Ndoto Blue (Finale)

Previously on L'Heure Blue

There is no doubt, that I won't join the bandwagon by getting an iPhone. Not this time. A lot of people I know already use it as their handheld device. Also, I am not an Apple fan boy to begin with, and defying conventions is one of my favorite habit.

Ever since my Samsung phone stopped working, doubts already clouded my belief in the brand. There is no way I would get an S4 for I have no faith in its maker. Like iPhone, a lot of people use Galaxy to communicate with the world. My fear is that like a magnet, the phone would catch the eyes of robbers and snatchers when I use it in public.

The Lumia from Nokia seems to be a decent smart phone. Not only is the series renowned for its sleek design, its reputed Carl Zeiss camera lens command respect from Photography experts. However, Nokia is one of the very few devices that use Windows as its operating system. I couldn't live without Android and its apps. Instagram, which is one of the strongest push to upgrade my phone, isn't supported by the Metro. 

Lastly, there is the HTC One. Reviews of the product make it a credible flagship phone. It also appears to be the preferred device of those who don't follow the fad. Had the phone been recommended to me first, I might have acquired an HTC instead. Snobbed by many, and raved by a chosen few, I would rather count myself among the anti-establishment folks. 

There were other choices suggested by friends - such as Blackberry (whose maker operates at a loss) and Nexus (a device nobody uses). But instead, I ended up getting a Sony Xperia SP. With a price tag of over 18 grands - in Philippine peso using my credit card, it is one of my most expensive acquisition to date. 

Given my limited knowledge of smartphones and tablets, let me share my experience with the Xperia instead: It wasn't rosy as I thought it would be. There were frustrating moments when the device wouldn't read my SD memory card. It also doesn't pick WiFi from a comparable distance with Samsung. The Sony phone's signal bar goes zero in places where there is weak network coverage. Once or twice in recent memory, I had to reboot the device to restore the signal to full bar. 

But these are birth pains and I still believe I didn't receive a defective unit from the retailer. For what its worth, the Xperia's video and sound quality makes it a formidable smartphone for a mid-range market. Powered by Bravia engine, streaming HD video clips on YouTube turns into a one-of-a-kind visual and aural experience. The images are crisp and full of clarity, the colors, well-defined, and the audio turns any sound into an operatic masterpiece.

The downside however is that some clips buffer longer when bandwidth connection cannot stream the videos with ease.

It's been almost two months since getting the Xperia, and the handheld device has been a trusted companion ever since. Inspired by visual creation; the need to take photos to be shared in social media, the name I gave to my phone speaks of its aspiration:

In the plains of Serengeti, somewhere within the borders of Tanzania and Kenya are the Bantu peoples who speak Swahili. In their time of contemplation, in deep thought and musings of tomorrow, the wordsmiths among them crafted the word for dream.  

Samsung Galaxy Mini on Sony Experia SP

Ndoto.