Broken

But it had served me well. Very well. But it looked like I would have to buy another one.

Not exactly talking about a new phone here, but the power pack for my iPhone. The one I had been using since September last year had finally had it after one too many drops. So, I the bottom part of my phone was left exposed, and it needed replacing.

The pack I had been using - since my iPhone 4 days, had been the Mophie Juice Pack Plus. It had the biggest capacity - but the bulkiest - and able to give an extra full charge at the flip of a switch. The other advantage was it allowed me to charge my phone using a Micro USB connector, which was the same as my BlackBerry and Nexus 7. Made carrying a charger for trips that much easier.

What was left ...It also gave a decent all round protection for my phone - as you could tell, it needed protection. I had been very happy with it.

So, I would endeavour to head to a Mac accessory shop later and see what I can pick up. Maybe I would by the Air or Helium variety. Smaller but less capacity.

Comparison 2

HTC One - 1/50s f2.0 ISO125iPhone 5S - 1/30s f2.2 ISO80There was a major difference between the colour temperature of both snaps. In terms of sharpness, they were both more than acceptable, considering that these were indoors, and both cameras utilised the image stabilisation system to enabe them to keep the shutter speed slow and low ISO. 

The snap on the iPhone (lower) looks much warmer, especially appreciated on the skin tone. But this was at the expense of the generalised orange tinge to the whole frame. I could make skin tone adjustment on Aperture if I wanted, but I thought I'd just leave it at it is to illustrate the point.

The scenes was taken last Sunday at Fahrenheit 88 main lobby. It seemed that one of the local college was holding an exhibition for their arts faculty.

Another go at the Z10

Anita has never been a fan of walking, especially when we were talking about walking from KLCC all the way to Pavilion. But with the new walkway - fully air-conditioned - she didn't mind. It was a nice walk and on a busy Saturday afternoon with the crowd and all, we didn't really feel the distance. Anita actually stayed at Pavilion while I pressed onwards to Low Yat. I was there to survey for a laptop for the society.

While there, I finally had a chance to have a feel of the Z10. A nice slick device, fast and responsive buy with a lame camera. I meant proper lame. After about 15 minutes, I still couldn't make up my mind if the phone would be a useful addition to my daily activities. Will the connectivity be better than the combination of iPhone and Nexus 4 which I carry now? Maybe the BB Chat is by he only one missing, but I never had any investment in that. I still rely a lot on Google and the cloud for my productivity apps. I don't think that by he BlackBerry OS was mature enough to support my need at the moment. Maybe it would improve.

So, I would have to do a bit of homework and hit the forums to find out a bit more about the Z10. Maybe it could turn out to be a hidden gem. We shall have to wait and see ......

Anita bought her W980

Anita's Sony Ericsson W980, originally uploaded by Haris Abdul Rahman.

About two months ago, Anita dropped her Sony Ericsson C902 from the to the stairs. It did not drop straight to the bottom, but took a few lazy tumbles on the way there. The screen was shattered, but surprisingly everything was in working order. The touchscreen was still working, the speakers were still OK, buttons and all. The only problem we noticed was the camera button did become less sensitive. Since the button needed to be pressed halfway down to trigger the autofocus, that can at times prove a problem.

She was contemplating a few new models. Her last 4 phones were all Sony Ericsson, and she prefer to stick to it. She wants the speakers to sound OK, have a decent camera, but most importantly, the keypad needs to be to her liking. She tried a few and was disappointed. You probably notice that the new phone models seems to have small metallic keypads, rather than big, rubbery ones. I kept telling her to switch to a Nokia and I am sure a number of the N series should fit her bill. iPhone is definitely out of the question because it lacks any sort of keypad!

We went to a Sony shop today and sheepishly asked if we can trade in our 'worst for wear' C902. The shop only offered us RM150, which I thought was an insult. I would rather use the phone as a door stopper than give it away that cheap. They offered us the W980 at a decent price though and Anita was hooked. She did try the C905, but that model was rather too bulky for her. So W980 it is.

I had a chance to play around with the phone. True to her word, the keypad was comfortable and of a decent size - well any keypads are going to be since I now use the E71. Being a Walkman series phone, the speakers should be decent. It was not too bulky or too light. Just fits nicely in her handbag. The screen was OK but no touchscreen. The menu system was pretty standard. The phone has a clampshell form factor, and the outer screen was good. Right at the bottom of the accessory screen sits a set of navigational button, so that the Walkman function can be accessed without the need to flip open the phone.

What I am worried abut is the material used for the phone. The hinge especially is rather too plasticky for my liking. The camera is also disappointing. Even though it takes snaps of 3.2MP, the optics is just standard, rather than of the Carl Zeiss variety. It also lacks autofocus and a sort of flash! The pics were actually pretty ..... shall I say below average. In good lighting, even my E71 may be able to take a decent photo. The phone doesn't even come with a case.

Well. Personally, given a choice I wouldn't have bought the phone, but Anita seems to like it a lot. I just need to make sure she doesn't drop down the stairs this time.