WE have been Amazon Prime Video users for a while now, using a VPN [virtual private network] connection to be able to watch our favorite shows. But we’ve been monitoring the local Play Store and App Store almost every day since it was announced that Amazon is preparing for a global launch of its streaming-video service. Today, December 14, look at what popped up in our other account!
SKK Chronos Era is an unapologetic iPhone 7 Plus knockoff
YOU know what the reality is: Smartphone companies get inspired by copy off each other’s design and ideas at times. But Philippine-based SKK Mobile takes the art of imitation to another level with what is said to be the SKK Chronos Era.
Apple iPhone 7 still faster than Android’s fastest
AH, the OnePlus 3T (click for complete specs). A Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chip hums under its metal unibody; also inside: 6 gigs of RAM that can handle even the most difficult situations without breaking a bead of sweat. Such a beast of a phone — on paper and otherwise — don’t you think?
7 reasons we do not like the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe
WHEN it was announced in August that the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe ZS570KL variant (click for complete specs) will retail at P34,995 (roughly $700) in the Philippines, we were dismayed by the pricing. After all, when the device was unveiled at Computex 2016 in May, the company said it would go on sale for $499 (about P25,000). Four months later, now that it’s finally here and we’ve used the smartphone for almost two weeks, we still feel the same way. Here’s why we think it’s not good value for money.
8 of the best Great Christmas Sale deals on Lazada
CALL us Santa’s little helpers. With Lazada Philippines holding its Grand Christmas Sale promo till December 12, 2016, as part of its Online Revolution activity, we scoured the site to look for the best gadget deals, so you won’t have to.
Starmobile’s MacBook clone sells for only P7,990 on Lazada
FUNNY, but the latest Starmobile product that has caught our attention is not a smartphone. It’s a silver Windows 10 laptop the company calls the Starmobile Engage Aura. And it looks a lot like the Apple MacBook but sells for only P7,990 on Lazada Philippines starting today, December 7, until the 12th to coincide with the online store’s Grand Christmas Sale.
Cherry Mobile Flare X2 review: Style and substance for less
THE Flare X2, one of the more interesting Cherry Mobile offerings of late, is now available nationwide. Retailing at P7,999, it’s aimed at consumers who don’t want to splurge on a smartphone, but also don’t want to compromise on design or performance.
Nokia’s first Android smartphones set to debut in 2017
THE dream of a proper Android phone from Nokia lives on. The storied phone maker will return to the smartphone market in early 2017 under a company called HMD Global, which acquired the exclusive rights to use the Nokia brand on phones and tablets for the next 10 years.
YAAO 6000 Plus smartphone has a 10,900mAh battery
A little over a week ago, we featured 10 locally available smartphones with batteries above 4,000mAh. Battery-wise, the most impressive unit we wrote about was the recently announced Cherry Mobile Flare S5 Power, which carries a tablet-grade 6,050mAh cell and provides two days of continued use (or more, if you’re being prudent about what you do with the device).
Bigger, better ASUS ZenFone 3 Max gets priced in PH
THE bigger, better variant of the 5.2-inch ASUS ZenFone 3 Max, the 5.5-inch ZC553KL, finally gets priced in the Philippines, about two weeks before its official release in the country.
Lenovo Phab 2, Phab 2 Plus, Phab 2 Pro launched in PH
THE Philippines’ big-screen phone market just got bigger with Lenovo’s latest Phab lineup. The company today announced the Phab 2, Phab 2 Plus, and Phab 2 Pro for the local market, all three aiming to ride the people’s seemingly insatiable addiction to smartphones with monster displays.
Vivo V5 now official in PH, takes on OPPO’s F1s
REMEMBER that selfie phone Vivo launched in India about a week ago? The one with the 20-megapixel front camera? Well, it’s finally official in the Philippines, with the release slated for November 26, 2016. And with a P12,990 suggested retail price, it seems to be gunning for the similarly priced OPPO F1s’ place in the local market.
The Cherry Mobile Defender is built for tough love
THE Cherry Mobile Defender (click for complete specs) is the company’s first truly rugged smartphone featuring a metal frame and rubberized plastic bumpers. The battery is fixed into the assembly, and all ports are covered with rubber flaps to seal the body. It doesn’t look off-kilter to us — which is not what we expected when we first heard about it. (The list of fairly attractive rugged phones gets thin after Samsung’s Galaxy Active series.)
Hands-on: Cherry Mobile Taiji Android phone/ebook reader
CHERRY Mobile this week gave us our first look at three Android smartphones due for release this December. Among them is the Taiji — incidentally, also the most interesting of the bunch for reasons that will become obvious in a moment.
The 10 most popular guys in video-game history
REMEMBER the first time you held a joystick or a control pad? Remember the first video-game character you played? Chances are, that protagonist has had a great impact on your life as a gamer. So this week, with news of Super Mario Run coming to mobile in December, we’re paying homage to the guys who have punched, kicked, jumped, fired, rolled, slashed, and stomped their way into making the video-game industry what it is today. The gaming world would have been lost without them. Before getting really into gaming, you should check out VPNs for online games. This will ensure you’re fully protected and it will also keep your connection stable.
I haven’t included LoL on this list, as I recently bought myself a League of legends account as you know. I’m still learning the game, but I fully expect it to be the next big craze in the Phillipines. Once I get time, a full review is coming out on it!
Another game that I think should be on the list is Clash of Clans. However, it is on the mobile gaming platform so that’s probably why it isn’t. Anyway, I love it. I’ve just read the TH10 war base cheat page to make sure my base is maxed out for farming and strong enough if people decide to attack it.
Anyway, enough of my mobile games. Lets get on to the real games to be reviewed!!!
Infinix Hot 4 Pro, Hot S, Note 3 Pro budget smartphones released in PH
YOU may not have heard about Infinix yet, but the Hong Kong-based smartphone brand is certainly well aware of the Filipinos’ appetite for devices in the “good but cheap” category. It’s common knowledge in the Philipppines that price has been, is, and will, in the foreseeable future, be king.
Download Super Mario Run for free starting December 15th, but…
REMEMBER that one gaming-related announcement at the Apple iPhone 7 launch that made you take a walk down memory lane? Hold your breath! Nintendo has finally revealed that you can download Super Mario Run for iOS starting December 15 — for free!
When your phone will get Android Nougat
DATA collected by Google on the first week of November tells us the sorry state of Android. It turns out that Android Nougat, the latest version of the mobile operating system released on August 22, is installed on less than 0.4 percent of all Android devices. Most are still stuck on Android Lollipop.
Apple iPhone 7 Plus review: King of big phones
IT’S New iPhone Day in the Philippines! Apple’s Plus-sized iPhone has historically been one of the best phones money can buy, and now it’s back for another encore. And if you’re still on the fence about whether the iPhone 7 Plus is the right smartphone for the job, you’ve come to the right place — as long as you can afford it.