Mobile Philippines

iPhone Bluetooth File Transfer to debut via Jailbreak

2009-01-29T16:16:32Z

While most wait for flash support to arrive on the iPhone, others are wondering when Bluetooth file transfer will become available on Apple’s mobile phone. Well, wonder no more. Thanks to developer MeDevil, iPhone Bluetooth file transfer may become a reality sooner than later as he is currently working on one as we speak. The video is just a peak into the future of his app, and when the time is right, it will be unleashed to jailbroken iPhones all over the world via the iSpazio repo. There’s still no word on when the full vesion will be released, but considering that these iPhone developers are such efficient folks, I wouldn’t be surprised if it goes live by next week.

Sony Vaio P unveiled locally, Price starts at P49,999

2009-01-28T16:00:34Z

Along with other media folks, we got to witness first hand the unveiling of the Sony Vaio P here in the Philippines. It lives up to the Vaio brand name and is definitely a thing of beauty. There are basically two models to choose from: the VGN-P15G and the VGN-P13H. Both models come in at a mere 19.8mm in thickness which makes it probably the thinnest and lightest ultraportable in the market today (not counting the Macbook Air, of course). 2GB of RAM, an 8-inch wide UWXGA 1600x768 TFT display, Bluetooth, WiFi 802.11 b/g/draft N, MS Duo and SD Memory card slot, 2 USB ports, headphone jack, IO connector, motion eye webcam and an Intel GMA 500 graphics chip are the other specs that are common to both models. They differ in the processor, storage type, OS and weight as the VGN-P15G touts an Intel Atom Z530 1.6GHz processor, 64GB SSD, Windows Vista Home Premium, and weighs 594 grams while the VGN-P13H comes with an Intel Atom Z520 1.33GHz processor, 60GB HDD, Vista Basic and tips the scale at 620 grams. The VGN-P15G is pricier at P69,999.00 and comes bundled with noise-cancelling headphones similar to the ones packaged with the Vaio TT. The VGN-P13H, on the other hand, will retail for P49,999.00. It’ll be released in the market on February 25, but you can pre-order yours starting January 30th via the Sony Philippines Vaio P microsite. While many will classify the Vaio P as a netbook, Sony officials are quick to note that this is not a netbook by any stretch. It is more capable and full-featured than a netbook, and given its price, we’re more than inclined to believe them. However, while it does seem to offer more in terms of performance, it does lack a lot of things that we’ve grown accustomed to in most of the modern ultraportables of today. Here’s a quick rundown of what the Vaio P is missing: - VGA out (display/LAN IO adaptor can be purchased separately) - LAN port - Trackpad (replaced by trackpoint) - User replaceable RAM/HDD - Microphone jack The keyboard is actually not that bad as it can challenge the HP Mini-Note 2133 anytime of the day in terms of usability, but as the case is with most under 10-inch displays, reading text on it can be quite a challenge due to the high resolution and small display size. It also features a quick-on mode that boots up to a PSP-like interface familiar to Vaio fanboys as the Media Xross bar granting users quick access to media content and the internet. At the end of the day, we’re still a bit skeptical especially since it’s worth a hefty sum of money. We’ll postpone passing judgement on the it until we get to play around with one more thoroughly, but as for our initial impression, it’s a hit and miss for the Vaio P. Sure, Sony has probably struck gold in terms of a coming out with an ultra-compact laptop, but it also sacrificed a lot of essential features that are pretty much standard in today's laptops.

LG is World's 3rd Largest Mobile Phone Manufacturer

2009-01-27T16:00:27Z

It looks like LG’s hard work is finally paying off as they are now the world's 3rd largest mobile phone manufacturer. Shipping 100 million handsets last year, LG managed to edge out the likes of Motorola and Sony Ericsson making them now part of the big three in the mobile phone industry. Not surprising is Nokia who is still no. 1 with 470 million units sold while Samsung is sitting pretty at no. 2 with 200 million phones. Motorola came close at no. 4 with 99.9 millions phones sold while Sony Ericsson was at fifth place with 96.6 million units shipped. It’s still a long way to go for LG if they seriously want to overthrow Nokia from the top spot, but if they continue to release phones like the LG Cookie and Renoir, I'm optimistic of their chances and 2009 will no doubt be another fruitful year for the company.

Acer Aspire One now Ready for Pre-order

2009-01-26T16:00:56Z

Even though we have yet to see an actual 10-inch Acer Aspire One being sold in the local stores, that doesn’t mean you can’t reserve one for yourself right now. As a matter of fact, PC Corner is already accepting pre-orders for the Acer Aspire One 103 with the first batch expected to arrive on March 15, 2009. This bit of news is courtesy of Yugatech and will certainly delight netbook aficionados waiting for this highly-anticipated upgrade to the Aspire One. Aside from the newly designed body and bigger display, the Acer Aspire One 103 comes with the 1GB RAM, 320GB SATA HDD, Acer CyrstalEye webcam, WiFi, Bluetooth, 6-cell battery, multitouch-enabled trackpad, and is the first netbook to feature Intel's latest Atom N280 processor that's slightly faster at 1.66GHz. The standard package is priced at P25,500, but if you want to avail of the optional 3G module, you’ll have to add P2,995 for it. Likewise, they're also offering an Acer optical drive as part of a package which is just slightly a bit more expensive at P26,500. It might seem a hefty price for a netbook, but remember, most of its contemporaries in the market that offer more or less the same specs are being sold at around the same price point as well. So, should you pre-order one right now? Personally, I’d wait for the first batch of reviews to come out first before I make any commitment, but based on its looks and features, it looks like a pretty decent offer in my opinion.

Nokia sells 1 million 5800 XpressMusic phones

2009-01-25T16:00:39Z

Over the weekend, Nokia announced that they have just shipped the 1 million Nokia 5800 XpressMusic phones making it one of their more successful phones to date. Even though it hasn’t been released all over the globe, impressive sales in particular regions like Hong Kong, Moscow and no doubt, the Philippines as well has helped the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic attain this feat at such a short amount of time. This, in turn, will no doubt raise even more comparison to Apple’s equally successful mobile phone, the iPhone. So, is the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic phone the real iPhone-killer? While on paper the 5800 XpressMusic phone does lord it over the iPhone in terms of specs and most importantly the price, it caters to a different segment of the market and to be honest, I personally find the ‘touch’ experience is nowhere near that of the iPhone. Remember, even though the 5800 XpressMusic runs on the S60 OS, it’s still a music phone first and foremost. The iPhone, on the other hand, tries to offer a more modern alternative to the conventional smartphone and for the most part, succeeds in doing so. As far as sales go, I have no doubt that the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic phone can match or even surpass the iPhone, but in terms of performance, they don’t even belong in the same playing field. If Nokia probably came out with an updated E9x phone that featured a touchscreen, maybe then we can seriously compare the iPhone with Nokia. So what about the Nokia 5800 XpressMusic phone then? It is what it is; a highly successful touchscreen music phone from Nokia.

First Windows Mobile 6.5-running phones due in Q3 of 2009

2009-01-22T16:00:52Z

It’s not the first time we’ve heard about Windows Mobile 6.5, and we know that it'll debut this year. However, based on the latest news, we can now look forward to the 3rd quarter as the period when we could see the first Windows Mobile 6.5-based devices come out. The much needed update to Microsoft’s aging mobile operating system is expected to be announced at the World Mobile Congress this February where further details about what enhancements it’ll come with should be disclosed as well. While the first batch of handset is expected to debut as early as the third quarter, the greater bulk of the phones that will be bundled with Windows Mobile 6.5 should arrive in the last quarter of this year. With Microsoft making the Beta version of Windows 7 available to the public this early and now a somewhat firm date on when Windows Mobile 6.5 will finally hit the market, it seems that Microsoft has finally decided to clean up their act for 2009. How competitive Windows Mobile 6.5 will be is still unknown, but if they remain true to their word, we should know the answer to that question before the year ends.

Acer Aspire One 10-inch model gets Leaked

2009-01-21T16:00:48Z

It looks like Acer fanboys are in for a treat as images and details of a new 10-inch Aspire One netbook has surfaced on the internet.

Joining the likes of HP, Asus and Dell, this new Acer Aspire One comes with a 10-inch display, Bluetooth and a multi-touch capable trackpad in addition to the now standard 1.6GHz processor, 1GB RAM, WiFi and Win XP OS. Aside from the cosmetic changes done on the body, it seems that Acer has also decided to include easy access compartments for RAM and HDD upgrades making it even more enticing for consumers.

No pricing and release date available at the moment as Acer hasn't even officially announced this new 10-inch Aspire One just yet. Taking into account how primed and ready it looks in the pictures, I suspect that its release is just around the corner. UPDATE: More PR-ready pics have just surfaced showing off the various colors of this new Acer Aspire One. They can be found at Slashgear.

iPhone 3rd party Internet Browser now Available at App Store

2009-01-20T16:00:01Z

iPhone users will now have an option as to what browser to use when surfing the web as Apple has approved 3rd party internet browsers to be featured on the App Store. Among the first batch of approved internet browsers, the Edge Browser (shown in the picture) stands out as it provides full screen browsing and, more importantly, is free. If anonymous surfing is your thing, the Incognito browser will come in handy, but it’ll set you back $1.99 to use it. The Webmate browser, meanwhile, provides tabbed browsing and costs less than the Incognito at just $0.99 to download. With this latest turn of events, we’re now a bit more optimistic of the chances that we will one day see Mobile FireFox and Opera Mini become available on the iPhone.

Sony Ericsson announces C510 Cybershot, W508 Walkman phones

2009-01-19T16:00:34Z

Sony Ericsson fans will be happy to know that a new Cybershot phone as well as a Walkman phone are confirmed to debut this year. The Sony Ericsson C510 is a 3.2-megapixel Cybershot phone that comes with a 2.2-inch TFT scratch-resistant display, Bluetooth, Google Maps, direct YouTube upload, slide-in lens cover, and 100MB internal memory. It likewise features Smile Shutter, Face Detection and Photo Fix. It’ll be available in the 1Q of this year in two color options: Radiation Silver and Future Black. Price is yet to be known, but it expected to be more on the affordable side. Meanwhile, the W508 is the new Walkman phone to watch out for. It's a clamshell that features a 2.2-inch internal scratch-resistant display, a 1.1-inch monochromatic OLED external scratch-resistant display, 3.2-megapixel camera, stereo Bluetooth, NetFront browser, 100MB internal memory and a 1GB Memory Stick Micro as part of the package. Of course, since this is a Walkman phone, you can expect TrackID, Mega Bass, Shake Control and SensMe to be present as well. It’ll be available in Q2 of this year with a yet to be known price. While these two may offer very little in terms of groundbreaking features, they certainly have the looks and styling to succeed in the market.

Dell Inspiron Mini 10: Average Display Size, Above Average Features

2009-01-18T16:00:29Z

Dell has unveiled their latest addition to their netbook line, the Inspiron Mini 10. While it does offer a smaller screen size as opposed to the Inspiron Mini 12, it does, however, offer more features. The Inspiron Mini 10 comes with a 10.1-inch 16:9 HD 720p display, Intel Atom 1.6GHz processor, WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth, GPS, 3G WWAN, webcam, multi-touch trackpad and a TV-tuner USB accessory. No word though on what the RAM, storage and OS options will be made available for this new netbook, but we're guessing that 1GB/2GB RAM, 80GB/160GB HDD and SSD storage as well as Win XP/Linux options are a sound choice. Likewise, an exact release date and price are yet to be known. Considering that the Inspiron Mini 10 comes with more than you're average feature set, it wiill most likely be more expensive than any Inspiron Mini we've seen to date. Nevertheless, we're pretty excited about this one as it looks to be a pretty handy netbook to lug around while on the road.

Apple: Jobs-less until June

2009-01-15T16:00:35Z

In what could be a preview of the not-so-distant future of Apple, Steve Jobs has stepped down as Apple CEO in order to take a medical leave until June of this year. Here’s a copy of the letter he sent to Apple employees explaining his decision:

"Team, I am sure all of you saw my letter last week sharing something very personal with the Apple community. Unfortunately, the curiosity over my personal health continues to be a distraction not only for me and my family, but everyone else at Apple as well. In addition, during the past week I have learned that my health-related issues are more complex than I originally thought. In order to take myself out of the limelight and focus on my health, and to allow everyone at Apple to focus on delivering extraordinary products, I have decided to take a medical leave of absence until the end of June. I have asked Tim Cook to be responsible for Apple’s day to day operations, and I know he and the rest of the executive management team will do a great job. As CEO, I plan to remain involved in major strategic decisions while I am out. Our board of directors fully supports this plan. I look forward to seeing all of you this summer. Steve"

Even though the people behind the technology and success of Apple’s products are still there, the absence of Steve Jobs will surely raise some concern especially from an investor’s standpoint. Nevertheless, it’s business as usual over at the Cupertino-based company, and to be quite honest, I don't see this latest development having any immediate effect at the consumer level. However, we cannot discount the fact that people will react to this news. As to what extent Steve Jobs’ medical leave will affect Apple as a company, we’ll just have to wait and see how things will turn out in the next couple of months. Get well soon, Steve, as I’m sure everyone will rest more easy when you’re back at the helm at Apple.

Palm debuts Palm Pre, WebOS platform

2009-01-14T16:00:51Z

During the recently concluded CES in Las Vega, Palm finally unveiled their latest smartphone, the Palm Pre.

Taking a new approach in designing this smartphone, the Palm Pre integrates a slide-out QWERTY keypad to complement its 3.1-inch touchscreen display which is not usually common in Palm devices. It likewise features a 3-megapixel camera with flash, HSDPA connectivity, Bluetooth, GPS, WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP and EDR, proximity and light sensor, accelerometer, 8GB internal memory, and runs on their latest mobile operating system, the WebOS.

Palm’s new OS is a huge improvement in terms of visual appeal when compared to their earlier applications, but the jury is still out as to how successful as a platform it will be especially when compared to the iPhone and Android. The WebOS makes use of CSS, XHTML and JavaScript making it compatible with a wide variety of applications, and will likewise be able to connect directly to an app store that Palm will be launching soon dubbed as the App Catalog. Sadly though, only US residents will get a chance to own one during the early part of this year. The Palm Pre will become available sometime during the first half of 2009 exclusively on Sprint. A Palm Pre GSM version for other market is expected to be released once it makes its debut in the US. Hopefully, that will happen sooner than later because the last thing Palm needs is to follow in the footsteps of the XPERIA X1 and lose whatever interest and fan base it has gained during its announcement due to a delayed release.

Windows 7 Beta now Ready for Download

2009-01-13T16:00:31Z

If you've been out of the loop for the past couple of days, it might interest you to know that Microsoft has made available a public beta version of their upcoming operating system, Windows 7. You can download a copy by clicking here and installation is pretty easy. Just burn the Windows 7 image to a DVD, boot up from the DVD discand run the installation . However, if you're planning to dual boot Windows 7 on your Win XP/Vista machine, want to run it on a Mac, or on a netbook, Gizmodo has come out with a step-by-step guide on how to accomplish this with Windows 7. Just remember, the minimum system requirements include a 1GHz 32-bit or 64-bit processor, 1GB RAM, 16GB HDD space, support for DirectX9 wih 128MB memory for Aero features, DVD-RW/W drive and internet access. This beta trial version which will expire on August 1, 2009. Likewise, the Windows 7 beta version is only available for download until January 24th unless they decide to extend it. So, if you’re already raring to give Microsoft’s latest OS a try, then by all means download it now and tell us how it goes for you.

Are you ready for Tablet Netbooks?

2009-01-12T16:00:37Z

Asus can be credited for the huge success of netbooks in the market today thanks to their groundbreaking Eee PC laptop, and it seems that they’re once again poised to set a new trend this year with the unveiling of the Eee PC T91 and T101H. As their name implies, both new netbooks belong to the continuously growing Eee PC family, but unlike previous releases, these two feature a touchscreen display allowing it to function as a tablet PC as well. The T91 comes with an 8.9-inch display and an Intel Atom Z520 processor. The Eee PC T101H, on the other hand, comes with a bigger 10-inch screen and a new keyboard design that greatly resembles that of Apple’s Macbook laptops. Aside from the details mentioned above, further information regarding specifications and more importantly, price and availability were not disclosed just yet. Considering that Asus has decided to out not just one but two tablet netbooks this early on in the year, the question on my mind is; will tablet netbooks be the next big thing as far as netbooks are concerned? If these two pioneering models become successful when they're released, I have no doubt that tablet netbooks will indeed be the next phase in the continuing evolution of the netbook.

Sony joins Netbook party with Vaio P

2009-01-11T16:00:02Z

Sony has officially joined the netbook bandwagon with the announcement of the new Vaio P laptop. It sports an 8-inch display, Intel Atom Z530 1.33GHz processor, 2GB RAM, WiFi 802.11n, Bluetooth, 3G WWAN, GPS, webcam, Windows Vista OS, and 60GB HDD, 64GB SSD and 128GB SSD storage options. It also does away with the usual trackpad and features a pointer instead to save up on space. The Sony Vaio P also boasts of being the lightest netbook weighing only 1.4 lbs and has enough juice in its battery to last up to 4 hours which is still unheard of as far as 3-cell battery-running netbooks go. It’s expected to start shipping in February in 5 colored variants (garnet red, emerald green, onyx black, crystal white and classic black) with a starting price of $900. Here's a hands-on video showcasing the Sony Vaio P courtesy of Engadget. With such a steep price and awkward design, I doubt the Sony Vaio P will actually draw much attention from the usual netbook-buying public. I personally find an 8.9-inch display already too small, and I can’t even begin to image how people will get their work done on a smaller 8-inch display. Anyway, for what it’s worth, the Sony Vaio P is indeed a technological wonder cramming in all those features in an ultra-small form factor, but as far as practicality and functionality are concerned, it’s still got a lot of room for improvement.