Author: jonchoo

A keen mobiler for more than a decade. I am passionated about music, photography, video games, fellwalking, technology and social. I blog occasionally at http://jonchoo.blogspot.com, though I mainly tweet about insane stuff at -> http://www.twitter.com/jonchoo You can also email me on my Gmail account at jthchoo

Motorola sued by Google-funded patent firm

Motorola Mobility is being sued by a patent holding company that is partially funded by Google. This lawsuit is one of the many innovation-stifling mobile patent disputes currently engulfing the smartphone industry. Continue reading “Motorola sued by Google-funded patent firm”

Amazon announced trio of Kindle e-readers

Amazon today announced a handful of new Kindle e-reader products, including the first ever Kindle with a colour display – the Kindle Fire.

Firstly, Amazon has lowered the barrier of entry once again with a new entry level Kindle. For $79, the WiFi-powered Kindle Button features a none-touch 6″ e-ink display. It will be the first Kindle without a built-in QWERTY keyboard. The new Kindle Button will be available from today.

Next up is the $99 Kindle Touch. Like the Kindle Button, the Kindle Touch will not have a QWERTY keyboard.  Instead text entry will rely on the infrared touchscreen similar to the technology used by Sony on their PRS e-readers.  WiFi is included as standard. A 3G version is priced at $149. Both versions will be available from November.

Finally, Android has announced that it will be making its entry to the tablet market with the Kindle Fire. Priced at $199, the Kindle Fire will feature a  7″ IPS display and dual core CPU. It will run on a fork of Android, and thus will be compatible with Android apps. The Kindle Fire will be compatible with a few Amazon services announced today, including the multimedia orientated Whispersync and Amazon Cloud Storage. It will ship from November.

The new Kindle devices are available for pre-order today.

Lara Croft to make Android debut on Xperia Play

Keen on boosting the Xperia Play’s gaming credential, Sony Ericsson has today announced a partnership with Japanese video gaming developer and publisher Square Enix, to bring exclusive titles to the Xperia Play smartphone.

The first of such titles is Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, a well received Xbox 360, PS3 and PC game, and will be released in November 2011. More established Square Enix hits will follow in the coming months. Continue reading “Lara Croft to make Android debut on Xperia Play”

Proporta Impact Protective Crystal case for Samsung Galaxy S2

We at FoneArena like the Samsung Galaxy S2. We think it is a great smartphone, one that deserves the accolades it has been getting. And like all great smartphones, it demands the best protection one can give it.

Proporta has kindly sent me an Impact Protective Crystal hard case to test. The case here is hardly a case. Like Samsung’s official case, Proporta’s offering  is more of a shell, offering very basic protection and little else for people who want to retain as much of the Galaxy S2’s slimness as possible. Continue reading “Proporta Impact Protective Crystal case for Samsung Galaxy S2”

Samsung Focus S and Focus Flash gets announced

US network AT&T has announced three new Windows Phone 7 Mango smartphones, the Samsung Focus S, Samsung Focus Flash and the already announced HTC Titan.

The Samsung Focus S will feature a 4.3″ Super AMOLED Plus screen, the same one that can be found on their current Android flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S II. Like the Galaxy S II, it will have a very thin body – measuring just 8.5mm, the same thickness of the Galaxy S II at its thinnest point. The Focus Flash on the other hand will have a smaller 3.7″ Super AMOLED screen. Both of these smartphones will have a 1.4 GHz processor of the single core variety.

Not much is known for either devices though we do know that the Focus S will have a 8MP rear camera and 1.3MP front facing camera. The Focus Flash will have a 5MP rear camera and front facing camera with unspecified resolution.

No pricing has been released, though they are expected to arrive on the fourth quarter of this year. It is unknown if Samsung plans to release these phones worldwide.

Source

Osun MushRoom Green ZERO charger review


Do you find yourself sometimes leaving your device connected to a charger overnight, or just before you leave home and worry about unplugging them? Well with the Osun Mushroom Green Zero AC charger, you wouldn’t have to. It looks like an ordinary (albeit stylish) USB wall charger, but Osun has employed some form of electrical wizardry where the charger shuts down whenever the plugged in device is fully charged. Continue reading “Osun MushRoom Green ZERO charger review”

Sony Ericsson Android update 2.3.4 with 3D sweep panorama hands-on

On Wednesday I attended a Sony Ericsson event where I had some hands-on time with new XPERIA ray and XPERIA arc S which has a beta version of Gingerbread 2.3.4 update. This update will bring about a number of improvements and features, including the ability to record still pictures in 3D.

As the name implies, the XPERIA arc S is a refresh of the XPERIA Arc. If you have read my review you would be aware by how impressed I am by the original arc. But I also questioned whether it would be able to withstand the onslaught of dual core flagships by Samsung and HTC. Well for better or worse, it is exactly the same device as the original Arc with a higher clock speed. It certainly feels speedy but so was the original Arc. It will ship with Android 2.3.4 and comes with Sony Ericsson 3D sweep panorama which I will touch on below. Continue reading “Sony Ericsson Android update 2.3.4 with 3D sweep panorama hands-on”

Exomount universal car mount review

As the uptake of smartphones with built-in GPS receiver increases, so are people’s reliance to using their smartphone as a car navigation solution. These days even a cheap Android smartphone is more than capable of handling all sorts of navigational duties in a motor vehicle. All you need is a car mount.

The problem with universal car mounts are there aren’t all that reliable. A one size fit all solution doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good. From my experience with universal car mounts, they are either flimsy or can’t be mounted on any surfaces. Enters Exogear with their Exomount universal car mount to prove me wrong. Continue reading “Exomount universal car mount review”

Sony Ericsson Android 2.3.4 update includes 3D sweep panorama, Google Talk

In addition to announcing the XPERIA neo V Android smartphone today, Sony Ericsson has announced details on the upcoming Android 2.3.4 update.

Continue reading “Sony Ericsson Android 2.3.4 update includes 3D sweep panorama, Google Talk”

SGP Neo Hybrid for Samsung Galaxy S II review

For a little known company in Britain, SGP has a huge amount of accessories available for most mid to high end smartphones on the market. Last week I looked at the SGP Glas, an upmarket screen protector that allows people to customise the Samsung Galaxy S II to something a bit more unique. This time I will reviewing the Neo Hybrid, a case that has raised a few eyebrows. Do read on. Continue reading “SGP Neo Hybrid for Samsung Galaxy S II review”

Three UK announces new HSPA+ MiFi

Three UK today announced a new version of the popular MiFi portable wireless router series.

The rebadged Huawei E586 will offer a significant speed improvement over the current MiFi, including HSPA+ support with speeds up to 21.1Mbps HSDPA and 5.76Mbps HSUPA, and will go on sale in September. Continue reading “Three UK announces new HSPA+ MiFi”

SGP Glas screen protector for Samsung Galaxy S II review


SGP is a US based company that designs and manufactures cases and screen protectors for electronic devices. They make products for almost all smartphones, tablets and even select mainstream notebooks and digital cameras. Today I will be reviewing the SGP Steinheil Glas screen protector for the Samsung Galaxy S II.

Continue reading “SGP Glas screen protector for Samsung Galaxy S II review”