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Tuesday, February 16, 2016

article About 2016 - The year of cheap Virtual Reality - (all-vga-corner)

2016 - The year of cheap Virtual Reality

VR Technology

Virtual Reality is an interesting concept of immersing oneself into another simulated world. It is bigger than 3D, which is about creating another dimension beyond the 2D space. Since the foretelling of its theory before 1950, we have many consumer products like the Sega VR headset and Virtual Boy which transport us into another gaming reality. VR is not bounded by games and has extensive applications in training and real-life applications.

The main obstacle for the popularity of VR is the hardware cost. To create an environment for VR, the traditional approach is to invent an expensive headset for people to wear. The premium price deters many potential customers and VR never reach the mass market.

The era of cheap VR

With the introduction of the Google Cardboard priced at S$3 to S$5, VR becomes a reality for many. In fact, one may make the cardboard and buy the lens from the market. The missing piece is the smartphone we have now.

The requirements for smartphone are:

Chrome v44.0 and above;
Android 4.1/iOS 8.0 or above;
Screen size must fit the cardboard;
Display resolution preferably 1080;
OpenGL ES2.0; and
Gyroscope sensor present.

Just follow these simple steps and you have a cheap VR headset in 10 minutes. If you DIY, you may have to configure customised profile via Google Profile Generator.

Fun with VR

One can view VR videos via YouTube and enjoy the thrills especially for those 360 degrees videos. Some of my favourites are:

You can also download Google Street View and virtually tour famous places around the world. There are some games available online which requires more movement and actions. You can also enjoy a VR movie and enjoy the stunning 3D effects and see your surrounding. However, it is advisable to take more short breaks for a long movie due to the straining on the eyes.

With powerful hardware inside our smartphone, VR is no longer a distant target but an immediate reality. If you are free this weekend, make a VR headset or order a Google Cardboard online now to have some fun with your loved ones. I am sure the kids will love it.

article About How smart people choose smartphone? - (all-vga-corner)

How smart people choose smartphone?

The problem you face everyday

Smartphone makes you smart because it has many apps to help in your daily life, keep you entertained and provides social networking with your family, friends, classmates and co-workers. Amex's motto of "Never leave home without it" has found a new meaning. It should be a smartphone company punchline because we sleep with it too.

In Singapore, you are unlikely to encounter no network data connection. More likely, its achilles heel is the battery power. Once your smartphone has no battery power, you become stupid. You cannot recall the mobile number of your coworker or your friend. You are literally cut off from this digital social world. The world is doomed unless you bring a charger or there is a power point nearby.

Have you ever wondered why your smartphone run out of juice within a day?

History of smartphone and its battery capacity

To understand this better, we have to see the evolution of smartphone batteries.

The 3 charts tell us that, over the years, smartphone manufacturers are increasing the capacity of the battery to meet the demand of the power hungry applications. Despite we have the most power saving processor, memory and optimised board designs, the smartphone cannot cope with the power demand because there is little breakthrough in battery capacity.

When consumers want small, light and cute design, manufacturers provide better graphics, nice curves and 2.5D to meet requests. However, a small form factor means the smartphone can only house a small battery. People are impulsive creatures who are tempted to buy on emotion. They come, they saw, they buy...satisfying their short term lust. Manufacturers believe they can pacify the consumers by providing them with quick charge or fast charge technology. The latest Samsung S6, Xiaomi Mi 5 and iPhone 6S Plus are stellar examples of compromising battery capacity for a smaller smartphone. Apple iOS has a more efficient power design and therefore they never bother to provide more than 3000mAh to the market. Samsung's and Xiaomi's battery capacity are hovering between 2600mAh and 3000mAh respectively. Why should they give you more capacity if you are buying more power banks to further boost their sales?

The current culture

A dead smartphone is a dumb smartphone. If you are so much into design, features and beauty of the smartphones, be wise to choose a smartphone with enough juices to last you for a day, no matter whether you are switching on GPS, bluetooth, mobile data, NFC or Wifi. These top manufacturers are unlikely to give you more because customers are supposed to suck it up and live by their rules with no questions ask.

Two new China players (Oppo and Vivo) have record sales by selling attractive smartphones beating Lenovo and Huawei in mobile sales in 2015. Together, these manufacturers are promoting a culture of carrying usb cable, chargers and power banks. Popular tips are shared on how to save more juice by switching off apps and background widget when they are not in use. Some even suggested you to root the phones and rid of pre-installed apps thereby voiding their warranty... another win to the manufacturers because they do not need to service their warranty.

The obvious solution

The solution lies in the 3 charts. While waiting for the battery technology to catch up, buy a smartphone with 4000 to 10000 mAh (depending on your lifestyle) to tide over these 2 years if you are not brand conscious or dying for a new feature (such as the useless 2.5D or double touch technology). These phones cost S$350 top (without contract) and keep you smart the whole day. Say goodbye to the power bank and rid yourself the trouble to look for power sockets.