August 2011 high-end smarthpone buyers guide

If you are thinking of buying a smartphone this month, it might be a good time to wait. If you are decided on getting an Android phone, you safely buy the Samsung i9100 Galaxy S II without worrying that something better is just around the corner. It is by far the best Android phone available in the market today.

The Galaxy S II's 4.3-inch Super AMOLED screen is the best screen on a smartphone today. The Galaxy S II's thin 8.5 mm makes the massive screen much more manageable than previous large screen Androids. It has the fastest processor and graphics combination in any smartphone today. With 1GB of RAM and 16 or 32 GB of internal storage, it does not fall short in the department either. It's Php29,900 suggested retail price is lower than we expected, and a little comparative shopping and you will be able to snag it for just Php27,800.

The other top end Android are interesting, but outclassed. My own personal favorite is the HTC Sensation. If I was in the market right now this is what I would buy, but at Php27,000 with less RAM, a scant 1GB or internal storage and less processing power and slower graphcis, the Galaxy S II is by far a better deal. Why would I buy it. I like HTC's Sense user interface, and I would like my next phone to be similar to my last phone. 

Gamers may want to look at LG's Optimus 2x.  While it is no Galaxy S II beater, These days, it can be had for as low as Php24,990 which is a fair amount less. Also it's Tegra 2 chipset is the most common dual core Android platform in use there days, and Nvidia is supporting the gaming community, so it might provide better gaming compatibility.

If you want an iPhone instead this may be a good time to wait. A new iPhone is expected next month or two. Which means you can get the current iPhone 4 for a much lower price by than or get Apple's latest offering. The new A5 chip we expect on the next iPhone will make is substantially faster than the current iPhone 4. Rumor is, it will be getting a larger screen too. The 3.5-inch screen on the iPhone is really starting to feel small in 2011.

Nokia and BlackBerry. Nokia fans are better off looking at Windows Phone 7, that is where the company is heading. BlackBerry users are better off waiting for QNX to come to their phones or buying a BlackBerry Playbook and extend the capabilities of their existing phones.

Windows Phone 7 buyers, may want to wait a bit too. We understand that HTC, LG and Samsung are about to launch a series of Windows Phone 7 Mango phones to head off the iPhone launch. And really, there is no Windows Phone 7 device these days that we would consider to be "high end".

The good thing is this time last year, we would have been looking at 33K to 40K to get the best of the best. The 25K to 28K option we are looking at right now are friendlier to the wallet.

Looking for something cheaper? Click this link.

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Samsung Galaxy S Stock ROM I9000XXJVR Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread Firmware Online!

Here's the latest update firmware leaked for Samsung Galaxy S I9000, again brought to you by samfirmware.com. This version is packed with a build number I900XXJVR Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread.
As of now there are three Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread versions of Stock ROM available on samfirmware download area, the XXJVP,XXJVQ and XXJVR. Darkyy's custom ROM is also included in the lists.

I9000XXJVR details:
CSC = OXAJVQ
Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread
Build date: 2011 July 27

Region: Austria, Benelux, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Spain, UK,
Available languages:
Cestina
Dansk
Deutsch (Deutschland)
Deutsch (Osterreich)
Deutsch (Schweiz)
English (Australia)
English (Ireland)
English (New Zealand)
English (South Africa)
English (United States)
English (United Kingdom)
English (Phillipines)
Espanol (Spania)
Espanol (Estados Unidos)
Estonian
Francais (France)
Francais (Suisse)
Hrvatski
Icelandic
Irish
Italiano
Kazakh
Latviesu
Lietuviu
Macedonian
Magyar
Nederlands (Belgie)
Nederlands (Nederland)
Norwegian
Polski
Portugues
Romana
Slovencina
Slovenscina
Suomi
Svenska
Turkce
Russian
Korean

Note: this information might not be fully correct on Android phones

From samfirmware tweets:

FIRMWARE: Samsung I9000 Firmware: I9000XXJVR (CSC = OXAJVQ) (Android 2.3.4) FAST LINK: http://t.co/leVSjKg

Download from Hotfile (samfirmware link)

pass: samfirmware.com

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How to Manually Upgrade Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 to Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread Firmware

Here's a simple guide on how to manually update Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 to latest Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread firmware using flashtool.

How to Update Xperia X10 to Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread

 Method 1 by monteiro-ribas

1) Download this firmware in here:

http://www.multiupload.com/4HAO78HS6A

2) Download FlashTool from here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?0m5lyol9k14mb9m

3) put the firmware inside Flashtool in the firmware folder!

4) Turn off the phone, press flash button in the Flashtool and connect usb cable holding BACK button of the phone.... phone should be installing 2.1 firmware..

5) Finally, reboot your phone... connect to Sony Ericsson PC Companion 2.0 and update to firmware 2.3.3

http://www.sonyericsson.com/cws/supp...43?cc=gb&lc=en
Gingerbread need to download and use PC Companion software to automatically download and easily install the 2.3.3 update. Once downloaded, simply install and follow on-screen instruction to grab Android 2.3.3 up and running on your Sony Ericsson Xperia X10.


Method 2 by wesvista 

To update directly to official Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread just flash the ftf with flashtool
link below.  This may takes up around 10 minutes to update.

2.3 ftf tested safe should work on X10i and X10a
http://mir.cr/0OIDEZNA

Key Features of 2.3.3 Gingerbread Update for SE Xperia X10

- App Tray Sorting.
- Music player with equalizer.
- Integrated Facebook Inside Xperia
- Users will be able to use the phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot.
- USB Tethering to share 3G data via the USB connector.
- Addition of Photo Widget – one click access to gallery app.

Since this is the official ROM everything should work, but here is a list of things i did.
- Camera works, 8mp stills and 720p video
- Wifi works - downloaded amazon app store etc.
- Flash works, downloaded flash 10.3 from the market and kongregate works.
- Pinch zoom works. Well you know sonys work around.
- So far so good. Phone is working.

Visit our discussion thread here to get support and detailed info from other Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 users:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1191681

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Tips: How to Debrand HTC Sensation

Here's a guide that I've been found that make use in debranding HTC Sensation. A lot of advance users been looking for this guide, but yet now I found out a step by guide over XDA developer.

After searching with no success for a clear way to debrand your sensation, I finally found a way reading lots of snippets, so thought I'd write it into one guide, to help others. This guide was written assuming you're running Windows, but other OS users should be able to follow most parts, except extracting rom.zip from the RUU.

This method can also be use to rebrand/reflash back to stock.

NB
If you follow this guide, you do so at your own risk, I cannot be held responsible if something goes wrong.
This process will wipe ALL data, including any recovery partitions or boot loaders you have installed.
S-OFF WILL BE RETAINED. This method, does not affect your CID, or require root.

Head-over at XDA-developer and follow the step by step tutorials on how to Debrand your HTC Sensation.

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What sized laptop is best for you? - Balanced Mobility

If you are getting a small highly portable laptop as a second machine we suggest you read our guide at this link:

What sized laptop is best for you? - Frequent fliers and road warriors

Many I suspect would prefer having one laptop which is small and light enough to carry around, and big enough to use as a primary personal computer. The best size for this job are 13-inch laptops. Typical 13 x 9 x 1 inches in sizes or smaller, and weighing in at 2.6 to 3.8 pounds, your 13-inch ultraportable is just a bit bigger and slightly heavier than smaller 11 and 12 inch laptops. Like the smaller laptops, most do not have a optical drive. However, unlike the 11 and 12 inch models where you have a nice choice of entry level models, the 13-inch ultraportable typically costs substantially more.

MSI X370x

In this category there is the AMD Fusion powered 13.4-inch MSI X370x. It weighs in at a light 3.2 pounds and priced at just Php21,995, makes it seem like an excellent choice. However, packed with a 4-cell battery, the MSI X370x will give you just over 3 hours of battery life, which is a bit too little these days for a carry machine. There is a 8-cell battery available for the MSI X370x. This will bring up the weight to 3.6 pounds, but the over 6-hour battery life, and low cost would make this a good choice. As far as I know, the 8-cell battery is not available in the Philippines.

The next viable option at this category is Sony Vaio VPCSB16FG/B which will set you back Php59,990. I am not sure why there is such a large gap between the entry level model and the next current model. There are available 13-inch ultraportables priced in between these two, but I noticed that these are older 2009 and early 2010 models, with the newer 2010 and 2011 models not being brought into the Philippines yet. On example is Asus new for 2011 U36J. We have been waiting for it to hit the shelves since its February. So far, we have not seen it here yet.

Sony Vaio SB

The Sony Vaio VPCSB16FG/B is part of Sonys "SB" line. It weighs in a 3.8 pounds, which is on the higher end of the weight scale, but it does come with an internal optical drive, which could make the additional weight good for some. Battery life is almost six hours. There are several other Vaio SB models with better specifications than the Sony Vaio VPCSB16FG/B, however, they are priced higher than Php59,990, but at higher prices the MacBook Air's are more interesting.

MacBook Air

A better choice at this category is to spend a few more thousand pesos, and get a 13-inch MacBook Air. It is priced highers at Php65,990, but weighs in at only 3 pounds (almost a pound less) and gives you an additional hour of battery life as against the Vaio. On the minus side, you lose the optical drive and instead of a 320GB hard drive you get a smaller but much faster 128GB solid state drive (SSD's). I cannot say enough about SSD's, it is amazing how much faster they make a computer feel. You can get a 256GB hard drive with the 13-inch MacBook Air, but that ups the price to all of Php79,900. 

There are other options at this price range, like the Samsung 900X3A which is very similar to the 13-inch MacBook Air, and a bit lighter (2.9 pounds versus 3 pounds), but it is priced Php79,900 with a 128GB SSD for storage. At this price the 13-inch MacBook Air with a 256GB SSD makes more sense.

After this, well we have the new Sony Vaio Z which weighs in at just 2.6 pounds and has a full HD 1920 x 1080 13-inch screen. We have not seen it locally, but expect it to cost upwards of Php100K.

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How to Get Back The Old Facebook Chat

I'm wondering to see a lot of Facebook users searching on internet for "how to get back the old Facebook chat interface" these makes sense that how the users really hating the new sidebar chat style. The main disadvantage of the new Facebook chat style is, we can able to see only 20 to 25 online users although there are a lot of friends are available in online list. So I decided to help those people who really love the old Facebook chat to talk with friends easily and able to see all online friends just by scrolling the sidebar.

Recently we got new method and easiest way to enable and get back into the old Facebook style again, just by installing the Add-ons and extensions on your favorite browsers. After installing the Add-ons you need to restart the browsers to see the change.

For Firefox users Click [ Here ]

For Google Chromes users Click [ Here ]

For Opera users Click [ Here ]

You can also follow old method to get the Old Facebook Chat Style Back

Step 1. Open the Mozilla Browser, First of all you need to install Grease Monkey Add-on on your browser for accept all kind of scripts. Click here to Download the Grease Monkey . After that you will be able to see Add to Firefox on these page.

Step 2. After clicking on Add to Firefox button, you will get a pop box shows about installation. Click on Install button it will take 2 to 3 seconds to install on the Mozilla browser. After that it will ask to restart the browser, you must restart the browser so that the Add-on will work on browser perfectly.

Step 3. You need to install these script from these BLOG LINK.

Step  4. After clicking on install button you will able to see pop-up box which displays about the installing the script. 

Step 5. After installing the script, you will refresh the Facebook page or restart the browser for getting  the old Facebook chat style again in your Facebook account.

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What sized laptop is best for you? - Frequent fliers and road warriors

Frequent fliers on those who need a laptop only for the road. If you already have a desktop or a larger laptop for use at home or in the office, the 11.6 or 12.5-inch laptop is probably the best choice for you. With dimension of about 12 x 8.5 x 1.2 inches of smaller weighing between 2.4-3.6 pounds with a 6-cell battery, this laptop will fit in large handbag, briefcase and is a nice compact size to carried in a sleeve case. If you fly a lot, these small laptops fit nicely on an airplane seat back. 

Powered by an AMD E-350 processor and Radeon 6310 graphics or Intel i3 or i5 processors, with Intel HD graphics these laptops are not short on power.  

Among the models officially released in the Philippines, a good choice on the low end of the budget scale is the HP Pavilion DM1z which has a suggested retail price of Php22,900. Another good choice for those looking for a bit more processing power is the Lenovo Thinkpad Edge 11 at Php29,900. The most popular choice in this category is undoubtedly Apple's MacBook Air starting as Php49,900. Those looking for the best that money can offer should look at the Lenovo Thinkpad X220 with its 13 hour battery life, which is 2 times longer than the others we mentioned here can provide. At Php68,400 it is not cheap, but the battery life and solid construction make it a excellent choice.

You may want to make one of these you one and only computer, but the small 11.6 to 12.5-inch screens will probably be smaller than you want. You can always plug it in to your external monitor of HD LCD TV when at home or in the office.

If you really want one machine to be both a carry machine and a carry around unit, you may want to looks at this article:

What sized laptop is best for you? - Balanced Mobility

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Trick: How to Take Screenshot (Screen Capture) on Samsung Galaxy Ace S5830

This guide are for Samsung Galaxy Ace users that doesn't know yet how to take or capture screen image from the phone. When I got my Ace S5830 I have the same scenario too, then tweaking  up and tried to press several button combination. And fortunately I figured it out after trying several attempts pressing the HOME button with the  BACK button (touch sensitive buttons - on the left and right of HOME button). Bingo! that's how we can take and save screenshots on our Galaxy Ace.

An example of a screenshot on my Samsung Galaxy Ace


Method :
Navigate to the screen you want to take screenshot ( homescreens, menu's, or game screens, etc ) press and hold the back button in the right corner while holding it, press menu key once and a notification will say the screenshot is taken. The images will then automatically save in the image file folder called "Screencapture"
That's it all!

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Download/Upgrade Verizon Motorola Droid X2 Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread Version 1.3.232.MB870

Verizon Wireless (US) has just released the new firmware update for Motorola Droid X2. The firmware update version is 1.3.232.MB870.Verizon.en.US and now packed in Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread, this version is also associated with the enhance Motorola Blur features. A greater stability improvements and fixes included in the update. But as of now  rooting this new update is not yet available, Gingerbreak will not work either.

Improvements after update to 1.3.232.MB870.Verizon.en.US, Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread 

- New UI with new widgets, icons and screens in refreshed colors.
- Improvements in the screen display.
- Improved stability to reduce device resets.
- Addition of Download Manager App to manage the downloads from web browsing, email attachments, from other apps.
- Improved word selection and Copy/Paste functionality.
- Press-hold on the screen – to select a word; Press twice – to copy the word.
- New ability to enter numbers and symbols with keyboard shortcut combos.
- Device and SD Card encryption. VPN enhancements integrate IPSec VPN clients into device security settings.
- Pre-loaded Google Books for your convenience, addition of vibration icon..
- Geo-tagging feature for camera apps.
- When travelling, users will be able to view events in your home zones.
- Individual reminders – users can dismiss one meeting reminder without dismissing other meeting reminders.
- Easy conference dialling feature to dial and enter a conference code directly from your Calendar.
- VZ Navigator simultaneous operations with Wi-Fi.
- Fix to keep the screen from inadvertently going black.
- No more duplicate SMS messages.
- Fix for interruption during the unlocking the device.
- Ability to customize the Home icons.
- Enhanced UI with improved screen transitions.
- General stability improvements to cut down on unwanted data resets after Mobile Directory Number (MDN) changes.
- Accurate notification of battery percentage.


How to Upgrade  Motorola Droid X2 to Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread.

Droid X2 users will just get the notification alert regarding the update, asking to tap the “Download” button to get the latest update.

Instructions: http://gadgetian.com/21251/verizon-motorola-droid-x2-gingerbread-update-download/#ixzz1TZiuoM00

How to install manually via recovery:

Download update zip packaged:

http://www.mediafire.com/?htf7oqgc1axmolx
or here
https://rapidshare.com/files/2959113220/Blur_Version.1.2.148.MB870.Verizon.en.US.zip
credits to: MikeJ92YJ   @XDA-Developer


Just used Titanium Backup to defrost all the frozen bloatware, slapped that update.zip on the sdcard-ext, rebooted into recovery, and installed.

To boot into stock recovery turn the phone off, then hold power and volume down when the words fast boot appear at the top keep hitting volume down until you see android recovery. Then select volume up. It will load a android with a triangle logo. You then hit volume up and down at the same time and you are in.

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Fastest mobile internet

I remember when Globe Visibility first came out offering high speed internet. The service promised and delivered 1.4Mbps for Php2,000 per month. Network congestion soon changed that. I think Globe Telecom was expecting people to use it on laptops, and not plugged to desktops 24/7. Some people even used them as internet connections for Internet Cafe's. High-speed broadband was in its infancy, so these were just growing pains.

If you are looking for the fastest mobile internet today, you have two choices. 

a) Globe Telecom offers its Tatoo Tonino Lamborghini promising 10Mbps, a postpaid service for Php2,199 a month. This can be availed of with a USB Modem or a personal WiFi modem.  

b) Smart Communications is offering its Smart Bro Rocket Plug-It promising 12Mbps. This is a prepaid service at Php10 for 30 minutes. The USB modem will cost you Php3,995.  

Service is not yet nationwide so check on network coverage for the higher speeds before availing of either service. 

If Smart keeps their service time limited or caps the bandwidth, I think I will be availing of their Rocket. I don't need a lot of bandwidth, but especially on the road, I would like it fast. Of who knows, maybe now we will get a unlimited un-congested network. Being one of the early adopters of Globe's Visibility, I will sit this one out for a bit and see how it plays out.

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Smart is offering the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 plus phone on postpaid plans

Smart Communications is offering the new Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 bundled with a phone for postpaid subscribers.

• Plan 2500 (Consumable plan) -  Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 plus Samsung Corby 2
• Plan 3000 (Data, call and text plan) -  Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 plus Samsung Galaxy Mini 
• Plan 4000 (Data, call and text plan) -  Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 plus Samsung Galaxy Ace

We do not have the details of the whether the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 being offered is a WiFi only model, or WiFi and 3G model. We also have no idea on the lock-in period, but it will be at least 24 months.

You can reserve your Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 combo at this link. Promo period is from June 27 to August 12, 2011.

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Odin Guide: How to Install/Upgrade Samsung Galaxy Mini S5570 Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread XXKPJ Firmware

Here's a step by step guide on how to manually upgrade the Samsung Galaxy Mini S5570 to Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread S5570XXKPJ. This firmware is the full packaged of the latest official KIES update (Europe Version), that has been packed into stock ROM and can be flash by using ODIN tool. This can be used from those who are having bad times updating their Samsung Galaxy Mini devices via KIES update.

This may also work if having already used or flashed the phone from previous 2.3.4 Gingerbread leaked S5570XXKPI Stock ROM. Well' this one will absolutely better than XXKPI since it is only a leaked version but this one is packed from official KIES OTA update.

Note: this ROM is for EUROPEAN version only, if you will try to flashed it like ASIAN version, there is a possibility of some function problem issues (but not tried it).

Firmware details after upgrade:
Version: 2.3.4
Baseband version: S5570XXKPJ
Kernel version: 2.6.35.7-perf-cl312181se.infra@SEL-07#1
Build number: Gingerbread.XXKPJ

There's  no major changes, almost just like what it was from the previous version. Just better stability, couple of icons changed and unexpectedly the battery lasts longer.

Disclaimer: We are not liable if anything happens to your device, you may understand that you are doing this is at your risk.. Don't follow this procedure if you don't understand what this is all about.

How to install or flash S5570XXKPJ firmware on Samsung Galaxy Mini using ODIN:

Download the firmware samfirmware.com:
S5570XXKPJ (CSC - S5570SERKPJ)the OPS file: TASS.OPS
and ODIN downloader program
You may need to register at samfirmware if you are not a member, then navigate in TOOLBOX>FIRMWARE> FW ANDROID> then click on Samsung S5570 Galaxy Mini and scroll down where you can download the S5570XXKPJ packaged.

- PC with Windows XP SP2 or later
- .Net Framework 2.0 or later
- Samsung Galaxy Mini S5570
- USB to Micro-USB PC data cable

This procedure will not wipe all your pre-installed application on the device since this is a single packaged, so NO WIPE will happen.

1) Extract or unzip/unrar the downloaded firmware. S5570XXKPJ_S5570XXKPJ_S5570SERKPJ_HOME 

2) Turn off your Samsung Galaxy Mini. Remove your SIM Card and SD Card, (for beginners just to avoid any issues)

3) Run Odin multi-downloader v4.38 tool.

4)   - Click on the OPS button then select and load the TASS.OPS file.
      - Check the ONE PACKAGE checkbox. Ensure that the Auto Reboot and Protect OPS are also
         checked.
      - Click on the One Packaged button then select and load the firmware packaged.
          S5570XXKPJ_S5570XXKPJ_S5570SERKPJ_HOME.tar        

5) Boot the Samsung Galaxy Mini into Download mode by pressing
( Volume Down + OK + Power )

6)  The COM:PORT mapping will show you a yellow indication if the device is already detected. Connect the phone to PC, after you see that the device is already set in downloading mode.
 
- Once all set perfectly, then hit the "START" button to begin flashing the firmware.

7) Do not touch anything until the program will finish the downloading process. It just takes around a minutes to complete. A word "PASS" will display on the left side square if the flashing successfully completes.

Once successfully completes, the phone will then reboot, you may then remove it from the computer.
You may then change the default language according to your locale or region.. 
You can also confirm the newly installed firmware version name etc by typing *#1234# or through About Phone Info Settings. That's it...

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android dancing

android dancing

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Around the web: Mango enters the fray, Tablet wars and wars

With Microsoft signing off on the Mango build, Mango has finally arrived. Techie.com.ph has details on the first ever Windows Phone 7 Mango device. It has a 3.7-inch screen, 32GB of internal memory, and a whopping 13.2 megapixel camera... and no, its not a Nokia. The phone is the Fujitsu Toshiba au IS12T. Before you get to excited, this is slated to be a Japan only release.

Phone Arena, used to services of DisplayMate, which found in that the new PLS-LCD screen of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 is superior to, the IPS-LCD on the Apple iPad 2 "in slightly more categories, with the only hindrance being the oversaturated colors on Samsung's best tablet, whereas the iPad 2 actually came with too low of a color saturation." Follow this link to see how the other tablets fared.

Before I forget, Angry Bird has 15 new levels. When will this war end.

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We need the "Cheap" tablet

The Smartphone is a hand held device, the laptop despite its name is best use on a table. In between these two, you have the tablet, which actually is best suited for use on a lap or a table. Phone Arena citing a survey conducted by Retrevo (presumably of non-tablet owners) where 79% said they would buy a tablet if it cost just US$250. At US$300, the number who said they would buy a tablet dropped to 48%. At US$400, the number dropped to just 31%. The Apple iPad 2 starts at US$499. Modern dual core Android tablets start at over US$400, however the Asus Eee Pad Transformer does start at US$399.

This got me thinking about Google's tablet strategy. It Android phones range from low end devices that compete with pretty much any smartphone in the market to devices intended to compete with Apple's iPhone. When Google did not support Android 2.x for the tablet (like Samsung's Galaxy Tab) and came out with Android 3.x Honeycomb for tablets, it made tablets that would compete with the Apple's iPad. 

The Phone Arena survey seems to indicate there is a fairly large market for lower end tablets. Devices with a 1GHz processor of 512MB of RAM (basically cutting edge 2009) technology could be used to build cheap tablets, but without Google support, there will be no developer support either.

While Phone Arena cautions that it only has 1,000 respondents, I do agree with their findings. A tablet will not replace my smartphone nor my personal computer, well at least not until I retire from lawyering, blogging and posting thing like this in Google+. I would not need it to do everything my smarthpone does, and I do not expect it to be as high powered as my personal computer. I am not a hardcore gamer, and 720p is sufficient for me, I don't really need 1080p.     

Looking down the road, in a few months time, Tegra 2 tablets will be fairly inexpensive, and while Android device manufacturers and Apple's iPad will probably move into the quad core arena, the Android tablet may finally take off with what will be by than cheap Honeycomb's. 

This was originally posted in Google+.

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Apps for the Metro Manila Traffic Navigator

We wrote an article on the Metro Manila Development Authority's project with channel TV5, the Metro Manila Traffic Navigator. I was thinking it would make be great to have an app for this, so I sent a tweet over to Globelabs (I really must get a Globe line one of these days in thanks, though my home Internet is provided by Globe). Apparently, Giro AppSolutions, Inc. has something in the works.

Metro Traffic for Android

There is apparently already an app available in the market which can give you traffic updates from the Metro Manila Traffic Navigator. The app is called Metro Traffic Live and is available for iOS and Android. You can get Metro Traffic Live from this link.

View per street

The Metro Traffic Live! gives you the "Line View" of Metro Manila Traffic Navigator. It's free, give it a spin. 

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Mobile in Manila? The MMDA is your best friend.

The Metro Manila Development Authority recently launched a new service in collaboration with Interaksyon of TV 5 which gives you which gives you comprehensive and accurate updates of the traffic conditions on six major thoroughfares in Metro Manila. You can access the service by pointing your browser to this link: Metro Manila Traffic Navigator.

You can view traffic updates for the six major thoroughfares by the system, or through a list or overlayed on Google Maps. Select the particular road you want to get information on.

The default view, which will take a few minutes to get used to, but once you do you will realize it is an amazingly simple and clever way to get an comprehensive update of the entire traffic situation in Metro Manila. I really just only use the system view. The web page is light, and works well from the browser of a mobile phone. The person who designed it was a genius.

Complementing this service is the MMDA's Twitter service. @MMDAtweets provides you real time information on the traffic, flooding and color coding status in the City. The most amazing part is @MMDAtweets answers your questions and their response time is in my experience under two minutes. Amazing. Two of my service providers (who I pay service fees to monthly) respond in hours, days or never (yup sometimes I never get an answer). This is not the case with @MMDAtweets. All I can say is hats off to you. Best public service and customer service in the web as far as I am concerned.

It is not just online where the MMDA is looking good. The MMDA will be imposing a 60 kilometer per hour speed limit on Macapaga Avenue. In advance of the imposition of the speed limit, they put up clear and legible signs. So many signs that if you do not see at least one of them you must be blind. Well done.

In these times when there are some questions as to whether there has been change with the new government, the MMDA has definitely stepped up. It has always been one of the more prominent agencies, because like what they do or not, the MMDA had a reputation for being a hard worker. The MMDA today is even better. I always had a high regard for this agency, and I am now even more impressed.

All I can say is well done MMDA, and thanks TV5.

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MSI X370x - Poor man's MacBook Air?

Not all Fusions are created equally. Despite the technological and price advantage of AMD Fusion platform as against Intel's entry level offerings, we have seen very few offerings in the market. AMD Fusion's are designed for HD video. AMD's C-50 Brazos does not interest all that much, well not anymore anyway (we will get back to that later). The C-50 is has netbook like processing power with good graphics performance. The AMD Fusion E-350 Zacate, is a true laptop chip. The C-50 might have been more interesting, except for the fact that C-50 equipped system do not cost significantly less than E-350 based systems. The price differential makes the C-50 about 5% cheaper, while the Zecate provides almost double the power.

In PassMarks benchmarks, the AMD C-50 scores 453 points, while the AMD E-350 731 points, higher than some of the old Intel Core2 Duo ULV processors. Both the C-50 and E-350 are paired with Radeon HD graphics. The Radeon HD 6250 on the C-50 is clocked at 280MHz. The Radeon HD 6310 on the E-350 is clocked at 500MHz. 

Basically, when buying an AMD Fusion based system, buy one with an E-350.

Options. I have not seen many AMD E-350 systems in the market. HP has the 11.6-inch HP Pavilion DM1-3205AU which at its suggested retail price of Php22,990 is the best choice. There is my personal favorite, the 11.6-inch Sony Vaio VPCYB15AG which provides more graphics punch with 384MB of dedicated memory, but priced at Php29,990 and with 30% battery life, is a lot harder to recommend. We also have a 14-inch E-350 laptops from Asus, eMachines and Lenovo, but those weigh in more than 4.5 pounds and I really see the AMD Fusion as being something more suited to an ultraportable.

Enter 13.4-inch MSI X370x. Weighing in at 3.2 pounds, measuring 0.9 inches at its thickest point and Php21,995 the MSI X370x looks like it might be a poor mans MacBook Air. The 13-inch screen is a good size for many, big enough to be use as a primary computer, with the 3.2 pound weight making it light enough for frequent carry.

With a 1.6GHz dual core processor, Radeon HD 6310 graphics,  2GB of system  RAM, a 320GB hard drive and HDMI out, its specifications are sufficient for the price. The only Achilles heel in the specifications is the four cell battery, which will give you just over three hours of battery life. That would have been fine three years ago, but it is half of what you would expect from a modern laptop. The MSI X370x styling also looks like it was designed three years ago. Still, it is nice to have a 13-inch E-350 as an option.

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Huawei MediaPad - 7inch Android 3.2 Tablet

The official presentation of the Huawei MediaPad 7inch tablet running Android 3.2 Honeycomb.

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HTC Sense Android Theme for iPhone!

Android Theme for iPhone which adds HTC Sense over your iPhone essentially. It allows you to change the weather on the top to add your own zip code to see the forecast and weather. It also adds live weather animations for iPhone and the Android vertical app tray. Called Endroid from Dreamboard in Cydia.

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Google+ app now available in the Android Market for the Philippines

Until now, the Google+ app has only been available in selected countries for Android users. Many of you with Google+ accounts have probably already installed the Google+ app from the APK file (myself included). Today it is available from the Android Market for Philippine users. 

If you already installed the Google+ App, I recommend that you uninstall it, and re-install it from the Android Market so that you will be informed of updates to the app.

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Facts about Windows Registry You Must know

The Windows registry on your Windows computer is a feature that will help you to see how the configurations to your Windows system are working. This works to store information on how your system is configured, the preferences you have and all hardware and software preferences that you use.

What is your registry about?

The best way to consider the Windows registry is that it is a capsule of the way how an individual computer works with the Windows operating system. It is a critical function that all Windows users should consider.

Instructional values

The Windows registry will feature a series of values. These values are arranged with particular instructions in mind. These include instructions that relate to how different programs are going to operate when in Windows. This includes details on what programs are preferred on your system.

Registry keys

Keys are included in your registry. Keys feature individual menus that relate to different functions on getting different programs to work. This includes smaller functions that are used in different programs.

Registry hive

The hive is a critical point that you should be using in the registry. This part of Windows features a series of small spaces that include individual folders that contain keys and values for individual programs.

You will find many different hives in your registry. These include individual hives for your current user settings, other user settings and details on the current configuration that your computer uses. These factors are all used to help with getting your computer to run properly and with the specifications that you particularly want to use. Every single individual hive features many important things to consider.

Editing your registry

A good point about your registry is that you can edit it with the Windows Registry Editor tool. This is a program that is included in Windows and will provide you with details on what is in your registry. You can configure the registry in several ways.

Backing up your registry

Of course, you will need to make sure that you back up your registry. You can create a backup of your registry to help you out with keeping your website working as well as possible. It also helps to ensure that you understand the programming language in your registry to ensure that it is going to work as well as possible.

You may get some registry options to work with a restoration function that involves moving your registry back to an earlier time. This is a feature that is featured on the Windows XP and 2000 operating systems. You may need to use an MS-DOS prompt if you are using an older operating system. The rules vary by all types of operating systems and should be reviewed before you try something.

The Windows registry on your computer is an essential part of your computer to consider. The registry will help you out with getting your computer to run as well as possible. It can also be controlled with ease.

Author Bio: David is a FreeLance writer and SEO Enthusiast.He also works for clickdesk a place where you can get one the best Live Help support software.

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HTC ChaCha Street Marketing

Here's a video about a HTC ad campaign "street marketing" for the release of HTC chacha (HTC status) The New Android Smartphone by HTC (Android 2.3.3)
pictures:
http://on.fb.me/htchachastreetmarketing

" The HTC ChaCha lets you share music, photos, your location and status updates in just one touch via a dedicated Facebook® share button. With integrated Facebook chat, catch-up with your friends whenever you like. With a dedicated QWERTY keyboard featuring well balanced raised keys the HTC ChaCha lets send out your messages superfast......"

htc chacha preview:
http://on.fb.me/htchachaphoto

The New blackberry under android ;)

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Maria Aragon featured in the HTC Sensation commercial

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Asus Eee PC X101 - Will netbooks be sexy again?

HardwareZonePH has the new Asus Eee PC X101 in their labs (pictures on their Facebook page here). The Asus Eee PC X101 is a 10.1-inch Atom powered netbook. It will be offered with both the Meego Operating System (yep the same one in the new Nokia phone), and there will also be a Windows 7 version.

The processor of the X101 is a single core Atom N435 running at 1.33GHz (some sources say 1.5GHz) and the system will come with 1GB of RAM. Power comes from a 3-cell battery. For storage the Meego version has a 8GB or 16GB SSD hard drive. The Windows version names X101H will have a 250GB hard drive.  

What is so special about this? The X101 is all of 0.69 inches thick. Weight will be just over 2 pounds. That is MacBook Air thin and light. The Meego version will retail for US$199, so it looks like we will see a 10-inch netbook a below Php10,000. Aside from being thin, it will be dirt cheap. The Windows version, the X101H will cost US$310, so it will be priced the same as todays entry level netbooks. With the N435 processor, and 1GB of RAM, I do not think this will run very well with Windows 7. The Meego version looks interesting, the 28Wh battery worrisome, but we will have to wait for the reviews.

Now, if Asus built one of these things in 11.6-inches with a AMD C-50 inside...

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Lenovo ThinkPad X220

 

 

In the past, the road warriors business ultraportable was a 12.1-inch laptop. With advances in technology, two form factors are now viable, the 11.6-inch and 13.3-inch laptops are now available that weigh in at about 3 pounds or less which battery life of five hours or more.

While I do have a second laptop, that is really an four year old HP Compaq unit which I kept because it really did not make sense to dispose of it, given the low resale values today, which I now use as a test bed for different Linux distributions. Except for this, I really just rely on one machine to be both my everyday carry device and my full time personal computer.

Last time I made this choice, I got a 13.3-inch MacBook Air. When I walk around with it tucked under mt arm in a sleeve, I wonder if I should not have gotten the 11.6-inch Air instead. Not that the 13-inch MacBook is too heavy. At 2.9 pounds, I really would not care if they made it any lighter. It is really light enough. Sometimes its 12.8 inch width just seems a tad bit too long, and the 11.8 inch width of the smaller 11-inch MacBook Air seems like something handier. I know it is not much, but it does make a difference. 

Enter 12.5 inches. Lenovo has used the 12.5-inch form factor in several laptops, none of which really interested me, but now they have brought it to their business ultraportable ThinkPad X220 which is now being sold here for a reasonable Php68,400.

Okay, I now what you are thinking. That costs more than three of the four the new Lion powered MacBook Air's being offered. Before going any further on the hardware, that Php68,400 price comes with Lenovo's three year parts and labor warranty. If you add an AppleCare Protection Plan (add two years to your warranty)to your MacBook Air, it will add Php13,490 to the price of the Air. Sorry for the Apple discussion, but as far as I am concerned, it is the standard by which other ultraportables are measure these days.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X220 comes in at 12 x 9.1 x 1.25 inches, and weighs in 3.6 pounds. While this might sound a bit heavy for a 12.5-inch laptop, the 2.6 pound weight is because the Lenovo ThinkPad X220 is shipped by default with a 9-cell battery which provides you with almost 13 hours of battery life. You can add an optional slice battery which will extend battery life to over 20 hours (Source: See Laptop Mag's Review of the Lenovo ThinkPad X220 here).

The 12.5-inch screen has the expected 1366 x 768 screen resolution most Windows laptops ship with today. Inside is Intel Core i5-2410M Processor, Intel HD 3000 graphics, 2GB's of RAM and a 320GB hard drive. At this price another 2GB of RAM would have been nice.

Like other ThinkPads, this is made from Magnesium Alloy for the top and bottom covers, roll cage, uses metal for the hinges, and a spill resistant keyboard. When it come to building business laptops, Lenovo still does it best. While Aluminum might look durable, Magnesium Alloy is more likely to survive a drop.  

 

The installed operating system is Windows 7 Professional, which is an appropriate choice for this kind of laptop, so no problems there. I would not mind seeing one without an OS, to drop down the price and allow me to use a Linux operating system on it. I might loose a lot of the ThinkPad software, though so I would probably stick with Windows 7. Unlike most of the bloat you find in manufacturer installed software, Thinkpads come with very useful software which allow for quick restore in case of a problem and protect and secure your data. 

While the new MacBook Airs are all the rave these days, and I am not about to replace my late 2010 model, if I were in the market for a new ultraportable these days, this is the one I would pick.

 

The sturdy case, compact size and really long battery life seal the deal. Lenovo calls this the "perfect travel companion", and I agree.

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Globe Telecom is offering the BlackBerry PlayBook, bundled with a BlackBerry phone

 Globe Telecom is accepting pre-orders of the BlackBerry PlayBook to postpaid subscribers at this link. In order to avail of a PlayBook you will have to be willing to subscribe to a Php2,499 monthly contract with a two year lock-in. You will also have to fork out some cash depending on the PlayBook and phone combination you want.

There is no indication that BlackBerry services are bundled into the offered plans, which could make all this get rather expensive.  This offer runs until July 29, 2011.

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Download Google+ Plus Theme for Windows 7

Google+ Plus is upcoming most popular social network which was launched by Google one month ago. Since the release of Google+ plus a lot of users migrated from facebook to Google+ plus because they offering  interesting cool features like Circles, Huddle, streams and hangout.

So by demand of  Google+ plus fans we created the small free theme for windows 7 users with help of adding 8 different Google+ plus wallpapers and icons in these package. You can download and apply the theme for any desktop screens, laptops and notebooks.

Instructions to install the theme:

After the downloading the zip file, extract into the some folder then will be able to see Google+ Plus for Windows 7.themepack double click on that file and it will take 2 to 3 seconds install on your PC. After installation you can able to see all 8 beautiful Google+ plus wallpapers. Click on below link to download the theme.

Download Google+ plus theme for Windows 7

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ODIN Guide: Samsung Epic 4G (Sprint) Upgrade to Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread D700EG22 Stock Firmware

This is a step by step instruction on how to upgrade Sprint Samsung Epic 4G to Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread with a leaked stock ROM EG22.

Note: This is a leaked version of the stock ROM firmware and installing it is by flashing via ODIN. If you are not familiar in flashing firmwares, do not follow this procedure and wait for the official Samsung release.

Important: Before proceeding back up of all important files stored on the device.

Disclaimer: We are not responsible if anything happens to your phone, proceed at your own risk.

Download the Epic 4G at samfirmware.com then scroll down to where it says "SPH-D700 Epic 4G" and there select and download the D700EG22).
You may need to register to the site if you are not a member yet, then after that
navigate to TOOLBOX>FIRMWARE>FW USA> then scroll down to where it says "SPH-D700 Epic 4G" and there select and download the D700EG22)
Sorry  not to post the direct download links, for samfirmware team has been working hard just to get the USA firmware at stock.

1) Extract the download firmware packaged.
2) Run ODIN downloader tool. On ODIN click the PIT button and then load the pit file victory_8G_100528.pit  on it. Next, click the PDA  button then load the
SPH-D700-EG22-8Gb-REL.tar.md5 file.

3)Reboot your Samsung Epic 4G to download mode:
-Turn your Epic 4G off
-While the phone is off, hold down the “1″ key on the QWERTY keyboard while holding the “Power” button. Then connect the phone to PC USB.
4) Once all set, fire up the "START" button to begin flashing the firmware. 

5) Don't touch it until the flashing process completes and then the phone reboot. You will eventually see a word "PASS" when it finishes. Then un-plug it from PC.

For more details and get support, you can join our discussion at XDA-Developer:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1183353

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Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread XXKG3 (CSC - OXAKG3) Samsung Galaxy S2 I9100 Stock ROM

Aside from XXKG2 just recently leaked, here's another Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread  for European version of Samsung Galaxy S II I9100. This leaked just recently spotted at samfirmware and it's been a while available for download.

Firmware brief details:
I9100XXKG3
CSC: MULTI_CSC_OXAKG3
Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread
Pit file: EXT4.PIT
Build Date: July 20, 2011

Feedbacks from Samsung Galaxy S2 users who already tried it:

raymundka
Rooted successfully with CF-Root XXKG2.
Now back on XXKG3 Stock Kernel

ronj1986
Videos can be played in portrait or landscape orientation

adair
I can review the picture after I take it, from the camera application.

In 5 hours I get 95% battery, Wifi and bluetooth off. But I was sleeping so no phone use. Still 1% per hour in idle it's fine by me.

daleski75
SIP calling is now built in

raymundka
Now there is an option to save the image flipped when using the front camera. I don't remeber having seen this setting before.


Elar
Seems XXKG3 release has way better modem because I'm getting green Phone signal in Battery usage. Haven't had green color since the day I got the phone (in the same location).
With XXKG2 modem there was a sudden freeze in 3G/H+ data transfer. I read that other people also experienced poorer performance and freezing as well.



Download it here:
XXKG3 2.3.4 is already at samfirmware,
here's the link from samfirware.com
http://hotfile.com/dl/124839941/a17b...XXKG3.rar.html
pass:samfirmware.com

9 Mirrors for XXKG3 (3 parts Version) : http://www.multiupload.com/9X0K0MFOCO including USB Driver, CWM and Stock KG3 Kernel for root
Password: samfirmware.com

9 Mirrors for XXKG3 Root Package only: http://www.multiupload.com/1TMFC0HLJW
Password: nightly@ghostworker, credits: silentscreamer 

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Samsung Galaxy S 4G T-Mobile (USA) T959VUVKG4 Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread Stock ROM Firmware Update Packaged Download

The Samsung Galaxy S 4G from T-Mobile can now be upgraded to Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread OS. The update firmware Stock ROM leaked is now available for download via samfirmware.com
You can upgrade your Galaxy S 4G smartphone if it is recently running in 2.2 Froyo or 2.3 gingerbread firmware like the lists below:
T959VUVKAB
T959VUVKC1
T959VUVKD1
T959VUVKF1

Samsung T959V
Firmware: T959VUVKG4
Android Version 2.3.4 Gingerbread
Build date: July 15 2011
CSC version: TMB
PIT version: 813 Pit



Again, we can not tell of what's new, good or bad in this firmware might be. Firmwares are like a box of chocolate , you will have to open and then taste it first before you may say it's delicious or not.

For those who want to try it out, you grab a copy over at samfirmware.com USA firmware download area.

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Sprint Samsung Epic 4G Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread D700EG22 Stock ROM

The latest update firmware for Sprint Samsung Epic 4G is now available in stock ROM, samfimware manage to exposed the leak.

Like we told everyone a month ago we will bring monthly the latest (BIG) updates for US phones.
We read on many forums that people are waiting on a new version of the Samsung SPH-D700.
Now we can tell you we will bring a fresh latest version.
The version of this rom is: D700EG22.
This is the latest rom on the Sprint and Samsung servers!

SPH-D700EG22
Model = D700
E = 2011
G = July
22 = Version
Android = 2.3.4

As of now there are three Stock ROMs which are available on samfirmware USA firmware download area.
D700EB13 Android 2.2.1 Froyo
D700EF02 Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread
D700EG22 Android 2.3.3 Gingerbread

The 2.3.4 EG22 firmware file size is 331.8 MB, you can grab a copy over at samfirmware.com if you want to give it a try on your Samsung Epic 4G.

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A Viber mini review

I have been using Viber the past few days to see if it will work. Voice calls only really work well on WiFi, even if the WiFi is connected only to a 1 megabit per second (Mbps). The hard thing is finding a VOIP app that works with 3G/HSDPA connections in places where the 3G connection is not all that fast.

Testing from Starbucks, Alabang Town Center, I was able to download a 10 Megabyte (MB) file from the Android Market in about three minutes. Since 10 MB's is 80 megabits, we should be able to download a 10 MB  over a 1Mbps  1 minute and 20 seconds. Slowdowns could also be cause by the server where I downloaded the file. But I do have a decent 3G connection, well by Philippine standards anyway (except when I am in Makati, where my Smart 3G connection is sometimes even faster than the available WiFi connections). 

I tried two calls from the same location on 3G, one from Skype and the other from Viber. The phone I was calling was a Apple iPhone 4 with Skype and Viber installed. The Skype call did not go through. The Viber call went through but got cut after 45 seconds or so, with Viber telling my the data connection was poor. So, better than Skype, but we have not yet found the grail. Still, not hard to see why it is the top trending app in the Android market these days.

Battery usage when on standby seems to be minimal, but it does not show up in Battery Use interface, so I am not sure. But I have not noticed any discrenable change in my battery life the past four days. Still it would be nice to have the option to turn it off, or to connect it to WiFi so it only goes on when on WiFi. They really need to pack larger batteries in our Droids so we stop obsessing about things like this.

The nice part is when you install it, it finds all the people in your address book who use Viber. With over 300 contacts, I only have 5 on Viber. Had a friend download it so we could test it, and he appeared in my contact list right away.

All in all, a very nice Android and iPhone App. I would not mind trading in some voice quality for light network requirements. Between network quality, and few users, it might not be appropriate for some developing countries. An off button would be welcome, so it can just be used for scheduled calls on WiFi. Still, messaging through Viber works fine, even voice calls are a no go, so that it is a fair reason to keep it on even when on 3G.

You can learn more about Viber on their home page which you can reach through this link.

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