If you’ve been itching to get that Iron Man phone but is holding off until now, well you may now finally have a reason not to do so.
Alcatel is having a wipe-out sale starting today until June 30 at all of their kiosks in the country. Selected phones will have a price cut of 50%, but they didn’t specify which ones.
Other phones should be also subjected to lower discounts too. Lucky you if the Iron Man phone is included.
Huawei’s first product on their foray at the Windows Phone bandwagon, the Ascend W1, has just arrived on Globe.
The Huawei Ascend W1, which features a 4-inch IPS LCD 800x480 display with OGS Technology, a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 MSM8230 dual-core processor and Adreno 305 GPU, 512MB RAM, 5 Megapixels rear camera and VGA front, 4GB storage which is expandable up to 32GB using microSD, and a 1,950 mAh battery with a rated 470 hours of standby time, is available for just P499 a month on Globe.
With the Best-Ever MySuperPlan, subscribers get a peso value of P900 monthly, much more than the P499 amount that they will actually pay for. Those peso value are in turn can be consumed to avail of call, text or data services, which you can customize at your own will.
If you are looking to get an affordable monthly plan without having to settle for a mediocre phone, the Huawei Ascend W1 seems to be the way to go.
It’s got a very incredible design, a supreme performance which can go neck and neck with the other flagship Androids, and a marvelous screen which has always been lauded on their devices. The HTC One is here.
There’s a new interesting brand for smartphone and tablets that has recently entered the country, and they’re called Tech21.
Tech21’s Impactology (what a word :-P) cases gives your devices the ultimate protection from the likes of bumps or drops, thanks to the revolutionary D3O material used on their cases.
What’s D3O. you ask? Well, it’s that orange thing that’s present on their cases. You can find them along the corners where impacts usually happen and extends to the sides. It's made up of a non-Newtonian polymer with an intelligent molecular structure. Those molecules are free-moving when there’s no impact. But when there is, they all ‘freeze up’ together to absorb the impact force and spread the shockwave to the surface. By doing that, they help keep your device in tiptop condition. The technology used in D3O is widely used in protection gears like helmets for military use worldwide. That should give you an idea on how strong it actually is.
Back to the cases, Tech21’s Impactology cases has now reached our shores courtesy of Digits Trading. They currently have cases for the iPhone 5, iPad mini, and the Samsung Galaxy S4.
iPhone 5
Impact Maze – P1,250
Impact Shell – P1,250
Impact Band – P1,200
Impact Snap w/ Cover – P1,450
Special Ops Patrol – P2,200
iPad Mini
Impact Mesh – P1,250
Impact Snap w/ Cover – P1,650
Impact Folio Leather – P1,850
Samsung Galaxy S4
Impact Snap w/ Cover – P1,450
Impact Shell – P1,250
Impact Snap – P950
You can buy one of of Tech21 cases at the following stores: Astroplus, Astrovision, Beyond the Box, Banana Telecom, Complink, DigiHub, Digital Arena, Digital Hub, Digital Walker, E-Central, Games and Gadgets, Graphic All In, iCon, iGig, iStore, iStudio,, Microstation, Mobile 1, R.O.X., Senco Link, Switch, Technoholics, The Inbox Store, Vertex.
And, also…
Tech21 Impact Shell + LED notification light = AWESOME
In the Samsung Premiere event at London earlier, Samsung’s DJ Lee announced their first Windows 8 and Android hybrid tablet yet. the Samsung ATIV Q.
The ATIV Q, first of all, is by no means a laptop. Instead, it is a tablet with an integrated portable keyboard which you slide out when you need to use it. Aside from that, it can also has what they call the floating mode in which the display floats up in the air with the hinge supporting it, and the stand mode wherein the display is flipped to the back for functions like watching movies and presentations.
The highlight of the ATIV Q is the fact that it can run both Windows 8 and Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean at the same time. From what I’ve seen in various hands-on videos, it looks like the Android part is being emulated on top of Windows using some special virtualization software.
Despite that, though, the Android experience seems to be smooth thanks to the powerful 4th-generation Intel Core i5 processor along with the 4GB RAM. Samsung also says that users will be able to seamlessly share files between the two OS’s. For example, you can take a photo stored in your Windows hard drive and share it with Instagram on Android. Apart from that, apparently, you can also pin Android apps on the Windows Start screen. There is all a full access to the Google Play Store, which means you will be able to download and use many of the Android apps that you’ve always loved.
The ATIV Q sports a 13.3-inch screen with a 170-degree viewing angle, with a monstrous 3,200x1,800 qHD+ resolution at 275ppi, and a 128GB SSD. It has a single USB 3 port, another one for USB 2, an HDMI port, a headphone and microphone combo, a microSD card slot, an RJ45 dongle for Ethernet connectivity, and the S Pen. The battery is rated at 9-hours, which is not bad when you consider what’s packaged in this device. It weighs 1.29kg and has a thickness of 13.9mm including the keyboard.
Samsung ATIV Q Specifications and Features
13.3-inch 3,200x1,800 resolution at 275ppi
170-degree viewing angle
Intel Core i5 (4th-generation)
Intel HD Graphics 4400
4GB DDR3L RAM
128GB SSD
720p HD camera
Up to 9 hours battery life
L/W/H - 327.0x217.8x13.9mm
1.29kg
1xUSB3.0, 1xUSB2.0, HDMI,RJ45 (dongle), headphone/microphone combo, micro SD
Overall, I kind of like the ATIV Q. It is mobile enough to be used as a tablet and it has a keyboard which you can use for work. I’m also hoping that this will have LTE support too. What we need to know now is the pricing and availability, which Samsung hasn’t announced yet.
Calling all the owners of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 2! An anonymous source has just tipped us on an upcoming and anticipated update for the Galaxy Note 2.
In a screenshot of what seems to be an internal document from a carrier, it is revealed that the Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean ‘Plus’ update for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 LTE (for this carrier, at least) is expected to be approved on July 22, followed by the general release on August 8. The document says that the carrier is awaiting the submission of the update from Samsung, which is expected on July 8.
Now this is what’s interesting. International and unlocked models from Samsung normally receive updates well ahead of time than those being offered by big-name carriers like AT&T, Vodafone, and many others. If we are to follow this leaked document, it is possible that unlocked Samsung Galaxy Note 2 models will get the Android 4.2.2 update in July.
The document also reveals that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will get the same Jelly Bean ‘Plus’ update at the same timeframe. There was no mention of any schedule for the Galaxy S3, however.
HTC has just announced the HTC Butterfly S, a refreshed version of the last year’s model.
Design-wise, the Butterfly S looks almost identical as the previous-generation Butterfly, sans for the additional loudspeaker on the front. It packs a 5-inch 1080p Super LCD 3 screen, a 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor (the HTC One has the same chip clocked at 1.7GHz), 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage with microSD support, the same UltraPixel camera, IR blaster, and a ginormous 3200mAh battery. Unlike the HTC One, it does not come with LTE connectivity. It runs on Android Jelly Bean with the HTC Sense 5 coating on top.
HTC Butterfly S Specifications and Features
5-inch 1080p Super Clear LCD 3 display at 440ppi
4 UltraPixel camera with f/2.0 lens
1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor
2GB RAM
16GB storage, with microSD card slot up to 64GB
3,200mAh battery
3G / HSPA+ - 850/900/1900/2100MHz
HTC Zoe
IR Blaster with Sense TV
Android Jelly Bean OS
HTC says the Butterfly S will be available in select markets in Asia starting in July. The company is not yet sure if the device will reach Europe, Middle East, Africa, and other markets but they have confirmed that it will not be coming to North America as no carriers has decided to carry it — not surprising since it doesn’t have LTE. It will be available in red, white, black, and grey flavors.
Do you want to join the LTE bandwagon but are not sure of which device to get and where? Well, it looks like Globe has the answer to that question.
A press release from Globe took us by surprise which states that they currently have the most number of available LTE smartphones in the Philippines as of yet. The recent additions to that lineup includes the HTC One, which by the way I’m currently reviewing (watch out for that!), the Nokia Lumia 820, the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, and the HTC One SV.
Android users are guaranteed of the most number of devices from Globe with its most affordable offer for the Samsung Galaxy S4 LTE at P1,599 monthly under Plan 999 with P600 monthly cashout.
Globe also sealed an exclusivity deal to be the lone carrier of the new HTC One, touted as one of the best Android smartphones in the world, available at P1,699 monthly under Plan 999 with a monthly cashout of P700.
The HTC One SV and Nokia Lumia 820 are being offered at the higher Plan 1799 monthly without cashout. Oddly enough, the Samsung Galaxy Note II LTE, another Globe-exclusive device, is available at P2,199 monthly under Plan 1799 with a P400 monthly cashout.
The HTC One SV sports a 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor, supports lightning-fast LTE speeds, along with an all-day battery life, amazing camera, Beats Audio, and an ultra-sleek design that complements its breathtaking speed.
Dubbed as the most versatile Lumia, the Nokia Lumia 820 boasts of an 8.7 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss lens, 4.3-inch ClearBlack display, and removable wireless charging shells and matching headsets in vibrant colors.
The Samsung Galaxy Note II LTE features a 5.5-inch large HD display, 1.6GHz Exynos quad-core processor, and 2GB RAM.
That brings the total number of LTE smartphones being offered by Globe to 9 — seven of which are exclusive to them. This advantage should be attributed to their decision to go for the 1800MHz LTE frequency which is widely used across many countries in Europe and Asia and the fact that more device manufacturers support the said LTE frequency.
Smart is holding a one-time-only sale tomorrow at select Smart Stores wherein you can get some really nice smartphones at very nice prices.
The most thing people would probably line up for tomorrow is the 64GB iPhone 4S, which will only sell for P10,900. Wait, why did you said on the title that it’s P11,150? Well, it’s because you should get a Freedom Plan first before you can buy any of the phones on sale. A Freedom Plan SIM card costs P250 and you should bring at least one valid ID.
Other interesting picks from the list include the Samsung Galaxy S II which only goes for P6,600, the 8GB iPhone 3GS for P4,900, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus for P5,600 (not the one in the poster), the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for P7,400, the Nokia N9 for P6,500, and the Nokia N8 for P5,000. Again, the prices are exclusive of the P250 fee for the Freedom Plan.
The sale will be available at and only at the following locations: Araneta Gateway Mall, Robinson’s Galleria, SM Baguio, SM Pampanga, SM Dasmariñas, SM Cebu, and Gaisano Mall Davao.
Other available devices:
For Robinson’s Galleria and Araneta Gateway Mall
Sony Ericsson Xperia X10i – P6,000
Samsung Galaxy Tab (first generation) – P5,300
Nokia N8 – P5,000
Dell Streak 5 – P3,750
Nokia E72 – P4,300
HTC Evo 3D – P8,150
Samsung Galaxy Nexus – P7,400
Samsung Galaxy S II – P6,600
For All Venues
Nokia N9 – P6,500
Nokia E7 – P6,200
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 – P5,600
iPhone 3GS – P4,900
Nokia C7 – P4,150
Nokia C3-01 – P2,150
Samsung Corby II – P1,300
Nokia 2730C – P1,250
iPhone 4S 64GB – P10,900
LG Optimus L3 – P4,099
Samsung Galaxy Y – P4,199
Lenovo A690 – P3,899
Huawei Y300 – P4,599
Alcatel Inspire 2 – P3,699
Huawei Y210 – P3,199
Samsung E2232 – P1,350
Apple just announced the iOS 7 today at the WWDC 2013.
The iOS 7 features a whole new user interface and a slew of newly added and updated features. The new and updated features include the Control Center, Notification Center, Multitasking, Camera, Photos, AirDrop, Safari, iTunes Radio, and Siri.
Let me get some good night sleep now and for the meantime, take a more in depth look at the iOS 7 images below. You’ll appreciate them better this way.
Western Digital recently announced the WD Blue at Computex Taipei 2013. The 1-terabyte hard drive, which measures just 7mm in height, is now the thinnest ever.
The reduced thickness of the hard drive allows laptop OEMs and manufactures to build products with thinner and lighter profile without sacrificing the storage capacity. The WD Blue is also compatible with the 9.5mm hard drive slots found on most of laptops today.
"Users with large portfolios of content no longer need to sacrifice capacity when buying an Ultrabook or upgrading to a thin and light notebook. This most compact 1TB hard drive to-date offers manufacturers of systems an upsell path for their customers who will now be able to choose systems offering both sleek design and high capacity," said Matt Rutledge, Vice President and General Manager for client storage products at Western Digital.
In spite of its thinner profile, the WD Blue has still managed to include several features which make it compelling to the consumers as well as OEMs.
· Shock Tolerance – WD’s ShockGuard™ technology protects the drive mechanics and platter surfaces from shocks.
· Cool and quiet - WD’s exclusive WhisperDrive™ technology enables quiet performance.
· StableTrac™ – The motor shaft is secured at both ends to compensate for system-induced vibration and stabilize platters for accurate tracking during read and write operations which enables consistently higher performance.
· Dual Stage Actuators – Leveraged from enterprise-class drives, dual stage actuators utilize two actuators to improve positional accuracy over the data track(s). The primary actuator provides coarse displacement using conventional electromagnetic actuator principles. The secondary actuator uses piezoelectric motion to fine tune the head positioning to a higher degree of accuracy.
· Reliable – WD’s SecurePark™ parks the recording heads off the disk surface during spin up, spin down, and when the drive is off. This ensures the recording head never touches the disk surface resulting in improved long term reliability due to less head wear, and improved non-operational shock tolerance.
· Compatibility Tested - WD performs tests on hundreds of systems and a multitude of platforms in its FIT Lab™ and Mobile Compatibility Lab to give customers confidence that drives will work in specific systems.
The WD Blue 2.5-inch mobile hard drive comes in capacities ranging from 320GB up to 1TB. It looks like only the 1TB model is making its way here in the Philippines though, with it having a pricing tag of P6,990.
Samsung is going big. Their phones are likewise getting bigger too. What do they do next? Well, launch a bigger store!
Samsung Experience Store
Last Friday, Samsung opened the first and only Samsung Experience Store in the Philippines at the newly-opened SM Aura. The Samsung Experience Store is the company’s largest retail stores in different countries like Hong Kong and Singapore.
The Samsung Experience Store offers you a superb customer service experience and first-hand experience of different products by Samsung — be it a laptop or computer, a camera, a tablet, or a phone. You will also find a vast selection of accessories for your Samsung products at the store. Simply put, this is the place for all things Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy Mega
Aside from launching the new store, Samsung also launched the two new Galaxy devices in the country, the Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 and the Galaxy Mega 5.8.
The LTE-touting Galaxy Mega 6.3 takes the phablet game to the next level. It has an enormous 6.3-inch Super Clear LCD screen with a 1280x720 HD resolution. It is already large enough for you to consider this a ‘very small’ tablet.
It packs a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 dual-core processor, a 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB storage with microSD support, an 8 Megapixels main camera. a 1.9 Megapixel on the front, and runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean with Samsung’s new TouchWiz UI. It is being powered by a 3,200mAh battery.
The Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 will have a retail price of P23,990.
Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 GT-I9205 Specifications and Features
6.3-inch HD Super Clear LCD display with 1280x720 resolution at 204 ppi
1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 dual-core processor
8 Megapixels autofocus camera with LED flash
1.9 Megapixels front-facing camera
16GB mass memory, expandable by 64GB using microSD card slot
1.5GB RAM
3,200mAh battery
GSM / HSPA+ / LTE
Bluetooth 4.0
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Infrared
Gyroscope
Compass
Accelerometer
Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean OS
The Mega 6.3’s smaller brother, the Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8, also made its way here in the country. It sports a 5.8-inch qHD TFT display, a 1.4GHz Broadcom dual-core processor, 1.5GB RAM, an 8 Megapixels main camera as well as a 1.9 Megapixel front-facing one. The internal storage in this device is reduced to 8GB, but still comes with a microSD support. The battery is rated at 2,600mAh.
The Mega 5.8 further differs from its bigger brother in terms of connectivity. The Mega 5.8 supports dual-SIM but does not come with LTE support. Feature-wise, it’s the same with the Mega 6.3 which packs almost all the features Samsung has packed into the Galaxy S4 such as the Air View, S Travel, Drama Shot, Multi-Window, and more.
The Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 comes with a price tag of P18,990.
Samsung Galaxy Mega 5.8 GT-I9152 Specifications and Features
5.8-inch qHD TFT LCD display with 960x540 resolution at 189 ppi
1.4GHz Broadcom BCM28155T dual-core processor
8 Megapixels autofocus camera with LED flash
1.9 Megapixels front-facing camera
Full 1080p HD video capture at 30fps
8GB mass memory, expandable by 64GB using microSD card slot
1.5GB RAM
2,600mAh battery
GSM / HSPA+
Bluetooth 4.0
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
Infrared
Gyroscope
Compass
Accelerometer
Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean OS
Weeks before their upcoming event on June 20, Samsung announces the ruggedized version of it’s flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active packs almost exactly the same specifications as the original Galaxy S4. It has a 5-inch full HD 1080p display, albeit this time it’s of the TFT LCD type and not AMOLED. It is being powered by the 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor along with a 2GB of RAM, 16 to 64GB of storage, 2,600mAh battery, LTE, and runs on Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean.
What sets the Galaxy S4 Active from its original brother is that it’s water and dust-resistant. Samsung says it is IP67-certified which means it is fine for it to be exposed on dusty environments as well as for water immersion of up to 1 meter for a 30-minute duration. It also has an 8 Megapixels main camera instead of 13. The camera app has a new Aqua Mode too, which tells me maybe you can actually use the screen underwater.
Being ruggedized means the company has to redo its design. It now sports three physical buttons on the front instead of the usual two-capacitive-plus-one-physical combo before. The physical dimensions have also changed — it’s 1.2mm thicker, 1.5mm wider, 3.1mm taller, and 21g heavier than the S4, perhaps due to the more metallic build.
The Galaxy S4 Active will launch this summer and will come in three different colors: Urban Grey, Dive Blue, and Orange Flare. The pricing should be just in line with the original Galaxy S4.
In a bid to attract more customers and market-share in the 7-inch tablet category, ASUS comes up with its own MeMO Pad HD 7.
The Android 4.2 Jelly Bean-touting ASUS MeMO Pad HD 7 seems to be competing with Google’s Nexus 7, which happens to be made by them too. It sports a 7-inch IPS display with a 1280x800 resolution, a huge improvement over the display of the first MeMO Pad. Powering the tablet is a quad-core processor coupled with a 1GB of RAM.
The MeMO Pad HD 7 features ASUS’ own SonicMaster audio technology to deliver a richer and more enhanced sound output. What sets it apart from the Nexus 7 is the camera. Unlike the Nexus 7 which only has a camera on the front, the MeMO Pad HD 7 packs two — a 1.2 Megapixel on the front and a 5 Megapixels main shooter on the rear.
While the exact capacity wasn’t mentioned, ASUS says the MeMO Pad HD 7 can last up to 10 hours of 720p HD video playback, which is quite impressive considering this is just an entry-level tablet (based on the price).
Speaking of the pricing, the company says the MeMO Pad HD 7 will retail for just $129 for the 8GB model and $149 for the 16GB model. It will be available in emerging markets starting on July.
Lenovo announced today in their media event the launch of the IdeaPad Yoga 11S, an 11-inch multimode Windows 8 transformer laptop, and several other Windows 8-powered devices such as the IdeaPad S210 Touch, Z400 Touch, S400 Touch, IdeaCentre B540, and the C440 desktop.
"We are continuing to develop the Yoga franchise with the IdeaPad Yoga 11s, another unique flip and fold, multi-mode convertible which crystallizes our commitment of continued innovation with Windows. Alongside the IdeaPad Yoga 11s, we are introducing our latest range of touch-enabled devices that will create and define a new computing experience for our consumers. The advancements in touch optimization and processing power make today the right time for these new form factors to take off and gain rapid adoption. They will empower the Doers of today to work and play with digital content like never before," Vicky Agorrilla, General Manager of Lenovo Philippines said.
IdeaPad Yoga 11S
The IdeaPad Yoga 11S gives its users options on how they would like to use the device, be it on the ‘tent or stand mode’ for watching movies and browsing through the photo gallery, a touchscreen tablet for using Windows 8 apps, or as a laptop with the full-fledged keyboard and track pad for productivity.
The IdeaPad Yoga 11S is equipped with the 3rd-generation Intel Core i3 processor, providing the users a full Windows experience. This means you can run your legacy desktop software like Adobe Photoshop, Firefox, and such. It comes with an 11.6-inch HD IPS 10-point multitouch display with wide-viewing angle and a motion-based feature aptly called the Motion Control which lets you glide your hands over the screen to interact with it.
IdeaPad S210 Touch, Z400 Touch, and S400 Touch
Lenovo also announced the IdeaPad S210 Touch, Z400 Touch and S400 Touch which offer consumers great multimedia experience: music, movies, email, and video, among other features.
The IdeaPad S210 Touch packs a 4GB RAM, 500GB storage, and a Unified Memory Architecture GPU which enhances the laptop’s processing speed. Its 10-point multi-touch feature is user-friendly and optimizes efficiency through reduced response time.
Also having a multitouch screen, the IdeaPad Z400 and S400 are both optimized for Windows 8's touch-centric user interface, and come with up to 3rd-generation Intel Core i5 processors. They both feature a 14-inch HD display, as well as VeriFace, a face recognition technology for log-in security and OneKey Rescue System for easy backup and recovery of your data.
IdeaCentre B540 and C440 desktop
In addition, the company launched the IdeaCentre B540, offering an all-in-one entertainment experience from a desktop that merges slim, modern design with state-of-the-art multimedia features.
It boasts of the same multitouch screen for users to interact on, an HD webcam, Blu-ray RAMBO drive, HDMI out, USB 3 ports, and internal power adapter for tidier cable management and easy access to internal components for simple upgrades.
The Lenovo C440 desktop, meanwhile, is sleek, responsive and space-saving with its 21.5-inch display which takes little space on the desk. It offers HD graphics support, a RAMBO drive, stereo speakers with Dolby Advanced Audio v2, a 6-in-1 card reader, optional HDMI out, and advanced webcam software that tracks and auto-zooms on faces, enhances pictures, and adds cartoon effects to make the webcam experience more fun and interactive.
The IdeaCentre B540 and IdeaPad Z400 Touch are now available in Lenovo Exclusive Stores nationwide. The B540 retails for P54,900, and the IdeaPad Z400 Touch for P35,995 for the Intel Core i3 model and P39,995 for the i5 model.
The IdeaPad Yoga 11S and Lenovo C440, which will be available in Pentium Dual-Core Processor (PDC) and Intel Core i3 models, will be hitting LES by second and third week of June respectively. The IdeaPad Yoga 11S will retail for P44,995 while the Lenovo C440 will cost P31,990 for the PDC model and P37,990 for the i3 model.
The IdeaPad S400 Touch, with the i3 processor and i5 processor options, will be available for P27,995 and P32,995 respectively in mid-June.
The IdeaPad S210 Touch will soon be available with pricing that starts P21,995.
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