As people who know me personally probably know, I use an Android phone as my daily driver. And, to be honest, I can’t see myself going through a full day without a smartphone in my hand. I just can’t. For starters, I get my daily dose of news from apps installed on my phone — Appy Geek and Twitter are my favorite sources — I sometimes write blog posts on an app called Keep while in transit; and I entertain myself by listening to Spotify or watching videos beamed to my handset through apps like HOOQ and the NBA’s official …
Globe Telecom opens third and largest GEN3 Store in Cebu
Globe Telecom has recently opened its third and largest Generation 3 (GEN3) Store to date in Cebu, boosting its retail presence in the Visayas region and giving Cebuanos a new retail experience that is up to par with international retail outlets worldwide. The GEN3 store in Cebu is the telco’s first store in Visayas and is the biggest among the GEN3 stores that Globe has opened to date. It measures over 400 square meters and can accommodate up to 200 customers and store personnel at the same time. It houses four (4) major lifestyle zones namely music, entertainment, life and …
OPPO PH teases Mirror 5 smartphone
Judging from a recent Facebook post by OPPO Philippines, another Android smartphone is about to hit the market soon, and it could very well be the OPPO Mirror 5, which debuted this month. The press renders reveal a boxy exterior, with innards held together by a metallic frame and a reinforced internal structure. But perhaps the most attractive aspect of the phone’s design can be found around the back, where the reflective, diamond-like pattern we saw on the OPPO R1x makes a return. The most attractive aspect of the Mirror 5’s design can be found around the back, where the diamond-like pattern …
What does DOST’s 50MB of free Internet get you?
Image via The Verge Earlier this week, reports surfaced that the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has already begun installing Internet access points in the Quezon City Circle. This is in anticipation of a P1.4-billion project that plans to deploy 7,000 public WiFi hotspots across the Philippines before the end of 2015. Its initial rollout is slated on July 24, and according to DOST, it will offer free Internet access to anyone with a WiFi-capable device, albeit with certain restrictions — chief of which is a 50MB daily data cap. You can’t use it to download stuff from torrent sites, …
Now available on Lazada: Meizu MX5
Heads up, Android fans: Meizu’s newest affordable flagship phone, the MX5, has been spotted on Lazada Philippines’ website for P16,999, which is quite reasonable given its launch price of 1,799 yuan (roughly P13,000) in China. Announced in Beijing last month, the MX5 aims to compete with the likes of the Apple iPhone 6, Samsung Galaxy S6, and LG G4, with uncompromising performance and quality that are hard to come by in the mid-priced segment. The Android Lollipop phone features a 7.6mm-thick, brushed-finish metal body reminiscent of the iPhone 6 and a fingerprint sensor that doubles as a physical home button. The …
GrabCar gets legal status in PH ahead of Uber
Recall that back in May, the Philippine’s transport and communications department and land-transport bureau inched closer towards legitimizing and regulating the likes of Uber and GrabTaxi by creating a legal framework for ride-hailing services in the country. Flash forward to now, and we’ve got the first ride-hailing service that can operate on a national scale without any legal threat: GrabCar, a subcategory of the GrabTaxi mobile app that can be downloaded for free on most app stores. GrabCar, a subcategory of the GrabTaxi mobile app, is the first ride-hailing service that can operate on a national scale without any legal …
And the top 5 phone brands in Southeast Asia are…
Research firm IDC has posted a new report about smartphone shipments in Southeast Asia in the first quarter of 2015, along with a list of the top 5 brands in the region. IDC’s findings reveal that Samsung, Apple, ASUS, OPPO, and Huawei shipped the most number of phones, with the Korean electronics giant accounting for 23 percent of the market on 5.5 million units sold. IDC’s findings reveal that Samsung, Apple, ASUS, OPPO, and Huawei shipped the most number of phones in Southeast Asia. Apple came in second with a 7.5 percent share on 1.8 million sales, while ASUS, OPPO, …
OnePlus 2 slated to launch on July 27 in VR
Smartphone startup OnePlus has announced the launch date of the OnePlus 2, with the unveiling set for July 27, a month from today. Even better, the company will stream a 360-degree video feed of the launch event so that anyone with an Internet connection and a VR headset (Google Cardboard, anyone?) can watch the debut of its second-gen flaghship in full next-gen splendor. As previously reported, the phone will sport an improved version of the Snapdragon 810 chipset — Qualcomm’s latest and fastest yet — and will make use of a USB Type-C port. Yes, it’s the same reversible connector …
Yelp Philippines goes live w/thousands of reviews
That’s right! Yelp, the de facto online business directory for many — the yellow pages of the Internet, if you will — is now live in the Philippines, which means you can now mosey over to Yelp Philippines and read thousands of crowd-sourced reviews to find your next favorite restaurant or watering hole. Business owners, on the other hand, can look forward to a new way of promoting their establishments by tapping into a local community of Yelpers (read: Yelp users). Yelp can also provide them a means of gauging consumer interest online. Yelp, the yellow pages of the Internet, if …
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 …
Sony Xperia Z4 announced. So what’s new?
Image via The Verge Sony revealed its new flagship smartphone, the Xperia Z4, in its native Japan amid reports that the company is strongly considering abandoning its mobile and TV businesses to concentrate on other products that are making it money. Apparently, the Japanese outfit wants to streamline its portfolio and come out with more PlayStation-centric goods and services rather than continue making phones, tablets, and other screens that consume media and social content. But we digress. Back to the Sony Xperia Z4: It looks identical to its predecessor, runs the same version of Android that’s now available to download …
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 …
Huawei P8 now official, priced around P23,500
Via TrustedReviews Earlier today, Huawei launched the P8 — notice the Ascend branding has been given the boot — an update to its top-billing P7 smartphone from last year. Also gone are the two layers of Gorilla Glass 3 held together by the previous model’s angular skeleton, replaced by an all-metal frame with a matte finish, chamfered edges, and rounded corners. The result is a product that looks nothing like its predecessor, especially when you tilt it sideways to showcase its ultra-thin 6.4mm profile that’s a smidge thinner than Huawei’s older flagship. What it does look like is a cross …
Xiaomi’s iPad mini challenger priced in PH
Via MyDrivers (UPDATE, April 28: Mi fans, mark your calendars. Xiaomi Philippines just confirmed the first sale date of the Mi Pad on the company’s Facebook page. The tablet will be available starting May 4, 2015.) It turns out the Redmi 2 isn’t the only Android KitKat device Xiaomi is planning to release in the Philippines soon. Last year’s Mi Pad, the company’s iPad mini challenger — which, coincidentally, also looks like a candy-coated Apple tablet — is on the cards for the local market, as hinted at by its official Philippine website. The Mi Pad features a slab of Corning …
Globe vs Smart: Which of them is number one in PH?
Unlikely as it may sound, Globe Telecom and Smart Communications laid strong claims to being the top mobile-service provider in the Philippines, both companies said in separate statements issued yesterday.
Ladies and gents, the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge
Samsung has finally taken the wraps off the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, successors to its flagship Galaxy S line, at the ongoing 2015 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. And as expected, the two smartphones pack headline-grabbing specs and features that raise the stakes for everyone in the cutthroat mobile industry. Bleeding-edge silicon is what makes Samsung’s top-tier Galaxy handsets so attractive — life savings be damned. Here, take a look at them: [youtube link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggL_yLCC2a0&list=UUMeavCblAE1-lP5CWpcZHMA” width=”560″ height=”315″] Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge preview [youtube link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3NvdHYPZC0&list=UUMeavCblAE1-lP5CWpcZHMA” width=”560″ height=”315″] Samsung Galaxy S6 preview Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge specs ALORA UY GUERRERO’S …