Apple iPods: The best MP3 player lineup, ever.

Apple has been somewhat predictable for the past few years when the holiday season nears - releasing all new iPod line-ups during September 'surprise' Apple events. This year's event introduced arguably the best and possibly the most affordable iPod line-up ever.

The talk of the gadget world this time was the introduction of a slimmer, sleeker iPod touch, multi-colored 'tall' iPod Nanos, iPod Shuffles in new colors, and perhaps the biggest announcement this year - the news that all iPods are now made even more affordable.

iPod Touch (2nd Generation)
When first introduced last year, the iPod Touch was the talk of the town, and it deserved it. Besides having a great 'Multi-Touch' screen which lets you view and listen to your music in a cool new way, probably the main selling point of the original iPod Touch to Bruneians was its ability to surf the Internet with its very cool-to-use Safari browser. It meant that we didn't have to carry a heavy laptop around to cafes anymore just to surf, and the fact that this little gadget costed under $500 was great at the time. What could Apple do to improve it? Quite a few things actually..

The 2nd generation iPod Touch is even thinner now - only 0.33-inches thin, which somehow makes other MP3 players look somewhat huge! Apple has also managed to incorporate speakers in this amazingly thin gadget, which solves the problem of always having to bring your headphones everywhere.

Another major improvement is the iPod 2.1 software that's installed which lets you download games and applications through Wi-Fi right on to the iPod Touch. There's hundreds of free apps and games to choose from, which somehow makes it a great competitor to the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS.

The 2nd Generation Apple iPod Touch is now available at AV Electronics for $388 (8GB), $498 (16GB), and $698 (32GB).

iPod Nano (4th Generation)
Probably the most noticeable feature of the new iPod Nanos is that they now have the same 'tall' design as the 1st and 2nd generation models, with Apple choosing to get rid of the recent 'shorter', and probably less selling design of the most recent generation of Nanos. They're also now available in an unbelievable 9 colors in total, so you probably won't have a problem getting one in your favourite colour.

The 4th Generation iPod Nano is the thinnest iPod Apple has ever made, being just 6.2mm deep (from front to back), and after checking out these little gadgets in person, they really are tiny!

Apple has also incorporated the same accelerometers which are used in the iPod Touch into these new Nanos, which automatically changes the screen orientation when the gadget is turned sideways, letting you view all your album art.

Another cool addition is the 'shake to shuffle' feature, which lets you listen to random songs whenever you vigorously shake the Nano.

Fitness fans will be glad to know that these Nanos also have a built-in Nike+iPod receiver, which when connected wirelessly with an in-shoe sensor lets you track your runs and automatically gives you feedback on your progress and calories burnt.



The 4th generation iPod Nano is available at AV Electronics for $248 (8GB) and $328 (16GB).

iPod Shuffle

The iPod Shuffle continues to be what Apple claims to be the world's most 'wearable' MP3 player with it's tiny size and 'clip' design, but the only new features announced this time around was that it now comes in new colours - a more vibrant blue, green, pink and red, on top of the grey model.

The iPod Shuffle is available at AV Electronics for $78 (1GB) and $108 (2GB).

MacBook Air: Ultra Thin, Ultra Portable

Apple seems to have a habit of introducing innovative products at the Macworld Conference & Expo, which is held every year.. 2006 saw the fast Intel-based iMacs introduced, and last year the world got excited at the unveiling of the long-awaited iPhone, arguably the most innovative cellphone ever created.

This year was no different. There had been calls for an ultra-portable Apple laptop by the Mac faithful beforehand, but when Apple's CEO Steve Jobs introduced the MacBook Air, all expectations were very much exceeded.

It's been an eagerly-long wait since its January introduction for the MacBook Air to reach our Bruneian shores, but when AV Electronics finally launched it last Monday, it was indeed definitely worth it.

MacBook Air Ad


The MacBook Air is unbelievably thin (fits in an office envelope!), and yet surprisingly tough and sturdy. Its design is without doubt revolutionary, and will definitely make you want one. Seeing photos of this amazing device will already make you crave for one, but you really have to see and hold it in your hands to really appreciate how great a gadget it really is. Even having the notebook on your lap is a surreal experience at first because of the lightness of the device, it's just very hard to believe that they managed to fit a computer into such a small piece of aluminium!

Thinness, design, and weight aspects aside, the MacBook Air is also packed with great features, and powerful performance.

The glossy, 13.3-inch LED-backlit widescreen display is a joy to look at, giving you vibrant images and rich colours at full brightness the moment you turn it on.

Apple has also incorporated a full-sized, full-featured keyboard, just like the ones on a MacBook, onto the MacBook Air, but went a step further by adding backlit key illumination.

A built-in ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the keyboard and display when you move into places of different brightness, making the keyboard light up and reducing the display's brightness making it easier on the eyes.

Apple has also incorporated a track pad with brilliant multi-touch technology, made popular by the iPhone and iPod Touch. Not only can you use the track pad to move the cursor around, but you now can even pinch, swipe, or rotate to zoom in on text, advance through a photo album, or adjust an image with ease.

Performance-wise, the MacBook Air features a more-than-generous 2GB of RAM, twice more than the standard built-in to most current laptops. It's also packed with a 1.6GHz or 1.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor, all of which makes working with your favorite applications a breeze. With up to 5 hours of battery-life, this gadget will be a sure hit with frequent travelers and businessmen.

This gorgeous device sports an 80GB hard drive, and you even have the option to upgrade it to a pricey, but technology-advanced 64GB solid-state drive, which gives you super-fast data access.

The thinness of the MacBook Air, however, means that it had to compromise on some usually-built-in features, an Optical DVD/CD drive. But with Apple's innovativeness, we never really thought that this was much of a problem. Other than having the option to purchase an external SuperDrive, which connects via USB, Apple has introduced a cool feature called Remote Disc. For those few times when you need to install software on your notebook from a CD or DVD, Remote Disc lets you wirelessly use or “borrow” the optical drive of a Mac or PC in the vicinity, so you can have full access to its optical drive.

There are a lot more features packed into this stunning device, like its built-in iSight camera, 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, and the tons of creative and productive Apple software bundled into it, making us crave more and more for it!

A guided tour to the MacBook Air


The Apple MacBook Air is available at AV Electronics in Kiulap for B$2,988.00.

Apple iPod Touch: Touch your music, and more

Apple introduced a new, refreshed line of iPods last week, much to the delight of portable music lovers all around the world. Besides a revamp of every single iPod model, Apple unveiled a new music and video player (and more) to their line, the beautiful, and thin, iPod Touch.

The iPod Touch features Apple’s revolutionary multi-touch user interface that enables you to navigate through all its features with just the touch of a finger. Sounds vaguely familiar? The iPod Touch can basically do everything the iPhone does, except the ability to make calls.

It plays music and video, and lets you store and view your photos just like most of the other iPods, but like the iPhone, Apple has incorporated Wi-Fi onto the device, letting you surf websites on its gorgeous 3.5-inch widescreen display. The iPod Touch also lets you watch YouTube videos and even organise your calendar scheduling and contacts.

The iPod Touch is only 8mm thick, 3.6mm thinner than the iPhone, but has more or less the same looks as the iPhone, sporting the single button the phone is now famous for.

With the introduction of this gadget, the rest of the world will finally get to enjoy most of the features of an iPhone, without having to wait for the phone to be released in their countries. Please visit the Apple Website for details of the iPod touch, and the whole new iPod range.

The iPod Touch. A Guided Tour

The iPod Touch will be released worldwide on September 28th, and comes in 8GB and 16GB models, and will be available in Brunei at the QQeStore, with the absolute lowest price in Brunei guaranteed!* For more information on its price, please click here.

Apple's new iMac: Thin, but powerful

Apple yesterday unveiled their new line of iMacs, to the delight of millions of Apple users all around the world.

The slimmer, modern-looking, iMacs feature gorgeous 20- or 24-inch glossy widescreen displays, encased in aluminium and glass enclosures, which Apple claims to be the most incredible desktop computer they've ever made.

The iMac boasts a new, ultra-thin aluminium keyboard, built-in iSight video cameras, and iLife '08, Apple's suite of digital lifestyle applications, making it arguably the ultimate digital lifestyle desktop computer for both consumers and professionals.

The new iMac continues Apple's signature all-in-one design, which integrates the whole CPU into the 'monitor' of the computer system, giving users a clutter-free desktop.

As slim as it is, the iMac also packs performance and power, featuring the latest Intel Core 2 Duo processors, up to 4GB of DDR2 SDRAM memory, and ATI's next generation of graphics with the ATI Radeon HD 2400 XT with 128MB of GDDR3 memory. Users can now configure their iMacs to up to 1TB of internal storage to accommodate their growing library of digital photos, movies and music.



The slim new Apple iMac is now available in Brunei at the QQeStore, with the absolute lowest price in Brunei guaranteed!* For more information on its current price, please click here.

For more information on the iMac, please visit the Apple Website.

The iPhone has finally landed!

When the great guys at the QQeStore told us at lunch time today that they had an iPhone ready for us to review, we literally jumped out of our seats and didn't waste a single second.. We just had to be one of the first people in Brunei to touch, hold, and play with one of, if not THE most talked about gadget in history!

Yes folks, if you guys read the weekend paper last week, you might have noticed the ad that the QQeStore put out on the front page; they were ready to take pre-orders of Apple's iPhone.

If you read our previous posts on the iPhone, or if you're one of the millions who fell into the iPhone hype machine, you should know by now that Apple restricted the iPhone's use to within the US, and can only be used with an AT&T sim card. The iPhone which will be specifically made for the Asian market will only be released in 2008.

Without an AT&T sim card, the phone was useless, and you were'nt even able to use the iPod and Internet features of the phone. This restriction triggered hackers to start finding out how to unlock the iPhone.

In just a few weeks after the iPhone's release, the hackers managed to partially unlock the phone, making it possible to use all the other features, except making and receiving calls. It's only a matter of time before we get a 'hacked' iPhone with all the phone features accessible to anyone in the world too.

So what's the use of the iPhone without the phone capabilities you might ask? Quite alot actually, even enough to make us guys at Simpur drool with envy and want one for ourselves!

Even without the phone capabilities, the QQeStore already has a long list of enthusiastic buyers on the waiting list for the 'phone-less' iPhone. After playing with one for a considerable amount of time this afternoon, we could definitely see why it's touted as one of the best phones ever made.

What makes this phone different is the intuitive touch screen display. Crystal clear, very easy on the eyes, and believe us when we say that it works like a charm. The first time we did the 'slide to unlock' feature, it literally gave us goosebumps! The whole touch interface has a nice feel to it, and worked as smooth as it did in the Apple ads.

The video and music playback features worked perfectly, especially with the cool CoverFlow feature which lets you 'touch' and flick through your music and video collection. Turn the phone to its side and the display follows suit!

The phone's Internet browsing capabilities were the next thing we tested and we were definitely not disappointed. Connecting to the available Wi-Fi network was easy and simple. Typing the addresses on the virtual keyboard was also breeze and not as hard as expected. Once the page loaded, we were surprised at how good the Simpur site looked on such a small mobile device. Tap the screen twice to zoom in, tap it once to zoom out. Flick the screen up, down, left, and right to move to area you want to see. Turn the phone to its side again to see a widescreen view of the website. Simple.

We played with the other features of the phone and not a single thing disappointed us. Who would've thought that we'd enjoy browsing through photos on a small device? The phone's unique 'pinching' features let you zoom in and out of photos easily too.

It's quite surprising how we even forgot that the phone capabilities didn't work as we were just too amazed, and in awe with the other features.

All in all, this device has exceeded all our expectations of it, even without the ability to make or receive calls. If you have extra money in your pocket to spend on, then we suggest you get one right now because it will be the best gadget you'll own, and without doubt you'll be the envy of your friends and the rest of us gadget lovers in Brunei!

The Apple iPhone comes in 4GB or 8GB models, and is limitedly available online at the QQeStore, with the absolute lowest price in Brunei guaranteed!* For more information on its current price, please click here.

The Asian version has not been announced yet, but Apple promises that it will be available in 2008.

iPhone matches most of its hype

Finally, the first public impressions and reviews of the iPhone have been made and surprise surprise, it really does match most of its hype.

After 6 months of non-stop, and always growing hype and anticipation, and for some people, days of queuing up, the iPhone finally went into the hands of the public late Friday evening in the United States.

Despite a few activation issues (AT&T system glitch) and minor flaws, the iPhone met its high expectations, with some even going as far as saying that it's the best smart phone ever created.

After a few days of testing and playing with the phone, most iPhone owners claimed that all phone functions worked as well, and as smoothly as the iPhone ads make it seem.

The new optical quality touch-screen glass clearly proved that it is very much as scratch resistant as Apple claims it to be, even when being deliberately scratched with a key. The iPhone also passed a few 'drop' tests, as PC World magazine reports..

Apple iPhone Stress Test - PC World


Virtual keypad typing wasn't as hard to master as claimed, even with large fingers, as Gizmodo.com demonstrated here.

The debate whether or not it was silly of Apple to partner with AT&T, given their so called 'slow' EDGE network, was temporarily laid to rest as iPhone users experienced surprisingly fast downloads, averaging around 150kbps, rather than earlier reports of only less than a third of the speed.

There were, however, a couple of notable flaws. The iPhone doesn't support Multimedia Messaging (MMS) or 3G, and even has no video camera. The unremovable battery makes it hard to swap batteries when you're running out of battery life, and you can't use your own ringtones yet either.

These were just probably tiny flaws when compared to the amount of great functions the phone has to offer. One thing is clear though, the iPhone is still the most wanted gadget of 2007 by a mile.

As every Bruneian gadget lover would painfully already know by now, the iPhone will not be arriving on our shores until 2008, but it's almost certain that we'll be getting much better, updated iPhone versions by then.

New York's iPhone launch - CNET TV

iDay is finally here

As the world awaits the Apple iPhone world premiere in the United States, the world of technology and gadget enthusiasts is in a standstill, for at least until 6pm local US time today anyway. Today has been proclaimed iDay by iPhone enthusiasts.

Not many companies have announced a phone and manage to sustain the public's interest 6 months later, and perhaps even build more excitement and hype as the release day comes closer. It's quite amazing. The fact that more than two thirds of the 300 million US population are aware of the device is just staggering.

As we await the US public's reviews of the iPhone, and see whether it sells out, or flops, we'll leave you with a couple of early iPhone review videos and interesting news reports on 2007's most anticipated gadget. If only the Bruneian release was not so long from now..

Standing in line for the iPhone - REUTERS


A sneak peak at Apple's iPhone - CBS News


iPhone review by David Pogue of the NY Times


iPhone review by Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal

The much anticipated Apple iPhone: Let's hope it's worth the wait

Perhaps one of the most anticipated phones ever, the long awaited Apple iPhone will finally be released on June 29th in the United States, much to the envy of us Bruneian fans, and perhaps everyone else outside the States.

The innovative fusion of a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod and a breakthrough Internet device has managed to woo mobile phone lovers and tech enthusiasts all around the world.

But what makes it so special? The music player, camera, Internet and email browser, and mobile phone are quite common in some of the modern, newly-released phones, so what makes this phone different from the rest?

Apple's ability to combine all these elements with many cool technological innovations and the company's distinctive beautiful design sense is what made the world buzz with excitement and enthusiasm.

Perhaps the most obvious feature of the phone is that there isn't a physical keyboard. The user interface relies heavily on a high-resolution touch screen which uses finger taps and gestures to navigate through the wide range of available services and applications.

The iPhone also boasts sensors that track light and movement and proximity, to prompt the phone to control screen brightness and other aspects of its operation. For example, when the phone is placed next to the user’s face, the touch screen is automatically turned off to avoid unnecessary taps.

The iPhone’s accelerometer detects when you rotate the device from portrait to landscape, and automatically changes the contents of the display, so you immediately see the entire width of a web page or a photo in its proper landscape aspect ratio.

An ambient light sensor automatically adjusts the display’s brightness to the appropriate level for the current ambient light, thereby enhancing the user experience and saving power at the same time.

With the modern world's ever-increasing need to connect to the Internet from anywhere and at any time, the iPhone boasts a rich HTML email client and Safari, which Apple claims to be the world's most advanced web browser ever on a mobile phone. The fully multitasking phone lets you read a web page while downloading your email in the background, over a Wi-Fi or EDGE connection.

Since it was first introduced in January, the iPhone has seen quite a significant amount of improvements. Perhaps the most important update announced so far is that the iPhone will feature up to 8 hours of talk time, 6 hours of Internet use, 7 hours of video playback or 24 hours of audio playback. In addition, it will feature up to 250 hours (more than 10 days) of standby time. The 3.5-inch display has also been upgraded from plastic to optical-quality glass for superior clarity and scratch resistance.

As of today, Apple has just announced that users will be able to enjoy YouTube's originally-created content on their iPhones once its released. A new Apple-designed application will wirelessly stream YouTube content to the iPhone and play it on the 3.5 inch display.

As the world awaits the release of this exciting new product, we will just have to wait and see how much of a hit it really will be, especially in the Bruneian market. One thing's for sure, no matter how bad or good the previews are, people will still be camping and queueing up for it when it hits the US stores come June 29th.

The iPhone will be released in Asia in 2008, and there's no word on when it will hit our Bruneian shores. In the meantime, all we can do is enjoy, and drool over the ads..

Apple's new MacBook Pro: Stunning beauty and powerful performance, all in one package

Apple introduced the newest model in their professional performance laptop range last week, sporting new Santa Rosa chips and power-efficient LED-backlit displays.

The new MacBook Pro range, which still comes in either 15- or 17-inch models, boasts Intel Core 2 Duo processors which deliver higher performance in 2D and 3D graphics, video editing and music encoding. The MacBook Pro sports a new Graphical Processing Unit in the form of NVIDIA's brand new GeForce 8600M GT Graphics Controller, which delivers serious processing power.

Surprisingly, with the amount of performance packed into these anodized aluminium notebooks, they're still only one inch thin and 5.4 and 6.8 pounds, for the 15- and 17-inch models respectively, and are among the thinnest and lightest notebooks in their display class.

The new MacBook Pro features built-in Airport Extreme, which allows 802.11n wireless connectivity, with speeds up to five times faster and up to twice the range compared to the previous 802.11g standard. The new Airport Extreme is also compatible with Wi-Fi certified 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g technology, giving it the flexibility to work with a variety of Wi-Fi access points.

Battery life on high-powered laptops are usually dismal, but the MacBook Pro seems to have overcome the problems, with the new Santa Rosa platform, NVIDIA chips, and LED backlighting all touted as being more power efficient and better on the battery.

Putting all performance-related features aside, The MacBook Pro also incorporates cool features on its notebook such as its backlit keyboard, which uses a built-in ambient light sensor that adjusts the keyboard and display brightness for optimal visibility.

The MacBook Pro's built-in iSight camera makes it easy for you to have video chats, make movies and take high quality photos with special effects, using Apple's iChat AV, iMovie HD and Photo Booth software, all of which are bundled with the notebook.

The sudden motion sensors help protect your data if it detects a fall, by parking the hard drive head during fast changes in orientation.

Apple's innovative scrolling trackpad lets you scroll through documents or web browsers by simply dragging your two fingers up or down the trackpad.

Perhaps one of the more practical features of the MacBook Pro is its power adapter with MagSafe connector, which uses a magnetic connection instead of a physical one. So, if you happen to trip over the power cord, the MacBook Pro won't fly off the table, the cord simply disconnects, with no damage to either cord or notebook.

All in all, the new MacBook Pro is excellent, and without doubt an excellent choice for anyone looking to purchase a performance notebook/laptop.

For a more detailed list of its features and technical specifications, please visit the Apple website here.

The MacBook Pro is available online at the QQeStore with the absolute lowest price in Brunei guaranteed!* For more information on the current prices of the 15- and 17-inch models, please click here.