Panasonic Lumix GF3: Review

Lumix GF3 is the latest interchangeable-lens camera from Panasonic to target the mass-market. Compared to the GF2, the GF3 has fewer buttons and loses a hotshoe (and no stereo mics for video recording too), but it has shrunk and is one of the most compact interchangeable lens cameras in the market. With a Lumix G X 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 power zoom lens (announced  26 Aug 2011), you would mistake it for a compact camera.

Here is a summary of noteworthy specs:

• 12 megapixels


• 160-6400 ISO


• 3.8 frames per second continuous shooting


• 1080p Full HD movie in AVCHD format


• Touch screen for ease of selections


• Customisable Q.Menu/Fn button


• Auto focus speed on par with DSLR


• 17 Scene Modes, much less than the other Lumix compact cameras.


• White Balance presets support fine-tuning

What I like during my review experience (and it's all about speed):

Fast Start up. I can focus and fire the shutter within a second of turning on the GF3.

AF Speed. The fast autofocus speed means I can capture the moment at the tip of my finger - literally. The easiest way to capture an image with accurate focus area is using the Touch Shutter feature. All you have to do is to activate it with an icon on the screen, then touch anywhere on the screen. Once focus is established, the camera will fire the shutter. The response is almost instant under normal lighting conditions. The slight drawback is that there is no chance to "change your mind" after touching the screen, as the shutter will fire.

Continuous Shooting. The GF3 can achieve 3.8fps using high-speed continuous shooting mode, or 3fps using medium-speed with live-view preview on screen before the next shot. Even with Continuous AF (CAF) activated, the GF3 can obtain moving focus and shoot continuously fairly accurately. In fact, the GF3 revives my confidence in using CAF on compact cameras.


Touch Screen. The major advantage of the touch screen implementation on Lumix cameras is that I can select the AF area by touching any part of the screen. All the AF modes make use of this touch advantage very well.

For instance, the Pinpoint AF mode lets you first select the AF area by touching the screen. Then the AF area is enlarged on the screen and you can fine tune the focus with the focusing ring on the lens.

As for the Multi-area AF mode (GF3 names it "23-Area AF mode"), you can still select an AF region by touching the screen. Then whenever you half-press the shutter, the AF mode will search for an AF area within that region instead of the entire frame.

The AF Tracking mode lets you select the object that you want to track, again by touching the area where the object appears on screen, and the GF3 miraculously tracks the object wherever it moves in the frame.

As for the Face Detection mode, while the camera is supposed to detect and focus the faces, the moment you select an AF area manually, the camera will override the face-focus, although the screen will still indicate the faces defected.

Apart from AF Area, I can easily change Shooting Modes (PASM, Custom, etc.) by pressing the mode icon at the top left of the screen. It will pull out the list of modes arranged in a circle, and you can either select the desired mode by touching it or use the physical wheel dial to navigate the cursor.

The GF3 touch screen does not work for all functions. It supports swipe gestures during playback, and you can touch the icons on the main menu screen. But once inside the sub-menu, touch does not work. For some items, touching merely moves the icon, and you need to press the "Menu/Set" button to select it for use.

Custom Keys. The "Q.Menu/Fn" button can be customised to either invoke one "Fn" item or invoke a list of 10 customisable "Q.Menu" items. I can customise the list of items while using it, instead of having to go into the menu mode to choose. Picking the items is also easily done by dragging icons.

GF3 makes auto mode selection easy with a dedicated "iA" button that lights up when activated. When pressed, the last-selected "iA" mode will be activated. There are 2 iA modes, the difference between the 2 is that iA+ allows you to adjust exposure (EV) and white balance. The video recording button can also be disabled via menu option, though I have no idea why anyone would want to do that.

There isn't a lot of things that I didn't like about GF3, but here are some that don't work for me:

LCD Screen Quality. The resolution is 460K, it's got wide viewing angle, but images from the monitor does not give me the "wow" feel. You can calibrate the screen brightness, contrast and colour tones, but the adjustment level is not fine enough and it may mess up your perception of white balance during photo-taking.

Menu Description. Some menu items are in short forms, and the corresponding icon selections do not have clear explanations on what they do. There is also no help menu to assist the user.

Buffer. When shooting in RAW, the GF3 can only sustain 4 continuous shots. Therefore, this camera is certainly not for the trigger-happy desktop-processing enthusiasts. Under the JPEG mode, my 8GB Class 4 SDHC card fires 18 frames before the shutter pauses for a good 3 seconds before firing another frame. Getting a very fast SD card will give you unlimited frames, as observed by some other review sites.

Summing Up
The Micro Four-thirds interchangeable lens camera system is a popular choice due to its wide variety of lenses that cater the needs of both entry-level and professionals. The Lumix GF3 offers a very compact solution to meeting your general photographic needs. I find the ISO noise level acceptable up to ISO 1600 for indoor lighting. I like the GF3 because it helps me to capture images speedily, thanks to its fast start-up, blazing AF, and a relentless continuous shutter burst.

Sony Alpha NEX-C3: Review

Sony's NEX compact camera system easily stands out among the brands of interchangeable lens systems. Unique signature design, APS-C sensor, minimal buttons. Sony took back some lessons from the first models and improved it in this latest edition, NEX-C3.

Apart from the usual improvements to further reduce the physical size and increasing the sensor size, plus software enhancements, there is nothing to shout about for this model. Fortunately, Sony does not remove any signature features, like what some manufacturers did to their new models in a bid to segment their product line.

Noteworthy specs:

• 16 megapixels APS-C sensor


• ISO range 200-12800


• 5.5 frames per second


• 720p HD movie in MP4


• Custom shortcut keys


• Articulated LCD monitor, 921K 

What I like:


Video Recording. If you shoot video regularly, the NEX-C3 will make you feel empowered. The weight distribution at the big lens means you get a more stable handling. The shortcut video recording button immediately starts recording, no matter what mode you are in - even during playback mode. During recording, you can adjust EV manually, another critical feature. Finally, you can re-focus manually during recording by half-pressing the shutter button.


Unfortunately, all the button pressing and lens zooming sounds are captured on the recording, so you might want to keep the adjustments to a minimum while the tape is rolling.

Custom Shortcut Keys. Sony NEX series have been criticised for having too few dials and buttons to allow quick changes of settings. To satisfy the advanced users, NEX-C3 allows users to customise 4 buttons: left, right, centre, and bottom. 3 of the buttons will invoke the specified functions immediately, while the centre button allows you to invoke the "custom" item which pulls out a list of 5 custom functions.

With the custom shortcut keys, I can change ISO, drive mode, white balance, AF area in fewer presses. Nevertheless, some functions are not supported and you still need to look for them in the still-confusing menu categories.

Aggressive Auto ISO. Sony is so confident with their high ISO quality that they have no qualms in auto-selecting high ISO levels like 1600. This allows me to capture less blurred shots indoors. Competitors cameras would cap shyly at ISO 800.

Photo Creativity mode under iAuto. Again another trend, iAuto is no longer just full auto. In NEX-C3, users can invoke Photo Creativity to select multiple effects like "layers" to create your unique look. If only the layers can be saved as presets.

External Flash. Sony's solution to making the NEX body small and still offers flash is to bundle a removable flash unit. When not required, you can push the flash down to its "off" position. When required, you can flip up the flash manually and it will fire. This implementation allows you to leave the flash unit always mounted. With other cameras, you would have to remove and insert the flash unit frequently in between uses.

LCD Screen. The NEX-C3 display stands out as sharp, clear and good contrast with 921K pixels. Images look cooler when compared with my computer monitor.

As for the unlikes:

Shutter Sound. Sony NEX series generate loud shutter sounds. I am certainly unable to shoot stealthily or use the continuous shooting mode for too long without provoking any irritation from people around me.

The speed-priority continuous shutter mode is also very sensitive. I had to try very hard not to fire two frames by consciously lifting my finger off promptly.

AF Area and Speed. Generally, the AF hunts quite a fair bit before locking focus, even if I was trying to re-focus the same scene. The Multi-AF Area is also picking obscure areas that I would like to shoot. Instead of selecting the "wrong" areas, the NEX-C3 would simply leave the AF Area to centre. It gives me the impression that it is not trying hard.

Buffer. When shooting in RAW, the NEX-C3 has enough buffer only for 6 continuous shots. Therefore, this camera is certainly not for the trigger-happy desktop-processing enthusiasts.



To Summarise...
The Sony NEX-C3 is a welcome improvement on the NEX series without deviating from the objective of a consumer-friendly jargon-free camera. The body and lens are well-built, and I always appreciate the InfoLithium battery that tells the remaining battery capacity by the percentage. While I did not quite like the NEX-3 which I reviewed last year, the NEX-C3 is more accommodating to my needs, thanks to customisable buttons. I continue to be impressed by its low-noise high ISO handling, though its 18-55mm lens does exhibit chromatic aberration. If you need a compact camera that handles high ISO confidently, and have little concerns about swift manual controls, NEX is it.

Thank You, Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs has resigned as Apple CEO. To many, it is the news they dread to hear. To some, it is a start of Apple's downfall.

To me, it is the chance to write and reflect upon this blog post.

I am never an Apple enthusiast, not because I dislike Apple products, because I am not the kind of guy why buys product for its brand or its style.

My first encounter with Apple was during my Junior College years in 1992. There was an old Macintosh in the school's music library. I switched on, and out came a monochrome screen. I fiddled with it, tried to find something useful to do with it. Got nothing out of it.

Years later, Apple products started going mainstream with their PowerPC. It was high-priced, which was beyond my computing budget. So I never took much notice.

Then Apple started offering consumer products like iPod. I can still recall the unique advertisements of white-silhouette dancers with colour background. But not me. I was smitten with iRiver portable players for its long list of geek-ish features.

Then, iPhone was born. That caught my interest with its innovative interface and finally I wrote my first Apple-related blog post.

Year after year, Apple broke ground on its designs and marketing concepts. The smallest portable music player, the thinnest laptop, the most responsive touch controls, the integrated computer processor with display (no wires!). The iMac, iBook, iTunes, iPhone. The i-everything.

Suddenly, the world caught wind of Apple's innovation, and started to incorporate a little of Apple style in their products, making it better for everyone. Companies want to be like Apple. Companies want to be better than Apple. Apple affects the way companies package their products, designed their media content, structured their businesses. Today, you have consumer products built of aluminium or pearl white bodies, devices with multi-touch gestures. Apple made possible thousands of business opportunities selling accessories, and even more creating iOS apps.

Eventually, I bought my first Apple product when the iPad landed in Singapore. And like an Apple fan, I queued for it on its first day. The iPad won me over because to me this is the first of its kind.

Apple changed the world of electronics and technology. Apple influenced product designs from all walks of life.

I am not an Apple fan, but I thank Apple for driving innovation.

I thank Steve Jobs.

Motorola Atrix & Asus Transformer: Comparison

I owned an ASUS Eee Pad Transformer tablet with keyboard dock, I had just reviewed the Motorola ATRIX with lapdock. Both attempts to offer a netbook experience on an Android OS. How do they compare?

Note that comparison below pertains specifically to Transformer + dock and ATRIX + lapdock, and not solely on the standalone devices without docks.

Design
Transformer is seamless. I can easily fold it and transport the tablet and the dock. ATRIX lapdock is bulky. I have to remove the ATRIX phone before I can move it around.

But ATRIX lapdock is very slim, and overall is lighter than Transformer.

ATRIX is so much thinner.

Speed
Transformer runs faster because the dock runs on native Android interface. ATRIX runs its lapdock mode inside a Webtop app, which is basically a virtual OS. Therefore, there is noticeable lag when trying to open an app or toggle between windows.

Once loaded, however, the ATRIX performs without lag with the keyboard. Transformer, on the other hand, experiences some keystrokes lag depending on the app or browser page.

Transformer starts up instantly when I flip open the screen. ATRIX takes a few seconds to start the Webtop app everytime I flip open the screen, because the app closes automatically whenever I close the screen.

Apps on ATRIX run within a Phone View window, which you can expand to full screen.

Interface
ATRIX lapdock feels like a netbook. Its apps run on resizable windows, its Firefox browser responds to the usual mouse buttons and Windows shortcut keys.

Transformer is still an Android tablet, so it doesn't offer multiple windows view, nor can I "ALT-Tab" to switch apps. It's more natural to navigate with touch gestures. The keyboard is only useful for typing and the mouse is only useful for moving the cursor around. Right-click is "Back" command and you cannot left-click and drag to highlight text.

On the ATRIX lapdock, you could run Android apps stored in your ATRIX but they are designed for touch gesture, so interacting with a trackpad that doesn't support multi-touch is cumbersome.

ATRIX lapdock is mainly useful for consuming online content. You cannot install any Webtop-specific apps to make use of the virtual interface.

Transformer dock acts like a stand when I engage in apps that do not use the keyboard. The top row of shortcuts are useful to invoke the apps when I needed them.

Sound
Transformer sounds crisp. ATRIX sounds muffled. But iPad sounds better than Transformer.

Battery Life
Transformer dock keeps the tablet fully charged at all times, so even when the dock runs out of battery, the keyboard still works.

ATRIX lapdock keeps the phone fully charged at all times, but when the dock runs out of battery, the lapdock shuts down and the ATRIX battery cannot be used to power up the lapdock.

Conclusion
If only life is perfect. I love the ATRIX lapdock's Webtop interface that allows me to interact it like a computer netbook. I love the Transformer dock's seamless experience of a tablet over a detachable netbook form factor. The ATRIX lapdock adds more value to the ATRIX whereas the Transformer dock experience is easily replaced (albeit clumsily) with bluetooth keyboard.

When you get the ATRIX and lapdock, you get an Android mobile phone that can be used just like a netbook. When you purchase the Transformer, you get an Android tablet with a keyboard dock that looks like a netbook but doesn't entirely work like one.

These devices are a glimpse of what the future can hold. Convergence of laptop computing flexibility with phone and tablet experience. I can imagine a MacBook Air with detachable screen that can be used like an iPad. And perhaps throw in an iPhone dock port integrated to the laptop, like ATRIX. But if that perfect product materialises, I'm sure Apple will be at the receiving end of lawsuits from Motorola and ASUS.

Audyssey SOMA Dock: Home Review

One showroom audio review and two blog posts later, I finally get a chance to bring the Audyssey SOMA audio dock back to my home for an on-location review. We all know that showroom conditions always seem to make the audio product sound better. So this review will finally put the question to rest: how well does the SOMA dock perform in real life environment?

I... like it!

Some sound systems make the music sound "noisy". But music coming out from the dock actually sounds very pleasant. The dock produces very crisp tweeter and naturally-resonating bass. The Audyssey engineers have certainly done a very good job in optimising the sound quality of this little audio gem, but I tweaked the sound using the free iOS app, increasing bass a little to suit my taste and my home acoustics.

With the iOS app, you have 3 ways to fine-tune the audio output to your liking. First, you can use the tilt control to swing the audio balance to either bass-heavy or treble-heavy. Then, you can adjust the treble or bass level independently. Finally, you can plot your own EQ chart and save as favourites.

I am surprised that the dock can play all kinds of music without sounding biased. From classical to pop, jazz to rock, even movie audio has got that dynamic punch. The only instance that the dock doesn't sound nice is when the audio source made a mess on the mix or the compression quality.

The Audyssey SOMA dock isn't just a dock for Apple devices. It plays audio via Bluetooth or line-in jack. That practically means almost every audio equipment can enjoy the quality SOMA dock. The best part is that you do not need to choose the source, because the dock can play audio from the iOS dock, line-in and Bluetooth simultaneously. And that's so liberating, especially the Bluetooth option. With the iPhone on hand, I can easily select tracks for playback. When paired with iPad, I can watch video content as the dock pumps out the audio in almost perfect synchronisation.

Having said, the dock is certainly not meant to replace your professional audio system, nor was it meant to rock the house down with its size. But I dare say it beats most of the compact sound systems. If you want to listen to astounding music from your smartphones, at the comfort of your cosy loft, you must try the Audyssey SOMA audio dock. Let your ears convince you.

Motorola ATRIX: New Smart(phone) Experience

When Motorola initially offered the ATRIX without the lapdock for review, I declined, citing that the lapdock is a critical accessory to demonstrate the ATRIX unique selling point. After waiting a few weeks, the lapdock was available and I received the deluxe set including the HD Multimedia dock.

And it was worth the wait. The docks certainly provide new perspectives in converged mobile computing. But before I talk about the usefulness of the docks, let me cover the ATRIX handset first.

M.ATRIX.
The Motorola ATRIX comes loaded with the following amazing specs, which speaks for themselves.

1930mAh battery, the largest battery capacity for a smartphone.

4-inch 960x540 qHD LCD display, the highest resolution screen for an Android phone.

1GHz dual-core, on par with the latest Android tablets, delivers pretty smooth performance, for instance, when scrolling.

The power button doubles as a fingerprint scanner.

Fingerprint security, it's not just about being gimmicky, but it's a speedy way to authenticate the owner and unlock the phone. Without it, you would need to enter a string of numbers, characters, or not having password protection at all. And did I mention that the recognition works rather fast?

Standard micro-USB and mini-HDMI ports, which means you can use generic cables to connect.

Built-in 16GB user memory, plus another microSD card slot for you to hold all your data that you need. 

Setting up accounts is easy with MOTOBLUR.

MOTOBLUR, the customised launcher for Motorola phones like ATRIX, has some useful customisation. I like how they integrate all your social feeds and messages and display on the resizable and interactive widgets. Tap on it and the widget expands within the homescreen, allowing you to scroll the feeds or messages. Tap on the action button to either reply, comment, or view photos, and the appropriate app opens in full window. As a new user, registration to MOTOBLUR is straightforward and well-guided.

Motorola also included a few extremely useful functions on the ATRIX. The Battery Manager app lets you manage how you can save battery during specified off-peak periods like night time. The Data Manager app gives you a glimpse of your data usage and lets you control how frequent you want to use up your data. The Phone Portal app allows you to connect via USB or Wi-Fi to your PC and manage your phone contacts, messaging, files, and settings.

MOTOBLUR Battery Manager app

ATRIX Docks
The ATRIX cannot unleash its full potential without the Lapdock or the HD Multimedia Dock. Sporting similar design and material as XOOM, the lapdock has a 11.6-inch screen that displays 1366x768. When you dock the ATRIX and open the lapdock, the Webtop app in the ATRIX starts up and displays on the screen. This app is like a virtual OS that lets you access the Internet using the Firefox browser. You can install Firefox extensions and add-ons, surf any website that Firefox already supports.

ATRIX Webtop Interface: resizable windows

On the Webtop, the ATRIX phone interface appears as a separate window, which shows you the exact view of the ATRIX phone, even allowing you to rotate the orientation. When you click a web link on the phone view, you will be prompted to open the link either on the phone view or on the Webtop. When you try to open a file that only the phone supports (e.g. MS Powerpoint), the app will start on the phone view (e.g. QuickOffice), which you can expand on the lapdock for a full window view.

The brain behind the machine.

Unfortunately, you cannot navigate the phone view like an Android tablet. The trackpad does not support multi-touch gestures, so you have to use mouse clicks to "swipe" the screens or select the items. The trackpad buttons aren't exactly easy to use either: I find them too narrow and tight. For that, I would recommend plugging an external mouse to ease the pain.

The interface allows for some customisation. The keyboard, trackpad and mouse sensitivity can be adjusted, you can configure printers within the network to use with the ATRIX lapdock, just like a netbook. I actually find myself using the ATRIX lapdock frequently during my review as it offers similar usage experience as a netbook. The keyboard is also comfortable to type, with plenty of room for resting the wrists.

Some noticeable limitations of the lapdock:

• Webtop is laggy. And since there is no hard-disk noise or lights, you were left to wonder if the Webtop is processing your click.


• Each USB port can only support one storage device, so when you plug a USB hub, you can only mount the first storage device.


• Poor audio quality that lacks clarity. Good only for casual listening.


• The lapdock does not have low-battery warning indicator. When the battery is exhausted, the lapdock screen will suddenly go blank. It came as a shock while I was working on a blog entry, but I realised that the ATRIX phone of which the Webtop is running on is keeping the session alive. All I needed was to plug the lapdock on AC power and my Webtop session sprung back to life. Pity that the ATRIX is unable to power up the Webtop.


• The Webtop session closes when you close down the lapdock screen. When you open up the screen, it would take a few moments for the Webtop session to resume.

When docked and running Entertainment Centre app, the ATRIX shows a remote control display to navigate the screen.

The other dock, the HD Multimedia dock, can also run Webtop, provided you plug AC power to the dock. The Webtop will appear on your HDMI display that you plug the dock to, for instance, HDTV. Without AC power, the Entertainment Centre app will appear on the screen. The USB ports behind the HD dock will also not work without AC power.

Mini HDMI, 3 USB, AC plug, and audio-out ports on the HD Multimedia Dock.

Since the Webtop app looks identical to what you see on the lapdock, I will touch on the Entertainment Centre app here. It allows user to easily select music, photos and videos for viewing on the big screen. The display is clean and uncluttered, with transition animations when you make a selection. You can play a photo slideshow and select music tracks from your ATRIX at the same time.

Sad to say, the video section fails to play any of the reference video files I stored in the ATRIX. These unplayable video files consist of sample of video samples encoded in MP4, DivX and MKV formats. So make sure that your media formats are within the specifications of the ATRIX (AAC, H.264, MP3, MPEG-4, WMA9, eAAC+, AMR NB, AAC+), in order to play on the Entertainment Centre app.

When unplugged, the HD dock can also be useful as a stand (albeit an expensive one) to prop-up the ATRIX so that I can do some content browsing or typing using a wireless keyboard.

Overall Impression
The Motorola ATRIX with lapdock offers the ability to access the web over a netbook-like form factor and interface. If you do not have a netbook and you want the ease of surfing the Internet on a large screen instead of the small phone screen, then the ATRIX will give you that convenience. While the battery capacity is the largest among the Android smartphones, I do not see any exceptional gain in battery life. At launch, ATRIX runs on Android 2.2 Froyo.

The HD Multimedia Dock, when plugged in to AC power, gives you the same capability as the lapdock, but delivered over HDTV. You would need a separate keyboard and mouse to make the set-up complete. Sad to say, the ATRIX does not mirror the screen output to HDMI devices, thus limits the potential of the HDMI output.

I am also disappointed that the charging ports for the devices are all different, and that means the chargers are not inter-compatible.

But I like the convergence of a smartphone and a netbook or even the multimedia TV. No longer do I need to share or sync files and web bookmarks over multiple devices. The ATRIX becomes the master of your data, giving you ease of access and a familiar browser experience when inserted to the various docks. Motorola has taken the first bold step of convergence, and I believe many will follow and improve on this idea on future devices.

EPSON ME Office Printer 960FWD

As I returned the EPSON Stylus Photo TX720WD printer review unit, I received another one. The EPSON ME (stands for Max Economy) Office Printer 960FWD. As you can see from the photos, the printer easily fits in any office environment.

Print, Scan, Copy and Fax. This printer is all you need for the small office. The high capacity DURABrite Ultra 4-colour pigment-based ink cartridge lets you print more pages at lower cost. You can print on both sides of the paper with the duplex function. Plus, the automatic document feeder (ADF) allows you to scan, copy and fax 2-sided documents with ease. There are many dedicated buttons on the printer that leaves little room for guessing, even for the technologically-challeged.

You can connect this printer to your computer by USB, Ethernet, or Wi-Fi. Driver installation is fuss-free when you download the EPSON web installer app, which detects the printer model and further download the appropriate software and drivers. The printer comes with multi-card readers and a USB port for PictBridge printing. You can even manage the memory card as a drive from your computer.

While the printer is equally capable of printing photos, quality does not turn out as impressive as the EPSON Photo TX720WD because the latter uses Clara Photographic dye-based ink which works best with special photo paper, while the 960FWD's DURABrite ink works best on plain paper. Printed images on the 960FWD lack the glossiness and the vibrancy, despite churning identical dots-per-inch.

EPSON iPrint. This free smartphone app for iPhone and Android lets you connect to supported EPSON printers within the network. With this app, printing photos taken from iPhones is so convenient, especially for users who rarely transfer their photos out to their computers.

The app practically lets you do everything that the printer supports: printing photos, documents stored on the phone and online (e.g. Dropbox, Google Docs), web pages, as well as initiating the scanner function and receiving the scanned copy on your phone in JPG or PDF.

An All-Rounder. I love the convenience of the ADF for your faxing and scanning needs. I love the ability to do duplex printing and save paper. There are multiple connectivity options that will meet your office set-up needs, be it using the conventional Ethernet cable or the Wi-Fi method. Corporate road warriors can conveniently print documents from their smartphones, or even scan documents for sending out over their mobile devices - no computers required. The EPSON 960FWD is your modern office printing solution.

Happy 46th Birthday, Singapore

18th June 2011

Independence for 46 years, growing year by year. I give credit to the country leaders who forge us to progress, and the successful countrymen for inspiring us to dream.

Samsung Galaxy S II (I9100): Android's Best

5 million users cannot be wrong. The Samsung Galaxy S2 has sold that amount within 3 months since launch. Little wonder why the industry proclaims that this is possibly the best Android smartphone yet.

Here are some of the reasons why:



4.27-inch Super AMOLED Plus. One of the largest screens among Android phones, it gives you fabulous display sharpness and vibrancy. It's so bright that you can still see the display in broad daylight. Here's a comparison with the Galaxy S.

8 mega-pixel rear camera with LED. Delivers very sharp images with details. Here is one sample below - click it to view it full size. Just remember to clean the lens before shooting, unless you desire a soft halo effect.

2 mega-pixel front camera. This is the best quality front-facing camera I have experienced. There is no longer a compromise in image quality - except that it's in lower resolution. Check out my Facebook profile pic here. And just look at the camera size difference compared to Galaxy S.

Full HD 1080p video recording. Recorded in MP4 and with continuous auto-focus capability, the quality is comparable to the compact digital cameras in the market. But continuous AF speed is rather slow, digital zoom is not supported, and the field of view is cropped. The depth of field is also much shallower, which although gives a nice background separation, out-of-focus subjects are more apparent. Personally, I would shoot at lower resolutions are most situations as the file size is smaller, I can use digital zoom, and able to shoot at a wider angle.

Dual-core 1.2GHz. Running on the latest Android Gingerbread OS 2.3, it gives a trail-blazing benchmark result over the average smartphones. Tasks get completed before you knew it. Games run uber-smooth, no lags or sporadic freezes!

8.49mm thin, 116g light (Galaxy S is 9.9mm, 119g). It's unbelievably light for the size, some people might find it lacks substance - or feels plasticky. Yet, the build is good, and the thin battery cover clips on tightly.

Built-in 16GB user memory. Even till today, the majority of the Android phones do not provide a large user memory, and stores user data into the removable memory card, and that sounds silly since technically you can't swap the memory card since that would lose all the important user data that the phone needs to function. Not Galaxy S2. You have about 16GB of non-removable storage for anything you want, plus another micoSD card slot for some more storage up to 32GB.

Improved design. Even though the Galaxy S2 is larger than the Galaxy S, its power and volume buttons are still within reach of your fingers in the natural position. This is very important: many smartphones place the power button at the top of the phone, so a user would have to use the other hand to press it. The power button for Android devices is no longer a function merely to power down the device: it is an important button to switch off the display and prevent any accidental touches to the screen.

I also appreciate that the micro USB port is moved to the bottom of the phone. And notice that the touch key icons are completely non-visible until they light up.

Video and Audio playback. This phone is one of the few devices in the market that can play almost any popular portable video and audio format. This is an advantage that till today many smartphones are unable to meet.



Let me highlight some features which I do not care for, but nonetheless enhances the Galaxy S2 desirability:

Motion Controls. When viewing photos or webpages, press 2 fingers on the screen, and you can zoom in and out by moving the Galaxy S2 towards or away from you. A gimmick, I'd say, because it only works on specific apps. Frankly, it's faster to zoom using the universal 2-finger pinch.

Another motion control function is panning. Tap and hold an item at the home screen and then move the Galaxy S2 to the left or right. Again, this only works in limited apps.

Wi-Fi Direct. Theoretically, you can connect to another Wi-Fi device without the need of a router. In practical, both devices need to have this function before it works.

Kies Air. You can now synchronise your phone to your PC Kies software over-the-air.

Voice Controls. Samsung voice controls are pretty amazing, you can command the phone to do almost anything, like start an app, dial a phone number, search a location. But it's still a hit-and-miss situation for me, so I'd rather control directly.

NFC. With Near Field Communication, the device can communicate to other NFC devices for information exchange, like contactless payment. (this feature might not be available in all Galaxy S2 models)

Hubs. Samsung is promoting this Hub concept in many of their tech products, including Smart TV. There are 4 hubs: Social, Music, Game, Reader (Music Hub is not available in Singapore). With Hub apps, you get a specialised platform to interact the respective categories. Social Hub is the one app that converges all your interaction with your contacts - SMS, mail, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Game Hub lets you play interactive games with peers. Readers Hub is the place to access electronic print media.
 
TouchWiz. I'm not a fan of Samsung's custom launcher, so I won't comment much on the usefulness (or uselessness) of the pre-installed apps. As Android users, you have a choice to use third party apps. All I would say is: I made my Galaxy S2 usage experience better by running third party launcher apps.



With so many good things said about the Galaxy S2. Let's move on to the pain points.

Battery spec 1650mAh. The original Galaxy S is already 1500mAh, and here the dual-core S2 merely increased the battery capacity a little. With my kind of usage, the phone barely made it through my 9-hour work day. Samsung did provide an optional power pack for the heavy users. Form over function, I suppose.

Speaker quality. The Galaxy S2 speakers sound brighter and bass is non-existent. Personally I prefer the Galaxy S audio quality, though S2 sounds louder.

Hyper-sensitive touchscreen. The Galaxy S2 responds to any minute touch and movement of the finger. That means sometimes when I try to press an icon, if my finger shifted while pressing, the S2 interprets it as a swipe. Also, due to the reduced screen gap at the sides, sometimes when I hold the phone and my palm comes in contact with the edge of the screen, it would activate the touchscreen.

Charging time. Just like the Galaxy S, the S2 takes too long to fully charge the battery. Some other competitors can manage a full charge in about 2 hours, but Galaxy requires double the time.

Heats up easily. This is a common "problem" for most Android devices, so just got to get used to it. Good way to keep your hands warm in the freezing office, though.

Network quality. The speedy experience in using the Galaxy S2 could be marred by the dodgy network coverage.

Price. The Galaxy S2 is around S$900, which is hefty when comparing to other smartphones.

Conclusion

Some other smartphones may lay claim to better features and specs, yet the Samsung Galaxy S2 has a longer list of better features in one device than any other smartphones. What you are getting is nothing short of a blazing mobile computing device that is worth every dollar you pay for. Install any apps and the Galaxy S2 will oblige with speed and ease. Just keep watch on the battery utilisation, charge when available, and enjoy the ride.

Epson Stylus Photo TX720WD Printer Review

Would you believe that I only owned 3 printers in my entire lifetime? The first printer was an OKI dot-matrix printer in the 1990s. The second printer was an EPSON Photo inkjet printer for my university days - the printhead got clogged. The third printer was a Canon inkjet printer which lasted me almost a decade before I disposed of it when I moved house - not because it broke down, but because it could not run on Windows 7 OS.

For an entire year, I lived without a printer (save the Sony Photo Printer DPP-FP70). Granted, at times it was inconvenient, but we probably saved a few trees along the way. All-In-One (AIO) printers have been the new de-facto format and prices went down year by year. Still, there was no desire to upgrade, because of one critical factor: AIO are just too big.

Then comes along EPSON Stylus Photo TX720WD (PDF brochure link). This printer has so many features built into this surprisingly compact footprint. Could this be the only printer I ever need?

A typical all-in-one printer allows you to scan, copy and print. The TX720WD gives you a lot more. Here's a breakdown:

Printer Features

• Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and USB connections. You can connect to this printer using any of the connections. I simply adore the Wi-Fi option. This means I can put this printer anywhere in the house, without any constraints. The Ethernet option is also great so that you can use it over network. You can also print via Bluetooth with an optional USB Bluetooth adapter. And if you install EPSON iPrint app on your iPhone or iPad, you can also manage your print/scan jobs directly with the TX720WD!
• PictBridge. Plug a digital camera with PictBridge and you can easily select, adjust and print photos from your camera to the printer.
• Multi-media tray. The media tray supports all sorts of paper sizes. The 2-tier tray holds papers in 2 sizes. There is also a separate CD tray to print CDs.
• Duplex printing. The printer comes with the adapter to let you print on 2 sides of the paper. But you should get thicker paper lest the ink partially bleeds to the reverse side of the paper.
• Multi card slot. You can insert a CF card, Microdrive, SD card, XD card, Memory Stick card, and even a USB drive. I'm glad the USB "hole" is large enough to slot in large USB flash drives, so you need not require a short USB adapter, a familiar situation for many laptops.
• 2.5" TFT LCD screen. After plugging in a card, you can preview the images over the small screen. Scrolling is fast, though not exactly high resolution.
• Articulated control panel. One of my favourites, I can tilt the panel so that I can comfortably control the printer, whether it's placed at eye-level or at a lower-level.
• Sensitive touch controls. Instead of buttons, you navigate the printer using touch. The buttons are big and there are light indicators to tell you whether the buttons are operable based on the menu options.
• Multiple print style options. Besides the normal scan, copy and print, the TX720WD allows you to print your photos or scans into "colouring book" looking images. You can also print ruled papers with background images (like!). The built-in menu also allows you to print in various layouts like CD jewel case, passport-size, saving you the hassle of resizing manually.

Software Features

• EPSON Scan: allows you to initiate a scan from your PC. The software has a few modes: setting auto will let the scanner detect the scanned image and adjust accordingly. 
• Useful software: edit/enhance before print. Hmm but cannot save the edited settings?
• EPSON Easy Photo Print: this software installs a toolbar on Windows Explorer and makes printing so easy. Just select the image and click "Photo Print" to open the application and do the necessary adjustments before printing.
• Enhance image before printing: you can adjust the images, you can tweak the images, like cropping, face retouching, digital camera enhancement (a.k.a. smoothening to remove grains).

EPSON Easy Photo Print toolbar on Windows Explorer

Easy Photo Print interface.

Click "Image Enhance" brings you to another pop-up window.

Click "Portrait Enhance" opens another pop-up window. See the before-and-after preview.

Print Quality
Printing a photo-quality borderless image on the A4-sized Premium Glossy Photo Paper takes about 3 minutes. I am extremely impressed with the output of the images. They are extremely photo-like under the naked eye, and the colours are very accurate, with no visible exaggeration of any colour tones.

Stacks of photos printed from the TX720WD Photo Printer

Check out the gloss!

To probe further, I shot with a macro lens to inspect the actual ink dots.

You can only tell that the images are printed by an inkjet printer when you scrutinize at the microscopic level.

Professional users should not enable "PhotoEnhance" during printing, as the software will auto-adjust colour tones and apply softening which may ruin the image details that you painstakingly edit. The EPSON Easy Photo Print software is convenient for novices but does not give you the adjustment accuracy. Therefore, if you have an external image editor, do use that to process your images and send it unaltered to the printer. You will not be disappointed.

The TX720WD can also print other fun stuffs, like ruled paper, even graph paper in authentic green grids. I like the ruled paper with background option: the output looks really nice and appears to look like the special art paper you buy from stationery stores. The colouring book mode, however, fails to impress. What it does was to convert a full-colour photo into a black-white outlined image for colouring. But it only works if the printer can pick up the outlines. In my casual test, none of the images give me a decent output.

Ruled paper with image. Very nice resolution, almost like commercial-printed paper!

Colouring book mode fails to give a complete trace.

Scan Quality
Nothing to shout about, but scans of documents appear sharp and faithful to the original. I like how the scanner auto-detects the scanned image, auto-crops and applies optimal adjustments, though sometimes I'd wish for a semi-auto mode, so that I can fine-tune some settings rather than opting for the full-manual scan option.


Weaknesses
Here are a list of issues that I do not favour.

• Noisy start-up and moving parts during print operations.
• Printer can't operate if one of the ink cartridges is used up. There is no option to force print.
• Ink cartridge is costly. Each cartridge (82N) costs S$21 and there are 6 cartridges to handle.
• Ink uses up fast when printing photos. One of the cartridges that was replaced before I started my review has used up half after about 30 photo prints.
• The adjustments you make on the Easy Print software before printing cannot be saved. So you need to re-adjust if you want to print the same photo again in future.

6 ink-dividual cartridges, each retailing at S$21 for the normal-capacity 82N type.

Final Words
The EPSON Stylus Photo TX720WD stands out with its comprehensive printing solution supporting many media types including CD-tray. Photo print quality is outstanding, and normal paper printing is also great. Customise your own ruled writing or graph paper and impress your peers. Be prepared to spend on ink cartridges if you print a lot of photos, and the printer noise can be disturbing in a tranquil evening. With a built-in Wi-Fi, this printer can be placed anywhere in the house as an able companion for all your printing needs.