1-2-KNOW: Let’s get social!

By EDWIN KEE

YOU can tell by its name that this smartphone is for the socially active, whether in real life or on the digital front.

The Samsung Galaxy Chat offers a sleek and compact design. It runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich (not Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but that is all right by us) operating system and sports a 3-inch touchscreen display, a full QWERTY keypad and a dedicated launch key to Samsung’s ChatON communication service that will let you hook up with those who are also on ChatON regardless of the hardware platform that they are on.

You can perform individual or group messaging via text, animations or images in seconds, and gain access to your email, courtesy of its predictive search capabilities. If you enjoy mobile gaming, the pre-loaded Game Hub will definitely come in handy.

There was no word on pricing at Press time, but the Samsung Galaxy Chat will arrive in Europe this month followed by Latin America, Middle East, China, Southeast Asia and Southwest Asia.
http://www.samsung.com

2. A pretty cheap tablet

WHEN it comes to tablets, the Android front offers the widest choice, from the high-end to the entry level, and from numerous brands too.

The sweet spot tends to be somewhere in the middle, and this is where Ematic’s eGlide Pro X comes in handy. This 9.7 inch tablet clearly places it in iPad territory as far as screen size is concerned, sporting a 4:3 aspect ratio as well as a slew of programs and apps that come pre-loaded.

The eGlide Pro X runs on the Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system and will also be accompanied by a 1.2GHz processor, a 400MHz GPU, 1GB RAM, 8GB of internal memory that can be augmented by a microSD memory card slot, WiFi connectivity, and a built-in three-axis gyroscope. It has two integrated cameras — front and back — and can be hooked up to your flat screen TV thanks to its HDMI connection. No idea on whether we can import one, but it will retail for US$219.99 (RM696.17) a pop.
Details at http://ematic.us/

3. A strong case for iPhone

THE SoloMatrix Spike iPhone case not only protects your iPhone but also doubles up as a physical keyboard.

This is no ordinary keyboard: It boasts a specially designed TypeSmart keyboard which does not rely on the iPhone’s Bluetooth capabilities, resulting in less battery drain. Not only that, it also lets you flip the keyboard aside when you are not using it.

It will not be priced higher than your average iPhone case, so the added features ought to give it an edge in the mass market if it were ever to achieve its funding goals. Those who want to support the project can fork out US$20 (RM63.37) for one of these.
Details at http://www.kickstarter.com/

4. Cool retro

WERE you born in the 1980s and proud of it? I am, and I clearly remember those old school American sitcoms that featured a really huge phone the size of a brick. Of course, times have changed and today, we have really puny phones in comparison, boasting far more computing power than you could ever imagine a decade ago.

The ‘80s Bluetooth Brick Phone pays homage to the old school phone: It hooks up to your Bluetooth-enabled smartphone (via Bluetooth, of course), letting you handle incoming calls while looking as though you were a time traveller from the past.
Needless to say, the ‘80s Brick Phone will also come with its own internal battery to power the Bluetooth chipset as well as offer adequate talk time, charging up via a mini USB cable which can be conveniently plugged into a desktop or notebook computer.
Details at http://www.indiegogo.com/ 80sbrickphone

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1-2-KNOW: Let’s get social!

YOU can tell by its name that this smartphone is for the socially active, whether in real life or on the digital front.

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