Sony just recently launched their latest mirrorless camera Sony Alpha 5000 in Malaysia about two weeks. Meanwhile, Sony’s NEX branding is officially discontinued as Sony has decided to drop the NEX prefix for all its interchangeable lens cameras, so this latest model is simply called Sony Alpha 5000.

As an early adopter of mirrorless camera system, I’ve been using my ever-reliable Sony NEX-3 for more than 3 years now. Therefore, I was very glad to be invited to Sony’s private bloggers gathering event and had the chance to review Sony Alpha 5000 camera.

At the Sony Alpha 5000 Bloggers Gathering, Mr. Kikuo Okura San, Sony Malaysia Managing Director, kicked start the event with a warm welcome speech followed by a brief product presentation by Mr. Ishida Masahiko, Head of Digital Imaging Sony Malaysia.

Welcome speech by Mr. Kikuo Okura San, Sony Malaysia Managing Director

Product presentation by Mr. Ishida Masahiko, Head of Digital Imaging Sony Malaysia

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My Review Of Sony Alpha 5000: World’s Lightest Interchangeable-Lens Camera Packed With DSLR Features

Last week, WeChat officially release its latest 5.1 version for iOS and Android in Malaysia, and I was invited to the launch event. WeChat 5.1 packs a few new features including social games that the user can challenge their friends.

As one of the leading social communication apps in China, WeChat is gaining tremendous growth in South-East Asia as well. In Malaysia, WeChat has gained 90% of smart phone penetration in recent years and was in the Top 10 Google Trends of 2013.

With this new release of WeChat 5.1, WeChat is aiming to enhance the users’ social life with the introduction of 4 new social games, a new camera app (StoryCam), and the ability to host up to 100 friends (previously max. 40) in a single chat room. All these new features are of course free of charge and are currently available in iOS and Android. Furthermore, we were informed that a new thrilling speed racing game, Wreckless Racer, will be available in the app very soon.

WeChat 5.1 can host up to 100 people in one single chat room

Download all the free games under Discover > Games

• Pencil Pilot – a simple scrolling shooter game.
• Gunz Dash – Choose your favorite hero and embark on an exciting adventure in a fantasy universe. Speed through worlds and collect coins for a high score in this thrilling 2D animated, endless running game.
• Craz3 Match – An easy-to-play but addictive game! Line up animals of the same kind for spectacular effects and move on to the next level.
• 2Day’s Match – A brand new casual puzzle game. Match two tiles of the same kind to clear them.

WeChat Pencil Pilot Game

WeChat Gunz Dash Game

WeChat Craz3 Match Game

WeChat 2Day’s Match Game

Besides these additive games, WeChat 5.1 also comes with a new camera app called StoryCam. Users can add text as description into the photo with this exclusive app. Festival watermarks, filters and real-time location based information are available in the app so the user can further personalize and share any moment.

WeChat is not stopping here, now the app has more new features that make connecting even more enjoyable such as :-

• Edit ‘Favorite Messages’ – Save your favorite text and voice messages, photos and videos to ‘Favorite Messages’. It’s the first cloud-based storage service on mobile social communication apps so the user can view and share again anytime.
• Register with Email Address – Users have more choices to connect with WeChat now. Just register with a valid email address to start chatting with friends.
• Gmail Contact Integration – Link to Google account, find out who else is using WeChat and add them to the friends list.

Now I would say WeChat has become a more complete messaging app that not only lets you text and chat but also have more fun sharing pictures and playing games. If you haven’t got it installed in your smartphone, visit www.wechat.com for the more information.

Sony Xperia Tablet Z will be officially launched in Malaysia on 19^th June 2013 but Celcom gets ahead of everyone by offering the world’s thinnest and lightest water resistant tablet from as low as RM1,438 bundled with Celcom First Data plans starting today (15^th June 2013).

Sony Xperia Tablet Z launch at Celcom outlets

The Sony Xperia Tablet Z will be available today ONLY at the following 5 selected Celcom outlets :-

• Blue Cube @ Iconic, Sunway
• Blue Cube @ Pavilion
• Blue Cube @ The Gardens
• CXP @ eCurve PJ
• CXP, Kuchai Enterpreneur Park @ Kuchai Lama

The tablet will then be available nationwide on 19^th June 2013.

Exclusively at Celcom launch today, lucky customers will stand a chance to enjoy an additional discount of up to RM500 so Sony Xperia Tablet Z could be yours for just RM938! Besides, Celcom is giving away NFC Bluetooth speakers worth RM199 too. Head over to the launch today and you could be one of the proud owners of this latest tablet from Sony and walk away with freebies.

Celcom First Bundle

Sony Xperia Tablet Z is bundled with Celcom First Data plans in either 12 months or 24 months contract. All 3 First Data plans include pay-per-use voice at 15 sen/min for voice and video calls, 10 sen/SMS and 20 sen/MMS to all networks and may be used when SIM card is inserted into a voice compatible smartphone, as the call function is not supported on the Sony Xperia Tablet Z.

Data and pay-per-use voice bundle allows you to switch the SIM card between the tablet and your smartphone. The SIM card can go into the tablet when you need to use only data; Whereas you can insert the same SIM card into a smartphone when you need to make calls.

World’s thinnest and lightest water resistant tablet

Inside Sony Xperia Tablet Z, there’s a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 1.5GHz processor, 2GB RAM, 16GB of storage expandable with microSD and powered by a 6,000mAh battery. The latest Snapdragon asynchronous processor offers breathtaking speed and jaw-dropping graphics, giving you powerful computing but without lightning-speed battery drain.

On the exterior, Sony Xperia Tablet Z has a 10.1″ TFT screen that gives you a Full HD 1920×1200 pixels resolution display. The brilliant Reality Display is powered by Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, which enhances the clarity and richness of every image. It’s amazing how Sony is able to make it the world’s thinnest (6.9mm) and lightest (495g) tablet in the market despite having all these advanced features. Not to mention the tablet supports the 4G LTE network in our country too!

In summary, the Sony Xperia Tablet Z boasts a myriad of amazing features:

• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), 1.5GHz Quad Core Processor – Super fast performance on the fastest network.
• 10.1″ HD Reality Display (1920×1200px resolution, pixel density 224ppi) – Large enough screen for you to enjoy all your favourite movies and series in wide view.
• 8.1MP Rear Camera, 2.2MP Front Camera – High resolution picture-taking and full HD video shooting ensures you don’t miss a second.
• Water-resistant (IPX5/7 rating) and Dust-proof (IP5X rating) – Bring it wherever you go without worries of getting it wet.
• NFC Enabled – Share pictures, documents and more in a whole new way.
• 4G LTE Compatible – Experience the tablet on the fastest network.

Why choose Celcom First?

• Bring your tablet experience to the next level with the best network.
• It’s Malaysia’s fastest network with the widest coverage.
• You can enjoy the best plans and rates with Celcom First.
• Celcom customers always get to be the first to enjoy the most exclusive privileges.
• Celcom’s many accolades have resulted in various industry awards such as Broadband Service Provider of the Year and Mobile Service Provider of the Year by Frost & Sullivan.

For more information of the device or the bundled plans, head over to Celcom’s Xperia Tablet Z page. Better still, get to your nearest Blue Cube today to test it out for yourself.

Last week, I was invited to the launching event of Yes4G Chromebook. It’s the world’s first 4G WiMAX Chromebook manufactured by Samsung. This new device is a product of collaboration between Yes4G, Samsung & Google and it’s exclusively available in Malaysia from Yes4G only.

The Samsung 4G Chromebook comes with a built-in 4G WiMAX chipset that enables seamless connectivity to Yes network. A Yes ID is all you need to get connected to its network with Internet speed of up to 20Mbps and there’s no SIM card needed.

CEO of Yes4G, Wing K. Lee, revealing the first ever Samsung 4G Chromebook

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Yes 4G Google Chromebook Launch & Some FAQ

Maxis is now offering new postpaid packages bundled with iPhone 5 (and iPhone 4S too) to existing Maxis customers or users from another network. Under these new Maxis postpaid packages, you’ll get to choose either TalkMore 78 or SurfMore 75 plan and enjoy a lower iPhone 5 price on a 24-month contract. This offer is valid until 31 March 2013 or while stocks last so hurry up.

TalkMore 78 plan comes with free 600 minutes for calls and 500 SMS to all operators. The monthly commitment fee is RM78. It does not have any data allocation so if you need data connection you can add a 1GB Mobile Internet plan for RM48/month.

On the other hand, SurfMore 75 plan comes with a monthly 5GB mobile internet allocation and its monthly commitment is RM75. All calls and SMS rates are pay-as-you-use as the following :-

• RM0.12/min (call to Maxis network)
• RM0.20/min (call to other networks)
• RM0.05 per SMS (to Maxis number)
• RM0.15 per SMS (to other networks)

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Maxis Win Back Extension For iPhone 5

Windows 8 tablet has become the latest addition to the wide variety of mobile devices offered by Celcom as they’ve added Samsung ATIV Smart PC into the lineup. Samsung ATIV Smart PC is now available from as low as RM1,758 with contract bundling on Celcom First Data.

Samsung’s first Windows 8 3G tablet

If you are looking for a Windows 8 tablet, feel free to drop by Blue Cube Sunway Iconic this 25 January 2013 to experience this Samsung’s first Windows 8 3G tablet. At the Sunway outlet, Celcom will give away RM90 Liquipel vouchers to the first 200 customers and FREE Samsung Keyboard Dock & Pouch worth RM550 for the first 30 customers. So, don’t miss this good opportunity to grab the exclusive deal.

Samsung ATIV Smart PC is the perfect gadget for professionals on the go as well as casual web surfers who enjoy going online. Samsung ATIV Smart PC packs the features of a PC and the ease of mobility of a tablet to produce a high-end lifestyle gadget with the following specifications:-

• Windows 8 (Full PC OS)
• Intel dual-core 1.5GHz Atom (Clover Trail) CPU
• 64GB Storage, 2GB RAM
• 11.6” SuperBright Plus with Full HD LED display
• 8MP rear camera & 2MP front camera
• 3G network support
• S-Pen stylus & S-Note application
• Bluetooth 4.0

Windows 8 full PC OS makes the Samsung ATIV Smart PC both a high-performance PC as well as an entertainment media tablet. Capable of switching swiftly between apps along with touchscreen features to help move things around faster, this device closes the gap between work and leisure. Samsung ATIV Smart PC comes with its S-Pen stylus and S-Note application to take advantage of the wide 11.6” touchscreen. The combination of S-Pen and S-Note on the Samsung ATIV Smart PC is making handwriting recognition, drawing, design of cards or invitations a lot easier.

Celcom First Data

The Samsung ATIV Smart PC is bundled with Celcom First Data so users will experience the fastest network on this Windows 8 tablet like never before. From RM1,758, you can enjoy faster speeds, more voice and data value as well as special rebates when you subscribe to any of these Celcom First Data plans:-

Why choose Celcom First?

• It’s the best of Celcom Territory, wherever you go.
• The widest network coverage anywhere in Malaysia, indoors, outdoors and on-the-move.
• The best network quality, be it messaging, voice calls, video calls, surfing, email, etc.
• Celcom gives you the richest web and video streaming experience with its stable connection

To find out more details about the Samsung ATIV Smart PC bundle plan, visit www.celcom.com.my.