Pre-Order your HTC One and get it on May 24, 2013

The HTC One, HTC's flagship Android phone is now available for pre-order at a price of Php32,990. The online pre-order page appears to be inoperative, so it would be best to make your place your order through the HTC Concept Store in Megamall. The phone number for the HTC Concept Store in Megamall is (02) 6361589 and (02) 6361593.

Q1 2013: Android and Windows Phone up, iPhone and BlackBerry down

Three out of four smartphones sold last quarter was an Android phone. Android's share in the smartphone market was 75%, up from 59.1% on the same quarter in the previous year. This is pretty impressive given that the new Android's don't start showing up till the second and third quarter of the year.

Apple sold more more iPhone in the first quarter of 2013, as compared to the same quarter in the previous year, but its market share took a sharp dip, from 23% to 17.3%. Without a new iPhone planned till the September 2013, its numbers will probably continue to fall this quarter. This probably also explains all the iPhone promos we are seeing in the Philippine market today.

Windows Phone has managed to get 3.2% of the smartphones sold in the first quarter of 2013. While this is much higher than the 2% market share it obtained in the same quarter in the previous year, the market share obtained so far is too small for the platform to have a significant impact. Windows Mobile, Microsoft previous mobile operating system had 23% percent of smartphone sales in 2004, and held 14% of the market in 2008, until Microsoft announced that it was coming out with a new operating system in 2009.

Still with new low cost offerings like the Nokia Lumia 520 and the Huawei Ascend W1, there seems to be the possibility that Windows Phone will have a major breakout this quarter.

BlackBerry market share in Q1 of 2013, dropped to 2.9%. With this BlackBerry relinquishes the third spot to Windows Phone. We have to wait another quarter to see whether the new BlackBerry Z10 and Q10 will change the fortunes of this former premier smartphone maker.

Get a discounted on an Apple iPad with Retina Display with a Smart Data Plan

Smart Communications is offering Apple iPad's and iPad's mini's discounted when bundled with a data plan. Bundled with Data Plan 999 you get a Php8,000 discount on a 3G/LTE iPad with Retina Display.

Bundled with Plan 499, you get a Php1,000 discount and deferred payment over a period of 24 months.

Plan 499 falls under Smart Anti Bill Shock plan, so even if you exceed your 65 hour allocation, you will never go beyond Php999.