Good Reason Why You Should Get iPad Mini With Retina Display and Why You Shouldn't

I know it is a bit late to make a review of the iPad Mini with Retina Display. But, since Indonesia just got it for a few weeks now I think it will be proper to write whether you should get one or not. First I will write why you should get it, then just to be fair, I'll write why you shouldn't. Ok, let us begin!

1. It is a lot faster than almost every other device in the market

The first reason why you should buy iPad mini is because it is practically the fastest tablet out there. No, I'm not over exaggerating this. Apple A7 processor is the fastest processor yet. So, if you are looking for some horsepower it could be one of the reason to buy the all new iPad mini.

2. It is more portable than the iPad Air

With 8" display the new iPad mini offer you more portable option than it's big brother. It is small, compact yet has almost the same power with the iPad Air. By definition it is offering huge power and still easy to use and to carry in your bag.

3. It is has the best display

iPad Mini with retina display has the best display on it's category Period! I've tried so many 7"-8" tablet but nothing come close to this device. The color reproduction is great, pixel density is superior to almost every device out there, and it has the correct ratio (it has 4:3 display instead 16:9). What more do you want?

4. Android tablets are not better

In some aspect like apps and accessories android tablet is not nearly as good as the iPad. Take iWorks app for example. I don't think there are any similar apps in Android device (at least not as good). Alright, I know that android is better in connectivity but when it come to work you actually don't need much. You can easily use apps like drive or dropbox to share your work which works on both android and iOS.

5. Dude! It is an iPad!

Well, admit it. For some of you Apple product is a symbol of prestigious right? It makes you think you are exclusive right? So... I think I said it all.

Now let see the reason why you shouldn't get the iPad mini with retina display.

1. It is expensive

One thing Apple all product has in common is expensive price. I'm not joking. For the same price as iPad mini with retina display you can get the 2013 Nexus 7 model and still have some spare money to buy apps, accessories, and one month supply of Starbucks coffee. Seriously. It is a bit expensive for tablet.

2. iPad Air is better

When it comes to raw power iPad Air actually offer us more than iPad mini and although the pixel density is a bit smaller, it has better color and bigger screen. So, all in all it is every bit of iPad mini only better.

3. You are allergic to iTunes

All windows user maybe have the same problem with the iTunes. It is freakishly slow! Yes, I know! They take a lot of time to open and even more time to sync to the iTunes store. For some people who don't have fast computer it could be a disaster. Simple act of transferring a song could take a few minutes because the iPad has to backup all your data first before transfer your song. Trust me, if you don't want to wait don't use the iPad. It will drive you crazy.

4. Connectivity is poor

All iOS device is a disaster when come to sharing file and same thing happen to iPad mini with retina display. From something as simple as a picture to bigger things like your document is never easy. If you don't have another iOS device you can't even share a picture using Bluetooth. It is weird for a device known for it's innovation to not be able to send something as simple as picture isn't it?

5. DUDE! IT IS THE IPAD!?

For some other people Apple product is a symbol of style but for the others, it is just an overprice piece of technology. Believe me, most of people I know who use iOS don't even know how to transfer a music from their computer to their iOS device (I don't say everyone but many of them are). Those people usually  have someone to do the work for them. So the simple conclusion is 'they bought Apple product just because they think it is cool'.

All been said, I think it is the reason why you should and should not buy the new iPad mini with retina display. It is just my opinion. So, don't sue me if you have different opinion. It is just a point of view from someone who use both iOS and android. Thanks for reading.

-Mr. Koala-

HTC Event 2014 Llive Blog

HTC One Mini Review

What should we do with the world best Smartphone? Well, we take all the great things from that phone and put it into smaller device. It is exactly what HTC does with One Mini. Despite 'Mini' name the phone performs very well. So, without any further ado, this is HTC One Mini Review.

Design 

If we take a look at One Mini, we can instantly recognize all the physical similarities to it's big brother. The aluminium back is still there but, instead of having the matte seam of the plastic we saw on the original One, we got a glossy white all plastic frame that's reminiscent of last year One X+. 

The body of this phone follows the same palm-friendly curve with both the camera unit and flash are center-aligned on the back this time around. We can also see two white plastic lines breaking up the all-aluminum cover. It is to make sure the unit's antennae work and also creating the image that you might be handling the pricier flagship model. 

One thing I like over the larger model are the volume keys. Now they are separated button for volume up and down. They are easier to find and press when not looking at them directly.

In terms of size, there is not much a difference than the larger One (137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm on One against 132 x 63.2 x 9.3 mm on One Mini). But, I'm surprised by how small it feels in my hand. This sensation is pretty similar to HTC One S (which is my favorite phone of all time when it comes to size and design). 

We also have HTC's BoomSound speakers lie beneath micro-drilled holes both above and below the screen like before. Prolonged listening through the smartphone won't grate on the ears, although the sound quality isn't quite as bass-rich as the One. HTC also snuck in a single LED notification light into the top speaker

Display

HTC One Mini has 4.3-inch 720p display. If we count the numbers, One Mini has less pixels than it's big brother (1280 x 720 resolution on a 4.3-inch screen produces a pixel density of 341ppi, far below the One's eye-popping 468ppi). But once you stray past 300ppi or so (Remember what Apple said about 'Retina' display), pixels just become indistinguishably small and any further upgrades aren't gonna make much different. Color accuracy, contrast, saturation, and viewing angles are amazing. 

If there is any complaint about the display, it has to be about the automatic brightness. Sometimes the brightness is not high enough and making the phone difficult to read under direct sunlight. Of course you an always change the brightness manually from the quick control menu. Other than that, I have no trouble with display. In fact, this is one of the best display of it's category.  

Camera

Camera on One mini is identical to it's larger version. We got backside illuminated sensor with f/2.0 which is pretty nice. But, I notice a bit difference of the image in brightness and contrast when comparing both phone side by side. I  think One mini is bit more bright but HTC One is bit more contrast. This probably it is caused by the display itself. The display on larger One is actually more contrast than the mini I guess. Check out some picture I took using One mini down below.

Performance and Battery Life

Nobody will question HTC One's performance but how about its little brother? Is it performing well? Yes it is. With One mini you get a dual-core 1.4GHz Snapdragon processor, 1GB of RAM, and 16GB of non-expandable storage. Even though it is half the cores, half the memory, and half the storage you won't find any performance issue whatsoever. I won't lie by saying it has the same performance as the One, however in the vast majority of day-to-day tasks the One mini quite matches it step for step. Everything from UI animation, web browser, camera  to every other apps run smooth and fluid. I never notice any significant change in daily task. However, when I play some quite intense graphic game like Asphalt or Real Racing it has lower frame rate. (Don't be fooled by benchmark. I never find any shortage of power on One Mini despite it's low benchmark )

	HTC ONE MINI	SAMSUNG GS4 MINI	HTC ONE
Quadrant 2.0	5,200	7,250	12,495
Vellamo 2.0	2,118	1,980	2,429
AnTuTu 3.2	10,048	13,732	25,140
SunSpider 1.0 (ms)	1,442	1,142	769
GFXBenchmark T-Rex 2.7 HD Offscreen (fps)	15	17	16
CF-Bench	6,543	13,646	25,267
SunSpider: lower scores are better

Another difference in the spec sheet is the absence of Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), IR blaster, and NFC capabilities. For me they are not really essential. IR blaster is a great way to control my TV but will not be missed if it's not there. NFC is also something I barely use. Probably in a few years they will be needed for e-money, but for now they are nothing more than gimmick The only thing I missed from the One is OIS. Although some people say it is not important but OIS can really help when we take a picture in low light condition or make a video. In fact I used to make a video for YouTube using HTC One and it is amazing.

Up till now HTC is doing great to maintain battery life in their flagship Smartphone. But how about it's mini version? Does it perform as well as the One? In terms of battery size, One Mini is downgraded to 1800mAH, which is far below 2300mAH on its big brother. You probably already guessed the performance. Yes it is suffering from all the tasks I gave on its few first day. Careful I already mention few first days when it has to sync all of my stuff from Google app. After a few day battery life is getting better on this handy little device. On average one charge is enough to last a day. Usually I use it to browse the web, social media, lots and lots of IM, a little bit of games, and it could last for 15-17 hours no problem. 

What people don't realise is how long this phone could last when we don't use it. While on sleep mode the battery only drops 1-2% overnight with the phone still syncing social networks and emails. So basically if you're frugal with your usage you can easily get away with two days' use on the HTC One Mini  (just don't turn the screen on very much).

Verdict

When I hold HTC One Mini for the first time I was startled. I never know a little change will give such a big difference. I admit there is some features I missed from HTC One but, overall, this is a great phone. Probably the best of its category. In the end its all come back to us, whether we would trade a little bit of screen size and power for much more portability and ease of use. I would. Would you?

Quick Announcement

Hi Guys, just quick announcement here. From now on, my post will be written in English. I will translate my previous posts when I have time to spare.

-Mr. Koala-

KitKat on HTC One Review

Setelah beberapa lama menggunakan HTC One dengan OS KitKat yang dibalut Sense 5.5, saya bisa memberi pendapat terhadap OS teranyar dari smartphone flagship milik HTC tersebut (at least hingga 25 Maret ini). Mungkin beberapa orang tidak akan menyadarinya karena perubahan tersebut bisa dibilang minor atau kecil saja. Akan tetapi, ada beberapa hal kecil yang rasanya cukup menarik untuk dibicarakan. Mari kita lihat perubahan apa saja yang terjadi pada update KitKat untuk HTC One. (Perlu diingat, saya menulis ini dengan menggabungkan perubahan yang terdapat pada update OS 4.2 menjadi OS 4.3 menjadi 4.4. Jadi ada beberapa fitur yang sudah ada pada update 4.2 ke 4.3.)

Perubahan pertama yang saya temui adalah User Interface. Seperti pada Google Nexus, update 4.4 ini akan memberi aksen berwarna abu-abu pada bagian notification bar. Kini logo baterai, sinyal telepon dan sinyal wifi, serta beats audio berubah menjadi berwarna abu abu. Selain itu, kita juga akan mendapatkan animasi yang sama seperti pada vanilla android saat kita menswipe ke atas dari tombol home screen untuk mengakses google now. Beberapa logo juga mengalami perubahan. Misalnya saja logo browser.

Diluar itu semua ada banyak perubahan kecil yang terjadi di sana sini pada Sense 5.5. Perubahan yang mungkin ditunggu oleh banyak orang adalah pada BlinkFeed. HTC updated the BlinkFeed on Sense 5.5 and it can now be set to task which makes it more dynamic than before. Kini, pada Sense 5.5 kita dapat memilih untuk menonaktifkan BlinkFeed. Ini adalah salah satu hal yang paling ramai dibicarakan pada Sense 5. Sistem kontrol pada BlinkFeed juga mengalami perbaikan. Misalnya saja kita bisa menswipe ke kanan untuk menampilkan menu dan berbagai pilihan lainnya. Gesture seperti ini mirip dengan berbagai app untuk android lainnya seperti Google+ dan Facebook.

Fitur yang mungkin tidak banyak yang mengetahui dari BlinkFeed adalah customization base on Facebook content. Jika kita memasukan service akun Facebook kita pada BlinkFeed, maka HTC akan secara otomatis menscan konten yang ditemukan pada Facebook page kita dan menampilkan berita yang sesuai dengan konten tersebut. Selain itu kita juga dapat mengakses search content pada BlinkFeed. Pada update ini juga BlinkFeed mendapat integrasi dengan Google+ pada apps and service sehingga kita dapat memposting sesuatu ke G+ langsung melalui BlinkFeed kita.

Selain semua hal di atas, ada banyak perubahan lain yang terjadi pada BlinkFeed diantaranya adalah adanya fitur International Content, Read Later, dan integrasi dengan RSS Feeds yang tidak saya bahas secara detil di sini.

Perubahan selanjutnya ada pada Camera dan Gallery App. Sense 5.5 merubah tampilan gambar pada Gallery App. Di sini tampilan album foto kita berubah menjadi full-width preview dari squares (kotak-kotak). Kita juga mendapat carousel navigation untuk berpindah dari Events, Albums, dan My HTC Share. Hal yang sama dapat kita temui untuk Highlights ALL, serta Location saat kita melihat konten sebuah album. Satu hal yang paling saya sukai adalah kembalinya fitur Custom Effects saat mengedit foto yang ada dalam Gallery. Fitur ini memungkinkan user untuk mengatur brightness, contrast dll secara manual. Pada Sense 5 fitur ini sempat dihilangkan dan kini muncul kembali.

Video Highlights pada Sense 5.5 juga menjadi lebih mudah untuk digunakan dan kita mendapatkan lebih banyak style serta option untuk menambahkan personalised music. Beberapa gesture serta customisation juga ditambahkan saat kita menggunakan fitur video highlight.

Satu hal yang paling saya sukai pada fitur camera adalah GIF creation on ZOE. Sekarang, saat kita mengambil gambar menggunakan ZOE, kita dapat membuat sebuah GIF image (moving image) dengan speed selection serta direction of play dan effect.

Perubahan selanjutnya ada pada app Music. Pada music app kini drop-down menu telah digantikan dengan gesture swipe untuk mengurangi tapping command. Selain itu kita juga akan mendapat carousel effect seperti pada gallery.

Perubahan terakhir pada User Interface yang saya temui terdapat pada Quick Setting dan Recent Apps. Pada update kali ini kita dapat mengatur quick settting yang berada pada notification bar. Kita dapat memilih banyak pengaturan mulai dari Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Auto Sync dan lain-lain sesuai kebutuhan. Lalu, jika kita perhatikan dengan baik pada bagian Recent Apps, kita akan melihat bahwa thumbnails dari apps yang sudah kita buka berukuran lebih besar dan gap hitam diantara thumbnails tersebut semakin kecil.

Perubahan kedua adalah performance. Karena HTC One sejak awal sudah sangat cepat dan smooth, mungkin untuk penggunaan sehari-hari peningkatan performance yang terjadi tidak akan terlalu ketara. Akan tetapi saat saya menggunakannya sendiri, update kali ini membuat performa HTC One saya terasa semakin cepat dan smooth. Misalnya saja pada saat saya sedang browsing web, halaman web rasanya muncul lebih cepat dari sebelumnya. Selain itu, multi tasking juga terasa lebih baik dan smooth. Aplikasi terbuka lebih cepat saat saya berpindah dari yang satu ke yang lainnya.

Perubahan ketiga adalah battery life. Hal yang paling menonjol bagi saya dalam update KitKat pada HTC One ini adalah battery life. Saya merasakan ada peningkatan signifikan pada battery life HTC One saya. Setelah mendapat update KitKat, standby time HTC One saya meningkat secara drastik. Meski ada beberapa laporan dari pengguna ponsel merk lain yang mengatakan bahwa update ini malah membuat ponsel mereka menjadi lebih boros baterai, akan tetapi saya tidak mengalaminya. Saya rasa, mereka yang mengatakan bahwa ponselnya menjadi lebih boros tidak menyadari bahwa mereka menggunakan ponselnya lebih sering dari biasanya (ini hanya pengandaian saja, tentunya silahkan berpendapat lain jika saya salah).

Jika biasanya setelah penggunaan sekitar 12 - 13 jam baterai saya tersisa sekitar 20% kini baterai saya bisa tersisa hingga 30-40% (tergantung pemakaian). Saya sendiri banyak menggunakan HTC One saya untuk browsing web, bermain beberapa game ringan, social media serta tons and tons of Instant messaging. Tentu hasil tadi bisa berbeda-beda setiap orang. Jika HTC One saya terus menerus saya gunakan nonstop baterai saya biasanya akan habis setelah 6-7 jam (dengan tanpa games). Jika saya gunakan untuk bermain games biasanya hanya sekitar 5 jam tergantung dari game yang saya mainkan.

So, overall update KitKat pada HTC One membawa banyak perubahan yang menyenangkan bagi para penggunanya. Bagi saya, perubahan pada UI serta performance membuat HTC One saya menjadi semakin menyenangkan untuk digunakan. Akan tetapi yang patut menjadi highlight adalah improvement pada daya tahan baterai. Jika dulu baterai HTC One hanya “cukup” untuk digunakan all day, maka kini saya dapat mengatakannya sebagai “plenty” untuk digunakan all day. But, everything is different from one person to another. Jadi, jika anda memiliki pengalaman lain atau punya pemikiran yang berbeda silahkan share di sini.

-Mr. Koala-