In June last year, I discovered the pretty and functional Sony Walkman NWZ-W202. And this year, they released an improved version of it with the NWZ-W252!

To me, the most amazing thing is the fact that this MP3 player is water-resistant. The folks at Sony actually dipped the Walkman into a bowl of water to proof that to us. This means you can now wash your MP3 player after a sweaty run! And please for goodness sake, don’t go throw the Walkman into your washing machine or bucket with detergent! It’s only water-resistant not water-proof! Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Having used the first gen of this wearable Walkman, I’m happy that this now not just give me full freedom of movement, I can safely run under the rain if I have to with my music still playing. Feel like doing a “Singing in the rain”? You can now! :P

Other cool features of the Sony Walkman NWZ-W252 includes:

• Easy transfer with Windows Media Player or iTunes
• 3 Minutes quick charge for 90 minutes of music on the go
• Fully charged it for one and half hour and get up to 11 hours of playback! You can do marathon with this you know! (I think Kris should get one!
• The improved ZAPPIN! This lets your preview the chorus of the next track for 4 seconds and when you got what you want, ZAP out and it’ll play the music from the start.
• Jog lever control gives you easy access to your music in their folders. Previously we’ve to scan through music individually, but now we can skip through folders! Time to organise my music for my run!

Retailing at S$129 at a SONY Style store near you.

Now I need to go get the carrying case for my Lime Green Sony Walkman!

Spot me jogging with my Lime Green Sony Walkman! I’ll gladly lend you for a spin as long as you remember to wash it before returning! And you got to promise you’ll return after trying! :P

Voting is real simple! I did it in less than 2 minutes! Watch video below to see how simple it is to vote and win! I’m sure you can spare 2 minutes of your time to vote ya? No purchase required wor! Cast your vote at Sony make.believe.

Here are the prize options which you will stand to win when you vote!

Go visit the website for more details.

I’ve always wanted a flip cam. But haven’t quite found a need to get one. One day someone came along and asked if I would like to loan me the Sony Bloggie a try, I thought it’ll be good to see if I really need one compact video camera.

SONY Bloggie

Tried shooting it in different environment and my conclusion as follow…

• Shoots well in daylight (most cameras does)
• Doesn’t handle macro (close-up) well
• Face detection works even in low-light recording
  
• Doesn’t handle low-light or shooting a night as well as I hope
• Likes the 270-degree swivel lens, I can do self-video/cam whoring better
  

Here’s a short clip of random compilation of videos I took with the Sony Bloggie. (Its really very random! Don’t say I didn’t tell you!)

As for the camera as a whole, here are some pointers noted:

• Took me (and many of us) awhile to figure out how to shoot/ record! We were trying to find a shutter button. But in fact just need to press and hold the camera/video button! (Perhaps we’re just too used to the DSLR cameras)
  
• Media from the memory stick doesn’t get detected when I tried plugging the Bloggie (via the USB arm) into my MBP. Not sure if it’ll work on PC though. So a card reader is used to get the media out.
  
• Limited features to play with. (Seriously, I’ve more fun shooting with my iPhone.)
• Camera though in 5MP, I failed snapping non-shaky shots! Perhaps its just me again?
  
  

Couple of test shots with the SONY Bloggie…

Blur Ice Mint Tea (Not I’m not drank when taking this)

Blur Sotong (No pun intended)

Shot with the 360-degree lens attachment (Ermm…)

If you’re keen to see more of this bloggie, play this video…

At least their TVC is true, it works good in daylight. Try find one official TVC for this that’s done in the night or at low-light.

And here’s how the 360-degree video recording works… you’ll need to convert the video after recording to see it!

Before Converting

After Converting

Pretty cool doing this 360-degree thing. But with price tag of $399, I’ll give this a miss.

Sorry Bloggie.

Have you submitted you dream and photos to Sony make.believe contest already? If you’ve not, you better do so quickly! I would love to take part in this if I’m not writing this post nor owning 24seven! But then again, I’ve already made believe my dream hasn’t I? :P

If you’ve not explored the site yet, this post will give you a gist of what you’ve got to do to win those prizes! And really, its very simple! You don’t need to know rocket science to do it!

dot your dream with Sony

Seriously, how tough can that be, especially when we’re already posting 140 characters everyday on Twitter. Or is 250 characters too short for you to describe your dream? If so, you’ve got to cut cut cut! Go straight to the point! Once you’ve got your point, click on “Continue” and move on to fill up these blanks…

So easy isn’t it? All it takes is a day pondering about your dream and 10 seconds to type it out, and another 30 seconds to fill in those blanks!

You’ve got up to 14 March to get your dreams submitted! After which, from 15 to 28 March, Sony will then put all the qualified dreams in a random draw and pick 8 random dreams from the pool which then be published for public voting from Apr 1 to 14. The most voted dream will be announced on 16 April!

See! Even the process of this contest is simple! If you’ve got big dreams which Sony can fulfill, especially those in line with game, movie, music or tech!

Photo Contest

Capture the wonderful moments in your life, perhaps its the arrival of your newborn, embarking onto a new milestone in life or a joyous celebration like the gathering of families during Chinese New Year! I’m sure you’ve snapped tons of photos over the past weeks, and more to come! Since you’ve already got the photos, why not select the best and try your luck at this?

Make sure your photo is in jpeg format, and no bigger than 640 x 480 pixels, 72dpi, in RGB and less than 1MB in size. Give your photo a great title and share about it in less than 160 characters, this description, which by the way is optional. Aiyoh! This one even easier lah! You’ve got till 14 March 2010 to submit your photo!

Unlike the first contest above, this will be judged by a panel of judges. Based on the theme, technical quality and composition, creativity and general aesthetics of the submitted photos, the best 25 pieces will be selected and opened to public for voting.

If you are one of the final 25, you’ve got to go tell all your friends about it and get them to vote for you! You don’t want to miss the chance to fly to South Africa for the FIFA World Cup!

On 16 April, you will find out who are the final 8 who’ll be flying to South Africa!

For the past one year or so, I’ve been sharing my experiences through this blog and at meet-up sessions with friends. My version of how I make.believe my dreams and am living in it. I’ve always wanted to do three things since a child. First was to be a Teacher, second be my own boss and third, get a job that’ll allow me to fly around the world. At age of almost 30, I’m proud to say that I’ve realised two of my three dreams. I’ve made the a reality, because I believe in myself that I can do it. No matter how tough the journey is, I am going to make it real for as long as I can.

This goes very well in line with the new branding of Sony – make.believe.

In line with this new direction, Sony is having two contests, which I feel is something worth spending time participating. One contest is giving away $100,000 worth of sponsorship from Sony to realise your dream!

And the other a chance to watch FIFA World Cup in South Africa as Fan Photographers!

If I had the $100,000 sponsorship, I will set up my dream studio. A cosy place for all my photographer friends to gather and exchange ideas and experiences. With the full series of Sony Alpha cameras within reach in the studio, we will have so much fun snapping and even camwhoring with the cameras!

Well, my dream isn’t that hard to fulfill right? What about yours? Tell me about it too in the comments box below ok?

Come to think of it, now that I’m somehow involved in this campaign, I won’t be able to submit my dream for the contest! :( If your dream is the same as mine, perhaps you can go try it and I’ll vote for you if you’re selected ya! Let me know if you’re submitting!

Go visit the website for more details.

Yes! Finally something happening here and its for my “column” Claud talks Gadgets. After two weeks of trying out on the Sony Vaio W, here’s what I’ve got to say…

The Sony Vaio W is suitable for those who wants a basic machine to surf the internet, watch videos, browse through photos and do light work on their on-the-go notebook. Guess that’s why Sony Vaio W is known as “The Perfect Leisure Companion“. When you’re on leisure, you really don’t want to be packing heavy machine and doing heavy duty work on it. Great for short get aways from work. (That’s why I think I need one! Wahahahaha!)

The rounded edges and smooth surface makes the Vaio W looks sleek and stylish. Well, its a Sony after all, form and design is essential elements in their products isn’t it?

Been long since I typed on a mini keyboard, and with more than a month long of not trimming my fingernails, typing on the Vaio W isn’t as fast as I hope to. However I have to give credits to their carefully designed touchpad and mouse keys. Mousing around on the touchpad was a breeze.

Coming with your purchase of the Sony Vaio W, you will find Vaio Media plus software, where you can use to access and manage your photos and music files. Having used a Vaio back in my previous job, I believe this software will be a welcome to those who can’t live without their music in the notebook and for those who camwhore everywhere. With Vaio W, you can now view your pretty and handsome photos on a 10.1-inch wide, LED backlit display. See already even more pretty and handsome! See even my meow, Yuniko, looks cuter on the screen.

The Sony Vaio W weighing at only 1.19kg including the battery, you can bring it everywhere. No bags to carry also never mind, with such pretty notebook, no need to hide! You should flaunt it! But be careful not to scratch it! I know how painful it can get in your heart if you see a scratch on your notebook!

The Sony Vaio W is now available in stores and retailing at S$899 inclusive of GST.

VV = W? Its the new Vaio W

Although I still cannot leave home or office without my MBP as my schedule and tasks are all stuck inside waiting for my dear iPhone 3GS to arrive (hopefully soon), I will try my best to bring this Vaio W out to test it. Perhaps its time I try this function thinggy that Diana has been raving about on Vaio W. Good thing this Vaio W runs WinXP! The previous Vaio I played with was on Vista. (You should know what people say about Vista. -_____-||)

The Vaio W I have now is white. If only it was the brown one, I’ll probably bring it out more often. Anyway, the reason for this new toy to play is because, this woman is taking part in the “Make me the W ambassador” Competition supported by SONY. Total of 6 bloggers are involved. (Go check the facebook page to find out more.) I will try my best to win the judges choice prize so that my extra help at the office will get to use this cute Vaio W during office hour. If not, you’ll have to bring your own laptop! Wahahaha! Ya loh! New start-up company is like that loh! Can save money must save mah! LOL!

I shall not waste too much of your time now. Going to bed. Its 4am on a Saturday! And its drizzling outside! WTH am I still awake? *facepalm*

So what have I got in store for this issue of Claud talks Gadgets?

• A cool MP3 player
• Latest TVs
• Get a second screen for your lappy!
• A bad ass but very portable DSLR
• Many phones!
• And new macbook pro + iPhone 3GS

Let’s find out… keep scrolling after the fold.

Starting off is my second third ‘bestfriend’ that I cannot leave without, especially for long rides on public transport. It’s green, very portable, wireless, super sound quality and very long lasting gadget I’m going to talk about is my Sony W-series Walkman NWZ-W202 MP3 Player.

Ever since I collected mine from Sony Showroom, I cannot leave home without it. My previous MP3 player was a green creative stone which I got tired of charging and having to spin the yellowing earpiece wire around the tiny thing. Now with the Sony W-series Walkman, I do not have to worry about charging (not so often) nor distracting wires! Freedom to jog in the gym, freedom to board/ alight train and freedom to move without having a dangling wire! The battery life for this is amazing too! I can listen to it throughout 4-days of commuting and still there’s battery to last. I charge it like once a week only.

Next up is something I wish to own but can never afford to! (Cause I would buy a macbook pro if I have that sum of money. I can live without TV for a few months but I cannot live without my lappie even for a day!) So yes, its a super sexy and amazing TV! The Samsung LED TVs was launched not too long ago and I’ve had 4 good hours with 3 amazing LED TVs when they had their movie night.

The image quality is amazing! The 5 LED Tv displayed at Samsung flagship store at Vivo City will sure to capture anyone’s attention when you enter the store. The paintings come to live and will blow your mind away! LED TVs though expensive, it consumes lesser power than the normal LCD TVs and the Samsung LED TVs come pack with amazing features such as the content library where everyone in the family can enjoy some entertainment or transform the TV to a digital art piece when you have guests over for dinner.

If you don’t believe that these LED TVs is so damn good, go check them out at Samsung Vivo City lah!

Samsung Lapfit Wide LCD Monitor (LD190)

The recent WWDC made me regret not getting an extra display for myself! I wanted to catch the live updates on Gizmodo and join in a chat on tokbox. But can’t keep up to the happenings on my mini 13″ macbook screen! If I had an extra display than, I would have done all that! *sadness*

And than Samsung came along and offered a review unit of their latest Samsung lapfit wide screen LCD monitor! And I am a damn happy woman! I can see my work stuff in full screen mode, and have other happening updates going on in the extra display! Hope they’ll give a super duper discount to buy in this review unit after the testing period. I want to keep it!

If you are having the same problem as me, working on a lappy and needing more screen space, head on down to PC Show today, tomorrow, Saturday or Sunday! Bring along the coupon below… Get Samsung Lapfit LD190 at PC Show 2009 and get free Takashimaya vouchers! Just print out the below coupon and show it before payment. And if you bring a friend along to buy, you and your friend gets an extra $10 voucher! Shiokness lah!

What are you waiting for? *Promotion only available at PC Show hor!

More about the lapfit can be found at Lester’s blog and DK’s blog.

Done with the non-photographying gadgets, next few that’s coming up all have got photography linked to them. Yes! Claudia simply loves taking photos! My fingers have been happy snapping away during my recent trip to Bangkok with a light and another amazing devices!

Yes! Its the one that I would like to swap my Nikon D40 with! Its the Canon 500D DSLR. When I first held the prototype at the Canon blogger event, I knew I’ve got to give this a test drive! And I did! And I regretted doing it! Cause now I’ve got to save money to buy it! BUT!! When I finally got the money to, Canon’s going to release another better one!! The frustration of the fast paced technology advancement!

Some shots taken with Canon 500D. Click to view larger image.

More photos can be found here.

Samsung BeatDJ mobile phone

This phone is for those who loves mixing their own ringtones and blasting your favorite music out loud! The sound quality from the Samsung BeatDJ is amazing for a mobile phone. Powered by Bang & Olufsen ICEpower speakers, people around you might appreciate more when you start blasting in public. I strongly do not recommend you to do that though. Keep the blasting and showing off this cool phone among your peers when you’re at your private party or home.

Samsung BeatDJ phone is now available in the market.

More reviews of the Samsung BeatDJ phone can be found at:

• Tech65′s blog
• Joseph’s blog
• The Lilttle Match Girl’s blog

Nokia N97

My new found love that I cannot leave home without! After surviving two days with it at ad:tech Singapore, I think I have found my iPhone replacement! It fits (almost) perfectly to my current lifestyle and needs, both for work and for play! I’ve got much to share about this nifty gadget. More detailed review will come soon!

Some shots taken with the Nokia N97. Click on photo for bigger view.

The LG Viewty Smart phone

I don’t know how I should put this phone. I’m using it more like a standby camera rather than a phone. Cause I’ve got too many phones now! Seven to be exact!

I’m not commenting much about the performance of the Viewty Smart as a phone since I’ve got few much better ones, but I have to comment that their camera is not bad. Capture speed wise not as fast as the Nokia N97 nor my Samsung Innov8, but the quality of it with low ISO setting is pretty good. Than there’s the “Beauty shot” and “Art Shot (cool)” which I dig! Just look at this shot of pretty molemole! Makes her even more pretty lah!

Some shots taken with the LG Viewty Smart phone. Click on photo for bigger view.

Nothing much I can say about this phone for now. But do watch for a review of it later in the month. You can find this at PC Show yet, launching only next week at CommunicAsia. Which I can’t make it! *sulks*. Will be out of town next week.

And finally! I want one of these two below to be my birthday present! *hint-hint* Yes! I want one of those “Most affordable lineup ever”!

Announced few nights ago on WWDC09, the new Macbook Pro and iPhone 3GS. I don’t think I need to say much about them lah! Google for more information! Or you can bing it! *coughs*

Its been long long ago since I did a ezine for Claud talks Gadgets. Running an ezine on a personal blog is really not easy! If you’re doing it too, I’m sure you know the pain. I really must salute to Sheylara for her weekly Gamer Girl Friday!

This year, with a big shift of my responsibilities and involvement in social media, I think I would have to make a big shift too for my blogging habits. Perhaps I should find another person name Claud to take over this column here. Anyone willing to do it? The only requirement is to be able to take photos, write and review gadgets like the original Claud if not better than Claud! If you think you can, write to me now! Till I find this person, I’ll have to do it on my own.

So for my first issue of CtG in 2009, I’m going to touch on three (latest and not so new) products that are here in Singapore.

In this issue…

1. Review of the Samsung Pixon phone
2. The sleek and sexy PC that fits into your pocket!
3. DRM-free music from Sony Playnow

Review of the Samsung Pixon phone

The Samsung Pixon is a 8.0mp camera phone which (to me) is a combination of the Samsung F480 and Samsung Innov8 phones which I’d reviewed previously.

Quick note about the Pixon… 8.0mp auto focus camera which gives sharp and nice colored photos, 3.2inch full touch screen that’s big enough for photos and videos viewing, 3G, has GPRS that works well with google maps during my trial, comes with bluetooth, radio, mp3 player and all the usual features.

The Samsung Pixon (aka M8800) is suitable for those who wants a good quality camera on a touchscreen phone. Samsung has got Nick Turpin to photograph his life with the Pixon and Nick has created fantastic photos with it. You can find the photos here. But if you’ve noticed, all of his shots were with good lighting or outdoor during the day. One thing that I would really like to see is for Samsung to integrate a better flash for their phones.

Camera function and screen on Pixon

Another nifty feature I like is the mirror with the use of the front camera. You can call out this feature from the widget bar.

This is useful for quick check if you’ve got something stuck on your teeth without having anyone suspect you’re checking yourself out. But this works only when you’re under good lighting. Like the one of myself below…

Few more shots of the Samsung Pixon phone and features…

Overall, I like the Pixon phone. But still loves my Innov8 more. Perhaps I’m just still not buying in the idea of a touchscreen phone yet. But my boyfriend loves the phone thou. After trying it out himself, he’s including it into his to-considering-getting phone. On his list includes iPhone, Blackberry Storm and Pixon. Hmmm… wonders if there’ll be chance to review the BB Storm. Any one has any idea if its coming to Singapore?

Back up to content

The sleek and sexy PC – Vaio P

Alright, this next beauty is one that’s for the fashion cautious and has got spare cash to spend. The sleek and sexy Sony Vaio P. My first thought (before I saw the price) was, “Omg! I want to own this! It’s too beautiful! And it comes with a good sized keyboard!” But when I saw the price tag, my bubble was burst immediately. Price starting from SGD1299, you will get this sexy accessory which you can bring around and will never have to be ashamed to strut it out wherever you are.

Daniel from Tech65 has a very good description and thoughts of the Vaio P. Too good that I shall not add more to it. So please head over to Tech65′s blog for more ya? And here’s some shots of the real thing I snapped with my Innov8 at the launch.

Back up to content

Sony launches DRM-free music on Playnow

Good news for all Sony Ericsson phone users! You can now buy DRM-free music from PlayNow kiosk available in Asia (including Singapore of course!). This is the world’s first of its kind content delivery service that lets mobile entertainment lovers download full-length movies and TV series, also available are games and thousands of DRM-free music tracks directly to your Sony Ericsson mobile phones!

Few things I noted during the demonstration at the launch which I though would be useful for you:

• All SE phones can be connected to the kiosks.
• Micro SD and M2 cardslots are available on the kiosk too.
• DRM-free music can be downloaded and used on any other devices.
• Videos and games can only be used on the phone with the key that’s being sent to the phone number entered during purchase and stored on the phone. (i.e. only that phone with the key can play the videos and games)
• The transfer speed is very fast even for huge files.

These PlayNow kiosks can be found at the following locations:

• Junction 8, #02-28
• AMK Hub, #B2-16
• Tiong Bahru Plaza, #01-53
• Admiralty MRT station, #02-K8
• Boon Lay MRT station, #01-29
• Bukit Batok MRT station, #01-05
• Paya Lebar MRT station, #01-04

Back up to content

So that’s the end of my first CtG in 2009. There are much more CtG coming… I just need to find time to do it! So if you are willing to help, would love to have you onboard the CtG team! I’m driven purely by passion! So you’ve got to be passionate too! No money needed to join nor will there ever be money for your editorial work here thou. If you’re fine with that, contact me!