I know it has been a long time since I post any new article in this website because I was very busy with work. Well now I have some free time, I am getting back up with Sony Ericsson F305 review that I have been using for the past 3 months.

Let’s start with the price it cost me RM 450.00 including the 1 GB micro SD and screen protector. With this price you are getting quite a lot of value too. It comes with 2 MP camera that take video and still picture, integrated micro stereo loud speaker, a large bright 2 inch screen, tri-band, Internet (WAP Push) accessibility, lots of Java games, FM radio and many more. The phone styling looks like “ipod” and with comes with a glossy smooth surface and available in black and white. Size of the phone is reasonably slim at 14.6mm that made it easy to put inside pockets. When considering all the features available and design of the F305 it is clearly targeted at youngsters that enjoy games and music.

The main highlight of F305 is the 11 preloaded Java games that vary from simple puzzle games to platform 3D action adventure. Among the 11 games 3 of the games require motion to play like the Wii so you will be playing Bowling with the phone rather than the keypad so make sure to put on the strap before playing, you would not want to throw away the phone yet . All the games performances are quite good and loading times are fast too considering when they are Java applications which require more processing power.

On the multimedia side, the most impressive part here is the integrated stereo loud speaker which is able to delivery very impressive treble and details but the bass is a bit flat for such a small speaker. Music playbacks are also good with clarity and detail but the FM Radio reception is just the only problems here. Don’t expect to get good reception inside building because can’t really expect those wired earphone antennas to be good with FM reception.

The 2 MP integrated digital camera for a phone camera standard it is consider good with low noise but quite pixilated due to the small sensor size and the performance video and image performance is acceptable.

On the usage side the buttons are smalls and will take quite a while to get use to and the buttons pressed feel solid. The 2 inch screen is so bright that I have to dim it down from the default setting and quite usable on a very bright daylight outside. The screen colours and contrast just look brilliants. The user interface is not really that intuitive or friendly for some frequent settings and have to do with additional clicks just to access it like the phone profiles and SMS otherwise it is pretty much direct access just the matter of getting use to and GUI performance is reasonably fast. The biggest complain here, since this is a slide phone I would expect to easily slide open the phone using my thumb but that is not the case because the phone is made of glossy smooth surface and nearly flat button surface, it is not easy for my thumb to get a good grip and with my sweaty thumb made matter worst so sometimes I have to end up using 2 hand just to slide open. Only after lots of practice then only I am used to slide open the phone but still feel the grip is lacking. The handset speakers (not the integrated loud speakers) sound clear but loudness is a bit short of supply even a max volume. It is good for quiet environment but for noisy environment I have to put it close to my ears to listen and I am not the person who likes to put the headset near the ears for long time due to heat after long usage.

Overall the Sony Ericsson F305 is very well spec cell phone just suffer from a few usage issues like the sliding grip, user interface access, headset speaker not as loud and lack of indication (especially making calls not sure whether connection have been establish so have to keep hearing from the headset and no dim display for any updates so I have to slide open find the updates). I have left out the Internet access using the F305 in this review because I felt it is useless to surf the web with the tiny screen and using the keypad and should be kept for emergency use only. Note that the phone USB cable is not included in the package and have to be purchase separately, bad Sony! But l really like the F305 battery life of 8 hours talk time and 400 hours of standby which means I only need charge the phone once a week or sometimes longer and the battery life can be shown in percentage like 45% battery life left rather than a bar indicator that does not really give people the confident on how long the battery will last but to view the battery life percentage you have search in the phone status menu. Also not forgetting it is also reasonably low SAR at 0.67 W/kg. If you are able to adapt and get use to the minor usage issues, this phone does offer a lot features and the specs are very impressive but I just wish Sony Ericsson can include Outlook email PC sync up with the phone calendar that would be very nice to have.

Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5

If you have a headphone with more than 32 Ohm requirement and needed amplification power to run it. The tiny FiiO E5 headphone amplifier seems to fit in the gap to your requirement to get more juice from your ipod or portable player for you headphone while on the move.  Due to the portable player low power profile by design will not have the amplification power to run those high end headphones that need 64 ohm or 300 ohm so even if you plug your high end headphone on the portable player it will sound very soft and lack the umph! to drive the headphone. FiiO E5 was design to address that requirement for people who are on the move with their high end phone and portable player.

The FiiO E5 is a tiny device like the size of a tiny matchbox and the width matching with the ipod nano and same goes with the rest of the styling like ipod nano. The build quality is good and come with digital volume control which can be annoying when trying to quickly turn up or down the volume and feature a bass boast to give more bass to the sound and the build-in lithium ion battery will last up to 20 hours per full charge through USB and lastly come with a clip to hang on. All of this comes with a price of just 20.00 USD.

Most importantly is how does the FiiO E5 sound and if you are thinking that this small little cheap device is able to improve your sound quality from your portable, think again! My test setup was using the Sony A-806 Walkman MP3 and AKG K 701 with 62 Ohm requirement. After making lots comparison with and without FiiO E5 with many 320 kbps MP3s my conclusion, yes it does boast the sound volume and give more bass to the music but sacrifice of sound details and texture. To be honest I would rather use a cheaper headphone with less than 32 ohm with my portable player that can easily sound better than with FiiO + AKG K 701. If you turn on the bass boast it will make it sound even worst. The sound with FiiO E5 is bright and bassy that over shadowed some the music details and even if I crank up the Sony Walkman MP3 to the max on the AKG K 701 it sounded better than with FiiO E5 although very soft.

FiiO E5 is cheap but not cheerful because I feel it does not sound acceptable even though it is cheap, I would recommend spend a bit more on a good pair of headphones that work well with portable player rather than spend on a tiny little box that does not do justice with the high end headphone. Or alternatively you can go for better portable headphone amp from iBasso or Graham Slee. If you are on a budget and needed to something fix the soft volume for the large headphone when on the move, FiiO E5 is the only choice to have.

Overall Rating: 2.5 out of 5

For starters there is a lot of hype on the re-mastered classic game from PS2 to PS3. Fans of the game expect on the improvement in graphics, sound quality and the bonus features will not be disappointed with this release on the PS3. Let’s begin with the graphic details, first thing that you will notice is the higher resolution rendering at 720p and very smooth game play that create so much differences when compare to the PS2 version. It’s just looks sharper and more details without any jagged lines due to the 2x Anti Aliasing and running at 60 frames per second. Secondly is the graphic textures which is now uncompressed but unfortunately it’s remain the same size not bigger size like most would hope for but still looks very good although not really next gen quality and same thing with the geometric details which also remain the same. So with the uncompressed texture reveal more details and color depths even it is stretch to 720p resolutions because of the 2x Anti Aliasing to smooth/sharpen out the pixilation of the texture when stretch. On top of that the game now supports 16:9 wide screens for a great wide experience that was not on the PS2. Other graphic improvement are the particle effects like water, fire and magic effect are also improved to reveal more details and color depth. The game play mechanics remain faithful to the original and there are no installation require, just play direct from the disc like in the PS2.

The disappointing side is the menu control which is based on PS2 control with “X” to enter and “O” for back which can be confusing at times but these are minor issues. The main complain here is the in game video which are quite disappointing because it is still using the same low resolution video from the PS2 which does not look comparable with the improved game graphics. Another issues is the claim to come with exclusive God of War 3 demo can be misleading because God of War 3 demo is not on the game disc but a piece of paper with the redemption code to download the demo from PSN. This is really annoying having to purchase the game and then have to spend the effort again to download the huge demo files from PSN just to play God of War 3 Demo. Overall it is still a very good title because of the value you get from 2 great PS2 games for the price of less than 1 normal game. Even if you have played both game before it is still good to play it again on PS3 for the improve graphics and wide screen experience.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5

1. Star Trek (2009)
2. Blade Runner (1982)
3. Transformers (2007)

 

4. X-Men 3/Wolverine (2009)
5. The Matrix Trilogy (2008)
6. I, Robot (2004)
7. Watchmen (2009)

 

8. Pitch Black (2000)
9. Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008)

 

10. Cloverfield (2008)


 

This is the perfect watch for mountain climber and also hiker as it have all the necessary triple sensor capability like altimeter, barometric /temperature and digital compass sensor build in to the watch. The best part of this model is with all the sensors integrated the thickness of the watch remain slim at 11.5mm. It is also design to last for many years thanks to the build in solar panel which Casio call it “Tough Solar” and in theory you no need to change the battery as long there are light source to charge it. So far with my experience with other Casio model with Tough Solar after using more than 2 years the battery charge still remain high level even without putting any effort at all to charge it, just regular wearing. All this thanks to the intelligent Power Saving capability which I recommend you not to turn off which is on by default that will turn off the LCD display after idling for some time without proper light source to charge it. By the way this watch comes with a large LCD number display good for easy reading and 100 meter of water resistant which more than enough even wearing it for swimming and also Electro-luminescent backlight readability in low light. This model come with resin strap or if you prefer metal strap then go for PRG-110T-7V that come with titanium strap and will cost considerately more.

The triple sensor is the highlight for this watch with the integrated Digital Compass that will help hikers plot the locations and with memory store to help keep record. The Barometric / Temperature sensor will provide a good forecast about the weather trend with a line graph to show the trend of pressure for the pass 24 hours. So if you see the trend is going down which means the weather going to be bad as pressure level is lower and possible of rain is very high. Finally the altitude sensor which will keep track of the progress to know how high is it from the sea level. All these capability makes this watch ideal for hikers and highly recommend.

The only cons for this watch is the price, it is not cheap it cost about 170.00 USD for the resin band and about 250.00 USD for titanium strap. Remember for this price you get a lot of features that other watch don’t have and also a solid build quality. I suggest cheaking several shops or online store if you plan to buy because the price difference can be a lot.

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5

You must have heard about it coming and read about but this is my take after reading through the available news that has been release so far. This is the thirteen installments of the famed Final Fantasy RPG series by Square Enix and it is the first Final Fantasy series on the new generation of PS3 or Xbox 360 console. Final Fantasy XIII theme this time is futuristic and also magical and the usual Square Enix style ATB (Active Time Battle) system gameplay with some changes. The last Final Fantasy XI was on PS2 and you must be wondering what happen to Final Fantasy XII, well it was never release on console but it was actually release on PC platform online only.

Sony have been having a hard time trying to get Square Enix to make Final Fantasy XIII exclusive for the PS3 due to the poor sales of the PS3 that will impact the sales of the game. Square Enix have to make a costly choice of porting the game to Xbox 360 while half way developing the game on the PS3 platform and impact the release date of the game at the same time, in hopes to increase the sales. In order to satisfy their business partner Sony, Square Enix will make Final Fantasy XIII exclusive for PS3 in Japan only.

The game is schedule to be release on December 17 this year in Japanese only and the English version will be in spring 2010. If you can’t wait for it you can get the English version from Asia region PS3 in January 2010 but the manual will be in Chinese. Square Enix only anticipate the sales of Final Fantasy XIII will be about half of compare to the last release in PS2 due to the poor sales of PS3. I don’t want to talk so much on the game story and character which I will leave for you to explore when the game is release which is more fun especially with Final Fantasy RPG and I don’t want to be a spoiler . Enjoy the screenshots below.

The rumor about Nintendo releasing a bigger screen for the portable DSi is now confirmed. This is probably driven by below expectation of the sales of the DSi which was not really well receives as it only comes with built-in camera and also the removal of the cartridge slot that really does not create the attraction or wow factor for people to buy or upgrade. The Nintendo DSi XL will come with 2 x 4.25 inch LCD screen with improve battery life as compare to the normal DSi which only come with 3.25 inch screen but even with the increase in size the resolution of the screen remain the same. It comes with 2 stylus of choice, the new one is bigger and also the existing normal size stylus. Basically the Nintendo DSi XL mainly target for people who want to use it for movies or web surfing with a bigger screen it will make it easier to do so and also RPG games that you have to read a lot.  Sony PSP have been enjoying this competitive edge up until now that Nintendo decide to compete on those areas as well. It will be release in Japan on November 21 with 3 colours and the price tag of 20,000 Yen and will be release to the rest of the world in Q1 2010. Following this announcement do expect there will be price reduction of the existing DSi model for this coming Christmas.

Specifications

• Screen Size: 4.2″ (10.67cm)
• Dimensions: 161mm (W) x 91.4mm (L) x 21.2mm (H)
• Stylus: 1 Style with 96mm length, 1 Stylus with 129.3mm length
• Power: Power supply for DSi, Battery
• Weight: 314g
• Internal Battery: 3 hours
• Battery Runtime:
  Brightness 1 – 13 to 17 hours
  Brightness 2 – 11 to 14 hours
  Brightness 3 – 9 – 11 hours
  Brightness 4 – 6 – 8 hours
  Brightness 5 – 4 – 5 hours
• Preinstalled DSi product:
  DSi Browser
  Moving Memo Pad
  Chotto no Nou o Kitaeru DSi Training: Bunkei-Hen [Brain Training: Arts]
  Chotto no Nou o Kitaeru DSi Training: Rikei-Hen [Brain Training: Science]
  Meikyou Kokugo Rakubiki Jiten
• Input/Output: DS card slot, SD memory card slot, Power supply, Stero Headphones, Microphone

Fuel Cell technology is coming closer to consumer electronics market thanks to the engineers from Toshiba that made this first commercially available miniature fuel cell charger for mobile devices through USB charging. Toshiba call it Dynario and so far only made 3000 units available and can be bought at Shop1048 for 29,800 Yen. The fuel cell charger is running on methanol and requires 14ml of it for full refill and enough to charge 2 cell phones. Dynario charging capability is within the USB spec and weights 280g without methanol. Already safety regulation is preventing user from carrying such device especially the methanol and more particular when flying. This device is ideal for people who are on the move a lot and carry lots of electronic mobile devices but they have to stand the chemical smell of methanol and luckily Toshiba chose to use methanol instead of hydrogen which can be even more dangerous.

This is a brand new fantasy action adventure game developed by Platinum Games and publish Sega that have been receiving quite a lot of attention lately due to excellent review by famous Japanese game reviewer Famitsu prior to the release. It was originally plan for Xbox 360 then later ported over to PS3 due to Sony improved business relationship with Sega. The game designer Hideki Kamiya for Bayonetta is also famed for designing Devil May Cry game series and promised over the top action game play in Bayonetta.

Story of the game focuses on Bayonetta who is a witch that have been awaken from her 500 years sleep. She wake up with no memories of herself and the world she is in and while progressing in game will reveal back her memories. Bayonetta wield 4 handguns and also other melee weapons like katana and in the game she can perform melee, range and magical attacks to face angelic enemies. Her greatest attack is using her hair to transform into various type of extreme oversize attack like giant boots, fists or monsters to assault and also what she is wearing is also her hair transform as into her costume. There is also a lot of effort the in art design particularly the fashion of the characters design, environment and also her face to make her of look like a cold beauty.

Expect to have 10 to 12 hours of game play with 5 levels of difficulty and can be play with a single attack button that have automated combos in the easiest mode. Currently the game is set to launch in Japan first on 29 October 2009 and rest of the other regions in January 2010. There have been report that the PS3 version of the game suffer from poor frame rate probably due the game was originally design of Xbox 360 and porting over to PS3 was not done properly. Hope that Platinum Games provide a game patch to solve the issues and fix the problem before releasing the game in other regions.