Highlights of CommunicAsia & BroadcastAsia 2010
We check out some of the cool stuff and key highlights from the annual communications and broadcast trade show event, CommunicAsia and BroadcastAsia 2010.
CommunicAsia 2010 - Where the Mobile Industry Converges
If you ever wanted to know what's cooking in the mobile industry from now till year-end, CommunicAsia is your best bet. As usual, the 2010 edition of the show has several worldwide players gathered here in Singapore at this yearly trade fair and the HardwareZone team was there to absorb all the happenings to prepare this article to highlight the movers and shakers of the show. If you can't head down to visit the show at the Expo, we've prepared the following video feature in addition to our usual coverage. Enjoy!
Samsung's Booth
After the launch of its first bada phone, the Samsung Wave, and its Android-based Samsung Galaxy S, we were curious over Samsung's lineup for the next six months.True enough, there were a few new Android and bada phones making their debut at CommunicAsia 2010.
The Samsung booth showcased its earlier lineup such as the Samsung Wave and Galaxy S, to its new iterations - the Samsung Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro as well as the Samsung Galaxy 3 and Galaxy 5.
We take a look at the Galaxy series, with two new additions to the Android family - the Samsung Galaxy 3 and Galaxy 5. Both phones will be using the latest Android 2.1 OS. The key difference between these two Galaxy-branded devices is the screen size, with the Galaxy 3 tagged at 3.2-inches with a WQVGA screen resolution, whilst the Galaxy 5 comes with a smaller screen at 2.8-inches with a QVGA resolution.Unfortunately, both devices will be using the usual TFT LCD displays instead of the Super AMOLED that's seen on the Samsung Wave and Galaxy S. Like the earlier Samsung Galaxy S, the Galaxy 3 and 5 has Samsung's latest Touch Wiz 3.0 UI loaded within, providing you with up to seven pages to load your widgets.
Both the Samsung Galaxy 3 and 5 will be available in July 2010.
The Samsung Galaxy 3 (pictured here) and Samsung Galaxy 5 will be running on the latest Android 2.1 platform. As for a Froyo update, there's still no confirmation from Samsung as of now.
Two offshoots to the Wave series were also unveiled at the Samsung booth, namely the Samsung Wave 2 and Samsung Wave 2 Pro. Like the earlier Samsung Wave, these two devices will be based on Samsung's own bada platform, and with it, the plethora of Samsung apps. Do not be confused with the numbering, for the Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro aren't exactly the successors to the original Wave. In fact, we noticed that both devices won't be using the Super AMOLED screen. Further to that, these two devices won't be equipped with 3G data speeds, relying instead on its Wi-Fi and 2.5G cellular speeds.
Both the Samsung Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro will be available by August 2010.
The Samsung Wave 2 Pro comes with a QWERTY keyboard hidden underneath the display.
Unfortunately, we didin't manage to get our hands on both the Wave 2 and Wave 2 Pro, with just the dummy units on display at the Samsung booth.
The last two highlights from the Samsung booth would be its Omnia series, in particular its business-centric Omnia Pro lineup. Both the Samsung Omnia Pro 4 and Omnia Pro 5 will be running on Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5, with the former having a touchscreen option whilst the Omnia Pro 5 adopts a non-touchscreen approach with Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard. And in conjunction with the availability of Microsoft Office 2010 Mobile, the two Omnia Pros will be pre-loaded with the app.
The Samsung Omnia Pro 4 will be available from July 2010, while the Samsung Omnia Pro 5 will be available from August 2010.
The Samsung Omnia Pro 5 is loaded with Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 Standard, making this a non-touchscreen device, unlike...
...the Samsung Omnia Pro 4, which is powered by Microsoft Windows Mobile 6.5 Professional. This means you can opt to use the physical keys or rely solely on its 2.62-inch touchscreen. Both devices will be loaded with Microsoft Office 2010 Mobile.
NTT docomo's Booth
One of Japan's biggest telcos in Japan, NTT docomo, has a booth right here at CommunicAsia 2010. Located right next to Samsung's booth, it's a booth that should not be missed and you'll be hard pressed to do so thanks to all the pretty booth girls but more importantly, the really cool phones on display. You may have heard of these legendary phones that come packed with awesome features that no other phone in the market has, and you wouldn't be far off.
In fact, it was a phone that drew our attention to the booth and not the ladies at their booth. Last seen at MWC 2010 in Barcelona, docomo's separable phone, the F-04B. Feast your eyes on this wondrous phone as you can split the device in two, make calls from both devices, or connect them together to use as a single unit. There's even an optional projector unit that you can connect to phone to use it to watch videos on the wall.
Besides the seperable phone, docomo also had smartphones on display, sourced from various vendors but rebranded with docomo's logo. We spotted RIM's Blackberry devices, Sony's XEPERIA 10 and even a WinMo 6.5 phone that well, probably won't be long in the market once Windows Phone 7 launches. Besides smartphones, we also spotted phones that feature designs by famous designers - including a Kate Spade phone that should please the ladies.
Last but not least, you have phones designed for video recording - and while the western world in general are gasping in awe of having a phone capable of recording in HD at 1280 x 720p, docomo already has a few phones available that can do Full HD recording at 1920 x 1080p and they look pretty darn good to boot. We also spotted phones which can capture still images at higher than 13MP resolutions!
NTT docomo's booth is the place to be check out all the coolest Japanese phones.
docomo has an i-Concierge service that basically uses GPS to know where you are and provide information that you may need. Seems pretty cool, but yet also stalker-ish.
We mentioned docomo's seperation phone (the Fujitsu made F-04B) earlier on, and this is what it looks like. If you're worried about loosing one half of the phone, don't worry, you can locate the other half by just pressing two buttons on the unit with you.
When combined, the phone does feel a little thick but hey, it's two phones in one.
Among the sea of smartphones spotted at docomo's booth was this WinMo 6.5 based handphone.
If you already have a Kate Spade bag, how about a gorgeous Kate Spade phone to complete the set? Heck, it even has a push button to flip the top of the phone open - similar to some of Panasonic's old phones while they were still in the mobile phone business.
These phones are capable of recording and playing Full HD video clips, and the output quality of the demo clips looked pretty good. They can also capture photo stills higher than 13MP resolution. Perhaps it's as sign of times to come for the compact DV-camera business.
We also spotted this Android based phone, the Lynx SH-10B from Sharp that looks like it could give mini-tablet devices from Fujitsu a run for their money. Great for bloggers who want to blog away from the computer!
Huawei's Booth
We dropped by Huawei's booth and were surprised by the amount of love they have given to Android - incorporating the popular open-sourced OS into tablets and their handphones. Alongside these devices, the company also showed off a couple of nifty accessories like wireless dongles and USB thumbdrives.
The C8600, one of the higher-end Android phones we spotted at the booth, comes with the Android 2.1 platform and dual cameras.
Another Android device makes an unexpected appearance here. The 3G-enabled SmaKit S7 Android Tablet comes with a reasonable 7-inch 800x480 touch screen.
We don't blame you if you had mistaken this for a Nokia E71, because they both bear similar physical attributes. The phone comes with dual SIM card capabilities.
The E5830S 3G and WIFI dongle allows users to easily connect to wireless networks without having to, ironically, be connected physically. The device comes with a Micro SD Card slot (up to 32GB supported) that allows it to be used as a secondary flash drive.
The E5808 takes the concept of "thumbdrives" a step further, well, technically speaking. The device allows users to connect to wireless networks and store data - but first, you have to provide it with your thumb print on the metal strips. Otherwise, the data cannot be accessed by anyone except by the owner.
Skype
Besides a keynote speech by its CEO Josh Silverman at this year's CommunicAsia, Skype also took the chance to announce two collaborations. Firstly, the availability of Skype Symbian-based Sony Ericsson devices, which includes the Sony Ericsson Satio, Vivaz and Vivaz Pro. Up-sizing its offering is the partnership with Panasonic and its Viera HDTVs. This isn't a brand new collaboration, but it's still fairly recent as it was first showed at CES 2010 in January. Basically, obtaining the Panasonic Communication Camera, will enable Panasonic Viera TVs to be Skype-enabled, allowing you to do free Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls.
Skype is now currently available on the Apple iPhone, and expands into the Symbian platform with the Sony Ericsson Vivaz, Vivaz Pro and Satio.
Coupled with the Panasonic Communication Camera, you'll be able to make Skype-to-Skype voice and video calls with a wide range of Panasonic Viera TVs. Perhaps it's time to convince your relatives to upgrade to this combined solution from Panasonic for long-term convenience.
Immarsat IsatPhone Pro
The general consumer probably will give this satellite phone a pass, but if you're a serious globe trekker who travels all over the world, you might want to check out the IsatPhone Pro. Unlike other devices that depend on your GSM or CDMA networks, this phone links up to a satellite, which grants you coverage for almost any place in the world. The IsatPhone Pro is also built to be rugged, able to withstand shock, is waterproof and withstand low temperatures at up to -20 degrees Celsius.
At the Immarsat booth, we spotted their satellite-based IsatPhone Pro, which allows you to get connected anywhere in the world.
SingTel is currently one of the main distributors of the IsatPhone Pro, and it'll be available for purchase at CommunicAsia 2010.
BroadcastAsia 2010 - Part 1
The sister show to CommunicAsia, BroadcastAsia is located in halls 7 & 8, with a definite heavy focus on 3D content. Here are some highlights.
Canon's Booth
Whoever thinks the DSLR HD video revolution hasn't arrived should check out these beauties at the show.
A beauty we didn't expect to see was this 1931 Rolls Royce 20/25 at the Canon booth.
Panasonic's Booth
3D was obviously a huge emphasis at the Panasonic booth.
Panasonic had a team of stunt bikers on hand to showcase the performance of their video cameras.
Panasonic's professional HD cameras were doing live 3D coverage of the stunt bikers' performance.
Yup, no doubt about it - 3D was definitely a big draw at their booth.
BroadcastAsia 2010 - Part 2
Sony's Booth
Sony Electronics Asia Pacific showcased a wide range of HD broadcast and production solutions at BroadcastAsia 2010, including some of its latest 3D technologies, in a 'lens to living room' demo. The company has been instrumental in broadcasting the current FIFA World Cup 2010 in 3D (currently via special Sony pavilions in 7 countries) and was the first to film the Masters Golf Tournament 2010 in 3D.
James Cameron's AVATAR used Sony's CineAlta cameras for the shoot, including eight HDC-F950 cameras and HDC-1500 cameras for speed shots during the live action. Sony's F23 cameras were also used for specific shots.
At BroadcastAsia, Sony is demo-ing the MPE-200 Multi Image Processor, which detects, analyzes and corrects alignment errors when using two cameras in a rig during 3D production. Other items include a memory-based shoulder-mount XDCAM EX camcorder, palmcorder-style HXR-MC50U, its XDCAM Archive (part of its Mediabackbone solution) as well as the PVM-740 OLED display. Here are a few other interesting stuff we saw at their booth:-
Check out the twin displays on this production-house grade Sony 3D camera!
A demonstration of the remote control feature of the Sony 3D camera.
Sony had a rather artistic umbrella painting session going on at their showcase. While there weren't any live action stunts taking place, the emphasis here was the faithful color reproduction aspect of their many professional video cameras mounted around this demo.
To better understand Sony's view on what it would take to get broadcasters and production companies on-board the 3D bandwagon and when, we caught up with Chris Grey, Head of Broadcast & Content Creation Solutions, Business & Professional Products Asia Pacific (BPPA), Sony Electronics APAC at BroadcastAsia. Here's a short video interview of what went down:-
Miscellaneous Sightings
Since BroadcastAsia is a trade show, there are interesting things around the show floor that one usually won't see from a consumer tech perspective. Here are some other notable happenings:-
Which channel do you want to watch?
Color correction at work from Blackmagic Design.
This TS-2 3D rig from 3Ality Digital lets you turn a variety of cameras into 3D shooters. Note the pair that's rigged on the top and side.
Sennheiser's colorful series of microphones.
This is an AastroLight ring from AastroLED, a full-spectrum LED ring-light which promises shadow-free illumination and "exquisite skin tones".
You'll always find a green screen somewhere at BroadcastAsia.
And to close it off, the most unique booth of the show must be Mediacorp's big, red truck.
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