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.

My new 2.0 speakers

I had been considering to change my 5.1 T6200 speaker system to something more compact as my desk can't really accommodate a 5.1 system. Moreover, T6200 has a fluctuating volume problem from the controller. It has been bothering me for some time. 

As the controller is linked to the subwoofer, I had it changed before when it is under warranty. But the issue came back again after a couple of months, I guess it is a design fault and I gave up on this problem since the warranty is only 1 year.

But It is still usable, you will need to put the controller to max volume, and you adjust the volume by using controls in the OS. But it is troublesome when you are playing games especially you need to switch in between windows.

So I decided to change it to something less complicated but more practical. And I chose a 2.0 to a 2.1 system since I don't have space to put the subwoofer too. Also, I don't need a lot of bass in the music I listened to. Clarity is more important to me.

After looking through recommended brands by forum members which I frequents, it seems AE2, AE5 or M-audio etc and some other brands is strongly recommended due to the quality of sound they produce.

But the price sold locally is pretty steep to me, from almost 300 to 500+ SGD for a 2.0 speakers (out of my budget). They are studio monitor speakers if I am not wrong. So I guess quality is there with this type of pricing.

So in the end, I ended up with Creative T40 Series II as it is within my budget although I am pretty disappointed with the quality and issue with my previous T6200 speaker system. To add on, it seems that one of the flagship model the T3 also suffers from the fluctuating volume issue after a period of usage.

On why I chose T40 Series II, the predecessor T40 has good reviews and the series II offers improvements and new colour scheme (which I kinda like). It is not a new model, it has been around for couple of years and still selling so I guess it is one of the better models.

I had also listen to the speakers at its local store, it sounds pretty good to me compared to T6200 although I am not a audiophile. The driver and tweeter materials used seems to be better than a typical multimedia speakers.

Also, you can adjust the bass and treble via the knobs available. As for the pricing, it is on a in house promotion on a local Creative store. It cost 159 SGD compared to 169 SGD or more selling at other places. Highest price I saw was the MSRP price of 199 SGD.I would say 159 SGD is more reasonable pricing.

Below are the pics:

 Nice box

 Protection

 Whole package 1

 Whole package 2

 Speaker filter

MTM design

Mini review: Tested with my onboard audio with the speakers, it sounds pretty good and better than my previous T6200 in terms of clarity in music. The bass is pretty strong in the default position, I had to adjust it down so that the music feels more natural to my ears (I am not a basshead). I guess Creative products emphasis on the bass.

The difference is not huge with or without the speaker filters. But if you are looking for strong bass, you are better off with a 2.1 system.  As you may noticed, most of the connection is gold plated for better connectivity.

The bass produced is fine with me and these speakers can get pretty loud too. I might get a soundcard in future to improve the my audio source quality. On the downside, my current speakers may not be able bring out the full potential of the future sound card.

In my opinion, onboard sound has improved quite a lot these years but having a discrete soundcard will still make a difference to me. But in the end, everyone listening standards is different. What sounds "fine" to me might sound crap to other people.

So it is the best if you listened to the speakers yourself to judge. The only thing I hope is that it will not have the volume issue after a certain period of time. Otherwise it is off to hunt another speaker system mission again :).