Samsung Galaxy SIII GT-I9300: Review

I was happy with Samsung Galaxy S2 (GT-9100) and never had any intention to upgrade. Well, as fate would have it, I have an opportunity to purchase the Galaxy S3 (GT-9300) at an attractive price, and found a new owner for my well-used Galaxy S2.

S2 to S3: Is It Worth It?

Let me share some of the features I love on the Galaxy S3:

Larger Screen and Higher Resolution. It's 4.8 inch vs. 4.3 inch. It's 1280x720 vs. 800x480. To me, it doesn't feel too big, as compared to how a Samsung Galaxy Note would feel on your hand. Higher resolution means I can fit more information on the same screen without having to scroll a lot.

Faster Processor. It's 1.4GHz quad-core vs. 1.2GHz dual-core. Sounds like a lot faster, but in actual use, it's not so. It does make the interface smoother but not faster. The increase is probably to make the phone more robust in handling multi-task functions.

Battery Remaining %. Finally! Without requiring any third party apps or hack, the percentage remaining battery is displayed on the status bar.

LED Indicator. Finally! Galaxy S-series has an indicator to notify you of any missed events.

Sort Apps by Alphabet. Finally! The apps can now be displayed in alphabetical order. Makes it easier to search for apps.

Vibration Pattern. You can select a vibration pattern for incoming calls, and even define a different vibration pattern for different contacts, similar to ringtones.

Customisable Messaging Bubbles. If you do not want to install third-party messaging app, then you can continue to use Samsung's preinstalled Messaging app and customise yout

Camera and Camcorder. Improved focus speed, shutter lag and shot to shot response. The burst shot captures up to 20 consecutive images and does not disrupt the live view while you hold the shutter until you are satisfied or when 20 images are filled. The best shot mode only lets you snap 8 images, from which you can choose the best shots.

The camcorder mode allows you to capture still images while recording video at the same time in full resolution. Love it!

Video Player. All the videos show the thumbnails in animated preview. Nice! Plus, you can playback a video in a separate floating window. Effectively, you can watch the video while doing any other tasks on the phone - reading emails, surfing Internet, browsing apps.

Auto Photo Tag. You can tag contacts to faces found in photos, and the Gallery app will identify matching faces for you to tag them. Similar feature a Google Picasa, this enables you to connect to them faster via on-screen pop-ups.

Scan Nearby Devices. Now the stock multimedia apps like music, video, gallery will scan your network folders for compatible files and stream to your phone to playback.


Some things I don't like about the new Galaxy S3:

LED Indicator too bright. Most other phones have small unobtrusive LED. Samsung Galaxy S3 has one large round indicator that glows brightly in the dark. Fortunately, you can look for third party apps to manage the LED, which also lets you customise the notification colour based on apps. I personally use Light Flow.

Smaller Home Button. It's not as easy to press the home button as the S2. The touch keys are also narrower so you would need to stretch your fingers a little more to balance the S3.

Glossy Plastic Phone Surface. The Galaxy S3 glossy plastic surface feels fragile and prone to cosmetic damages compared to the hardy Galaxy S2.

Battery life. Despite a larger 2100mAh vs S2's 1650mAh, it doesn't last a lot longer.

Loudspeaker. It doesn't deliver great audio but it's just audible for general listening.


Other Features

The Galaxy S3 has a few other features which I don't see myself using, but might work for you:

Extended Motion Activation
Previously on the Galaxy S2, there is already a few basic motion gestures, like zoom in-out, flip-to-mute. The Galaxy S3 now has a few more:

• Direct Call - while viewing a call, message, or contact details, just place the phone to your ear and the S3 will call the person. 
• Smart Alert - if you have missed notifications, the phone will alert you when you pick you the phone. 
• Tap to Top - just double-tap the screen and the contact or email list will jump back to the top. 
• Shake to Update - shake the phone to search for Bluetooth devices. 
• Palm Swipe - capture screen 
• Palm Mute/Pause - mute or pause sounds by covering the screen with your palm. 

Smart Stay
The phone detects you are reading and will not turn off the screen.

S Voice
The iPhone equivalent of Siri. It actually works when I ask to check my upcoming appointments, weather, or create message or make a call. However, I'm one of the majority who finds talking to a phone silly.

S Beam
The ability to transfer content to another compatible phone without wires or pairing.

Overall Opinion

As an existing S2 user, transiting to S3 is an ease, and it's a no-brainer that a newer phone is always better than the old one. The camera speed is improved and allows me to capture the moment faster. The screen is larger and lets me view more content. The Samsung Galaxy S3 further improves the interface to make it more user friendly and smoother with engaging features that helps you reach out to your contacts faster, making you more "sociable".

Ranger Wireless Bluetooth Keyboard

After so many years of using a smartphone with touch keyboard, I am still not good at speed typing. Nothing beats a real physical full-size keyboard. Which is why I recently bought a cheap Ranger bluetooth keyboard just for kicks, street price about S$48.

Pairing is easy: just push the pairing button behind the keyboard. There is no on/off switch: the keyboard is intelligent to detect pairing and then it comes alive. Once pairing is disconnected, the keyboard goes into standby mode. I'm not sure whether the standby mode will drain battery, but it runs on 2 AAA batteries.

I find the keys a little sticky and the mechanism not smooth, especially when you do not hit the keys right in the middle. Yes it's not perfect, but still I can type a lot faster than on the smartphone.

Yes, this full-size keyboard is not portable, but neither am I intending to use it on the go. The keyboard is permanently placed on my office desk and it allows me to comfortably reply phone text messages, and from far it certainly looks like I am working instead of phone-texting.

Depends on the device you pair, some of the keys would not work. The good news is that it has dedicated keys for all devices - iOS, Mac, Windows, Android.

The only reason why I bought this model is that it's cheap. For those who really need a better quality keyboard, I recommend Logitech Wireless Tablet Keyboard at about S$90 street price.

Samsung NX20: Quick Review

Samsung recently announced its largest NX camera lineup - the NX20, NX210 and NX1000. NX20 is a replacement to NX11, the NX210 to replace NX200, while the NX1000 is a new low-end model to target the price-sensitive consumers.

The NX20 and NX210 arrived on time for the PC Show last week. I also received the review unit early this week and had a quick hands-on. For those who are already familiar with the NX system, here's a summary of the differences from the earlier models.


NX20 compared with NX11

The maximum dimensions are identical, but NX20 main body is slightly smaller, its grip is bigger, the weight lighter. Other physical differences include more buttons, swivel LCD, additional scroll on the navigation wheel.

Here are the list of technical improvements:

• 20.3MP vs. 14.6MP
• 8fps vs. 3fps
• Up to 12800 ISO vs. 3200
• HD Video recording
• Electronic viewfinder at 800x600 vs. 640x480
• More Smart Filters

NX20 compared to NX200

Although these 2 models are entirely different in physical design, the NX20 inherits the features of the NX200 plus several updates:

• Maximum 1/8000s shutter, available when enabling E-Shutter
• 8 fps vs. 7fps
• Electronic leveler, invoked when toggling LCD display
• Custom mode dial with 3 custom presets
• Customisable button can now map White Balance function
• New feature "Selective Color", allows you to pick one of the 3 primary colours for duotone effect
• "MAGIC" Frame is removed
• Panorama mode on the dial is moved into "SCN" mode
• Smart Filter is moved to Smart Panel, enabled only when shooting drive is "Single"

Wi-Fi Sharing

Of course, the star feature of the latest NX models is the Wi-Fi capability. Although already available on several Samsung compact camera models, this useful feature is finally incorporated into the NX interchangeable lens system.

The following are supported:

• MobileLink to Samsung Galaxy-series devices
• Remote Viewfinder using  Samsung Galaxy-series devices
• Wi-Fi Direct with supported devices
• Email direct from camera
• Auto Backup to computer running the Auto Backup software
• Cloud Upload from camera
• Social Sharing to Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, etc.
• TV Link to supported TV sets

The MobileLink is a really useful function that allows me to view my NX20 photos from my Samsung Galaxy S2 phone and select those that I want to download to my phone, without PC. Remote Viewfinder displays the NX20 liveview on the phone and I can trigger the shutter. I also tried Social Sharing of photos from NX20 to Facebook, which can only be done when the NX20 is logged in to a wireless network. Although entering text is possible, it is just too tedious. I'd wish Samsung come up with a Wi-Fi keyboard accessory.

The Wi-Fi sharing solution is certainly a saving grace for consumers who are out shooting and wants to send a few photos via the smartphone. Traditionally, one would have to insert the camera SD card to a SD-card reader and plugged to a USB-OTG enabled smartphone (a rather rare feature which Samsung Galaxy S-series support) to access the images.


Hands-On

Users who prefer a camera with good ergonomic design will like NX20, which is built for rugged consumer use. Improved button layout from the NX11 improves usability, especially with the inclusion of the wheel scroll.

I find the NX20 interface a little less agile than earlier models. Changing settings in between shots require a little breather from the user. Shooting continuous shots in RAW would freeze the camera for a few seconds. Simply put, do not expect DSLR-like capability, which is a pity since the NX20 review unit comes with the premium 85mm f1.4 portrait lens. With a little patience, however, the NX20 delivers pure professional image quality that rivals DSLR.

NX20 is the first NX camera with swivel LCD, and it's extremely useful for odd angle shots, or even self-portraits. I could face the LCD to the subject while I use the EVF to pre-frame the shot. Then when I remove my eye off the EVF, the subject would be able to see his/her own image from the LCD.

Parting Thoughts

The Samsung NX20 is possibly the only mirrorless camera that offers me a professional feeling when holding it. It has all the qualities of a serious camera system - buttons that easily access all the imaginable camera controls like aperture, shutter, ISO, EV compensation, white balance, shutter drive, AF mode, metering mode, even an old-school AEL button. Novice can quickly control advanced settings using i-Function button on the lens. Its build is conventionally sturdy, with proper rubber grip, understated black body. It doesn't pretend to be retro, but is designed with a traditional photographer in mind.

Admittedly, Samsung is not yet established as a camera system brand, despite creating a range of useful lenses that put Sony NEX and Nikon 1 to shame. 16mm, 20mm, 30mm, 60mm, 85mm are some of the prime lenses already available. 18-55mm, 50-200mm, 18-200mm zoom lenses will suffice any entry-level enthusiasts. Its APS-C sensor means image details are better than the Micro Four-thirds.

I suppose at this day of age, there aren't many old-school photographers. Even smartphone users rely on filter apps like Instagram to make stunning images, and they certainly do not care what aperture or shutter is. I think Samsung knows how they should grow the NX system, now with the launch of NX1000 targeted at price-conscious consumers.

NX20 is a great camera, though the interface performance cannot match my demands as a DSLR user. I am more than glad to use it for projects that require less demanding capture responses. Over 80% of photos posted on my blog for the past 2 years is shot with a Samsung NX camera, and I am extremely pleased with the images and the handling ease, especially with the availability of premium lenses like 16mm f2.4 Ultra Wide-Angle, 60mm f2.8 Macro, 85mm f1.4 Portrait.

Sony Balanced Armature Headphones XBA

Want to win a pair of Sony XBA-1 headphones? Read on!

Balanced Armature driver has been around for decades. While it is not a new audio technology, not many headphone manufacturers use this type of drivers. The advantages compared to the dynamic drivers are size, higher sound resolution and sensitivity. Its characteristics are flat frequency response and more precise sound.

Credit: Sony XBA product website

Typically, every in-ear headphones contain one driver - think of it as a mini-speaker for the ears - because of the limited size. Generally, a larger dynamic driver translates to better frequency response.

Credit: Sony XBA product website

Using Balanced Armature as the driver, it is now possible to build more drivers into the headphones, with each BA tuned for specific purposes. Again, think of it as a home loudspeaker cabinet with multiple speakers - tweeter, mid-range, woofer, subwoofer.

And that's what Sony is offering in its new XBA range of headphones. XBA-1 contains one BA, XBA-2 with 2 BAs, XBA-3 with 3 BAs, and the XBA-4 has 4 BAs. Check out the below diagram to understand how they are tuned with different frequency responses.

Credit: Sony XBA product website

Several weeks back, I briefly tested all 4 models at the Funan Challenger store. At that time, I preferred the XBA-1. Generally I prefer my headphones to have a flat frequency response to retain the original mix of the music. If the bass is too strong, it would overpower the treble. Similarly, if the treble is too piercing, the woofer would not be felt.

Coincidentally last week, Sony invited me for a private blogger session to experience the full range of XBA series headphones. This time, I readied myself with a list of reference audio that I am familiar with. They are not necessarily true audiophile "standard" tracks: just songs that I have been listening all these years, songs that represent the kind of music I enjoy. Vocal, instrumental, orchestral, pop, jazz, new age.

Ready for testing: XBA-1 to 4.

First, the XBA-1. No surprises, the sound is well balanced. The treble is not too overpowering while the bass has adequate punch. Just the way I liked it.

Next I tried XBA-2. Delivering heavier and better bass but not overpowering, the XBA-2 would be better suited when listening at higher volumes and heavier tracks.

The turning point occurred when I tested XBA-3. I started hearing more audio details from the same tracks. The sensual breaths of the vocalist sends goosebumps to my skin, the reverb that I never noticed, these give added dimensions to the music.

The 4 Balanced Armatures found in the XBA-4.

When I finally tested the XBA-4, I knew this is it. Offering similar clarity from the XBA-3, the XBA-4 adds even more feel with the subwoofer BA driver, which completes the aural experience. You really do not know what you were missing until you experienced the higher-end products.

Having said that, it simply doesn't mean a more expensive set of earphones naturally means better-sounding earphones. Each of us have different preferences for sound. Some are more sensitive to high frequencies, others prefer to enjoy bass. I am one who appreciates earphones that deliver natural sounds - bass that reverberates without distortion, mid-tones that are defined without sounding muddy, treble that is clear without discomfort.

In the absence of any comparison, I find the XBA-1 already meets my listening needs. I'm not a fan of heavy bass or sharp tweeter, but what won me over to the XBA-4 is the amazing details that I could never have heard with any normal pair of earphones. Most earphones simply could not deliver the clarity without sounding unnatural, and using equalizers will not bring out what the earphones cannot deliver. The XBA-3 is already very good, but I thought I needed that additional sub-woofer BA to further counterbalance the strong tweeter. How could I allow myself to miss out all the sounds that I should have been listening? The sounds that are painstakingly engineered by the album producer.

During the blogger session, I appreciate the importance of picking a proper set of earbuds. Earbuds are not just a matter of comfort. They make or break the listening experience. When the earbuds fit well, the intended sound will be transmitted to your ears without loss. I suppose that's why I thought the XBA-1 sounded better when I first tested all the earphones at Funan Challenger. Fortunately, Sony included 7 earbud sizes to make sure you get the best fit and the preferred sound balance.

I can't stress the importance of test driving the earphones before buying. Head down to the Sony Style showroom or Funan Challenger to let your ears be the judge.

The XBA headphone series also come with variants with microphone and volume control to use with iPhones. The equivalent for non-iPhone smartphones (e.g. Android devices) are coming soon.

CONTEST (closed)
Here's how you can win a pair of Sony XBA-1 in-ear headphones worth S$109!

Prize to giveaway!

Describe your favourite music and what made you want to listen to it over and over again. Is it the singer, the lyrics, the music, the arrangement?

Please post your entry on my facebook page wall at http://facebook.com/musicphotolife after clicking "Like". Do start your entry with the following:

"I want to win the Sony Balanced Armature XBA-1 headphones!"

Contest ends 30 Jun 2012 and is open only to Singapore residents. Winner will be picked by me.

Epson LabelWorks: Portable Label Printer Review

EPSON has launched a new range of portable label printers for home and office.


Key Features of the Epson LabelWorks LW-300/400/900P

· Handheld stationery label printers
Ideal for homes, small offices home offices (SOHO) and small and media businesses (SMB), the Epson LabelWorks LW-300 and Epson LabelWorks LW-400 print labels ranging from 9mm – 18mm. This means precise labeling of smaller household items, schooling and stationery items to files and documents!

· PC connected stationery label printer
The higher-end Epson LabelWorks LW-900P prints labels ranging from 9mm – 36mm, making it ideal for vertical industries like logistics, manufacturing, building management. Equipped with the ability to connect to a PC or Mac, consumers can now personalize and create larger labels for branding purposes.

· Additional Features for all three label printers
With over 30 different types of media to choose from, the LabelWorks printers allow consumers to express their creativity with attractive patterns, vibrant colours and varied applications like iron-on, glow-in-the-dark and cable wrap. Additionally, equipped with up to 14 font types, 457 symbols and 89 frames, the LabelWorks printers are designed for high customisability and unique labels prints. Reduced tape margins also means dramatically smaller leader margins for more savings; giving users a perfectly sized label for any application. Barcode printing, using the Epson LabelWorks LW-400 and Epson LabelWorks LW-900P, is also made possible for tracking inventories for business settings.


Thanks to Epson's PR who passed me all 3 units, I am able to share with you how each of them differs to meet your needs.

LW-300

Photo Credits: EPSON

This affordable label printer is powered by 6 AAA batteries. The LCD screen only shows one line of text and does not have any backlight. The thickest cartridge tape width it supports is 12mm.

LW-400

This label printer is about S$20 more expensive than the basic unit, but you get a 2-line LCD display with backlight, great for indoor use. You can use tape width up to 18mm, and supports a little more print options, like barcode printing, 4-line printing. I definitely prefer this over the LW-300, unless you are really on a tight budget.

Instead of using batteries, you may choose to power with AC adapter which is included in the package.


LW-900P

This top-of-the-line printer requires connection to the computer to use, and prints up to 36mm tape width. Using the included Label Editor software, you can create all kinds of label layouts, even importing your own images. The printable fonts are limited only by your computer, so with this model, I am able to print non-Latin characters like Chinese. It also comes with a trimmer to round the label corners. Retailing at S$299, the LW-900P is only for the adventurous who needs the versatility of label printing through the computer. There is no battery option, so you have to plug to AC power. There is also no on/off switch: the printer turns on automatically when the computer is on.

User Friendliness
For the LW-300/400, it takes a while to understand how the product works without manual. There are several dedicated buttons to change the settings, like font, size, frames. To commit the change, you have to press the "Enter" button. When selecting font, the display does not show the actual font design. You have to refer to the manual for font samples.

For the LW-900P, the Label Editor is not the most user friendly. I find it easier to pick a preset template and edit to my requirements, rather than create from scratch. I recommend you spend a bit of time to familiarise with the software in order to maximise the printing versatility of the LW-900P.


Label Varieties
Each cartridge comes with the label and thermal ink, so there is no need to buy separately. There are dozens of designs for various needs. The review unit comes with a white label with grey ink, white on black ink, silver on black ink. There are even iron-ons, glow-in-the-dark, other pastel colour backgrounds. The best part is that you can easily swap the cartridges around.

Durability
EPSON claims they are chemical, scratch, temperature and water resistant. I personally tried tearing the labels with my hands, scratching the printouts, and even stuck the label to a water bottle, and the labels withstood the abuses.


My Favourite...
is the LW-400. Portable and great value, with large LCD screen and backlight that lets you use in any lighting situation. And my family agrees with me.