July 2011 smarthpone buyers guide

We just finished our last buyers guide, but prices have changed so it is time for an update.Php25,000 and higher. Buying a top of the line smartphone is now cheaper than ever, If you want the best smartphone that money can buy right now it is the Samsung Galaxy S II. The Galaxy S II has a 4.3 inch 480 x 800 Super AMOLED screen, is powered by a Dual-core 1.2GHz ARM Cortex-A9 proccessor with a Mali-400MP GPU on an Exynos chipset 1GB of RAM, has 16GB of internal storage and a 8MP autofocus camera with a LED flash. It comes installed with Google's Android 2.3 operating system running under the new TouchWiz v4.0 user interface. Available from CMK...

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Budget laptop: eMachines eMD443-E352g50Mikk

We are fond of AMD Fusion powered laptops, more specifically those powered by the AMD E-350 processor because they combines low cost with decent processor and graphics performance. If you are looking for a laptop to do word processing, preparing spreadsheets and presentations, browse the web and viewing HD movies and videos, a AMD Fusion E-350 laptop is more than sufficient for those tasks. It can even do some 3D gaming. eMachines 14-inch eMD443-E352g50Mikk is priced at just Php17,500, without a operating system. Adding the cost of a Windows 7 Home Basic license will bring you up to just about Php22K. For that price the laptop is configured with...

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Samsung Galaxy SL I9003 XXKP9 Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread ODIN Stock ROM Firmware Update is here!

After the latest update of 2.3.4 Gingerbread I9003XXKP7 beta version which reportedly has a "sleep mode" bug problem  issues, here comes another  Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread update Stock ROM for Samsung Galaxy SL I9003. We hope this one carry the fixes from the previous leaked beta version (we don't know yet).  This is built for Europe version of Galaxy S SL I9003 only.Region: Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Switzerland, UK, Available languages: de, en, es, fr, it, nl, pt, tr, Note: this information might not be fully correct Packaged details:PIT: latona_20110114.pitBootloader: APBOOT_I9003XXKP9_CL309731_REV08_eng_mid_shipPDA: CODE_I9003XXKP9_CL309731_REV08_eng_mid_ship.tar.md5  MODEM: MODEM_I9003XXKP9_REV_00_CL1027275.tar.md5 CSC: GT-I9003-CSC-MULTI-OXAKP9.tar.md5The...

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HTC Sensation RUU/Shipped ROMs Packaged Leaked Links

Heres'a list of  Radios, RUU and Shipped ROM's for HTC Pyramid also known HTC Sensation Android Smartphone. Note: there is  no harm in trying to update your HTC Sensation ROM. If your CIDs do not match with the latest update, it will just not let you install the update, and no changes will be made to your HTC Sensation.Latest leaked: June 2011EuropeRUU_Pyramid_HTC_Europe_1.35.401.1_Radio_10.43a.900 7.00U_10.51.9007.27_M3_release_198179_signedhttp://www.filefactory.com/file/cc03797/n/RUU_Pyramid_HTC_Europe_1.35.401.1_Radio_10.43a.900 7.00U_10.51.9007.27_M3_release_198179_signed.exehttps://rapidshare.com/files/4167858...179_signed.exehttp://insertcoin.dataninja.net/WIP/...179_signed.exe ARABIC RUU_Pyramid_HTC_ARA_1.34.415.1_Radio_10.43a.9007.0 0U_10.51.9007.27_M3_release_197242_signed.exehttp://www.fars-gsm.net/htc_rma_priv...242_signed.execredits...

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How to Fix Bricked (Unbrick) Samsung Galaxy TAB

Many users have been looking for answers if they messed up and bricked their Samsung Galaxy TAB. Today I will give you some hints on how to fix this problem.Disclaimer: This is my own terms and personal brief explanation, just correct me and add suggestion if I missed up something wrong. Okay let's tackle what your device problem is.Is your Galaxy Tab already bricked?Freeze or Hang on logo.The phone can boot after pressing the power button but it stuck or freeze on LOGO or home screen and after that it doesn't work any further.Crashing/Shutdown on logo or often restarted. Some users they call this problem as boot looping, the device will just...

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Around the web: Odds and ends

Apple moves. It looks like the rivalry and legal battles between Samsung and Apple, has cost Samsung a customer. Samsung manufacturers the A4 and A5 chips found in Apple's iPhone's, iPods and iPads. In 2012, Apple will be having them manufactured by someone else. Read the rest of the article at GSMArena.Windows Phone 7 arrives. No mobile phone OS can be considered to a contedender without Angry Birds :) Angry Birds is finally available for Windows Phone 7. At US$2.99, it is more expensive than the US$0.99 iOS (non-HD) version, but given how Rovio keeps on rolling out new levels, US$2.99 is well worth it. There is a free version which will...

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Robo Defense

Robo Defense is a Tower Defense game for Google Android Devices by Lupis Labs Software. Basically, you buy and upgrade defensive towers which you place on a map to impede and destroy invading hordes. As you destroy more enemies you gain more money to buy defenses. In Robo Defense, it is robots versus robots. The trick behind the game is to create a pathway for your enemies to follow which places them in under the heaviest concentration of fire from your defensive positions. Succeeding waves of enemies and higher levels make it more and more challenging as you go along.The concept behind a tower defense game is simple, it is like a real time strategy...

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Samsung Galaxy S I9000XXJVQ 2.3.4 Gingebread (Leaked) Out Now!

Another 2.3.4 Gingerbread European version update firmware leaked with a build date of June 10 2011.Firmware: I9000XXJVQPDA:I9000XXJVQPHONE:I9000XXJVQCSC:I9000OXAJVQThe available Languages are as follows: CestinaDanskDeutsh (3 different)English (6 different)Espanõl (2 different)Francais (2 different)HrvatskiIcelandicIrishItalianoKazakhLatviesuLietuviuMacedonianMagyarNederlands (2 different)NorweiganPolskiPortuguesRomanaSlovencinaSlovenscinaSoumiSVENSKA!!!TurkceSome others i can't write...Swype Languages :UK and US EnglishNederlandsFrancaisDeutschItalianoChinese(I think)PolskiPortugues EuropeuEspanolTurkceBuild info:# begin build properties# autogenerated by buildinfo.shro.build.id=GINGERBREADro.build.display.id=GINGERBREAD.XXJVQro.build.version.incremental=XXJVQro.build.version.sdk=10ro.build.version.codename=RELro.build.version.release=2.3.4ro.build.date=Fri...

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Samsung Galaxy Ace Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread S5830BVJKP2 (VIVO Brazil) is online

An Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread version for Samsung Galaxy Ace for South America is out now!This is a branded  FW from Vivo (Brazil Carrier). Some Devs suggested  that this ROM may also work on other carriers but just need to leave the CSC field blank.. and then you get an unbranded version by flashing it using ODIN.. The available languages of this Stock ROM FW are Brazilian, English, Spanish, Portuguese and Korean. Other than that you will be having difficulty on rooting your Samsung Galaxy Ace, but others find the methods of combining the  European version 2.3.4 gingerbread  S5830XXKP in order to ROOT the phoneafter...

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Charting Android smartphone hardware development

HTC Dream2008. The flagship Android phone in 2008 had the following specifications:3.2-inch 320 x 480 screen 528MHz processor192MB of RAMThe first commercially available Android phone was the HTC Dream released in October 2008. It had a 3.2-inch 320 x 480 resolution screen and was powered by a 528 MHz ARM 11 processor with a Adreno 130 GPU on Qualcomm MSM7201A chipset. The Dream had 192MB of RAM.2009. The 2008 specifications remained standard for Android phones 2009:3.2-inch 320 x 480 screen 528MHz processor128MB-256MB of RAM The first Android handset to become widely available in the Philippine was the HTC Magic, released by Smart Communications....

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Around the web: Dead on arrival

Nokia's N9, dead on arrival. Looks like the MeeGo powered Nokia N9 will go the way of the Maemo Nokia N900. Interesting, with excellent potential, but relegated to being a interesting piece of tech history. GSMArena reports that, Nokia's "CEO Stephen Elop confirmed that even if the N9 proves to be a massive success, there is no returning to MeeGo for Nokia. Nokia instead will be betting everything on Windows Phone 7 platform and Elop is confident that it will be well received." Read the rest of the article here. This is bad news indeed. The most expensive tablet in the planet. Techie.com.ph christens the HTC Flyer as the "the most expensive...

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The Google Android Roadmap for 2011

Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) is the current version of the Google Android operating system designed for mobile phones. It is optimized to operate with a 3.2-inch to 4-inch screen with a screen resolution of 320 x 480 or 480 x 800.We expect on more update this year: Android 2.4. Android 2.4 will allow single core handsets on 2.4 to use apps developed for dual core Honeycomb 3.0. Other than this we do not expect to see very many differences between 2.3 and 2.4, which is why they both have the same Gingerbread codename. There could be a Android 2.5 and later releases. This is what we expect to be designed for use single core handsets for the next...

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Photo Enhance Pro

Photo Enhance Pro, by Effectice Apps, is a simple Android photo enhancing app that you to enhance an image by adjusting brightness, contrast, saturation and white-balance. Enhancement uses HDR tone-mapping techniques to add detail to your images, by default, but yoy can dial down this feature or turn it off.It can also convert a picture into a black and white shot. The app includes a cropping function with constrained presets usually commonly used in printing as well as allows unconstrained cropping.This app is available in a free version and a paid version. The free version is pretty is pretty much unspectacular as plenty of free apps will give...

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Acer Aspire TimelineX 3830T-2412G64nbb versus Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch 2.3GHz

A thin-and-light laptop offers a nice balance between utility and portability. The standard on which other thin-and-lights are based is Apples sleek MacBook Pro. The entry level 13-inch model is only 0.95 inches inches thin and weighs in at 4.5 pounds.The MacBook Pro line-up was refreshed in March of 2011. This compact package houses has a new Sandy Bridge Core i5-2410M processor, Intel HD 3000 graphics 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive and a 63.5 watt hour battery for a retail price of Php61,990.Acer contender at this category has been its 3800 Series Timeline laptop. The newest model is the TimelineX 3820T. The model offered in the Philippines...

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Archos 7c - Budget Android tablet

The Archos 7c  is a new low cost tablet released by the French consumer electronic company Archos.  I started with this, because based on the specification you might think they are old stocks from 2010, but it is not. It was released in other countries in April 2011, and has now landed in the Philippines.The Archos 7c runs on Android 2.1 (Eclair) and is powered by a 800MHz Cortex A8 processor. The display is a capacitive touch screen with a 800 x 480 resolution. It has 8GB of internal storage which is expandable via a MicroSD card slot. Connectivity is provided via 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi for web browsing and downloading Android apps and...

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Nokia + Windows Phone 7 seemed like a good idea...

Last December we posted that Nokia badly needed a new operating system,  witing that "(t)he reality is that, unless they can get something out soon, Nokia is most likely better off jumping on the Android bandwagon or even maybe even better, supporting the Windows Phone 7 platform, before it is relegated to selling feature phones." Apparently, they did have a very good bun in the over after all. Nokia with Windows, or Android or Nokia made sense back than. Now we are wondering why. GSMArena has had it first look at the Nokia N9, running the MeeGo Operating System v1.2 (Harmattan). The N9 has a power a volume rocker button, but has for...

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June 2011 Smarthpone buyers guide - Part III

Part one of this article can be found at this link, while part two of this article is here.Flagship phones (25-30K). Getting the top of the line phone offered by the manufacturers has gotten significantly less expensive this year. Last year, the top end phone were being offered at Php35,000-Php40,000. Now, you are looking at a price range of just Php25,000-Php30,000.If you are looking at an iPhone, we suggest you wait a little bit longer. Right now the iPhone 4 will cost you about Php30K. In two to three months you should be seeing a new iPhone. You are better off waiting for the next iPhone or buying the iPhone when Apple brings its price down....

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June 2011 Smarthpone buyers guide - Part II

If you are looking for a smartphone priced at less than Php15,000 or thinking about getting a BlackBerry go to Part I of this guide here.15-20K range.  A budget of Php15,000 to Php20,000 is the optimal budget for a smartphone buyer today. There are cheaper phones, at the cost of giving up useful features that you are likely to miss on a day to day basis. There are more expensive phones, but the typical user will probably never miss or even use the additional features on this higher end units.What do you expect to get from a 15-20K smartphone today? You get a large (3.7-4 inch) high resolution (480 x 800) screen, a 1GHz processor and enough...

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Get traffic updates on your Android, iOS or Nokia Symbian devices

Tired of getting stuck in traffic unaware that you were driving into a major snarl. Try Street Smart. Street Smart is a free app from Numlock Solutions which gives you traffic updates. Street Smart is available for Android, iOS and Nokia Symbian devices.How does the app work. Traffic updates are reported by users and the MMDA. Reporting a update is easy, it can take as little as three clicks. Or you can add a further description if you want.User reports show up in a Map View and a List View. Map View is great. It shows updates shows user updates from the last hour, on Google Maps. This part of the app is easy to use and gives quick at a glance...

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Globe Telecom's Super Surf Data Plan

  Globe Telecom data plan used to be a Php1,200 peso add-on to any of its plans and a was offered as a free add-on to Plan 3799. The bad part about this was that the data add-on was not considered as part of the plan insofar as available phones were concerned. Meaning if you got Plan 999 plus a data add-on, you get a phone for Plan 999 while paying at least Php2,199 a month. Now if you get Data Plan 1,799 you get a Plan 1,799 phone.Cost of unlimited data at Globe Telecom has gone down from Php1,200 a month to Php999. The new plans are as follows: Plan 999 - Unlimited data, plus a freebie and you pay per minute of call and text outside the...

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HTC Sensation priced

HTC's flagship, the HTC Sensation is priced at Php31,900, but with the Samsung's killer Android priced, the Galaxy S II priced at Php29,900 and Nvidia Tegra 2 powered LG Optimus 2x available as low as Php25,900 the Php31,900 suggested retail price is not very competitive.Top Electronics has stocks of the HTC Sensation at Php28,000. Will this be low enough for you to forgo buying the Samsung Galaxy S ...

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June 2011 Smarthpone buyers guide - Part I

A bit late in the month, but we wanted to wait to complete the dual core cast. We normally start with the most expensive, this time we will go the reverse order and think that will be a more helpful guide.10K or less. These days Php10,000 gets you a lot. You can a brand new BlackBerry with a two year warranty, a Nokia Symbian smartphone with free turn by turn navigation. What else. Well there are Samsung Bada phones.There are also a whole gaggle of Google Android available.There are no good reasons to get a Bada phone.  If you plan to avail of BlackBerry services, stop reading this guide and get the BlackBerry which fits your budget. Each...

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Samsung Galaxy S II retail price and pre-order promo

The suggested retail price of the Samsung Galaxy S II in the Philippine will be Php29,900. But Samsung will be offering for pre-order of 300 units of Galaxy S II at a promo price of P26,990 with a free car charger, car dock and hard case. Pre-order period is from June 24 to 30, 2011. We just got this info from another site, so it is better that we direct you to them. For more details on how to pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S II, head over to Technogra...

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Samsung Galaxy SL I9003 XXKP7 (Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread ODIN Stock ROM) Firmware Update Online!

Yes folks! the Samsung Galaxy SL I9003 Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread I9003XXKP7 is out now and available for download at samfirmware.com.This update firmware version is labeled  with a build date of  June 12 2011.We do not know  yet if these said ROM is stable or just a Beta test. This is for European Version of Samsung Galaxy SL i9003 Android Mobile Phone.  Region: Austria, Benelux, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, UKAvailable languages: de, en, es, fr, hu, it, nl, pt(cs, da, el, fi, no, pl, sl, sv, tr), If you want to try it out and choose to take the risk, you can grab a copy of this latest stock ROM for Samsung Galaxy SL I9003 on the link below.  Link: http://goo.gl/IlGmnpassword: samfirmware.com We've tried flashing the ROM but it seems like...

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Samsung Galaxy S I9000B VJJV3 Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread Stock ROM Firmware Download

Here's the latest Samsung Galaxy S I900B Amdroid 2.3.3 Gingerbread update firmware. Biggest thanks to  samfirmware.com for sharing this new Stock ROM version. The firmware build version is VJVV3 and packed in Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread with a build date of June 03 2011. This firmware can be flash to SAmsung galaxy S 19003 by a way of using ODIN multidownloader  Link: http://goo.gl/lsXEwpass: samfirmware.comCredits: Jeshter2000...

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So, how much have you spent on apps?

In the period of over a month that paid Google Android apps have been offered in the Philippines I sent over a HK$10.00 donation to Katecca, forked over US$5.98 to Laminar Research and UK£1.23 to TouchType. Roughly about Php403. I am trying out PicSay and Photo Enhance now, after having used Abode Photoshop Express for some time, and might buy that app (although I am looking for something that can crop and maintain a 720p size). Will probably unlock 2-3 more planes on X-Plane 9 and send another US$2.97 to Laminar Research. Software has never been so inexpensive. The low prices make it really tempting to buy more. How much have you spent...

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