I have been using the Galaxy S2 for about 2 months now. After spending about 2 years with the iPhone 3GS, I renewed my Singtel contract in July and got the Samsung Galaxy SII. To be very very honest, I don’t miss the iPhone!

I love the iPhone 3GS. That’s why I didn’t upgrade to a iPhone 4 when it was launched last year. I wanted a phone with better reception and longer battery life.

Better Reception & Longer Battery Life

Samsung Galaxy S2 gives me better reception and longer battery life. My phone calls didn’t get drop as often when going into the lift. And I don’t have to recharge the Galaxy S2 every 8 to 10 hours. I can use the Galaxy S2 for up to 2 days with recharging.

The Samsung interface for Andriod is ok. I got used to it within 2 days. Apple iOS is still superior in this aspect. Apple iPhone OS is a lot more intuitive.

Great Phone Camera

I like the quality of the photo taken by the Galaxy S2 8MP camera. It gives sharp picture in bright outdoor and usable photos in low-light enviroment. You can also adjust the exposure to compensate for extreme lighting condition. In addition, the camera app has built-in editor for you to crop your images.

Email App

I don’t like the email app. It is slow and not intuitive to use. So I do not download to read email messages unless I think it’s urgent and important. I rather access my email on my MacBook.

Bluetooth Connectivity

Many iPhone users complain about the limitation of sharing files over Bluetooth**. One reason I switch to an Andriod phone is because I wanted to try out first hand the advantage of using Bluetooth to transfer file. Honestly, after 2 months, I still don’t see myself using this Bluetooth transfer frequently – I only transferred via Bluetooth 3 times so far.

Why?

Because I used Dropbox. I find it more convenient to transfer files via Dropbox App between my Galaxy S2, iPad and MacBook.

**iPhone 3GS Bluetooth Not Working

The Singapore IT Show 2011 will start in less than 10 days time. This is probably the largest, in term of visitors and revenue, among all the consumer electronics trade fairs in Singapore.

Last year, the 4-day IT Show attracted a massive turnout of over 80,000 visitors and chalked up over $65 million in sales

IT Show 2011 Singapore

10-13 March 2011
Level 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6
Suntec Singapore
Opening hours: 12.00pm to 9.00pm

People flocked to the IT Show to look for latest gadgets such as smartphones, iPad-like tablet PC, digital cameras, portable entertainment devices. As for the staples like the laptops, netbooks, flat panel TVs and monitors, printers and etc., people come to the IT Show to look for the best bargain.

Beside major brands e.g. ACER, ASUS, Apple, Canon, Creative, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Lenovo, LG, Nikon, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony and Toshiba, you can expect the 3 Singapore telcos: Singtel, Starhub and M1 at each other’s throats vying for more subscribers.

Hot Gadgets at the IT Show 2011

Here’s my list of hot gadgets for IT Show 2011:

• MacBook Pro
• Lumix GF2
• Olympus E-PL2 and XZ-1
• Free MacBook Air offer by telcos

Have I missed out something? Tell me what hot gadgets you are buying at the IT Show 2011. Leave your comment at the box below.

Once upon time there was the G1 aka HTC Dream. The HTC Dream was the first Google Android-powered smartphone. This 1st generation Android phone is not exactly a hot-seller and did not live up to the hype. So HTC announced a sleeker HTC Magic earlier this year. Then on 27 April 2009, Samsung surprised me by announcing the Samsung i7500 – the first Samsung Android phone!

Samsung Android Phone

I really want to know more about this new Samsung Android phone and how the i7500 compares with the HTC Magic.

Samsung i7500 Specifications

But both models are not officially available yet and there are very few reviews on these phones. Maybe the Samsung i7500 will be available at the PC Show 2009 at Suntec City next month.

“Comparing to the specs of i7500, I think HTC Magic is a waste of time…”

Even Youtube has not few good video on the new Samsung Android phone.

This video on the Samsung i7500 from Tech65.org probably the best preview I’ve seen so far.

If you come across any good Samsung i7500 review, please let me know and leave a comment below.

Today, Digital Life features what I’ve been looking forward to – the latest 8MP camera phones review on the LG Renoir, Samsung Innova8, Samsung Pixon and Sony Ericsson C905. And according to the author, the winner is Sony Ericsson C905 aka Cybershot C905.

Why the Sony Ericsson C905

All the 4 camera phones were tested for outdoors, close-up, low-light and fast-motion shots. The Sony C905 came up first in 3 of the categories and third for fast-motion or action photography. The 2 seconds shutter lag seemed to be quite a problem. However, if you want sharp picture with the right exposure and color temperature then Sony C905 is the champion.

Samsung Pixon M8800

The Samsung scored #1 for fast-motion photography, #2 for outdoors and low-light, and #3 for close-up shot. From the series of 4 test, I would think it ranked #2 overall.

If you are looking for the fastest 8MP camera phone then the Samsung Pixon’s 1 second shutter response will ensure that you don’t miss that fleeting moment.

Youtube: Samsung Pixon Design & Interface

LG Renoir

The LG Renoir KC910 is the weakest of all. The Renoir was #4 for outdoors, close-up and low-light. In terms of response, it is #2 – just a fraction of a second slower than the Pixon.

It is apparent that if you are going for the sharpest and fastest 8MP camera phone then the $888 LG Renoir will not be the like candidate because you can get the Pixon for $10 more and the C905 for an additional $50.

Prices of 8MP Camera Phones

The following are retail prices in Singapore Dollars without contract:

• Price of Sony Ericsson C905 – $938
• Price of Samsung Pixon M8800 – $898
• Price of Samsung Innov8 i8510 – $1,098
• Price of LG Renoir KC910 – $999

8MP Camera Phones Shootout Results

The earlier post on Samsung Omnia Review is getting good response and hot discussion between Omnia users and potential owners on this latest touch-screen phone from Samsung.

So, to encourage more discussion, I’ve created a Samsung Omnia thread at Zest.SG Latest Gadgets Forum.

Why Use a Forum?

I guess some people prefer to participate in a forum discussion instead of commenting on a blog.

One reason being that your post does not need the blog owner to approve it. You get to see your discussion on the Omnia phone immediately and other forum members can also response to your questions quickly.

You may also want to check out this other very popular Samsung Omnia Forum.

I am referring to the contest at SamsungMobileBlog.com.sg. The prizes were 3 Samsung Omnia for the bloggers who wrote the best posts on what Omnia meant to them. The contest ended 18 days ago. Now people is asking who’s the winners but no one seems to know. Samsung wake up!

Samsung Omnia Contest Result?

One of the shortlisted Omnia bloggers contacted me 2 days ago and asked if I were one of the winners.

Of course not lah! I would be telling the whole world about winning a Samsung Omnia – at this blog.

She contacted 4 other shortlisted bloggers(5, including me?) and failed to find a winner.

Why didn’t Samsung announce the 3 Omnia winners at the official website?

It would save our poor Wendy lots of time and typing at her computer.

You can find her comments at my previous post.

September 16, 2008 @ 1:28 pm
Wendy says:
hey there! i’m curious if u won the samsung omnia in the blog contest. do u know who won?

September 16, 2008 @ 3:11 pm
wassup says:
I didn’t hear from Samsung or the advertising company they engaged for the promotion. I checked the official website, samsungmobileblog.com.sg but there is no announcement of the winners yet. Did you hear from them?

September 18, 2008 @ 3:14 am
Wendy says:

Hey, thanks for your reply!

I emailed them and they say the winners have been notified and the prizes have been sent out, but there’re no announcements…

And of the 4 other people I’ve contacted, none of them have won it either.

Hmmm.

The Samsung Omnia Contest was extended but finally ended on the 31 August 2008. All the winners should have been notified from 1 to 5 September 2008. But, no winner or contest result was published at the official site – samsungmobileblog.com.sg

The Shortlisted Samsung Omnia Contest Bloggers

Are you one of the other 9 shortlisted bloggers?

1. Leow Shi Min aka Lula is fooling around with the monk
2. Wendy Wang aka Wendy’s Wendylicious Whims
3. Nurlianah aka Nolyn’s Weblog
4. Teo Huixian aka Huixian’s Rant!
5. Jang Wee Loon aka TechStuffs MySpace
6. Siti Sumari aka с–тεα•вιόgѕрот•сoм
7. Koh Yok How aka E-Hotspot
8. Tan Xiaofen aka Amber With You
9. Sherri Lee Singh aka This Is My Life

Then let us know if you were a Winner and got the Omnia or Not Winner by leaving a comment below.

[Update 23 Sep 2008]
SamsungMobileBlog.sg finally announced the 3 winners. They are:

• Andy Kwan
• Chua Wei Da
• Shawn Lee

The Samsung Omnia has become the No.1 in my must-get list instead of the new iPhone 3G. Here, I’ll tell you why…

First you must go read the Seven iPhone Disappointments – quite a nasty review – It doesn’t sound like a usable phone. Also, a couple of iPhone users advised me against getting it. Instead, they recommended the new Samsung i900 Omnia.

Here’s a Samsung Omnia review – actually it’s a comparison:

iPhone 3G vs Samsung i900 vs HTC Touch Diamond

and the Samsung Omnia seems to be the obvious winner here.

Youtube Video: Samsung Omnia Review

I always wanted to get a Samsung. I am sick of Nokia! However, I am stuck with my existing phone because I still have more than 12 months contract on my current plan. The price of Samsumg Omnia without contract is pretty steep.

The Samsung Omnia looks good, isn’t it? In fact, it looks as cool as the iPhone. Here’s the Omnia specifications.

Samsung Omnia Specifications

**I particular like the idea of the 5MP auto-focus camera with flash, Divx/H.264 video and embedded GPS. Also the Samsung Omnia OS is Windows Mobile 6.1 Professional, meaning a wide range of application software can be installed.

Update 28 Jul 2008: This blog is currently ranked Number 1 when you searched for omnia review at Google.com.sg. I really wish I could get hold of this phone and do a proper review. For more information on Omnia blogs, visit SamsungMobileBlog.com.sg

Update 9 October 2008: Thank you for all the comments. Please keep them coming. And for those who prefer to discuss using a forum, please visit Samsung Omnia Forum at http://www.zest.sg/forum/latest-gadgets-f17/samsung-omnia-t36.html

Samsung Omnia HD

Update 1 March 2009: Just got to know that Samsung launched a sequel to the Omnia. After some research on Google, I believe the new Samsung Omnia HD will be a winner. I will definitely like to lay my hand on it and test out the high-definition video recording and watching HD movie on-the-go.