YugaTech | Philippines, Tech Reviews Blog

LG Optimus 3D Cube and 3D Max announced

yuga — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:32:36 +0000

LG Mobile has announced two new 3D smartphones a couple of days ahead of the Mobile World Congress — the LG Optimus 3D Cube and the LG Optimus 3D Max, the successor to the first Optimus 3D from last year.

The new Optimus 3D Cube and 3D Max are much thinner now at 9.6mm compared to the first one which is a bit thicker at 11.9mm. The new handsets will also both have NFC support

LG Optimus 3D Cube SU870 specs:
4.3″ 3D IPS LCD @ 480×800 pixels
Nova Display
TI OMAP 4430 1.2GHz dual-core
PowerVR SGX540
16GB internal storage
1GB RAM
HSPA+ 21Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA
GPS w/ aGPS support
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ EDR
NFC
2 x 5MP autofocus camera
1080p video (2D and 3D)
1520mAh Li-Ion battery
Android 2.3 Gingerbread

What’s actually odd is that the Optimus 3D Max is just similar to the Optimus 3D Cube, except for a more basic LCD and smaller internal storage.

LG Optimus 3D Max specs:
4.3″ 3D LCD @ 480×800 pixels
TI OMAP 4430 1.2GHz dual-core
PowerVR SGX540
8GB internal storage
1GB RAM
HSPA+ 21Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA
GPS w/ aGPS support
Bluetooth 2.1 w/ EDR
NFC
2 x 5MP autofocus camera
1080p video (2D and 3D)
1520mAh Li-Ion battery
Android 2.3 Gingerbread

It’s most like that this new 3D duo will split the category in the price point. Remember that LG’s Nova display will be much brighter than the conventional LCD.

Both 3d smartphones will be ready for Android ICS once the updates become available. Expect them to be released in the market starting March 2012.

What will happen to Sony-Ericsson Philippines?

yuga — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 05:47:10 +0000

Now that Sony has finalized the buyout of Sony-Ericsson, the new handset company will be named Sony Mobile Communications. So what happens to the folks over at Sony-Ericsson. I happen to talk to one executive from the company who gave me some possible scenarios.

I am told that Sony-Ericsson Philippines will eventually be dissolved and Sony Philippines will take over the mobile phone brand.

As for the folks from SE Philippines, they will all be invited to move and work for Sony Philippines under the mobile handset division. What we’re not sure is if the GM and some of the top executives of Sony-Ericsson will also join the Sony Philippines team under the new division.

We’re likely to see the new Sony Xperia handsets (i.e. the Xperia S) will be launched in the Philippines by 2nd quarter of 2012.

BlackBerry Playbook OS 2.0 now out, ready to download!

yuga — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:53:02 +0000

RIM has just send out notice that the BlackBerry Playbook OS 2.0 update is now available to all Playbook tablets. This global update is available over the air (OTA).

If you have your BB Playbook, just connect to a stable WiFi and start updating.

1. On the Status bar, tap Settings icon » Wi-Fi.
2. Tap the network you want to connect to.
3. If necessary, type the network password.
4. Tap Connect.

Then update software:

1. On the Status bar, tap Settings icon » Software Updates.
2. Tap Check for Updates.
3. Tap Update and follow the on-screen instructions.

Still waiting to update my Playbook once I get home in an hour. If you have done so, please chime in and let us know how it goes.

ZTE outs Mimosa X: ICS on Tegra 2 smartphone

yuga — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:34:38 +0000

ZTE has announced a number of new Android smartphones prior to Mobile World Congress this Sunday. At the top of their heap is the ICS-touting, Tegra 2-powered ZTE Mimosa X.

If you take a second look at the Mimosa X, you might find some semblance to the HTC Sensation.

ZTE Mimosa X specs:
4.3″ qHD display @ 960×540 pixels
NVidia Tegra 2 dual-core processor
GeForce GPU
4GB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD card
5MP autofocus rear camera
VGA front-facing camera
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1
GPS w/ aGPS support
Icera 450 HSPA+ up to 21Mbps
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

And while we already know ZTE does not really market its handset in the Philippines, unlike Huawei (which already has a number of phones and tablets released locally).

In any case, the only probable way this ZTE Mimosa X will arrive in the country is via close partnerships with local telcos. We’ve already witness how Smart re-badged the ZTE Blade and offered it as the Netphone 701. It is likely that Smart will do the same with the ZTE Mimosa X.

via Betanews.

Samesay Mi18 Docking Station for the iPod & iPhone

yuga — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 06:09:39 +0000

Every once in a while, when a supplier sends us a proposal for a product to be placed on a YugaDeals, I would request a review unit that I can test and try out before approving it. That way, I’m confident what we’re putting there is something that’s decent and worth every cent. This is the case of the Samesay Mi18 speaker and docking station for the iPhone.

Since it’s a virtually unknown brand, I wanted to really check it out for myself to see the build quality and the sound performance.

The packaging looks good and the design seems decent. I originally thought this is a one-piece set but after unboxing it, the left speaker seems to fall off from the set. Turns out that part was unhinged from the main set and in a few tweaks, I was able to put it back.

The built quality is decent, not really that great or impressive. You can certainly tell from the finish that it’s just a well-polished plastic in silver and black.

The dock supports the latest generation of iPod Touch and the iPhone 4S (and charges it at the same time). The front panel has an LED backlit display with a touch sensitive screen. There’s also an IR remote control that works as you are in line of sight.

The docking station works as a FM radio tuner, alarm clock and can be hooked up to an external player via 3.5mm jack if you don’t use an iPod. While you need to plug the dock into a wall socket to power it up, there’s an option to just use 2 triple-A batteries.

As for sound performance, the Samesay Mi18 plays very decent, not the best in its price category. The bass doesn’t offer enough punch especially at the top of the volume. At the lows and mids, it’s actually good and pretty even.

The Samesay Mi18 retails for Php6,999 over at Widget City which I have to say is really very expensive. I don’t think you’ll take a second look at this model when you see it in stores especially with that price tag.

Sun Cellular’s Omnibus Anti-Bill Shock Plans

yuga — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 08:57:09 +0000

Sun Cellular started the Anti-Bill Shock for data plans last October 2011 and this was followed by Smart and Globe later in January 2012. Sun has finally rounded up more plans to include SMS and voice plans.

The new one is for their SMS plans which offers 1,000 free text messages to other networks for only Php199 per month.

Additional SMS beyond the 1,000 allocation is charged Php1. However, once you reach 1350 SMS or more, Sun Cellular will only charge you a flat rate of only Php549.

To activate, just text “ABS199 ON” to 2199 or call *199#.

The other one is for their Mobile Landline plan which includes Sun Cellular Mobile postpaid service and a SunTel Wireless Landline service.

The Sun ABS Mobile Landline Plan 249 allows for unlimited calls to SunTel and Digitel landlines, unlimited calls to any landline network within your local area, and unlimited mobile calls and text to Sun numbers.

Combining all of their anti-bill shock plans will give you Php999 + Php549 + Php249 or a total of Php1,797. The only service that’s not really covered here is the one for unlimited inter-network calls.

Disclosure: Sun Cellular is a banner display advertiser on this blog.

iPad 3: Why not call it the iPad 2s or iPad 2 HD?

yuga — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:44:08 +0000

With the announcement of the next-generation iPad tablet from Apple, a lot of rumors and leaks have surfaced identifying the hardware and design that will be used for the next iPad. Everyone refers to it as the iPad 3. This, despite the fact that we’ve already seen how Apple named the supposedly iPhone 5 as the iPhone 4S last year.

We’ve already established how Apple uses their naming convention with the iPhone — starting with iPhone 3G to 3GS and then from iPhone 4 to 4s.

It’s almost logical that the new iPad that will be announced this March will follow a similar nomenclature. It will probably have almost the same design and form factor but with a more improved hardware specification.

Hence, we’re more inclined to name this new iPad to be the iPad 2S or the iPad 2 HD or maybe even just the iPad HD and not the iPad 3.

Let’s put this to a vote — what do you think will Apple name its new tablet that they will reveal this March? My money is on iPad 2 HD.

Fanny Wang 2000 Series Luxury Headphones

yuga — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:18:37 +0000

This is the first time I have seen a Fanny Wang headphone, months after I read that lawsuit by Monster Cable for allegedly copying the design of Beats by Dr. Dre. The Fanny Wang line of headphones are now available locally and selling in several 5th Avenue stores.

These are one of the coolest headphones I’ve ever used (which could also mean I haven’t been using a lot of headphones), right from the packaging to the build quality and the features.

The 2000 Series comes in a variety of colors and the demo unit loaned to me was the back variant with red and white accents. The on-ear headphones is relatively big yet not that heavy nor too bulky. The exterior material is made up of soft, matte rubber wrapping a steel frame.

The ear cups are large, soft and cushy. It evens has that vacuum effect once you wear them over your ears. The steel-framed head band extends to provide fit and comfort for most types and head sizes. The metal joints can be retracted and folded so you can collapse the headphones once you want to stow it away.

The cables are detachable from the headphones, about a meter or meter and a half long. The rubber cord is flexible enough that they’re almost tangle free (other cables are purposely made flat to have the same effect). My only issue with detachable cables is that you could lose it in the process (almost lost mine while traveling to CDO over the weekend).

Along the length of the cable is a remote control for volume and playback as well as a pinhole for a microphone which allows you to use the headphones with a phone (only works for the iPhone, iPad and iPod line-up).

At the other end is a “Duo Jack” which offers an additional 3.5mm port to plug a second headphone to share your music. The tips of the audio jack are gold-plated for better conduction. The left cup houses two AAA batteries to power the headphones.

The great build quality and attention to detail might only be skin deep but Fanny Wang has reinforced that with really good quality sound profile and performance.

Sound quality is pretty impressive, has great sound isolation and noise-canceling features. Music playback has crystal clear output, pretty even from the low to the mids but has an extra kick int he highs. Even at the top of the volume, the sound is still solid with no noticeable distortions.

Play

There’s a physical switch on the right cup of the headphones that allows you to turn on Bass Boost. When turned off, bass is a bit muted. Once you switch the control to On, you will notice better clarity and sound performance. Turn it again to Bass and you’ll definitely get that extra punch.

After using the Fanny Wang 2000 Series headphones for over a week, I’d say these are really great pair of headphones. They’re very comfortable and doesn’t burn the ear even on prolonged use. It’s got that hip look, has attention to detail and sound performance. The headband is actually flexible and bendable which fits right with what most DJs used to do when wearing headphones like these — strap it around the neck and bend just one cup over the ear.

The local distributor admits the Fanny Wang line directly completes with similar headphones by Monster Cable (i.e. Beats by Dr. Dre) but adds that they line is almost half the price for the same sound quality and design.

The 2000 Series by Fanny Wang retails for about Php11,500 and are sold in 5th Avenue stores. They’re supposed to come in about half a dozen variety of colors but so far only the back and white variants are currently available.

Update: Update the model number and suggested retail price to reflect the correct information.

LG Optimus Vu announced!

yuga — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:22:53 +0000

LG Mobile now has its own smartphone and tablet combo under the name LG Optimus Vu. The device, a 5-incher, is one of the first few ones to be introduced in the market after the Dell Streak 5 and the Samsung Galaxy Note.

The Optimus Vu has a rather unique aspect ratio of 4:3, giving it a mini-tablet look rather than an extra-large smartphone appeal.

LG Optimus Vu specs:
5.0″ IPS LCD display @ 1024×768 pixels
1.5GHz dual-core processor
32GB internal storage
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1
8MP autofocus rear camera
1.3MP front-facing camera
GPS with aGPS support
Li-Ion 2,080mAh battery
Android 2.3 Gingerbread

More details once we get the official press release from the local PR. What’s known though is that the Optimus Vu s very thin at only 8.5mm (that’s as thin as the recently launched LG Prada 3.0).

Like the Optimus Black and the LG Prada 3.0, the Optimus Vu also boasts of a Nova display with a brightness rating of 650 nits.

The Optimus Vu also comes with a stylus so you can draw and make sketches on the screen just like the Galaxy Note. LG Mobile will release this first in Korea by March then the rest of the world after then.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 P6800 Review

yuga — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 06:23:34 +0000

The Galaxy Tab 7.7 represents the best tablet Samsung can offer the market. It’s the thinnest tablet in the market and the only one so far that comes with a Super AMOLED Plus display. Check out our full review of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 (P6800) after the jump.

The Galaxy Tab 7.7. is arguably the thinnest tablet in the market.

At 7.9mm, the Tab 7.7 it is thinner than all tablets and almost all ultrathin smartphones including the Galaxy S2 (8.49mm), Galaxy Note (9.7mm), Xperia Arc S (8.7mm), iPhone 4s (9.3mm), LG Prada 3.0 (8.5mm).

That tells us a lot about how much effort Samsung placed into the Galaxy Tab 7.7 to make it a premium tablet.

Like many other Galaxy Tabs before it, the Galaxy Tab P6800 follows a similar design signature — slim, simple design and plastic build. Samsung added a few additional design accents on the 7.7 model — a two-toned silver back plating, a much thinner bezel and a gorgeous display.

Compared to the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is wider but not any taller.

The power button and the volume control are found on the left side of the tablet while the 3.5mm audio port is found at the top side (along with the mic pinhole).

The SIM card slot and the microSD card slot are both found on the right side while the USB charging port is at the bottom along with the two speakers.

The Super AMOLED Plus display might be common among a lot of smartphones but its the first time we’ve seen it used on a tablet of this size (the closest is the Galaxy Note).

While we’re all too familiar with what Super AMOLED Plus brings to a large display but the one on the Galaxy Tab is just plain gorgeous.

When placed side by side the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 looks way crisper and brighter at full settings.

The high screen resolution and bright screen makes for a great experience especially when watching movies — great contrast, deep blacks, rich colors and just brilliant video quality.

The built-in speakers are good but you will find yourself hooking up to a headphone to really appreciate the sound effects.

The 3.15MP rear camera takes decent shots, not really that good but usable. If I remember correctly, the camera on the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was way better. Even the video at 720p isn’t that very good. Perhaps, Samsung had to settle with a smaller optics to fit into the very slim profile.

And since this is Samsung’s flagship or premium tablet, they did not scrimp on the hardware. I think, besides the camera, the hardware specifications on the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is impressive.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 P6800 specs:
7.7″ Super AMOLED Plus display @ 800 x 1280 pixels
1.4GHz ARM Cortex-A9 dual-core processor
Mali-400MP GPU, Exynos chipset
1GB RAM
16GB, 32GB, 64GB internal storage
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
HSPA+ 21Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps
Bluetooth 3.0 w/ A2DP
3.15MP camera with 720p video recording
2MP front-facing camera
micro-USB port
GPS with aGPS support
5100mAh Li-Po battery
Android 3.2 Honeycomb
TouchWiz UI 4.0

There’s no NFC capabilities here nor a dedicated micro-HDMI port but you can always get that USB adapter if you want to plug the tablet to an external HD TV or display.

Since the Tab 7.7 has full cellular functionalities, you can actually make phone calls and send SMS with the tablet. It might just look awkward holding it up to your ears when making a call so you’d either want to get an handsfree earphone/mic or a Bluetooth headset.

Too bad Samsung wasn’t able to give the tablet the new and well-polished Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Considering that they had first dibs on ICS for the Galaxy Nexus, I would assume they had a good lead in customizing it for their own smartphones and tablets ahead of the others.

Performance of the Galaxy Tab 7.7 is pretty impressive. Both the Nenamark 2 and the Quadrant Standard scores are very good.

Nenamark 2 gives the Tab 7.7 an average score of 41.0fps. Quadrant Standard rating gave it a 4128 and Antutu Benchmark gave it a score of 6499.

As for battery life, the Galaxy Tab 7.7 did not disappoint. We’re able to get around 8.5 hours of continuous video playback on a single full charge, thanks to that generous 5100mAh internal battery.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 P6800 has a suggested retail price of Php32,990. Not a bad price point for a premium tablet and it’s even cheaper than the Galaxy Tab 10.1 model.

While the suggested retail price is a bit far from that of the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, the Tab 7.7 has a few more features that might convince you to make the additional investment. If you’re interested what’s the difference between the two, check out our comparative chart here.

Disclosure: This review unit is provided to us by Widget City, an advertiser on this site. They are selling the tablet for Php28,200 on their online store here. They’ve also offered this review unit for sale with another Php2,000 discount off the retail price if anyone is interested (that’s Php26,200).

Poll: When’s the last time you bought a music CD?

yuga — Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:13:55 +0000

Was listening to a noontime show this afternoon when I heard my music artist promoting his new album (I think it was Charlie Green). Didn’t hear them promoting iTunes or even the local equivalent (MyMusicStore).

I guess some people still buy CD albums until today. I haven’t bought a single one for over 5 years now because I’ve completely gone all-digital. The only I use a CD audio is with the car stereo but that’s mostly burned MP3 songs.

I’d like to throw the question to my readers out there — when was the last time you bought a music CD?

What’s your current music collection set-up right now? I’d think people are using music players like iPods or their phones and the like.

Of course, those who prefer the original music CDs might have a reason of their own. Nothing beats having a collection of your own if you’re that sentimental.

Android 5.0 Jelly Bean to dual-boot with Chrome OS

Louie Diangson — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:15:34 +0000

It was just recently that manufacturers started rolling-out Android Ice Cream Sandwich to some of their devices but here we are with the latest rumor about the release of Android’s next treat, the 5.0 Jelly Bean, in the second quarter of this year.

Android Jelly Bean will be further optimized for tablet PCs and netbook computers with the ability to dual boot Chrome OS.

Google is probably trying to market their cloud-based platform once more by hitching a ride with Android but I think it’ll be a short-lived affair as brand vendors can choose to have Android 5.0 only or dual boot with Windows 8. The best part is you’ll be able to switch OSes without the need to reboot. Really sweet!

Pretty sure we’ll be seeing Jelly Bean on popular tablets such as the Transformer Prime in the near future. With brands like Asus planning to launch a Windows 8 tablet later this year, added the potential of an Android 5.0 dual boot, I say the tablet wars just got a lot better this time around.

Source: DigiTimes

The tale on MegaUpload’s Philippine Office

yuga — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 09:10:53 +0000

During last January’s news about the shutting down of file-sharing website MegaUpload and the surprise raid of Kim Dotcom’s mansion in New Zealand, the Philippines was also mentioned as one of the governments who helped the FBI in their investigation. And true enough, the local office of MegaUpload has been around for some time now.

I talked to one of the former employees of MegaUpload Philippines earlier today and asked some more details about the company’s local operations.

- Sven, the Country Manager, was alerted that same morning as the New Zealand raid and was able to evade an arrest.

- The company operates in one of the high-rise towers in Taguig (Fort Legend Towers) and employs around 50 people doing back-office.

- The office spans one entire floor of Fort Legend Towers which they rent for Php800,000 a month.

- Employees work on support for MegaUpload, Megaporn and a blog network called Megablogs.

- Kim Dotcom does not have a Filipna wife but an FHM girlfriend.

At the day of the raid at the New Zealand mansion and Hong Kong headquarters, the Philippine office was also alerted and all employees were able to evacuate the office the very same day.

The office has now been shut down, the GM flew to Germany and all remaining properties are being liquidated to compensate the abandoned employees.

Apple gets patent for Macbook Air

yuga — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:09:51 +0000

Mashable reports that Apple has just been granted some patents for the design of the Macbook Air which might affect on the ultrabook market.

The first thing that came to mind was the Asus Zenbook which got its inspiration from from the Macbook Air.

We wrote a review of the Zenbook UX31 here, and noted that there are striking similarities with the Macbook Air.

We also have a side by side comparison of the Macbook Air and Asus Zenbook here.

Intel has promised up to 70+ ultrabooks to come out this year so this will be interesting to follow.

I’m not sure what or how this will affect the production and future designs of other ultrabooks in the market. This patent might just end up the debate on who’s copying who.

BlackBerry Playbook OS 2.0 Media Preview

yuga — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 04:18:23 +0000

RIM showed to members of the media a preview of the BlackBerry Playbook OS 2.0. And while we wait in the next two weeks for the OS update to roll out to devices, we’ve got some alone time to play with it.

RIM has done a lot of improvements on the Playbook OS to make it more usable this time (I bought a BB Playbook a couple of weeks ago to prepare for OS 2.0).

One of the major adjustments they made is to add a native Email app, Calendar App and Contacts list. These apps were previously deactivated when you’re not “bridged” to a BlackBerry handset and was the single biggest issue a lot of Playbook users were complaining about. BBM will still not run on the Playbook as well as SMS synching (RIM has taken note of the latter).

RIM has also upgraded Documents to Go to Premium version so you can use the tablet more for productivity (more on this later on) and editing documents on the go.

Android Apps will finally be available on the Playbook. This will be the main attraction for people to finally get one.

The Playbook OS 2.0 will finally support Android apps via a port. RIM is currently working with Android Developers to port their apps over to the BlackBerry App World. They could not say how many apps or developers have already committed to do so but I guess it will be in the thousands. They also recently launched an “App for a Playbook” campaign to encourage more developers to make the move.

RIM has also improved and added more features on the use of the BlackBerry Bridge. With OS 2.0, you can now use your BB handset to remotely control your Playbook (he handset may be used as some sort of wireless presenter while the tablet is hooked up to a monitor, HDTV or a projector). Here’s a quick demo I uploaded on YouTube.

Reps from RIM would not exactly say when will the global roll-out would be but promises it will be before end of February (which is like in the next 2 weeks). My guess it that they’ll put it out during the Mobile World Congress on the 27th.

Acer Aspire One D270: Cedar Trail lands for Php19.9k

yuga — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:29:03 +0000

Intel’s latest Atom Cedar Trail chips for netbooks just started to arrive in the Philippines. The first one we spotted is the Acer Aspire One D270 selling for under Php20k.

Cedar Trail chips offer better video performance, including full HD 1080p video playback, and lower TDP of only 6.5 watts.

Acer Aspire One D270 specs:
10.1″ display @ 1024×600 pixels
Intel Atom N2800 1.86GHz
Intel GMA 3650 with 64MB RAM
2GB DDR3 RAM
320GB HDD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 4.0 + HS
SD card reader
3 x USB 3.0 port
HDMI port
LAN port
VGA port
Li-Ion 4400mAh battery
Windows Home Basic

The netbook weighs an average of 1.30kg or 2.87lbs. The package comes with a free external optical disk drive and a suggested retail price of Php19,990.

So where’s our Google Chromebook now?

yuga — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 03:04:34 +0000

About 10 months ago, I wrote a short entry on why I think Google’s Chromebook will fail. Some readers told me it was too early to tell back then, so I patiently waited. It’s more than a year now since the announcements of Chromebooks and I haven’t really seen one yet.

Acer and Samsung had their own models of the Chromebook released in the US ranging from $350 to $450 (almost the same price as the netbooks).

Yet, until now, we have not seen these Chrome-powered netbooks land in the Philippines. In contrast, Samsung, Lenovo and Asus even had Meego-powered netbooks released in the country many months ago. We’re not sure though if those netbooks sold well.

Can we now agree that the Chrome OS project has failed? Or, are some of you still waiting for a Chromebook to land in our shores? In my case, my interest has already faded.

Globe-YugaTech MyApps Mall Contest

yuga — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:58:03 +0000

It’s been a long time since we had a contest that’s focused on our fellow bloggers. So this one’s in partnership with Globe and we’ll be giving away a couple of cool gadgets to help promote new mobile service called My Apps Mall.

So here’s the story — Globe Telecom has recently launched a new mobile portal called MyApps Mall (www.myappsmall.com).

The My Apps Mall features thousands of free apps for feature phones to dozens of brands in the market (not the Android or iOS type).

Here’s the mechanics:

1.a) In your blog, Tumblr, or website — write about the top 5 apps found in the My App Mall and tell us why you chose them. Alternatively, you can also blog about the MyAppsMall latest promo (see here).

2) Link back to the My Apps Mall using this special link: http://bit.ly/znqiZR

3) This blog post serves as your entry. Leave a comment below with the link to your entry.

That’s it! To make sure the entry is actually yours and it’s for this contest, please add this little line at the bottom of your post — “This is my official entry to the Globe-YugaTech My Apps Mall Contest“.

How do we pick the winners?

Using the bit.ly link we required you to use, we will track how much visitors you drive to the My Apps Mall.

The top 3 blogs that has the most visitors via the bit.ly link will be declare the winner.

What are our prizes?

For the top 3, we have two units of the latest 8GB iPod Touch and one unit of Alcatel OneTouch 890D Android smartphone.

Additional Notes:

* Contest starts today, February 14 and ends on March 15, 2012. We’ll announce the winner by March 17, 2012.

* YugaTech reserves the right to disqualify an entry if it finds it using automated or mis-appropriated means to generate visitors. It also reserves the right to dis-qualify inappropriate sites (like adult, violent, racist, etc.). The disqualification shall be determined before the end of the contest, otherwise, the entry is deemed qualified by default.

* Participants may use any legitimate means to promote their entry — FB shares, Twitter, Plurk, banner ads, Google ads, etc. — to increase their chance of winning.

Disclosure: This contest is paid for and sponsored by Globe Telecom.

Globe brings back Immortal promos

yuga — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:57:31 +0000

Arguably one of the most sought-after offerings from Globe is the Immortal promos which they first introduced about two years ago. Today, they’re bringing it back just in time for the Valentines.

Globe Immortal is now available in two variants — Immortal Trio and Immortal Text.

Immortal Trio
50 SMS to Globe & TM
5 SMS to other networks
5 mins. to Globe & TM
Php25 per sub

Immortal Text
25 SMS to Globe & TM
5 SMS to other networks
Php15 per sub

Just like before, all Immortal promos have no expiration or validity dates.

Level Up and e-Games merger announced

yuga — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 08:28:57 +0000

This may come as a surprise but local online game companies Level Up! and E-Games has finalized talks of a merger. eGames made the disclosure earlier this morning at the PSE (since it’s a publicly listed company).

Both Level Up and eGames are two of the biggest players in the local online game industry are fierce competitors since the beginning.

A copy of the press release is shown below:

MAKATI, Philippines; 14 February 2012 – IP E-Game Ventures Inc. (E-Games) and Level Up! Inc. (LUI) have reached an agreement to merge their Philippine online game publishing businesses.

In accordance with the agreement, most of E-Game’s titles and assets relating to its game publishing business will be transferred to LUI and the publishing operations of said titles will be merged into LUI’s associated online game publishing company, Playweb Games Inc. In exchange, E-Games will receive equity in LUI, a commercial interest in Playweb Games Inc. (game publisher and operator of all LUI game titles and services), and a cash consideration. The completion of the deal is subject to closing conditions.

E-Games is the first listed online gaming company in the Philippines (PSE: EG) and is the only such listed company to date. It spearheaded the free-to-play game model and has over 15.9 million registered gamers and an average of 3.5 million active users per month. It is aggressively expanding its Internet café network through acquisitions (Netopia and CyBr cafes) and franchising and will incorporate other services such as food & beverage and remittance services. Recently, E-Games has also acquired the rights to operate and sell advertisements for the NBA.com Philippine portal. It is currently developing game enhancement technologies between its Internet cafes and online games titles and is eager to extend these synergies with LUI online games.

LUI pioneered the online game business in the Philippines. Its parent company, Level Up! International Holdings (LUIH), has a subsidiary in Brazil which likewise pioneered and leads the online game publishing business there. Aside from its presence in the Philippines and Brazil, LUIH also has a joint venture in the United States with an established Korean developer.

E-Games and LUI, as a merged entity, are expected to account for the majority of the Philippine online games market. The merged entity and its associated company, Playweb Games, Inc., will have the widest gaming pre-paid cards and PINs distribution network and offer a portfolio of hugely popular and successful games between them. These include top Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs) such as Cabal, Audition, Pointblank, Ragnarok, Grand Chase, Rohan and newly launched (by LUI) Bounty Hounds.

The merger is expected to strategically benefit both companies as a result of future operational synergies and savings.

The consolidation might be the result of a thinning market. We earlier wrote about this issue before in “Is the local Online Gaming industry in trouble?“.

Globe *143# – One Number to Rule them All!

yuga — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 07:50:40 +0000

Globe Telecom today has just introduced to the media a new catch-all number for all its prepaid customers. Globe 143 allows subs to just remember one number when managing their prepaid account.

In your handset, just dial *143# — you will then get a prompt on the screen where you can select offers, promos and inquiries regarding your subscription.

This also applies to postpaid subscribers but not all features are available for them, unlike the prepaid subs.

No more need to remember all those promo codes. Go try it on your phone and let me know if it works.

Bonus: You should find an option there for you to get free Facebook Mobile (m.facebook.com) for the whole month.

Biogesic-YugaTech Contest Winners

yuga — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 02:31:39 +0000

Thanks to all those who joined our Biogesic give-away, we had a bit of a hard time sifting thru all the entries and picking all the winners. Check out if you’re one of the lucky ones after the break.

1st Prize Winner: Shirley Samonte Lim

2nd Prize Winners: Cristina Angeles & Maryjade Manzanero

Consolation Prizes: Sally Encarnacion, Michelle Ame, Jonathan Rojas

Congrats to all! And thanks to Biogesic.

How to claim your prize.

You may claim your prize between now and 6pm this afternoon at SM Megamall Cinema 10. Please bring one valid ID and look for Trixie Esguerra or Anne Franco (of NuffNang Philippines). The premiere starts at 6-9pm tonight. Bring a date!

For questions and additional instructions, email me at abeolandres {at} gmail.com.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 announced!

yuga — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:35:30 +0000

And we though the current line-up of Galaxy Tabs from Samsung is already all we needed to complete the family. Turns out Samsung is not yet done and has just announced the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 will actually be the cheapest of all the 7-inch tablets, cheaper than the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 specs:
7-inch PLS LCD display @ 1024×600 pixels
1GHz dual-core processor
1GB RAM
8GB, 16GB and 32GB internal storage
HSPA+ 21Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.0
GPS w/ aGPS support
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

This makes the 7-inch Galaxy Tab the most populated form factor in Samsung’s tablet offering. The Galaxy Tab 2 will be offered in WiFi-only and WiFi+3G options starting at around $450 and coming out this March.

Samsung Galaxy S3 gets local online pre-order

yuga — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:52:16 +0000

Now this is interesting — local Multiply seller, Kimstore, has just put up a pre-order poster for the yet-to-be-announced Samsung Galaxy S3 (i9300).

It’s not sure whether the folks over at Kimstore has some insider information from their supplier regarding the Samsung Galaxy S3 or its release but it’s likely they just got these from rumors that’s been going around on tech blogs.

Even the specs posted here is still incomplete.

What’s certain is that the Galaxy S3 will come out. What we are not sure is when and what the retail price is.

Still, we’re hoping the Galaxy S3 will be announced at the Mobile World Congress.

Sen. Angara explains the Anti-Cybercrime Bill

yuga — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 23:28:40 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, we got news that the Senate has finally approved their own version of the Anti-Cybercrime Bill (Senate Bill 2796). It has gotten a lot of mixed reactions and has even been labeled as a measure similar to SOPA/PIPA in the US.

Senator Ed Angara, one of the proponents of the Anti-Cybercrime Bill in the Senate, explains some details about this bill at ANC Future Perfect.

Here’s the recording of that full interview.

The topic on cybersex was mentioned and discussed. Again, the apprehension of a lot of people about the vagueness of the provision was somewhat addressed here — that any actions that may deemed to be in violation of the law has to go thru the proper legal process — a warrant from the court, show of probable cause and most of all “common sense”. So I don’t think that the example of “a husband and wife exchanging favors or gifts in return for online sex” can be considered a criminal act under this bill.

Sen. Angra added that the Senate Bill 2796 will have to be merged with the version in the Lower House (Congress) and be amended, corrected or properly worded before it is passed into a law.

Vodafone is coming to the Philippines?!

yuga — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 05:59:43 +0000

A new telco is coming to town and its name is Vodafone. Arguably the largest telecoms company in the world (based on revenues) and the 2nd largest in terms of subscriber base, Vodafone Philippines has started putting up their accounts for the Philippines in preparation for the official launch.

Though this is not official yet, Vodafone’s Twitter and Facebook accounts have been set up to reflect their Philippine presence.

Vodafone is present in over 30 countries worldwide and with 40 other partnerships with other telcos. They have operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the United States. In the Philippines, Vodafone lists Smart as one of its partners (probably for roaming?).

Vodafone is into the fixed line services, mobile phone service, internet and digital TV. Will post more udpates once we get a confirmation.

Hat tip to @jonjongoco.

Update: It is possible this could be a partnership with San Miguel which already owns 75% of Eastern Telecoms, and also owns Liberty Telecom and Bell Telecom.

According to San Miguel’s website:

San Miguel’s fledgling telecommunications business has seen the addition of Bell Telecommunications Philippines, Inc., our second telecoms platform after Liberty Telecommunications Holdings, Inc. Bell Tel will give San Miguel entry into the wireless voice, data and video connectivity business, expanding the scope of the company’s telecom offerings. At present, Liberty has signed on an estimated 70,000 subscribers to its internet broadband and WiMAX services. In December 2010, San Miguel acquired a stake in Eastern Telecommunications Philippines, Inc.

It is possible the partnership with Vodafone will be focused on voice services with Vodafone as the official name carrier.

Note: I’d like to go back to my Top 10 predictions for 2012 and write off #7.

Lenovo U300s ultrabook hits stores for Php55,990

yuga — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:47:49 +0000

Launched back in December Lenovo’s own line of ultrabook, the Lenovo U300s, is now in stores and selling for a Php55,990 price tag. It took a bit of time for the U300 to be released locally but it’s finally here to offer us more options.

Lenovo U300s specs:
13.3″ LED display @ 1366×768 pixels
Intel Core i5 4667M 1.8GHz
Turbo Boost to 2.9GHz
Intel HD 3000
128GB SSD
4GB DDR3 RAM
Gigabit LAN (10/100/1000Mbps)
Bluetooth 2.1
1 x USB 3.0 port
2 x USB 2.0 port
HDMI output
1.3MP (720p HD) webcam
Intel Wireless Display
4-cell Li-Ion battery (up to 8 hours)
Windows 7 Home Premium

With only a 4-cell battery, I doubt Lenovo’s 8-hour promise is achievable.

At 14.9mm thin, it may not seem as thin as the Macbook Air or the Asus Zenbook since the entire body is flat and does not taper towards the edges like the others. Net weight is also at an impressive 2.9lbs.

With a suggested retail price of Php55,990, it sits right into the middle of the usual price range for ultrabooks.

The U300s is only available in 13.3″ and not the smaller 11.6″ like the one on the Zenbook and the Macbook Air.

LG Prada 3.0 P940 Review

yuga — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 07:06:47 +0000

LG’s newest flagship phone isn’t just any Android phone, it’s a Prada phone. And while we boys might not appreciate that little fact, the fashion-conscious crowd certainly has a taste for it. Check out our full review of the LG Prada 3.0 after the break.

The LG Prada 3.0 seems like any other Android phone, except for the fact that its been co-branded by LG to Prada, a popular brand in the fashion industry. This is actually the 3rd iteration of the LG Prada line but the first one to have Android in it.

The Prada 3.0 has a very thin profile, even thinner than the LG Optimus Black, at 8.5mm. That’s actually the same thinness as the Galaxy S2.

The design is simple yet elegant — it’s all black with chrome accents on the side and a little bit of metal parts for buttons.

At the top end is the power button, a slider compartment for the micro-USB port and a dedicated camera button (these are all highly-polished, metallic parts). The 3.5 audio port is also located on the same row. The volume controls are found on the left and the speakers are placed at the back.

The placement of the dedicated camera shutter is a bit odd but the girls from LG explained that this easily activates the front-facing camera and take self-portrait shots.

The 4.3-inch display is among the brightest we’ve seen on a smartphone. We even placed it beside the Super AMOLED Plus screen of the Galaxy Tab 7.7 and was able to see that the white color of the screen is brighter on the Prada 3.0 (the Tab 7.7 P6800 still looks a bit yellowish).

The Prada UI and theme is a classic B&W which includes the touch navigation, icons and widgets. Of course, non-native apps and widgets will still retain their usual colors. I’m not really fond of the usual Optimus UI but this Prada theme looks really neat and more elegant than the native one.

The handset runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread and will be upgradeable to Android ICS when it becomes available.

The handset design was inspired by the Prada signature that uses a Saffiano pattern at the back panel. The Prada branding is all over this phone (the front panel boasts of a huge Prada logo.) and the only way you’d figure out that this is an LG handset is with a small, inconspicuous logo that’s molded into the rubber-like back panel.

The phone’s over-all user experience is very smooth and fluid. The screen is very responsive and the UI on top of Gingerbread is pretty simple. Apps and games load very fast and switching between applications works like a breeze.

Video playback of HD movies is smooth and even if you make rapid, random jumps into the video timeline, it’s still very responsive and not laggy or jerky (tested the same with my Galaxy Note and I could definitely see the difference in playback response).

The audio quality isn’t as good as I expected it and the volume seems to be in the lower range.

Web browsing is fast and the multi-touch gestures worked flawlessly on webpages. The screen resolution does not offer much in terms of screen real estate but it’s decent. And since, the Prada 3.0 supports HSPA+ networks, you get very impressive mobile internet speeds (I get around 4-5Mbps on Speedtest.net when using my Smart Bro SIM card on the handset).

The virtual keyboard seems smalla and cramped though and does not have some sort of a visual or haptic feedback to go with it.

LG Prada 3.0 LG-P940 specs:
4.3″ TFT display @ 480×800 pixels, 240ppi
1GHz dual core TI OMAP4430 processor
PowerVR SGX 540
1GB RAM
512MB ROM
8GB internal storage
up to 32GB via microSD
HSPA+ 21Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n (dual-band 2.4GHz, 5GHz)
Bluetooth 3.0 HS
NFC-enabled
GPS w/ aGPS support
8MP autofocus camera w/ LED flash
1080p video recording & playback
1.3MP front-facing camera
FM Radio tuner
1540mAh Li-Ion battery
Android 2.3 Gingerbread

The 8MP camera of the Prada 3.0 is definitely the best camera on any LG handset I have ever used and reviewed. It matches even the best optics used in the Xperia Arc, iPhone 4S and Galaxy S2 handsets. Images are clear and crisp with very little or unnoticeable noise when taken in broad daylight or under good lighting conditions. Focusing is accurate but it is sometimes slow so it’s a bit hard to capture moving subjects.

The saturation, white balance and contrast are all good though. Even low-light or night shots are decent to good.

Video recording is impressive and can do as high as 1080p. Here’s sample video uploaded on YouTube. I noticed very few dropped frames and pretty accurate focusing.

Our Quadrant Standard score gave the Prada 3.0 an impressive rating of 2963. Antutu Benchmark gave a good score of 5060 while Nenamark2 gave a score of 32.4fps. The numbers here are pretty convincing on the power and capabilities of the handset.

The Prada 3.0 has a standard battery power rating of 1540mAh which provides the handset enough juice to last for a day with medium to light usage and mobile internet connectivity. For the most part, you will find yourself re-charging the handset by the end of the day.

The handset also features NFC (near-field communication) and I think this is the first LG handset to support one but there seems to be very little to no practical use for it now. Bluetooth 3.0 with HS is also present but file transfers from the handset to my Macbook Air peaks at only 110KB/s.

The LG Prada 3.0 has a suggested retail price of Php29,990. I would say it’s probably the best Android handset LG has ever produced which can easily match the profile and performance of the Galaxy S2 (in terms of design, performance and camera quality). However, at current market conditions, a lot of people would find the handset still on the pricey end of the spectrum.

I think LG is banking heavily on the Prada label to justify this price positioning and that’s a very narrow market that only folks who appreciate the Prada brand can understand.

Pinoy developer salaries, the lowest in the world?

yuga — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:37:22 +0000

If this infographic data of a survey made on annual salaries and compensations of web designers and web developers, the Philippines ranked as the lowest paid in the world.

If you don’t want to scroll down and read all the gory details, let me summarize them for you.

Annual Salaries:

Graphic Designers: $5,657.71 (Php243,281 or Php18,713/month)
Web Developer: $6,873.83 (Php295,574 or Php22,736/month)
Senior Web Developer: $9,054.33 (Php389,336 or Php29,949/month)
Software Developer: $7,521.83 (Php323,439 or Php24,880/month)
Web Designer: $4,244.28 (Php182,504 or Php14,039/month)
Senior Web Designer: $7,190.59 (Php309,195 or Php23,784/month)
Medical Transcriptionist: $3,112.47 (Php133,836 or Php10,295/month)

LG launches Prada 3.0 Android phone at Php29,990

yuga — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 04:16:13 +0000

LG Philippines today launched their new flagship phone, the LG Prada 3.0. Co-branded with one of the most famous names in the fashion industry, this is actually the 3rd iteration of the handset but the first one to run on Android.

The Prada 3.0 boasts of a very thin profile of only 8.5mm that matches the Galaxy S2 and a very bright Nova Display of 800nits, even beating the brightness of Supler AMOLED Plus.

The LG Prada 3.0 will have a suggested retail price of Php29,990. Stay tuned for our full review later this afternoon.