Lower cost Apple iPhone "4" in production?

GSM Arena reports that a cheaper Apple iPhone is under production "with a lower memory capacity and the new 8GB flash drive is being manufactured by an undisclosed Korean company" targeted at emerging markets. The current iPhone 4 has 512MB of RAM, and it seem possible to cut this to as little as 256MB, since the first generation iPad only has that much memory.

No word on whether the cheaper iPhone 4 will retain the current 640 x 960 pixels, 3.5-inch retina diplay of the iPhone 4 or the lower resolution 320 x 480 pixel 3.5 inch screen of the older iPhones. Since the new iPhone 5 (or 4S or some other similar name) will reportedly have a larger screen it seems to make sense that the cheaper iPhone will have a retina display.

How much? The current iPhone sells off contract at a bit over US$600, depending on your location. A new cheaper model should sell at the US$300-400 range. If Apple wanted to create an even lower end model, they could just continue producing the iPhone 3GS.

Android with 480 x 800 screens are now available for as little as Php17,000, and I expect to see it going into lower end phones by later this year or early next year. The lower resolution 320 x 480 pixel resolution will become the standard for Android phone at the Php10,000 range, with the LG Optimus One already available with that specification at that the price.

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Acer Iconia Tab W500, 32GB Tablet PC

I got a chance to get a look at the Acer Iconia Tab W500, 32GB Tablet PC. The W500 runs on the AMD Fusion C-50 APU I have seen. The AMD C-50 has a substantially slower processor and weaker graphics than the AMD Fusion E-350 APU. The main advantage of the C-50 is that it only requires a cooling system capable of dissipating a 9W thermal design point ("TDP"), which is half of what 18W TDP requirement of the E-350.

Despite the cool running nature of the AMD Fusion C-50, we have seen it being placed in laptops like the 11.6-inch Acer Aspire One 722, the Asus 1215B and even larger laptop which could easily cool a AMD Fusion E-350.  

With the Acer Iconia Tab W500 we see the best use of the AMD Fusion C-50. It is a mobile device with a 10.1-inch screen, weighing in at just 2.2 pounds, can play HD video (720p easily and 1080p works but not as smoothly as you may like)  and with 4-5 hours of battery life for Php28,990. Sound like a poor mans MacBook Air.

But it is not... 

Unfortunately, the AcerIconiaW500 is a Windows 7 Tablet. I am sure you are asking what is wrong with that?

Balance. Because it is a tablet, the processor, memory, storage and battery are all found in the "lid" making it top heavy when used together with the keyboard. 

Awkward carry. Unlike the Asus Eee Pad Transformer which effectively works like a laptop when you plug the tablet into the keyboard, Acer Iconia Tab W500 does not. You cannot fold the "lid" over the keyboard. Instead all you can do is to detach the keyboard.

This means when carrying around the tablet and the keyboard, they have to be carried around as two separate pieces. 

Using this technology to create the W500, Acer could have made a really nice 11.6-inch ultraportable laptop, instead Acer made a 10.1-inch Windows 7 tablet with a keyboard which just does not feel well thought out. 

Specifications:

- AMD C-Series processor C-50 (1GHz, 1 MB L2 cache, DDR3 1066 MHz, 9 W)
- 2GB DDR3 Memory
- 32GB Storage
- 10.1" HD 1280 x 800 (WXGA) resolution, high-brightness (350-nit) LED-backlit TFT LCD (Capacitive Multi-ouch Technology)
- AMD Radeon HD 6250 Graphics with 256 MB of dedicated system memory
- Acer Crystal Eye for dual cameras
- 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi
- HDMI Support
- 2-in-1 Card Reader
- Bundled with Keyboard Dock
- Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium
-Microsoft  Office Starter 2010

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Smart 3G speed test from Starbuck's Aguirre, BF Paranaque

My mobile 3G connection speeds vary. Often times too slow to actually use the web browser, video streaming or downloading. But email, instant messaging, viewing streams and posting to social networks and most apps work fine.

Tonight, while at Starbuck's Aguirre, BF Paranaque, I noticed the connection was pretty zippy, so I tried to find out how fast. Using Ookla's Speedtest.net for Mobile App I conducted a speed test. I was very happy with the result.

The test was conducted at 9:04 P.M. 

I have more Smart 3G speed tests here.

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October is for "Ice Cream"

We are expect a new Apple iOS 5 touting iPhone in October, but really that will be an anti-climactic released. iOS 5 will bring in Android like notifications and Android like OTA updates, tighter Windows Phone 7 like social networking integration and Cloud computing which has been provided by to many different services to mention. The Apple iPad 2 already gives a good preview of what to expect from the hardware, and will be enough to keep the Apple faithful in tow. More interesting is whether Apple will be making a stab at the mid and lower tier smartphone markets.

What is more interesting in October is the release of Android 4.0 Ice Cream. This will merge the Android 2.x smartphone operating system with the Android 3.x tablet operating system into one unified operating system. Here things are a little more uncertain. The next Nexus phone would seem to have the following specifications, a 4.65-inch 720p (1280 x 720), a 1.5GHz dual core processor, 1GB of RAM a 16GB or more of internal storage. Hardware wise, this will be the most significant Android phone release since the Google Nexus One. But like the iOS release, this will be anti-climactic too. Think smaller Honeycomb tablet.

What is interesting is what happens to the lower end single core Android's after Ice Cream is released? Will they be doomed to Gingerbread forever? Devices with 3.2-inch screens and small, and 320 x 480 screen resolutions and lower are a large part of the Android market share. What does Ice Cream have in store for these devices.

So, in the case of the iOS and Android, we pretty much have an idea of what the main course will be. I am really more interested in the desert.

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September is for Mango

I was expecting a new Apple iPhone in September, but that has been pushed back. Microsoft has been preparing its Windows Phone 7 Mango to be ready before the launch of the iPhone 5, for what I think will be the start of the final assault. The operating system is ready, we are just waiting for the phones.

HTC, which has a long history with Microsoft will be bringing its best foot forward this September. BGR reports that be announcing the HTC Eternity, a Windows Phone 7 Mango device featuring a 3.7-inch display and the HTC Omega with a whopping 4.5-inch screen. The 4.5-inch screen on the Omega is a bit smaller than the rumored 4.7-inch device HTC was preparing for Windows Phone 7. 

Samsung will be releasing two new Windows Phone 7 devices, one probably being similar in specifications to the Galaxy S II. I also expect to see new smartphones from Acer,, Dell,  LG and ZTE Corporation and of course, Nokia.

I expect all the devices to be launched will be targeting the mid and high end segment of the smartphone market. I don't expect to see lower cost Windows Phone 7 Tango devices till 2012.

This is either the start of Windows Phone 7 rise in the market, or the start of the end. We will all find out in a few months.

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The car, the pick-up and the truck

More than a year after the Apple iPad's release, with more than 30 million sold, people still question whether the tablet is a practical device. The answer to that is a simple yes.

As the "Personal Computer" has evolved it, has moved from a machine designed for business, to a household device, and now is a personal communication,  entertainment and productivity device.

For years we were stuck with the desktop as our only personal computer, for reasons of cost. The laptop had been around for some time, since the Dulmont Magnum in 1985. But with the entry level model going for US$2,995. That was a lot of money in 1985, and it is still a lot of money today. It was only after the year 2000 that laptops started dropping in price and became available to the regular consumer as an alternative computing choice to the desktop. The tablet now gives you a third choice.

The tablet is the car of the computing world. A good choice to take you around day to day, but with its primary function being people transport. A tablet is useful for someone whose computing needs is mainly web browsing, reading and writing email, note taking, instant messaging, listening to music, basic photo editing, watching movies and playing games. Some in the industry call it the "media" tablet, and that is pretty much correct. A tablet is a great computer for someone who does not use the computer for work. I know many will disagree with this. 

The laptop is the pick-up truck of the computing world. Small enough to be a daily driver, and capable enough to do some serious work. Many people chose a laptop for lack of choice, but if you do not spend much time typing documents, preparing spreadsheets and the like, a keyboard is not all that important. If you don't use a keyboard much, the virtual keyboard of the tablet should be sufficient. You could add a keyboard to a tablet, but than it really just becomes a ARM powered laptop, with a touchscreen and a detachable keyboard.

The desktop is the truck of the PC world. The desktop is still the platform of choice for those who need a computer for a dedicated task, whether that task be a workstation or a hardcore gaming machine. The highest end desktop components still have a little more power than the highest end laptop components.

Which one is best for you? It really depends on your needs. Do you need a car, a pick-up or a tuck?

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Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 16GB WiFi + 3G @Php25,400

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 3G is now available at CMK Cellphone's for just Php25,400 with a official one year Samsung Warranty. Yikes! If you bought the Samsung Galaxy Tab on pre-order during the Samsung Promo for Php26,990, you will be wondering why it is not being offered for Php1,590 cheaper the day after your pre-order pick-up date. Well for Php26,990 on pre-order you do get a free leather sleeve. It better had been a very nice sleeve.

Samsung better get its promo's in order because the way I look at it:

Php25,400 for a SGT 10.1 = Php26,990 for a SGT 10.1 + Sleeve

So basically, there was no "promo" or you might have been better off not availing of the promo.

Anyway, at Php25,400 with 16GB or internal storage and WiFi/3G is Php5,500  cheaper than the Apple iPad 2 WiFi + 3G which sells for Php30,990. 

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