Nissan Philippines Inc. (NPI) scored a first quarter record growth of 32%, outdoing the industry performance of 22% for the same time period, according to a report from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI). Since its inception in March 2014, the young company has unceasingly rolled out exciting and innovative programs that put the brand back on the map. With its current initiatives that further boost NPI’s brand image, improve after-sales service and strengthen dealer-network presence in the country, these are strong proof points that NPI has clearly established a solid foundation that propelled its successful …
Nissan GT Academy PH continues search for first Filipino race driver
Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) revs up its search for the first-ever Filipino race car driver who’ll take it to a podium finish at Silverstone as the first Nissan GT Academy Philippines draws closer to its National Finals this July. “Ever since we launched the program last March 25, we at Nissan are overwhelmed to see how the Filipino GT players rose to our call, and answered the challenge of making good time on the virtual track in their quest to become real race car driver,” Antonio Zara, NPI President and Managing Director, said. “This can be seen in the number …
LG takes the wraps off the G4
(UPDATE, May 28: The LG G4 is now official in PH. Price starts at P31,990; ships beginning June 3.) After weeks of teasing and countless leaks leading to its launch, it’s finally official: The LG G4, the company’s new deluxe smartphone for 2015, has been announced today here in Singapore and in other parts of the world. Earlier leaks have suggested a big-screen phone that has more in common with the G Flex 2 than the G3, but we didn’t expect to see a slightly curved display, which LG claims improves one-handed usage and screen durability. The rear-facing buttons, as …
What ASUS PH told us about the Zenfone 2
So earlier today, the ASUS Zenfone 2, which got a positive review from us, became official for the Southeast Asian market following a media event here in Jakarta, Indonesia. And because we already got our hands on a unit prior to its unveiling, we spent most of the afternoon striking up conversations with company executives and Philippine-based retailers rather than taking photos and videos on the show floor. We’re glad we did, because we were able to dig up a few juicy tidbits about the Zenfone 2’s local pricing and release date after our little chat with ASUS Philippines country …
Camera shootout: Galaxy S6 vs iPhone 6
One of our biggest regrets about our first encounter with the Samsung Galaxy S6 back in March is that we weren’t able to take a lot of pictures using the smartphone. But we remember seeing a solid imaging foundation that’s impressive enough to make us whip out our iPhone 6 for some preliminary camera tests. Now that we have the S6 in our hands, we finally have a camera comparison between the two devices. Apple iPhones and Android are the most popular phones in the world so it’s no surprise that they’re always fighting to have the latest technology. Most …
Xiaomi Redmi 2’s price, availability in PH revealed
(UPDATE 1, April 15: Talk about timing. Xiaomi has made the Redmi 2 official in the Philippines — while we were writing the article. The phone will retail for P5,999 when it arrives at a still-undisclosed date.) (UPDATE 2, April 20: And we just got word that the Redmi 2 will officially go on sale on the 28th. That’s eight days from now.) The Xiaomi Redmi 2 is on its way to the Philippines. That’s assuming the company’s latest posts on the Mi Philippines Facebook account are indeed about the budget smartphone sequel. The three short video teasers weren’t exactly …
What we know so far about the LG G4
The successor to the impressive LG G3, which, as we noted in our review on Yahoo, is “as delightful as smartphones get,” is set to debut on April 28, according to The Verge. And with the aptly named LG G4 due to launch a few weeks from now, we thought today would be a great time to post a cheat sheet based on what we know so far about the top-billing Android challenger from the Korean manufacturer. Design Case-maker Spigen has all but confirmed what the G4 looks like by showing off a bunch of cases designed for the handset …
Cheaper Samsung Galaxy S6, S6 Edge now on Lazada PH
Lazada Philippines is now selling 32GB and 64GB editions of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge ahead of their official Philippine launch on April 18 — and at lower prices, mind you. About 10 percent lower than their suggested retail pricing. The online retailer has listed the 32GB Galaxy S6 at P31,999 and the 32GB and 64GB variants of the Galaxy S6 Edge at P36,999 and P42,999, respectively. You may use your BDO credit card to purchase any of the phones on installment plans of up to 24 months, albeit with corresponding interest rates depending on the payment period. Keep …
We unbox the ASUS Zenfone 2
(UPDATED) Yesterday, we bought a retail unit of the ASUS Zenfone 2, which, based on the positive buzz it has been generating since its introduction at the 2015 CES in Las Vegas, is one of the most anticipated smartphones this year. Naturally, we made an unboxing video of the spiritual successor to the Zenfone 5 (and Zenfone 6?), seeing that we’re still a month away from its Philippine debut. Unfortunately, as much as we would have loved to bring home the higher-end Zenfone 2 with 4GB of RAM, we had to settle for the 2GB RAM model, because apparently, the former …
And PH’s top smartphone brands in 2014 are…
We’re well aware of how popular Cherry Mobile is in the Philippines, but we couldn’t quite put it into numbers, given how secretive consumer-electronics companies usually are when it comes to sales and profits. That is, until now. Research firm IDC today released its Asia-Pacific Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, ranking Cherry Mobile as the top mobile vendor in the country in 2014, with a staggering 21.9 percent market share of the total smartphones shipped last year. Samsung came in a far second with 13.3 percent, while MyPhone, Lenovo, and Torque placed third, fourth, and fifth with 11.2 percent, 6.5 percent, …
With MacBook, Apple to redefine gold standard for notebooks?
Via Forbes (UPDATED) We didn’t think that the MacBook would steal the Apple Watch‘s limelight at the Cupertino-based company’s March 10 (March 9 in the U.S.) Spring Forward event. But it did. It’s the first to get gold and space-gray variants. It’s the first to have a 12-inch display — and a Retina one at that. It’s the first after 4 years to chuck “Air” and “Pro” and simply go by the name “MacBook” again. It’s the first to go fanless. And it’s the lightest and thinnest Apple laptop yet, weighing a mere 2lbs and measuring only 13.1mm at its …
It’s the Apple Watch’s time to shine. Or is it?
It’s time, according to Apple. It may be a bit late to the party, but the American tech giant has nonetheless given the green light to its first attempt at a smartwatch. The Apple Watch has a premium design to go with its premium price, with the base model starting at $349 (roughly P15,500) and the 18-karat edition selling for as high as $17,000 (approximately P750,000), or the price of a brand-new compact sedan. For comparison’s sake, most smartwatches — at least those that are getting a lot of media attention — are priced between $200 and $250 (around P9,000 to …