Samsung gets serious with the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge

I was privileged to have been invited to Samsung’s announcement of their next flagship Galaxy S smartphones – yes, with an ‘s’! – in Manila last Monday (Sunday in Barcelona, Spain). Of course, being the geeky person that I am, I attended the media event (who wouldn’t want to see their new smartphones in person on day one?).

I’m going to skip all the introduction and delve right in to the important stuff.

This year, there are not one, but two flagship Galaxy smartphones announced by Samsung – one being the ordinary Galaxy S6 and the other being the Galaxy S6 Edge. Both models share almost exactly the same specifications and features. The Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge packs a new metal and glass design combo, which is a radical change from previous flagships from Samsung.

The only difference between the two is that the S6 Edge features a display with a curve on both sides (as opposed to the Note Edge, which only had its curvature on the right). The only other minor difference lies in the battery – the S6 Edge has a 2600mAh battery while the ordinary S6 has a slightly lesser 2550mAh, both are non-removable… but, we’ll talk more about that later.

Both Galaxy S6 models sport a 5.1-inch QHD (2560x1440) screen with a pixel density of 577ppi. That’s 77% more pixels than that of the S5. Ticking inside is a 64-bit Samsung Exynos octa-core processor which Samsung says is 20% faster and 35% more energy-efficient than the Note 4’s processor.

And speaking of power-efficiency, it is said that the Galaxy S6 smartphones has this Quick Charge feature that will give you 4-hours of usage with just a 10-minute charge. That in itself is insane! Now you probably know why Samsung opted to forgo the replaceable battery its users liked in previous Galaxy S smartphones. Oh, and Samsung’s built wireless charging right in. No more need for replacement covers! (But you’d still need a wireless charging plate)

When it comes to camera, the Galaxy S6 smartphones have a 16-megapixel camera while gaining optical image stabilization (OIS), an f1.9 aperture to handle low-light photos and videos better, and tracking auto-focus (AF). Its front-facing camera is a 5-megapixel sensor with the same f1.9 aperture. While I haven’t had the chance to try its camera at the event, I’ve seen some sample shots on the web and those really impress. I cannot wait to try out the camera on the Galaxy S6.

So when can you get your dibs on the new Galaxy S6 smartphones?

Samsung says the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge will be available starting on April 10th across 20 countries. Whether or not the Philippines is included on the first wave of launch, we don’t know just yet. The Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge will both be offered by Smart and Globe.

Read More

Globe rolls out prepaid LTE SIM cards

Hello to all my readers. I’ve been quite busy in the past few months and didn’t post anything new since September. But there’s this news that I think is worth posting.

So, Globe just announced that prepaid LTE SIM cards are now (finally) available. And we’re not talking about the Tattoo Prepaid LTE SIM cards that were out since September 2012 – what they have now is the LTE SIM cards for Globe Prepaid accounts.

The Globe Prepaid LTE SIM cards will come in dual-cut (mini and micro) and nano sizes. The dual-cut ones cost P40 while the nano ones are P75. For those who don’t want to let go of their phone numbers, you can have your SIM replaced with an LTE one at Globe Stores.

You’d need a Globe Prepaid LTE SIM card if you have an LTE device such as an iPhone (5/5c/5s/6/6 Plus), Samsung Galaxy (S5/S4) or other smartphones that support LTE.

For more info, check out their website.

Read More

Nokia Lumia 530 Dual SIM lands for P4,990

Nokia’s (now Microsoft Mobile) most affordable Windows Phone device to date, the Lumia 530 Dual SIM, has been released in the Philippines. The Lumia 530 features a 4-inch LCD display, 4Gb storage, a 5-megapixel camera, and comes with the latest features of the Windows Phone 8.1 and Lumia Cyan such as the Word Flow keyboard and Action Center.

If you think the internal memory is a little low, fret not. You can insert a microSD card (up to 128Gb) and install apps from the Windows Store right there.

“With high end apps, features and exceptional build quality at an amazing price, the Lumia 530 DS sets the benchmark for affordable smartphones,” said Karel Holub, General Manager, Philippines, Microsoft Mobile Devices Sales. ”The Lumia 530 DS demonstrates our focus on welcoming more people to the Windows Phone ecosystem with amazing devices that light up Microsoft’s digital work and life experiences. By building on the momentum of the successful Lumia 520, the Lumia 530 DS will help us deliver an uncompromised smartphone experience to more customers than ever before.”

The Nokia Lumia 530 Dual SIM will be available in orange, green, grey, and white. It will retail for P4,990.

Nokia Lumia 530 Features and Specifications
4-inch LCD display with FWVGA (854x480) resolution @ 246ppi
1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 quad-core processor
512Mb RAM
4Gb internal storage, up to 128Gb microSD card slot
5-megapixel camera
3G/HSPA+ (21Mbps) - 900/2100MHz
2G - 850/900/1800/1900MHz
Bluetooth 4.0
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
Dual SIM
1430mAh battery capacity
Windows Phone 8.1 OS with Lumia Cyan update

Read More

Samsung announces the Galaxy Note Edge

Samsung has just revealed the Galaxy Note Edge at the IFA 2014 in Berlin. The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge features a curved edge screen that was demoed by the Korean company in the past.

Samsung Galaxy Note Edge Features and Specifications
5.6-inch Quad HD (2560x1440) Super AMOLED display
2.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core processor
3GB RAM
32/64GB internal memory
Up to 64GB microSD card slot
16-megapixel main camera with Smart OIS
3.7-megapixel front-facing camera with f1.9 aperture
4G LTE Category 6 connectivity (300/50Mbps)
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
USB 2.0
3000mAh battery with Quick Charge 2.0
Android 4.4.4 KitKat

Read More

Samsung’s first metal smartphone is arriving in the Philippines

The first Samsung smartphone to pack a metal body is soon arriving in the Philippines. We recently spotted the Samsung Galaxy Alpha with model number SM-G850F over SamMobile’s firmware listing website.

According to the initial firmware available, it is possible that the Galaxy Alpha will only be available unlocked at retail stores.

The Samsung Galaxy Alpha was announced in August, and is the first Galaxy smartphone to sport a metal body. It features a 4.7-inch HD Super AMOLED display, a 2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 16 or 32GB of internal storage, and a 1860mAh battery. There is no microSD card slot available, unfortunately. It runs the latest Android 4.4.4 KitKat OS.

The Galaxy Alpha supports Category 6 LTE connections, which has a spec of up to 300Mbps. That makes it one of the first LTE-Advanced smartphones to be launched in the Philippines when it hits the shelves.

Source: SamMobile

Read More

Digital technologies for education highlight DigiTech Manila confab

The first ever DigiTech Manila Conference and Expo, slated on Sept. 19 and 20, at the SMX Convention Center, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City, will feature the various facets in digital technology for children, schools, libraries, and for the ICT industry. Digital learning enthusiasts are invited to take advantage and update themselves on gadgets, high-tech services, and new developments that will give new perspectives on how people generally learn, teach, and live in this modern day.

DigiTech is highlighted by two conferences: the National Conference on Technology in Education, and PEPCon: The 1^st Philippine Educational Publisher’s Congress.  Both events will gather digital technology leaders, experts and practitioners in education, as well as provide a venue for school administrators, educators, teachers, students, librarians, publishers, researchers, content providers, software and hardware suppliers, app and web developers to interact, discuss and work together to promote current informative, innovative and creative teaching and learning technologies.

Speakers at the two conferences include former Education Undersecretary Dr. Isagani Cruz; professor, columnist, and author Dr. Queena Lee-Chua; Supreme Court library director Milagros Santos-Ong; associate professor and principal of the University of the Philippines Cebu High School, Dr. Aurelio Vilbar; Brian Aljer Coballes of the Ateneo de Manila High School-Educational Media Center, Victoria Tinio of Fit-Ed, Mylene Abiva of Felta Multi-Media, Inc., Dexter Andrada, chief technopreneur of Mite Asia, Apple Distinguished educator Galvin Ngo; Jansen Mayor of Millenium Challenge Account-Philippines, Jose Ma. Policarpio of Digilearn Multimedia, UP professor Dr. Milagros Laurel, Ireneo Demecias Jr of Ayala Foundation’s Text to Teach, DIgi Ann C. Castillo of World Vision; and Tan Lee Hong of Cengage Learning Asia Pte. Ltd.

DigiTech Manila Conference and Expo is part of the biggest and longest running book fair in the country, the Manila International Book Fair, set on Sept. 17 to 21. Another event taking place is the Best of Anime where otakus, Japanophiles, and cosplayers gather for two days to experience otaku culture.  For details, call 896-0661 or 896-0682, or e-mail info@primetradeasia.com.

Read More

Xiaomi to sell Mi 5200mAh and 10400mAh power banks on August 29

Xiaomi, the Chinese tech company that makes and sells affordable smartphones and other devices at affordable prices, will soon make their popular Mi power banks available in the Philippines.

The Mi power banks, which comes in 5200mAh and 10400mAh variants, comes with high-quality battery cells either from LG or Samsung. The sleek power banks sports an aluminum casing making them look sleek and minimalistic.

The company promises 2.5x full charges for the Mi 3, 4.5x on the iPhone 5s, and 1.5x on the iPad mini. On the other hand, the 5200mAh variant can full charge a Mi 3 a single time, or charge an iPhone 5s up to two times. The Mi batteries is equipped with Texas Instruments chips which protects it from overcharging, short-circuits, overvoltages, and overcurrents.

The kicker here is that the 10400mAh and 5200mAh Mi power banks will only set you back P645 and P445 respectively. You can purchase your own Mi power bank from Lazada. Click here to buy the 10400mAh variant or here for the 5200mAh variant. These will go on sale at exactly 12 noon on August 29.

Read More

Google Play carrier billing comes to Globe

At the first day of Globe Telecom’s Digital Lifestyle Expo at the SM Megamall, the company announced that carrier billing for the Google Play Store is finally coming. With carrier billing, anyone using an Android smartphone on Globe will now be able to buy apps, games, and even rent or purchase movies and have it paid thru their plan or deducted from their prepaid credits – no more credit, debit, or prepaid cards needed. Getting more in-game coins on various titles is now also possible.

Globe’s Peter Bithos says this feature has been in the works for quite some time now. A hint of what’s coming appeared early last year on the Play Store, only to leave users waiting.

Read More

iPhone 6 cases are already available in the Philippines

Just one of the many signs that Apple’s next smartphone, the iPhone 6, is already around the corner is this case that’s already available in Manila. The case seems to be for the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 model as it’s only a tad bigger than the iPhone 5s.

The case is remarkable slimmer, and bears the same rounded edges found on the iPod touch and iPad. The lock button has been moved to the right side so as to not make it hard for users to reach the button when locking and unlocking the phone. The bottom has lost the symmetrical pair of speaker grilles.

If all of the leaks turn out to be true, then we might see a very slim, and bigger iPhone this September 9.

Read More

Globe is now unlocking out-of-contract iPhones

Good news to owners of Globe-issued iPhones. Globe is now offering official iPhone unlocks for eligible customers. Unlocking an iPhone allows the user to use a SIM card from another network and could be particularly useful if travelling abroad, or if the user decides to give or sell the device.

To be eligible, the device must be out of contract and that you still have an active account with Globe. The account owner where the device was originally tagged must be the one who initiate an unlock request.

Customers who need to unlock their iPhone should get in touch with Globe thru their hotline (730-1000 or 211) or live chat representatives. If eligible, a customer will be given a reference number for the unlock request and will have to wait for 5 days. Samsung devices are also supported.

We were not immediately able to verify if prepaid iPhone and Samsung devices purchased from Globe can be unlocked as well. We’ll post an update if we get more info.

Source: Globe Community Forums

Read More

Samsung Galaxy K Zoom lands for P24,990

It’s not the Galaxy S5 Zoom. It seems as if Samsung doesn’t want to pollute the name of their flagship smartphone. And so they called the successor to the Galaxy S4 Zoom the Galaxy K Zoom.

The Samsung Galaxy K Zoom follows the same principle as its predecessor. It’s a smartphone with a bulging camera sensor at the back, which makes it a viable replacement for point-and-shoots. It sports a 20.7MP BSI CMOS sensor with Xenon flash, optical image stabilization (OIS) and, as you would expect, a 10X optical zoom. The Korean manufacturer has managed to cram all that in a 16.6mm body.

The K Zoom’s camera can now do focus (AF) and exposure (AE) separation, a feature that allows its user to focus and expose an image on different subjects. There’s also a Pro Suggest mode which offers different live ‘films’ which are quite like photo filters.

Some of the features from the Galaxy S5 also made their way to the K Zoom. Among those is the S Health Lite application for fitness and health tracking and the Ultra Power Saving Mode which lets you get the most out of your remaining battery juice.

The Samsung Galaxy K Zoom with LTE capability is already available in the Philippines for P24,990.

Read More

Nokia Lumia 630 Dual SIM goes on sale

Android-powered Nokia XL now also available at retail stores.

Microsoft Mobile’s (formerly Nokia) first Windows Phone 8.1-powered smartphone, the Nokia Lumia 630 Dual SIM, is now finally on sale in the Philippines. It was officially launched in the country a couple weeks ago. Featuring a dual SIM capability, a first in a Windows Phone handset, the Lumia 630 caters to people who need to maintain to phone lines for different reasons. Such feature was only found in Nokia’s feature phones before, and it’s good to at last see it on Microsoft’s platform.

Aside from being dual SIM-friendly, the Lumia 630 also sports a 4.5-inch FWVGA (854x480) display with on-screen navigation keys, another first for both the platform and phone maker. Under the hood, there’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 quad-core CPU, 512MB of RAM, 8GB of storage which you can expand by another 128GB with a microSD, a 1800mAh battery, and 3G support for both SIM cards. There’s a 5-megapixel shooter at the back, while there’s nothing at the front.

The Nokia Lumia 630 Dual SIM will come in green, orange, yellow, white, or black and will retail for P7,990.

The Android-running Nokia XL has just been also made available today. It features a large 5-inch display albeit with a low WVGA (800x480) resolution, a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core CPU, 768MB of RAM, 4GB of storage which is expandable with another 32GB thru microSD, a 5-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash, 2-megapixel front-facing camera, and 2000mAh battery. It retails for P8,990.

Read More

Globe to offer 15GB of data for P2,499 on new GoSurf plans; P2 per MB overage

Starting next week, Globe will replace its PowerSurf postpaid and prepaid data plans with the new GoSurf data plans. This comes after their fair usage policy generated negative reactions from their subscribers, mostly from those who are on contracts.

The previously-unlimited P999 monthly plan will now only give you 5GB of data, with a P2 per-MB overage charge when you exceed of allocation. Those wanting to get more amount of data may get the pricier 10GB plan at P1,799, or the 15GB plan at P2,499. Below is the table for the complete matrix of the new GoSurf plans.

Price	Data Allowance	Anti-Bill Shock Cap
P99	100MB	P1,500
P299	700MB	P1,500
P499	1.5GB	P1,500
P799	3GB	P1,500
P999	5GB	P1,500
P1,799	10GB	P3,000
P2,499	15GB	P3,000

As you may have expected, when it comes to this type of data plan with a per-MB overage charge, Globe will implement anti-bill shock measures as well. Plans P999 and below will have an amount cap of P1,500 while Plans P1,799 and P2,499 have an amount cap of P3,000. These measures are there to prevent subscribers from racking up huge amount of bills from excessive data usage. Lastly, GoSurf plans, being a volume-based plan, are exempt from the fair usage policy also known as FUP.

The GoSurf data plans will be available for prepaid and postpaid starting April 13. Registration is done by texting GOSURFxxx (e.g. GOSURF999) to 8888.

Read More

Samsung Galaxy S5 arriving on April 11 for P34,990; also coming to Smart and Globe

If there’s one smartphone manufacturer who’s a master in releasing flagship devices globally in one fell swoop, it would be Samsung. Almost every year since the Galaxy S3, the Korean company has been announcing and shipping their flagship smartphone in span of weeks across many countries all at the same time. The Galaxy S5 is no exception.

Come April 11, the Samsung Galaxy S5 will be released and made available at retail stores in the Philippines for P34,990. In addition to being available unlocked, the Galaxy S5 will be offered by carriers Smart and Globe on their postpaid plans.

Smart is offering the Galaxy S5 at Plan 999 with P800 monthly payment for a total of P1,799 a month for 24 months. That comes with unlimited LTE data, 9 minutes, and 99 texts to all networks. You can also get it at Unlimited Data Plan 2000 for free on a 30-month contract, which includes 150 minutes and 200 texts to all networks.

The Galaxy S5 is also available on Globe for P1,699 a month at Plan 999 with P600 monthly payment and comes with 5GB of LTE data, 5 minutes, and 100 texts to all networks. It’s also offered for P1,799 a month at Plan 1299 with P500 month payment which comes with 25 minutes, 500 texts to all networks, and the same amount of LTE data.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 sports a couple of new features that you may like. Among those is the upgraded 16-megapixel camera which can now focus at a subject in just 0.3 seconds. It now also has an advanced HDR that makes photos under conditions with intense lighting more natural, such as when you’re taking a photo of the horizon with the sky. It now also does ‘bokeh’ shots with the Selective Focus feature.

Another interesting and useful (hopefully) thing on the Galaxy S5 is the Download Booster. What it does is it combines your Wi-Fi and LTE connection, if present, so you can get faster download speeds on your phone. Of course, this would depend on how fast your carrier’s LTE network and the active Wi-Fi network is.

The Galaxy S5 comes with a built-in heart rate sensor, located below the main camera. This would be helpful if you want to quickly check your heart rate (in bpm) say after a quick run. You can access it within the improved S Health application, which can now track your steps taken with a pedometer.

Samsung also made the Galaxy S5 more life-proof. It now carries an IP67-certification, which means it can resist water and dust under certain conditions. Yes, it also means the microUSB port is covered. And perhaps the most interesting feature of the Galaxy S5 is the Ultra Power Saving Mode. With that turned on, the phone can last up to 12.5 days. That’s quite a feat considering we’re talking about a smartphone. How can they do that? It turns off most of the unnecessary features and makes the display black-and-white only to conserve power. Also, as long as the Ultra Power Save Mode is active, you will be limited to some stock apps only such as phone, messaging, browser, calculator, etc.

 

Samsung Galaxy S5 Specifications and Features
5.1-inch full HD (1920x1080) Super AMOLED display @ 432ppi
2.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor
2GB RAM
16/32GB internal storage with microSD card slot up to 128GB
16-megapixel main camera, 2-megapixel front camera
IP67 water and dust resistant
LTE Category 4
Bluetooth 4 LE
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac with MIMO
USB 3
NFC
Infrared remote
Fingerprint Sensor
Heart rate sensor
2800mAh battery
Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS

So, that’s the Samsung Galaxy S5 ladies and gents. Again, it will be released in the Philippines on April 11 for P34,990. As of now, only the black and white colors will be available at launch.

Read More

Nokia X meets Pinoys at X Races

Thousands of excited Nokia fans together with intrigued mobile phone users took the fastlane to Android apps as they joined “Nokia X Races”, the public launch of the new Nokia X, last March 29 at the SM By the Bay. Attendees both young and old experienced the power of Nokia X, and saw how the best of Nokia, Microsoft, and Android came together in the awesome device. They also got their hearts racing with eXhilaratingly fun activities, special offers and freebies, and a show hosted by Nikki Gil and John Prats that included rocking performances by guest performers including Rocksteddy.
 
“Nokia X Races” was a festival of eXceptional and eXciting activities that highlighted the many facets of the new Nokia X. Throughout the day, guests enjoyed the experiential Nokia X demo area; games such as Speed Stack, Giant XOX, and The X Illusion; and food kiosks - all while hanging out with some guest celebrities. To axcelerate their Nokia X adventure, guests also participated in activities, such as Rock Wall Climbing, Inflatable Obstacle Course, and the crowd favorite, Kart Racing.
 
Nokia kept their fans’ hearts pumping by holding various contests like the most creative “X-ed” face selfie, offering special deals when you purchase a Nokia X, and giving away eXciting prizes).

Karel Holub, general manager of Nokia Philippines says, “We are very happy with the turnout of the people here at “Nokia X Races” as we launch to the general public our affordable smartphone that provides the great Nokia and Microsoft experiences while running your favorite Android apps.” After pieces of news came out about the phone reportedly being sold out in China, Karel adds “we are truly happy about the reception and interest that we are getting. Since the Philippines is one of the first countries to launch it, we at Nokia are very eXcited for all the Pinoys who can easily get the Nokia X experience at a very affordable price.”
 
Nokia X is the perfect introduction to the world of Android apps, coupled with signature Nokia experiences, and the most popular Microsoft services. It features Nokia’s renowned quality and design, with a fresh, tile-based user interface inspired by its Lumia family. It comes with Fastlane, a screen that lets people switch between their favorite apps more smoothly. People can access curated, over 200 thousand, quality-tested apps from Nokia Store, more than a dozen third-party app stores and by sideloading.
 
Nokia X is now available in bright green, bright red, black, and white for SRP of Php 5,990.

Read More

Snapdragon 800-powered Samsung Galaxy Tab PRO 8.4 launches for P18,990

Galaxy Note PRO 12.2 for P36,990…

Are 8-inch tablets your thing? If so, check this one out from Samsung. It’s their new Galaxy Tab PRO 8.4 — an 8.4-inch tablet powered by the powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor — that was launched yesterday in the Philippines.

The Galaxy Tab PRO 8.4 sports a 2560x1600 (WQXGA) high-resolution display that is just so crystal-clear. In fact, it is one of the tablets that sport a pixel density of 359ppi. Underneath, the Tab PRO 8.4 packs a 2GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage along with a microSD card slot that can hold another 64GB, WiFi 802.11ac, an 8-megapixel autofocus main camera, a 2-megapixel front shooter, and a 4800mAh battery. It runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat.

Samsung Galaxy Tab PRO 8.4 Specifications and Features
8.4-inch 2560x1600 (WQXGA) Super Clear LCD display
2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 quad-core processor
2GB RAM
16GB internal storage
8-megapixel autofocus camera
2-megapixel front-facing camera
1080p full HD recording @ 60fps
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.0
USB 2
GPS
GLONASS
4800mAh battery
Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS

In addition to the Tab PRO 8.4, the bigger Galaxy Note PRO 12.2 tablet had also made its way to the Philippines. It is the first (as far as I know) 12-inch tablet by the Korean manufacturer, almost on the laptop/ultra-portables territory. It boasts of a 12.2-inch Super Clear LCD display of the same resolution, hence at a lower density of 247ppi, 3GB of RAM, dual-band WiFi ac, microUSB 3, and a huge 9500mAh battery.

Just like the Tab PRO 8.4, it runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat, has the same set of 8-megapixel main and  2-megapixel front-facing cameras, and 16GB of storage with microSD slot. It does, however, run on a different chipset, the Exynos 5420 with an octa-core processor.

Samsung Galaxy Note PRO 12.2 Specifications and Features
12.2-inch 2560x1600 (WQXGA) Super Clear LCD display
1.9GHz Quad + 1.3GHz Quad Exynos 5420 processor
3GB RAM
16GB internal storage
8-megapixel autofocus camera
2-megapixel front-facing camera
1080p full HD recording @ 60fps
Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth 4.0
USB 3
GPS
GLONASS
9500mAh battery
Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS

Samsung:

The Samsung Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO (12.2) come equipped with a variety of productivity tools to help users to manage both their personal and professional lives.

Multi Window enables users to split the screen up into four different windows and an innovative, Virtual Keyboard provides them with enough space to type comfortably, leveraging haptic feedback to produce a more realistic typing experience.

The Samsung S Pen included with the Galaxy NotePRO delivers a more responsive, productive and overall efficient tablet experience with access to features such as Action Memo, Scrapbook, Screen Write and S Finder. In addition, Pen Window enables users to simply draw a window of any size on the screen, and instantly access unique in-application features such as YouTube or a calculator.

Users can easily access and control their home or office PC directly through their Galaxy NotePRO or TabPRO with Remote PC in order to seamlessly edit and save files remotely.

The Galaxy NotePRO and TabPRO also come pre-loaded with Cisco WebEx Meetings platform, the industry’s leading web conferencing solution that provides users with an easy way to meet with anyone, anywhere. And now for the first time on Android tablets, users can share anything on their screen as well as starting a WebEx meeting from contact list.Samsung e-Meeting provides collaboration capabilities by giving users the ability to share content during a meeting without having to access a central server or network.

The Samsung Galaxy Note PRO 12.2 is now available at retail stores for P36,990 while the Galaxy Tab PRO 8.4 will be available in the coming weeks at the price of P18,990.

Read More

Coca-Cola brings Spotify to the Philippines (updated)

UPDATE: An earlier version of this article stated that Spotify Premium costs P129 a month. We got that information from Spotify’s website, but we were told that it is apparently just a placeholder. The pricing for Spotify Premium hasn’t been announced as of yet. We regret the error.

After years of waiting, Spotify is finally expanding into the Philippines today by letting people preview the service thru a partnership with Coca-Cola. That brings the Sweden-based company’s music streaming service to a total of 56 countries globally.

In the country, Spotify will have two plans for its users: a free plan that lets you stream an unlimited amount of music with audio ads inserted every few songs or so, and a premium account that gets rid of the ads in addition to allowing you to download and store music offline.

Spotify’s first foray in Asia began with their launch in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. The company has around 24 million monthly active users, 6 million of those are paying users. They currently have more than 20 million songs in their catalogue and that number are continuing to grow by 20,000 every day. They have apps for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and more.

To get a Spotify invite, click here.

Read More

The first Android phone by Nokia, the Nokia X, goes on sale in the Philippines

Fifteen days. That’s the number of days Nokia took to bring their first ever Android smartphone in the Philippines from the global announcement. You read that right, the Nokia X is now available in the country!

You may be wondering, what’s Nokia X? It is technically the first smartphone by the Finnish company to run on Android — Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean to be exact. It has a heavily customized skin which is a mix of the tiles from their Lumia line of Windows Phone handsets as well as the fast lane taken from their Asha devices. On some places it even looks like the N9.

The Nokia X comes with their suite of HERE mapping applications such as HERE Drive which offers turn-by-turn navigations with voice guidance in English and Tagalog (among others), some Microsoft services like Outlook, OneDrive (previously SkyDrive), and Skype.

As you may have already guessed, the Nokia X doesn’t come with any Google services or applications. So you wouldn’t be able to download apps from the Play Store out-of-the-box. I say out-of-the-box because you can put Google apps on the Nokia X if you want to (may void warranty, do at your own risk).

Specs? It has a 4-inch WVGA (800x480) LCD screen, a 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 200 dual-core processor, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of internal storage which you can expand by using a microSD card up to 32GB, a 3-megapixel camera, a 1500mAh battery, and your usual connectivity options such as 3G and Wi-Fi. The Nokia X is a dual-SIM phone, so you can use your Globe and Smart SIM cards at the same time.

The Nokia X is already available for a couple of days already and it retails for P5,990. The price is not that bad considering you know you’d get a smartphone from a brand known for providing excellent build quality and support. It is available in green, red, black, and white.

I’ll be coming up with a review of the Nokia X next week.

Disclosure: Nokia gave us a unit of Nokia X.

Read More

Price of fast home internet in the Philippines is going down

The beginning of 2014 has been through a rocky start — at least on the side of the networks. Globe started to strictly enforce its fair-use policy for mobile data connections which garnered a lot of mixed, mostly negative reactions from their subscribers. They should work that out.

Anyway, the main reason I wrote this post is to share an interesting development on home broadband. A couple of years ago, PLDT and Globe introduced fiber connections to the market. Fiber used to cost a lot of money back then. A 100-megabit connection came at P20,000 a month — PLDT still charges the same today. Fast forward to present day and it’s already down to P11,999 on Globe. I know, still a bit expensive. But that’s a huge difference!

Hopefully Globe will expand its fiber coverage so they can get this kind of fast home internet to everyone and PLDT will follow their new pricing.

See it for yourself. Head over here to check Globe’s Tattoo Platinum Plans and here for PLDT’s Fibr Plans.

Read More

Ride-hailing service Uber is now in Manila, Philippines, rates start at P40

Uber, an app which lets you request a private car with only a few taps and pay via credit or debit cards, has silently announced that it is now testing the service in Metro Manila. The company says on its blog that a limited number of Uber Black cars are available in Makati and Bonifacio Global City in Taguig for the duration of testing.

The app, which is available for iPhone and Android, works in the same way as other taxi-hailing apps — you launch the app, search for cars available around your current location, and enter your booking details. For an Uber Black car, which could be a Toyota Altis, a Ford Focus, or a Hyundai Sonata, the rates start at P90, and goes up by P12.92 for every kilometer plus P2.10 for every minute of your trip.

An error in Uber's app and website showed that the rates are in US dollar, and is still not fixed as of posting. A PR person from Uber told Mister Jonjon that "all our rides are priced in the Philippine Peso."

UPDATE: The pricing error has been already fixed.

Other cars include the low-cost UberX, the Uber SUV which seats up to 6, and the Uber LUX which lets you arrive at your destination in a high-end vehicle. On some cities, an Uber Taxi is also available.

BONUS: Get P300 credits on Uber when you use promo code 'uberloaded' when you sign up. Click this link to sign up now.

With the arrival of Uber, other taxi-booking apps like GrabTaxi and EasyTaxi now face more competition. Having its own rates, and seemingly higher at that, can Uber compete head to head with other services? Let's find out in the sample calculation below.

Uber vs. GrabTaxi / EasyTaxi vs. Ordinary Taxi

The normal rates for an ordinary taxi in the metro start at. P40, which includes the first 500 meters. You are then charged P3.50 for every 300 meters (P1.167 for 100 meters), and P3.50 for every 2 minutes (P1.75 per minute) the car is idle. A 20-kilometer ride on a taxi will cost you P267.565, and that's without any stops. If you're stuck in heavy traffic for a total of 10 minutes, it will be P285.065.

Now, both GrabTaxi and EasyTaxi charge a P70 booking fee on top of the normal taxi rates. A 20-kilometer ride with no stops will be P337.565. It becomes P355.065 if you slowed down or stopped for 10 minutes. Both apps use vehicles of their partner taxi companies.

Again, Uber charges P90 for booking, P12.92 for every kilometer (P1.292 for 100 meters), and P2.10 for ever minute when the vehicle is traveling at 18 kilometers an hour and below. So a 20-kilometer trip using Uber will cost you P348.40 — or P369.40 if you dip below the minimum speed limit for a total of 10 minutes.

That makes Uber's rates only a little more expensive than GrabTaxi and EasyTaxi. So, what do you think?

Read More