd prefer the Vostro design for its practicality.

 
Prices for both these laptops start from about $900, depending on your configuration. If you are comparing laptops with other brands and models, make sure you are comparing with the same specs. Some things to look out for:

• Processor speed (e.g. 2.3GHz) and recency ("latest 2011 2nd-gen")
• RAM size (e.g. 4GB) and speed (e.g. 1333MHz)
• Number of connectivity ports (USB, eSATA, HDMI, VGA, LAN, Bluetooth, WiFi, etc.)
• Screen resolution and size
• Battery size - the more the cells, the longer it lasts.
• Graphics card - integrated is less powerful than discrete
• Hard disk size (e.g. 500GB) and speed (e.g. 7200rpm)
• Pre-installed software
• Warranty coverage

Lastly, of course, is on the intangible factors:

• Brand preference
• Design preference

Dell Venue: An Android Phone Review

With dozens of smartphones out in the market, it is getting more difficult to decide on the one device to buy. Fortunately, the Dell Venue has a few key selling points that other phones do not possess, making it a worthy consideration to your purchase list.

Hardware:

• 8 megapixel camera with LED flash. Dell Venue is one of the few smartphones with a high-resolution camera.
• Dedicated shutter button. Dell Venue is one of the even fewer Android phones with this button.
• Dedicated mute switch. Eh, which other Android phone has it huh?
• Curved Gorilla Glass. The curved display is ergonomically more usable.
• 4.1" inch AMOLED display. Extremely generous screen means everything looks bigger.
• Design: Dell Venue exterior is made up of several materials. The sides are chrome-plated, the top and bottom are matt-coated, and the back battery cover is textured with chromed Dell logo.

Software:
Running on Android 2.2, Dell has provided some additional apps to make it their own (and save you the hassle of buying apps).

• Dell Stage UI. Each homescreen page is filled with default widgets that helps you access content easier. My favourite is the "Home" widget that shows your recently-used apps.
• Dell sync and backup apps. Useful to manage your phone content with little hassle.
• QuickOffice. A necessary tool to open your productivity documents.
• Car Mode app. It comes in handy when you are driving, the app presents the apps in large icons.
• Swype keyboard app. More usable than the standard Android keyboard app.

After using it for a week, I find that it is some ways better than my current Samsung Galaxy S. Putting the technical specs aside,

1. Dell Venue performs snappier and more stable. I have not experienced any major crashes or lags when switching apps. My Galaxy S is rooted with a custom ROM, which is supposed to be better than the stock ROM, yet it doesn't give me that smoothness.
2. Dell Venue screen is larger, feels sturdier and more durable.
3. Dell Venue battery capacity is lower than Galaxy S (1400mAh vs. 1500mAh) but battery life is a little better. A full charge using AC adapter takes just a little over 2 hours!

There are some usability challenges though.

1. The general interface is less user-friendly than Galaxy S. For instance, Galaxy S has coloured icons under the Settings menu but Dell Venue just offers monotone icons. Galaxy S has additional shortcuts under the notification dropdown screen whereas Dell Venue offers no additional icons. On the Galaxy S phone dialer, I can retrieve a contact's name using the keypad, but not on Dell Venue.
2. Lack of built-in user memory. The one-and-only microSD card stores most of your phone data, so you cannot easily swap another card without losing your existing data. The Galaxy S allows me to swap another microSD card as I wish because all my user data is stored in the built-in 16GB memory.
3. Dell Venue still runs on Froyo (Android 2.2), while Galaxy S is supporting Gingerbread (Android 2.3), thus Venue does not enjoy enhanced OS experience.

If you are looking for an Android phone that runs reliably in an office environment, the Dell Venue works just fine. The design will certainly make you stand out among the sea of executives who uses the all-too-familiar iPhone-styled devices.