Starmobile unveiled the Knight Vision, the first Filipino phone with digital TV !

Analog TV ? meh ! Static screens ? yuck ! Why use analog TV if you can use digital TV on your phone for free ? Introducing, the Starmobile Knight Vision !

Truth to be told, this is the first Filipino phone to bear a digital TV receiver. ISDB-T to be exact ! But wait, there's more ! This phone also has an OIS (Optical-image stabilization) which is rare for this phones at this caliber and it can only be seen on flagship devices like the LG G3, Nexus 6 and the Nokia Lumia 920.

To give you more idea about this phone, here are the specifications :

SPECIFICATIONS

- 5.5" IPS HD (720x1280) display, ~267ppi
- MediaTek MT6582 chipset (1.3Ghz quad-core ARM Cortex A7 processor and 500Mhz ARM Mali-400MP2)
- 2GB RAM
- 8GB ROM expandable via MicroSD up to 64GB
- 13MP Autofocus BSI camera (Sony sensor) w/LED flash and OIS (Optical-image stabilization)
- 8MP front-facing camera
- Dual-SIM
- 3G, GPS w/A-GPS, Bluetooth
- 2450maH Battery
- ISDB-T digital TV receiver
- Android 4.4 KitKat

PRICE : Php. 9990.00

Here are the list of Philippine channels that has a digital TV reception

- ABS-CBN
- GMA
- TV5
- ETC
- UNTV
- SONSHINE
- JackTV
- BTV

All of the channels above are available as long as you are within the digital TV broadcast.

MyPhone Rio 2 and Rio Lite 2, now official !

After days of rumors and leaks surrounding the successors to MyPhone's Rio line, finally they made it official !

At an event today, local brand MyPhone officially unveiled the Rio 2 and Rio Lite 2. Some said that a week ahead before the announcement, Rio 2 is already on sale on some MyPhone stores which gave way to the leaks spreading around the web.

Is it a worth of an upgrade ? I will let you decide and here are the official specs :

MyPhone Rio 2

- 5" IPS HD (720x1280) full-laminated display, ~294ppi, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- 1.3Ghz quad-core processor (SOC not yet confirmed)
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB ROM expandable via microSD up to 64GB
- 8MP Autofocus camera (Sony sensor) w/LED flash
- 5MP front-facing camera
- 2800maH battery
- Android 5.0 Lollipop

PRICE : Php. 5490.00

MyPhone Rio Lite 2

- 4.7" IPS qHD (540x960) display, ~234ppi
- 1.3Ghz quad-core processor (SOC not yet confirmed)
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB ROM expandable via microSD up to 64GB
- 8MP Autofocus camera (Samsung sensor) w/LED flash
- 2MP front-facing camera
- 2120maH battery
- Android Lollipop 5.0 Lollipop

PRICE : Php. 4590.00

The most notable upgrade is the battery which is nice but if they preferred to use the aging MediaTek MT6582 SOC, then this would be meh ! and yeah the only upgrade is the battery, screen, and internal storage.

Stay tuned for more updates and also for the official specifications of the upcoming Infinity phones from MyPhone.

LG G4 live images leaked, expected to be announced on April

For those who are eager or pretty excited for LG's new flagship, check this out.

Live images of the supposedly successor of G3 made it's rounds on the web which shows the initial design of the device. But we are not yet sure if it is the final design of the said smartphone.

As you can see on the images, it sports almost the same looks of it predecessors, the G2 and G3 but with a brushed aluminum finish at the back. As from the previous info, it should sport a stylus placed at the top left corner of the device. The images also show the device with a slightly curved display with a QHD resolution. According also to the leaked images, it should run on Android Lollipop upon boot up which has LG's custom user interface.

As far as the information goes, the smartphone should be announced a few weeks from now and should be made available on the last week of April. It seems like LG is on pressure because Samsung is going to release their Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge on mid-April so the korean company should release their own as early as possible.

LG expects to sell 15 million units of G4 upon releasing it. So to remind you, it sports a 5.5" QHD display with a Snapdragon 810 SOC and 4GB of RAM which is far more better than their previous top of the line smartphone.

Galaxy S6 Philippine release date confirmed !

For those who are excited to get their hands on Samsung newest flagship, then mark this date on your calendars. According to Samsung Philippines, Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge is going to be released on 18th of April this year on all Samsung stores nationwide. But there's a catch. The price. It's so expensive to be honest, it's even more expensive than Apple's iPhone 6.

So for the price of the S6, it will be available for Php. 35990 to Php. 41990 for the 32GB and 64GB versions respectively or roughly $800 and $934. It will also come with dual-SIM support. The 32GB version is only available in Gold, while the 64GB version is available in White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum and Blue Topaz.

The Galaxy S6 Edge is tad more expensive at Php. 41990 and Php. 47990 for the 32GB and 64GB version respectively or about $934 and $1067.

As you can see, in order for you to get a hands on it, you should start preparing your pockets NOW and head to the nearest Samsung dealers out there on April 18.

Smart together with Facebook launched internet.org

This week, Philippine telecommunications company, Smart together with Facebook launched internet.org.

Basically, it brings free internet access to their subscribers by simply opening their data connection even without a load ! Amazing !

HOW TO USE ?

First, you should register your number. Just text INTERNET and send it to 9999. (You should have 1 peso balance to register)

Next, download internet.org's Android app. Open your data connection or your Wi-Fi then click the link embedded in the message received after registering your number.

Install the app, fill up the form, and voilà ! you can now access the internet for free. What's interesting is that you can search the web, get informations on the go, read the latest news everywhere and post your status on Facebook for FREE ! without worrying about data charges. By the way, you can only have free access on chosen sites provided in the app.

Internet is for all ! and that's what on Mark Zuckerberg's mind when he decided to launch internet.org in the Philippines. So what are you waiting for ? Register now !

visit: www.internet.org to know more.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A now official in Russia

Yesterday, Samsung quietly unveiled their new line of tablets named, Tab A in a low-cost event in Russia.

It comes in two variants which has an 8" and 9.7" display while the two variants come in two versions namely Wi-Fi only and LTE respectively.

What's new is that Samsung used 4:3 ratio for the display which is said to be followed by the upcoming high-end Galaxy Tab S line.  Nothing more to expect except the 2GB worth of RAM. It has a quad-core processor, probably from the Snapdragon 405 line and the improve design with a metal-looking back which I assume is made from aluminum (to be confirmed) and it's exceptionally thin at 7.5mm.

Powering the 8" variant is a 4200maH battery pack while the larger one has a 6000maH. Both variants has a 16GB internal storage for the Wi-Fi only version while both LTE versions has 32GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 128GB via a MicroSD card.

To give you more idea, here are the specifications :

SPECIFICATIONS

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0

- 8" 1024x768 TFT Capacitive screen (4:5 aspect ratio)
- 1.2Ghz quad-core chipset
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB internal storage for Wi-Fi only version, 32GB internal storage for LTE version (both expandable via MicroSD card up to 128GB)
- 5MP AF camera
- 2MP front-facing camera
- Wi-Fi a/b/g/n (dual-band), Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
- 3G, LTE (LTE version)
- GPS w/A-GPS, GLONASS
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 4200maH Battery
- Android 5.0 Lollipop

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 9.7

- 9.7" 1024x768 TFT Capacitive screen (4:5 aspect ratio)
- 1.2Ghz quad-core chipset
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB internal storage for Wi-Fi only version, 32GB internal storage for LTE version (both expandable via MicroSD card up to 128GB)
- 5MP AF camera
- 2MP front-facing camera
- Wi-Fi a/b/g/n (dual-band), Wi-Fi Direct, hotspot
- 3G, LTE (LTE version)
- GPS w/A-GPS, GLONASS
- Bluetooth 4.0
- 4200maH Battery
- Android 5.0 Lollipop

The 8" variant is priced between RUB16,990 ($275) and RUB18,990 ($307) for the Wi-Fi only version while the LTE version is price between RUB20,990 ($345) and RUB22,990 ($372). While the 9.7" variant is priced RUB4,000 more than it's equally specced variant.

International availability is not yet determined but for now, it's available in Russia.

Cherry Mobile One Gadget View

When Android One was launched here in the Philippines, it gathered a lot of attention especially that it launched two different devices, both which runs Android Lollipop out of the box as a part of the said initiative. One of those devices is under the Philippine tech giant, Cherry Mobile.

DESIGN

No word can describe how I loved the looks of this device. For a 3999 device, it is obviously made from plastic but you can't actually feel the cheapness. It's like your paying for a more expensive device. Its squarish with sharp edges all around.

The front is dominated by the 4.5" IPS display. It has thin bezels at the sides but the bezel at the bottom is thick, which is unusual because it uses on-screen navigational keys. Anyway it adds to the executive look and feel of the device.

Turning over at the back of the device will reveal it's silver back cover with some brushed metal finish. It is made from plastic but looking it from a distance would give you an impression that it is made of metal. At the top part, you will find the 5MP camera with LED flash beside it. The Cherry Mobile logo is placed at the center whiled the Android One logo is placed at the lower part of the back cover, beside it is the speaker of the device.

All in all, it doesn't look cheap especially with it's cheap price tag. It's a pretty attractive device to be honest.

DISPLAY

It has a 4.5" IPS LCD display with a resolution of 420x854 (FWVGA). It's not the sharpest screen out there but for a cheap price, it's more than enough. Viewing angles are good, thanks to the IPS panel. It gives well saturated images with the right contrast but sunlight legibility is poor. You would still find it difficult to see under intense sunlight even with the full brightness. To finish it off, it is protected by an Asahi Dragontrail glass which makes it scratch resistant.

HARDWARE

Following Google's hardware reference for Android One devices, it has a MediaTek MT6582 chipset which has a quad-core ARM Cortex A7 processor clocked @1.3Ghz partnered by a dual-core Mali-400. Not the most powerful chipset available out there, but still it can play graphically intensive games like Asphalt 8, GTA San Andreas and Modern Combat 3 but definite lags should be expected here and there.

Multi-tasking is handled by a 1GB of RAM which I think is more than enough for light to moderate multi-tasking.

It has 8GB of internal storage which can be expanded up to 64GB via MicroSD card. This is the only difference between Cherry Mobile One and MyPhone Uno (the other device released here in the Philippines under Android One initiative) I don't know why MyPhone made Uno more expensive than Cherry Mobile One.

Moving on, battery is rated at 1780maH. Battery life is more than average. It would take you more than 8 hours in a moderate to heavy usage before it would ask you to charge the device.

CAMERA

Camera performance is average, at the back is a 5MP Autofocus camera with LED flash. It captures photo well in good lighting but in a broad daylight, you would notice that the images taken are washed-out. LED flash is so bright, taking close up shots with the flash turned on will make the photo overexposed which I think is because of the slow shutter.

Selfie lovers will be glad that it's 2MP front-facing camera captures good images with good-lighting.

SOFTWARE

As part of Android One initiative, Cherry Mobile One runs Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box. Navigation is soft and fluid even with the lower-tier hardware, thanks to improvements made . It's vanilla Android with no factory installed bloatwares or whatsoever. Google said that the stock Android running on Android One devices are optimized for the chipset used , that's why you wouldn't notice any lags or frame skips while navigating the UI. Smooth, fast and gorgeous.

To finish this off, here are the full specifications of the device :

SPECIFICATIONS

- 4.5" FWVGA (420x854) IPS LCD display w/Asahi Dragontrail Scratch-resistant Glass protection.
- MediaTek MT6582 chipset (quad-core 1.3Ghz ARM Cortex A7 processor)
- 500Mhz ARM Mali-400MP2 GPU
- 1GB RAM
- 8GB internal storage expandable up to 64GB via microSD card
- 5MP AF camera w/LED flash
- 2MP front-facing camera
- GPRS, HSPA
- Dual-SIM
- FM Radio w/RDS
- Bluetooth 4.0, GPS w/A-GPS
- 1780maH Battery

Features :

- Live updates from Google
- LED notification light

Price : Php. 3999.00 ($99)

Truly, it is a bang for the buck smartphone, plus you would get latest updates from Google. Isn't that amazing ?

(c)Unbox.ph (for the photos)

All About Android One

Android One is Google's answer to ever growing Android smartphone users, especially those who live in developing countries. But one thing's for sure, they wanted everyone to taste the feeling of receiving latest updates on their Android devices.

BEGINNINGS

Launched by Google's senior VP, Sundar Pichai. It has been quoted that the initiative is targeted for those people who are going to buy their first smartphone and those who are living in developing countries like India, Philippines and Indonesia.

"This is one of the biggest launches we've done anywhere, not just in India, Philippines and Indonesia. For us, Android One was a journey to try and rich the next 5 billion people" - Sundar Pichai

He also stated that all Android One devices share the same hardware because all of the are based on a single reference platform. Listed products are expected to increase as Google expands the initiative to more territories.

DESCRIPTION

All Android One devices run on the same stock Android software without any manufacturer installed bloatwares. Software updates are handled by Google to ensure that latest updates would arrive from time to time. Google also stated that they made their own design reference so that OEM's would just manufacture the smartphones, thus making all Android One devices look similar to each other.

The first batch of Android One devices run on MediaTek's MT6582 chipset (SOC) which uses a quad-core ARM Cortex A7 processor partnered with a dual-core ARM Mali-400 GPU. Not the most powerful hardware but Google envisions that more powerful devices would come out in the near future. It is said that Android Lollipop is designed for those device who has lower-end specs so assuming that it runs Android Lollipop out of the box, then smooth and flawless experience is expected.

Android One is first rolled-out in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Indonesia and other South-east Asian territories, which are the primary target of the initiative. The first batch of Android One devices are manufactured by Spice, Karbonn and Micromax which are all based on India. Other companies also manufactured them on their respective country of origin.

Google promised that they will support these devices for 2 years thus receiving upcoming updates like the rumored Android M.

But for now, here is the list of Android One devices :

(As what I have said, all of them shared the same hardware with the only difference being the internal storage which varies on each device)

INDIA

- Micromax  Canvas A1

- Karbonn Sparkle V

- Spice Dream Uno

(all of them are made available after the initial launch of Android One in India)

PHILIPPINES

- MyPhone Uno

- Cherry Mobile One

(made available last month, MyPhone Uno shares the same design with Micromax Canvas A1 while the Cherry Mobile One shares the same design with Symphone Roar A50)

INDONESIA

- Mito Impact

- Evercross One X

- Nexian Journey One

(made available last month)

BANGLADESH

- Symphony Roar A50

(made available last month)

All of them are priced below $100, so for those who want to taste Android Lollipop's goodness and receive latest updates from Google, then this one is the right device for you

(Stay tuned for a preview of one of the devices included on my list)

HTC One M9 Gadget View

HTC One M9 is the third iteration of the Taiwanese company's metal clad smartphone line. It is definitely an upgrade from it's predecessor, the One M8 sporting Qualcomm's new generation Snapdragon chipset. But can this phone go head to head against Samsung's all glass smartphone ? Check this out !

Metals Everywhere !

Looking it from a distance, you can definitely tell that it is smartphone made by HTC. It still retains the unibody metal design of it's predecessor with only some slight changes to note.

Looking at it's front is the gorgeous 5.0" Full HD Super LCD3 display. It still uses the same resolution like it's older brother and comparing it to Galaxy S6's screen would not be appropriate  because we all know that a QHD Super AMOLED screen is far more better than a Full HD LCD display. But M9's display has it's own advantage co'z lower screen res means lower power consumption, thus saving extra juice. Full HD display aren't that bad this days right ? Covering the display is Corning Gorilla Glass 4.

Dual-firing speakers can be found at the top and bottom of the display, just like it's older siblings.

Turning it over would reveal it's aluminum back where the single camera lens and the dual-tone LED flash are placed. The back cover still looks the same with it's older brothers.

HTC decided to add more color to choose from for the One M9, it is still available in black, grey, gold. What's new is that they added an all-gold version and a pink version with rose-gold sides. They made it more unisexual rather than manly, unlike it's older brother, the One M8.

Powerful Internals

Inside the One M9 is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 chipset with quad-core Cortex A53 processor clocked at 1.5Ghz and another quad-core Cortex A57 processor clocked at 2Ghz. Graphics are handle by it's Adreno 430 GPU to ensure a flawless and smooth operation here and there. The chipset used by the One M9 is nearly identical to the one used by the Galaxy S6 . The only difference is the GPU used. So I assume that both of them would have nearly identical performance here and there.

Multi-tasking is handled by 3GB of RAM which IMO is enough for today's standards. What's important is that it can handle apps running simultaneously without affecting it's performance.

One M9 is only available in 32GB variant. but thankfully, it can be expanded via MicroSD up to 128GB which is good because you will not run out of storage for your apps, music, photos, and so on.

Finally, Android 5.0 Lollipop is installed out of the box with HTC's Sense UI 7.0 as it's default UI.

Better Optics

The dual-cameras present on it's predecessor is now back to a single one but this time, with a higher megapixel count. It has a 20.7MP camera partnered by a dual-tone LED flash, which can take photos and videos simultaneously. Good for mobile photographers ! It has a maximum video recording resolution of 2160p with framerates of 30 FPS.

For selfies, it has a 4MP front-facing cameras which has HDR (high-dynamic range) and it can take 1080p videos with framerates of up to 30 FPS.

If ever I can get a hands on it, I will post some of the photos taken from it's improved camera.

To give you more idea about HTC's 2015 Flagship, here is the specifications of the device :

SPECIFICATIONS

- 5.0" Full HD (1920x1280) Super LCD3 Display w/Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection
- Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810 chipset (quad-core 1.5Ghz ARM Cortex A53 processor and quad-core 2Ghz ARM Cortex A57 processor)
- Adreno 430 GPU
- 3GB RAM
- 32GB internal storage expandable up to 128GB via MicroSD
- 20.7MP AF camera w/dual-tone LED flash
- 4MP front-facing camera w/HDR
- GPRS, HSPA, LTE
- Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac (dual-band), Wi-Fi Hotspot, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA
- Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, IR blaster
- 2840maH Battery

Features :

- Fast charging, 60% in 30mins. (Quick-charge 2.0)
- Google Drive (free 100GB cloud storage)
- Active noise cancellation w/dedicated mic.

FINAL SAY

It may lack special features like, fingerprint scanner or heart-rate sensor. But it can still prove itself to others, outshining them with it's beautifully crafted aesthetics which have proven itself through the years.

It is said to be available this month. Pricing is not yet announced so stay tune on this blog for more information.

(c)GSMArena.com (for the photos)

Sony Xperia Z4 Leaks

It seems that the awaited flagship smartphone from Sony is still on hold . After skipping MWC 2015, fans are now getting impatient whether the smartphone will come out or not.

But for Sony fans out there, don't lose hope just yet. Leaks about the upcoming smartphone is still on the rounds. The latest is from @OnLeaks which posted the dimensions of the smartphone on his Twitter account.

Here are the preliminary specifications that I got and it's from GSMArena.com :

SPECIFICATIONS :
(This list is not yet final and may vary without further notice)

- 5.2" Shaterproof QHD (2560x1440) IPS LCD Display (Triluminos Display w/Sony X-Reality engine)
- Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810 chipset (Quad-core 1.5Ghz ARM Cortex A53 and Quad-core 2Ghz ARM Cortex A57)
- Adreno 430 GPU
- 4GB RAM
- 32GB/64GB variants, expandable via microSD up to 128GB
- 20.7MP AF camera (1/2.3" sensor size, 2160p video recording @30FPS) w/LED flash
- 5MP front-facing camera w/1080p video recording @30FPS
- GPRS, HSPA, LTE
- GPS w/A-GPS, GLONASS
- Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, FM Radio

FEATURES :

-IP68 certified, waterproof and dustproof
- Fast charging, 60% in 30mins (Quick Charge 2.0)
- ANT+ support
- Active voice cancelation w/dedicated mic.

Still, we are cross fingers for the announcement. For now, we will still rely on the leaks circulating around the web. Stay tuned for more leaks about Sony's rumored flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z4.

Android 5.1 now official, brings some bug fixes and minor changes

After weeks of rumors surrounding the supposed to be update to Google's latest android platform, they officially unveiled it and is now starting to seed on some supported devices.

We all know that the initial release of Android Lollipop introduced annoying bugs to users and it seems that Google managed to fix some of them with the new update. They also managed to add some awesome features to enjoy.

WHAT'S NEW ?

First, let me talk about the bug fixes included in the freshly released update.

1. STICKY SOFT KEYS

- Google managed to fix the "sticky" effect when swiping the on-screen home button upward (when launching Google Now)

2. PINNED SCREEN

- Pinned screen is a very nice feature introduced in Android Lollipop but somehow, it also introduced some minor bugs and thankfully, Google already made some remedies to fix the bug - some of those bugs are difficulty in turning the said feature off. They introduced a new, and more simpler tutorial on how to use the feature.

3. MUTE BUG

- It seems that the developers forgot to add a mute feature on Android Lollipop. It is a know bug to Lollipop. Sliding down the volume locker to the lowest wouldn't do anything and it's because of the new feature called "priority volume" But thankfully, they managed to fix the bug and mute feature is now present on the update.

After those bug fixes, let's now move to minor changes and added features.

*Android 5.1 did not made any major changes on the interface. It's still the same with the initial release, only minor changes are done.

ADDED FEATURES :

1. DUAL SIM SUPPORT

- Android 5.0 Lollipop doesn't support dual-sim cards on the time of it's release, thankfully Google decided to include the feature on the new update. It's now fully implemented and functional on the update itself so supported devices with dual-sim slots can now use the extra slot without any problems.

2. HD VOICE

- Google also added HD voice support to the new update. User's can now enjoy clearer calls as long as they receive the update on their devices. But still, it is carrier dependent, and therefore if you're not subscribe to carriers who has this feature, you cannot enjoy the new feature yet.

3. FANCIER ANIMATIONS (Yey!)

- Some animations are made even fancier in the new update. For example, swiping between the pages on the clock app will show some circular animations between the transitions, and tapping auto-rotate would also make the icon rotate.

MINOR CHANGES

- The icon that appears when no sim card is inserted was changed to a cleaner looking one.

BOTTOM LINE

I hope Google will continue doing their jobs to further improve Android Lollipop because still, some of the bugs are waiting to be fixed. Some of those reported bugs are :

1. Inability to transfer the app to SD card.
2. Inability to delete anything on SD card.
3. Slow shutter speed making close-up shots overexposed with the flash on.
4. Some reported that they experienced difficulties in charging their devices.
5. Adaptive brightness (turning the brightness slider to the lowest value turns the screen off making it imposibble to navigate)
6. Uncalibrated tilt sensor.
7. Slow downloading of apps in Google Play. Sometimes, shows errors.

I know some of this bugs can be fixed using third party apps - for the tilt sensor in this case. But I hope that they will fix all of this on further updates so that using the latest android platform would be stress free.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Active Rumors

After the very successful launch of Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. Korean tech juggernaut, Samsung wants to add a follow up release to the S6 line in the name of S6 Active.

As usual, it is the rugged version of Galaxy S6. As of this moment, no concept images are released but the specifications and release date are announced.

It is rumored that the device would have an IPV6 rating for water and dust resistance. What's unusual is that it would also have MIL-STD-810G certification meaning that it can resist salt, dust, humidity, rain, solar radiation, transportation and thermal shock. Good for those who are adventurous but are afraid to bring their precious smartphones with them.

Without further ado, here are the listed specs of the rumored device.

SPECIFICATIONS :

- 5.1" QHD (1440x2560) Super AMOLED Display w/Corning Gorilla Glass 4 Protection
- Samsung Exynos 7420 chipset (1.5Ghz quad-core ARM Cortex A53 processor and 2.1Ghz quad-core ARM Cortex A57 processor)
- Mali-T760 GPU
- 3GB RAM
- 32GB/64GB/128GB variants, no MicroSD card expansion.
- 16MP autofocus camera w/OIS and LED flash
- 5MP front-facing camera w/1080p video recording @30FPS
- 2G, 3G, LTE
- GPS w/A-GPS, GLONASS
- Bluetooth 4.1, NFC, IR Blaster
- Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi hotspot, Wi-Fi direct
- 3500maH Battery

FEATURES :

- S Fingerprint
- Samsung Pay
- Heartrate Sensor
- Qi Wireless charging (market dependent)
- ANT+ support

Looking at the specsheet, we can say that some of the specs of Galaxy S6 are still present except for the chipset used.

No words on the pricing yet.

It is expected to be available next month, April 2015.

COC (Clash of Cameras) : DSLR or Mirrorless ?

When it comes to digital photography, many of you wants the best image possible out of their cameras, wether it is a DSLR or a Mirrorless camera. Both can do the job very well, and both of them has their own pros and cons. In this special article, we will compare the difference between the two and we will divide it based on how they perform on the given categories below.

FUNCTION :

- DSLR (Digital Single-lens Reflex) : as the name suggests, DSLR's use some kind of reflex to portray an image to the viewfinder. It uses mirror to reflect the image from the lens to the image sensor.

- Mirrorless : as the name also suggests, Mirrorless camera's doesn't use the method that DSLR's use. Images from the lens directly goes to the image sensor without any use of mirrors. Plus, Mirrorless cameras doesn't have OVF (Optical Viewfinder) but some has a special kind of viewfinder called EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) that uses a small piece of LED screen as the viewfinder. Mirrorless camera's that lacks this features would only rely to their display to render the image to the user.

So for the first category,

1. SIZE

DSLR cameras are obviously larger than mirrorless and it's because of the OVF taking a large space at the top part of it, the mirrors inside makes it a lot thicker so putting larger types of lenses can make it a bit heavy.

Mirrorless, in the other hand are so compact. Some are as large as an ordinary digital cameras. It's also thin, thanks to mirror free internals. Putting it inside a camera bag is a breeze and it gives more space for other things in the camera bag.

WINNER : Mirrorless

2. AUTOFOCUS (Still-images)

DSLRs uses a special kind of focusing system called "phase detection" wherein the mirrors inside reflects the light to dedicate focus sensors quickly thus measuring the convergence of two beams of light.

Due to lack of mirrors inside, Mirrorless can't use "phase detection" to focus on an object and therefore uses a different focusinh system called "contrast detection". It moves the lens back and forth to find the position of the image with the highest contrast coinciding with autofocus. Also, it works slower in low-light.

Contrast detection is slower than phase detection.

WINNER : DSLR

3. AUTOFOCUS (Video)

DSLRs cannot use their mirrors while recording a video, therefore it cannot use phase detection and it only relies on contrast detection method while recording a video. This results in blurry effect on some videos taken using DSLR cameras and it is because it hunts the right focus of a certain object.

Meanwhile, Mirrorless can use phase detection in video recording and due to on-chip image sensor on higher end mirrorless cameras, it can even record 4K UHD videos - DSLRs cannot record at this resolution.

WINNER : Mirrorless

4. SHUTTER SPEED

DSLRs can shoot 5 FPS while Mirrorless can shoot up to 11 FPS and it's because of the lack of mirrors flapping inside therefore taking image after image is faster than a DSLR. Some DSLRs can shoot faster but is expensive. Mirroless can also use mechanical shutter and electronic shutter to take burst photos quickly.

WINNER : Mirrorless

5. PREVIEWING AN IMAGE

DSLRs use optical viewfinder to preview the actual image you are about to take while a mirrorless relies on the display to preview it, some higher end mirrorless uses electronic viewfinder to mimic what the optical viewfinder sees.

Shooting in good light makes the image on the EVF looks close to the final image but in low-light or fast moving objects, EVF will have to make a compromise to still a real-time preview of the image.

WINNER : DSLR

6. IMAGE AND VIDEO PLAYBACK

Both can preview images and videos using the LCD display or can project it in a larger external display through HDMi out.

WINNER : Both

7. BATTERY LIFE

DSLR has an advantage at this category for they can take an image without relying on a display or an electronic viewfinder which both consumes a lot of power. Both are using removable batteries so you can carry an extra one in case.

WINNER : DSLR

8. ACCESSORIES AND LENSES

DSLR cameras has wide variety of lenses available - from cheaper ones to more expensive ones. It's almost limitless.

While mirrorless, being a new format takes small number of lenses available for usage but is slowly growing.

WINNER : DSLR

FINAL SAY

Both of them can really make the job done, it only depends on how you choose which is better of the two, and I hope this article can help you in choosing between the two.

In my own opinion, if you're a professional photographer, you should choose DSLR. But if you love to take videos, the choose Mirrorless.

That's it folks, COC (Clash of Cameras)

LG G4 Leaks

Since February, countless leaks about LG's next flagship are circulating around the web. But one thing's for sure, it should be called LG G4.

Latest leak from @OnLeaks shows the initial design of the smartphone. The famous "rear-key" of the G line is still present but what is really obvious about the supposed looks of the next flagship is that the smartphone curves from the bottom to the top assuming that the next flagship should have a curved display like LG's own G2 Flex.

Looking at the rumored specs of the smartphone, we can expect that this phone would be running on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 810 chipset, watching movies and playing games wouldn't be also a problem because it is also rumored that G4 would pack a rather large 5.3" IPS+ Display with a QHD resolution.

To give more idea about the upcoming smartphone, here is the partial list of the rumored specifications of LG G4 :

SPECIFICATIONS (Rumored)

- 5.3" QHD (1440x2560) True HD IPS+ LCD Display w/Corning Gorilla Glass 4 Protection
- Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810 chipset (Quad-core 1.5Ghz ARM Cortex A53 and Quad-core 2Ghz ARM Cortex A57 processors)
- Adreno 430 GPU
- 4GB ramps
- 16GB/32GB expandable via MicroSD up to 128GB
- 16MP camera with laser autofocus/phase detection, OIS and dual-tone LED flash
- 5MP front camera w/1080p video recording @ 30FPS
- Android 5.0 Lollipop

Like other smartphone of this caliber, it had the usual sets of connectivity features like LTE, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, etc.

No words on the battery capacity as of this moment.

What's unusual is that LG, according to the leaks decided to include a stylus to the LG G4, so we assume that this smartphone is a direct competitor to Samsung Galaxy Note 4 or the upcoming Note 5 rather than the recently unveiled Galaxy S6.

This smartphone is expected to be announced Q1 of this year and be released Q2 of this year.

That's it folks, LG G4 Leaks. Stay tuned for more updates about LG's new flagship smartphone.

Meizu M1 Note : Zenfone 2's Rival

Nowadays, smartphones are getting cheaper and cheaper. And if there would be a smartphone that has the best price-to-spec ratio it would be this - the Meizu M1 Note

The chinese company behind the famous monster phone MX4 shocks us again by releasing another monster, but this time for those consumers who can't afford the MX4.

Powerful Inside

Meizu M1 Note is a phablet by all aspects having a 5.5" Full HD IGZO Display made by Sharp. IGZO displays should look like your usual IPS panel but is more battery efficient. It is also protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3

It is powered by the high-end MediaTek MT6752 Chipset which utilizes the 1.7Ghz octa-core ARM Cortex A53 processor with a Mali-T760 GPU to give you a very powerful processing power but with an efficient battery life. Good for hardcore gamers !

For multitasking, it has 2GB of RAM. Not the largest out there but it can keep your apps running at the same time

Mobile photography lovers will be glad to hear that M1 Note has a 13MP Camera which is a Samsung Lens with f/2.2 aperture, 5-element lens, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Protection and a dual-tone LED flash.

Selfie lovers will also be glad to hear that this phone has a 5MP camera which is an OmniVision OV5670 sensor that has 4-element lens, 69° wide angle lens, FoToNation's face beautification features and more.

In top of that, it has a 16GB internal storage which is sad to say, not expandable and you have to divide the tiny internal storage for your music, apps, photos, etc. They should have made it atleast 32GB.

Powering the monster phone is a rather large 3,140maH battery which maybe enough for a whole day moderate to light usage.

Colorful outside

Meizu M1 Note is not the thinnest smartphone out there having dimensions of 150.7 x 75.2 x 8.9mm , but it is light for a large smartphone with only 145 grams  of weight.

It's obvious that Meizu M1 Note got some of it's design elements from iPhone 5C. It has 6 different colors available which is also inherited from iPhone 5C. In-fact, it's like an iPhone 5C with a 5.5" screen.

It is a unibody smartphone made from a polycarbonate plastic similar also to iPhone 5C

On top of it is Android 4.4.4 KitKat with Flyme OS, a custom UI made by Meizu which also inherited some of it's elements from iOS disabling the app drawer and integrating it to the homescreen.

FULL SPECIFICATIONS

- 5.5" Full HD (1920x1280) IGZO Display w/Corning Gorilla Glass 3
- MediaTek MT6752 Chipset (1.7Ghz octa-core ARM Cortex A53 processor, Mali-T760 GPU)
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB ROM (not expandable)
- 13MP AF Samsung sensor (f/2.2 aperture, 5-element lens, 4x digital zoom,  blue glass IR Filter, 300° panorama) w/dual-tone LED flash
- 5MP OmniVision OV5670 sensor (68° wide angle, 4-element lens) front facing camera
- Single Micro SIM
- FDD-LTE, 3G HSPA, 2G
- Wi-Fi, FM Radio, Bluetooth 4.0
- GPS w/A-GPS
- 3140maH Battery
- Android 4.4.4 KitKat w/Flyme OS

PRICE : Php. 7,990  ($190+) (White variant)
               Php. 8, 699 ($200+) (Other colors)

Final Say

Truly, it is a rival to ASUS' Zenfone 2 (the 5" variant) and comparing them would not be appropriate because M1 Note would win on all aspects. Congratulations to Meizu for making this kind of device.

(The white variant is made available yesterday, March 10 while the other colored variants will be available soon. - you can avail Meizu M1 Note through NovoTech7 PH kiosks and concept stores nationwide)

Clash of Clan Mania

If there would be a game that make the world go round, it would be this game. Whether on Apple App Store or Google Playstore, this game is always on the top list - presenting, Clash of Clans !

Created by Supercell, a Netherland based app developer. It is made available on late-2013 but didn't made any noise until mid-2014. It's like a sudden fame.

Basics of Clash of Clans

Basically, Clash of Clans or COC for short is an online strategy game where players attack each other or they may join a group called "clans".

Each player starts with a single town hall and a single worker (builds buildings, defense, walls, etc.) At first, you are tasked to build a barracks (where troops are trained) an elixir collector (collects elixir for troop related upgrades) a mine (collects gold) and storages for elixir and gold. You are also tasked to build a cannon and an archer tower to defend your buildings and town halls from attacks.

At first, players are encouraged to take the goblin missions to earn golds and elixirs but as the player levels, he/she can now attack other players for a loot (gold and elixir) and trophies.

As the player proceed through the game, the player should upgrade everything so that he/she will not be left behind.

Basic Elements of the Game

Town Hall - This is the heart of your base,  you cannot build other buildings without leveling it to the needed level.

Gold - it is the currency of the game, it is used to purchase defensive buildings. It is also used to upgrade buildings related to elixir.

Elixir - it is used to purchase troop related upgrades and also for upgrading buildings that collects and stores gold.

Dark Elixir (Not available until TH8) - used to purchase dark troops.

Walls - are used to add defense to your base, different types of layout are used for a higher chance of winning against attacks. Upgrade them to increase their HP.

Thropies - are gained by making 50% and above damage to a specific player during an attack. It's number defends on the available loot that the defensive player has.

Final Say

I think what makes people go loco with COC is the fact that the game features a war between clans. Players also liked experimenting with different base layouts for an effective defense or troop combination for an effective offense. Also, players liked to compare their trophies with their friends. This game is so famous that other game developers made a game so similar to this.

Are you also a COC addict ?

MacBook 2015 : Thinner than ever

Thinner than ever !

Apple Watch trio is not the only highlight of Apple's recent Spring Forward event. The Cupertino company also introduced a new member of the MacBook family, which maybe the thinnest ever.

The MacBook 2015 is said to be the thinnest having 13.1mm thickness. To achieve this, Apple re-engineered the components of the MacBook. They used a new layout for the keyboard, called the butterfly mechanism that's 40% thinner than the previous layout of the keyboard. They also made some changes on the 12" Retina display. It is reported to be 30% more energy efficient than the previous Retina display for MacBook line. Why ? Because they made the battery staggered to lower the dimensions which means that they lessened the battery capacity in order to achieve the thickness of their new device. Finally, the motherboard is also dramatically shrinked which is 67% smaller than the previous one. (WOW !)

Price, Price, Price !

Don't expect the new MacBook to be cheaper, not only because they re-engineered the device to become a lot thinner.

The new MacBook will be available with two SKUs, both which uses Intel's Core M processor which is said to deliver a whole day usage even with the smaller battery capacity. The cheaper SKU has a 1.1Ghz Intel Core M processor with 8GB of storage (WAT?!) and 256GB of SSD drive will retail for Php. 57,500 ($1299) while the other one will have 1.2Ghz Intel Core M processor with the same storage buth with a higher 512GB of SSD drive will retail for (Drum Rolls) a staggering price of Php. 70,800 ($1599).

Pricing here in the Philippine is not yet final because taxes are not yet included for the price, so will you give all your money for a more thinner MacBook ?

Zenfone 2 Price : A bang for the buck !

ASUS' Zenfone line made a hit especially the 5 inch variant. Then, lately they unveiled a successor to their cheap offering, the Zenfone 2 which is unveiled during the CES 2015 last January.

It may have a cheaper than usual price tag, but cheaper price doesn't mean short performance especially when one of the variants of this phone comes with a 4GB of RAM, yes ! 4GB of RAM ! (WOW !)

So here it is, Zenfone 2 SKU's with their respective price tags and specifications :

Let's start with the cheapest one.

ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE550CL

- 5" HD (1280x720) IPS LCD Display w/Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
- Intel Atom Z2560 dual-core chipset
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB/32GB variants expandable up to 64GB via MicroSD
- 8MP Autofocus camera w/LED flash
- 2MP Front-facing camera
- 3G, HSPA
- 4G LTE
- Single SIM
- Android 5.0 Lollipop w/ZenUI

Price : Php. 7000+ ($175+)

ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE550ML

- 5.5" Full HD (1920x1280) IPS LCD Display w/Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
- Intel Atom Z3560 chipset (Quad-core 64-bit processor @1.8Ghz)
- 2GB RAM
- 16GB/32GB variants expandable up to 64GB via MicroSD
- 13MP Autofocus camera w/Dual-tone LED flash
- 5MP front-facing camera
- 3G, HSPA
- 4G LTE
- Single SIM
- 3000maH Battery
- Android 5.0 Lollipop w/ZenUI

Price : Php. 8500+ ($210+)

ASUS ZenFone 2 ZE551ML

- 5.5" Full HD (1920x1280) IPS LCD Display w/Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection
- Intel Atom Z3560 chipset (Quad-core 64-bit processor @1.8Ghz) for the 2GB RAM variant
- Intel Atom Z3580 chipset (Quad-core 64-bit processor @2.3Ghz) for the 4GB RAM variant
- 2GB RAM/4GB RAM
- 16GB/32GB variants expandable up to 64GB via MicroSD
- 13MP camera (f/2.0 aperture w/5-element, autofocus) w/Rich Dual-tone LED flash
- 5MP front-facing camera (f/2.0 aperture w/85° wide-angle lens) w/Selfie Panorama
- 3G, HSPA
- 4G LTE
- Dual-SIM
- 3000maH Battery
- Android 5.0 Lollipop w/ZenUI

Price : (2GB RAM) Php. 9800+ ($250+)
              (4GB RAM) Php. 12700+ ($310+)

So all of the SKU's would come with 4G LTE. I have no words for availability yet here in the Philippines. But I believe that it will land here on mid-April to May this year.

The two cheaper SKU's would come with a matte back cover while the other one would come with metallic brush finish back cover that has different designs to choose from.

Really bang for the buck right ? I'm hoping to get my hands on it.

MyPhone Rio Grande : Largest Rio Ever.

BIG BROTHER OF RIO

MyPhone had been successful with their colorful Rio line that they released another member after another. This time, in phablet category. Meet the Rio Grande.

Yesterday, MyPhone launched the phone in a sale which slashes Php.500 from its SRP of Php. 4499.00 . It's only for one day so the crowd gathered on their participating kiosk like an angry mob just to purchase the phone. So why is it special ?

THE SPECIFICATIONS

Rio Grande is a phablet in all aspects. It has a huge 5.5" qHD IPS LCD Display with a pixel density of 200ppi, not the sharpest out there but for the price it is a value for money.

Running inside is a quad-core Mediatek MT6582 chipset with ARM Mali-400 dual-core GPU. The only compromise about the hardware is it's 512MB of RAM. Well they had to cut some corners to give way for the price. But if they decided to make it 1GB. It would be a steal.

Being a phablet, it needs a lot of juice to run for the whole day. Thankfully, MyPhone is generous to provide it with 2800maH battery which is more than enough for it's hardware that will surely make you use the phone the whole day.

To finish this off, here is the other specifications :

• Android 4.4.2 KitKat
• 4GB ROM
• 2G/3G Connectivity
• Dual-SIM
• 5MP Autofocus back camera w/     LED flash
• VGA front camera
• SRP : Php. 4499.00

It's good because they didn't remove the 3G connectivity like their previous cheaper phones.

FINAL SAY

I can say that this is a value for money except the lackluster 512MB of RAM. Well, you can still play high end games because it has a quad-core processor but the RAM limits the gaming capabilities. So expect lags and frame skips while playing high end games.

But given that it has a large screen and huge battery, it can be a media sidekick to watch videos or browse the web. Charging wouldn't be a problem.

This is the MyPhone Rio Grande

Three Faces of Watch : The Apple Watch !

Apple Inc. recently unveiled their new smartwatches during their Spring Forward event.

But Apple has a different approach in mind while they're planning to release this set of smartwatches. Instead of sticking to a single smartwatch, they decided to make three smartwatches namely, Apple Watch Sport, Apple Watch (Classic) and the Apple Watch Edition

APPLE WATCH SPORT

- The cheapest of the trio is the Apple Watch Sport which is available in 38mm and 42mm variants will retail for $349 and $399 respectively. It is made up of a special kind of alloy which is 60% tougher but is still lightweight. It also comes in different youthful colors hence the name Watch Sport.

APPLE WATCH

- The second of the trio is the Apple Watch (Classic) it is made from stainless steel and comes in 20 different stainless steel bands to choose from. The 38mm variant may range from $549 to $1049 while the 42mm variant will range from $599 to $1099 depending on the stainless steel band you prefer.

APPLE WATCH EDITION

- The most expensive of the trio. It is made up from mouth watering 18k (carats) of gold and comes in different leather bands. Obviously, it is targeted for luxury type of users. Pricing starts at $10,000 for the 38mm variant and $12,000 for the 42mm variant. I believe that Apple Watch Edition will be sold at chosen Apple Stores so it should be just a limited edition of the trio.

According to Apple, you can pre-order any of the trio starting on April 10 , shipping will start on April 24 depending on your location.