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BlackBerry Curve 9220 Plans: Globe versus Smart

Posted by Unknown Rabu, 09 Januari 2013 0 komentar

G Globe Telecom and Smart Communications are offerings RIM's entry level BlackBerry Cure 9220 on low cost plans. The BlackBerry Cure 9220 is the entry level gateway to BlackBerry services.

Globe's offering gives you the phone for free, at Plan 499 plus at least one BlackBerry add-on. If you select the cheapest add-on which is unlimited BlackBerry Messaging (BBM), that is a Php99 add-on, for a total monthly bill of Php598. The phone is free, subject to a 24 month lock-in.

If you are thinking of adding on BlackBerry Social or the full set of BlackBerry Services, that will comes out to Php799 or Php1,098. If this is what you prefer, it would be best to apply for a BlackBerry at Plan 999 instead. You get the higher end BlackBerry Cure 9320,

At first glance, Smart Communications All-In Plan 500 is not as inviting. The phone is not free. You pay Php950 for the phone. Also you are locked-in for a longer period of 30 months.

However, the Smart All-in-Plan allows you to consume the Php500 monthly allocation for BlackBerry Services. If you sign up for a BBM only package, you get unlimited BBM plus Php401 consumable for Php500 per month. For BlackBerry Social (unlimited Facebook, Twitter and BBM) you pay just Php500 a month, with Php200 consumable. If you sign up for the full BlackBerry service (unlimited Internet, email, Facebook, Twitter and BBM) you pay Php599 a month.

Basically, if you are looking for a low cost BBM package, Globe's offering is a good choice. If you want to use a BlackBerry primarily or exclusively for data, the Smart offering may entice you more.

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August 2012 Smartphone Buyers Guide

Posted by Unknown 0 komentar

In recommending a phone we are looking for phone that will remain current for two years. Good hardware without decent operating support will satisfy the buyer today, only to disappoint later. August 2012 puts a buyer in a period of transition. We expect to see the new Apple iPhone by September, the new Windows Phone 8 devices (Windows Phone 7 devices are not upgradeable to Windows Phone 8) coming out in September to October, one or more new Google Nexus Phones before the end of the year and a new set of BlackBerry 10 devices, early next year.

The phone which you can buy right now without being Right now it is made up of Android phones. Only Android phones which are running Android 4.x or have commitments updates to Android 4.x are included. While most apps are compatible with Android 2.2 or later, we are looking for phones which will serve you well for two years, and over time more and more apps will require Android 4.x.

If you are looking for the most advanced handsets in the market, they are three good options right now. The Samsung Galaxy S III, the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy Note.

1. Samsung Galaxy S III (Php30,500 to Php32,900)

Pros. The Samsung Galaxy S III is the best smartphone in the world right now, bar none. With a large 4.8-inch HD display (720 x 1280), quad-core processor, 16 GB of storage of user expandable storage and a excellent 8 MP camera, it has the new and advance written all over. While official SD card support is limited to 32 GB, I tested a 64 GB SanDisk Class 10 MicroSD card on a Samsung Galaxy S III, and it works.

Cons. It is expensive, with a street prices ranging from Php30,500 to Php32,900, with an official warranty.

Postpaid options. This phone is available postpaid from both Globe Telecom and Smart Communications.

2. HTC One X (Php26,500 to Php29,900).

Pros. The specifications of HTC One X closely match the Galaxy S III and has more internal storage out of the box (32 GB), while being significantly cheaper than the Galaxy S III. The biggest draw of the HTC One X is the 12-core Nvidia graphics processor can display amazing console like effects on Nvidia optimized games. While it is outclassed by the Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC is making some optimization tweaks in its Sense 4.1 ROM designed to take the performance crown back from Samsung.

Cons. Specifications are a close match the Samsung Galaxy S III but it falls a bit behind in almost every category. The 32 GB of storage is not user expandable.

Postpaid options. This phone is available from Smart Communications.

3. Samsung Galaxy Note - (Php26,000 to Php29,900)

Pros. This massive 5.3-inch HD (800 x 1280) phone tablet has been a success, and Samsung is expected to announce its replacement before the end of the month. Still with the price up to 10K lower than its original price, and software updates, this 2011 model still looks like a great option today.

The large display bundled stylus, is the main reason for selecting this phone.

Cons. It is big but that is the main reason people buy it.

Postpaid options. This phone is available postpaid from both Globe Telecom and Smart Communications.

There are a lot 2011 flagship phones available at the 18K-24K price range, but given the Android 18-month support policy newer models have a better chances of long term support and our recommendations take this into account.

4. Samsung Galaxy Nexus - The only phone on our list which we recommend going to the grey market for (Php17,500 to Php30,000).

Pros. This is the Google phone, and is the first to get the latest software. It runs pure Google Android, not weighed down by additional OEM installed software. The device has a 4.65-inch HD (729 x 1280) display with on screen keys. This phone is a Smart Communications exclusive, and it still cost a heft Php30,000 from Smart, but in the grey market you can get it for Php17,500. Buying from the grey market means you get a service warranty, which means you get free repair services during the warranty period but you pay for any parts used. This normally saves you about 10% of the price of a phone with an official warranty. For a 10% price difference we recommend a unit with a official parts and service warranty. In the case of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus you save a 40% of the price, and the price gap makes it worth getting this phone on the grey market.

Cons. Expensive with an official warranty.

Postpaid options. This phone is available from Smart Communications.

5. Sony Xperia P - (Php17,990 to Php22,990)

Pros. We have seen the price of this phone drop every month from its suggested retail price of Php22,990, to now as low as Php17,990. If you can get it at that price, it really is a sweet deal.

This phone sports a nice 4-inch qHD (540 x 960) display, 16 GB of internal storage and a good 8 MP camera. Its dual core NovaThor based chipset cannot match the higher price phones on this list in terms of speed, but it is fast enough so most users wont notice. The 4-inch display is looking small these days, but is decent enough for the asking price. If you are okay with the 4-inch display, it is a good value for money option. Sony has done the best job in supporting their 2011 units with upgrades to Android 4.0, so we do expect they will do the same for 2012 handsets next year.

Cons. It has a small 1305 mAh battery, which is smaller than the 1500 mAh batteries found in mid-level phones. The other top 4 phones on this list have 1650 mAh to 2500 mAh batteries. The phone still runs on Android 2.3, but a update to Android 4.x is on the way.

6. Sony Xperia Sola - (Php13,500 to Php16,990)

Pros. This phone sports a smaller, lower resolution, 3.7-inch WVGA (480 x 854) display a compared to rhe the Xperia P. It also has less RAM than the Xperia P and video capture is limited to 720p (the first five phones on this list can do 720p video capture) and has no front camera. But it has the same dual core processor and graphics as the Xperia P. Its 8 GB of internal storage is expandable to 40 GB via a Micro SD card which can give the Xperia Sola more storage than the Xperia P. Overall this makes it a great value for money option.

Cons. It has a small 1320 mAh battery. Still runs on Android 2.3, but a update to Android 4.x is on the way.

7. Sony Xperia U - (Php11,600 to Php13,990)

Pros. Gives dual core power at a low price. The Sony Xperia U has similar specification to the Xperia Sola with a smaller 3.5-inch display.

Cons. It has the Same small battery as the Xperia U. For many the major deal breaker is the 8 GB of internal storage (6 GB user available), which is not expandable. Still, 6 GB is not bad. Two gigabytes is available for apps and 4 GB for your music, pictures, documents and other files. It is not user expandable. One gigabyte is good for 200 or more MP3's. Some games can eat up a whole gigabyte. Gamers have to select between having more games installed and having less processing and graphics power at this price range.

For those who need a phone at this price range wanting more storage and longer battery life the Sony Xperia Neo L or HTC One V would be better options.

8. Lenovo P700 (Php10,999)

Pros. Most dual SIM phones are only good choices for those who want a dual SIM device. The Lenovo P700 is a good choice whether or not you want a dual SIM phone. This phone comes with a large 4-inch WVGA (480 x 800) display, dual SIM capability and 4 GB of internal storage expandable via MicroSD card. It comes with a even larger 2500 mAh battery, one of the biggest you will find in any smartphone today. Unlike the HTC Desire V, this phone does have a front camera.

Cons. The single core 1GHz and ARM Cortex A-5 processor 512MB of just enough to run Android 4.0. It is makes has enough power for the average user, but a gamer or power user should look elsewhere. The primary camera has no flash.

Related Article: Dual SIM Droid Fight - HTC Desire V versus Lenovo P700

With the Sony Mini and Sony Live being all but gone from the market, finding a budget priced phone with a current operating system is pretty much impossible. But I do have to recommend something.

9. LG E400 Optimus L3

Pros. Inexpensive and fast. The 1 GB of internal storage, expandable via MicroSD card will cure the low internal storage problem experienced by budget phone buyers.

Cons. The small 3.2-inch with its low 240 x 320 display resolution wont make anyone really happy. Comes with Android 2.3, Gingerbread, out of the box, and wont be getting updated.

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Sense 4.1 for Tegra 3 HTC One X: Blistering speed, better UI and longer battery life

Posted by Unknown 0 komentar

Earlier this we saw the HTC One S with its Qualcomm S4 processor break the 5000 point barrier in the Quadrant benchmarks. A little over a month later the quad-core Galaxy S III scored 5642 points in the Quadrant Benchmark. The HTC's flagship, the One X scored a respectable 4842 points, but was left in the shadow of its lower cost sibling and Samsung's new monster.

A leaked version of Sense 4.1 ROM (2.15.401.5) for the Tegra 3 version of the HTC One X ROM found its way to XDA Developers. The HTC One X with the leaked ROM scored close to 6000 on the Quadrant Benchmark test.

The new ROM is leaner and meaner. All 3-D effects were removed from the launcher to eliminate lag. There are also UI the most welcome of which is the ability to use the multitasking (recent apps) button as a menu button, which eliminates the on screen menu button which wasted a lot of screen real estate. The ROM also adds a dedicated button to the camera app which allows you switch between primary and front camera and a dedicated browser button for tab switching. WiFi signal is reportedly improved as well as better battery life.

The ROM is still based on Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0.4), so more performance improvements can be expected when the Jelly Bean ROM is released.

Source: Phandroid

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January 2013 Mid-Sized Smartphone Buyers Guide

Posted by Unknown Selasa, 01 Januari 2013 0 komentar

Yesterday I came up with a list of 4-inch smartphones which I consider to be the best options in the market. Today we will go up one level in size and take a look at the 4.3 to 4.5-inch, or mid-sized, options available in the market.

Prices indicated are for phones with a manufacturers warranty.

1. Cherry Mobile Flame (Php6,299) - Good but a bit underpowered

Like in the compact category Cherry Mobile Flame provides the lowest cost handset I am inclined to recommend. The Flame is a 4.5-inch Android handset with a qHD display (540 x 960). Inside it has a Qualcomm MSM8255 S4 Play chipset, with a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor, Adreno 203 graphics and 512 MB of RAM. This chipset is used in a lot of WVGA (480 x 800) phones. Pairing the Adreno 203 graphics with a qHD display does push the graphics chip close to its limits.

With a WVGA display, the graphics chip has to push a total of 384,000 pixels. With a aHD display, the graphics chip has to push 35% more pixels, or a total of 518,400 pixels. Still the phone does work.

The Cherry Mobile Flames specifications are pretty much the same as what you find in other lower cost models, with dual SIM support, 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB of storage (half of which is user available), a MicroSD card slot, and a 5 MP camera and VGA front camera. The battery is a good sized 1800 mAh unit and dual-sim support. This phone also offers 5-point multi-touch support, while most lower cost phones only offer 2-point multi-touch support.

For an operating system, it comes Android 4.0.4, rather than the newer Android 4.1 or 4..2, but that is not a big issue since the Android 4.x line maintains software compatibility.

This phone is good enough for doing all the typical smartphone stuff. I would advice games to consider something else however.

2. Cloudfone Thrill 430x (Php7,777) - The endurance king

The main issue with smartphones today is battery life. Keep the 3G turned on, have it automatically sync data, browse websites, download email and checking social networks leaves most with just about a days worth of power. The 4.3-inch Cloudfone Thrill 430x has a solution for that. It equips it phone with a 4160 mAh battery.

This phone has the same Android 4 operating system, Qualcomm dual core processor, chipset, storage and dual SIM capability as the Cherry Mobile Flame, but it does comes with a smaller 4.3-inch qHD display (540 x 960). This is not a bad thing, as the slightly smaller display, with the same resolution, also means it is sharper.

Aisde from the larger battery, the Cloudfone Thrill 430x has 50% more RAM than the Flame, at 768 MB. The Thrill 430x also has a larger 8 MP camera, but not necessarily better picture quality, than the Flame. The larger battery and additional RAM easily justify the higher Php7,777 asking price.

This phone is not for everyone, though. The larger battery means that it is all of 14 mm thick and 182 grams in weight. Basically, if the size and heft don't bother you, it is easy to recommend the Cloudfone Thrill 430x over the Cherry Mobile Flame. On the other hand, if the Thrill 430x feels like a brick to you, pick up the Flame instead.

Some users have reported problems with the bundled charger.

3. ZTE Grand X V970M (Php9,990) - A nicely balanced qHD smartphone

The ZTE Grand X is another 4.3-inch qHD (540 x 960) powered by a dual core processor, but this one is on a MediaTek chipset with PowerVR SGX531 graphics. The PowerVR SGX531 graphics is a bit more powerful than the Adreno 203 graphics chip found in our lower cost mid-sized options, and is better suited for running a qHD display.

The other features are pretty standard for the class with 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB of internal storage, expandable via a MicroSD card slow, a 5 MP camera and a VGA secondary camera. The battery is a decent size 1650 mAh unit.

ZTE is a big manufacturer. If you are not ready to give Cherry Mobile or Cloudfone a try, this one should comes from an established enough manufacturer to suite you. The PowerVR SGX531 also makes the additional money worth it.

Going past the ZTE Grand X, and the options start to thin out.

4. HTC One S (Php19,500) - A bit expensive for what it offers.

The HTC One S is the most beautiful smartphone HTC has ever built. The phone is just 7.8 mm thick, and when combined with its fairly large 4.3-inch screen and contoured aluminum case make it look sliver thin. The display is a qHD (540 x 960) Super AMOLED display.

Two versions of the HTC One S exist. The first is the US/Euro version which is powered by a 1.5 GHz dual core Krait processor with Adreno 225 graphics which is built on 28 nanometer technology. In that form the HTC One S performs at par with the first generation quad core phones and give excellent battery life. Unfortunately, because a shortage of Kraits, the Asia/Philippine model is powered by the older Scorpion processor which is clocked at 1.7 GHz and paired with Adreno 220 graphics, which is pretty much what was used in the 2011 HTC Sensation. This older chipset is built on less power efficient 45 nanometer technology. Had the Philippine gotten the Krait version, this would have been one of the top smartphones in the market. Still the price has dropped over 25% since its release, and it is looking like a more reasonable proposition these days.

As compared to the ZTE GrandX you get double the RAM at 1GB, and a much better 8 MP camera and 1080p video capture. You also get more internal storage at 16 GB, but it is not user expandable. So couple with a low cost 16 GB MicroSD Card the Grand X would offer more storage. The battery is a 1650 mAh unit, like the Grand X. The phone comes with Android 4.0 out the box, but the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update is rolling in the next few weeks.

It is a better phone than the Grand X, but I am not sure that is is worth twice as much.

5. Sony Xperia acro S (Php22,650) - Sharpest display on the Philippine Market

The Sony Xperia acro S brings a HD display 4.3-inch 720p display (720 x 1280), which makes it the sharpest display on any smartphone available in the Philippines, even sharper the the iPhone retina display. This gives it an edge over the HTC One S. It also comes with a larger 12 MP camera and 1910 mAh battery. The Xperia acro S has 1 GB or RAM and internal storage is 16 GB like the HTC One S, but the Xperia acro S has a MicroSD card slot. The Xperi acro S is also a ruggedized phone, being IP57 certified to be dust and water resistant, and with a reinforced front glass. All in all, it can justify it 3K price difference with the HTC One S.

The Xperia acro S still has the same dual core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Scorpion processor as the One S, clocked at a slower 1.5 GHz. The Adreno 220 graphics is pushed harder running the HD display, hence the HTC One S will get better 3D performance due to its lower resolution display. The HSDPA radio is an older 14.4 Mbps unit, which is another area where the HTC One S has the advantage.

This phone come with Android 4.0.4 out of the box, but an update to Jelly Bean has been confirmed for this phone.

6. HTC Windows Phone 8S (Php24,150) - Best Windows Phone in the market

Like the Xperia acro S, the Windows Phone 8S has a 4.3-inch HD (720 x 1280) display. Inside you will find the powerful dual core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Krait processor. Mated with a 1800 mAh battery, this phone promises good battery life. The other specifications are standard for the class, with 1 GB of RAM, 16 GB of storage (which is not user expandable) and a HSDPA+ 21.1 radio.

The main reason to choose this phone is if you want a high end Windows Phone 8 device. It is the best Windows phone available in the market right now, well until the Nokia Lumia 920 arrives anyway.

7. Sony Xperia V (Php26,990) - LTE onboard

The Sony Xperia V is an upgraded version of the Sony Xperia acros S. It has the similar specifications to the Xperia acro S but is powered by the dual core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Krait processor. It has a slightly higher resolution 13 MP camera. Most importantly, this phone has a HSPA+ and LTE radio, and is available from Smart Communications with an LTE plan. All in all, despite the price, this phone is easy enough to recommend.

Internal storage is less than the Xperia Acro S, at 8 GB, but it does come with a MicroSD card slot. The battery is a smallet 1750 mAH unit, but with the more efficient processor, it should give good battery life.

This phone come with Android 4.0.4 out of the box, but an update to Jelly Bean has been confirmed for this phone.

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January 2013 Compact Smartphone Buyers Guide

Posted by Unknown 0 komentar

It is a New Year and I will be doing things a bit differently this year, instead of a classifying phones by price, the guides will switch to classifying phones by size. Given the wide range of sizes available these days, a prime buying consideration is what phone is comfortable to each user which depends in a large part to how big your hand are.

First up is the compact category, made up of phone which are 4-inches or less in screen size.

Prices indicated are for phones with a manufacturers warranty.

1. Cherry Mobile Flare (Php3,999) - Uneatable value

The Android powered the Cherry Mobile Flare is an excellent value for money proposition. The hardest part about deciding to buy a Cherry Mobile Flare is finding one. When you do find a Cherry Mobile outlet with stocks of the Flare, you will probably have to wait in line to get one.

What makes the Cherry Mobile Flare such a desired product. The Flare combines a decently large and sharp 4-inch WVGA (480 x 800) display, with a sufficiently powerful Qualcomm MSM8255 S4 Play chipset, with a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and Adreno 203 graphics. Match this with a low Php3,999 retail price and you have a winning combination. This kind of hardware is the same as what you find smartphones from other brands priced at 13K or more.

The Cherry Mobile Flares specifications are pretty much the same as what you find in other lower cost models, with dual SIM support, 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB of storage (half of which is user available), a MicroSD card slot, and a 5 MP camera and VGA front camera. The battery is a decent sized 1500 mAh unit.

For an operating system, it comes Android 4.0.4, rather than the newer Android 4.1 or 4..2, but that is not a big issue since the Android 4.x line maintains software compatibility.

This phone is good enough for doing all the typical smartphone stuff, as well as doing a fair bit of gaming too.

Going beyond the Flare in the 4-inch category, you won't find all that much which is very interesting, without spending a lot more money. You may actually want to consider a larger size and take a look at mid-sized offerings.

2. Lenovo P700i (Php10,500) - A decent enough option but a bit expensive

If you are looking for a higher end 4-inch phone, you may want to take a look at the Lenovo P700i. The specifications are nearly identical to the Cherry Mobile Flare, except it comes with a dual core 1 GHz processor with PowerVR SGX531 graphics, instead of Qualcomm unit on the Flare. The PowerVR SGX 531 graphics gives the Lenovo P700i a bit more graphics punch than the Flare. The Lenovo P700i also comes with a much larger 2500 mAh battery.

Given that you can get larger qHD phones for less money, and the Lenovo P700i cost as more than two Flares, the P700i is not all the great choice. Still you could do a lot worst.

3. HTC Windows Phone 8S (Php13,990) - The best value for money Windows Phone ever

If you have been looking to try a Windows Phone, the HTC Windows Phone 8S, gives you a very good reason to do so now. The HTC Windows Phone 8S comes with the latest version of Windows for smartphones, Windows Phone 8. The HTC 8S has a 4-inch WVGA (480 x 800) display. It is paired with a 1 GHz dual core Qualcomm Krait processor built on the still cutting edge 28 nm technology. Paired with a 1700 mAh battery, the frugal processor and larger than average battery promises long battery life.

The other specifications are typical of lower end smartphones these days with 4 GB of internal storage expandable via a MicroSD card slot and a 5 MP camera. The phone does not have a secondary camera, which is a bit disappointing and the 512 MB of RAM make me worry that it might not be upgraded to the next version of Windows. Still, all in all, it is a pretty good choice for the money.

4. Samsung Galaxy S3 mini i8910 (Php14,500) - An excellent mid-priced phone with Jelly Bean on board

When this phone was announced speculation, was that it was a miniature version of the Samsung Galaxy S3. That is not the case. The Galaxy mini is an all together different phone. Rather than a mini super phone, it is a decent mid-level offering.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 mini comes with 1 GB of RAM, which is more than the 512 or 768 MB you get from its lower cost competition. The 1 GHz dual processor is paired with Mali 400 graphics, which is a much faster graphics chips than the Adreno 203 or PowerVR SGX 531. Internal storage is good 8 GB, expandable via a MicroSD card.

Samsung Galaxy S3 mini also comes with an VGA front camera and primary 5MP unit. The 5 MP camera on the Galaxy S 3 mini is a good one. It is not just the megapixels that make the camera on the Galaxy S3 mini better, but the higher quality sensor and optics. The 5MP camera on the Samsung Galaxy S3 mini compares well with other similarly priced phones like the 8 MP camera on the Sony Xperia P, which has been on this blogs recommended list since the phone came out. The Xperia P is really the Galaxy S3 mini's main competition. But with a 1500 mAh battery as opposed to the smaller 1305 mAh unit on the Xperia P, the Galaxy S3 mini gives over six hours of talk time and over 7 hours of screen on time, which is much better than the 5 hours of talk time and 4 hours of screen on time on the Xperia P, which give the Galaxy S3 mini the decisive edge.

5. Apple iPhone 5 (Starts at Php33,600)

The Apple iPhone 5 is the best iPhone every built. The main feature of the iPhone 5 is the new 4-inch (640 x 1136) display, but behind the display is 1 GB of RAM and the new dual core A6 processor, making this twice as powerful as the iPhone 4S. The A6 processor is built on 32 nm technology, which gives the iPhone 5 not only more power, but also better battery life than previous iPhones. The 8 MP camera is rivaled only by the 8MP camera on Samsung phones, and the dedicated camera centric smartphones. It is also the only phone on this list which can capture 1080p video.

The Apple iPhone 5 comes in three models, with 16 GB, 32 GB or 64 GB of storage. Storage is not expandable.

This is by far the best compact smartphone in the market, but it also cost more than twice as much as its direct competition.

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Cherry Mobile Blaze

Posted by Unknown Sabtu, 29 Desember 2012 0 komentar

Cherry Mobile has launched yet another Android handset, the Blaze. The Cherry Mobile Blaze has a 4.7-inch FWVGA (480 x 854) display and is powered by a dual core 1 GHz processor on a Mediatek chipset. It specifications are typical of other devices in its class with 512 MB of RAM, 4 GB of internal storage, dual sim capability and comes out of the box with Android 4.0.4. It differentiates itself from the other phones in its class with a 8 MP camera. The battery is reportedly a 1500 mAh unit, but I still have to confirm this.

The Cherry Mobile Blaze is priced at Php6,499.

Initially, I have one gripe. The phones design looks suspiciously like a Samsung Galaxy S III, and the attempts made at emulating Samsung's design is apparent. The generic Android phone specification calls three or four capacitative, with a home button being marked by a home icon. Samsung has consistently maintained a central large unmarked home button with a physical of capacitative button on each side. The Cherry Mobile Blaze has a Samsung like button design.

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What is the correct screen size for a smartphone display?

Posted by Unknown Jumat, 28 Desember 2012 0 komentar

Four inches is the wrong size?

Last year I read an article in Gizmodo entitled "This Is Why the iPhone's Screen Will Always Be 3.5-Inches" which tries to explain why 3.5-inches is the perfect size. The statement was premised on how far your thumb can reach across the screen. The obviously flaw in the premise is that the article seems to assume the people all have the same sized of hands.

There is no perfect screen size.

1. Bigger is better. Larger screens are more comfortable to read and manipulate. That is why we have tablets, and why tablets are popular. In the end, tablets are really just super sized smartphones. If there was no need for larger screens tablets would not be immensely popular.

2. Bigger is better is relative. What is "big" is relative to how you use it. The iPhone screen always felt cramp to me. Coming from a QWERTY, I type with the phone in portrait mode. So I like my phones a bit wide. At the same time, I like to be able to make calls one handed, so I like to be able to read the top of the screen with my thumb. I used one thumb to select the users name on the number pad, and select the suggestions at the top of the screen with the same thumb. Larger 4.7 to 5-inch phones are a bit of a reach for me. People with larger hands, could manipulate a 5-inch phone as comfortably as I manipulate my 4.3-inch phone.

In my previous buyers guides, price was the basis for classifying phones. Phones today comes is a wider variety of sized than ever before. When I started this blog, a 3-inch touchscreen smartphone was small, and 4.3-inches was considered to be stretching the limits or ergonomics. Since than, size have grown even to a smaller 2.8-inches and grown to as big as 5.5-inches. Starting 2013, I will use size, compact (4-inches or less), mid-sized (over 4-inches but not over 4.5-inches), large (over 4.5-inches to 5 inches) and phone tablets (over 5 inches) as the bases for classifying phones. I think that size is becoming a more and more important consideration, as out favorite toys get super-sized.

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Huawei Ascend D quad XL

Posted by Unknown Kamis, 27 Desember 2012 0 komentar

Huawei has announced the price of its Huawei Ascend D quad XL. Announced in February 2012, it has taken some time for this phone to hit the market, and I still do have to wait for reviews to find out just how good it is.

But in terms of specifications and price, it is my favorite right now. First, price. The suggested retail price for this is just Php18,900. Basically, it competes head to head with the 5-inch quad core powered Lenovo K860.

Huawei Ascend D quad XL has a 1.4 GHz quad core processor on a, designed by  Huawei, K3V2 chipset. The fact that is has a in-house designed chipset is pretty impressive, since only two smartphone manufacturers design their chipsets in-house: Apple and Samsung. In terms of performance it is right up there with Samsung quad core Exynos chipset. Basically, its a fast as you need, and performs really well in the graphics intensive tasks.

It comes with a  4.5″ IPS+ LCD display with a HD (720×1280) resolution. This makes for a sharp 326ppi. And as a pet peeve, well is my favorite size. I am a fairly big person at six feet in height, but sometimes I feel like some of the new phones are getting a bit big. Smartphones with 4.5 inch HD aspect ratio displays are big enough, and small enough for me to manipulate comfortable with one hand. In more quantifiable terms, this phone is all of 64 mm wide, as compared to the 68-70 mm girth of its 4.7 and 4.8-inch rivals.

The other thing I really like is that it comes with a 2600 mAh battery and still comes in at a reasonable 150 grams in weight. Unless the  Huawei K3V2 is a battery hog, this should make for good battery life. The battery is user replaceable.

Internal storage is just 8 GB, bit you do have a microSD card slot so that it not an issues. It has a 8 MP primary camera and a 1.3 MP camera. The primary camera can capture 1080p video, and the secondary camera is good for 720p video. By all accounts the camera image quality and video capture is just average, but really I do expect more at this price. The only spoiler in the package is the absence of LTE, but again, at this price you don't expect to get that.

The phone runs Android 4.0.4, Ice Cream Sandwich, but I have run Jelly Bean, and really don't find it all much better. The Huawei Ascend D quad XL does come with its own custom UI, which I have no had a chance to try, but if you don't like it, it is no big deal. You have the option to revert to a pretty much vanilla Android interface.

A reasonably large and sharp HD display in a narrow case, a large user replaceable battery and quad core power at a mid-level price.

The Huawei Ascend D quad XL closes competitor is the Lenovo K860 which has similar specifications. The 5-inch Lenovo K860 is a massive phone, a bit too big for a primary phone for me.

Competition is also provided by the the Google Nexus 4. In terms of SRP, the Huawei Ascend D quad XL is 6K cheaper. In street price the difference is about 5K. The Huawei Ascend D quad XL does come with less internal storage, but it is user expandable. It also comes with a user replaceable battery, which is important for me since I keep phones for two years. I replaced the battery of my current phone after 15 months. It is cheaper and has features which I wise the Nexus 4 had.

It would be really nice to be able to try one, but just comparing the Huawei Ascend D quad XL and Google Nexus 4 side by side, I love the more compact dimensions of the Huawei Ascend D quad XL. It is all of 4.9 mm shorter and 4.7 mm narrower.

Me, I am inclined to wait for my retention to come up and pick up a LTE phone on retention from Smart, but that is six months away. If my phone died tomorrow, I think I would pick up a Huawei Ascend D quad XL. Right size and nicely priced.

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The Google Nexus 4 versus the HTC One X 16 GB

Posted by Unknown Rabu, 26 Desember 2012 0 komentar

I already did a comparison between the Google Nexus 4 and the Samsung Galaxy S III, and each offers good value for money. The HTC One X has been playing second fiddle to the Galaxy S III all year, but a newly released 16 GB model made it a good value for money proposition at Php21,590. Now, it faces a direct challenger with the Google Nexus 4 priced just a few hundred pesos more at Php22,240.

The Google Nexus 4 and HTC One X 16 GB are easier to compare. Both are priced at the same level, both have 16 GB of non-expandable storage and both do not have user replaceable batteries.

Display. The Google Nexus 4 has a 4.7-inch HD IPS Plus LCD screen with a WXGA (768 x 1280) resolution. The HTC One X uses a 4.7-inch Super IPS LCD2 display with a HD (720 x 1280) resolution. Both are fine displays user similar technology, but the Nexus 4 is a bit sharper. So I have to give it to the Nexus 4 by a hair.

Winner: Nexus 4 by a hair

Power. Behind the display, the Google Nexus 4 uses a Qualcomm APQ 8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset with a quad core Krait, which is what I like to call a "second generation" quad core processor. The Nexus 4 also has the new generation Adreno 320 GPU. Backing up the CPU and the GPU is 2 GB of RAM.

The HTC One X users a Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset with a quad core processor based on the older ARM Cortex-A9 architecture, has ULP GeForce graphics and 1 GB of RAM.

The Google Nexus 4 is the more powerful of the two. Looking at benchmarks will show a rather different picture. The Nexus 4 either performs exceptionally well, or exceptionally bad. This really is more an issue of the Android Jelly Bean operating system not being optimized yet for the new Qualcomm APQ 8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset.

In the real world, both are fast enough but the Google Nexus 4 but HTC Sense UI really pushes the 1 GB of RAM on the HTC One X to the limit, and multitasking suffers.

Winner: Nexus 4

Endurance. Battery life. Well I will let the comparison speak for itself:

Talk time

Google Nexus 4 - 14 hours 17 minutes
HTC One X - 9 hours 57 minutes

Web browsing

Google Nexus 4 - 4 hours 34 minutes
HTC One X - 4 hours 18 minutes

Video playback

HTC One X - 5 hours 45 minutes
Google Nexus 4 - 4 hours 55 minutes

Source: GSM Arena

The Google Nexus 4 has much better talk time and slightly better web browsing time. The HTC One X will give you 50 more minutes on video playback.

The Google Nexus 4 has a 2100 mAh battery, and should do better. An operating system update, should give it a boost in battery life. The HTC One X does pretty well considering in only has a 1750 mAh battery.

Winner: Nexus 4 on the chance it will improve with an OS update

Camera. Okay, the Nexus 4 has a decent camera, the HTC One X camera captures detail a bit better and with a F2.0 lens should do better in low light. I will give it to the HTC One X, but many will disagree. Best you decide for yourself too. You can compare shots using GSM Arena's photo compare tool.

Winner: HTC One X, but its debatable.

Software updates. The Google Nexus 4 is already at Android 4.2 or 4.2.1 depending on your region and will be updated till 2014 most likely. Given HTC's recent track record on updates, it is likely that the HTC One X will get its last update sometime middle of 2013, to Android 4.2 or 4.2.1.

Winner: Nexus 4

Verdict. If you look at the win/loss column is looks close. But where the HTC One X does better, it does so slightly. The 2 GB of RAM, Qualcomm APQ 8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset and a longer life before the Google Nexus 4 stops getting updates means it will be "relevant" for a longer period of time. Basically, you will be happy with it longer. For me it is a no brainer. I would pick the Google Nexus 4.

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The Google Nexus 4 versus the Samsung Galaxy S III

Posted by Unknown 0 komentar

In the Android world, the phone to beat is the Samsung Galaxy S III. The measure of how good the new Google Nexus 4 is, really depends on how well is compares with Samsung's flagship.

Display. The Nexus 4 has a 4.7-inch HD IPS Plus LCD screen with a WXGA (768 x 1280) resolution. The Galaxy S III uses a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED screen with a HD (720 x 1280) resolution on a PenTile matrix. The Nexus 4 screen is sharp and bright. The Super AMOLED screen has nice contrast and is a bit bigger. They both look fine to me.

Winner: Draw

Power. Behind the display, the Google Nexus 4 uses a Qualcomm APQ 8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset with a quad core Krait, which is what I like to call a "second generation" quad core processor. The Nexus 4 also has the new generation Adreno 320 GPU. Backing up the CPU and the GPU is 2 GB of RAM. The Samsung Galaxy S III uses a quad core processor based on the older ARM Cortex-A9 processor cores, has Mali-400 graphics and 1 GB of RAM.

The Google Nexus 4 is undoubtably the more powerful of the two. Looking at benchmarks will show a rather different picture. The Nexus 4 either performs exceptionally well, or exceptionally bad. This really is more an issue of the Android Jelly Bean operating system not being optimized yet for the new Qualcomm APQ 8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset. Still in the AnTuTu benchmark, the Nexus 4 is 25% faster than the Samsung Galaxy S III.

In the real world, both are fast enough but the Google Nexus 4 is running next years chipset, while the Samsung is running what used to be the top of the line.

Winner: Nexus 4

Endurance. Battery life. Well I will let the comparison speak for itself:

Talk time

LG Optimus G - 15 hours 30 minutes
Google Nexus 4 - 14 hours 17 minutes
Galaxy S III (JB) - 10 hours 15 minutes

Web browsing

Galaxy S III (JB) - 6 hours 27 minutes
LG Optimus G - 5 hours 15 minutes
Google Nexus 4 - 4 hours 34 minutes

Video playback

Galaxy S III (JB) - 9 hours 27 minutes
LG Optimus G - 7 hours 16 minutes
Google Nexus 4 - 4 hours 55 minutes

Source: GSM Arena

The Google Nexus 4 has better talk time, but given these are smartphones, screen on time really matters more, and the Galaxy S III really winds that round. I included the LG Optimus G in the comparison. The Optimus G is the Nexus 4's sister phone, both made by LG and running similar hardware. The main difference is that The Optimus G runs on Ice Cream Sandwich. The Optimus G performance would seem to show that Android Jelly Bean optimized yet for the new Qualcomm APQ 8064 Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, and the Nexus 4 battery life should improve with a operating system update. But even when a updated operating system arrives, the Samsung Galaxy S III will best the Nexus 4 in battery life.

As the phones get older, the Samsung Galaxy S III's battery can be easily replaced giving it a new lease on life. The Google Nexus 4 has a build in battery.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S III

Camera. Okay, I wont waste your time here. The Samsung Galaxy S III has the best camera in the Android world, and the Google Nexus 4 has a decent 8 MP shooter. Only the Apple iPhone 5 really rivals the Galaxy S III camera among the locally available phones. You can compare shots using GSM Arena's photo compare tool.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S III

Storage. Again, little to compare here. The Google Nexus 4 has 16 GB of internal storage. The Samsung Galaxy S III 16 GB of internal storage expandable via a MicroSD Card slot.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S III

Software updates. The Samsung Galaxy S III is likely to be updated with the next versions of Android which will be released in 2013. The Google Nexus 4 will be supported well into 2014. That is what makes a Nexus phone and Nexus phone after all.

Winner: Nexus 4

Price. The lowest price I could find for the Samsung Galaxy S III, with an official warranty is Php27,700. The Google Nexus 4 is available for Php22,240. That is a 5K difference in price.

Winner: Nexus 4

Verdict. There are other areas to compare. I selected those which I find most important, so other users may have other considerations. The Google Nexus 4 gives you more power but less battery life. Over time new apps and games may make the Google Nexus 4 the more compelling choice. For now, the Samsung Galaxy S III will allow you to run your apps and games longer. The user replaceable battery is will make it easier to keep the the Samsung Galaxy S III running well longer. The Samsung Galaxy S III has a better camera.

On the other hand the Nexus 4 will get software updates faster, and is significantly cheaper.

So which is best depends on the user. If your on a budget. Pick up the Nexus 4, it is a very good value for money option. For the money, you will not likely regret your purchase. If you are a techie who wants to always have the latest version of the Android operating system, get the Nexus 4.

If budget is not an issue, the Samsung Galaxy S III will serve you better. More time in between recharges and it will give you nicer pictures to upload to Facebook. Once the 16 GB of internal storage feels cramp, you can alway pop in a 16, 32 or 64 GB Micro SDCard.

Ultimately, both are good choices for the asking price, with the Google Nexus 4 offering great value and the Samsung Galaxy S III offering enough more to justify it higher price tag.

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