flubberzz • the dude's blog

So You Think Samsung Is The Best? Think Again.

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Fri, 17 May 2013 01:48:00 +0000

Before iPhone came to Singapore, I watched how Steve Jobs launched the iPhone back then in 2007. The first iPhone was a hit, and many people bought it and unlocked it to be used in Singapore. Since then, the world of mobile has changed. You could see how iPhone has changed the entire mobile industry. iPhone was at its prime at iPhone 4 & 4S, where there were a bunch of people, who claimed that iPhone was the best, but didn't know how to entirely utilize the phone. These same bunch of people recently left for another device, Samsung Galaxy S IV and calling it the best - again not knowing how to fully utilize the phone.

First of all, I'm glad these followers found something else to rave about. These people are the ones that makes the value of products drop. I'm so glad they have left. Next, while Galaxy S4 has better specs than iPhone 5, benchmarks of iPhone 5 are way better than GS4. The camera of iPhone 5 records clearer videos and takes better pictures. Even though there are "features" with GS4's camera, what is the point of that if you don't have a good camera to start with? Videos taken on GS4 are jittery and very amateurish. Next is the battery life. I'm actually quite appalled by this. Because people complain about iPhone's battery life, but the GS4's battery life is much worse. iPhone 5's battery life lasts an hour longer than GS4. Sure, you might boast it's clunky big screen, which makes people who hold it look like idiots and that thing jutting out of the pocket is just so unsightly. Plus, with MEDIOCRE REVIEWS, tell me, how is GS4 "THE BEST"? Samsung has absolutely NO TASTE. They just throw in things to compete. Plus, they don't even have an operating system. They just build on top of Google's Android. If you followed the trial of Apple VS Samsung, you would know that Samsung LOVES to compare themselves with Apple. Why? Because Apple has set the BENCHMARK, and Samsung wants to be that, or even better. You could read about that here.

While I do claim that I'm a Mac Snob, I have never claimed to be an Apple fanboy. In fact, I'm more of a Steve Jobs fanboy than an Apple fanboy. My love for Apple products is based on its simplicity and outrageously simple user experience. Just give me the great experience, and I care not what you put inside. Samsung boast that their GS4 is with Snapdragon processor, but the truth is that iPhone's performance is much better. Even for photos, I have said this before MANY TIMES: I don't care how much MegaPixels cameras have these days because it's at least 5MP - which is GOOD ENOUGH if your camera is good. So having a 13MP camera DOES NOT equate to a better camera overall. I tried the camera on GS4 and I was not impressed with the slow shutter and response. The other thing that bugged me was its bloatware. Comes with "Samsung stuff" that you don't need (and can't delete) and takes up space that you could utilize better.

While Samsung might still be the best selling android phone or smart phone, sorry I'm not a follower. HOWEVER, I'm starting to like the change I see in Google who finally understand that design plays a huge part. Their GMail redesign, together with Google+ and their apps. You do finally see some aesthetics coming into place for them. I applaude them for that. Make no mistake when I say that I'm ALWAYS ready to give Android a try if they get better. I actually encourage the challenge between Apple iOS and Google Android (even though Android was a ripoff) because it is stuff like that, which pushes the companies to do better and go further. When they first started. it was so raw and pale in comparison with the then iPhone OS. Look at the NEXUS, it just looks so tasty now. In fact, I wouldn't mind trying a GS4 with stock Android with none of the bloatware shit. Even my best friend who's not tech savvy rooted his GS4. Smart move.

So if you bought a GS4, you paid for a cheap plastic and for Samsung's $401 million advertising campaign in US alone. However, while the GS4 doesn't appeal to me, I kinda like the design for NEXUS 4 that is made by LG, Samsung's rival company in S.Korea. I don't blindly follow things. Nope, I didn't buy the iPhone 5 because I didn't really like the design. I loved iPhone 4 and 4S design though, they are aesthetically pleasing and really nice to use. And it still serves me well till today. I like how competition between tech companies brings the best out of them, but I also hate it when it gets to exhausting for a company that they give it up. I had high hopes for Hewlett Packard's webOS because I thought that it had a lot of potential, but they killed it. If Google ever made their own hardware for their Nexus phones, I'd probably be damn excited about it. It's good to challenge each other in the industry, but don't self-proclaim that you're the best. Samsung is a great hardware company, buy they are a company with no morals. And they really need to keep track of their ethics.

Samsung flew bloggers halfway around the world, then threatened to leave them there.

Samsung Used Photographer’s Nikon Photo in Advertisement on Facebook.

Samsung busted for paying people to write bad reviews of HTC phones. This was because the GS4 was getting mediocre reviews and many were pointing to HTC One as the better choice for an Android smartphone.

Samsung Abuses Workers at Its China Plants.

Like what Mic Wright said - "You’re welcome to love Android and hate Apple. Just don’t be fooled into thinking Samsung are the good guys."

Asus Padfone 2

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 10:02:00 +0000

I managed to get my hands on the review set of the ASUS PadFone 2. The first PadFone had a great concept. But ASUS refined it with the new PadFone 2. It's remarkably easy to slot the phone into the tablet. Upon docking into the tablet, there's a vibration to signal the the phone has been docked carefully. It's something very subtle, but still essentially helpful. The content would then be transferred from the phone to the tablet. While theoretically sounds good. Only a few in-built apps come with this ability. However, do take note that while the Google Chrome app doesn't get transferred to the tablet, you can launch the app on the tablet and continue browsing where you left off.

I was unsure about the Phone not having a secure clutch or something. But shaking the tablet with the phone attached vigorously wouldn't even cause the phone to budge. Unless, if you're careless, I suppose the phone is pretty secure on the tablet.

I usually have problems with Android Phones and tablets being laggy and unresponsive. The Galaxy TAB 7.7 that I have was laggy from the start - pretty much. I believe the ASUS Padfone itself is much better with the new Quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait as well as the new Android OS, v4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). The screen for both the phone and the tablet isn't scratch proof though it's made from Corning Gorilla Glass so I would advice one to get a screen protector or keep it away from your keys and coins in your pocket or bags. The display is Super IPS+ LCD capacitive touchscreen with 720 x 1280 pixels, 4.7 inches (about 312 ppi pixel density)

The speakers on the tablet were impressive and beyond what I expected. I played the Man Of Steel trailers, both #1 & #2, and the speech was extremely clear.

Battery life was good. It came to me charged to about 90% but it lasted me through 2 weeks - Both phone and tablet together. When your phone is low on battery, the great thing about the new PadFone is that it'll allow you to charge directly from the tablet itself; saving you from missing important calls and text messages. Any calls that you have, you could just plug it out to answer.

The price for 32GB PadFone 2 is S$848 while the 64GB PadFone 2 is S$988.
The price for the docking station (tablet) is: S$328.
The price for both PadFone 2 + Docking Station is S$1099(32GB) and S$1239(64GB)

Since you need the PadFone 2 to use the docking station, it would make sense to buy it together.

My Verdict: ★★★★☆
It certainly did impress me with its concept and how ASUS have taken it further with their second model. They are probably some things that might need a little fine tuning. The display pixel density wasn't enough for me. The deal breaker for me is that while viewing webpages on the tablet vertically was good, I couldn't hold it longer than 10 seconds viewing it horizontally without my eyes feeling like they are taking a beating. The PadFone 2 is 4G LTE, which pretty common in most mobile phones now. Other than the screen and apps issues, I guess the PadFone 2 itself is a pretty good phone.

So there you have it. The PadFone 2 - Good, not Great. But definitely worth your consideration.

End Of The World 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 13:40:00 +0000

2012 hasn't been a smooth sailing year, but nevertheless, a fulfilling one. I have had one of the greatest opportunities to learn and grow together with my clients, friends, mentors, as well as my loved ones.

A lot of people think hard work is not needed at where I am. They have no idea. I get a lot of comments saying "You're the boss, so you can just don't bother and leave it to someone else." Damn wrong. Let me set this straight. I work more hours than any of you who take a 9-6 job. I work through into the hours of the night to be sure that everything is alright, that the company is running fine.

People often ask me to tell of my success stories, which bothers me a lot. What would one define success as? What is success? People talk about success all the time but it is constantly varied with a wide variety of explanations. Some people think success is about making lots of money. Some people say it's living life to the fullest (again, that phrase also has a lot of varied explanations). To me, I believe that success is a perceived point of view of an individual who measures it with where they stand in society.

For example, a banker who earns $10,000 a month in Singapore would be pretty happy with his salary. A lot of things would be easier for him to get than most people. And a lot of people (generally in Singapore) would compare it in their current state with their jobs and the money they bring in - and would most likely call him a successful person. But what would a billionaire like Warren Buffet think of him? Would he be seen as successful? Or would he be someone seen as mediocre - just living a normal life like the others?

With that in mind, it doesn't mean the more you have, the more successful you are. It's basically how people perceive these people as. They think, "Wow, this person is really successful." But do they know how much hard work they put in to get there? How much morals they compromised just to get to where they are? It's a state of mind where people convince themselves that they could be in the same condition as the person they look up to. They want to be able to enjoy the "power" they see from what the person exudes. To which, they conclude that the person is "successful".

To these people, I say, "My hard work has got me to where I am today. And I am contented. Always. Because life is about learning. It's the journey, not the destination. If I were to lose everything today, yes, I'd be devastated. Because it's 4 years of hard work. But, I will be glad to be given the opportunity to start all over again with the knowledge I've garnered through the years. We fall so that we can learn to pick ourselves up."

Personally, I don't like listening to success stories. I prefer listening to a person's failure and his or her assessment of their failed projects/ventures. I have more respect for these people. Because they learnt a lot more about things through their failures. Of course, I'm not saying you should fail to learn things. But through the course of failure, your vision gets clearer.

So back to topic. It's 2012. And the World didn't end this year as predicted by some numbnuts (the Mayans didn't predict it please). Well this year, I've had the opportunity to be a part of a new startup that I never thought I'd be a part of. And of course, the brand of this startup has been doing pretty well.

The things I've learnt this year, though harsh, but made me come out as a stronger and better person. Of course, I have been able to have some chill and relax time. I caught up with some old pals even though the year has been busy. I don't have any New Year resolutions though, but as always, I have goals that I plan to reach. Hopefully, better things would happen this coming New Year. With that I wish everyone a Happy New Year!

Minor Updates on the Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Sun, 21 Oct 2012 09:21:00 +0000

The design of this blog hasn't changed since 2010. The fact is I love the design of this current look. Which is why I never made any amendments to the design or structure. However, you might have seen a little updates here and there. First, the logo has changed - nothing much, just refined little. My side bar introduction also has been updated. The biggest update so far...

...is this profile of mine. Click on "ABOUT" on the navigation bar and you'll see this new modal box with a rather simple design. Removed some stuff that cluttered the space, like my Adobe Certifications. Since it's already on the main page, I thought I'd just put a generic badge for that. Updated to pic where I don't look like a kid.

That's about it actually. May update again from time to time but oh well... I'll see if time permits. Adios.

Hear The Roar from the Mountain? Apple Unveils OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion.

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:11:00 +0000

Apple Unveils OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion with tonnes of features that iOS users are familiar with. As iOS was made from OS X, the integration is now getting more obvious in the new operating system. Messages will replace iChat, and other apps that are seen on iOS, like Notes, Reminders and Game Center will be on 10.8.

We'll also see a better integration of twitter and iCloud with this upcoming release. The developer preview also includes Gatekeeper, which helps keep users safe from malicious software by giving control over what applications are installed on a Mac. Mountain Lion also features enhanced support for Chinese users, including the option to select Baidu search in Safari. It also sports "significant enhancements" to the Chinese input method, Apple said, along with connectivity for Contacts, Mail and Calendar through top e-mail service providers QQ, 126 and 163, and Share Sheets connectivity with Youku and Toudou.

What’s really promising about Game Center in Mountain Lion is that it’s not just about Mac-to-Mac gaming, it will enabled Mac-to-iPhone, Mac-to-iPad, and Mac-to-iPod touch gaming as well.You can probably expect a rush of iOS games being ported to the Mac by this summer.

Pricing on Mountain Lion has not yet been announced, but the new operating system will only be available via the Mac App Store around late summer.

You can download the beta of Messages here. You'll need to be running at least 10.7.3.
You can see more here.

Goodbye Steve Jobs, the greatest inspiring brilliant mind of our time

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 02:04:00 +0000

Today's a sad day for us all. For we've lost an inspiring individual who's made a great impact in my life. I never thought I could be so sad about the loss of someone I never met, though meeting him was always something I've always wanted to do. He lived his life to the greatest, doing things he loved and I have the utmost respect for this man. The last time I felt this way was for Christopher Reeve, who also made an impact in my life. I'm still speechless. Though I know you'd have to leave us physically someday, you'll live in our hearts and through the visionary products you invented.

Here's to the most inspiring brilliant mind of our time.
The man who made computers personal.
The man who revolutionized the music player and smartphone.
The man who loved what he did - Steve Jobs.

"...the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do" --Steve Jobs

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life." -- Steve Jobs

GradShow, Miss Singapore & Mac OS X Lion

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 22:04:00 +0000

A lot of things have happened recently and I'm just glad that things are still good on my side here. You see, not many things would go the way you want, but I always have the notion of making the best of what you got. Recently the graduation show for the 9th Batch of BDCD of SIM-RMIT has been raking in positive remarks. Not the best I'd say, but a lot of effort had been put in by many.

Carlsche Media was one of the first sponsors to reach out to the Graduation Showcase, but due to the incompetent marketing leader, a lot of things were not delivered professionally. It's not something what a sponsor would want to see. I was there every day during the course of 4 days and walked people through the exhibition to allow them to understand better what was the message we were trying to bring across.

And while I was busy packing up the Grad Show, my music soulmate won her title as Miss Singapore Universe!! Congratulations to her for that epic win! =)

Well, for the past month or so I've been putting this back to where it is, dealing with renovations and other stuff. Thankfully, there's my iPad to make things a little easier to handle. As of today, I've installed Mac OS X Lion for a week or 2 now, and I've got to say that Apple just keep refining the Operating System. I never like how iPhoto handled my pictures, but after the full screen thingy kicked in, I started using it again. Viewing pictures in full-screen is just beautiful.

If you haven't get it, it's just US$29.99, which is like $36.05 due to the exchange rate of USD1 : SGD1.202. As people might know me, I got it the very day it was out. Kiasu max. But I've been lovin' it ever since. Now it's just a matter of time before the release of the new iPhone. I'm waiting....... =)

Last Day In SIM-RMIT

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 02:37:00 +0000

Today's the last day of class and I sit here for the last time writing this entry. A year has passed really quickly and our graduation show is to be done soon in July, and the Graduation Ceremony after. As I get back to the working life, things will be different, and I'll miss the little things, the great people I've gotten to know through this course, and the great times we've had together in class and in Melbourne.

As I look forward to doing more awesome stuff with the team in the future, this part of my life serves as a time where I got to further my knowledge and learn from everyone, and the time to be young. I'll have this stashed in my memory pocket for the rest of my life. =)

ScreenSingapore Closing Charity Gala and Women's Fashion Week Preview Party

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 10:14:00 +0000

Pardon me for not constantly having the time to update my blog. Recently, I was busy preparing for ScreenSingapore's Closing Charity & Women's Fashion Week Preview Party. The team has done a great job putting it together. Of course it was also because we had Frank, the brilliant mind behind all this. Really glad to be given the opportunity to be a part of all that's happened recently. Plus, all the people I've met lately are really great people.

And of course, I have to thank all those who joined us for that lovely night where all proceeds from the tickets would be donated to UNICEF. Check out Women's Fashion Week facebook page for more updates.

The Official ScreenSingapore Charity Gala

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 09:27:00 +0000

Couple of weeks back, I got a search that lead to my blog. Apparently the person searched for how to volunteer for Women's Fashion Week. And while there's still quite a while to the actual Women's Fashion Week, we're having a private preview party at ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands. And because Men's Fashion Week was inspired by a philanthropic agenda, we're doing our part again for Women's Fashion Week.

This time, together with ScreenSingapore, we'd like to invite you to come walk the red carpet with us on the 11 June 2011 in celebration and showcase of Arts, Film and Fashion. Tickets sold will be donated to UNICEF to help the children of Japan. Not only you get to help others, but you'd also get to have a preview of the upcoming Women's Fashion Week. Help save lives. Walk the red carpet with us.
Details are on the image above. RSVP fast. Limited spaces on the guest list.

Product Labels 2.0

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Tue, 24 May 2011 07:32:00 +0000

Apple has innovated in almost every way possible. Their latest upgrade to their Apple Stores, termed as Apple Store 2.0, has seen the death of usage of papers as their product label. They've integrated iPad 2s as their latest product label, which is encased in a plastic cover.

It allows you to compare specs and see their features. If whatever on the screen cannot answer your questions, they can be used to call for their Apple Specialists. Pretty neat, but I'd say the wiring might possibly look a little messy. They might have to work on that. 2.0 doesn't sound as simple. Nevertheless, Apple has a breakthrough again.

Friends with Benefits

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Mon, 23 May 2011 23:51:00 +0000

This movie opens in July in other parts of the world, but Singapore will have it only in September. I think most people would have it compared to Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman's No Strings Attached as the idea seems pretty much revolves around 2 people having sex without any form of relationship. Content wise, I'd say it MOST PROBABLY might be different, where they show 2 people getting hurt and breaking up, which is why they did what they did

And for the record, Ashton and Natalie Portman make a cute couple. But J.T and Mila Kunis sure make a damn hot one. Looks like I'll just have to wait for this one, like Green Lantern and Transformers. To sum up:

Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis were both in Black Swan.

They both go on to make movies with identical plots.

Mila Kunis was in that 70s show with Ashton Kutcher.

Ashton Kutcher was in No Strings attached with Natalie Portman.

No Strings Attached is also an 'N Sync album.

Justin Timberlake was in 'N Sync.

Justin Timberlake is in Friends With Benefits.

Well, what do we have here?

Smile Like You Mean It

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Wed, 18 May 2011 16:53:00 +0000

I miss Melbourne and the cool weather there. Can't help but compare Singaporeans with the people there. So far, after I came back, all the people in the service line that I've seen look sulky - like someone owe them a living or something. I wouldn't be surprised actually. Look how happy I was there.

The candid wide smile. Photo Courtesy of Ahmad.

Back in Singapore!

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Tue, 17 May 2011 15:51:00 +0000

What's up guys, I'm back from Melbourne! Time flies, and I'm back here in this humid weather. Kinda miss the cold air blowing in my face. Some of my friends were actually concerned whether I'm back only for a while or for good. I'm back for good. Speaking of time flying, it's almost a year since class commenced and I'm graduating soon.

I'm still appreciative of the chance the school has given me despite my "no formal training in design" background, to study with them and RMIT. The people I've met and gotten to know through the course have been a really amazing bunch of people. And while it's almost back to working life for me, this journey that we took together as course mates, as friends, will always be a part of my life.

Melbourne was an amazing place to be at. The weather, the coffee and the people were all awesome. Really, if you're at Melbourne, go to any coffee house and most of the time, their coffee is better than Starbucks. The brew is way better.... usually. Unless you're at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, then yeah... The M cafe brews nonsense.

With Ms OJ's recommendation, I went to St. Kilda Beach. That place was a beauty. Despite the cold wind, we got to the very end and I got a shot of a penguin. Yes, a penguin. =) Getting to know their culture has been one of the most enriching experience for this trip. You meet different people with different mentalities, and I have no idea why, but the asian girls there are damn hot and very nice people.

The vodafone girl, Jasmine C, as I saw on the computer while she was registering my internet access, was really helpful, unlike the Hong Kong douchebag working at Optus. Overall, I'd say the experience was really good, except the problems Optus gave me. Oh well..... I had a great time and learn quite a bit, that's what's important. =)

Priceless Moments: With Georges Antoni

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Sun, 08 May 2011 18:03:00 +0000

With Georges Antoni, who's a brilliant photographer who worked on publications including Harpers Bazaar, Vogue and Oyster, and recently was one of the judges for Australia's Next Top Model.

When he used to live in Singapore, he stayed at Parc Oasis. That's like so darn friggin' near to my place! I probably didn't know who he was back then even if our paths crossed. But I'm glad to have met him at the agIdeas forum though. =)

FOOD IN MELBOURNE!

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Fri, 06 May 2011 06:57:00 +0000

Food in Melbourne is GOOOOOOOOOD. =) I'll just let the pictures talk and make you drool. Very big portions, but very expensive. No $2.50 or $3 full meal, but for $10, you should be able to fill yer tummy!

This one's mine, seafood, as usual.

This is Ganghao's.

The Roshan® and Hansel shared this pizza.

I'm definitely enjoying myself so far. Weather's getting cold, but it's really enjoyable. =) I think I have a very good excuse to get myself a trench coat. If I had JBB*, that'll be most awesome. =) Haven't had booze since I got here. Might get some soon. Oh well, we'll see. =)

Hello from Melbourne!

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Wed, 04 May 2011 12:35:00 +0000

I'm loving Melbourne. The weather, though cold, is really nice. Been here since Sunday morning and thing's been pretty well so far. Good to have really awesome roommates, otherwise things would've been boring. The flight from Singapore was pretty jerky. Apparently, the landing was really crappy. But once we touched down things were all pretty cool. Was damn tired on the first day, so I slept throughout on Sunday. Here're some pictures of what I took on the first day.

On Monday, we toured RMIT University for a while, and set up our laptop to work with their wireless before going for a late lunch and shopping. We had Italian cuisine, which was pretty awesome. No time to go to the Victoria Market as of yet, but soon, I hope. Anyway, here's a picture that we snapped after our lunch at the Italian restaurant.

Things are always awesome with pals around. As of now, I'm surfing the web on the couch literlly, while updating this blog. Loving the weather, and loving everything about Melbourne except for the slow pace of their lifestyle. Shops close at 4.30PM, which is so not cool. But the weather is so good to chill. Oh well, I hope I can update again soon. Bye, from Melbourne! =)

A Casual Update

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 20:02:00 +0000

Heading to Melbourne in less than 24 hours. I'm excited! =) I'm lacking updates due to the hectic schedule that I have now. Like, Nuffnang's stuff that I had to keep giving it a miss cos I REALLY COULDN'T GO. =( On a lighter side, I'll let you see if you can spot me in this photo taken at Men's Fashion Week. A bit obvious right. Not like I'm some big shot but if you cannot tell, please click on the "Read the rest of the entry" for the answer. I'mma update more about Men's Fashion Week possibly when I'm in Melbourne (hopefully), and also maybe a lil teaser for the upcoming Women's Fashion Week.: Answer: Best seat in the house. 1st seat of the VIP seat. =) TEEHEE!!

Men's Fashion Week Asia 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:29:00 +0000

[Warning: Long post ahead] As expected, the month has been an extremely busy and stressful although very fulfilling. I've had the great fortune to have the opportunity to meet and work/collaborate with the most awesome and talented people. The Inaugural of Men's Fashion Week Singapore 2011 was at The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands, where 20 fashion shows were staged over the period of 5 days. The crew was filled with all very pleasant and professional people, and have shown to be able to do what they do best.

Of course, while I had work to do for MFWAsia, I also had to work on my school projects. Countless sleepless nights and many meetings later, it was finally Men's Fashion Week. Our video was used at the press conference to officially introduce Men's Fashion Week 2011 and 1 more that was proudly screened before every fashion show started. While the Japan Disaster video was on loop at the Charity booth and played before Edison took the stage, we also had one more video at the end of the event to introduce the upcoming Women's Fashion Week 2011 in September.

Two key people that I'd like to thank is Kien Lee and Dr. Frank Cintamani who gave me this opportunity and to meet with other really awesome people like Daniel Boey, Dr. Georgia Lee, Alvin Kwan, and many others - I'll break it down later. These people have been really friendly, encouraging and helpful in more ways that I could ask for. And while it was eating up my sleeping hours, I had a lot of fun with the people around me who kindly volunteered to help out at the charity booth at the Fashion Metropolis. Frank invited me and I brought Jo along to the Charity Gala dinner. I was at the same table with Rachel Kum, Andie Chen, Melissa Faith Yeo and some very familiar looking girl whom I think is a blogger from Nuffnang.... I think... (Update: Took me a week to find out and yes, she was from Bonito Chico, not sure if she continued at LoveBonito - @ms_rach. That's why so familiar.) (Update 2: We had a small convo on twitter!!) It was a very insightful journey together with Frank and his team of experts to be part of the first Men's Fashion Week in Asia.

Daniel Boey is one of the nicest people I met at MFWAsia. Though we didn't work directly with each other, I had a chat with the Creative Director of Men's Fashion Week during dinner with him, Frank, Benedict Goh, Alvin, Utt, as well as the volunteers for the Japan Charity booth Edison, Dickson and Winston.

We were also trying to raise funds through auctioning of items for the Japan Disaster, which explains why I was wearing the "Fashion for passion for Japan" shirt. You could say I offered to help out the booth since I was there and there was time to rest in between shows. Later on, we were selling the shirts for $50 a piece and ALL proceeds would go to Japan. Footages of Japan's disaster that were compiled by us were shown before Edison took the stage and sang his own song composition dedicated to Japan.

The song brought tears to many eyes, and many were so keen to help Japan. A lot of time and effort was poured in to help bring this message across that Japan really needs our help. From the bottom of my heart, on behalf of the people of Japan and the team of "Fashion for passion for Japan", I thank all the people who donated, because as I type this another earthquake with magnitude of 7.1 just happened near the east coast of Honshu, and a 3-feet tsunami has hit north eastern coast of Japan. Oh yeah! Try and spot me in the photo above. =)

Of course, we also celebrated that our hard work paid off, and that Men's Fashion Week Asia 2011 was a huge success! The fund raising was also well-received. So here's a picture of the team of volunteers, Utt and myself. It was pretty much the second last and the last day where I took pictures with people. It was more of the last day where I took pictures with the awesome people I've worked with. Please bear with the pictures cos I was damn tired that's why I looked so CUI.

With Roger

With Eu-Jin

With Jave

You have no idea how glad I was to see Fiona Xie on the friggin' last day. Cos' I missed her on Thursday as I left early. Whatever happened on that day was pretty hilarious and she leaned on my back. But oh well, I'll leave out the details because it was all part of the fun. =)

They were actually running from the backstage along the fashion runway with Fiona tagging along behind. With such a fun personality, it's no wonder he was chosen to be the voice of Men's Fashion Week. Oh! How could I forget, I got hold of Christopher Lee at the VIP Lounge and snapped a picture with him.

Pardon the focus cos it's Ben who took the picture. A pity Fann wasn't there that day. Oh well. What more can I ask for when I managed to get a picture with Eduardo Saverin - The Co-Founder of Facebook!! He was like, pretending, "Why do you want a picture with me?" Nice try, but I'm a geek so I know that the real Eduardo Saverin looks nothing like ~~Spider-Man~~ Andrew Garfield.

Actually, there's a lot more for me to post, But I'll stop here for now. I hope to be able to cover all 5 days of what happened at MFWAsia. If you came to support us, THANK YOU. If you missed it, we still have Women's Fashion Week coming up this September. Stay tuned people! I'll update again when I have the time cos I am friggin' busy and multitasking right now.

The New 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 02:43:00 +0000

Without a doubt, the new 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 that replaces the Lamborghini Murcielago LP-640 is mother effin' sexy. Design wise, I feel that the new Aventador has pushed itself ahead of its predecessor, making the replacement a very much well-rounded update. It has the curves of the Reventon, but with massive upgrade to the interior as well as technology of the car.

The speedometer of the Aventador is replaced with a full TFT Display connected with the latest integration of the MMI infotainment system developed by AUDI that is powered by NVIDIA's Tegra platform.

Plus, the navigation system is also quite advanced, featuring 3D maps and other stuff, all of which require quite a hefty amount of computing power, with a minimum electrical power consumption, this being specifically the area of expertise of NVIDIA's Tegra. To be clear, that’s 3D graphics, not 3D visuals. Tucked under “the hood” is a 691hp V12 hood, goes from 0 to 100 in just 2.9 seconds and hitting top speeds of 217 mph. Plus, it’s topped off with a carbon fiber composite body, which gives the super car a hefty retail price of US$350k.

You would mostly likely recognize a lot of Audi interior accents that is similar to Gallardo. It has the same control knob found on almost all Audis and similar switched found in the Gallardo and it's accompanied by the orgasmic jet-fighter-like red flip that hides a START/STOP button inside. The steering wheel, gauges, and other controls look very finely made and are real eye-catchers.

It is reported that the name Aventador follows the same lines as other Lamborghini names. Both the Lamborghini Murcielago and the Reventon were named after fighting bulls. Likewise, Aventador refers to a Spanish fighting bull from 1993. The bull came from a breeding barn belonging to the sons of Don Celestino Cuadri Vides. It must have been considerably strong to have its name bestowed upon the most powerful Lamborghini ever built.

Here's a comparison of the Murciélago and the new Aventador. I think both are pretty much drool worthy eh? The release date is about this summer, but I doubt it'll reach the shores of Singapore anytime soon. It'll usually take 2-3 years for most cars, so I'm guessing this may take a little longer, or maybe not at all.

a-JAYS by JAYS

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 00:23:00 +0000

About 2 years ago, I got my Beats Tour by Dr. Dre, which was being featured in many music videos, and I loved it much that I decided to post about it. I still love the cable which was very well-designed so as not to have it easily entangled. BUT!!!!!! It's getting way too commercialized. Y'know back in those days, standing out with Beats By Dre was pretty cool because no one else had them "mee pok" cables.

If you're thinking that I was trying to stand out, wrong. I just don't like to follow the crowd. Remember at one stage where everyone was using Audio Technica? How about Skull Candy? But see where the crowd is going now. Everyone's using Beats. And to be honest, I'm kinda irritated to see 'em everywhere. Even the stupid "HOME" video by whoever filmed it is just tryin' to act all American and commercialized. No shit, I destroyed mine and I was using my iPhone earphones till just then while I was in search for something that's better.

Forget DIDDY BEATS, forget GAGA HEARTBEATS, forget JUSTBEATS (Justin Bieber). While MONSTER CABLE's earphones still can be pretty enticing to get, I was trying to move along to something better. 50 CENT's Sleek isn't gonna get me going gaga and neither is Jay-Z's stupid partnership with Skull Candy to come up with ROC Nation Aviator. Soul by Ludacris looks kinda good, but I'm still keeping it as ONLY an alternative. Screw y'all conformers...

While I may prefer smaller headphones, I was actually considering V-MODA, which I have had a good experience with in the past. Yes. I was looking at V-MODA'S CROSSFADE CUSTOMS. You can actually have what you want printed on the earphones, but then again, the designs are actually pretty limited. But heck it. I found something better. Much better.

Enter the new earphones a-JAYS by JAYS. First thing that caught my attention was the similar tangle-free flat cable that Beats By Dr. Dre had.And while a-JAYS had 4 products in that series, I decided to try the entry-level a-JAYS One. IT. BLEW. ME. AWAY. No really. While I was expecting some mediocre sound, a-JAYS One delivered music to my ears way better than what my Beats Studio did. The earphones itself is already very bass driven, so there's no need to set your EQ to Bass Booster on your iPod/iPhone.

While I went on to try a-JAYS Two and a-JAYS Three, the sound quality of a-JAYS Two was almost the same as a-JAYS One, but with an extra decibel (96dB), stereo splitter and Flight adapter. a-JAYS Three was actually a little too crisp for my liking. I had to turn on the Bass Booster on that one to bring down the treble and crisp sound. The good thing is that the sound is very detailed. But I didn't like it too crisp the way it did. a-JAYS Four was different. It had a full-feature three-button remote for Apple’s iPhone and options to play/pause music and videos, answer/hang up calls, skip songs, volume up/down and voice control, etc. The only problem I had with it was the L-shaped plug.

But guess what? I like the a-JAYS One. People who know me would say that I'd usually get the one which has the most features and great sound. And yes. Great sound is what I need, and it's what a-JAYS One delivered. I bought it for only S$48/-. Yes. An awesome earphones for that price is absolutely worth it. Though it's 95dB and has a frequency response of only 20 Hz - 18 000 Hz, the sound quality is still great. With such great sound quality and same brilliant cable design, I was sold.

Surprisingly, they didn't have a cheaper package for the lower end a-JAYS One. It retained its consistency in packaging, which I thought was pretty cool. Bottom line is that the earphones pack a punch with its great sound deliverance, and I feel that the sound is definitely comparable or better than Monster Beats. Plus, I bought it at only at S$48 (US$37), which is a steal. I'd say, It's a MUST BUY!

a-JAYS One specifications:
8.6 mm Dynamic Speaker
Sensitivity: 95dB @ 1kHz
Impedance: 16 Ohm @ 1kHz
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 18,000 Hz

Apple Unveils Thinner, Faster iPad 2

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 19:45:00 +0000

The much awaited iPad 2 event just ended with updates to the tablet. Due to recent reports with Steve Jobs dying from cancer, it wasn't sure if he would make an appearance at today's event. The crowd greeted him with a standing ovation when he entered the stage. We all know an Apple event can never be complete without Steve Jobs. While they poked fun at HoneyComb (Android) with only 100 apps, it's no wonder why iPad still remains as being unchallenged for now.

15 million iPads were sold in 2010 within 9 months, from April to December and now has a market share of over 90%. The event showed a video where iPad being used for different occasions like work and school, doctors using it, professionals using it, the device helping autistic children to learn. It was amazing. The new iPad was unveiled to be 33% thinner than it predecessor and even thinner than your iPhone 4, with a new A5 chip that has dual-core processors that us able to run up to 2x faster CPU and 9x faster graphics.

The new iPad also comes with video cameras - both rear and front-facing cameras that allow FaceTime calling AND Photo Booth taking. The same Photo Booth application that comes with every Mac, is now available on the iPad 2. Something very interesting is that the iPad 2 now supports HDMI mirrored video output of up to 1080p. And the best part is that it works with ALL apps.

Another interesting release was the case for the iPad 2. Brilliantly designed, the case now latches itself magnetically on the side of the iPad 2 with auto-alignment (how cool is that). Plus, it's got a microfiber cloth that cleans the screen and they come in polyurethane or leather. Sadly, it will not work with the original iPad. It doesn't matter though, once you've set your eye on this. As usual, it comes it a variety of colors for you to choose from to suit your personality.

iPad 2 comes with the release of iOS 4.3, a much needed upgrade from the stupid iOS 4.2, that screwed up a lot of iPhones, including mine. For that update, iPhone 4 gets to tether wirelessly, or what Apple would call a "personal hotspot". It's about time as Android has had this feature for quite a while already. iOS 4.3 will be available on March 11, the same day that iPad will be shipping in US.

Other updates include new apps for the iPad such as GarageBand and iMovie. Overall, it still has some pretty good updates. Maybe just not that good to entice me into getting the new iPad 2.

Bentley's Collection of iPhone, iPad and BlackBerry Cases

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 15:23:00 +0000

With the success of iPhone and iPad, it's no surprise that the luxury car maker Bentley Motors, is joining the market for mobile accessories. The company is launching a slew of hand-crafted leather cases for the iPad, iPhone and BlackBerry devices.

The cases were all inspired by the Beluga and Hotspur interior trim colors of the Bentley Continental Supersports, and is part of a larger partnership between the auto company and luxury leather maker Ettinger, Bentley said in a statement. Price wise, you're looking at £45 for either of the phone holsters or £89 for the iPad-sized model. That's about S$93 and S$185, respectively.

Other collections that were a result of that partnership include wallets, passport cases, luggage labels and portfolios, among others. But I'm diggin' the iPad case the most. Drooling? Why wouldn't you be?

MacBook Pro refresh and Mac Developer Preview of OS X 10.7

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 13:35:00 +0000

Few days ago on Steve Job's Birthday, the MacBook Pros were given an update. The lowest end 13' MacBook Pro now has an Intel Core i5 Processor, 320 GB of hard disk space, but with no dedicated graphics card. The 15' MacBook Pros have been upgraded to AMD's Radeon HD Graphics Card together with Intel HD Graphics. Even the lowest range of 15" MacBook Pro now carries an Intel Core i7 processor. Someone actually asked me "Doesn't Radeon belong to ATI?" Well, AMD owns ATI, which means AMD owns Radeon. I'm just wondering why is there no dedicated graphics card for at least the higher end 13" MacBook Pro. I mean, if someone wants to work with power without the large screen, it would be an option for many. One thing to note is that the battery life has been lowered to 7 hours from the previous 10 hours due to Apple's new wireless web testing to measure battery life by wirelessly browsing 25 popular websites (with flash) with display brightness set to 50%. It's apparently their so called "real-world" testing. At least, we now know the configuration is actually more to how most people would use their laptops instead of giving us some unrealistic number.: There's an interesting introduction of the new Thunderbolt port. Previously the mini display port, it now too serves as a high speed input output that allows multiple streams of uncompressed HD video from notebook. There have been videos online to show a 5GB file transfer through the port within a matter of seconds. And it's also the possible reason why the USB port was not upgraded to USB 3.0. The new Thunderbolt port allows even allows connection to HDTVs with HDMI ports. Very impressive indeed.

Together with the refresh of the MacBook Pros, developers got their hands on the Developer Preview of OS X Lion 10.7 through the Mac App store. What I think is that Apple wants to axe the optical disc drive and having the Mac App Store as a whole new way of distributing or purchasing apps. However, the Mac App Store probably wasn't ready for the high traffic, plus it seems that developers who started the download weren't able to resume their paused download or resume from a broken internet connection. Ultimately causing the App Store to come to a screeching halt.

But as usual, the new OS X Lion 10.7 has got a whole bunch of support and great new features. It's good to see Apple always reinventing and pushing themselves further. Some new features have been added:
• Auto Save — As in iOS, documents will be saved automatically so users don't have to worry about manually managing their documents.
• Resume — Applications resume in the same state when re-opened as already seen in iOS. Because of this, the Dock no longer visually indicates whether an app is currently running or not.
• AirDrop — Mac-to-Mac file sharing.
• Mail 5 — Uses UI similar to iPad, fullscreen-optimized, chronological "Conversations" view, and support for Exchange 2010.
• System Information - This feature is a re-design of "About This Mac" and has been completely altered with new views which display graphical information on displays, storage devices, memory usage along with other hardware information.
• Versions — Time Machine-like saving and browsing of past versions of documents.

Many changes to the user interface are included, with new buttons and "sliding switches". The metal finish has also been slightly altered. The dock no longer shows which apps are running (unless a toggle is set) and scroll bars now disappear similar to iOS when they are not being used. Besides, dropping their full-screen media center, Front Row, Mac OS X 10.7 will also drop support for Java Runtime, Rosetta. Java Runtime, which comes out of the box with both Leopard and Snow Leopard, allows for the running of “100% pure” java-based apps. If you need it though you can still download a version slightly later than the one currently available for Snow Leopard, just take note that it is no longer built-in.

The second feature for the chop is support for Rosetta. Simply, Rosetta allows Intel-based Macs to continue running older versions of software not meant for Intel-based Macs. It’s a bridge platform. Sadly, with Lion, support for running PowerPC code on these new machines via Rosetta is completely gone.

Someone's pretty sour about Mac OS X 10.7 having support for SSD TRIM, saying that Microsoft had the support over a year ago. I don't really care if support was really happening a year ago. The fact is nobody uses SSD on Windows machines even though you had support. Whereas, Mac users who are using MacBook Air has SSD, which calls for the support of TRIM. Not a big deal. It's like saying IE announced privacy protection and FireFox and Chrome are now catching up. Slow they are, but at least it isn't like IE, that is not supporting a lot of what developers need. Chrome, Firefox and Safari are all supporting HTML5 with a great deal of resources. IE9 sadly, was still lagging behind. It's good that it's catching up, but don't gloat.

Cleaning up unused bits of deleted files on SSDs requires a sophisticated balancing act between making sure the drive is clean and ready for new write operations, while also limiting unnecessary wear, as the flash cells used by the devices wear out relatively quickly after a finite number of erase/write cycles, compared to the very long life of the recording surfaces of magnetic storage disks. The TRIM command is part of the ATA interface standard. So far, it appears Apple's support in Lion is only activated for SSDs shipped by the company and not third party devices, but this is likely to be fleshed out more as Lion develops.

Challenges Ahead

noreply@blogger.com (Carlsson) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 13:54:00 +0000

It's been a physically and mentally challenging week for me as there have been so much things to be done while dealing with other issues. While some classmates may say that it's the holidays, those who've started working on their projects would know that it's not that easy. Plus since I'm in the sponsors committee, I've the responsibility to search for sponsors for the Graduation Show. On Monday, I had meetings with National Library Board with our contract renewal as I launched my second company, and I'm still working on it to have everything in place.

So don't complain if you only have projects to do for now, because if you still have time for going out to chill or have some booze, it means, you have time. I managed to squeeze time out to leave a day free for an event at Microsoft, but still had people fixing up group meetings at the last minute. Making things a little difficult on my side.

Well, I attended the meeting, but the person who set up the meeting was late. Terribly late, might I say. And while I said before hand that I had to leave by a certain time, I didn't feel good about it, leaving the other team members to discuss amongst themselves. I was greeted by the awesome view at Microsoft that certainly made things a little better.

I dropped onto my bed as soon as I got home, and I woke up at about 2am to work again. I had trouble sleeping few nights ago, complaining about my insomnia on twitter. But even though I'm tired, my brain just kept on working non-stop. While it's unbelievable how I got this far, I'm pretty excited about the stuff we're gonna do. And we're gonna be so good at it. =)