Altec Lansing reintroduces itself to PH, rugged speakers in tow

In Phones by Ramon LopezLeave a Comment

Earlier today, Altec Lansing announced its comeback to the Philippine market with a fresh batch of compact, rugged Bluetooth speakers, which the company describes as “everything-proof.” This includes the Life Jacket, Mini Life Jacket, Jacket H20, and Mini H20, which combine long battery life (up to 16 hours of playback for the Life Jacket) with rich sound quality that would make bass-heavy tracks come to life. There’s also speakerphone functionality for taking calls, as well as an auxiliary input for those who don’t have a Bluetooth device. Altec Lansing announced its comeback to the local market with a slew of ‘everything-proof’ speakers …

IDC: Cherry Mobile is PH’s top phone brand in 1st half of 2015

In Business by Ramon LopezLeave a Comment

Buying local, as is the case last year, is more attractive to smartphone buyers in the Philippines, according to recent data emailed to Revü Philippines by market-research firm IDC. Cherry Mobile, not Samsung, remains the country’s market leader, accounting for 17 percent market share of the total smartphones shipped in the first half of 2015. Samsung holds the second spot with 14 percent market share, followed by MyPhone, CloudFone, and Lenovo at 6 percent, 5.2 percent, and 5.1 percent, respectively. The gap between Cherry Mobile and Samsung is closing, though: In 2014, Cherry Mobile owned a hefty 21.9 percent share of …

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How to get a refund on an Android app or game

In Games, Apps, and OS by Ramon LopezLeave a Comment

pps: They effectively turn a smartphone into a powerful tool for human connection; they’re what make owning a smartphone so compelling and inevitable for many; they’re what make a smartphone, well, smart. Without apps, there’s little reason to buy an Apple iPhone 6s, or a Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, or an OPPO R7 Plus, or what have you. But what do you do when an app you recently purchased from the Google Play store crashes, freezes, or won’t run on any Android device you own?

NBA 2K16 for Android, iOS out now

In Games, Apps, and OS by Ramon Lopez3 Comments

If you’re among the millions of hoops fans who have been waiting to get some NBA action on their Android or iOS phone or tablet, I’m pleased to tell you that your long wait is over: NBA 2K16 is now available on Google Play and the App Store. To be clear, I’m talking about the mobile version of the popular basketball sim that was earlier released on PC and video-game consoles, not the boring virtual card game from 2K Games. NBA 2K16 for Android and iOS is out now on Google Play and the App Store. As for the game itself, NBA 2K16 …

10 tricks you may not know about Android 6.0 Marshmallow

In Phones by Ramon LopezLeave a Comment

Previously, I wrote a guide on how to manually update your first-gen Android One phone to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Then I followed it up with a how-to on moving apps to your SD card, which is perhaps the best reason to upgrade to the newest Android version, assuming your device allows it. Today, I’ve put together a cheat sheet containing 10 tricks you probably didn’t know about. Here they are: 1. Optimize battery use for each app: Go to Settings, then select Battery. Click on the 3 dots on the upper right-hand corner. Tap Battery optimization and then tap the downward-pointing arrow. …

LG G4 owners to get Android 6.0 Marshmallow next week

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LG G4 owners are in for a marshmallowy treat soon, as the Korean manufacturer announced today that it will start pushing the Android 6.0 Marshmallow to its flagship smartphone next week, with users in Poland getting first dibs on the latest Android software. It seems LG likes the Poland market, for reasons beyond my understanding. LG has also published a list of upcoming features customers can expect from the OTA update, such as a Do Not Disturb mode, a battery-saving feature in Doze, as well as access to app permissions to allay privacy concerns. LG announced today that it will start …

What’s on HOOQ: 10 good PH films you may not know exist

In Games, Apps, and OS by Ramon LopezLeave a Comment

If you’ve seen Jerrold Tarog’s historical drama Heneral Luna, you may be wondering: Which local film should I see next? Good question. Thankfully, there’s no shortage of amazing options on HOOQ, a subscription video-on-demand service that lets users watch local and Hollywood movies and TV shows on their phones or tablets for as little as P149 a month, or the equivalent of a tall Starbucks drink. Today’s list includes 10 local releases you may not have heard of, but really should watch. So happy viewing and don’t forget to sound off in the comments with your thoughts on the items …

Police nabs man after swindling P2M worth of phones from Globe

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A 47-year-old resident of Quezon City was arrested by local police on criminal charges of estafa and falsification of documents leading to the acquisition of 63 high-end smartphones from Globe stores and a projected fraud loss of P2.4 million, Globe Telecom said in a press statement. John Michael Cruz was nabbed by authorities in an entrapment operation after submitting additional requirements for cellular plans that would have netted him 3 units of iPhone 6 Plus. Cruz has used various aliases in previous applications and has declared himself the owner and marketing manager of CJMD Trading, LMDJ Garments Manufacturing, DMJJ Manufacturing …

Why your MediaTek-based phone is among the cheapest on the market

In Business by Ramon LopezLeave a Comment

Image via allthingsd.com A couple of days ago, I sat down with Cedric Chang, a MediaTek account manager assigned to the Philippines, to shed light on a few burning questions that consumers may want answered about the Taiwan-based company’s main business of selling chipsets. Chipsets that, mind you, power a good majority of Android devices on offer not only in the Philippines but in other parts of Asia, including China and India. The company rep explained why MediaTek-based phones are generally more affordable than the competition; and it’s not because MediaTek makes the cheapest silicon out there — though they are priced lower …

About time: upscale Cherry Mobile Flare phones announced

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Amid a busy quarter of phone launches, Cherry Mobile took the wraps off 3 new additions to its Flare series, baring what I had earlier suspected: an upscale take on the company’s most popular line of Android devices. And about time, too! The Flare 4, S4, and S4 Plus are now official, and they look nothing like their predecessors — and I mean that in the most flattering way. They’re quite a looker, I guess, is what I’m trying to say. Which is great, because Cherry Mobile’s Flare handsets have never been known for their looks and design quirks. Until …

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Globe blames Smart for PH’s poor LTE speed in OpenSignal report

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If you read OpenSignal’s previous State of LTE report, you know pretty well that the Philippines once again appears to be lagging behind other Asian countries and regions like India, Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan both in terms of LTE speed and coverage. What may have escaped your attention, however, is that the country could’ve fared better had Smart Communications posted better results in the testing conducted by OpenSignal, something Smart’s rival, Globe Telecom, pointed out in a recent press release.

Cherry Mobile to announce ‘premium’ Flare phone on October 9

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Cherry Mobile will announce a new Flare smartphone on October 9, according to an event invite sent by the local tech company today. Not much is known about the upcoming handset, but based on the invite, expect a gold color option with a silver metallic trim, suggesting that we may be looking at the most premium-looking Flare design so far. The black borders surrounding the display may give the phone a borderless appearance when the the screen is turned off. The one metric the Flare series falls short of is design, but that could change soon if what we’ve seen so …

Microsoft unveils Windows 10-based Lumia 950, 950 XL phones

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Earlier today, Microsoft announced several Windows 10 devices to showcase Windows 10’s new capabilities and its full potential as a productivity platform. (A quick aside: Microsoft claims there are already more than 110 million devices running Windows 10. Yes, 110 million installations in 8 weeks.) Among those Windows 10 devices are the Lumia 950 and the larger and more powerful (and more expensive) Lumia 950 XL, which as Microsoft puts it, are all about “putting Windows 10 in your pocket” and being “the most productive phones you’ve picked up.” And those are very accurate ways of describing phones that function like a PC …

Google rolls out Android 6.0 Marshmallow to Nexus devices

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Image via bgr.com Nexus owners, rejoice! Google has started rolling out the latest version of the most popular mobile operating system in the world, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, to select Nexus devices, including the Nexus 5 and 6 smartphones and Nexus 7 and 9 tablets, as earlier promised. The software update is also coming to the Android One phones like the Cherry Mobile One G1, Android’s VP of engineering said in a previous blog post. An incremental upgrade over Android Lollipop, Marshmallow adds a few nice features to Android like Doze, battery-saving tweak, and Google Now on Tap, which brings you …

Sorry, your 2015 Moto E won’t get a taste of Android Marshmallow

In Phones by Ramon LopezLeave a Comment

Google’s latest mobile operating system, Android 6.0 Marshmallow, is tipped to arrive later this week following Google’s recent press event. Which, as you may have guessed, has prompted several manufacturers, including Motorola, to spill the proverbial beans on when their respective products will receive the software update. For Moto owners, it seems the outlook is relatively positive, with the Lenovo-owned company recently confirming on its official blog that most Moto phones released in 2014 and this year will get a taste of Android Marshmallow sometime in the future. [frame src=”https://www.revu.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/moto-upgrade.jpg” target=”_self” width=”620″ height=”412″ alt=”Premium WordPress Themes” align=”center” prettyphoto=”false”] List of Moto …

Waze: Metro Manila worst place for motorists, commuters

In Cars, Games, Apps, and OS by Ramon LopezLeave a Comment

Image via globalbalita.com Waze has confirmed what many of us knew all along but had no data to show for it: Metro Manila has the “worst traffic” on the planet, the Google-owned crowdsourced navigation app said in its Global Driver Satisfaction Index. Waze arrived at the observation after pooling the driving experience of 50 million users from 32 countries and 167 metropolitan areas. The Philippines ranked among the worst places on Earth for motorists and commuters, while Metro Manila figured to be the last place you’d want to be behind the wheel, followed by Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro and Sao …