Monday, April 29, 2013

Samsung Series 5 ULTRA NP530U4E-S01PH (Intel Core i5-3337UM)


Samsung has an attractive new Ultrabook like offering. I say Ultrabook like since it comes with an SSD cache drive and is just 0.77 inches thin. On the other hand, weighing in a a hair over four pounds, it is a bit heavier than a true Ultrabook. Still, all-in-all the Samsung Series 5 ULTRA NP530U4E provides a portable package which packs a punch.


This 14-inch laptops has a Intel Core i5-3337UM processor mated to a AMD Radeon HD8750M graphics card. As expected this laptop runs on Windows 8. The 14-inch HD (1366 x 768) display, is not touch capable though. The rest of the specifications are what you would expect at this price range, with 4 GB of RAM, a 500 GB hard drive and a 24 GB SSD cache drive.


Priced at Php41,990, this laptop is reasonably priced for what it offers. The SSD cache drive is what pushes the price up. If you are not to keen on instant wake from sleep (which is what the SSD cache drive is for), there are a couple of Intel Core i7's with discrete graphics, available at this price range. 


Alcatel One Touch Scribe Easy

I am not sure whether Alcatel new Sribe offering should be compared with phone tablets or smartphones. The Alcatel One Touch Scribe Easy comes with a stylus, something more associated with Samsung's Note series which have created the Phablet category. One the other hand, the display is "just" 5-inches in size, which puts it more in the category of a smartphone. Given its wide 78.4 mm girth, which is all of 10% or so more than 5-inch smartphones, I think this will appeal to those looking more for a phablet. 


Priced at Php8,990, the Alcatel One Touch Scribe Easy looks like it will be facing rough waters. Cherry Mobile Titan and Omega HD are priced lower at, Php6,499 and Php7,990. The Omega HD is also more powerful and has a sharper display than the Alcatel One Touch Scribe Easy.

Quick specs:
  • Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
  • 5-inch WVGA display (480 x 800) 
  • 4 GB internal storage, expandable via MicroSD card
  • 512 MB RAM
  • 1.2 GHz dual core Qualcomm S4 Play processor 
  • Adreno GPU
  • 5 MP primary camera, autofocus with LED flash
  • VGA front camera
  • HSPA
  • WiFi
  • Bluetooth
  • A-GPS
  • 2500 mAh battery

All-in-all, this device would have made a decent proposition in late 2012, but is looking a bit dated relatively expensive for a Quarter 2 2013 release.

Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra - Vibrant and razor thin

Alcatel is using the movie Iron Man 3 to promote its new One Touch Idol Ultra, and Alcatel has reason to put some serious marketing muscle behind this phone. Alcatel has a winner with the One Touch Idol  Ultra. This phone is not about outclassing the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One or Sony Xperia Z. It is about combining a sufficient amount of power, with tons of class at an affordable price. 

How much is this affordable price? The Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra has a suggested retail price of Php14,990, which puts it squarely at the mid-level price range. For this price, it offers a vibrant 4.65-inch HD (720 x 1280) AMOLED display, protected by Dragon Trail Glass. Angle the phone to its side, and you will note the fairly impressive display is housed in a case less than 6.5 mm thick. That is 1.1 mm thinner than a Apple iPhone 5 and 1.4 mm thinner than a Samsung Galaxy S4. Style is what the  Alcatel One Touch Idol Ultra is all about.




Quick specs:
  • Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
  • 4.65-inch HD display (720 x 1280) 
  • 16 GB internal storage, not expandable
  • 1 GB RAM
  • 1.2 GHz dual core Mediatek processor 
  • PowerVR SGX531 GPU
  • 8 MP primary camera, autofocus with LED flash
  • 1.3 MP front camera
  • HSPA
  • WiFi
  • Bluetooth
  • A-GPS
  • 1800 mAh battery

Inside, you have a 1 GB of RAM and a 1.2 GHz dual core Mediatek processor, which will provide sufficient power to run Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and apps, for the typical user. However, the aging PowerVR SGX531 graphics combines with the 720p display limit its 3D performance somewhat. You can play a who bunch of games with this device, it is just not the best choice for the hardcore gamer.

This is the best device I have seen from Alcatel. It razor thin profile and vibrant display should be enough to sell this phone. 

Saturday, April 27, 2013

Windows gets 7% of the tablet market for Q1 of 2013


While Windows RT have not been a smashing success, in part because the full PC version of Windows 8 runs well on tablets. Windows 8 itself has been labeled a failure by many sectors, with a 14% drop in PC sales year-on-year. However, the two criticized operating systems have been a success for Microsoft in a very important arena. Windows 8 and Windows RT have captured 7% of the tablet market in Q1 2013. While, this might not be a roaring success, it is a firm foothold in the largest growing category of consumer electronic devices.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Samsung Galaxy S4 free @ LTE Plan 2000 from Smart, and LTE Plan 1500 for early birds


Smart Communications has revealed that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available for free, bundled with the Smart Unli Data Plan 2000 with a 30-month contract. This plan comes with unlimited LTE connectivity and 200 SMS and 150 minutes of calls to all networks.


As a special treat for early adopters, those who submit their application for a postpaid plan and get approved from April 27 to May 2 at participating Smart Stores, can get the Samsung Galaxy S4 for free at Unli Data Plan 1500, and receive their unit on May 2, 2013. 

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Acer Liquid Z2 Z120


Acer has released another Android phone, the third for the year, in the Philppines. The new offering is the Acer Liquid Z2 Z120. The phone is priced at Php4,990 and as can expected at that price, the phone comes with modest specifications:


Quick specs:
  • Dual SIM
  • Android 4.1 Jelly Bean
  • 3.5-inch HVGA display (320 x 480) 
  • 4 GB internal storage, expandable via a microSD card slot
  • 512 MB RAM
  • 1 GHz single core Mediatek processor 
  • PowerVR SGX531 GPU
  • 5 MP primary camera
  • No front camera
  • HSPA
  • WiFi
  • Bluetooth
  • A-GPS
  • 1300 mAh battery
Is this phone worth looking at? If you don't need the dual SIM capability, spending Php500 more can get you the Huawei Ascend Y300D. The Ascend Y300D has a larger and sharper display and dual core power. I would recommend that instead.

However, if you do want a dual SIM phone at this price, it is a more difficult choice. There are better phones available like the Cherry Mobile Flare, Thunder or Burst.  However, all the dual-SIM Android's at this price phone still run on Android 4.0, Ice Cream Sandwich. The Acr Liquid Z2 Z120 runs on Android 4.1, Jelly Bean. For me it would be easier to live with Ice Cream Sandwich with a 4-inch or large WVGA (480 x 800) display, the having Jelly Bean on a HVGA display. Basically, I am not recommending the Acer Liquid Z2 Z120.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Monster Twins: The Starmobile Diamond and the Cherry Mobile Omega HD

Starmobile Diamond

The Manila Bulletin calls Starmobile's new Diamond a gem of a phone. Yugatech has a review of the Starmobile Diamond, a 5-inch Jelly Bean Android phone with a HD (720 x 1280) display. The review reveals that the phone has an excellent display, a very decent camera but with less than stellar benchmarks. Overall, it is an excellent choice.

Starmobile's problem is that the same can be said about Cherry Mobile's lower priced Omega HD. Techlolokal's review of the Cherry Mobile Omega HD, shows that it has the same strengths, but suffers the same weakness as the Starmobile Diamond. The reason for this, is that two phones are pretty much identical.

Starmobile Diamond Quick specs:
  • Dual SIM
  • 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 
  • PowerVR SGX531 GPU
  • 12 MP primary camera (BSI sensor), autofocus with flash
  • 3 MP (BSI) front camera
  • HSPA
  • WiFi
  • Bluetooth
  • A-GPS
  • 2000 mAh battery

Cherry Mobile HD Quick specs:
  • Dual SIM
  • 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
  • PowerVR SGX531 GPU
  • 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

If you compare the basic specifications of the two, the only difference you will notice is the MP rating of the front camera and the size of the battery.  A difference of 1 MP on the front camera and 100 mAh is not all that significant. Design wise, the two are also very similar, with the main difference being a slightly slimmer bezel surrounding the Cherry Mobile Omega HD's 5-inch display.

It is the price where these two entry level Titan's differ the most. The Php7,999 suggested retail price of the Cherry Mobile Omega HD is substantially lower than the Php9,990 price tag of the Starmobile Diamond. The Starmobile Diamond does come with a 8 GB MicroSD card which effectively lowers the price gap. but it still ends up being the more expensive device.

I will give this round of the local smartphone wars to Cherry Mobile. But that is not surprising. For the past sic months they have been able to undercut the prices of all their competitors substantially. 

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

The Nexus One end its life as an Astronaut



Remember the first Google Nexus phone, the HTC built Nexus One? It looks like the phone is ending its life as an Astronaut.

As part of a new project to lower the cost of satellites, NASA successfully launched NASA's 10cm-cubed CubeSat Satellites. The CubeSat's are constructed from commercial off-the-shelf components, which each satellite costing between US$3500 and US$7000 to build. To keep the costs down, unmodified smartphones are used as the computer for the satellite. Three Android powered HTC Nexus One phones get the honor of powering the first CubeSat's.

They Nexus One's are equipped with a larger lithium-ion battery pack and a more powerful radio for transmitting data. Other than that, it really is just an off-the shelf Android phones. The phone camera is even used to capture and transmit images.

I was pretty sure I would be picking up a Samsung Galaxy S4 to replace my HTC Desire HD. Now, I really feel like maybe taking ONE more spin with HTC.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 N5100 - Wrong model launched?



Samsung latest Note, the Galaxy Note 8.0 is now available in the Philippines. Checking the prices from a local retailer, the Galaxy Note 8.0 can be had for Php22,850 with an official Samsung Warranty.

Quick specifications:
  • Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
  • 8-inch HD (800 x 1280) display
  • 16 GB internal storage, expandable via a MicroSD card
  • 2 GB RAM
  • 1.6 GHz quad core ARM Cortex A9 processor
  • 5 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
  • 1.3 MP front camera
  • HSPA
  • WiFi
  • Bluetooth
  • A-GPS
  • 4600 mAh battery

The specifications strike me as being transitional. Better than the Google Nexus 7 or the iPad mini, but  both of those models are likely to be updated in the next three to six months. An updated Nexus 7 tablet or iPad mini should exceed the specifications of the Galaxy Note 8.0, especially in terms of display resolution. A 1080p display, a quad core ARM Cortex A15 and LTE would what have made the Galaxy Note 8 a bleeding edge device.

The feature that will draw buyers toward the Galaxy Note 8.0 is the S-Pen or the fact that it really is an 8-inch GSM phone with voice and SMS functionality. But if the S-Pen is not a must have or you are buying it to use as a tablet and not as a all-in-one device, the Galaxy Note 8.0 becomes a less attractive proposition.

The Galaxy Note 8.0 looks expensive by comparison. It only costa about 6K more than a Nexus 7 3G and a few hundred more than the iPad mini, but that has LTE. 

What makes a expensive proposition for most buyers is that the WiFi only version of the Galaxy Note 8.0 has not yet been released in the Philippines. If 3G is not something you want in a tablet, than the Nexus 7, iPad mini or one of the growing number of tablets pried at less than 10K would probably be more compelling options.

All-in-all, a Galaxy Note 8.0 costs what it costs. I has features which are not found in its competitors, so a direct price comparison is not possible. But I think Samsung launched the wrong model in the Philippines and the WiFi only N5110 is what would have been a better fit for the local market. If the N5110 takes a long time getting here, it may find itself competing against a Full HD Nexus tablet and a retina iPad mini.

Monday, April 22, 2013

Samsung Galaxy S4 i9505 Review @Yugatech

Yugatech has published the long anticipated review of the Samsung Galaxy S4 i9505. You will recall that Abe Olandres was invited to the Galaxy S4 launch in New York. To get the scoop on the Galaxy S4 follow this link.

Image is from Yugatech's review and used with the site owners permission.
No republication of this image should be made without the permission of Yugatech.

The real story is not the new smartphone. In truth, there are plenty of Galaxy S4 reviews. More important is what the review represents. A local blog, was invited to, and was given pre-release units for review. The significance of the worlds largest smartphone manufacturer taking notice of a Philippine based publication is not lost on me. Philippine blogging just moved up a notch, a big one at that.

Well done Samsung. Well done Mr. Olandres.

Globe Samsung Galaxy S4, free starting at Plan 1799


Globe Telecom has announced its post paid plans for the Samsung Galaxy S4. Samsung new flagship smartphone can be for free at Plan 1799 on a 30-month contract, or Plan 2499 on a 24 month contract. Globe Telecom will also allow you to shorten contract periods by signing up for a higher plan or adding cash. Here is the complete matrix of Globe Samsung Galaxy S4 plans:



Saturday, April 20, 2013

Samsung Galaxy S4 @Php30,990 from Globe Prepaid

Globe Telecom has priced the Samsung Galaxy S4 at Php30,990 as part of a pre-paid kit. The model being carried. d is the Qualcomm quad core version.


The official launch date of the Galaxy S4 is on April 26, so I suspect you can get one from Globe by then

Two more HP Touchscreen Laptops: HP Pavillion Sleekbook Touchsmart 14-B132TX and 14-B133TX


HP has released two more Windows 8 touchscreen laptops in the Philippines, the HP Pavillion Sleekbook Touchsmart 14-B132TX and 14-B133TX. The two new offerings are more powerful higher end models of the HP Pavillion Sleekbook Touchsmart 14-B164TU we took a look at earlier.

The HP Pavillion Sleekbook Touchsmart 14-B132TX is priced at Php29,990, which is 4K more than the lower end HP Pavillion Sleekbook Touchsmart 14-B164TU. The additional 4K is well worth the money.

Comparing the two, the Sandy Bridge i3 on the lower end model, was upgraded to an Ivy Bridge Intel Core i3-3227U. This means you also get an upgrade from Intel HD 3000 graphics to Intel HD 4000 graphics. In addition the 14-B132TX also gets a discrete graphics card, a Nvidia GT 630M with a 1GB of dedicated RAM. You also get double the RAM at 4 GB, and 50% more storage at 750 GB.

If you can spare the additional 4K, I would recommend the 14-B132TX over the 14-B164TU. 

The third model is the HP Pavillion Sleekbook Touchsmart 14-B132TX which is priced at Php33,990. The only upgrade the 14-B133TX has over the 14-B133TX is the processor, which is a Intel Core i5-3337U. Best advice I can give you on whether it is work the additional 4K is to check the PassMark benchmarks.

  • Intel Core i3-2375M - 1943 PassMark points
  • Intel Core i3-3227U - 2690 PassMark points
  • Intel Core i5-3337U - 3213 PassMark points


At Php29,990, the HP Pavillion Sleekbook Touchsmart 14-B132TX looks like the best bang for the buck model. The substantial hardware upgrades are worth the 4K price premium over the 14-B164TU.  The 14-B133TX with its Core i5 processor would also be worth the additional money for those needing more power.

Smart ‘Shock Proofs’ all postpaid plans

Smart Communications Press Release.


[18 April 2013] Say goodbye to unexpected data charges as wireless leader Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) introduces its Anti-Bill Shock (ABS) feature across all of mobile and broadband postpaid plans.

“‘Bill shock’ is now a thing of the past,” said Smart Postpaid Business Head Kathy Carag. “From today, all data charges from our postpaid offerings will be capped to certain amount so that our subscribers could enjoy worry-free surfing 24/7,” she said.

Data charging has been identified to be one of the leading causes of ‘unexpected charges  particularly for subscribers using Internet-enabled smartphones.

Based on internal data, a number of mobile users are not aware that their new phones automatically connect to data services. This ‘background connection’ incurs charges which may result to excessive monthly bills.

With ABS in place, Smart Postpaid users who are not enrolled to either an Unlisurf or Always On package will be charged the default rate of P10 per 30 minutes until his or her data charges reach a total of Php1,200.

To illustrate, a Smart All-In Plan 500 subscriber who has consumed P300 worth of voice and SMS services and unknowingly keeps his or her data connection on will only be charged a maximum of Php1,500 until the end of the billing cycle.

Similarly, Smart Bro Postpaid users who exceed their monthly allocation will also be charged the default rate of P10 per 30 minutes until his or her data charges reach P999.

If a Smart Bro Flexisurf Pocket WiFi Plan 599 subscriber for example exceeds the 50 hour monthly allocation, he or she will only be charged an additional Php400 for the excess data charges. The plan then essentially turns into an unlimited surfing plan until the next billing cycle.
“It’s worry-free mobile surfing at its best,” said Smart Broadband Internet and Data Services Head Lloyd Manaloto. “Come try out the best data connection only from the network with four times more fiber power,” he said.

Manaloto refers to Smart and parent firm PLDT’s modernized mobile network which has been super-charged with 54,000kms of fiber optic cables (FOCs).

FOCs, unlike legacy copper wiring, uses beams of light to deliver and receive data from the core network to the base station and vice versa.

“Our fiber-powered network can handle millions of calls, billions of texts, and trillions of bytes of data, said Manaloto. “We have the only truly future-proof network in the Philippines.
To know more about Smart’s data plans, visit www.smart.com.ph or go to a Smart Store nearest you. [END]

Friday, April 19, 2013

Google Glass - Future of Android?


Android Inside. Engadget has confirmed, what most people have suspected for a long time. Google Glass runs on Android. 

The Next Step? Does Google Glass herald the coming of the next wave consumer mobile devices? In the previous decade the laptop and the smartphone move from exclusive devices for highly paid executives devices that were affordable to average consumer. In this decade, the tablet has evolved evolved from a being a laptop with a touchscreen, to being a completely new class of computing device. Is wearable computing, with smart glasses and smart watches, the next step in mobile tech evolution?

Nokia Lumia 520, 620, 720. 820 and 920 Battery Life


Nokia has five Windows Phone 8 devices. The first wave was the release of the Lumia 620, 820 and 920. Nokia followed this up with the Nokia 520 and 720. Notably, one change Nokia made to its design was giving the new phones larger batteries relative to display size.

Using GSM Arenas's the battery life test we can compare how the new Lumia's fare. For comparison with other models, I will include the Samsung Galaxy S4 and Apple iPhone 5S on the list.

Talk Time

Nokia Lumia 720 - 15 hours and 17 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S 4 - 13 hours and 53 minutes
Nokia Lumia 620 - 14 hours and 17 minutes
Nokia Lumia 520 - 13 hours and 33 minutes
Nokia Lumia 920 - 8 hours and 56 minutes
Apple iPhone 5 - 8 hours and 42 minutes
Nokia Lumia 820 - 7 hours and 9 minutes

The Lumia 920 and 820 both use the Qualcomm MSM8960 which does not seem to be as efficient in talk time as the Qualcomm MSM8227 found on the Lumia 520, 620 and 720.


Web Browsing

Apple iPhone 5 - 9 hours and 56 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S4 - 8 hours and 42 minutes
Nokia Lumia 720 - 7 hours and 37 minutes
Nokia Lumia 520 - 7 hours and 15 minutes
Nokia Lumia 920 - 5 hours and 40 minutes
Nokia Lumia 820 - 4 hours and 24 minutes
Nokia Lumia 620 - 3 hours and 50 minutes


Video Playback

Samsung Galaxy S 4 - 10 hours and 16 minutes
Apple iPhone 5 - 10 hours and 12 minutes
Nokia Lumia 720 - 6 hours and 43 minutes
Nokia Lumia 620 - 6 hours and 32 minutes
Nokia Lumia 820 - 6 hours and 25 minutes
Nokia Lumia 920 - 6 hours and 19 minutes
Nokia Lumia 520 - 5 hours and 50 minutes

Video playback seems to be more taxing on Windows Phone than Android and iOS.


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

Samsung Galaxy S 4 - 63 hours
Nokia Lumia 720 - 60 hours
Apple iPhone 5 - 51 hours
Nokia Lumia 520 - 49 hours
Nokia Lumia 920 - 44 hours
Nokia Lumia 820 - 40 hours
Nokia Lumia 620 - 36 hours


As you can see, by putting a larger battery, relative to screen size in the newer Nokia Lumia 520 and 720, the two newest offerings are very competitive with the best phones in the class. Overall, the Lumia 520 and 720 fare much better than the Lumia 620, 820 and 920.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Lumia versus Lumia: The Nokia Lumia 520 & 720 compared

The two latest Nokia Lumia releases look like they will be good sellers. The biggest factor that might hold them back is that Windows Phone operating system is not well known in the Philippines. The Nokia brand is another matter. The name Nokia still carries a fair amount of weight around here.

Nokia Lumia 720

There is a big price gap between these two phones. The lowest price I have found the Nokia Lumia 720 is selling for, with a official warranty, is Php13,990.  As for the Nokia Lumia, it can be had for Php7,450 with an official warranty. That is a price difference of Php6,500. Basically, you can almost buy two Lumia 520's for the cost of one Lumia 720. Is the Lumia 720 twice as good?

Nokia Lumia 520

Display. The Lumia 720 has a 4.3-inch display, which is substantially larger than the 4-inch display of the Lumia 520. Both screens are WVGA displays with a 480 x 800 pixel resolution. This actually means that the Lumia 520 has the sharper display, but the Lumia 720 uses ClearBlack technology which gives it better contrast. The Lumia 720 also has a Gorilla Glass protected display, while the Lumia 520 has a scratch resistant display of lesser durability.

Winner: Lumia 720

Power. Both phones have dual core 1 GHz Qualcomm Krait processors, Adreno 305 graphics and 512 MB of RAM.

Winner: Tie

Storage. Both phones have 8 GB of internal storage, expandable via a MicroSD card slot. MicroSD cards of up to 64 GB are officially supported.

Winner: Tie

Connectivity. Both phones support HSPA+ connectivity.


Winner: Tie


Cameras. The Lumia 720 has a front camera, while the Lumia 520 has none. The Lumia 720 has a better camera with a larger sensor and higher quality lens. You can compare image samples at this link: GSM Arena Compare Tool. The Lumia 720 also has a flash for its camera, while the Lumia 520 does not.


Winner: Lumia 720


Battery life. The Lumia 720 has pretty good battery life. The battery on the Lumia 720 is a healty 2000 mAh unit. The Lumia 520 has a smaller 1430 mAh battery. While the smaller 4-inch display on the Lumia 520 will use less power than the 4.3-inch on the Lumia 720,  I estimate that the Lumia 720 will have about 10-15% better battery life on task where the screen is on, and the gaps gets much larger in terms of talk and standby times.

Winner: Lumia 720

Conclusion. No doubt, the Lumia 720 is the better phone, with a a larger and higher quality display, a front camera, a better quality primary camera and longer battery life. But for the price gap, it is clear the Lumia 520 is a really good deal, while the Lumia 720 a nice phone for the money but not as good as a value for money proposition as the Lumia 520.

Sony Xperia ZL lands in the Philippines, sans LTE


The Sony Xperia ZL has hit local retail shelves. The Xperia ZL is a slightly lower cost version of the Xperia Z, which has a plastic back, instead of glass and is a bit thicker. The Xperia ZL is also not dust and water resistant. However, the thing that a buyer should consider, the version of the ZL released in the Philippines is the C6502 model, which does not have LTE connectivity.


Quick specifications:
  • Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean)
  • 5-inch HD (1080 x 1920) display
  • 16 GB internal storage, expandable via a MicroSD card
  • 2 GB RAM
  • 1.5 GHz quad core Qualcomm Krait processor
  • 13 MP autofocus primary camera with LED Flash
  • 2 MP front camera
  • HSPA
  • WiFi
  • Bluetooth
  • A-GPS
  • 2370 mAh battery

I do not have the suggested retail price of the Sony Xperia ZL, but found it for sale, with a Sony warranty, for Php26,850. The same store has the Sony Xperia Z for sale at Php28,990. 

The lower price, which is Php2,100 less, does not seem to be enough for me to consider the Xperia ZL over the Xperia Z. The classier and slimmer glass backed case and LTE radio of the Xperia Z would seem to be worth paying Php2,100 more for.

April 21 Update. The retailer has updated the specifications on the Xperia XL, and the model is actually a Xperia XL C6503 which comes with LTE. 

Stockholm Syndrome: Tech Media Disbelief of the Post-PC World


I was reading an article in PC World, entitled When the PC is obsolete, how will you do this, and this, and this. There have been many other similar point of view expressed recently. Unfortunately, this is an illustration of how a significant portion of the tech media seems to be, more and more, out of touch with the real world. 

If you develop software or write for a living, whether it be a novel, a ten page product review or even a short post like this, you won't want to do it on a tablet. At least not yet. But if you read a novel, or a ten page product review or this post, do you really need a laptop or desktop to do that? 

On this humble blog, each post is read hundreds, and some posts, thousands of times. One writer, hundreds of readers. For a large publication, one writer and hundreds of thousands of readers. For a bestseller novel, one writer and millions of readers are their compared to readers. For a new piece of software, you have one to several dozen developers, and a ten million downloads.

Basically, for each productive PC, you will have hundred, thousands or millions of consumption PC's.

Around the Web: Android Activations and Amazon International

Android activations have reached 1.5 million per day. This is up from 700,000 per day sixteen months ago on December 2011, and 400,000 per day in May 2011. 



Amazon looks to get a bigger piece of this pie. Phone Arena reports that the Amazon Android App store is about to launch internationally. More importantly, that means that the Kindle Fire line of Amazon tablets will probably be made available in more countries too.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

HP Pavilion Sleekbook Touchsmart 14-B164TU

While there are many touch enabled Windows laptops in the Philippines, the majority of them are fairly expensive. I do not have any data, but from what I see in the wild, and what smaller stores carry, it looks like laptops priced under Php30,000 are what most consumers are willing to pay for. At below Php30,000 you don't have all the many choices. At the 11-inch form factor you have two versions of the Asus Vivobook x202e. For 14-inch laptops you have a pair of  Acer's 14-inch V5-431P's, and one of the Asus Vivobook S400 laptop comes in at just 30K.

Well, now there are six. HP now has a low cost touchscreen offering, the Pavillion Sleekbook Touchsmart 14. The HP  Pavillion Sleekbook Touchsmart 14-B164TU is priced at Php25,990 but its specifications are not too impressive. Out of the box, it comes with a meager 2GB of RAM and it is powered by an older generation Sandy Bridge, Intel Core i3-2375M processor. It does comes with a pair of USB 3.0 port. The other specifications are what you expect, with a HD (768 x 1366) display, a 500 GB hard drive webcam,  the usual wired and wireless connectivity options and weighing in a just under 4.5 pounds.

All-in-all it is priced well enough against the other touchscreen Windows 8 laptops.

Nokia Lumia 720 Battery Life Test

When Nokia launched its new Windows Phones 8 models, the Lumia 620, 820 and 920, the battery's were a bit smaller than the latest generation of smartphones. The newer Lumia models, the 520 and 720 have rectified this. The 4.3-inch Lumia 720 has a 2000 mAh battery, the same one which is found on the Lumia 920. 

The WVGA (480 x 800) display of the Lumia 720 is not as impressive as the HD displays you find on many of todays phones of a similar size, but lower resolution displays do consume less battery power. Coupled with the power efficient dual core Qualcomm Krait processor and large battery, the Nokia Lumia 720 promises very good battery life.

GSM Arena's recently concluded the battery life test on the Lumia 720 and this is how it fared:


Talk Time

Sony Xperia Z - 16 hours and 3 minutes
LG Optimus G - 15 hours and 30 minutes
Nokia Lumia 720 - 15 hours and 17 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S 4 - 13 hours and 53 minutes
HTC One - 13 hours and 38 minutes
Apple iPhone 5 - 8 hours and 42 minutes

The talk time of the Nokia Lumia 720 is impressive enough...

Web Browsing

HTC One - 9 hours 58 minutes
Apple iPhone 5 - 9 hours and 56 minutes
Samsung Galaxy S4 - 8 hours and 42 minutes
Nokia Lumia 720 - 7 hours and 37 minutes
Sony Xperia Z - 6 hours and  27 minutes
LG Optimus G - 5 hours and 15 minutes

... the web browsing results are a bit disappointing. The 2300 mAh battery of the HTC One has to power a Full HD display and still comes out ahead by over two hours. Similarly, the small 1440 mAh battery on the Apple iPhone 5 has to power a higher resolution 640 x 1366 display, and still the iPhone does over two hours better in web browsing.


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
Nokia Lumia 720 - 6 hours and 43 minutes
Sony Xperia Z - 5 hours and 39 minutes

The results of the video playback are even less impressive than web browsing. 


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

Samsung Galaxy S 4 - 63 hours
Nokia Lumia 720 - 60 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

The Lumia 720 does redeem itself in standby time.

Overall, I cannot say I am disappointed with the Nokia Lumia 720's battery life, I was expecting it to do a bit better.


Source: GSM Arena


Cherry Mobile Hyper - Another 5-inch offering from CM


Cherry Mobile is launching another 5-inch smartphone, called the Hyper. The announcement was made via Cherry Mobile Facebook page where the company shared the Hyper's specifications:


  • Dual SIM / Dual Standby
  • 5-inch WVGA (480 x 800) capacitive display
  • 1.2GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
  • Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)
  • 512MB of RAM
  • 4GB of internal storage
  • microSD support up to 32GB
  • 5MP camera
  • VGA front camera
  • 3G/HSDPA
  • Bluetooth
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n / Wi-Fi hotspot
  • FM Radio / Multimedia Player
  • 2,000mAh battery


The price is Php4,990 making it the cheapest 5-inch dual core phone that Cherry Mobile ever released, and it will probably replace the slightly lower priced Cruize in Cherry Mobile line-up. 

The most disappointing aspect about the Hyper is that it runs Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. While app compatibility is maintained between Jelly Bean and Ice Cream Sandwich is maintained, little by little Jelly Bean is getting features not available in Ice Cream Sandwich. The new Gmail update last month includes several features not available on Ice Cream Sandwich. The older operating system is not a deal breaker at Php4,990 though. 

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Are the best low cost smartphones now Windows Phones?

When it comes to the lowest cost smartphones in the market, you will still find Android running Gingerbread (Android 2.3.x) and Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.x) or the Nokia Asha series. My own favorite in the low cost bunch is the Huawei Ascend Y300. With a Gorilla Glass protected 4-inch WVGA (480 x 800) display, a dual core processor, front and back cameras and a large 1730 mAh battery, it is one step ahead of Android flagship phones of 2010, and mid-level Android phones of 2011. Couple this with the fact that it runs a current enough operating system (Android 4.1 Jelly Bean) a Php5,490 suggested retail price and you have what amounts to a excellent value for money deal. Overall, the Huawei Ascend Y300 is a very nice package with no real weaknesses. It is built on three year old technology though.

Hauwei Ascend Y300



ODM phones sold by Cherry Mobile give you a quad core phone for Php6,990 and a 5-inch phone with a HD (720 x 1280) display for Php7,990.  These two have some very impressive specifications, but some serious limitations too. The quad-core Cherry Mobile Flare 2.0 is built on a Qualcomm S4 Processor with a quad core processor based on older technology and comes with an older generation Adreno 203 graphics chip.  The 5-inch HD display of the Cherry Mobile Omega HD is coupled with a old PowerVR SGX531 graphics processing chip which will result in lackluster 3D performance.

Windows Phone has two entry level offerings, the Nokia Lumia 520 and the Hauwei Ascend W1. On the face of its these two phones and their 4-inch WVGA displays, and priced at Php7,990 and Php8,990, the Lumia 520 and Ascend W1 look like more expensive equivalents of the Android powered Ascend Y300.
Nokia Lumia 520

But the similarity is only skin deep. The Lumia 520 and Ascend W1 which are built on current technology using Qualcomm's Krait processors built on still cutting edge 28 nm technology and the Adreno 305 graphics which Qualcomm released in the fourth quarter of 2012. The Ascend Y300 and Omega HD are based on an older 45nm ARM Cortex A9 processor and still sports the aging PowerVR SGX531. The four cores and Adreno 203 graphics in the Flame 2.0 are really are not faster than the dual core Kraits and Adreno 305 graphics in the Lumia 520 and Ascend W1. With the new Qualcomm chipset also comes support for faster HSPA data transfer speeds.

Huawei Ascend W1
Android phones still offer lower cost options, and come with more variety in terms impressive set of screen sizes and resolutions. However, the geek inside will really appreciate the Lumia 520 and Ascend W1. In terms of hardware, the Lumia 520 and the Ascend W1 are really the two best pieces of smartphone hardware at less than Php10,000. 

Why Windows RT Failed

Windows RT is Windows for ARM devices other than smartphones.  Rather than using the Windows Phone 8 operating system for tablets, Microsoft develop a new one. This gives Microsoft three operating systems. Windows Phone 8 which is designed for use with ARM processors and for use on smartphones. Windows 8 which is designed for use with x86 (Intel and AMD) processors and for use on desktops and hybrid devices. Windows RT which is designed for use with ARM processors and for use on tablets and hybrid devices. All three versions of Windows use a common interface, and porting applications from one to another is supposedly not too difficult.

The approach taken is different from Apple, which has a mobile operating for phones and tablets in iOS which is compatible with ARM processors, and a desktop operating system which is compatible with x86 processors. The approach is also different from Google, which has Android for phones and tablets, and Chrome OS for desktops. Android and Chrome are compatible with both ARM and x86 processors.

The advantage of ARM was that it was the lower cost solution, and had good battery life. ARM processor also did not have the power to run a full desktop operating system. The death of Windows RT is due mainly to two factors:

1. Intel has closed the gap with ARM. Intel Atom processors can run the full Windows 8 operating system on a tablet, and give battery life more or less equivalent to other tablets. Basically, why run RT and when can run full Windows 8. With Intel's new Haswell, the need for Windows RT will be even less.

2. Microsoft kept too tight a control of ARM. Microsoft imposed tight controls on the development and production of Windows RT devices. All Windows RT devices were designed in cooperation with Microsoft. All Windows RT devices were built to strict design and hardware specifications provided by Microsoft. Three participating ARM chip makers were only allowed to partner with up to two PC manufacturers to develop the first wave of Windows RT devices. Qualcomm partnered with Samsung and HP, Nvidia with Asus and Lenovo, and Texas Instruments with Toshiba. Additionally, Microsoft partnered with Nvidia to produce its own Windows RT tablet, known as Surface.

Acer and Sony did not participate, whether by decision of Microsoft or the OEM's, I do not know. HTC was not allowed to build a Windows RT tablet. Lower cost ARM component manufacturers were also left out.

The end result was only five Windows RT devices being released, with Toshiba canceling their offering before launch. Effectively, there are only four left with Samsung canceling their ATIV Tab after release.


Acer built a Windows 8 tablet, and so did Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo and Samsung. These devices matched the prices and the features of the five magical Windows RT devices. Windows RT on ARM might actually have been able to provide lower cost Windows devices. 

Windows RT already had the daunting task of trying to take out the Apple iPad. The end result was a situation where instead of Windows RT competing with the iPad and Android tablets,  Windows RT's first competitor was Windows 8. Apple iPad's and Android tablets, were at a different and lower price point all-together. 

Basically, when you read about that booming tablet environment, most of it is being done be devices that cost less than Windows RT and Windows 8 tablets. For Windows 8 tablets, this is to be expected. They are premium products which will be the choice of those who need Windows XP/Vista/7 compatible software on a tablet. 

Windows RT, needed mass acceptance to succeed. Without a large user base it would not be able to attract app developers. Without a large app ecosystem, it really has little hope of competing with the iPad.

In sum, Intel rendered Windows RT irrelevant with advancements in its processors. Microsoft rendered Windows RT irrelevant by creating a environment for its development which resulted in it coming into the market as a premium product.

Microsoft has the most operating systems, and many OEM partners, collectively they have not come out with a single product that can match the price of an Apple iPad 2. Never mind the iPad mini, Android and Kindle tablets sold cheaper than that. Instead Microsoft, leveraging MS Office, tried to go head-on with the Apple iPad Retina, and its 300,000 app ecosystem. 

The scariest message Windows RT send Microsoft is that, "We can live without MS Office."
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