Nokia Lumianation in the Philippines: The Grand Launch

Yesterday night was a very amazing night for me. Why? Because I was at the very awesome event that I've ever attended in my life! Nokia held their grand launch for the four Nokia Lumia devices at the Bonifacio High Street Central.

The event was attended by people from the traditional and online media, telecom partners and distributors, as well as some people that were luckily picked from Nokia's Facebook page. The venue was designed with colorful Lumia accents with tiles pattern.

The main highlight of the event was the super wowesome 4D projection, similar to what they did in UK. Take a look.

Sorry for the low quality video. I forgot to change the resolution to 720p. Anyway, Nokia took us back in time with a short recap of their long history of innovation dating from 1998. Windows Phone and Nokia Lumia features such as the People hub and Nokia Drive were also shown off at the 4D projection at the Amphitheater building.

Nokia also gave away several Lumia devices including a 900 at the attendees. I was literally 1 number close to winning a Lumia 610. Ha!

Back to the phones, the Nokia Lumia 900 will be coming out in June with the SRP off P27,990 which also comes with a Nokia Purity Headset by Monster. The most affordable Nokia Lumia, the Lumia 610 is now available at Nokia Stores for only P10,980; the Lumia 710 on Unlimited Data Plan 1000 from Smart; the Lumia 800 on Globe on their Unli Surf Combo Plan 1799 and also available at Nokia Stores for P23,500.

Fly All Over the Country for Free with Nokia Lumia
And to celebrate the launch of the Lumia devices, Nokia has teamed up with Microsoft and Philippine Airlines for the Nokia Lumia - PAL Promo where you can win unlimited PAL flights to the top local destinations in the country such as Legaspi, Kalibo, Cebu, Tagbilaran, Davao, and Puerto Princesa!

You must be a Nokia Lumia owner to join this promo. To start, just text I CAN LUMIA <YOUR NOKIA LUMIA IMEI>/<FULL NAME>/<ADDRESS> and send it to 2600 for Globe and Smart subcribers.

All purchases made from May 18 to June 15, 2012 from Nokia, Globe, and Smart, and other participating retail stores are eligible. Travel period is from July 1, 2012 to July 1, 2013. The raffle draw will be held on June 17, 2012. 

*Terms and conditions apply.

So there you go Nokia fans! Be a part of the Lumianation now!

Before I forgot, let me tell you that I spotted two Nokia 808 PureView at the event. First one is when I was being photographed, an unknown guy stood beside the photographer and also took a photo of me. My brother then whispered, "Kuya, yung ginamit na pang-picture sayo Nokia 808 PureView." The last one was when we're already leaving. Unfortunately I didn't had the chance to get a hands-on. Well, there's always next time.

More event photos below.

Just arrived at the venue. Doing some last minute set-ups.

People starting to arrive.

The Amazing Splash Wall where people get to pop small balloons filled with colorful inks.

The bar list.

The colorful stage with some giant rubik's cube. No?

The aftermath of the Amazing Splash Wall. So wonderful.

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The New iPad is Coming Soon on May 29

Look what we have here. The new iPad is set to be released here in the Philippines on the 29th this month. The new iPad is going to be available at the Apple Online Store, Apple Premium Resellers, and Globe Telecom. No news yet if Smart will also carry this on their lineup, but we'll see.

The new iPad is yet to be released in China and Indonesia. Expected pricing will be as follows:

iPad 16 GB Wi-Fi - P23,990
iPad 32 GB Wi-Fi - P28,990
iPad 64 GB Wi-Fi - P32,990
iPad 16 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular - P30,990
iPad 32 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular - P35,990
iPad 64 GB Wi-Fi + Cellular - P40,990

Via: YugaTech

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Philippines Gets Its Own foursquare Badge Thanks to Smart

Well well well. Sure some cities in the world has their own city badges by now. But the Philippines is just not that lucky enough to have it's own...

That's until Smart brings you the first ever foursquare badge for the country. Meet the Live More badge - which you can unlock when you check-in on May 21-22 on SM MOA Arena on Lady Gaga's concert.

Something quirky flashed into my mind. Imagine if some people at Globe went to the concert and checked-in at the venue, they'll get the badge!

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Nokia Lumia 900 to Retail for P29,777?

This just in. Mark Guim (@markguim) reports that the official SRP of the Nokia Lumia 900 is pegged at P29,777, according to Nokia Store at TriNoma.

Developing...

UPDATE: Sorry it's P29,777 NOT P27,999.

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Samsung Executive: Samsung GALAXY S III Lands First on Smart

So the Samsung GALAXY S III is set to be released on a media launch on May 24. People now start to wonder how much it will be priced, while others ask which carrier will offer it first. So who will really start to offer the GALAXY S III?

Smart has the answer. Yes - they will be the first one to offer the Samsung GALAXY S III in the Philippines. That's straight from Mr. Michael Cheon, HHP Business Advisor for Samsung Electronics Philippines Corp.

They will start taking pre-orders on May 23, 1 day ahead of the supposed media launch. The GALAXY S III will be bundled on their Unlimited Data Plans which includes free calls and texts. It will be also available on their All-in Plans.

The GALAXY S III features a very huge 4.8-inch Super AMOLED screen with 720p HD resolution, an 8 Megapixels camera with LED flash, of course there's the Exynos 4 quad-core processor to handle and power everything else.

No plan and pricing details has been announced so far, but it won't be that long anyway 'til the launch. Expect it to go for free starting on Unlimited Data Plan 3000. Watch out for the pre-order on Smart's website, which returns a 404 error for now.

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Smart Starts Offering the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS

In an unprecedented move, Smart has started to offer the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS to its postpaid and prepaid subscribers.

The iPhone 4 and 3GS they are both offering is only the cheaper 8 GB variant. The two are now available on Smart on their iPhone Plans and Unlimited Data Plans. What bothers me though is that both devices has the same plan pricing! You can get one now for only zero pesos on the iPhone Plan 2499 and on Unlimited Data Plan 2000.

Another thing that was missed by Smart is the prepaid pricing of the iPhone 4. As of now, it retails for just P29,000. You can already get a 16 GB 4S with that sum of money!

Alright, enough rants for now.

UPDATE: Smart has update the plans and pricing details for the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4. You can now get your own iPhone 3GS for only P5,000 on Unlimited Data Plan 999 or P2,000 on Unlimited Data Plan 1,500. There's still no info on the prepaid price of it. Moreover, the iPhone 4 goes for as low as P8,000 on Unlimited Data Plan 1500 or P20,000 on Unlimited Data Plan 999. They also stock an 8 GB iPhone 4 in white!

UPDATE 2: I did a bit of research on Apple's website and found out that an unlocked 8 GB iPhone 3GS sells for $375, which translates to about P16,000. Its slightly older brother - the unlocked 8 GB iPhone 4 sells for $549 which is about P23,500. So there you have it - a price comparison between Smart and Apple.

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HTC Titan Gets a Very Critical Update

Are you an HTC Titan owner and has been wondering why you ain't getting updates on Zune for a long long time? Well here's the answer.

Chances are you have the ill-fated bootloader with version number 2.2.160015.3(134181) or any other versions prior to 2.6.160015.3 and HTC has now released a fix. To check if you are indeed affected by this problem, go to Settings > About, tap More info and check your bootloader version. If you've confirmed you have the issue, then you have to download and update your SPL to get future updates on Zune. Instructions can be found below.

Requirements:
-PC installed with Zune
-Battery Capacity: At least 35%
-OS Version: 7720 (7.10.7720.68) or later version

Procedure:
1. From your phone device:
   (a). With the phone turned off, press and hold the VOLUME DOWN and VOLUME UP buttons, and then briefly press the POWER button.
   (b). Release the VOLUME DOWN and VOLUME UP button after you see the white screen with "security" on left-upper corner.
2. Use the USB cable to connect your phone with computer, You will see "USB" shown on screen of the phone.
3. From your computer:
   (a). Click Download which is located at the bottom of this page to download this update (spl_2.6.160015.3_xxx.exe) onto your computer.
   (b). Start the software update by executing the download file (spl_2.6.160015.3_xxx.exe), and follow the on-screen instructions.

SPL Update

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Samsung Announces the Omnia M, Their Entry Level Windows Phone

In a bid to compete with Nokia's Lumia 610, Samsung launches the Omnia M, their new entry level Windows Phone.

The Samsung Omnia M boasts a stunning, minimalistic design, a very vivid 4-inch Super AMOLED display which is best for non-stop multimedia consuming. It also has Samsung's own Family Story cloud-based network which lets users share messages, photos, videos, and slide-shows on a virtual bulletin board which works with other Samsung devices. Samsung's ChatON instant-messaging service is also built-in on the phone, which also works with other platforms such as iOS and Android. The AllShare feature is also present in the Omnia M, so you can stream music, videos, games, or other media directly to your TV.

Aside from those Samsung-specific features, the Omnia M is no different from other Windows Phones, it has Xbox Live, SkyDrive, the People hub, Music hub, and the Office hub. It runs on the new Windows Phone 7.5 Mango Refresh (aka Tango).

Samsung Omnia M GT-I8350 Specifications and Features
4.0-inch Super AMOLED screen with 800x480 (WVGA) resolution @ 233 ppi
1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
384 MB of RAM
5 Megapixels autofocus camera with LED flash, VGA front-facing camera for video calls
4 / 8 GB internal memory
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
1500 mAh of battery capacity
HSPA up to 7.2 Mbps
microUSB 2.0
Bluetooth 2.1
A-GPS
Windows Phone 7.5 Mango Refresh (aka Tango)

Samsung has not yet given any price for the Omnia M but said it will start to roll-out in Europe and soon in other regions too.

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SMART Adjusts Always-on Data Plan Rates

Smart Communications recently tweaked their Always-on data plans to make it more affordable.

Smart has added two new plans: the cheapest P10 daily plan which gives you an ample 5 MB worth of data, and the 1 month P99 plan which has 50 MB, exactly the same with Globe's PowerSurf 99.

They have also adjusted the pricing of some plans, notably the 1 GB plan which is now down to just P499 versus the previous price of P750. I've created a comparison chart of the previous pricing of Smart's Always-on Plans.

Volume-based data plans, which was only introduced by local carriers late last year, is a standard across many countries abroad. For example, AT&T has the 3 GB data plan for $30. This kind of data plan is much more preferred for mobile phones, which only consumes small amounts of data.

Here's a scenario, if you are subscribed to the P10 5 MB plan and read one message on your e-mail, fell asleep for 12 hours with your data connection on, you won't have a bill shock, compared to if you're on the time-based charging of P10 for 30 minutes which will cost you P240.

Smart's Always-on data plans will work on Smart Prepaid, Smart Postpaid, and Broadband Prepaid only. To register, just text ON [AMOUNT - 10, 20, 30, etc.] and send it to 2200.

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Nokia Lumia Grand Launch in Manila Happening on May 18th!

After treating us to an extremely amazing chopper ride (more on that in a post later), Nokia just told us that they are now finally launching the Nokia Lumia 900 in the Philippines!

In what they call as the Lumianation, Nokia will unveil the long-awaited Windows Phone in Manila. They will bring the international music group Jump Smokers to play a live performance. I am not familiar with that group but they first caught the ear of American dance music fans with their official remixes of songs by pop artists including Katy Perry, Rihanna, Britney Spears, Usher, Jessie J., Pitbull and P!nk. The group is also known for producing a remix of Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed,” which was included in her worldwide album release “Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel.” Later on, they were even commissioned to make 12 more tracks for the American songstress’ remix album series.

The Chicago-based music group is composed of four members: DJ Flipside, Reydon, Roman and Johnny Digital. But what most do not know is two of their members – DJ Flipside and Reydon – are Filipinos born in the U.S. These guys have been together for several years now and have been making chart-topping tracks since then.

Alright enough for the Jump Smokers, here's a recap about the features of the Nokia Lumia 900.

The Lumia 900 is a Windows Phone with a 4.3-inch AMOLED screen w/ Nokia's ClearBlack technology, having an 8 Megapixels camera with Carl Zeiss optics, and is powered by a 1.4 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. It is currently the top-of-the-line smartphone of the Finnish manufacturer to date.

So, save the date! May 18th. Philippines. Nokia. Lumia 900. Jump Smokers.

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Viber Now Available for Windows Phone and BlackBerry Devices

Good news to all Windows Phone and BlackBerry users, the highly popular app Viber is now available for your devices!

With over 70 million users, Viber is a very compelling application that let's you call and text other users on the network for free! What's really good about Viber is that there's no need to register, just give them your phone number and they will take care of the rest. The app will securely access your contacts list to show you which of them are on Viber.

The apps are now available for Windows Phone and BlackBerry in beta form, which doesn't include the calling feature yet. Head on to the Windows Phone Marketplace or App World to get it now.

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Apple Releases iOS 5.1.1 for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Apple on Tuesday released the iOS 5.1.1 update for the iPhone, iPad, and iPad touch.

The minor update includes bug-fixes as well as security updates.

iOS 5.1.1 Changelog:
-Improves reliability of using HDR option for photos taken using the Lock Screen shortcut
-Addresses bugs that could prevent the new iPad from switching between 2G and 3G networks
-Fixes bugs that affected AirPlay video playback in some circumstances
-Improved reliability for syncing Safari bookmarks and Reading List
-Fixes an issue where 'Unable to purchase' alert could be displayed after successful purchase

The update also includes security fixes for Safari and WebKit where a maliciously crafted website may be able to spoof the address in location bar.

The update is now available for download on iTunes or over-the-air for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPod touch 3rd generation, iPod touch 4th generation, iPad, iPad 2, and the new iPad.

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Buy a Nokia Dual SIM and Get Dual Treats!

Nokia Philippines is having a promo right now where when you buy a Nokia Dual SIM phone, you'll get some treats from Jollibee and Globe Telecom and a cash prize at the grand draw.

To get those cool dual treats, just visit any participating Nokia Stores nationwide and buy any of the Nokia dual SIM phones (Nokia 101, Nokia C2-00, Nokia X1-01, Nokia C2-03, and Nokia Asha 200 - which we are giving away by the way). You will receive a special Globe SIM pack on the spot, which also includes free subscriptions to some Globe promos and of course the Jollibee dual treats coupon which will be valid until July 31, 2012.

The Jollibee dual treats coupon entitles you and your friend to avail one of the following:
Dual Treat 1: Yum Burger & Fries
Dual Treat 2: Yum Burger & Chocolate Sundae
Dual Treat 3: Jolly Hotdog Regular & Chocolate Sundae
Dual Treat 4: Yum Burger & Jolly Hotdog Regular

Nokia is also adding a dual grand-prize! Nokia Stores will give you a raffle stub for every dual SIM phone that you will avail, which gives you and your friend to win P100,000 cash each! Just fill out the raffle stub with your identification details and drop it off right there at Nokia Stores. The deadline for dropping off the entries is on May 31, 2012. The winner will be picked out on June 13.

For more information about the Nokia Dual SIM, Dual Treats promo, visit their Facebook page or the promo page.

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PRICE DROP: Samsung GALAXY S II, GALAXY Note, and GALAXY Tab 7.7

Tech giant Samsung Electronics Philippines just shared with us that they are slashing off the prices of their three GALAXY devices in the country.

Samsung GALAXY S II
With the recent announcement of the new GALAXY S III, the price drop for this previous flagship model came as no surprise. The most successful smartphone that Samsung has delivered yet, reaching 20 million shipments just last February. The GALAXY S II is packed with a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen with 800x480 resolution, an 8 Megapixels camera with 1080p Full HD video recording, and a 1.4 GHz dual-core Exynos processor. This super thin smartphone can now be yours for only P24,990! That's P3,000 off the original price.

Samsung GALAXY Note
Now for those who prefer a phone-tablet hybrid device, the GALAXY Note just became a better buy for you now! With a screen of 5.3-inch size, this device will let you consume multimedia content with ease, with having to carry a large device. View e-mails, surf the web, and even create some doodles with it's S Pen stylus easily. The dual-core 1.4 GHz processor will take care of everything, making sure it runs smooth. It is also equipped with an 8 Megapixels camera too. Oh yes, you can make calls with the GALAXY Note. Yours now for only P29,990!

Samsung GALAXY Tab 7.7
Finally, for those who prefer a full-fledged tablet, you may just want to consider the GALAXY Tab 7.7. It is the only tablet out in the market with a Super AMOLED Plus screen, rendering the colors beautiful, vivid, and sharp. Watching movies would surely be a fun with this one. It has a very stylish brushed-metal finish at the back. The GALAXY Tab 7.7 is also powered with the same 1.4 GHz dual-core processor, just as the two GALAXY devices above. There's also an expandable storage by using a microSD card, up to 32 GB. Oh and did I mentioned that this is only 7.78mm thick? SRP is now only P27,990, a huge drop from it's previous price of P32,990.

Now let me ask you. Which GALAXY is best suited for you?

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Samsung Introduces the GALAXY S III

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has finally unpacked the most awaited GALAXY S III at Earls Court, London.

Among the major specs include a 4.8-inch screen with 720p (HD) resolution, an 8 Megapixels main camera and a 1.9 Megapixel front-facing one which will be used in some natural interactions of the device. The Samsung Galaxy S III will run on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

“With the GALAXY S III, Samsung has maximized the consumer benefits by integrating superior hardware with enhanced smartphone usability,” said JK Shin, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung. “Designed to be both effortlessly smart and intuitively simple, the GALAXY S III has been created with our human needs and capabilities in mind. What makes me most proud is that it enables one of the most seamless, natural and human-centric mobile experiences, opening up a new horizon that allows you to live a life extraordinary.”

Natural Interaction
The Samsung GALAXY S III will be using it's front-facing camera to naturally react with how are you using your phone. For instance, the Smart stay feature will track your eyes when let's say reading an e-book or reading a webpage to automatically adjust the screen brightness.

Another feature is the S voice - which sounds like Samsung's version of Siri. It can do searches, snoozing alarms, play your songs or videos, turning the volume up or down, and even launch the camera and take a photo for you - hands free.

The Direct call feature will track your motions and movements, for example, just lift the phone when typing a message and it will call the person you're texting right away - perfect if you changed your mind. Lastly, Smart alert will make the device vibrate after you picked it up - if you have any missed calls or messages.

Fast Instant Sharing
When it comes to sharing, Samsung has equipped the GALAXY S III with what they call the S Beam. It extends the Android Beam functionality which allows fast large file transfers. How does a 3 minute 1GB file transfer sound? The Buddy photo share feature will let you share photos with another GALAXY S III user right from the camera or gallery app, just tap and share. Powered by NFC for sure.

Moving forward, the AllShare Cast feature will let you wirelessly connect to your television enabling you to stream content from your device. For those file-transfer tasks, the AllShare Play feature will help you on that - you can transfer any kind of files to your tablets, computers, or televisions. Under it is the Group Cast, which will let you share your screen with your colleagues, friends, or anyone as long as you're in the same Wi-Fi network. You can then make changes on what is displayed on your screen together. Think about remote access.

Samsung GALAXY S III Specifications and Features
4.8-inch Super AMOLED screen with 1280x720 (HD) resolution
8 Megapixels autofocus camera with LED flash, zero shutter lag and BIS sensor
1.9 Megapixel front-facing camera also with zero shutter lag and BIS sensor
1080p Full HD video recording @ 30 fps
16 / 32 GB internal storage, 64 GB (available soon)
microSD card slot up to 64 GB
Samsung features: S Beam, Buddy photo share, Share shot, AllShare Play, AllShare Cast, Smart stay, Social tag, Group tag, Face zoom, Face slide show, Direct call, Smart alert, Tap to top, Camera quick access, Best shot & Best photo, Recording snapshot, HDR
Wi-Fi a/b/g/n
Wi-Fi HT40
GPS
GLONASS
NFC
Bluetooth 4.0(LE)
Accelerometer
RGB light
Digital compass
Proximity
Gyroscope
Barometer
2,100 mAh battery capacity
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS
HSPA+ 21 Mbps
LTE (market dependent)

The Samsung GALAXY S III sure looks very good to me! When they announced the GALAXY S II last year, I had the feeling of it being 'meh', but this one, it's different. The design is the same square-y iPhone type. The battery capacity is also above standard, but since it has a very large screen, I think it's just right that they've put that here.

The Samsung GALAXY S III will be available in Pebble Blue and Marble White colors, with more being worked on for a later availability. The device will go on sale on May 29th starting in Europe, with roll-outs for other markets later on. No pricing info has been announced yet.

More official press shots below.

UPDATE: We got more photos from the event, straight from Samsung Philippines! =)

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