Nokia Announces Lumia 925 for Malaysia. Available in August

It’s official, the Lumia 925 will be available in Malaysia starting August and will sell for RM1,799.
First announced in May, the Lumia 925 features an aluminum frame wrapped around a polycarbonate body. In terms of hardware, the 925 is virtually identical to Lumia 920 with the same 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm MSM8960 processor with 1GB RAM and 2,000mAh battery.
Where the 925 differs from the 920 is the display and camera. While the size of the display remains the same — 4.5-inch 1280×768 pushing out 331ppi — the Lumia 925 uses AMOLED where the 920 uses an LCD IPS panel. Also, the Gorilla Glass display with Nokia’s ClearBlack technology can be used even if you have gloves on.
The 8.7MP camera with Optical Image Stabiliser is given a boost with a 6-element Zeiss optics lens instead of five on the Lumia 920. In addition, the Lumia 925 is lighter at 139 grams (Lumia 920: 185 grams) and smaller overall (in terms of height, width and thickness).
Nokia’s built-in camera application gets an upgrade in the 925 as well. You can do burst shots (Max 5MP), best shot (similar to best faces) and Action shot (similar as the one in Galaxy S4 and the HTC One) allowing you to superimpose multiple pictures in one shot. Existing Nokia Lumia devices will also get the latest Smart Camera apps via Nokia’s upcoming Amber update but there’s no mention when it will be rolled out.
Out of the box, the Lumia 925 doesn’t support wireless charging natively. However it is still possible with an optional sleeve.
And that’s pretty much it. The Lumia 925 can be considered as an update from the 920 but aside from the superior optics and imaging capabilities the Windows Phone platform remains the Lumia’s biggest weakness.
Videos on the Lumia 925 right after the jump.

Nokia Announces the Lumia 625. Comes with a Relatively Large Screen and Not Much Else

Looks like the leaked images and specs were spot on. The Lumia 625 is official and its calling card is the largest display ever put on a Nokia Windows Phone.
But is it enough to make you want one? We don’t think so.
With a 4.7-inch LCD display, the Lumia 625 is considered average in a market dominated by Android phones with large displays sporting 720p or full 1080p resolution. And the display isn’t particularly sharp either. Pushing out a lowly 201ppi with a 800×480 resolution, the Lumia 625 has one of the lowest pixel densities we’ve seen on a smartphone in recent months. On the up side, the display sports Gorilla Glass 2 and can be used even if you’re using gloves over your digits.
Powering the Lumia 625 is a dual-core 1.2GHz Snapdragon S4 processor with 512MB RAM and 8GB internal storage. Usable memory can be increased with a microSD card slot that takes cards up to 64GB and there’s also 7GB of cloud storage courtesy of Microsoft via SkyDrive. If you ask us, 7GB is sad considering you can get 25GB of cloud storage from HTC and Samsung. Other specs include LTE connectivity, a 5MP rear camera with 1080p video and a VGA front-facing camera. Powering the device is a 2,000mAh battery.
The Lumia 625 has an exchangeable rear shell and is available in orange, yellow, green, white and black but we’re not sure if all the colours will come to Malaysia. Official price for the Lumia 625 is 220 Euros, that puts in at just under RM1,000 at today’s exchange rate. No doubt this will bring some curious buyers into Nokia’s store but we’re not too sure if many can be convinced to part with their money. The device is expected to come to Malaysia before October.
Video highlight of the Lumia 625 after the jump.

Sony’s Latest Video Highlights Some Great Features of the Xperia Z Ultra

It’s easily the best looking phablet, the 6.4-inch display is gorgeous and the 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 makes multitasking a breeze.
But the Z Ultra is not without its quirks. The lack of an LED flash and a dedicated camera button are two big sore points that many will find difficult to ignore, the dated UX UI skin is far behind what HTC and Samsung are putting in their phones, and the camera app lacks many of the smart features you take for granted in a Galaxy S4 or HTC One.

In its latest promo video, Sony highlights some of the unique features of the Xperia Z Ultra and we have to admit, all of them are great. The question is, is great good enough? What do you think?
Head on over to after the jump to watch the video.

 http://youtu.be/hI_biTUxoQg

Honda Jazz CKD 1.5L launched – cheapest Honda in Malaysia at RM74,800

Honda Malaysia revealed the locally assembled Honda Jazz this morning in Petaling Jaya. The CKD Jazz is the second Jazz variant to roll out from Honda Malaysia’s Melaka plant after the CKD Honda Jazz Hybrid that was launched in November 2012.
The standard petrol engined CKD Jazz is priced at RM74,800 OTR including insurance, making it the most affordable Honda car in Malaysia, undercutting the Honda City Grade S at RM85,980. All this while, the Jazz has been imported from Thailand.
Honda Malaysia’s MD and CEO Yoichiro Ueno explains the lower price. “Early this year, we established a new R&D centre in Malaysia, which specialises in matching local parts design. With the support from this new R&D centre, we are increasing our local content across all line-up,” he said. Local content now stands at 30% to 40%, and there are plans to increase it. The knocked down packs are from Thailand.

Here’s the chronology. The second-generation Honda Jazz was first introduced here in August 2008 in two grades – S (RM104,800) and V (RM109,800). The mid-life facelift came in April 2011, bringing a singular Grade V with a revised, sportier appearance for RM109,800, unchanged from the pre-facelift car.
The Jazz Grade V was then replaced by a Jazz Grade S in August 2012, which brought down the OTR price to RM99,800. Despite the RM10k lower pricetag, the non-hybrid Jazz didn’t make much sense beside the then made-in-Japan RM94,800 Jazz Hybrid, which is tax-exempt. The Jazz Hybrid is now locally assembled, and sells for RM89,900.
No revisions to the mechanicals, so say hello again to the L15A 1.5 litre i-VTEC engine with 120 PS and 146 Nm of torque. The SOHC 16-valve engine is paired to a five-speed automatic transmission. Safety kit includes dual airbags, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), ABS, EBD and Brake Assist. As usual, Honda touts its G-Force Control Technology (G-CON) body, which scored five ASEAN NCAP stars with the Jazz’s sedan sister, City.

Click to enlarge.
Equipment wise, the CKD Jazz gets things like the famous Ultra Seats, blue/black fabric seats, tilt/telescopic steering, power retractable wing mirrors, factory stereo with USB/AUX, LED tail lamps, fog lamps and 15-inch wheels with 175/65 tyres. Our CKD car has everything the Thai-made Grade S has, except for one thing – auto door lock. This is because of ECE regulations, we are told.
A Modulo aerokit is optional for RM3,950. For this amount, your Jazz is dressed up with a unique front grille, front under spoiler, tailgate spoiler, side skirts and rear under spoiler. There’s also a RM2,550 “Jazz Urban Package” that throws in a front grille, trunk tray, illuminated side steps, alloy pedals with foot lights and tailgate spoiler.
Available in four colours – Taffeta White, Alabaster Silver Metallic, Sparkling Brown Metallic and Crystal Black Pearl – the Honda Jazz CKD is protected by a three-year or 100,000 km warranty. As a bonus, customers can choose from an extra six months of warranty or a 10,000 km free service package.