The Gen XY Lifestyle
Tech Roundup #1
We round-up some of the new tech gadgets that are making their rounds here.
Moto-ring back into the game
Once-smartphone giant Motorola may have been quiet for the past few years, but they are back in the game with two major hits: the Moto X (S$765 without contract) is a flagship-class smartphone, complete with an aluminium frame for an appropriately premium feel, and smartly sports a clutter-free, stock Android user interface. You’ll be surprised how hard it is to find a simple, well-made phone with a stock Android operating system, sans bloatware, and here is one.
The Google-branded Nexus 6 (S$998 without contract) is another. The latest in Google’s line of Nexus phones – the company’s take on the definitive Android experience, think of it as a streamlined Moto X with the latest thrills (it’s made by Motorola by the way). The ‘6’ is also indicative of its screen size, making it the biggest Nexus phone and consequently, Google’s definitive take on ‘phablets’ (really large phones with a screen size beyond six inches). The Nexus 6 is also the perfect showcase for the latest version of Android: Lollipop. Both phones feature perks like wireless Qi charging and speedy Turbo charging, which are really handy for modern power guzzlers.
There’s always something about gold
Gold is either tacky or classy – it’s a fine line. But sometimes it works, and we’re currently seeing a revival of the gold stuff. Apple is still unmatched for their tasteful application of the colour. The new MacBook (from S$1,788, coming soon) is essentially the ‘new’ MacBook Air and lo and behold, it comes in gold too. While the MacBook gives up some number-crunching grunt with the use of a power-efficient Intel M processor, it makes up for it with a silent performance – there are literally no (cooling) fans within. It also eschews conventional USB ports and other physical connectivity options (and some detractors may say, common sense) for a single proprietary all-in-one power and data USB-based connector, but the result is amazingly gorgeous though. Great if you love a minimalist design to go with fairly minimalist usage patterns.
Apple’s other golden showcase is a different matter; we’d strongly urge you against picking up a gold Apple Watch Edition, even if you find the exorbitant price (from US$10,000) a pittance. While generic smartwatches are still up in the air by way of relevancy, a regular one (Apple Watch and Apple Watch Sport) will more than suffice for your curiosity – however if you’re set on buying one to begin with, there’s nothing we can say that will change your mind. Fortunately or unfortunately, it’s not officially available in Singapore yet, so you still have some time to think about it. Perhaps Rolex’s new Yacht-Master Everose (from 21,000 Swiss Francs) will persuade you otherwise?
Nokia doesn’t get enough credit for its beautiful designs and the Lumia 930 Gold (S$699 without contract) is just another feather in its overcrowded cap. The Lumia 930 is arguably the best Windows Phone that you can buy right now, especially with its gorgeous screen and rear camera. While essentially just an alternate colour for its highly lauded Lumia 930, the phone pulls it off with typical aplomb in both its gloss white and matte black incarnations.
“I didn’t discover curves; I only uncovered them.” – Mae West
And LG pushes the theme to its zenith. Earlier this year it released its signature LG G Flex2 (S$998 without contract), a striking, curvy damsel in red, armed to the teeth with killer specs and dressed to the nines to kill… scratches – LG’s signature phone boasts a unique, self-healing coating that negates these minor annoyances. With its looks and top-end hardware, the G Flex2 is unquestionably its new flagship smartphone.
LG has gotten its TVs in on the act too with an impressive bumper release of new TVs for 2015. While mostly impressive to begin with, they’re all left in the shade in the face of the world’s first curved OLED TV (65EC970T, available April, price TBC). Slim, curvy, rich (in colour) and bright, this marvel of engineering – the TV, not Mae West – exemplifies the best that TV tech has to offer right now. It boggles the mind that such a fantastic colour gamut can be packed into such an unbelievably slim body.
Slim is always in
There are many pitfalls to avoid while designing a device, but for one, few will complain too much about an overtly slim device.
Lenovo’s remarkably slim Yoga laptop has shed even more precious millimetres with its new incarnation – the Yoga Pro 3 (from S$2,399). A clever watchband style hinge makes it possible for engineers to fashion an even slimmer body, and at the same time keep its signature flexibility to accommodate a variety of usage scenarios.
Tablets are usually chunky, but the Dell Venue 8 7000 (S$659, S$699 with keyboard) fits the job description for a slim and sexy number. Vaunted as the world’s thinnest tablet at 6mm thick, it’s also the world’s first tablet that features an Intel RealSense Snapshot Depth camera, which lets you capture a true stereoscopic image and allows for curiously interesting applications like measuring the length of a sofa through use of the camera. In a time when the general public is reconsidering the use of a tablet, a feature like this may re-inspire more uses for it.
More pics than you can wave a selfie stick at
When conditions are forgiving, a smartphone camera is great, but when it’s not, you always need a proper camera to get the job done.
Canon’s updated mirrorless camera, the M3 (price and availability TBC) will certainly fit the bill. The familiar Canon reliability, but in a smaller, contemporary-looking body and selfie-friendly (if you’ve caught on to the bug, that is) with its rotating touchscreen LCD. Wi-Fi and NFC adds modern conveniences of mobile connectivity, making it easy to shoot and share your pictures with family and friends.
The Nikon COOLPIX P900 (S$889) takes the cake for going the extra mile – well almost – with its world-beating, 83x optical zoom (166x with digital), compact superzoom camera. This little beast of a camera has an effective focal length range of 24mm to a whopping 2,000mm. This could well be the ultimate travel camera if you don’t mind a little heft, which is a pretty fair trade-off. In context, its DSLR equivalent is massive; there’s a 1,200-1,700mm lens that measures about 0.9m in length alone and weighs 16kg.
