HTC One X camera review

Once upon a time HTC made very good smartphones with very bad imaging parts. Cameras so bad that when you bought a HTC smartphone that comes equipped with a camera you would assume it doesn't come with one. These days however, HTC phones comes with adequate camera sensors that does the job well. One would even argue that apart from Nokia and Sony (Ericsson), HTC now makes some of the best smartphones when it comes to imaging.

Now, the image quality on the HTC One X isn't the best. In fact images, even those taken in daylight, suffers from plenty of noise and evidence of over processing and sharpening. Having said that, high image quality isn't a deal breaker for a performance-focused smartphone. When I am carrying a cameraphone, what I expect it to do is be quick. And here is where the One X excels. Boy, the camera here is fast. It takes about three seconds in total to unlock the phone, press the touchscreen camera shutter and capture, autofocus and all. It's the sort of camera you want to be with if you are the type of person who does not like missing the moment then post right away on Twitter and Facebook.

Limited Edition Lumia Batphone on eBay

Well well well, if you ever wanted to own that limited edition Batman Lumia 800, now is your chance. An extremely rare Nokia Lumia 800 'The Dark Knight Rises Edition' is being auctioned off on eBay UK. Only 40 of these highly desirable Batphones has been made, ever. One of which is currently in the possession of yours truly. And no, I ain't planning on selling mine, so don't ask! :)

Source, Via

Nokia's Big Mistakes

Nokia is in trouble, so the media has been telling us. Well, we all know that. In fact many of us knew that things will only get much worse before it gets better. Cue shock faces.

Nokia is in trouble because they failed to adapt and continued to make mistakes. They believe they were a software company when they were only ever good as a hardware one. People bought Nokia phones because of the great design, not the silly OS it runs on. But behind the large pile of money and rose-tinted glasses, Nokia failed to see that and that is why they are in this pickle. Mistakes were made by all, from the old deposed regime to the new, from the management down to the grass roots.

Bitesize rant too long for Twitter

Still seeing plenty of disgruntled former employers and executives of Nokia ranting against the company for abandoning Symbian and Meego in favour of the sexiness that is Windows Phone. Imagine if they put the same amount of effort in their previous jobs at Nokia as they do moaning, the culling of the derelict that was Symbian wouldn't have happened.

Funny that.

HTC One X first impressions

Is there a more exciting Android smartphone announced at MWC this year than the HTC One X? Not many people seem to think so. The HTC One X has been collecting plenty of accolades since its release last week, and it was about time it was put this under the stress of a review by yours truly.

HTC's press rendering of the One X doesn't do it much justice. The One X is simply gorgeous and is easily the most beautiful Android smartphone I have ever held. With a single unibody aluminium body, the HTC One X retains the now recognisable HTC design language but with subtile changes that makes it fresh. With a slightly curved 4.7" 720p HD display, the One X is begging to be fondled the moment you set your eyes on one.

Ecobuild China 2012

From Monday 9 - Thursday 12 April 2012, Shanghai will host the first ever exhibition dedicated to the future of sustainable building, design, construction and the built environment in China. The inaugural Ecobuild China Expo & Conference will be held at the Shanghai Kerry Hotel and Shanghai New International Expo Center.

If you happen to be a reader from China who is working in the construction and building industry and is interested in sustainable development, do attend the event. (I don't know, my blog may be banned in China, so perhaps this post may not ever be read, in which case this post is all moot...). While it is already too late to pre-register, you can still register at the Shanghai New International Expo Center for the Ecobuild China Expo event. The event is free to attend, so why not? You get to learn more about sustainable building plus you get to meet some new contacts. I heard Shanghai construction people party hard! (Well not as hard as us tech bloggers!)

My partner Jennifer Hardi, a senior consultant at Building Research Establishment (BRE), will be presenting at the Ecobuild China Conference in Shanghai Kerry Hotel and Shanghai New International Expo Center. As the lead BRE keynote speaker, she will be part of a panel on Tuesday putting forward the case for BREEAM standard on behalf of the UK. Representatives of China's three star system, USA's LEED standard and Japan's CASBEE standard will also be joining her on stage in this panel, where they will debate the strategic development and concepts of green rating systems.

On Wednesday she will be also talk about Passivhaus standard and its progress in China as well as presenting the certificate for the first ever BREEAM assessed development in China. If you happen to be attending, do chat with her (she speaks both English and Mandarin Chinese fluently). In fact go follow her on twitter now!

International Pillow Fight Day 2012 London

Yesterday was the annual International Pillow Fight Day. And like a mad man, aching to be kicked in the arse by pillow fighters, I made my way to Trafalgar Square, London, armed with only a small pillow and camera. The attendance seems to be less than last year's flashmob, which I put down to poor weather - but the crowd as a whole were in jolly good mood and in fact more ferocious. The video of the event is embedded below. More pictures can be found on my Facebook photo album.

HTC Radar review

HTC was an earlier supporter of Microsoft Windows Phone 7, and was a launch partner, going so far as to announcing and releasing no less than five WP7 devices when the platform was launched a year and a half ago. These days HTC is all about Android, but that doesn't mean they have completely abandoned the Windows Phone platform. With the relaunched of Windows Phone 7.5 Mango and promising Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 due at the end of this year, it would be silly to do so.

The Radar is HTC's mid-level Windows Phone 7.5 smartphone. Released a few months ago, it was designed to replace two previous HTC devices, the cheap and cheerful 7 Trophy and the stylish and musical 7 Mozart. Currently priced at under £200 for sim-free and available for much less on contract, the Radar sounds on paper like a great device for anyone on a budget wanting to get onto the Windows Phone scene. Oddly enough, the Radar is more expensive on Pay As You Go, but whatever. Read on for my full review of the HTC Radar.