Mobile Philippines

Enjoy Mobile’s 9-page Phone Reviews and More!

Jaja Vales — Mon, 21 May 2007 01:41:25 +0000

Mobile Philippines May-June issue is out now with sultry Priscilla Meirelles on the cover. First stop: EIC Adel Gabot flies to Sepang to be part of Formula 1 and gives you the speed and noise on and off the track. Shutterbugs would surely rave over Mobile’s primer on the sleek tricks of sports photography.

Dive into underwater museums with dive instructor-slash-techie-businessman Daniel Abelarde. While you’re at it, learn underwater photography in a snap!

Read our freshly-squeezed hands-on reviews of the Samson USB Mic, Nike Triax C6, Creative DiVi CAM 516, Olympus mju 725SW and a LOT more!

Watch out for our special 9-page, 34-review of the hottest mobile phones in the market. Plus, hints on the upcoming Mobile Xperience event in June!

Mobile Philippines is the only magazine specializing in personal electronic devices from phones to music players to laptops. Grab your own copy now from newsstands for only PhP 100.00!

HP iPAQ rw6828: A tiny package with style

Jaja Vales — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 08:23:40 +0000

This is HP’s smallest ever Pocket PC with integrated phone functionality. It comes with enough style that you wouldn’t be ashamed to flaunt it in public. Its diminutive size can be misleading: at closer inspection, it reveals its true colors. Running on the latest Windows Mobile 5.0 OS, it comes packed with your standard fare of Microsoft Mobile applications to keep you productive, entertained, and connected.

The rw6828 comes with Microsoft’s push email technology in addition to the usual email, SMS and MMS features of the device. The two-megapixel camera with flash can capture photos or video clips, which can then be emailed, beamed, or sent via MMS. Connectivity options include GPRS and EDGE in addition to Wi-Fi. The built-in FM radio requires the use of bundled wired earbuds which also act as antenna for the radio.

What’s our verdict on the HP iPAQ rw6828? Read the full review in our December 2006 - January 2007 issue.

Treo 680: Elegant, evolutionary smartphone

Jaja Vales — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 08:21:38 +0000

Still very much in the game

When I was handed a Treo 680 review unit with the screen protector applied so poorly that it rendered the touchscreen useless, I still managed to use the 680’s phone and SMS functions and many other Palm OS applications quite normally for a day, using only the hardware buttons.

It’s this exceptional level of integration of phone and PDA, hardware and software, that has kept Palm in the smartphone game, despite an aging operating system and a hardware system that has evolved relatively slowly

The good…

The most obvious feature is the new form factor, which is only marginally smaller than the Treo 650 if you go only by the specs. Because the antenna has been lopped off and more curves and beveled edges added, the 680 feels a lot smaller once you actually use it. It’s also lighter than the 650, and has more than doubled the available memory of the Treo 650.

Most of the other changes are really in the software, especially in the phone, messaging, browser, and picture and video applications. The most noteworthy change is the integration of the phone, contacts, favorites, and To Do screens into a single application that is much easier to use and navigate.

…And the bad? Read it on our December 2006 - January 2007 issue!

LG KG800: Technically decadent

Jaja Vales — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 08:19:00 +0000

Let’s get it out of the way: the LG KG800 Chocolate Phone is not brown; it’s dark chocolate, so it’s black. So there. But black is beautiful, in this case. It’s made of ebony glass with glowing red lights, and stylish as anything we’ve seen lately. And it’s not just beautiful; it works great. Let’s say it outright now: The KG800 is one of the most unique slider phones to come out this year.

Definitely drool-worthy

It’s gloss and glamour the minute you pick it up, with its glassy black finish and smooth, protuberance-free surface. I often mistake the back for the front; when the phone is off, it’s just all black glass, and you can’t sometimes tell which way is up. Which isn’t a bad thing. The exceptionally bright and clear high-res screen and the red lights on the face actually made me ooh and aah the first time I turned it on.

You’d think it was heavy-looking the way it does, but it looks smaller and weighs very little in person compared to how it looks in the ads. The finish is impeccable and smooth, and the lack of anything to snag on makes it slightly easy to drop. The glossy finish is surprisingly scratch-resistant�