April 2013 Entry Level Smartphone Buyers Guide

I start of every month, with a suggestion of the best phones available in the Philippine market, breaking them into different price clusters. Under entry level smartphones, are those priced at below Php10,000. These entry level phones have gotten to the point where, for many consumers, they really need nothing more.

The prices posted are those covered by an official manufacturers warranty.

1. Huawei Ascend Y300 (Php5,490) - Bringing premium features to the entry level

At first glance, the Huawei Ascend Y300 is nothing spectacular. A 4-inch, dual core Android phone for Php5,490 is a dime a dozen these days. There are some very competent phones at cheaper prices. You can find the Cherry Mobile Flare, Burst and Thunder, priced from Php3,999 to Php4,999. You will also find similar phones in the 5K-6K ranger priced offerings from Cloudfone, MyPhone and Starmobile.

Quick specifications:

• Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
• 4-inch WVGA (480 x 800) display
• 4 GB internal storage expandable via a MicroSD card slot
• 512 MB RAM
• 1 GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
• 5 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 0.3 MP front camera
• HSPA
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 1730 mAh battery

Despite the higher price tag, I recommend that you make the Huawei Ascend Y300 your point of entry into the smartphone world. It offers several advantages over it lower cost and similarly priced rivals.

The Huawei Ascend Y300 runs Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean), while its competition still runs on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Given that low cost phones rarely, if ever, receive a software upgrade it makes sense to select one with a later version out of the box. Running a newer version of Android is worth a premium of a few hundred pesos in my opinion.

The Huawei Ascend Y300 comes equipped with Gorilla Glass. This, though scratch and shatter resistance glass, is what you find protecting higher end and mid-level handsets. Equipping the Huawei Ascend Y300 with Gorilla Glass now means that lower priced does not have to equate to lower quality materials.

The trend these days is to equip smartphones with larger batteries. The bigger the display, the heavier the power consumption, and hence the need for a larger battery. The "standard" has been to equip lower priced 4-inch phones with a 1500 mAh battery, and larger 4.5-inch phones with a 1700 to 1800 mAh battery. The Huawei Ascend Y300 comes with a 1730 mAh battery. Mated to a 4-inch diaplay, this will give you 15-20% longer battery life than cheaper or similarly price phones.

Basically, while many of the local smartphone brands offer nice low cost phones, the Huawei Ascend Y300 sends the message: It is time to level up.

You can read more about the Huawei Ascend Y300 at this link.

2. Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 (Php6,999) - Bringing quad-core power into the entry level.

The Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 should be available in retail shelves in the next two weeks or so. It is a more powerful device than the Huawei Ascend Y300.  But it also takes a few steps back. Compared to the Huawei Ascend Y300, you get a larger 4.5-inch display, a more powerful quad core processor and double the RAM. However, the Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 does not come with Gorilla or Dragontail Glass to protect the display, and the 1600 mAh battery is small for the phones screen size.

Quick specifications:

• Android 4.1
• 4.5-inch qHD (540 x 960) display
• Dual sim support
• 4 GB internal storage expandable via a MicroSD card slot
• 1 GB RAM
• 1.2 GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor
• 5 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 0.3 MP front camera
• HSPA
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 1600 mAh battery

For most users, the 4.5-inch display is probably the main draw. With smartphones now having gone beyond communication, being a hand held web browser, photo and document editor, eBook Reader and gaming device, the larger display is a much more comfortable to interact with. For gamers in particular the quad core processor will be a must have.  The main spoiler is the smaller 1600 mAh battery, but that can be worked around with a spare battery or portable power bank.

Overall, the Huawei Ascend Y300 provides a more balanced device for those whose primary need is a device that can do typical smartphone chores. It is a polished version of last years low cost smartphone. The Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0, on the other hand, is the first of the next generation entry level smartphones.

You can read more about the Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 at this link.

3. Cloudfone Thrill 430x (Php7,777) - Endurance king

One way to stay on this list long time, is to offer something unique. The Cloudfone Thrill 430x  does so via a 4160 mAh battery. The large battery gives the Cloudfone Thrill 430x two to three times the battery life of other smartphones in this list. It does run on the older version of Android 4.0 out of the box, but if you are after smartphone marathon grade battery life on a budget, this is the one for you. Nothing else matters. Overall, the specifications are better than the Huawei Ascend Y300 too.

Quick specifications:

• Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
• 4.3-inch qHD (540 x 960) display
• Dual sim support
• 4 GB internal storage expandable via a MicroSD card slot
• 768 MB RAM
• 1.2 GHz dual core Qualcomm Snapdragon Processor
• 8 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
• 0.3 MP front camera
• HSPA
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 4160 mAh battery

You can read more about the Cloudfone Thrill 430x at this link.

4. Cherry Mobile Omega HD (Php7,999) - Bringing 720p to the budget level

If you are like the latest generation of Android handset with large screens and high resolutions, but just don't think they are worth shelling out 30K for, you may want to take a look at the Cherry Mobile Omega HD. 

Quick specs:

• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• 5-inch IPS HD display (720 x 1280) protected by Dragontail Glass
• 4 GB internal storage, expandable via a microSD card slot
• 1 GB RAM
• 1 GHz dual core Mediatek processor 
• 12 MP primary camera (BSI sensor), autofocus with flash
• 2 MP (BSI) front camera
• HSPA
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 2100 mAh battery

This phone offers a lot of interesting technology at a low price. The crowning glory of this phone is that it brings a large and sharp 5-inch HD display to the budget level. It has scratch resistant glass using Dragontail Glass, a technology I am not familiar with. Both the front and rear camera use Backside Illumination Sensors, which should make for better low light performance.

One area of concern would be 3D graphics performance. Mating the 1GHz dual-core MediaTek MT6577 processor with its PowerVR SGX531 graphics processing unit with a 720p display is really pushing the graphics ability of this chipset to the limit. It might not be the best choice for the hardcore gamer.

Four nice choices. So there you have it, at 8K or less, you can have a quad core processor, an HD display or a large battery, and even a nice offering from the world third largest smartphone manufacturer. Not all in one package, but given the asking price, a few compromises are in order.

iPad Mini Handheld Holster Leather Case - Protective Case Hold on Hand

The iPad Mini’s form factor needs a bit of getting used to, but it doesn’t take long before your forget that it’s smaller than an iPad and that you start trying to get things done on it.

To protective iPad Mini and keep safe for work, here is protective iPad Mini case you can hold on hand anywhere, anytime.

iPad Mini Handheld Holster Leather Case is slim and durable, with large hand-held tape, hide wallet and elasticstretch desigh, you can take ipad mini on hand safety. iPad mini can automatically wake or put it into hibernation.

iPad Mini Handheld Holster Leather Case

iPad Mini Handheld Holster Leather Case is good case for ipad mini, special for who business man or woman, it combines wallet for credit cards, stand as watching movie, and a secret function is… who uses who knows

iPad Mini Handheld Holster Leather Case

iPad Mini Handheld Holster Leather Case

iPad Mini Handheld Holster Leather Case

It’s available for $32.95 on www.ipadmates.com for hot sale now.

Let’s know more info of it, the Features:
1. Made by high grade PU, irregular cortical lines, more natural, delicate touch, non-slip and anti-fingerprint.
2. Flexible and tough, with large hand-held tape, hide wallet and elasticstretch desigh.
3. Slim and durable, is truly a natural fit with new ipad mini. iPad can automatically wake or put it into hibernation. It’s Microfiber lining can keep ipad mini screen clean. Multi-angle stand support.
4. You can using this new ipad mini Leather Case as convenient bracket when reading, watching video and typing.

Both Exyos Octa 5 and Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 support LTE

Samsung announced two versions of its Galaxy S 4 phone, one with the Exynos 5 Octa and the other with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, it was believed that the Exynos 5 Octa be compatible only with 3G networks. The LTE model would ship with Qualcomm's LTE-capable, quad-core Snapdragon 600.

That was apparently wrong. Both the Exynos 5 Octa and Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 version of the Galaxy S support LTE. So why make two versions. Speculation is that Samsung cannot make enough Exynos 5 Octa to meet the demand.

GSM Arena benchmarks show the Exynos 5 Octa outperforming the and Qualcomm Snapdragon 600. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 could be a little more power efficient since the LTE modem is a System-on-Chip solution, while the Exynos 5 Octa most likely has a separare chip for the LTE modem. On the other hand, the Exynos Octa 5 uses two pair of quad core chips. One for intensive operation and a more power efficient second quad-core chip for less intensive tasks. This might be enough to match or out perform that Qualcomm version. 

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 version of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 performed very impressively in the battery life tests. Will be on the lookout for battery life tests of the Octa 5 Samsung Galaxy S 4.

Survivor Case for Samsung Galaxy S3 with Belt Clip Press Release

theideasforgift.com new release Survivor Case for Samsung Galaxy S3 with Belt Clip.

This Survivor case for Galaxy S3 is designed from the inside out to protect Galaxy S3 from extreme conditions and a host of other environmental factors.

This S3 Survivor Case is built on a shatter-resistant polycarbonate frame clad in rugged, shock absorbing silicone.

A built-in screen protector seals your Multi-Touch display from the outside environment, while hinged plugs seal the dock connector, camera lens, headphone port, hold switch and volume controls. The included stand clips on, then folds open for landscape viewing and typing.

It's available for $29.95 and free shipping on Survivor Case for Samsung Galaxy S3 with Belt Clip theideasforgift.com

If you want a BlackBerry Z10, best to go with Globe Telecom

Abe Olandres (aka Yugatech) tweeted an hour ago that there are apparently two models of the BlackBerry Z10 selling in the Philippines, a LTE and a 3G model.

After some discussions on the Twitter verse, it would seem that Smart Communications BlackBerry Z10's and retail units are 3G only. Globe Telecom BlackBerry Z10's are LTE models.

If you want a BlackBerry Z10, you should probably consider getting one from Globe Telecom.

HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4 Battery Life

GSM Arena has completed battery life tests on the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy S 4. These two phone represent what is the cutting edge in Android hardware today, with Qualcomm S600 processors and 1080p displays. Both phones have larger batteries than the phones they replace, with the HTC One carrying a 2300 mAh unit and the Samsung Galaxy S 4 coming with a 2600 mAh battery.

The results of the endurance tests on these two phones is pretty amazing.

Talk Time

Sony Xperia Z - 16 hours and 3 minutes

LG Optimus G - 15 hours and 30 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S 4 - 13 hours and 53 minutes
HTC One - 13 hours and 38 minutes

Samsung Galaxy S III - 10 hours and 15 minutes

Apple iPhone 5 - 8 hours and 42 minutes

The quad core Qualcomm S600 on the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4 does not appear to be as efficient in this task as the Qualcomm S 4 processor on the Sony and LG phones.

Web Browsing

HTC One - 9 hours 58 minutes
Apple iPhone 5 - 9 hours and 56 minutes

Samsung Galaxy S4 - 8 hours and 42 minutes
Sony Xperia Z - 6 hours and  27 minutes

Samsung Galaxy S III - 6 hours and 37 minutes

LG Optimus G - 5 hours and 15 minutes

The HTC One is impressive in a statistical tie with the Apple iPhone 5. Samsung's Super AMOLED technology is not efficient in web browsing tests which predominantly use white or light colored backgrounds, but the Galaxy S 4 does well enough in this test. The Qualcomm S600 equipped phones seem to be a lot more efficient than the Qualcomm S 4 handsets in this test. 

Video Playback

Samsung Galaxy S 4 - 10 hours and 16 minutes
Apple iPhone 5 - 10 hours and 12 minutes

HTC One - 10 hours and 2 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S III - 9 hours and 27 minutes

LG Optimus G - 7 hours and 30 minutes

Sony Xperia Z - 5 hours and 39 minutes

The Samsung Galaxy S 4, Apple iPhone 5 and HTC One are a statistical tie for first place. The Qualcomm S600 equipped phones seem to be a lot more efficient than the Qualcomm S 4 handsets in this test. 

Standby (with 1 hour of calls, video playback and web browsing per day)

Samsung Galaxy S 4 - 63 hours
Apple iPhone 5 - 51 hours
Samsung Galaxy S III - 50 hours
HTC One - 48 hours
Sony Xperia Z - 48 hours
LG Optimus G - 45 hours

While the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S 4 have been neck and neck the whole way, the Galaxy S 4 leaves the HTC One is standby time. Having tested several Android 4.1 and 4.2 ROM's, Android 4.2 seems to be much more power efficient on standby mode. The HTC One is running Android 4.1, while the Galaxy S 4 is running Android 4.2. A HTC update might improve the HTC One's standby performance.


Source: GSM Arena

Huawei Ascend Y300 - The new entry level king?

Huawei has just released its Ascend Y300 in the Philippines. The Ascend Y300 is a entry level phone, priced at Php5,490. At that price it squarely aims at low cost locally branded handsets from Cherry Mobile, CloudPhone, MyPhone and Starmobile. An Huawei does succeed.

The basic specifications are par for the course:

• 4-inch WVGA (480 x 800) display
• 4 GB internal storage expandable via a MicroSD card slot
• 512 MB RAM
• 1 GHz Dual Core Processor
• 5 MP primary camera with LED Flash
• 0.3 MP front camera
• HSPA
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS

But there are three key features which put it head an shoulders above the competition.

Jelly Bean. With the Ascend Y300, Huawei has thrown in a Android Jelly Bean phone in what is probably the most contested segment of the smartphone industry. And Jelly Bean is the key word. It competition is still running Android 4.0.4, Ice Cream Sandwich.

Gorilla Glass. This highly scratch and shatter resistant material is standard on mid-level and high end devices, it is nice seeing it in a phone at this price.

1730 mAh battery. The typical 4-inch Android comes with a 1500 mAh battery. The Ascend Y300 has a battery 15% larger than the typical 4-inch Android phone.

On the minus side, for some, the phone is not a dual SIM device.

All, in all, while it cost a few hundred more than the Cherry Mobile Thunder, and all of 1.5K more than a burst or the flair, I think Jelly Bean, Gorilla Glass, larger battery and Huawei branding is more than enough to justify the additional price.

The Case for the Low Cost Laptop

These days when I think about laptops, I think cheap. A decade ago, I was willing to pay a small premium just to buy a laptop. Three years ago, I was willing to pay a premium for ultra thin and light. As a testament to progress, for the typical user, the days even the cheapest laptops in the marker will do. 

The new personal computer ecosystem. Why cheap? Well, the laptop is no longer the center of our computing experience, but rather now forms part of a larger ecosystem. You really, really must have a smartphone on a data plan. It really will change the way you think of the Internet and your concept of what is a personal computing. You should really, really get your phone from a carrier. Getting a top class smartphone on a data plan will set you back Php1,500 to Php2,500 a month for two years. That is a Php36,000 or Php60,000 investment. But that gets you a top notch device with a retail price between Php20,000 to Php38,000, and a plan to make it really useful. After two years, progress in technology and battery wear and tear will compel you to buy a new one.

You should also consider getting a tablet. Tablet apps tend to be cheaper than Windows and Mac OS X desktop applications, so a tablet is a cheap way of getting some really powerful apps like Adobe Photoshop, or entertainment related apps, like games. Moving your photo editing tasks and gaming habit from your PC to a tablet could save a great deal of money in the long run. A good tablet could set you back as little as Php4,000 to as much as Php45,000. A tablet is also only good for two years or so.

Basically, having spent, or committed to spend, Php40,000 to Php105,000 over a period of two years for a smartphone and a tablet, I really do not want to spend all that much on a laptop. 

The cheap laptop is pretty decent. A good low cost 11.6-inch laptop these days will weigh in at just over three pounds, and some 14-inch laptops come in at about four pounds. These are not the 5-6 pound "thin-and-light" laptops from a few years back, which were not very thin, and more importantly, not all that light. 

To keep prices down, I would skip the touchscreen for now. While Windows 8 is optimized for the touchscreen, if you get a traditional laptop form factor, you really wont be using the touchscreen. Touch is better reserve to more expensive Windows 8 hybrid devices, which are priced at a level that make me think I am better of getting a dedicated tablet and a cheap laptop.

Also as a consideration to keeping costs and weight down, I would give up all day computing. Presumably, you would share computing time between your smartphone and tablet, as well as a laptop, so laptop battery life is less important. 

My recommendations.  Looking at the locally available 11-inch laptops, I like the 11.6-inch Acer Aspire V5 priced at Php18,900 with a Windows 8 license. 

The new V5 is build better than the older Acer 11-inch offering, notably having less flex on the keyboard. The main reason for selecting this model, is I much prefer the Intel Celeron 1007U processor over the AMD E2-1800 and 2000's you find in the competing 11-inch laptops which are priced higher. 

On the larger units, I prefer the 14-inch Samsung Series 3 NP370. 

Priced a Php22,900 with a Windows 8 license, it is nicely built, comes under 4 pounds, and has a decently large 3780 mAh battery.  

With your computing needs, or habit, now spanning three devices, I would think most of us would not be willing to spend as much on our next laptop upgrade.

Samsung Galaxy Grand Battery Life

We took a look at the battery life of LG Optimus G and Sony Xperia Z, and compared them with the established leaders, the Apple iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S III. LG's and Sony's offering faired pretty well. Now I am going to add the more modest, mid-priced, 5-inch Samsung offering, the Galaxy Grand.

Talk Time

Sony Xperia Z - 16 hours and 3 minutes

LG Optimus G - 15 hours and 30 minutes
Samsung Galaxy Grand - 12 hours and 45 minutes

Samsung Galaxy S III - 10 hours and 15 minutes

Apple iPhone 5 - 8 hours and 42 minutes

The quad core Qualcomm S 4 processor on the Sony and LG seems to be very efficient in low powered tasks, but the Samsung Galaxy Grand does pretty well beating the Galaxy S III and Apple iPhone 5.

Video Playback

Apple iPhone 5 - 10 hours and 12 minutes

Samsung Galaxy S III - 9 hours and 27 minutes

Samsung Galaxy Grand - 8 hours and 11 minutes

LG Optimus G - 7 hours and 30 minutes

Sony Xperia Z - 5 hours and 39 minutes

The Samsung Galaxy Grand has a large 5-inch display, but with a low WVGA (480 x 800) resolution. It has the same 2100 mAh battery you find in the Galaxy S III. So I was expecting it to better in this test.

Web Browsing

Apple iPhone 5 - 9 hours and 58 minutes

Samsung Galaxy Grand - 7 hours and 9 minutes

Samsung Galaxy S III - 6 hours and 27 minutes

Sony Xperia Z - 6 hours and  37 minutes

LG Optimus G - 5 hours and 15 minutes

Same comment.

Standby (with 1 hour of calls, video playback and web browsing per day)

Samsung Galaxy Grand - 56 hours
Apple iPhone 5 - 51 hours

Samsung Galaxy S III - 50 hours
Sony Xperia Z - 48 hours
LG Optimus G - 45 hours

Having been in the middle of all tests, the Galaxy Grand holds the top spot in the standby time category.

Source: GSM Arena

Low Cost 720p Androids: Cherry Mobile Omega HD v. Starmobile Diamond

Yugatech has a comparison of two of the most awaited Android smartphones which should hit the Philippine market next month: the Cherry Mobile Omega HD and the Starmobile Diamond. What makes both devices so eagerly awaited is the 5-inch 720p displays which both phones sport, at sub-10K prices.

Read Yugatech's comparison here.

Image source: Yugatech

Acer V5-131-10072G50A - Value for Money Ultraportable

Acer has released the 11-inch version of its V5 series laptops in the Philippines, which hits the market as the value for money 11-inch ultraportable. Priced at Php18,900 with a Intel Celeron 1007u processor, 2 GB of RAM and a 500 GB hard drive, this is the value for money choice for those looking for an 11.6-inch ultraportable. The price comes with a Windows 8 license.

The Intel Celeron 1007u scores 1592 points in the Passmark benchmarks. Looking at other low cost processors in the market, the Intel Celeron 1007u has much more processing power than the AMD E2-1800/2000 Accelerated Processing Units you find in the more expensive HP DM1 (Php19,990), Sony Vaio E  (Php23,990) and Lenovo Thinkpad EDGE 135 (Php26,990). If you are looking for a low cost 11-inch touchscreen, the Asus VivoBook X202e (Php20,990 and Php26,990) is still the only game in town.

The 11-inch Acer V5 also has what you expect from other laptops at this price range with a HD (1366 x 768) display, 2 GB of RAM, a 500 GB hard drive, card reader, USB 3.0 and HDMI out. The 11-inch Acer V5 has a 2500 mAh battery which is good for 3 to 3.5 hours battery life. The HP DM1 has and Lenovo Thinkpad EDGE provide longer battery life (5-6 hours), and the Lenovo has a much firmer and tactile keyboard. 

Still overall, the 11-inch Acer V5, with the more powerful Intel Celeron Processor is a very good choice for the money. It comes in three colors: silver, black and red.

A bit of trivia on the 11-inch Acer V5. The 11-inch Acer V5 is the same platform used for the Acer C7 Chromebook. 

Samsung Series 7 NP740U3E-S01PH - Touch Ultrabook

Intel has mandated that all Ultrabooks with the next generation Haswell processors be touchscreen devices. While Haswell is still a few months away, several manufacturers are already releasing touchscreen Ivy Bridge Ultrabooks. The latest Samsung Series 7 released in the Philippines is one such model. 

The new Samsung Series 7 NP740U3E-S01PH ushers in the era of next generation Ultrabooks with a 13.3-inch, Full HD touch panel. That's a sharp 1920 x 1080p display. Powering the device is a Intel Core i7-3537UM processor with a AMD Radeon 8570M graphics and 1 GB of dedicated video RAM. The device has 4 GB of system RAM and storage via a 128 GB SSD. Battery life is a good 7+ hours. All this is encased in a 0.74-inch thick shell which which weighs in at about 3.6 pounds. 

The Samsung Series 7 NP740U3E-S01PH will set you back all of Php69,900. This is a good choice for those who want a high end touch Ultrabook.  The price puts it in direct competition with the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro with Retina Display. It also makes it much more expensive their my current favorite portable, the Samsung Series 9 NP900X3D.

LG Optimus G Battery Life

The LG Optimus G was recently released in the Philippines. With a 4.7-inch 720p display it should be more power efficient than the latest 5-inch 1080p Androids. Is there merit to getting what it now a transitional model between last years flagships and todays cutting edge Android phones?

The LG Optimus G comes with a non-user replaceable 2100 mAh battery.

I will compare it to the two leaders, the Samsung Galaxy S III and the Apple iPhone 5 and the soon to be released 1080p Sony Xperia Z.

Talk Time

Sony Xperia Z - 16 hours and 3 minutes

LG Optimus G - 15 hours and 30 minutes

Samsung Galaxy S III - 10 hours and 15 minutes

Apple iPhone 5 - 8 hours and 42 minutes

The quad core Qualcomm S 4 processor on the Sony and LG seems to be very efficient in low powered tasks.

Video Playback

Apple iPhone 5 - 10 hours and 12 minutes

Samsung Galaxy S III - 9 hours and 27 minutes

LG Optimus G - 7 hours and 30 minutes

Sony Xperia Z - 5 hours and 39 minutes

The Apple iPhone with the smallest and lowest resolution displays tops this test. Samsung's Super AMOLED technology is also very efficient in video playback tests. The lower pixel density and smaller display of the LG Optimus G give it the edge over the Xperia Z.

Web Browsing

Apple iPhone 5 - 9 hours and 56 minutes

Sony Xperia Z - 6 hours and  37 minutes

Samsung Galaxy S III - 6 hours and 27 minutes

LG Optimus G - 5 hours and 15 minutes

The Apple iPhone with the smallest and lowest resolution displays tops this test again. There are a lot of merits to a smaller screen. Samsung's Super AMOLED technology is not efficient in web browsing tests which predominantly use white or light colored backgrounds, but does well enough in this test. The LG Optimus G is a rather disappointing in this test, with a smaller screen and lower resolution than the Sony Xperia Z. The Xperia Z's battery is 10% larger, but the difference does not explain the result.

Standby (with 1 hour of calls, video playback and web browsing per day)

Apple iPhone 5 - 51 hours
Samsung Galaxy S III - 50 hours
Sony Xperia Z - 48 hours
LG Optimus G - 45 hours


Source: GSM Arena

Sony Xperia Z Battery Life

The Sony Xperia Z will be hitting retailers soon, and the one question many potential buyers will have about it is battery life. Powered by a powerful quad-core Qualcomm S4 chipset and sporting a 5-inch Full HD (1080 x 1920) display, the question is will the 2330 mAh battery will be enough. Given that it is not user replaceable, it will have to do pretty well since you are likely to keep it for two years at which point the battery capacity should be down to 70% or less of the original capacity.

I will compare it to the two leaders, the Samsung Galaxy S III and the Apple iPhone 5.

Talk Time

Sony Xperia Z - 16 hours and 3 minutes

Samsung Galaxy S III - 10 hours and 15 minutes

Apple iPhone 5 - 8 hours and 42 minutes

The quad core Qualcomm S 4 processor seems to be very efficient in low powered tasks.

Video Playback

Apple iPhone 5 - 10 hours and 12 minutes

Samsung Galaxy S III - 9 hours and 27 minutes

Sony Xperia Z - 5 hours and 39 minutes

The Apple iPhone with the smallest and lowest resolution displays tops this test. Samsung's Super AMOLED technology is also very efficient in video playback tests. The Sony with a 5 inch Full HD display consumes a lot of power in this test.

Web Browsing

Apple iPhone 5 - 9 hours and 56 minutes
Sony Xperia Z - 6 hours and  37 minutes

Samsung Galaxy S III - 6 hours and 27 minutes

The Apple iPhone with the smallest and lowest resolution displays tops this test again. There are a lot of merits to a smaller screen. Samsung's Super AMOLED technology is not efficient in web browsing tests which predominantly use white or light colored backgrounds, but does well enough in this test.

Standby (with 1 hour of calls, video playback and web browsing per day)

Apple iPhone 5 - 51 hours
Samsung Galaxy S III - 50 hours
Sony Xperia Z - 48 hours


Source: GSM Arena

The Philippines Will be Getting Both Versions of the Samsung Galaxy S 4

Some countries will be getting the LTE enabled version of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 with a Qualcomm chipset. Other will get the non-LTE Samsung Galaxy S 4 with the Exynos 5 Octa-Core. The Philippines, we will get both.

Samsung Galaxy S 4's with a Qualcomm chipset and LTE will be headed to Globe Telecom and Smart Communications. The Samsung Galaxy S 4 with the Exynos 5 chipset will be targeted at retail sales and might be headed to Sun Cellular.

Source: Sammobile

BlackBerry Z10 Offered at Smart All-in Plan 1800

Smart Communications previously announced that it was offering the BlackBerry Z10 on Smart Data Plan 2000. Smart has now announced that the BlackBerry Z10 will be offered on All-in Plan 1800 with a 30 month contract.

This is actually a better fit for the BlackBerry Z10 in my opinion. Users interested in internet apps and web browsing will probably lean more towards an Android phone or an Apple iPhone. If you are  still on a BlackBerry today, it probably means one of two things. It is a corporate issued phone leaving you with no choice, or you are a BlackBerry Messenger user.

All-in Plan 1800 lets you configure your services and can allow you to create the ultimate messaging platform. Bundle it with unlimited data and you get unlimited BBM, Facebook Messaging, WhataUp, GTalk, Yahoo Messenger and Viber (coming soon). Add select the Php350 per month SMS add-on and you have 2,500 SMS to all networks. 

Sony Xperia Z Available for Pre-Order at Php29,990

Sony's flagship smartphone, the Android powered Sony Xperia Z is now available on pre-order from Lazada for Php29,990. The phone is available in three colors: black, white and purple.

Pre-ordered units will start shipping on April 8, 2013. Phone bought from Lazada on or before May 15, 2013 will also come with a free Krusell Donso FlipCover case and a chance to win a Sony smart watch.

Samsung Galaxy S 4 Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 Benchmarks

Primate Labs, the developer of the Geekbench Benchmarks has posted the benchmark scores of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 equipped with a Qualcomm S600 chipset.  The benchmarks confirm that something we already knew. The Samsung Galaxy S 4 is fast. Clocked at 200 MHz faster than the HTC One, it is faster than its HTC rival. The new Qualcomm S600 chipset also smoke the older Qualcomm S 4 Pro found in the Nexus 4, LG Optimus G, HTC Butterfly and Sony Xperia X and XL. The Samsung Galaxy S 4 is twice as fast the Apple's iPhone 5.

But that it not really news. The Apple iPhone 5 was built around 2012 technology and is really more of a competitor to the Samsung Galaxy S III and HTC One X. 

What is more interesting is how much progress is being made with each generation of smartphone chipsets in terms of power (higher is better).

Phone listed in order of release dates.

2009

Apple iPhone 3GS - 272

2010

HTC Nexus One - 477

Apple iPhone 4 - 368

Samsung Nexus S - 364

2011

Samsung Galaxy S II - 998

Apple iPhone 4S - 622

Samsung Galaxy Nexus - 997

2012

HTC One X (Tegra 3) - 1431

Samsung Galaxy S III (Exynos) - 1717

Apple iPhone 5 - 1596

LG Nexus 4 - 2040

2013

HTC One - 2687

Samsung Galaxy S 4 (Qualcomm) - 3163

In four years times, smartphone power has multiplied by a factor of 10. The Qualcomm S600 in the Samsung Galaxy S 4 have as much power as Intel Core 2 Processor Duo processors released in 2008 and 2009! Now that is pretty amazing. 

Smart Communications iPhone 5 Wipeout Promo

Smart Communications is offering post paid subscribers discounts on their pre-termination fees for subscribers who want to avail of Apple's iPhone 5. The size of the discount depends on the number of months remaining on the contract.

• 1-7 months remaining - up to a 75% discount
• 8-13 months remaining - up to a 50% discount
• 14-19 months remaining - up to a 25% discount

To find out if you are qualified, and how much your discounted pre-termination fee, you can text WIPEOUT to 2928.

You can get more details on Smart's iPhone 5 Wipeout promo at this link.

GalaPad 7" WiFi

There are so many low cost Android tablets in the market, that I really cannot follow most. So I try to pick out a few interesting ones. One that caught my eye is the GalaPad 7" WiFi. The point of interest in this tablet is that it runs a Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor, just like the Google Nexus 7. Priced at Php9,200 is about 4 to 5K less than the retail price of a Nexus 7.

The GalaPad 7" does have lower specifications than the local version of the Nexus 7. The Nexus 7 is sold with 32 GB of internal memory, while the Galapad 7" comes with just 8 GB. The Galapad 7" does come with a MicroSD card slot, while the Nexus 7 does not. The GalaPad also comes with a lower resolution 1024 x 600 display instead of the HD, 1280 x 800 resolution on the Nexus 7. The lower resolution does mean less sharp images, on the other hand it also means better 3D performance as a Tegra 3 can run 3D graphics on a 1024 x 600 with ease. Finally the GalaPad has a smaller battery,  3500 mAh, as against the 4350 mAh battery of the Nexus 7. However, the lower resolution display will also be a more power efficient one.

The Tegra 3 processor on the GalaPad 7" does mean that it can take advantage of the Nvidia graphics optimizations found in some games. The GalaPad 7" also runs Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, so the operating system is current enough. I would probably just hunt down a Cherry Mobile Fusion Bolt myself. But if you want a Tegra 3 based system, and on a budget, the GalaPad 7" is worth a look.

Galaxy Nexus 4.2.1 update

Galaxy Nexus updating on a Smart Communications issued unit...

.. Android 4.2.1 flashing.

Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 - Fiery Quad-Core Inside

Together with the Cherry Mobile Omega HD, the company launched another phone, the Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0. The Flame 2.0 is a 4.5-inch qHD smartphone running on Android 4.1, Jelly Bean. Powering the Flame 2 is a 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon quad-core processor. The processor is backed by 1 GB of RAM. This phone is equipped with  1600 mAh battery.

The quad-core processor inside the Flame 2.0 is a Qualcomm S4 Play, specifically the MSM8225Q with a 1.2 GHz quad core ARM Cortex A5 processor and Adreno 203 grpahics. This is powerful enough to power displays as high as 720p displays and can handle HD video recording. The use of a ARM Cortex A5 processor and Andreno 203 graphics, has caused some to raise doubts. Cherry Mobile has released some pretty impressive benchmarks for its new Flame 2.0.

The Cherry Mobile Flame 2.0 is priced at Php6,999, and should hit the shelves early next month.

Cherry Mobile Omega HD - Awesome

When Cherry Mobile launched its Omega, two months ago, many were disappointed with the specifications. Omega is now launching a HD version of the Omega, the Cherry Mobile Omega HD. In truth, other the name, the Omega and Omega HD are rather different devices.  

Quick specs:

• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
• 5-inch IPS HD display (720 x 1280)
• 4 GB internal storage, expandable via a microSD card slot
• 1 GB RAM
• 1 GHz dual core processor
• 12 MP primary camera, autofocus with flash
• 2 MP front camera
• HSPA
• WiFi
• Bluetooth
• A-GPS
• 2100 mAh battery

The suggested retail price is Php7,999. With 1 GB of RAM, a 720p display and Jelly Bean at a price below 8K, this really is another game changer from Cherry Mobile. When I look at what is available at Php6-7K, it looks like you should really try to add a bit to your budget and pick up the Cherry Mobile Omega HD instead. The Cherry Mobile Omega HD also looks like a better deal than a lot of the lower mid-level phones in my March 2013 mid-level smartphone buyers guide.

But this phone offers more than just upgraded specifications. It also incorporates some interesting technology not found in phones at this price. It has scratch resistant glass using Dragontail Glass, a technology I am not familiar with. Both the front and rear camera use Backside Illumination Sensors, which should make for better low light performance.

Ultimately, not on does the the Cherry Mobile Omega HD bring HD and JellyBean at an entry level price, it also is a step up in terms of durability in camera technology from what you usually find at the entry level.

Now, one crucial piece of information is still missing, basically what ARM processor, chipset and graphics chip this phone is using. A 720p display requires a fair bit of graphics power for good performance. I will be following up this product closely.

Apple and its Retina Display Marketing

In a new marketing campaign to explain why Apple in its website is still the best smartphone, Apple mention it is the only phone with the "retina" display. While the Apple iPhone has many virtuous, this is probably one that should have been left out. Apple originally defined retina as a pixel density of over 300 pixels per inch (ppi), but Apple now uses the term retina for high resolution displays, on its iPad and MacBooks, with a pixel density even below 300 ppi.

"It's pixel density is so high, your eye can't distinguish individual parts."

Comparing the Apple iPhone 5 to the different flagship phone shows that it actually does not do too well these days in the sharpness department.

Apple iPhone 5: 4-inch, 640 x 1136 pixels (326 ppi)

Nokia Lumia 920: 4.5-inch HD, 768 x 1280 pixels (332 ppi) 

BlackBerry Z10:  4.2-inch HD, 768 x 1280 pixels (355 ppi)

Samsung Galaxy S 4: 5-inch Full HD , 1080 x 1920 pixels (441 ppi)

HTC One: 4.7-inch Full HD, 1080 x 1920 pixels (469 ppi)

Basically, comparing the BlackBerry, Windows and Android flagship phones, with the Apple iPhone 5, the latter is the only sub-HD phone and has the lowest pixel density. This is the kind of marketing which has earned Apple the reputation of weaving "reality distortion fields." 

What will Apple say when is releases a phone with a higher pixel density? 

LG on the move - It is not All Samsung in the Android World

Every major Android smartphone, manufacturer, from HTC to ZTE, has released or officially announced their 2013 flagships, which comprise of 5-inch smartphones with 1080p displays (except the HTC One with a 4.7-inch 1080p display). The Samsung Galaxy S 4 appears to be the early favorite, and it does not look like the competition is offering anything that would derail Samsung ambitions of a having the best selling Android smartphone in 2013.

The fly in the ointment for Samsung could be LG. LG has already released a very interesting Phablet the LG Optimus G Pro which impressively places a 5.5-inch Full HD display in a package more compact that the 5.5-inch Samsung Galaxy Note II. Expected to hit the market in the second quarter of 2013, the more modern LG Optimus G Pro is expected to steal some sales from the Samsung Galaxy Note II. The LG Optimus Pro and might take some of the thunder out of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 as well.

Sometime early in the third quarter of this year, LG should be releasing an update to its 4.7-inch LG Optimus G (the basis for the Google Nexus 4), with the more powerful Qualcomm S800 processor and 3 GB of RAM. This phone is also rumored to come with a 5.2-inch display with on-screen buttons. 

Apple iPhone 4 - Free from Smart at Plan 999

The Apple iPhone 4 is now nearly three years old, and is getting a bit long in tooth insofar as its specifications are concerned. Still, offered at a good plan it could still be an excellent choice, and Smart Communications has done just that.

Smart is offering the Apple iPhone 4 free at Plan 999 with the following bundled in:

• 100 minutes of voice calls to all networks
• 40 SMS to all networks
• 250 MB of data

I would think many users would have preferred a little less voice call time in exchange for more SMS. Still, it is a nicely balanced Php999 a month package. 

Acer Smartphone E1 Liquid V360

In addition to its new Intel powered Android, the Liquid C1, Acer has released a more conventional Android phone in the Philippines. The Acer Smartphone E1 Liquid V360.

The Acer Liquid E1 has a 4.5-inch qHD (540 x 960) display and runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. It is powered by a dual core 1 GHz processor, but I do not know what version of the ARM Cortex processor it is running on, or what chipset it is built on. The also comes with 1 GB of RAM. Internal storage is 4 GB, which is expandable via a microSD card slot. The phone is equipped with a 1760 mAh battery The phone has a 5 MP primary camera, and a VGA front camera. Wireless connectivity is via HSPA, WiFi and Bluetooth. 

The Acer Liquid E1, uses a Nexus like interface with on screen buttons, which give it a touch of class in my opinion. 

Priced at Php10,990, Acer Liquid E1 is placed in direct competition with the Lenovo P770 which is priced at Php11,790. The Lenovo P770 has similar specifications and comes with a larger 3500 mAh battery.

Acer Smartphone Liquid C1 i110 - Intel Inside

Acer has released a new Android smartphone in the Philippines, the Acer Smartphone Liquid C1 i110. Acer's new offering has a 4.3-inch qHD (540 x 960) display. Storage is 4 GB expandable by a  microSD card slot. The phone comes with two cameras,  a 8 MP primary camera and a VGA front camera. Wireless connectivity is via HSPA, WiFi and Bluetooth. The battery is a relatively large 2000 mAh unit.

What makes the Acer Liquid C1 unique is that it runs on an Intel processor. Inside the Acer Liquid C1 is single core 1.2 GHz Intel Atom Z2420 rather than the usual ARM processor you find on smartphones. Performance is about equivalent to a high end dual core ARM processor, scoring over 12000 points in the Antutu benchmarks. Given that the Acer Liquid C1 is priced at just Php12,499, that is a lot of power for the asking price.

Unfortunately, it still runs on an older version of Android, version 4.0, "Ice Cream Sandwich" with a lot of newer phones running on Android version 4.1 or 4.2, Jelly Bean.

Sun Cellular is Offering the BlackBerry Z10

BlackBerry is facing though time these days. Once the top smartphone maker in the world, BlackBerry is now fighting for survival. BlackBerry's newly release duo of BlackBerry 10 OS phones won't be enough for it to compete with Google's Android and Apple's iOS. BB10 is really about the fight for third place, which is the spot BlackBerry and Microsoft's Windows Phone will be fighting for this year.

In the Philippines at least, BlackBerry is of to a good start. Sun Cellular is also releasing the BlackBerry Z10, which means you will find the device on all three Philippine carriers (Note: Sun Cellular is now a subsidiary of PLDT which also owns Smart Communications).

Sun Cellular is offering the BlackBerry Z10 at Plan 1799 with a 30 month contract. The plan includes unlimited calls and text within the Sun network, 250 SMS to other networks, unlimited land line calls, 60 minutes of IDD calls to 10 countries and unlimited mobile data. Notably, you will not be getting LTE connectivity on Sun's network which is only HSPA capable.

Going back to its battle with Windows Phone, only one carrier is offering a Windows Phone device. Smart Communications is offering the non-LTE version of the HTC Windows Phone 8S. For now, BlackBerry has the jump on Windows Phone in the Philippines in terms of carrier support.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Features Review

Samsung Galaxy S4 stressed that the concept of Life companion. Compare to Galaxy S3, it is upgrade from 4.8 inches to 5 inches Full HD Super AMOLED display (441ppi) screen and running Android 4.2.1 operating system, equipped with 1.8GHz Exynos 5410 eight-core processor built-in Samsung released early 2GBRAM, have 16/32/64GB and 8 sensor, with 13 million pixel camera, support for the front and rear camera to take pictures at the same time.

Samsung advent S4: betting software vs. Apple

The Galaxy S4 has both 3G and 4G versions to support 4GLTE network and roaming.
The Galaxy S4 also has infrared LED, and remote control. Software Samsung Galaxy S3 stressed the continuity of the phone automated intelligent operation tone in the Galaxy S4 at the press conference began to emphasize Knox function, allows the user to distinguish between the office and entertainment on the same phone.

Galaxy S3 supports two phone touch share S Beam function after the S4 increase Smart Switch program supports multiple phone first be transferred to a computer, and then sync to the Galaxy S4. Even if the user touch screen phone wet inconvenient, Air Gesture touch-screen operation phone.
Even some Galaxy S4 case accessories, such as S View Cover, so that the user not need to open the protective cover to view caller information.

It is worth mentioning that the the Galaxy S4 increased suspension Preview eye up and down scroll S translation and voice text conversion functions.

S Translator is a built in translation service that works as a standalone app (which does voice to voice translation), but also integrates into email, messaging, and Samsung's ChatON service (though not Gmail or Google Talk). Group Play allows up to 8 devices to directly connect via NFC for sharing photos and music, which, whatever, but the cool thing is it lets you game together.

At launch it will work with Asphalt 7 and Gun Bros 2. Pretty cool idea. Adapt Display will change the color of your screen if it senses you're reading a lot of text on white, making it more of a sepia tone, which is easier on the eyes.

Truthfully, there are too many modifications to go into, and most of them aren't things you'll ever use. Which is really the S IV's biggest problem.

There is no doubt that this is a superior performance configuration Android flagship phone. Galaxy S4 can be sustained in the the Galaxy S3 era of performance and superior Samsung high-end smart phone flagship strategy will obtain further verification.

Compared to the initial rise of the smartphone hardware upgrades just a smooth evolution rather than stunning revolution.

Android smartphone makers to launch another round of hardware arms race in the past two years, the screen was a mainstream 3.5-inch, 4-inch, 4.8-inch, to the Galaxy S4 upgrade to 5-inch. Upgrade to 8-core chip from single-core, dual-core, quad-core to the Galaxy S4.

"Bigger, faster, thinner, clearer" has become the main theme of the evolution of smart phones, but just from the hardware upgrades are hard to please the growing consumers.

Samsung seems no longer spend too much time stressed the advances in hardware, to restore the people's lives through the musical scene, the interpretation of the the Galaxy S4 "life companion" concept.

So the Knox function, the user can distinguish between the office and entertainment features on the same phone. In the photo, the 1,300-pixel camera can move forward and backward at the same time, increased Sound Shot feature automatically record 5 seconds of audio before the photo. Drama Shot feature 100 photos taken within four seconds, and then pick the favorite part of these photos.

Prior to the exposure the suspension Preview (Air Views) are also highlighted in the press conference, fingers hovering can preview the photos in the folder above. The Galaxy S4 Home Sync function is emphasized by the S4 NFC pairing to share content with television. S Voice Drive function is used to driving a car, you can read text messages and voice feedback reply message.