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

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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.

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Initial Impressions: Xiaomi Mi 3

Bang for your Buck is an understatement

Xiaomi has finally reached Philippine shores and it’s leading with its best foot forward – the Mi 3 smartphone. The flagship has been welcomed with much gusto – selling a whopping 3,000 units within just two hours during its debut flash sale at Lazada Philippines last 26 June.

After playing around with it for a few days, I got a first-hand take on why it has been selling like pancakes not just in the Philippines, but also in other Asian countries like Singapore and Malaysia.
I’ll start off by saying how hard it is to believe that Xiaomi has been able to bring the price of the Mi 3 to a jaw-dropping P10,599 considering its impressive spec sheet on par with today’s popular flagships. And if the flash sales are any indication, its rivals should start paying attention.

The Xiaomi Mi 3 greets you with 5-inch full HD 1080p IPS LCD screen with a pixel density of 441 pixels per inch. The color reproduction is fairly neutral but can be tweaked in the settings menu. However, the phone is on the tall side. The Xiaomi logo is embedded behind the screen on the top left corner.

At a mere 8.1mm, the Mi 3 a fairly thin device as thick as a Samsung Galaxy S5 but not as thin the 7.6 mm iPhone 5s. It’s not feather-light, weighing in at 145g, but the added heft gives it a more premium feel.

Also giving it a premium look is its faux aluminum body which bloggers globally have mistaken to be actual metal. The design is reminiscent of the boxy Nokia Lumia series smartphones. It comes in two colors - metallic grey and black - but the former will be the only variant that will be introduced in the Philippines initially.

On top of the Mi 3 is a SIM tray slot that accommodates old-fashioned standard SIM card, since it comes from China where the form factor is still use. The phone does not come with an adapter out of the box so be sure to have one if you're switching from a micro- or nano-SIM.

The only physical buttons on the device are its volume rocker and the power button on the right hand side of the device in that order. The home, back and menu buttons are all capacitive.

At the bottom is a standard micro-USB port and speaker grills that seem to have been meticulously drilled. The Mi 3 has a matte finish all throughout, making it especially friendly to users with greasy hands.

The back of the phone is fairly plain where you’ll find an f2.2 13-megapixel rear camera with dual-LED flash. The back cover can’t be removed, making its 3050mAh battery non-user replaceable.  Also absent is a memory slot, leaving user stuck with 16 gigabytes worth of onboard memory. A 64 gig model does exist but has yet to be offered in the country.

Xiaomi Mi 3 Specifications and Features
5-inch full HD 1080p IPS LCD display
2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800
Adreno 330 GPU
2GB DDR3 RAM
16GB internal storage
13MP f/2.2 main camera; 2MP front facing camera
3050mAh battery
WiFi
Bluetooth 4.0
NFC
DC-HSPA+ up to 42Mbps

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