December 2008 Archives

It looks like LG has finally decided to hop onboard the dual-SIM bandwagon with the announcement of their new touchscreen phone, the KS660.

This new touchscreen mobile phone comes with a decently-sized 3-inch WQVGA display, a whopping 5-megapixel camera with auto focus and flash, 50MB internal memory and support for microSDHC card for additional storage. Unfortunately, while it does manage to support to SIM cards, it doesn’t come with either WiFi or 3G which is a real deal-breaker considering how sexy it actually looks. Don’t get too excited about it just yet as it is currently confirmed to be hitting only China and Russia at the moment. Similarly, the LG KS660 is already confirmed to be skipping North America and Western Europe, but we have yet to hear if it will also be bypassing Southeast Asia.

The first ever Windows Mobile-powered smartphone from Sony Ericsson maybe considered as a successful venture for the company into the world of QWERTY-enabled touchscreen phones, but it seems that not all is well between Sony Ericsson and their XPERIA X1 manufacturer, HTC. Word is that Sony Ericsson is in talks with Mobinova regarding the production of their next XPERIA phone. There are no specifics as to what the next XPERIA phone will come with as this latest news is yet to be confirmed as well. For what it’s worth, if indeed there will be a changing of the guard as far as the manufacturer of the XPERIA series is concerned, we’re hoping that it will lead to a considerable reduction in overall price since the X1 is a tad bit too expensive, in my opinion, to become a certified hit in the market. Anyway, we’ll probably get confirmation on whether this bit of news is legit or not in the coming months. Rest assured, we’ll keep you guys posted on the latest developments regarding this matter.

Nokia’s got a new 8800 iteration on their hands, and this time, it's clad in 18-carat gold and white leather.

Dubbed the Nokia 8800 Gold Arte, this fine-looking piece of mobile telecommunications equipment comes with brilliant 2-inch OLED display (think N85), 3.2-megapixel camera, Bluetooth 2.0, tri-band GSM (900/1800/1900MHz), WCDMA 2100MHz, 4GB internal memory, and runs on the S40 5th edition FP 1 platform. Those interested in getting this luxurious phone will have to wait a little longer, though, as price and availability info is yet to be announced.

It seems that the prayers of all those who are hoping for Flash support to become available for the iPhone/iPod Touch may have just been finally answered, and no, it’s not coming from Apple. It’s courtesy of the iMobileCinema app which is designed for the jailbroken iPhone and iPod Touch. Even though it promises to provide Flash support on the Safari browser, it’s not a completely perfect solution as users have reported that some Flash-based sites still don’t work. Nevertheless, this is probably as close as you’re going to get to having Flash work on the iPhone/iPod Touch at the moment. If you want to try it out, just add d.mobilecinema.com to the sources in Cyda and install the iMobileCinema app. While you're at it, tell us what you think about it in the comments section below as we certainly want to hear your take on this ambitious application.

Maybe you’ve already bought yourself that dream phone or laptop you’ve been lusting for the past couple of months, but for those who still have some money left over from their Christmas bonus, you might be interested to know that the HP Mini 1000 is already available locally. This bit of news is courtesy of Yugatech, and based on the provided info, both Villman and PC Corner have this second generation netbook listed on their respective websites already. PC Corner is selling it for P21,950 while Villman is offering theirs for P21,948. Other retailers might also be offering this new netbook already though I have yet to actually see one in the local stores. The specs of the HP Mini 1000 includes an Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz processor, 10.2-inch display, 1GB RAM (single slot, max 2GB), 60GB 4200rpm IDE, Bluetooth, WiFi, webcam, 3-cell battery and runs on Windows XP Home SP3. While I love the over-all design and cheaper price of this new HP netbook, I just can’t get past the thought that it only comes with 60GB 4200rpm HDD. I don’t exactly mind the average capacity, though I would have preferred it to be bigger, but the 4200rpm will definitely take its toll in performance. Nevertheless, it should be functional enough to meet the average PC user’s needs and its stylish and excellent design is surely a winner. So if you’re still looking for a decent gift to give yourself this Christmas, this is one netbook that’s worth considering. Merry Christmas everybody!

Those who have been waiting for a serious game to become available for the iPod Touch/iPhone will be delighted to know that Konami is all set to release a couple of games this month and next year.

Frogger is already out which costs $5.99 with Dance Dance Revolution S Lite and Silent Hill: TheEscape likewise set to debut later this month. Meanwhile, Metal Gear Solid Touch will be available in Spring of 2009. The release of these games will surely heat up the gaming scene as far as the iPod Touch and iPhone are concerned. I am a bit worried, though, that while the graphics will undoubtedly be splendid on the said devices, the touchscreen interface might prove to be more of a liability during gameplay especially for such fast paced engaging games such as Metal Gear Solid. Anyway, we’ll just leave it at that for the time being. We'll know more about its performance once it has been released and if it's indeed a worthy game to purchase and download.

Consumer Reports has released their January 2009 issue, and based on their study, the Samsung BlackJack II is the no. 1 smartphone as far as the US market is concerned. This QWERTY-equipped Windows Mobile-powered mobile phone managed to beat not only the T-Mobile G1, but also the more popular iPhone 3G. Actually, neither of the two even made it to the top five which was composed of the T-Mobile Wing, Motorola Q9C, T-Mobile Shadow, and BlackBerry Pearl Flip. The first Android-based phone and iPhone both were tied at 6th place. I guess this just goes to show that consumers still value form, function and price over design and hype. Of course, this listing applies to the US and being in the Philippines, we definitely have our own set of smartphones to choose from. My personal top five picks for local market are as follows (in no particular order): 1. Nokia E71 2. Samsung BlackJack II 3. iPhone 3G 4. Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 5. Motorola Q9 How about you guys? What’s your mythical five smartphone line-up?

We’ve got good news for all those still waiting for a software unlock tool to become available for the 3G iPhone. The iPhone Dev Team has announced that they are ready to release one by New Year’s Eve. In anticipation for its public debut, they will likewise stream a live video demo of this 3G iPhone unlock to be broadcast at a date to be posted on their blog. With this latest announcement, I guess we can now really look forward to a very promising new year. New phones, new gadgets and thanks to this iPhone 3G unlock, we can probably look forward to cheap unlocked 3G iPhones hitting the interwebs as well. UPDATE: The iPhone 3G unlock demo video has been released already. Video after the break.

If you think the global economic crisis is discouraging mobile phone manufacturers from launching uber-expensive devices for the time being, the recent unveiling of the Samsung Ego GT-S9402 clearly shows that they’re not that affected by it that much. This new phone model from Samsung features an 2-inch QVGA AMOLED display, 5-megapixel camera with LED flash and autofocus, image stabilization and face and smile detection, FM radio, tri-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Bluetooth, 1GB internal memory expandable via microSD card, and is also a DuoS which means you can use two SIM cards on it at the same time. Except for the camera, the specs look pretty average, but what truly makes this model special and expensive is its use of liquidmetal composite alloy which is touted to be much better than titanium in almost all aspects. It may not be a Vertu, but the S9402 definitely provides a more luxurious option to Samsungs already impressive line-up of phones. It’s expected to cost 1200 EUR or roughly P75K when it becomes available. With such a steep and hefty price tag, I highly doubt you’ll be seeing this in the regular mall stores if ever it does make it to the local market.

Just when we thought that Red Mobile was going to be just like the rest of the guys in the industry, Load Momma gives us hope that innovation may still be alive. Load Momma is an online community specifically designed for Red Mobile users. After you sign-up with Load Momma, every new member you invite and successfully register will entitle you to receive P10 free load. If you think that’s a small amount, remember that they offer P0.50/minute rate for Red Mobile-Red Mobile calls allowing you to make 20 minute calls with the free load. If you don't have a Red Mobile SIM yet which is a prerequisite before becoming registered, signing up with Load Momma will also entitle you to get one delivered right to your doorstep for free. However, the free load is only valid for 1 day and this promotion will only run until January 31, 2009. Nevertheless, it is a very unique and fresh approach to get people onboard Red Mobile. As to how successful it will be in the long run is anybody’s guess at the moment, but their use of social networking strategies is its secret weapon right now. With more people hopefully joining in with some advertisers as well getting in the act, they can probably make the load-giving permanent if it becomes such a hit. Unfortunately, while this new service does manage to bring a glimmer of new hope for the upstart telecom, Red Mobile’s limitation to work only on 3G handsets is a big turn-off. Granted that using a 3G network will guarantee better call quality, not everyone uses a 3G-capable phone and even though 3G handset prices have considerably gone down in the past couple of months, I believe that the target market of Red Mobile still prefers to get the less pricey handset models that offer decent specs and features albeit lacking 3G connectivity. Anyway, I guess we'll know in a couple of months time how things will turn out for Red Mobile, but for now, if you've got a 3G-capable phone, why not grab the opportunity to try out Red Mobile for sides? After all, getting a SIM and load is now easier and won't cost you a single centavo with Load Momma around.

The iPod Touch may look like the iPhone and provide a similar user experience, but it obviously lacks mobile phone functionality. That was before the TruPhone app hit the scene.

This nifty little application allows iPod Touch users to make phone calls through the internet not only to other TruPhone users (free), but also to other mobile phones and landline numbers as well with a corresponding fee. It also allows you to send SMS and make free calls to Google Talk PC users as well. Of course, this is only possible if you’re connected to a WiFi network and have a headset attached to it, but nevertheless, the availability of such an application definitely adds some added functionality to the iPod Touch that others have yet to offer. Unfortunately, this only works with 2G iPod Touch models so the greater majority of us who are still clinging on to their 1G iPod Touch are left out on all the fun. The TruPhone app is completely free of charge and is now available at the App Store. Downloading and installing the app is the easy part. Finding a compatible headset for your iPod Touch, however, is more of a challenge. There are also versions of the TruPhone app for Nokia and BlackBerry phones available as well as for the iPhone so you can get in touch with more friends without spending a single cent.

Those who love the form factor and general features of the Nokia E71 but can’t afford its somewhat hefty price tag will be happy to know that the Nokia E63 is now available locally for just P14,200.

With its slightly toned down set of features, the big question on everybody's mind is if it's worth it. It actually really depends. I don’t mind so much the lower megapixel count of the integrated camera, but the lack of HSDPA connectivity might be an area of concern especially for those who are planning to use it as a 3.5G modem of sorts to partner with their laptop. However, I figure that the inclusion of WiFi might prove to be sufficient enough for others. More over, at its price point, this has got to be the most affordable QWERTY-enabled device to come from Nokia. Besides, the Nokia E63’s feature set is actually pretty decent on its own. It may not be as loaded as the E71, but it’s definitely good enough to serve its target market.

If Makati’s too far away a place for you to go for the Microwarehouse sale, then you might want to head on over to Ynzal as they're also having a year-end inventory sale starting today and will run until Wednesday. For those who want to view the items on sale, you can find the pricelist here. Ynzal is located at 25 Scout Rallos Street, Quezon City. A map of its location can be viewed here. They may not have as diverse a collection of gadgets as Microwarehouse, but they nevertheless have a decent set of devices worth checking out especially for the Mac fan boys out there.

If you’ve just bought a new unibody Macbook/Macbook Pro or Macbook Airand have been experiencing some issues with it, try hitting the Software Update button as Apple has just released two new updates a piece for the Macbook, Macbook Pro and Macbook Air. While there’s no guarantee that these new updates will fix all the woes of the cuurent line of Macbook laptops, there’s no harm in trying, right? To download them directly from Apple's site, click here. Anyway, if you’ve updated already, tell us how it works out for you. Did it improve overall performance or was it a complete waste of time? Chime in your comments because we’d certainly love to hear them

Operating system options are usually associated with laptops and desktop computers, but one mobile phone manufacturer is giving consumers the same option as far as their mobile phone is concerned. The QiGi i6 may look like a typical imitation phone, but does more than just rip-off one of HTC’s more popular models. Buyers have the option of getting either a QiGi i6 with Windows Mobile installed on it or the Android OS under the hood. Aside from the added freedom to customize it with your preferred OS, it comes with a 2.8-inch touchscreen, 2-megapixel camera, a fast 624MHz processor, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS and support for up to 4GB additional memory via microSD card. No 3G on this baby, but I guess the inclusion of WiFi will probably suffice in its absence. Here’s a video showing off how well Android works on it. With its huge similarity to the HTC Touch and considering that it's coming from a relatively unknown mobile phone manufacturer, I highly doubt this will become commercially available through the regular channels (read: mall stores and telecom offerings). However, we can't discount the fact that it's the first device to give consumers the freedom to choose which OS they want installed on their phone. It's highly unlikely that the big names in the industry will follow their example, but it would be nice it they did, don't you think so?

Nokia Philippines has got a treat for those who want to be the first to own the much awaited Nokia 5800 XpressMusic touchscreen phone. You can now pre-order online and if you’re among the first 58 individual to claim their pre-orders, you’ll receive a Sennheiser HD-205 headset and SVIP pasess for two to the Nokia 5800 Hedkendi Playlist Party that’s going to be held on January 23 at the A.Venue Hall in Makati City. The next 100 claimed orders won’t go empty handed as they’ll also receive an access pass to the said event. It'll also come bundled with an 8GB microSD card, and preloaded with exclusive content such as Kjwan’s highly-awaited album “13 Seconds to Love” and access to downloadable content from Universal Music and Nokia Indie Artists Club. While the SRP isn’t available just yet, we hear that it’s around the P20K mark and is expected to become available in the early part of January 2009. Sure, the recently announced N97 will make you think twice before pre-ordering the 5800 XpressMusic, but considering that the N97 is filled to the brim with features, it means that it’ll likewise come with a heftier price tag that's well above the P35K mark. Similarly, you could make a case that the LG Cookie is way more affordable, but then again, the 5800 XpressMusic is definitely far more superior in terms of feature set.

Those who have purchased a 2nd generation iPod Touch will be happy to know that aside from its more polished look and added volume control and built-in speakers, Apple has likewise included something which they failed to mention when it was launched: a faster 532MHz processor. The inclusion of this new processor translates to a 30% boost in overall performance which makes the 2G iPod Touch the fastest iPod to date. Heck, it's even faster than its more versatile twin, the iPhone. It makes you wonder though; with the iPod Touch already offering 32GB capacities and now touting a better and faster processor, when will the iPhone get blessed with such features? Isn’t it about time Apple did some major upgrading in the iPhone’s hardware considering that it is, after all, their flagship mobile phone? My guess is that it won’t likely happen this year, but next year is a completely different story. We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?

MSI Warehouse Sale held last week, here’s a new year-end sale you might want to check out courtesy of Microwarehouse. It will be held on December 14-15 at the 21st floor of Tower A, The Enterprise Center in Makati City. The sale begins at 12nn and ends at 7pm on December 14 (Sunday) and is from 10am to 9pm on the 15th (Monday). Unlike in previous years where you had to wait in line for quite sometime just to register and get in, online registration is now available to shorten the whole registration process at the venue. Likewise, signing up qualifies you to become a member of a new community they're launching which will entitle members to additional perks and discounts. Hope you still have some money left because this sale will surely feature some of the well-known brands in the industry at ultra-low prices. To register online, head on over here.

We’re a bit saddened with the news that the Nokia 6260 slide won’t be released in the local market by Nokia Philippines, but upon hearing about this new model, we quickly got over our depression. The Nokia N97 is the new flagship model from the Finnish company. It comes with a 3.5-inch 640x360 touchscreen display with tactile feedback, 5-megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss glass lens, slide out QWERTY keypad, HSDPA, WiFi, Bluetooth, A-GPS, 32GB internal memory and support for additional storage of up to 16GB via microSD. This marks the continuing evolution of Nokia's touchscreen phones and the first time an Nseries mobile phone featured a QWERTY keypad. While it does lack DVB-H technology that’s found in the N96, I’m sure most users wouldn’t mind that small sacrificial lamb for the N97's existing feature set. Here's a short promotional video for the N97 to get you even more excited for 2009. It’s expected to begin shipping in the first half of 2009 with a €550 (roughly P34,500) price tag attached to it excluding tax and subsidies. With its impressive line of features, I’m sure aspiring N96 and 5800 XpressMsuic phone owners will now think twice before making any hasty purchases from now until mid next year. While there's still no certainty if it will make it to the local market, I'm pretty optimistic that this one won't suffer the same fate as the 6260 slide. Let's just hope that when it does, its price won't even come close to the SRP of the XPERIA X1 so that more of us can get to enjoy this new beauty.

With so many new mobile phones hitting the market almost every other month, upgrading to a brand new handset isn’t as hard as it was in the past. As a consequence of this, the number of discarded mobile phones have increased dramatically over the years and disposing of them properly, isn’t exactly on top of ones priority list. So why don’t you head on over to Bonifacio Global City on December 6 and donate your old mobile phone and accessories to help protect the environment. Together with Nokia, the Recycle your Phone and Run is a great venue where you can get rid of your outdate phones. The event also serves to kick off Nokia’s E-cycling campaign. For every kilo of raw materials collected, Nokia will make a donation to Bantay Kalikasan for the continued rehabilitation of the La Mesa Watershed. Likewise, there’s also a 3K and 5K run which you can join. If you want to participate in the run, better get up early as registration begins at 5:00 am. So if you don’t know what to do with your growing collection of unused cellphones and accessories, just bring them over this Saturday. If you can’t make it, I believe Nokia concept stores also have recycle bins where you dispose of your old mobile phones and accessories properly. Let's all be responsible for the environment and one simple way of doing our part is by segrating our old gadgets that contain toxic electronic waste from rest of the ordinary trash.

It’s been a while since we last heard about the LG KP500 or simply known as the LG Cookie. After almost two months of waiting, the LG Cookie is finally available in the Philippines and it comes with a very affordable P11,900 price tag. I guess they weren’t kidding when they said that the LG Cookie would be one the most affordable full-touchscreen phones in the market today. True, it lacks Wifi and 3G connectivity, but with a 3-megapixel camera, Bluetooth, FM radio and GPRS/EDGE connectivity, I guess it’ll do for most average mobile phone users especially at that price point. As for performance, we’ll have to pass on that one at the moment as we have yet to actually get our hands on a demo unit. Nevertheless, its very attractive price is its greatest selling point which will surely attract those who have been craving for a touchscreen phone but have been turned off by the hefty price tag of the current available devices in the market today. For more pictures, you can check out Yugatech.

Those wanting to get the most out of their hard-earned money might want to check out the MSI-ECS Warehouse Sale scheduled to happen on December 3-5. It’ll be held at the MSI-ECS office which is located at Topy II bldg, 3 Economista St. Libis Quezon City near Eastwood City. Among the many popular tech brands that will be offered during this 3 day event include HP, Genius, Targus, Samsung, Sony, Acer, Lenovo, and Apple to name a few. Enjoy discounts of up to 70% off on notebooks, desktops, printers and many more. No reservations will be entertained and it’ll be cash basis only. Doors open at 9:00 am and ends at 6:00 pm. To download the pricelist, click here or visit their multiply site for more details. So if you’re looking for a great gadget bargain, you should definitely check out the MSI-ECS Warehouse Sale. Likewise, expect more sale announcements in the coming days as this certainly won't be the last gadget sale will see this month.

We’ve got good news and bad news for all your Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 hopefully owners out there. The good news is that the XPERIA X1 is now available in Sony Ericsson concept stores which means its official price is out as well. The bad news is that it’s higher than what we were expecting. Its SRP is P42500 to be exact; much more expensive than a 3G iPhone 8GB prepaid kit or a Samsung Omnia, but still cheaper than an HTC Touch Pro. On a similar note, Sony Ericsson has launched two new panels for the XPERIA X1. The Facebook panel allows users to seamlessly integrate their Facebook account with their mobile phone. It even comes with call to contacts functionality. The Windows Live panel, on the other hand, provides you with an easy way to sync and import your Windows Live contacts to your XPERIA X1’s phonebook. It also gives you an easy access to Windows Live Messenger and Hotmail. These two new exciting panels that will definitely enable you to get the most out of your XPERIA X1. So now that the XPERIA X1 is finally out, will you be getting yours soon or will you be waiting for something better to come out in 2009?