New phone

Been a few months since I wrote a post. Very busy with my kid. As my kid loves to play with my phone apps, my current phone Lumia920 has been dropped quite a number of times with slight dents and scratches everywhere.

So it is time for a new phone and trade in my old phone. I like the pictures coming from my Lumia 920, and I am starting to get used to Windows phone. And there is only choice as I also prefer a phone that can take good pics from a mobile device. That will be Lumia 1020, not really new by now but the camera abilities is widely recognized as the best camera phone for now.

With CNY around the corner, telco offers a pretty good bundle of small gifts. It comes with accessories pack like mobile cover, camera grip, tripod, yellow wireless charging cover, some CNY hongbao and a fortune. Guess I will be taking more often with my camera phone when I am not using my E-M5.

Below is the unboxing video:

 

 Picture of the whole package

Olympus E-M5

Been a long time since I bought a new camera. So I have to sell my old 4/3 DSLR + lenses to get a new one, but I am going the mirrorless 4/3 camera this time. And E-M5 has caught my attention when it was first released with its splash and dust proof body and kit lens. It has the same durability with the E-series. It also earned a gold award from dpreview. 

Fast forward and it has been a year now and the retail price drop for this model is around 20% since there are new models going to be released soon. So I think it is a good time to get it.

I got a reasonably good deal I guess since there a ongoing PC show promotion going on which includes a leather neck strap, PEN leather bag and a extra battery. Below is the unboxing video and some pictures of the package.  

Unboxing video

 Free PEN leather bag 1

  Leather bag with strap

 Overall package view 1

 Overall package view 2

Lumia 920

My mobile contract has expired for quite a while. And my current Xperia S is a non contract phone. The reason for changing it is due to the camera pictures quality (grainy quality) as well as the widely availability of 4G network. I heard and read of the camera capabilities of Lumia 920 and I am tempted. The camera picture quality seems to be better than my Xperia S. And the best low light phone camera out there.

It is not a bad phone but once in a while will have hanging software issue (I have upgraded to official ICS firmware not long ago). So I decided to change to another mobile OS since I have been having Android OS phones since its early days. I still remember is HTC magic.

And this month there is IT show going on. Usually, these big shows will have better offers on mobile renewal plans. And Lumia 920 came with a good offer which is not bad, it comes with a Purity HD headset with a new line or re-contract subscription during the show. And the trade in value of my Xperia S is pretty high too. In the end, I paid about 100+ in total for a re-contract + trade in deal. Everything is done online.

And I got the 3rd party casing and screen protector online early since the delivery will not be so early. Below is the pictures (taken by Xperia S before it is traded away). The casing material is TPU material.

 Casing + Screen protector

 Back view

 Front view

Finally the day arrived for the delivery, I took a unboxing video for the phone as well as the Purity headset. Since I have no phone to record it, my old trusty FZ35 is used to record it (only 720p).

Video:

Unboxing video

In the box 1

In the box 2

Unboxing video of Purity headset:

Unboxing video

 In the package

Mini review of the phone: Took a bit of time to get used to the interface. After playing with it for a couple of days, certain things can be improved like auto updating of apps etc.

I guess Win 8 mobile OS is not that matured yet but it is pretty user friendly in a way once you are used to it. However, the battery life is poor and once in a while it might auto reboot. I suspect certain apps might have caused it. I had uninstalled some of the ones which I think may be the culprit. So far, it has not auto reboot yet (I hope never).

As all the other reviews has said, the low light photo taking is very good. Maybe in the weeks to come, I will post pictures as it goes along since I am using my mobile phone to take pictures more than my compact camera/DSLR. So a good camera phone will come in handy. By the way, I have thrown away the screen protector since I think the phone Gorilla glass is doing a great job. 

Mini review of the headphone: After trying it with the phone, I would prefer the sound after customizing the equalizer of the phone. Otherwise, the sound seems to be a bit soft on my ears. Different people different requirements I guess. But it is doing a reasonably good job.

My Xperia S aka Nozomi

Less than 6 months since I got my Galaxy tab 7.0+ and I had got a new mobile phone. Guess I can't resist temptation of Xperia S. I bought a no contract phone since the price has gone down due to the upcoming new phones from the Xperia line. The price range seems to be reasonable for me.

Also, it is on a promotion with the upcoming new Spiderman movie. Free gifts consists of a sling bag, notepad and 2 tickets for the sneak preview of the movie. It is pretty neat I guess.

Accessories that comes with the phone is pretty generous, it comes with 2x smart tags, screen protector and a mini HDMI to HDMI cable. That is great! I like freebies!

Below is the unboxing video:

First impression:

It is a well bulit phone and has a beautiful screen. HD resolution packed in a 4.3 inch screen is really sharp. One of the highest pixel density currently in the market. The phone is well built.

But the downside seems to be the weak battery life as reported with most of the phone reviews. It last me for almost a day with my moderate usage.

I hope the ICS update will help with the battery mileage. Otherwise, I might need to get a portable charging pack.

The full package

The smart tag

Maybe I will write a short review after I had used the phone for a couple of weeks to have a better picture. Below is the pic of the package and one of the smart tag.

My new handphone for 2012

One of my older post mentioned that I wanted to get a tablet sometime in the future. So I guess the time has come. I am using one of phone contracts from my wife to upgrade. I mentioned before I like the first generation galaxy tab 7.

But since the specs is only slightly better than my HTC Desire which is serving me well although the phone storage is pretty limited. Additional factor is the big screen for phone. My eyes will not be so stressful focusing on a smaller screen lol.

I decided to wait to see if there any replacement model since the old tab has been in the market for quite a while, I believe it is EOL now and I was happy when they announced a replacement model for called galaxy tab plus 7. It has the upgraded hardware which is more in line with the current technology although the resolution remains the same. Finally, the ability to answer phone calls privately rather than using only the speaker phone on the previous tab 7.

And it was available locally somewhere in early Jan 2012. Before that, they had a Galaxy Note which is pretty good. Nice and pretty big screen and all but it seems to be more expensive than the new Galaxy tab plus 7 locally. Maybe the reason is due to the better hardware like the "super AMOLED" screen. But still, I prefer a bigger screen of the tab 7 although the screen is not super AMOLED.


It is pretty unique to have a android "honeycomb" OS but it can make phone calls too. From what I know, "honeycomb" OS do not have phone call function (correct me if I am wrong). Maybe they are using other hardware to work with to it to have a phone call function. So I decided to get one without second thought since it is a 2 in 1 device (tablet or as a phone), although it might look strange answering a call with a pretty big device on your ear. But I can accept that lol. 

For more info on its specs, you can check out at their website under tablet section. Here is the unboxing video and some pictures.

Unboxing video

 Whole package

Power and volume button

MicroSD and SIM card slot

3.5mm Jack

Charging port and speakers

Back view

Mini review: Been using the phone for a couple of days before this posting, overall is positive for me although it might be a bit inconvenient to bring such a "big" phone out. The new design looks less "plastic" due to the silver frame on the phone. It seems to be aluminum to me

The phone reception is pretty good and I like the big screen, so much easier to read my stuffs. Battery life is not bad, last me around 2 days before charging on casual usage. Playing games is pretty positive for me. 

But the upper left portion while holding in portrait mode can get warm during gaming. I believe the processor or the GPU is located somewhere near there.

I guess this phone is going to be with me for a while till something better comes along.

My new soundcard

I had been deciding whether I needed a sound card for my HTPC since onboard audio sounds "ok" for me. But I given in to my temptation and decided to get one since have a discrete sound card do make a difference to me.

So my hunting for a new soundcard begins, since I listen to music and do some gaming at home. I needed a sound card that can performed for both applications. And I narrowed it down to Asus Xonar STX and Creative Soundblaster Titanium HD. Both are so called audiophile grade sound card but I am not really a "audiophile".But I am a person who likes details and clarity in the music.

Some recommend Asus and some recommend Creative after reading from the forums and reviews. In the end, I got the Creative card since I felt that it can performs both roles decently since X-Fi is known for gaming. But the card was "tuned" for music too I believed, since it is catered to the audiophile market too.

As for STX, it seems to be catered more for audiophile market where the music sounds really great (I have no doubt about with all the great review on it). The pricing for both cards is pretty close in my area. Do take note that STX card is not a native PCIx card. It has a conversion chip from PCI to PCIx and it needed a extra power to it comparing to Titanium HD where it is a native PCIx solution and no extra power needed.   

So there it is my not so good unboxing video as it is done in a rush. Pardon me for that. Comparing with the Xonar STX package, Creative seems to be more generous in the accessories department. 

Unboxing video:

All the contents with the card

Mini review: The X-Fi software suite seems interesting, you can choose between three modes (Entertainment, Audio Creation, Game). Normal usage will be Entertainment, it will be used for movie and music and for the other two modes. It will be used as the name implies.I am using T40 Series 2 but I hope it can maximise the potential of the card.

Listening from my T40 Series 2 speakers. And comparing to my onboard ALC892 sound. I feel that the audio coming from Titanium HD seems to sound more refined and detailed. Although I must say onboard audio performs decently.

Now for gaming (playing FPS games most of the time), I tested it by comparing the 2 modes (Entertainment / Game). Entertainment sounds pretty good but I feel it lack some "oomph" factor in gaming. So switching to Game mode, it seems to have a more punchy sound where I can "sense" the surroundings better. I am not using headphone by the way. But I think Game mode is optimized to be used with headphone

Lastly, the software suite provided enables to fine tune quite a number of things in each individual mode. So you can tune it up to your own preferences. In conclusion, it is a good buy to me although I feel that my speakers can't maximise the potential of this card. A pair of studio monitor speakers should be able to do a better job. But overall, I am satisfied with the pairing of the card and my speakers for now.

Misc stuff for my HTPC

Bought some stuff to enhance my HTPC since it can get pretty warm during gaming. Especially the graphics cards and I feel that CPU fan is not enough to cool the fins. Therefore, I decided to add some more fans in the case where possible to expel hot air faster.

I also bought a fan controller to be mount at the unused 3.5" drive bay. Extra fans will be connected to it and controlled manually. Finally, a couple of 80mm fan filters and hoped that it will cut down on the dust intake by the fans.

Below is the unboxing video:

Misc stuffs bought from Linke computer

By the way, Happy New Year in advance! :)

HTPC build 2011 part 3/3

Finally, for the motherboard and RAMs. As I don't OC the CPU or anything, it will be better to use H67 chipset compared to Z68 or P67. Also, I was also particular about the board layout, design etc. Having heatsinks on the VRM is a must for me since I feel it will prolong the life of it. Also, I will not be using a K series CPU since I don't overclock, a i5 2400 should suffice for me for my budget.

After all the researching on the different MB brands, I narrowed down to ECS (H67H2-M) or ASUS (P8H67-M EVO). Comparing both of them, they both look good with their individual colour themes and their VRM heatsinks.

ECS is lower cost and short of internal 1394 header and crossfire but ASUS has almost everything on the the board from 1394 (obsolete soon I feel) to crossfire. It even has a 2-port USB and eSATA module compared to ECS only has eSATA module. Of course, the price difference is there.

I wanted the ECS due to cost but the shop (lowest priced among all the shops) that I went to is out of stock for ECS. After some consideration, I decided to get the Asus board instead. And I am pretty happy with it.

Below is my unboxing video:

P8H67-M EVO unboxing

The pictures:

 Contents

 View 1

 View 2

 View 3

View 4

Lastly for the RAMs, as I don't overclock and with H67 chipset, I am limited to 1066 or 1333 rams. It is either Kingston or G-skill value rams for me. I choose the G-skill as it cost lower than Kingston and I shouldn't see any real world difference in them.

The PCB is black compared to Green for Kingston. I bought 2 sticks of 4GB each and it adds up to 8GB. It should be more than enough for Windows 7.

The picture:

G-skill value rams

For my future upgrades, I will be getting a Graphics card, maybe some fans and maybe even more RAMs if the price is good. It is a pity that my old fans can't be used due to size. Will do a post once I bought the stuffs.

Pictures of my HTPC build:

 My HTPC

 i5 2400

 Contents of i5 2400

 nice copper base

 low height

 Comparison with kozuti

 Mount nicely

 Clear VRM heatsinks

 Fans transfer

Assembling

 Close up

Completed

As you can see, the cable management is pretty messy. If you wish to have a neater management, I guess a modular PSU will be more useful but the length of the PSU will be slightly longer.

HTPC build 2011 part 2/3

Next up, I am going to choose the storage device and PSU. All the while, I had been using HDD although SSD has been available for couple of years now. However, due to the steep price when it was first released.

I wouldn't think of buying it until recently where the price dropped to a reasonable level I guess. If you buy it online, it seems to be cheaper than buying locally but the warranty will be an issue since it needs to be send back in an event of RMA. Therefore, I rather pay a bit more for the local warranty to save the hassle.

As for the advantage and disadvantages, there is plenty of websites explaining the differences between SSD and HDD. One of the major advantages is the access speed and therefore, I decided to buy one as a boot drive since it is said to be much much faster compared to HDD.

I choose Crucial M4 64GB after reading the reviews and it is manufactured locally (they have a production plant here), it may not be the fastest SSD but it is pretty stable according to reviews. Moreover, it is a SATA3 interface and seems to be the least costly compared to other brands.   

My unboxing video below:

Crucial M4 64GB SATA3 SSD unboxing

The picture:

The package

Well, I do feel Crucial is a bit stingy in way that not even the the mounting screws is provided. Only the manual is given and nothing else. It will be good to have a couple of screws or maybe a 3.5" to 2.5" bay converter since it is much more expensive compared to HDD. At least it will let the user have a "feel good" factor. 

For the PSU, FSP Aurum 500W Gold seems to be a good choice. It is shorter by 2cm compared to its modular counterpart and other PSU. Moreover, it has a Gold efficiency rating and so in the long run, it should save some electricity bills.

My unboxing video:

The picture:

The package

HTPC build 2011 part 1/3

The day came earlier than expected to upgrade my PC. As mentioned before, I am going for a smaller PC rather than ATX form factor. So I decided on mATX rather than mini ITX as mATX still have some expansion slots if I need it but not as much slot as ATX board.

For the case, I had been researching online for different type of mATX available locally. As most of the case seems to be those typical tower type mATX casing, which is the ones I want to avoid. And also I prefer the board to be sitting down rather than mounted sideways. So there isn't a lot of choice available for SFF case. And Silverstone seems to fit the bill as it is available locally.

The link for the case:  Silverstone SG-02F
 
As you all may already know, Silverstone makes interesting and unique cases. This particular shoebox type case caught my eye which is the SG-02F, they are in the SFF(small form factor) category. Small but has almost everything.  It is only half the height of my current NXZT alpha gaming case and it is shorter in length too but slightly wider.

Do take note it is not a new model, it is couple of years old so no USB 3.0 front port for it. It has a full aluminium version and a steel version, the steel version is the one I am looking for since it cost lower but has the same design other than lesser front USB 2.0 ports.

Also the cable management might be a issue too since the room is really limited. But I guess there has to be some sacrifices made somewhere for its small form. It cost around 92-95 SGD for the steel version and the aluminium type cost around 155 SGD locally.

My unboxing video:

Silverstone SG-02F

The pictures:

 Pic 1

 Pic 2

 Pic 3

 Pic 4

 Pic 5

 Pic 6

 Pic 7

 Pic 8

Pic 9

Also, if you wish to use the crossflow fan, you need the default heatsink or some other brands low profile CPU cooler like Scythe Kozuti. Otherwise, you will not be able to mount it.

CPU Heatsink for impending HTPC build

For my coming PC replacement, I decided to build a HTPC which is capable of gaming. So I will be using a SFF (small form factor) casing, as I started to feel that for my current ATX board seems to have too much unused slots and the ATX size casing seems to be too big.

Maybe as I grow older, I prefer a smaller board that can do most of the things and a smaller case for space saving which is more practical in a sense. Now talking about CPU cooler, the Intel default heatsink seems to be pretty small and it cools well but I prefer something that is nicer and better heat dissipation.

And so my hunt for a HTPC CPU heatsink begins! I was looking through some CPU heatsink review and came across this nice little product from Scythe. I believe the height of the heatsink is one of lowest (4cm) among all the low profile heatsink products out there and it looks pretty nice too.

Below is the link of its specifications at its official website:

Scythe Kozuti CPU Heatsink

However, it is not easy to find Scythe over here although it has a distributor and price is slightly more expensive than getting it online. Therefore, I decided to get it online since this online shopping website was recommended by the forum users that I frequents. For those who are interested, the website is as below:

Linke computer

After visiting it, they do have a quite a variety of computer products and I managed to find the product I wanted. The shipping took slightly more than a week to reach my doorsteps for my case since it is in stock.

Unboxing video:

Also, in my soon to be HTPC post, will put a few pictures in comparing its height between the Intel default heatsink and Kozuti.

Bought something from Play-asia

This is a unboxing video of the things i bought from Play-asia, but i add a little more fee for Fedex delivery though since i can track it online. If wanted free delivery, the package can't be tracked (i tried it before). The delivery is slightly longer than paid delivery.

Fedex took about 2 days to deliver to me though. Maybe next month i might get something from Play-asia again.

The clip