Nokia sent me the Nokia Lumia 800 about a month ago. And I have only one word to describe it: Wow. And that brings me to the end of review. Kthxbye.

The Amazing Nokia Lumia 800

I kid.

True to Nokia’s roots, the Lumia 800 has excellent built quality. It just feels… premium. But what really blew me away was the operating system. Windows Phone 7 exceeded most of my expectations. In some ways, it is even better than Android Ice Cream Sandwich! (Yes, the Android fan girl just said that. And since I’m an Android fan girl, I obviously think Android is better than iOS.) Before you dismiss me, allow me to explain.

What’s Great

Contact Management
I always hold Google Contacts as the epitome of great contact management. With just a simple log in all your contacts will be available on any non-iOS device. Windows takes this further. It imports all your contacts from Google, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc and merges them smartly. It also has a messaging feature that merges good old SMS, Facebook Messenger, Windows Live and Yahoo Messenger. With just a few taps, I know which network my friends are online and I can chat. If they’re not online, it’ll be sent as an SMS. All is this is baked into the OS, no third party apps to contend with. It’s just freaking intelligent!

User Profile: Android ICS vs Windows Phone 7

Beautiful Interface
Okay, this is a bit subjective. I’m probably tired of looking at home screens and ugly lists of apps. So the unified interface on Windows Phone 7 is really a breath of fresh air. Here are some shots compared to my ICS-flavored Nexus S.

Homescreen: Android ICS vs Windows Phone 7

List of Apps: Android ICS vs Windows Phone 7

My Xbox Live Avatar

Smart Features
There are little things here and that really blow me away. One of these things is the location-aware Nokia Music. It tells me which gigs are available near my house. It’s not that useful in a small country like Singapore but I can imagine the possibilities in the larger country like the US or Canada.

Music: Android ICS vs Windows Phone 7

The other one is the Windows 7 Connector. I got an OS update notice and I started to panic. I assumed it wouldn’t support Mac OS Lion. Wrong! It does. And it even syncs music from iTunes. The file transfer process was almost on par with iOS and much cleaner than Android ICS. Oh and the update went well. Now, all it needs is over the air updates…

Windows Phone 7 Connector on a Mac

Email Rendering
If I were RIM’s CEO, I’d lose sleep right now. Not over Android, not over iPhone but over Windows. Being Microsoft, obviously the Outlook integration is the best in the market. It behaves just like a mini Outlook 2010. But what surprised was the free email integration. It renders Gmail better than Gmail on Android! Check out the photo below!

Email: Android ICS vs Windows Phone 7

What’s Not So Great

The number and quality of apps
Well, as expected of a latecomer to the ecosystem war, the Marketplace does not have much apps and for the apps that exist, the quality isn’t quite the Apple standard yet.

One big hole in the Windows ecosystem is a good Google Reader app. I’m hoping the upcoming Nokia Reader will change that.

Internet Explorer is slow
No surprise that as a designer, I really dislike IE. And this dislike has unfortunately extended to mobile Internet Explorer as well. While it render pages quite nicely, it’s unbearably slow!

Could use some enterprise-friendly settings
The Nokia Lumia really has the potential to give RIM a run for its money with the amazing Office integration. What will totally bring RIM to its knees would be some good enterprise settings like VPN and proxies. Imagine being to access corporate intranets with this!

Verdict

This is a great phone, especially given the short time Nokia and Microsoft had to make this. The build quality is top notch. The experience is fast, sleek and nothing short of amazing. However, it’s not quite good enough to pull power users from Android or iOS just yet — with issues like a lacking app ecosystem. Let’s hope they can fix it by the next few iterations, so that when this Android fan girl is due for the next phone change, I will buy a Windows Phone instead.

Related posts:

1. Nokia N9 Hands On: A Testament to Nokia’s Sisu
2. Review: LG Viewty KU990R
3. Taking Screenshots on the Android-powered Nexus S

I’m not going to spare many words on social media here, since it’s been talked to death and is really not the rocket science many people play it up to be. As a long-time blogger and communications person, I think it’s not very different from striking up a conversation with a stranger and slowly cultivating it into a trustworthy friendship.

Open data is more intriguing to me since it’s the first time I’ve heard of it. Open data is the idea that certain data should be freely from the shackles of copyright, patents etc so everyone could use and republish it as he pleases. In this case, many of the speakers were talking about governments’ open data — what should be available, in what format and what can be achieved with it.

It was an eye-opening experience for me, since it’s not crossed my mind that developers have to worry about stuff like data sourcing before they hit the product development, funding and eventually, the commercialization stages. I do PR for a telco, so when I think about app development, all I think about is whether the product has potential to make disruptive or incremental change, whether a viable business model could arise from it, and most importantly, what the impact is on the end-user.

All in all, GovCampSG was a pretty interesting event. I had an opportunity to see things from a different perspective, and I hope something concrete will come out of these discussions. As a non-developer and non-civil servant, I won’t be much use when it comes to turning these talks into action. Nevertheless, for the people who can, I’d like to leave you with an inspirational quote by Scott Anthony:

You cannot find truth through analysis. You can only find truth through action.

For photos and videos from the event, check out GovCampSG on Facebook.

No related posts.

Despite Nokia’s decline in recent years, I’ve secretly been rooting for it, especially when I read Stephen Elop’s burning platform memo. I really wanted to see it pull through it all and regain market share. Stories about winning against all odds are always entertaining and inspiring, after all.

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to check out the upcoming Nokia N9.

The Nokia N9 comes in 3 colors: Black, Cyan and Magenta

Does it make me wanna throw away my Nexus S? Almost.

But I have a feeling the goal of this phone isn’t only about raking in the sales. It represents much more — it’s a strong testament that Nokia is able to turnaround and innovate in less than a year. It is a signal to its believers, employees, customers, investors that Nokia still has what it takes — the cojones, no, the sisu — to regain its place as a dominant player.

What I Liked

I absolutely love this phone. It only took me half an hour to figure out where most things are. The Swipe interface is surprisingly intuitive and the phone is very fast! It’s evident that a lot of attention has been paid to user interaction and experience. As a design snob, I especially love the new Nokia Pure font.

Ovi Mail showing off the new Nokia Pure font

Simple User Experience

There are only 3 homescreens: Applications, Opened Applications and Events. That’s really all a user needs, and they are all accessible a swipe away.

(left to right) Standby screen, Applications screen, Events screen. Open Applications screen not pictured above

Seamlessly Designed Hardware

The whole phone is made of a piece of polycarbonate. It’s light yet it looks durable. The screen is made of gorilla glass, so it should be scratch resistant too. And check out the picture below. I’m so amazed at how much effort they spent on the little details. The N9 even has a little clasp that covers the not-so-sexy-looking micro-USB port.

The cute little clasp hiding the Micro USB port

Gorgeous Screen

The screen is so clear that it feels that you’re touching the icons directly. It’s really quite amazing. It’s definitely a cut above the super AMOLED screens I’ve seen so far.

The amazing “floating screen”

Friendly Keyboard

The keyboard is definitely better than Android’s default keyboard. I was chatting with a friend via Skype for 15 mins. I didn’t have to struggle through it like I would with my Nexus S (without Swype). And I had no persistent autocorrect to contend with (à la iPhone). I actually really enjoyed my chat and I could keep up with my friend who was using a PC.

Start of my Skype chat on the N9

Beautiful Maps

As usual, Ovi Maps never fails to wow. It’s the pride and joy of the Ovi suite of apps.

Ovi Map on the Nokia N9

What I Didn’t Like

Not Future-Proof

This is the first and last Meego-powered phone. I’m not sure how long Nokia plans to support the phone. There will not likely be many future major updates to look forward to, and I doubt there’ll be many apps too, since developers wouldn’t waste their time on a soon-to-be retired platform. This, to me, is the N9′s biggest downfall and really, the only thing that prevents me from rushing to Nokia’s store for an N9. Phones are all about the ecosystem today.

Heating Issues

I’m not sure if it’s because what I played with was a prototype, but it does get quite hot in the top left hand corner of the phone after some use.

Closed NFC Ecosystem

The N9 is NFC-enabled, so you can broadcast your playlist with a tap on the Nokia Play 360° speakers, share files and unlock Angry Bird stages with a tap to other Nokia NFC-enabled phones. All this doesn’t work with other NFC-enabled devices like my Nexus S. I’d really like to see NFC take off as an industry standard. I think it’ll help us all save time and simplify technology, so this kind of closed ecosystem mentality gets minus points from me.

With that said, I still think this is a fantastic phone. The N9 has done a phenomenal job convincing me that Nokia is walking in the right direction in terms of product design and user experience. I hope these ideas will translate in their Windows-powered devices in the future. I’m so excited to see where Nokia’s revived sisu will take them!

Oh and if you’re in Singapore, it’s S$799 for the 16GB variant and S$899 for the 64GB. These are out-of-contract prices. We’ll have to wait until it launches “in a few weeks” to find out what the telco subsidized prices are. It’ll be available at all 3 telcos.

September 20, 2011 Update:
Nokia has kindly issued a clarification on several points in my review. Their comments below:

• The Nokia N9 and Nokia Play 360° Speakers are built in line with industry standards. The connectivity of these devices with other non-Nokia devices is dependent on the NFC capabilities of the other devices, their compliance to industry standards and other factors unique to other brands.
• Firmware updates for the Nokia N9 will be released in due course if and when required.

Related posts:

1. I got my hands on a Nexus One!
2. My History with Cell Phones!
3. Review: LG Viewty KU990R

Coco Chanel in all her glory

Why Coco Chanel?

Well, for the past few months I’ve been stressing out between Mac vs PC. I considered so many things, from specs to price to usability to future-proofness. If you just look at the price and the hardware, it made absolutely no sense to spend a whole thousand more on an underpowered Mac — especially in an age where cloud computing will render operating systems as a secondary function.

So I went around asking the other geeks to try to persuade me to buy a Mac — with not much success. They all told me PC was the more pragmatic choice and reminded me that I am a pragmatic person.

But on Friday, a fashionista friend said this:

I don’t know much about computers but Mac and PC are like Chanel and Furla. Both designer labels and make good quality products, but which would you rather carry?

That hit me like a thunderbolt (Yes, Apple fans, lame pun intended).

Under all that pragmatism lies a gadget snob. I mean, seriously, how geek-cool is it to own a product that came out just a couple days ago?

First Impressions

But of course, it wasn’t just all snobbery. I am genuinely impressed at how fast a solid state drive is compared to a normal hard drive. The screen is absolutely magnificent — more magnificent than a 2011 Macbook Pro’s. And I’ve never owned a laptop that weighs under 2KG. Maybe I would even go out to cafes more often to Mac Off to blog more often. And then there’s Bluetooth 4.0, which is a competitor to NFC. Not sure which will win, but it’s a potential future-proof feature.

More Photos of the Macbook Air

Anyway, here are some more shots of the Macbook Air compared to my trusty first generation 2006 Black Macbook, which I intend to keep forever. I love it to bits. It lasted 5 years with very little trouble. And IMO, is still the best-looking Mac ever made.

2006 Black Macbook vs 2011 Macbook Air

Not too sure if it’s obvious here but there’s some discoloration on the Black Macbook’s screen. It’s too yellow.

2006 Black Macbook vs 2011 Macbook Air — Start-up Screen

And here’s the difference between the size of the Macbook vs the Macbook Air.

2006 Black Macbook vs 2011 Macbook Air — difference in the thinness

And finally, my new gadget family is now silver and black. I don’t really fancy silver, but these are a sure feast for the eyes and ears.

Macbook Air and Bose AE2 Headphones

That is all, folks. I just needed to be an iSnob and iSnub everyone with an entry on my iFetish. In all seriousness, if you could choose (or are choosing) between a Mac and a PC, which would you pick? Why?

Related posts:

1. My Macbook Adaptor Melted!
2. What’s In My Bag — 2011 Edition

01. Human Japanese

Learn Japanese for under $10
Human Japanese is the most expensive app I’ve ever purchased and it is worth every single penny. The interface is absolutely gorgeous and very intuitive. The lessons are easy to understand and are interactive with audio and quizzes. Although, it is a little bit unnecessarily wordy. 9.99 USD might sound expensive for an app but think about it this way: can you buy a kick-ass beginners Japanese language textbook for 9.99 USD? Nope, didn’t so.

Excerpt from the Hiragana chapter

Vocab Quiz

02. Akinator

Impress your friends with your own genie
Akinator is a mystical genie who can guess who you’re thinking about just by asking a few questions. There’s a free web version at akinator.com so I’m not sure if I would pay USD 1.99 to upgrade from the lite version, which gives users 5 tries. Nevertheless, a very cool app to kill time and impress your friends with.

Question asking stage on the Akinator

Search result on the Akinator

If you manage to defeat the Akinator with an impossible-to-guess character, this is what the genie looks like. (In case you’re wondering, I was thinking about 藤田 玲司 Fujita Reiji, the protagonist from an obscure seinen anime called Gallery Fake.)

03. Instafetch

Every commuter’s best friend
I take the subway to work and back everyday. Unfortunately, the data connection on my subway line is fairly slow. So Instafetch has been very useful. I just save articles that are usually too long to read during my work breaks to Instapaper.com. Instafetch will then sync with Instapaper and download the article content. While the app’s got a fairly basic UI, the text is presented in a very readable serif font a la the New York Times app.

Instafetch Dashboard

Downloaded Article from Instafetch

04. Foodspotting

Foursquare for foodies
This app detects your location and shows you food and beverages that other users have recommended in the vicinity. I’m usually not a fan of location-based apps (because I have my doubts on check-ins) but this is actually pretty nifty. Pity the app is still fairly bare bone and has some stability issues. Nevertheless, there’s tremendous potential for this app to flourish — especially in a country full of mad foodies like Singapore.

05. Package Buddy

Obsessively track your online shopping hauls
While the enigma of not knowing when your package will arrive is exciting for some, control freaks like me prefer to know exactly where the fruits of my online shopping spree has been and when it’ll arrive. This app saves me a lot obsessive refreshing on the unfortunate courier’s website. Package Buddy can be set to auto update and notify you on your packages’ latest whereabouts.

Well, I hope you found some interesting apps in this entry. I know I’m terrible at keeping my blog updated, but I do hope to make this a series of entries.

So please do share your favorite apps in the comments!

If you’re an app developer, feel free to email me with your product details. It I think it’s great, I’ll be sure to give it the coverage it deserves!

Related posts:

1. Taking Screenshots on the Android-powered Nexus S
2. Which Part of the World Should I Live In?
3. Chinese Condoms and Favorite Animal

My geekiness has just reached a whole new level; I learned how to take screenshots on my Android-powered Nexus S!

Now before you roll your eyes and call me a tech idiot, let me explain. Screenshotting on an Android device is not an easy feat for the average consumer — unlike the iPhone. You need to download the Android software development kit, fiddle with your computer’s and phone’s settings to get it to work. It’s even more challenging on Windows XP, since there are additional tools and drivers.

Anyway, all this hard work is for my upcoming entry on my favorite Android apps, which you can expect early next week.

This entry is just for me to bask in my new-found level of geekdom. To celebrate, you are now forced entitled to check out screenshots of my homescreens below.

For those who want to rival my geekiness, here are the sites I referred to:

• How to take screenshots of your Android based phone from Windows
• What Is ADB And How To Install It With Android SDK
• Google USB Driver

Happy geeking out!

Before you design lovers ask, my wallpaper is an illustration from Japanese fashion designer, Tsumori Chisato.

Related posts:

1. Hello Google Nexus S!

Ever since I got my hands on the Nexus One back in April 2010, I’ve been waiting for the day I would own a phone from the Nexus family. I went through hell and back to get it, since it’s not readily available in my country (yet). Thanks to my Twitter network and this amazing gentleman, I became a Nexus S owner.

What’s so good about the Nexus S?

Firstly? Speed. Specs-wise, this phone is nothing revolutionary. It’s similar to the Samsung Galaxy S and other high-end Androids like the HTC Desire HD. However, there is a marked speed difference. Reason? It’s Pure Google. This means it’s the pure Android operating system. There’s no HTC Sense or Motorola’s Motoblur or Sony Ericsson’s Sense UI to contend with or slow down the system. While these UI have prettier interfaces and are sometimes more functional, users are usually held ransom by manufacturers for the latest Android OS updates.

When I used the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 (before it was stolen), I was grudgingly using Android 1.6, while the world had already upgraded to Android 2.1 or 2.2. That meant I couldn’t download many apps or have access to the latest features. It was a really frustrating position to be in — especially since the Xperia was considered a high-end smartphone.

What’s not so great about the Nexus S?

Having the latest Android is a little bit of a double-edged sword. While it means you are always first with the latest and greatest features, it also means you’re a sort of a guinea pig. I haven’t spent much time with the phone yet, but I’ve already found some bugs in the Android 2.3.1 update. Here’s just a few:

• It can’t change “My Number” stored in the SIM card
• It’s not using the specified contact ringtones
• Sometimes, forms can’t be filled out

I’ve heard there are more serious bugs like sending a message to an unintended recipient, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take for the sake of speed and being free from manufacturers’ terribly slow — or non-existent — OS update timeline.

More Nexus S Photos

Feast your eyes on every Android geek’s current wet dream.

Google Nexus S’ curved screen

Samsung Galaxy S vs Nexus S Photos

Here’s a few photos comparing with my boyfriend’s Samsung Galaxy S and my Nexus S side-by-side. I haven’t made a true performance comparison but from casual use, it seems the Nexus S is faster.

Screen: Samsung Galaxy S vs Google Nexus S

Front: Samsung Galaxy S vs Google Nexus S

Back: Samsung Galaxy S vs Google Nexus S

Dear readers, do you prefer the iPhone or Android phones? Why? And slightly off-topic, is there anything that intrigued you from CES 2011? (Mine’s predictably the Android 3.0-powered tablet, Motorola Xoom.)

Related posts:

1. I got my hands on a Nexus One!
2. Hello! It’s been while…
3. Review: LG Viewty KU990R

Featured on Web Design Galleries

Big thanks to all the CSS galleries and web design blogs for featuring my latest theme, Nami. And another thank you to those of who gave me feedback, when I first rolled out this theme. Web design has been a long-time hobby of mine, so it’s always nice to receive recognition. I got to know many people as a result too! (I know I haven’t replied to some of you, sorry about that! Will get to it soon!) So thank you to CSS Mania, Spyre Studios, Web Creme and the many others!

Switched to a Smartphone

As I was saying in the Nexus One entry, I’ve been reluctant to switch to a smartphone since I didn’t want to become too connected. But my dumbphone recently lost the ability to send texts, and I was able to borrow the Sony Ericssion Xperia X10, so I switched. Thanks to the Xperia, I now sync my phone contacts with Google Contacts, which pretty much guarantees I’ll be loyal to Android phones for the next few years.

Since the phone isn’t mine, it doesn’t seem right to do a review. Hahaha! But let’s just say, despite its specs and price tag, it’s still got some way to go before I could classify it with the likes of superphones like the iPhone, Nexus One, HTC Desire, Motorola Milestone or the Samsung Galaxy S.

Touched an iPad!

Thanks to my colleagues and Justin, I got to spend some time with the Apple iPad. I wasn’t too impressed initially. It’s a phenomenal e-reader but there’s no way a tablet is befitting for a content creator like me. I have to admit my initial thoughts was slightly clouded by my disappointment with Steve Jobs and his letter to Adobe. (I switched to a Mac because Photoshop works better on it. So for Apple to declare its disapproval of Adobe’s alleged “closed system” felt like they were backstabbing a partner to me.)

But after I realized I could type a proper email on it without making mistakes, I was pretty impressed. As touch tech improves, tablets will slowly, but surely replace laptops in the future. With that said, I won’t be buying an iPad so soon. It can’t really replace a laptop or even a netbook for me just yet. I need multitasking support, and I don’t want to be held ransom by the App Store. Guess I’ll just wait until I see OS X or Win 7 running smoothly on one.

Sayonara, Social Media

On the work front, I’ve officially relinquished my social media responsibilities to someone even more passionate and capable. (That doesn’t mean I’ll stop blogging or tweeting though!) Social media was a good entry-point to the corporate world, since it was something familiar. I now do traditional comms for financial-related matters. It’s not an easy transition since the learning curve is fairly steep, the responsibilities are greater and perfection is just a minimum requirement. Nevertheless, I’m enjoying myself so far. I like being constantly challenged. Keeps me on my toes, keeps me learning. And it’s definitely the right place to be to learn more about the tech and telco business, both of which I’m pretty passionate about.

Thanks to the change, I can finally answer the question I’ve been struggling with for the longest time: “where do you see yourself in 5 years?” I’d like to move from a support unit like communications into the business. But more on this another time.

Upcoming Blog Posts

I attended a few interesting blogger events earlier this week, so do expect those entries to be up soon. There’ll be one on Nokia Connection 2010 and another on the Infocomm Accessibility Centre. I’ll probably disappear again after that because my boyfriend is coming back to Singapore this weekend! This time for good!

Okay, back to sleep. My fever is unfortunately still not subsiding. Blah.

Related posts:

1. I got my hands on a Nexus One!

Lately, I’ve taken a serious liking to photography. So I’ve been thinking about upgrading to either an advanced point and shoot or an entry-level dSLR. I really can’t decide! I’m in such a dilemma since I’m afraid I may outgrow a prosumer point and shoot, yet I cannot foresee myself carrying a huge, unglamorous bag full of lenses all in the name of artistic photography.

In the midst of my dilemma, Glenn from Ogilvy invited me to a blogger event to check out Canon’s latest line-up of cameras. Despite my hectic work schedule, I knew I just had to go. I mean, this event could potentially solve the dilemma of a lifetime!

So on Thursday, I found myself at the newly-opened Universal Studios Singapore. Canon introduced us to the zoom monster PowerShot SX210 IS, the sleek touchscreen-ed IXUS 210 and the pocket-sized IXUS 130. We were each given 5 hours with one of these to shoot around the theme park. The cameras were randomly given out. As a PowerShot fan, I was vying to test out the PowerShot SX210 IS. Thanks to Clauds, who offered to switched cameras with me, my wish was granted.

Before I start, here’s a few disclaimers:

• This is a very long entry. If you don’t like text, scroll down for pretty pictures and HD videos!
• To showcase photo quality, no photos or videos were edited.
• Click on the thumbnail for the full photo to appear in a lightbox.
• For more photos, visit my Picasa gallery.
• 3 bloggers with the most creative photos will each win one of the latest line-up of Canon cameras.

The Features

Here’s a first look at the features shared amongst the PowerShot SX 210 IS, Digital IXUS 210 and Digital IXUS 130.

Color Swap: Painting the town pink!

Color swap switches one color for another. Here’s how it works: point the camera on a color from your viewfinder, select it, then select a color you’d like to swap the first with. It’s like a real life eyedropper tool. (You photoshopaholics know what I’m talking about!) For these shots, I swapped brown for bright pink to paint Universal Studios pink! I had a blast shooting in this mode. I had to chase down this little girl with a pink bag (who was quite far away) to get the shade of pink I wanted. I was glad I had the zoom monster or I’d have to physically chase her for it.

Color Accent: Gold highlights

Color accent highlights a particular color, while the rest of the photo is in monochrome. I’m not very good with this effect but I liked how my golden Shrek castle turned out.

Miniature Effect: Toy world

This is my favorite photo effect! The whole world looks like a giant toy wonderland! There are more at my Picasa but here are my favorites:

Fish Eye: Distortion extraordinaire

HD Video Samples

The new line-up of cameras also shoots high definition videos. Select 720p to watch in HD.

HD video of Universal Studios Singapore

Here’s a 360 degree view of USS.

HD video of one of the rides

I was trying to keep this shot steady but it started raining heavily all of a sudden so I had to run for cover.

HD video with PowerShot SX210 IS’ 14x zoom

Zooming in on the fountain. It gets shaky in the middle; I was zoomed in so close that every slight movement had a big impact on the camera.

HD video with Color Swap

Painting Universal Studios Pink – The Movie! Yes, I’m 24 years old and I still ride carousels.

HD video with Color Accent

You’re gonna have to tilt your head to watch this. I shot this in portrait mode thinking it would auto-rotate like photos. Oops!

Sample Photos

Here’s a few more shots in various shooting modes. Read the description in the full photos for more details.

My Thoughts on the Canon PowerShot SX 210 IS

This is a great camera for those who need zoom power and want to have the flexibility to switch between a very smart auto mode and full manual controls. I can’t give this a proper review since I only spent 5 hours with it but here are my general first impressions.

What I Like

• Fast shooting speed and amazing image stabilization: I shot while walking and no photo ever came out blur — even in poor lighting!
• Long battery life: I’m not sure of the industry benchmark but compared to my PowerShot A590 IS (which runs on lithium ion rechargeable AA batteries) the PowerShot SX 210 IS is so much better! I took 180+ photos and 8 movies. I barely turned off my camera over the 5 hours and the battery was still going strong.
• One button movie mode: It was a breeze to shoot movies thanks to the dedicated movie button!

What I Didn’t

• Stiff mode dial: The mode dial is a little stiffer than I’m used too. I guess it’s more dSLR like?
• No indication for arrow buttons: This is minor, but unlike my A590 IS, the SX 210 IS didn’t come with pictures to describe each arrow keys’ function. So I had to struggle to find the manual focus, the delete key and the toggle between aperture and shutter speed. I guess this is only frustrating when you only have 5 hours with a camera that’s full of functions. I don’t suppose it’ll be a problem if you own one though.

So, I thought this event would help solve my dilemma between upgrading to an advanced point and shoot or an entry level dSLR. Unfortunately, it’s just made my life more difficult since I’ve grown quite fond of the PowerShot SX 210 IS. Sigh, what a geeky predicament to be in!

Dilemma aside, I had a splendid time thanks to Canon and Ogilvy!

Related posts:

1. My Valentine’s Day in Singapore
2. Singapore and Cellphones
3. An Night of Adventure in Singapore

What I Like

Auto-correct – One of the few gripes I have with the iPhone is its egotistic auto-correct feature. Without adding words, I can’t swear or type in foreign languages without being corrected. Not the Nexus One though! I could write whatever I want without having to battle the phone for dominion over my linguistic choices. It has even recognized my address book’s and Google Contacts friends’ names.

Performance – It’s the fastest Android-powered phone I’ve tried so far. No lag whatsoever! Not sure how it performs in comparison with the iPhone 3G S. But I’m guessing it should be at least comparable.

Auto-syncing with Google accounts – I was a bit shocked when I first played with the phone. After logging in with my Google account, I found all my contacts, photos and even web search history on the phone. It was quite scary at first, but I have to say it’s now quite handy since I’m now only one touch away from everything.

Camera – For a phone, it has quite a good camera. It has 5MP with flash. Here are two shots. One of yummy waffles and a low-light shot of a souvenir Kirin got me when she visited Singapore. I did not edit the pictures except to watermark and re-size them.

What can be improved

Scrolling – It takes a little bit more effort to scroll on the Nexus One than on the iPhone but it’s better than all other touchscreen phones I’ve tried so far.

Touch buttons – I think this is a matter of personal preference. If you’ve read my gadget reviews before, you’d know that I don’t like touch buttons. They are no match for real buttons. Touch buttons fail miserably at usability – even with tactile feedback.

Accelerometer – There’s a bit of a lag when I turn the phone sideways for the larger keyboard. I feel like I have to shake it for the screen to change. Definitely not as smooth as the iPhone.

Design – The Nexus One is not the type of phone where you whip out of your pocket and everyone in the vicinity will go “whoa!”. Here’s a photo of the Nexus One next to the ultra sexy Sony Ericsson Xperia X10. There’s just no comparison in terms of looks.

So tempted to buy it but….I. must. resist!

I am this close to clicking “buy” at google.com/phone. It’s one of the very few phones that I very happy with. And the iPhone HD (or whatever it’s gonna be called) and HTC Desire are coming out, so I shouldn’t be hasty.

More importantly, I’ve actually been resisting a smartphone for the longest time because:

1. I don’t want to be that accessible.
2. I would really like to experience life outside of rectangular screens.
3. And I don’t want to be that rude person who whips out her smartphone to check some unimportant email / tweet, while leaving her dinner companions feeling dejected.

We’ll see how long my resistance can last before I cave in. Vive la Résistance!

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