The new Iphone 5 in simple terms

Well, there we have it - the unveiling of the highly anticipated iPhone 5.

As anyone would know, I'm definitely not famous or popular enough for them to send me a free iPhone to try, so whatever information I have here is courtesy of the two live blog that I followed throughout the event - Engadget and App Advice. 

Here is the new iPhone 5 at a glance (no pictures though):

Physical Specifications

Weight: 112g (20% lighter)

4” Display

326 Retina ppi with 1136x640 Resolution

Apps are centered and to be designed to show more instead of merely stretching or expanding the app. (Example: Calendar to show more information at a time and homescreen has 5 rows of apps)

Basically what you have here is a lighter, taller and thinner phone as compared to the iPhone 4S. With a taller phone comes a longer screen (but not wider), According to Apple, with all these changes, the phone will still fit nicely in your hands.

Connectivity

LTE Connection

"Ultrafast" Wireless

Bottom line: Assuming if all goes well (and you are willing to pay your telco), your internet speed on your phone just got way better.

Processer Chip

New A6 Chip (luckily, the chip number doesn't follow the iPhone number)

The A6 Chip is basically two times faster in terms of the processing speed and graphics. Though this mean speed for new phones, this might be bad news for older phones as they try to keep up with the new programs built for the A6 chip.

Battery Life

3G Talk Time / 3G Browsing / LTE Browsing - 8 Hours

Wi-fi Browsing - 10 hours

Video - 10 hours

Music - 40 Hours

Standby - 225 hours

Uh-huh! The bane of all iPhones - the Battery Life. Obviously they have made improvements (or maintained for some) and made the machine more energy efficient. However, all these are based on the  assumptions of the phone being in next-to-perfect conditions. So, things might not be so rosy after a certain time. Question here is - how long will this "honeymoon period" last?

Camera

8 Megapixel sensor

3264 x 2448

Backside illumination

Hybrid IR Filter

Five-elment lens

f/2.4 aperture

Dynamic low light mode

Precision lens alignment

Sapphire Crystal (For durability)

Looks like they are giving all point-and-shoot camera (or even semi-pro camera) a run for their money. They practically made an already awesome camera into an even more fantastic one. What I like about the camera improvements is that they don't merely pump the Mega Pixels but developed the camera in a more holistic approach. With backside illumination and a f/2.4 aperture, I'm pretty sure my foodie pictures will turn out to be much better.

Oh I forgot to mention - they added Panorama into the camera app!

Dock

Yeap, the rumors were absolutely spot on. They have done away with the old iPhone connector and introduced the new iPhone lightning connector. Unfortunately, this means that ALL your old devices CANNOT be used directly with new iPhone 5. 

Fortunately (which means more $$$ for Apple), they have offered a one-stop solution in the form of a connector adapter. Make sure you budget that in when you are purchasing your new iPhone (unless you intend to throw out all your iDevices). Btw, there is no mention of the price for the adapter.

Here are the specs of the new connector (and here lies their justifications for the change):

All-digital, 8-signal design

Adaptive Interface

Improved durability

Reversible, easier to use 

80% smaller

So there you have it - the main changes made to the iPhone to warrant a jump from iPhone 4 to iPhone 5. A few other changes which I didn't mention above include improvement made to Video Recording, the microphones and speakers, and Photo Sharing. 

Price

The price will be the same as when iPhone 4S was released

$199 for 16GB 

$299 for 32GB

$399 for 64GB

(All prices in USD for contracted purchase)

Here's a breakdown of the prices in USD

Photos courtesy of Engadget

This new machine is obviously Apple's answer to the Samsung Galaxy SIII (and of course the lawsuits too). They have managed to give the consumers the highly sought after "bigger screen" which the Galaxy has kindly provided without compromising their trademark "iPhone look". As expected, the device is built to be faster and battery designed to last longer. My favorite part is the improvements made to the camera.

Unfortunately, there was no mention of the NFC (Near-field-communication) or 4.0 Blue tooth (which are both offered by the Galaxy). With all the ruckus about the NFC coming to Singapore, it will be really disappointing to get left out because I'm sticking to Apple. Somehow I got this feeling the iPhone 5S will feature this new technology (please don't quote me on this).

All in all, the iPhone 5 is certainly a powerful machine that will tempt many. However, the lack of surprises in the event (no more "one more thing") has somehow eroded the magic that these events usually bring. Hopefully Apple can pick themselves up from all these controversy and continue to surprise us with revolutions for many more years.

So will I be getting the New iPhone 5? Well, I'm still pretty much on the fence about it. The lack of NFC is quite unsettling but the other features are just too tempting. Regardless, if I do get the phone, I'll definitely give my full review on this blog.

Stay tuned as I'll give me reviews on the new iOS6 after I get a chance to download and fiddle with it.

Living it up in the Sin City: Paid Exhibitions & Shows in Las Vegas

In my previous post, I blogged about the stuff that you can do while on a budget in Las Vegas. Now, I'll talk about the shows and exhibitions that we went for which were pretty much worth every penny!

Peering through the glass of Vegas

Night shows

There are over 100 shows available in Las Vegas, hence choosing one or two for your stay can be quite daunting. To make things simpler, these shows can be broken down into a few main categories:

1) Cirque Du Soleil
2) Burlesque Shows
3) Magic and Illusions
4) Musicals and Concerts

Unless you are staying in Vegas for a month or so, I'm quite sure picking one or two from each category would be more than enough to fill your nightly itinerary for paid shows in Vegas.

Read on to find out what we chose to watch in the end and other shows in Vegas



Here are what we chose to watch in the end:

O - Cirque Du Soleil at Bellagio

One of the main draws in Vegas is the Cirque Du Soleil series. Your main choices would include O, KÀ, Mystère, Zumanity, Love, Believe and Viva Elvis. Each of the show has its own unique theme based on a series of circus acts (e.g Zumanity has a sensual theme while Viva Elvis is dedicated to the King of Rock & Roll).

The O Theatre

For O, it has a water-themed stage production where all the acts are performed above a huge pool. All the stunts will somehow involve the pool, with varying depths at different points of time during the performance, with divers and synchronized swimmers doing their performances inside the water. On top of that, the stunts (a lot more daring stunts then I usually see) are done over the water, with most of the acrobats diving straight in. 

Awaiting the start of the show

This is one show that all of us enjoyed. though we were pretty tired from the long day. The set and props were elegantly designed and gave a beautiful back drop to a stunning performance. The acrobats were daring and creative while the synchronized divers put a graceful feel to the entire production. The tickets costed more than 100 SGD but it was totally worth the price. Many have said that O is certainly one of the more spectacular ones. Don't miss this!

Pre-show

X-Burlesque

Probably not the most family-friendly show, Burlesque shows (if you haven't already known) feature dancers (for our case - women) performing sensual dances on stage (mostly with a pole) wearing next to nothing.

X-Burlesque

Although some might not approve of a show with such a level of sensuality and sexuality, my take is that there is no harm in going for it. After all, these girls are still professionals and it is merely just a show. Furthermore, since you are in Las Vegas, go for it! It was really quite an eye-opener for me (it's my first time) and I'm quite sure it was as enjoyable for girls as it was for the guys. As for whether X-Burlesque is the best in town, I really don't know as I have no other comparison. Perhaps, the next time I return to Las Vegas, I'd watch another burlesque show production!

Day Exhibitions

Most of our days in Vegas was taken up by (IMO) the greatest sin of all - SHOPPING! We went to the outlet shops twice and shopped at Ross. Luckily, we managed to visit Grand Canyon first. So our only time to explore Vegas by the day (without dropping by any bargain places) was on our very last day. Unfortunately, it was very rushed because we did not have much time left.

Some of the highlights include:

Little White Chapel

No one but the King

Well, the first highlight ain't exactly "paid", unless you really want to get married here. The place itself is in some inconspicuous corner off the strip. A visit here is more symbolic, more like a "I-have-been-here" kinda thing. A good stop to make on the way to the Stratosphere.

There's a price for everything

Limo by the side

Side tidbit - Pawn Wars pawn shop

The Stratosphere Hotel & Casino

Located right at the end of the strip, this newest addition provides both an exhilarating view and experience at the top of the building. It's quite a far drive down, but certainly worth the time and effort.

Approaching the Stratosphere

First up - the exhilarating experience. At the top of the hotel lies an exciting array of breath-taking rides. The rides themselves are pretty normal stuff - Skyjump, X Scream, Insanity and Big shot, except that this time, its 107 floors and more than 1000 feet of the ground (any tame ride will instantly increase in multitude).

The X Scream

 Obviously, I didn't take any rides. Just some basic information: There are the obvious package deals that offers all the rides as well as individual rides too. If you only want to see the view from above, there is a separate ticket for that. Just make sure you get the right tickets and exit at the correct floor.

Riding over the edge

Next up - the spectacular view. Fine, it's not really as spectacular as most cities (especially in the day) but I still feel its worth giving it a shot. If you love Vegas and the casinos, it adds a little bit more glam to the whole experience. My advice: Go at night - the lights would make the view 100x better.

View from atop

The ride we skipped

Mandalay Bay Shark Reef Aquarium

Basically, it is just like our Underwater World (though it has been years since I have stepped inside there). The Shark Reef Aquarium is very family-friendly and would be an interesting visit if you are a) very interested in Marine Life or b) Slightly interested and are not visiting other bay areas like Boston or San Francisco.

Entering the Aquarium

To be fair to the place, the huge array of marine life inside is interesting and I enjoyed myself there! Furthermore, the structure of the place is very interactive and allows you to be as close to the marine life as possible. No regrets going in there :)

Highlight of the day - Sharks

Who wants a feel of a Stingray ?

Food & Other Stuff

I'm almost at the end of my travel log of the fabulous Sin City. The last thing I want to talk about is the food in Vegas. Being situated in the middle of the dessert, there isn't really much "Vegas food" to talk about. However, the choices that you have are abundant. It can range from the cheap USD 9.99 fast food meals  to the expensive USD 100-a-steak meals. Some of the recommended buffets (around USD 19.99 - 29.99) include, Wynn's The Buffet, The Buffet at Bellagio and Mandalay Bay Seafood Buffet. Just do your research beforehand to know what you'd be in for! 

For us, we usually have Denny's for breakfast, skip lunch and head to the buffet or random hotel restaurant for dinner.

Hello and Goodbye Las Vegas

This marks the end of my travel log in Las Vegas! It has been a fun-filled, non-stop exciting experience for me in Sin City. Despite cramping the entire itinerary (Thanks Andre for planning!) with activities after activities, I still feel that I have only scratched the surface of this amazing entertainment city. I can't wait to be back! So till then, I just have to make do with the pictures and memories from the Fabulous Las Vegas

Stay tuned for our drive to one of the Natural Wonders of the World - The Grand Canyon.

Viva Las Vegas: No money, no worries

After an arduous long 5 hours drive from LA, we reached the city with all the secrets - Las Vegas. The sheer number of things that you can do in Las Vegas is overwhelming, where anytime of the day (0000 - 2359hr) there is always something to do. On top of that, irregardless of one's age, there is something for everyone.

Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas

To prove my point, here's how a typical day would work.

1000h - Wake up for breakfast and go Shopping (e.g Outlet Shopping, Ross, many many boutiques down the strip including the Palazzo and Caesars)

1300h - Lunch and more shopping or hop down to any attractions (e.g Shark Reef Aquarium, or Body works in various hotels) along the strip

1800h - Dinner. You can either go for their dirt cheap buffet or try something upscale like Gordan Ramsay's steakhouse at Paris.

2000h - Here's where the fun begin. Go for a show (ranging from a musical to burlesque dancing, the circus, magic shows to outdoor special effect shows) or simply chill out at one of the pubs/lounges to here top notched singers (e.g Celine Dion at Caesars) perform.

2000h - Its PARTY TIME or You can just hit the casinos. This would probably end only when you are a) Too tired -- therefore calling it a night or b) Penniless out of your freaking mind, which in fact, would end your day too.

Most importantly - the cycle repeats itself, with each day going to a new outlet/hotel/show/casinos enjoying yourselves.

Vegas From the Top

The number of attractions on the strip itself is enough to fill up your entertainment calendar for a month, so with only 4 nights, I could not enjoy ALL of them. So I'll just stick to what I went through and give a feel of what to expect and my reviews of entertainments I visited.

Read on to check out the activities you can do without any $$$



Hotel / Casino Hopping

The MOST important of Las Vegas - The HOTELS. Without them, there won't be a Las Vegas. So the most obvious thing to do in Vegas is to hop around as many hotels or casinos as possible. Each hotel has their own signature or theme which makes it such an entertaining (and free!) experience.

Ballys & Paris (taken from side of Bellagio)

Unfortunately, we didn't exactly have the luxury of time to explore the entire strip. So we could only do a single area (around Bellagio) of hotels. However on the last day, we managed to squeeze a few more hotels and a drive down the entire strip (from Stratosphere to Mandalay Bay).

Here are some of the highlights:

Caesars Palace

The Venetian - Reminds you of MBS right?

The Conservatory at Bellagio - Real Flowers on Display

It's amazing what they can do with so little space

Outside the Bellagio

Paris - Complete with Moulin Rouge & Eiffel Tower

MGM - we weren't able to visit the lion though

Stratosphere - perfect place to get an aerial view of the strip

The Luxor - where Chris Angel resides

As you can see, every hotel is unique to each other. So it'll be good to take a day or two (plus another night or two) to simply walk down the ENTIRE strip (buses are available up and down or you can simply rent a car) to enjoy the best out of every hotel. Other than the hotels featured above, there is still the fun fair at Circus Circus, the castle of Excalibur, the bright lights at Flamingoes, the exquisite Mirage, the replica of New York New York and many many more. Don't forget to take some time to GO INSIDE too as the interior is as impressive as its exterior.

Night Shows (Outdoors)

Another free entertainment option - the free outdoor shows in front of selected hotels. These shows are one of the symbols of Las Vegas, with many shows still thriving since the last time I came here 15 years ago. Watching these shows certainly brought back memories (another reason why this place is for people of all ages) of my first visit to Las Vegas as a kid.

Some of the classic shows include the Fountains of Bellagio, the Volcanoes of The Mirage and the Sirens of Treasure Island. One word of advice: Be sure to check the weather conditions before deciding to dedicate the night to show-hunting down the strip. As most of these shows are outdoor and involves fire/pyrotechnics, they are often at the mercy of the wind/rain conditions of the night. Unfortunately, we were at the wrong end of the conditions and the fountains show was the only show that wasn't cancelled.

Still, it was as beautiful as I remembered Las Vegas to be and worth the whole rush to get there in time for the last show. Enjoy the show...

Start of the show

Simple Beginnings

Fountain swaying to the sound of music

Rising Climax

Grand Finale

 Overall, these free shows happen nightly at hourly interval. If the weather permits, it is very possible for anyone to enjoy ALL three shows within a night and still make it for the paid indoor shows (usually at 10 p.m). So make sure you plan your route and time well and check the weather forecast before hand. Trust me, it will be worth all the effort.

Well, this post is getting a little bit lengthy (there's so much to tell!) so I'll conclude for now. Stay tuned for the next post on the PAID entertainments that we really enjoyed during our time in Las Vegas. See you then!

Best of LA II: Fun day at the Beaches topped with a BBQ Ribs special

The LA leg to our US tour ended as soon as it started and we were left with half a day before heading for our 4 hour long drive to Las Vegas (Exciting!!!).

Our last destination was the famous Santa Monica Pier and for lunch (after days of Amusement park food and In-and-out Burgers), we decided to have a go at the famous Californian Ribs.

Santa Monica Pier

This 100-year old landmark is one of the most iconic (other than the Hollywood Sign) symbols of Californian beaches. This place is built for families and youths, with (even more) amusement park rides and a huge load of beach activities happening around. 

View from Atop

Unfortunately, this place is a nightmare to drive into during the weekends. The jam that led to the pier effectively cut our time there into half. All we could do (to make it before sunset into Las Vegas) was to get to the end of the pier, take a few photographs, chill for a while before the ribs called out for us (our lunch).

Family-Themed Pacific Park

Despite the short time, this place still left a pretty deep impression on me. I can't exactly put my finger to why, but I simply feel that this is how all beaches should be like. The clean sandy beach, the beautiful sea view of the pacific, the nicely filled pier and the absence of irritating tourist touters made this one of the best beaches I have been too. Obviously, the hollywood movies made this place even more glamourous, adding more glitter to an already beautiful place.

Simple Nice Beach Fun

Boardwalk to the Santa Monica Pier

Read on to check out our fantastic meaty lunch...




Mofia's Ribs & Pies

Our last meal in Los Angeles (for now) - Mofia's Ribs and Pies. Basically, it was only the ribs. Throughout the LA leg, we were all hankering for good ol' American ribs, but all we had were fast food and Asian food (we had Korean and Japanese food consecutively). So it was (how ironical) a good change to have good American food instead.

Mofia's Ribs & Pies

 First of all, I have to admit that this place doesn't look like a place any tourist will stop for a meal. In fact, you would probably miss it (we missed it--twice!), given the inconspicuous location and the "run-down" look of the place itself (its signage is simply a banner pasted over an original signboard). But trust me, this place is at least 10x better than it looks.

Simple Decor

Obviously, we had the ribs. As the portions were pretty huge, sharing was a good idea. When the ribs came, it was evident that we made the right choice. The thick juicy sauce was dripping from the bones of the ribs and the meat was chunky and looked delicious. It was time to get our hands dirty!

Oohhhhh-La-La

The ribs was as good as it looked! It was good ol' heavenly BBQ ribs. It was really unhealthy but the 'good kind' of unhealthy sort - the kind where after the first bite, you won't even mind if that were to be your last meal on earth. Lovely stuff! Another testament to the wonderful ribs - our plates were ALL wiped clean and we left satisfied.

Proof of Good Ribs

I feel that I'm not doing the place justice if I only introduce the ribs because the sides were equally amazing. Sadly, (for some reason still unknown to me) I didn't take any picture or note on the sides that we ordered. All I can remember is that their greens was fabulous (I ordered an extra bowl) and their potato-based sides were pretty awesome too. Check them out at 4077 Lincoln Blvd Marina Del Rey, CA 90292 (around Venice Beach).

Food Trails

As I mentioned above, other than fast foods and amusement park food, we also went to two Asian restaurants for our dinner. However, I won't dwell on it too much as neither was really impressive and I'm sure there are better ones around the neighborhood.

Korean BBQ Soowan Galbi

This was better of the two. The ala carte styled Korean BBQ (yes, there is no buffet) located right in the heart of Korean town is a good place to go if you have a hankering for Korean food in LA. In fact, there is a large Korean population in LA, so finding good Korean food will definitely be easier than locating good Chinese food. 

Soowon Galbi Korean BBQ

Our Dishes

Our Dinner Cooked at Our Table

Nobu 

One of the more posh restaurants in Los Angles, this place is well known for the chef that opened it - Chef Nobu Matsuhisa. We headed there for Hannah's birthday celebration and went for a specially "tailored" menu recommended by our server. 

That turned out to be the mistake of the night as it turned out the choice of dishes presented was the most unsatisfying part of the meal. The quality of the food and the skills of chefs is unquestionably good (they do have a standard to upkeep), but the server somehow thought that we never had Yuzu before and decided to spam all the Yuzu dishes. So it was basically Yuzu this and Yuza that, such that at the end of the meal, we were pretty much sick of that word. Still, this place is really good for a upscale japanese meal and I wouldn't mind giving it another shot (I'll do my research beforehand this time).

Ending words

Well, this concludes the first city of the West Coast. Apart from the glam and glitter, Los Angeles has been pretty monotonous and laid back. It doesn't have the excitement New York brings or historical roots that both Washington DC and Boston provide. However, this is a good place for one to take a step back and just chill out. For someone who doesn't like to party, Los Angeles pretty much ends after nightfall. If I'm ever back here (though highly unlikely), I wouldn't mind a stroll down Venice/Santa Monica beach or to go up the Griffith Observatory to see the City of Angels lighted up at night.

Santa Monica & our group

Oh and last but not least - A great HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our dearest Hannah :). Hope you had fun on your special day in LA (especially with the all-day K-pop) with us!

Happy Birthday!