Battle at the top: The Apple iPhone 4, HTC Desire HD and Samsung i9000 Galaxy S

If you are looking for the killer OS backed by 100,000 applications or more, right now its a fight between Android 2.2 (Froyo ) versus the Apple's iOS. In this regard, it is worthwhile to note that Apple actually has over 300,000 Apps in its App Store while Android has 100,000 Apps available. The newly launched Windows Phone 7, is only backed by about 5,000 Apps at present and the future of Symbian 3 is rather uncertain.

Apple iPhone 4

iPhone 4. The most desired touchscreen smartphone in the Philippine market is the Apple iPhone 4G. The iPhone 4G has a lot more going for it than the Apple exclusivity. Inside its aluminum and glass case is hardware which backs up the claim to being the best smartphone in the market.  It has a fast operating system, a slick user friendly interface, excellent web browser, a 3.5 inch screen which has the highest resolution of any mobile phone screen at 640 x 960 pixels, a Samsung manufactured 1 GHz Apple A4 processor, 512MB of RAM and 16GB or 32GB of internal storage. The weakest point is the  5MP  camera is so so, and the 720P video recording does not offer continuous auto focus but is pretty good. The iPhone 4 is not just the most sought after phone in the market because of the Apple on its back.

The cheapest price I have found for the iPhone 4 32GB, with a Apple Warranty, is Php43,500 . If you slide down to the 16GB model, you can get it for Php38,500 with an Apple Warranty. Internal storage is rather important for an iPhone 4 since it does not have a card slot, hence if you think you need the space, I suggest you pony up the additional Php5K.

HTC Desire HD

HTC Desire HD. The newly released HTC Desire HD will be priced at around Php35,000 to Php40,000 according to Yugatech. The HTC comes in big and bad with a 4.3 inch (480 x800) screen, tons of memory ( 768 MB of RAM) and a 1 GHz processor Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8255. Internal storage, like HTC's other Android phones is disappointing. The phone has 1.5GB and  HTC provides you with a 8GB MicroSD memory card. Even with the included 8GB MicroSD card, it has 6.5GB less storage than the lower end iPhone 4. 

The larger 4.3 inch screen is a plus over the iPhone screen, but after that it is downhill. The screen is an S-LCD screen which simply cannot match iPhone iPS Retina Display or Samsung's Super AMOLED. This phone was supposed to come with a Super AMOLED screen, but due lack of supply, HTC was forced to switch to S-LCD screens. In fairness, many people probably cannot tell the difference, but it is no doubt inferior to the other two technologies.

The HTC Desire HD has tons of RAM, at 768MB, but this is in part to compensate for the fact that its 1 GHz processor Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8255 is about 37% slower 1 GHz Apple A4 processor as per tests conducted by Anandtech.  Similarly, the HTC Desire HD does does have a larger 8MP camera, performance is actually below the that of the 5MP unit of the iPhone 4. HD video recording on the HTC Desire HD  is iffy.

The estimated price for this unit is Php37K.

Samsung I9000 Galaxy S

Samsung i9000 Galaxy S. Next is the humble Samsung i9000 Galaxy S. We say humble because despite its large 4 inch screen its all plastic construction makes it look less stellar than it is. The decision to build its flagship i9000 in a plastic case means that it is easily mistakable for other lower end Samsung phones. The absence of a flash at the back also makes appear to be less than Samsungs flagship phone.

Once in operation, it is clear it is not just your regular phone. It has a 4 inch 480 x 800 pixel resolution Super AMOLED display, which is clearly distinguishable from other LCD displays. Behind the Super AMOLED display is a fairly impressive set of hardware: 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor with a discrete graphics processing unit and 512MB of RAM. For storage you have the option of either 8GB or 16GB of storage. The Galaxy S camera fairs a bit better than the iPhone camera and records HD video better too. The Galaxy S runs Android 2.1 (Elcaar) but a Android 2.2 Froyo is available.

The suggest retail price for the 16GB model is Php32,000, and we have seen it for sale as lows as Php30,990 with an official Samsung warranty. We have seen the 8GB model for sale for as low asPhp26,000 for the 8GB model, but this is a grey market unit and does not carry Samsung warranty).

The 4 inch Super AMOLED sized screen is a plus as against the smaller 3.5 inch higher resolution screen of the iPhone 4. If you go with the entry level Galaxy S, it is just 33% cheaper than the cheapest iPhone4. Moving up to the 16GB model, matching the storage on the entry level iPhone 4, the price difference is still Php7,600.

Final words. If money is no object, get the Apple iPhone 4. It is the most chic among the three. It is fast a has a amazingly design interface. But if you are looking for a value for money option, the Samsung i9000 Galaxy S is it. It has a significant price advantage over the iPhone 4 and has a larger screen. The HTC Desire HD has even a larger 4.3 inch screen, but less storage our of the box the either the iPhone 4 or Galaxy S. In terms of clarity, the 4.3 inch LCD screen of the Desire HD is not a match for either the screens of the Galaxy S or iPhone 4. But than again, there is something to be desired about a 4.3 inch screen.

The best thin and light laptop for 2010: Battle of the Aluclads

Laptopmag selected the Apple MacBook Pro as the best Thin-and-Light laptop for 2010. A bit of a clarification, Thin-and-Light laptops are those with a weight of between 4-6 pounds, although for this blog we have revised that standard only consider laptops weighing between 4-5 pounds as Thin-and-Light laptops. At a inch thick and weighing in at 4.4 pounds that MacBook pro is certainly thin, and light enough to be carried around on a regular basis. Priced at Php61,990 it did have to fight of many a competitor to earn Laptomag's coveted award. Before conceding to the correctness of the choice, we wanted to look around the market and see what else was available.

MacBook Pro

Battle of the Aluclads. The MacBook Pro is a beautiful machine built from an aluminum unibody frame. If we were to pit us against its plastic clad competitors we would surely find something which runs faster at a lower price. But we wanted to compare Apples with apples in a manner of speaking and we found a worth competitor in the  Php59,990 HP Pavilion DM4-1102TX. 

HP Pavilion DM4-1102TX

The 13.3" Apple MacBook Pro's dimensions are 12.8 x 8.9 x 1 inches and it weights in at 4.4 pounds, a handy enough package to carry around. It's aluminum unibody construction is a sight to behold. The HP Pavilion DM4-1102TX, with its 14 inch screen is bigger at 13.3 x 9.1 x 1.0-1.3 inches but it weighs in at the same 4.4 pounds. It's aluminum and magnesium construction can match the fit and finish of the Apple offering.

Under the hood. The MacBook Pro is powered by a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 processor backed up by 4GB of RAM and a Nvidia GeForce 320M graphics card which relies on the main memory for its operation. For a Php60K laptop we are disappointed that HP on gave its DM4-1102TX 2GB of memory. Despite that, in terms of sheer performance it outclasses the MacBook Pro in performance. With a Intel Core i5-560M Processor which runs at 2.66GHz, with Turbo Boost up to 3.2GHz, backed up by an ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5470 Graphics (switchable) with 1 GB DDR3 dedicated RAM, it has enough more than enough grunt to blow the MacBook Pro out of the water insofar as performance is concerned.

PassMark CPU Mark gives that Intel Core i5-540M (they do not have a 560M on their database at the present time) a score of 2,524.  The 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo P8600 can produce a score of 1,609 in the same benchmark. The graphics cards are also in a completely different class.

Macbook Pro

Storage. The MacBook Pro has a 250GB 5400 rpm hard drive. The Pavilion DM4-1102TX has a 500GB 7200 rpm hard drive. First two rounds go to the HP.

HP Pavilion DM4-1102TX

Connectivity and features. Both laptops have DVD writers, card readers and all the usual connectivity options. Being a Mac, the MacBook Pro has support for firewire and it has a mini-display port. The HP has a VGA port, HDMI port, an eSATA port and more USB ports. In this regard, it is like comparing apples and oranges. The MacBook Pro is outfitted like a Mac. The HP Pavilion DM4-1102TX has what you expect from a Windows box. 

As a plus, the HP has a finger print reader. The MacBook has a back-lit keyboard. We should probably call this round a draw.

Endurance. The MacBook Pro promises a battery life of 10 hours, and delivers and amazing 7:48 hours in the real world as tested by Laptopmag. Laptopmag Also tested a HP Pavilion DM4 at that produced a decent 4:56 hours. That is almost three additional hours, and the MacBook Pro handily wins this round.

In the end, is much faster and has double storage of the MacBook Pro. It could double as a fairly serious gaming rig. The MacBook Pro has a substantially longer battery life. Which would I buy, neither. I would settle for the plain white MacBook which would give me most of the benefits of the MacBook Pro and save me Php10K in the process or a Acer 4820TG which would approximate the HP Pavillion's power at 15K less. But neither of those are clad in aluminum. If I did spend 10K more, for a aluminum warrior it is hard to argue against HP Pavilion DM4-1102TX, it has the look and the grunt under the hood to justify the higher price.