Techolo - Philippine Technology Outlook Blog

How to get a free iPod Nano 6th Generation

2012-02-11T02:16:00.001+08:00

Want to get a free iPod Nano 6th generation? Simple! follow these quick and easy steps.

Find an old 1st-gen iPod Nano. Ask neighbors, friends, strangers if they happen to have an old iPod Nano lying around. Probably say it’s for a science project or something… (the hardest part actually)
Be sure that to check the serial number first to be sure it’s eligible for the iPod Nano Replacement Program.
Go to your nearest apple store or authorized service center (like Power Mac Center)
Have the service people check the unit and issue you a service report.
Eligible? Send in for the replacement.
Wait…wait…and wait. (Mine took almost 9 weeks)

Okay, so those were silly steps. In case you happen to have access to an old iPod Nano, try checking the serial by looking at the back or plugging it and checking via iTunes.

My Nano was a second-hand nano with a busted screen. I even showed how installed a new LCD and faceplate on an iPod Nano before. It actually looked new when I bought in at Power Mac so imagine the wonder of the technician there. I simply said that I wanted to turn it in because of the replacement program, I basically wanted a newer one. No questions asked, he took it from me, punched some data on his Mac and gave me a service report number.

I initially thought that Apple would change it for a similar model but pristine condition but reports came up that Apple was replacing it with current generation of nanos. Mine luckily was part of the latter batch and was replaced with a silver 8gb iPod Nano 6th generation… a real upgrade from the old 2gb 1st generation.

There’s really no problem with being honest that you want a new iPod, anyone would want a new iPod, just be sure that your unit is eligible first.

Good luck Nano hunting!

Amazon’s Frustration-Free Packaging

2012-02-10T01:12:00.001+08:00

Unlike other retailers and companies, Amazon has taken an initiative to introduce Frustration-Free Packaging. The Amazon Basics 32GB drive came in recently and it was just inside a small hard envelope rather than the usual hard plastic casings that are hard to pry open.

The Certified Frustration-Free Package (on the left) is recyclable and comes without excess packaging materials such as hard plastic clamshell casings, plastic bindings, and wire ties. It's designed to be opened without the use of a box cutter or knife and will protect your product just as well as traditional packaging (on the right). Products with Frustration-Free Packaging can frequently be shipped in their own boxes, without an additional shipping box.

Unlike other buyer’s horror stories of companies sending out huge boxes for small items, this is Amazon’s way of making products easy-to-open, recyclable and environmentally friendly (light packages = low cost on fuel transportation = energy savings = greener earth). Thanks Amazon for the awesome 32GB drive and for saving the environment with your frustration-free packaging.

25 Most Important Online Project Management Apps

2012-02-09T01:47:00.001+08:00

Are you overwhelmed by the number of project management software apps in the market right now? Check out GetApp.com's infographic comparing the different Project Management apps available and see how they perform in terms of size, popularity, social media presence and east of use. See the infographic after the jump.

View larger version of the infographic
Via: www.getapp.com

Digital Signage is Growing

2012-02-09T01:26:00.001+08:00

Digital Signage is growing right now. Did you know that it reached $3.9 Billion last 2009 and is growing at 20% every year through the end of 2012? Did you know that digital video signage's in public venues reaches more Americans each month than online videos? Find out more facts on the infographics after the jump.

Via: Media Signage

Nokia N9 Review: Swiping to the next level

2012-02-01T02:38:00.001+08:00

Nokia is now at the process of reinventing itself as it embraces Windows Phone as its major platform moving forward. A new CEO and direction clearly signifies this much needed change. One of those initial changes was the development, release and subsequent termination of Nokia’s (final?) MeeGo device – the Nokia N9.

Read more for the full review (warning lotso’ images!)

Nokia’s dominant position as the leader in mobile phones is currently being challenged by new players like Apple’s iPhone, Google’s Android and RIM’s Blackberry (which I don’t think I’ll ever get to review) iOS and BB threatens Nokia’s smartphone market which caters to enterprise and hard core users while the expansion of Android to lower tiered devices also puts Nokia’s foothold on low-cost devices, primarily composed of Series 40’s, in danger as many consumers are now shifting to smartphones.

Let’s go back to the Nokia N9 – Is this still a viable smartphone amidst larger ecosystems by iOS, Android and Windows Phone? Is this the phone that would dare “disrupt” the market sometime in the foreseeable future? Let’s find out.

Nokia N9 Specs

OS: MeeGo 1.2 Harmattan
CPU: 1 GHz Cortex A8, GPU: PowerVR SGX530
Display: 3.9” (480 x 854) ClearBlack AMOLED display. Curved Gorilla Glass
Internal memory: 16 GB or 64 GB
RAM: 1GB
8 megapixel camera (Carl Zeiss) with 720p 16:9 HD video recording + VGA front camera
Dual LED flash, Accelerometer, Magnetometer
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and NFC.

Unboxing the N9

Nokia’s traditional blue adorns the box and the front shows the actual sizes of the phone. Inside you’ll find the USB connector, power adapter, headset, manuals and a complementary silicon case that matches the color of your device. It was a nice addition by Nokia because people really buy cases for their device so getting one included was one less step of enjoying the device out of the box. If may need a fancier case, check out Nokia N9 Hard Cover.

The fine print on the box was also cute. I thought about placing my Micro Machine collection inside to see how many toy cars would fit. Matchboxes? I don’t think it’ll even hold 5 toy cars :)

Beautiful Hardware and Hardcore Build

The hardware of the Nokia N9 is a beauty. I’ve held nothing that compares to the polycarbonate body of the N9 in terms of build quality and the overall feel of the device. In comparison with other phones which are comprised of plastic, aluminum and other materials, the N9 still stood out even with its plastic unibody construction, which by the way, is the same material that F-22 jetfighters are made from. The sophisticated design and large full front display sans hardware or capacitive buttons really stands out among what is out there.

The N9 has 3 openings on the top. One is the 3.5mm headphone jack, the USB connector slot and the Micro SIM card tray. Some would say that the absence of a user-replaceable battery and SD card slot is a disadvantage but for me, it’s really immaterial at this point in the decent battery life and solid state storage options (16GB and 64GB)

The polycarbonate body comes in black, cyan, magenta and the elusive white. Nokia tells us that any scratches or dings wouldn’t show up any different because color coating is infused within the plastic.

‘Blacks are Black’ ClearBlack Display

The N9 ClearBlack boasts the same quality of Samsung’s Super AMOLED displays. Its 3.9” has a resolution of 480 x 854 - 54 pixels more than the traditional 800px due to the all-screen look.

click to enlarge comparison shot

But what exactly is a ClearBlack display? According to Nokia Conversations Blog, ClearBlack technology is:

a method to reduce reflections on the screen and improve visual image quality, especially outdoors. ClearBlack ensures that the blacks you see really are just that – black – which in turn enhances the contrast of the display and makes the whole screen much easier to see. - Nokia Conversations

left to right (click to enlarge): N9 vs Focus, lock screen, black blacks on video

While it is not similar than Super AMOLEDs found on Samsung phones, the ClearBlack display does look at par with the Samsung Focus. One thing that I found missing was the option to turn off the auto brightness setting which is dependent with the ambient light sensor. So in case, you’d like to set a fix brightness you’re out of luck unless you do this hack.

Dual Camera - 8 Megapixel & VGA camera

The 8 megapixel camera of the N9 delivers notable results. The camera boasts a lot of settings like ISO, Face detection, GPS tagging, Exposure and White balance (even auto-fix). It also has the option to shoot in 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, which is good for that extra wide panoramic shots.

left to right (click to enlarge): regular shot, max zoom, macro shot

The VGA front facing camera which weirdly sits at the bottom right of the front display seems to have few or no uses right now. It can’t be used for video chat or Skype but the impending PR1.2 update will support that as well as new improvement on the camera and gallery app.

MeeGo Harmattan 1.2 version PR1.1

I’ve had the privilege of having the chance to review a variety of mobile phone platforms on Techolo.com throughout the years. We’ve already had the opportunity to use different phones running Android, WebOS, iOS and Windows Phone.

I didn’t have a chance to review Symbian (if you don’t count my novice write-up on Nokia E61i) but I think most of us already had our experience on Symbian S40 and S60 sometime in our lives as Nokia users.

Among the newer platforms, I haven’t had a chance yet to review Nokia’s own operating system dubbed MeeGo – until now. MeeGo is a linux-based open-source system formed to merge Intel’s Moblin and Nokia’s Maemo initiatives into one core OS.

left to right (click to enlarge): app view, dropdown notification bar, open app view

With MeeGo and the N9, you won’t see any hardware or hardware capacitive buttons anywhere on the device. You will navigate the whole user interface using swiping gestures. Similar to Windows Phone when you think about it and how Windows 8 works on tablets.

It also kind of reminds me of WebOS. The swiping gestures on the gesture bar. The curved corners on the screen. the matte icons and nice typography. It makes me wish that Nokia just bought Palm instead of HP and then integrated all MeeGo and WebOS goodness into one package. I digress.

There are 3 windows to familiarize yourself with:

Applications View - contains the grid of apps
Event View – (swipe left) has any new posts from your Facebook and Twitter contacts as well as email notifications, and weather information
Open Applications View – (swipe right) shows a thumbnail preview of your currently opened apps

left to right (click to enlarge): lock screen, email keyboard, browser

Great Keyboard
One thing that I also like about the N9 is it’s virtual keyboard. I found it easy to use and the haptic feedback was one thing that made typing on it fun. The feedback it produced felt like a quick bump on a typewriter key. It didn’t vibrate just for the sake of vibrating but it felt like a genuine button. You've just got to try it yourself :)

left to right (click to enlarge): quick launch, gallery, app download

Hidden App Launcher
Another WebOS-que feature was the quick launch bar that could be access anywhere. Swiping up and stopping midway will show the 4-row icons similar to WebOS launcher pad. It was a hit or miss action and I think Nokia could make it more stable.

left to right (click to enlarge): Nokia Maps, calculator, clock

App and the Store
Common apps like Music, Maps, Calculator, Clock, Notes, Reader, Browser and Calendar are present but in addition to the default apps, also included are those from 3rd-party sources like Facebook, Twitter and Skype. Games like Angry Birds, Real Golf and Need for Speed Shift also came out of the box.

There is also a ‘Store’ where you could download basic apps and other quite not-there-yet apps. If there is one Achilles heel on this platform, it’s the small app selection. Elop said it right, it now a battle of ecosystem hence the shift to Windows Phone.

Conclusion

Nokia has reiterated that moving forward, Windows Phone will be their main push on their smartphones and that Symbian and MeeGo are already a lost cause on the smartphone front. That will be the reasoning most people will have in not buying this phone, not because it’s not good, but because it’s already dead before it even boomed.

If you are a simple texter, email user and social networking fan, I don’t see why the Nokia N9 won’t work for you. It’s fast, it’s beautiful, it’s fresh. I personally would get one myself if only it had a feature or an app that supports reading and sending SMS using the computer (it already has my pet-peeve app – Wifi Hotspot)

There is an impending PR1.2 firmware update arriving in a few weeks that will address issues with video calling, copy-paste, folder creation, and numerous tweaks and improvements. So don’t worry. MeeGo is not yet dead. I’m sure development will still continue and might probably make a comeback as Nokia’s disruptive device in the future.

If you like what you see, try it. On some instances, I find it even better than Windows Phone and Android. Really.

Now why can’t someone make a mash-up OS from bits and pieces of MeeGo, Android, iOS, WebOS, and Windows Phone? I don’t know.

Nokia N9 @ testfreaks.com

Windows Phone Metro UI Prototype #1

2012-01-25T03:20:00.001+08:00

Click image to enlarge.

When Metro UI came out for Windows Phone, I was really surprised with Microsoft’s decision to move in the direction of the Zune HD. The Zune HD’s interface was great. It had a clean, modern and typographic inspired layout that no design or device has ever had before. It was snappy, had smooth transitions and new.

Windows Phone adopted that interface but in the process, it also unfortunately inherited the large, cutoff texts that served as the page title. To be fair, it does not look bad but every time I see that big chunk of text above I can’t help but think of the wasted limited screen estate I have on my phone.

So I had a free time to do some mock up of an alternate Metro Styling for inside panoramas of Windows Phone. Take for example the People Hub. With the alternate styling, few changes will happen.

There will be more vertical real-estate for actual content
An option to set a custom background. Set similar to Pictures Hub so readability is not hindered
Hierarchical importance and variation is not only determined by the size of the type but also the color and weight of it. Color of header text will be determined by an algorithm of color spots on the chosen background.
Added line breaks for a more formal and cohesive compartmentalization of each content.
Enable the status icons to be constantly displayed on top.

I’m sure many of you might disagree with the suggestions but these are just some ideas that bounced around my head without any real actual holistic study of the full user interface. I’m sure Microsoft did their homework. I’m just merely providing a prototype, that’s all :)

Scosche SnapSHIELD iPad 2 Case Review

2012-01-23T23:55:00.001+08:00

The Scosche SnapSHIELD for the iPad 2 is slim snap-on polycarbonate case that provide durable and good protection for your device. It is compatible with Apple’s Smart Cover, which was an instant buy for me since I have a spare of that. I initially wanted to get a folio, with the strap and all but most of them made the iPad 2 too bulky so this Scosche’s SnapSHIELD was just perfect.

Unlike my other delicate and more expensive Grove Bamboo case, the Scosche SnapSHIELD offers a more handy and curvy profile that is perfect for the iPad 2. The carbon-fiber texture at the back adds grip and coolness to an otherwise boring case. The interior has a felt lining to protect the back of the iPad from scratching and moving. The opening ports are minimally cut to shape without being too open and prone to bumps.

One minor caveat was the shiny glossy finish the case has and as you can see from the photos, it can easily be scratched up, But that’s what cases are for - protecting the device it’s on. Don’t tell me you’re going to buy a case for your case. The SnapSHIELD retails for $40.

If you have an iPad 2 and have the Smart Cover or even considering getting one, the Scosche SnapSHIELD is really a good choice. I really like this case.

Nokia N9 Unboxing Philippines

2012-01-23T10:08:00.001+08:00

A rather simple unboxing and some quick use on the Nokia N9.

HP TouchPad Ice Cream Sandwich Cyanogen 9

2012-01-20T02:18:00.001+08:00

Team Cyanogen just released Cyanogen 9 Alpha 0 for the HP TouchPad rocking the latest and greatest Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. Some kinks need to be worked on are hardware video (Youtube HD versions), the camera, some market and google apps and audio.

They have previously released Cyanogenmod 7 Alpha 3.5 for the TouchPad which was stable from my experience. This release obviously has rough issues but most of what we know on ICS works.

If you have a TouchPad and want to install Ice Cream Sandwich, please take note that this is an Alpha Zero build. and as they say in their RootzWiki thread, the zero means “zero hardware-accelerated video”, “zero camera”, and “zero support!” so install at your own risk.

RootzWiki.com - CyanogenMod 9 Touchpad
XDA-Dev - Cyanogen 9 ICS Installation Guide for the HP TouchPad

Nokia N9 in the Philippines

2012-01-18T09:48:00.001+08:00

We’ve got the Nokia N9 in the house! :) thanks to Nokia for sending a black 64GB Nokia N9 unit. I’ll do a review in the next few days on this Meego-powered device. Did it stand a chance against Windows Phone 7 had it not been pulled? We’ll find out. Stay tuned.

Nokia Lumia 900 Arrives

2012-01-10T13:48:00.001+08:00

Nokia finally introduced the older brother of the Lumia 800. The Nokia Lumia 900 aka the Ace was unveiled at CES 2012 by Nokia CEO Stephone Elop together with Steve Ballmer of Microsoft and Ralph Dela Vega of AT&T Mobility.

The Lumia 900 has a much bigger screen at 4.3” compared to the 800’s 3.7” display. It clearly has the HTC HD7, Titan and the new Titan 2 as direct competitors in the large screened Windows Phone market.

Nokia Lumia 900 Specs

Display: 4.3", 480x800 ClearBlack AMOLED
Processor: 1.4GHz Snapdragon APQ8055
RAM: 512MB
Camera: Front and Rear (8MP, 720p HD)
Storage: 16GB
Battery: 1830 mAh

The Nokia Lumia 900 will apparently be release initially to AT&T but don’t fret, it would be sold unlocked at Microsoft Stores and at Amazon in the coming months like the Nokia 800.

If you’re looking to buy the smaller but still great Lumia 800 in the Philippines. It’s is now being sold for 22,500 at Widget City ahead of Nokia Philippines release this coming March 2012.

Will InSync be the first Philippine start-up to go global?

2012-01-05T03:11:00.001+08:00

Insync, not the boy band mind you, has been getting rave reviews from the blogospehere as a major competitor for the huge and massively popular DropBox service.

Forget Dropbox: Check out Insync, which syncs with Google Docs
- http://sgentrepreneurs.com

Insync, a startup based in Singapore and Manila, just raised a US$800,000 funding from from phiLabs. Co-Founder and CEO Terence Pua has made the service free starting last December 2011 and is cheaper per gigabyte compared to DropBox as it utilizes Google’s cloud storage services.

Insync cloud storage service uses Google to undercut Dropbox
- The Verge

Insync turns Google Docs into the GDrive
- CNet

I welcome this development in cloud storage as it puts more competition in the market which means lower rates and better service for us consumers.

Good luck to to Insync guys! Don’t disband yet alright?

Hot Toys Harvey Dent / Two-Face (Collectible Series)

2012-01-04T00:37:00.001+08:00

Techolo.com: Collectibles Series will feature unique collectors items ranging from toys, gadgets, and other random treasures. Collectible provided by Toyrewind.com

New year. New collectible! This time we feature Hot Toys Harvey Dent / Two Face 1:6 fully poseable 12” scale from the movie The Dark Knight. Aaron Eckhart plays Harvey Dent. A white-knight Gotham District Attorney who has a tough stance against organized crime. Unfortunately, his legacy was tainted when the Joker made him into Two-Face, a madman and disgruntled citizen looking to exact vengeance.

Hit up the link for more photos and impressions. Warning: large images and may take time to load.

The box design made sure to show both faces of Harvey Dent as a good attorney and his side as a disturbed and broken man. The inside box has one of the movie’s famous quote by Harvey Dent “You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain".

Of course, additional accessories are included. A normal Harvey head and suit along with a pair of hands (to be swapped on the existing gun-holding hand), a pistol (which has a real rolling revolver), a pin with the “I Believe in Harvey Dent” slogan and the two-faced coin (great detail for such a small sculpt)

There is an option to buy an extra true type body for the extra normal head and suit but of course you’ll need an extra shoes, pants and long sleeve as well as the necktie and belt. You’ll just probably end up buying another set in the end or have one tailor made :)

If you enlarge the photos above, you can see the fine work done on the Harvey Dent’s face and suit. The level of detail on the charred face looks great. The burnt glistening flesh shines like it’s made of real gooey muscle and veins. The paint and sculpt complement each other and perfectly blend with the normal side of his face.

The suit is also well executed. The normal side has that fabric/canvas feel while the burned side is more of a leather. The texture just looks good.

Base stand also comes so you can prop up and display Mr. Dent along with Batman and the Joker on your shelf :)

Hot Toys Harvey Dent / Two-Face is currently priced at $250 among online resellers.

If you’re into collecting Hot Toys, might want to check out Hot Toys Philippines.

How about Metro Phone for Windows Phone?

2012-01-02T14:35:00.001+08:00

Windows Phone is a good name. It is simple and sticks to a tried and tested brand but I have seen many occasions where people still confuse Windows Phone to the old Windows Mobile. There is also that stigma that people unfortunately connect with the Windows label. While Windows 7 has been performing well, Windows, to the common folk, means viruses, malwares, and BSOD.

The new label could even drop the phone and just go for all METRO. So the next version can simply be called Metro Tango Phone, Metro Apollo Phone, etc… The “Phone” in the current name sometimes sound redundant when used – “The All-new Windows Phone 7 phone from Nokia..” Still a matter of usage though.

Imagine - Apple has iOS, Google has Android, Windows has Metro. The tablet can be called Metro Tablet for what its worth. Metro Tablet with desktop-grade Windows under the hood, that’s a catch to consumers.

Just my two-cents.

Ice Cream Sandwich manual update for GSM Nexus S

2011-12-17T11:04:00.001+08:00

I’ve already manually updated to Ice Cream Sandwich. Very snappy! Download the update here, copy into your Nexus S’ internal storage.

Power off, then hold volume up and power to reboot to the bootloader.
Using the volume key to navigate, select recovery, then use the power button to confirm
When you see the warning triangle and arrow, hold the power button and tap volume up. You'll see a menu.
From the menu, select "apply update from /sdcard", and choose update.zip from the list.
Reboot and Enjoy!

Mobile Wonder’s Curve & Bounce Speaker Review

2011-12-14T02:22:00.001+08:00

Mobile Wonders has been around for a long time in the portable speakers market but I haven’t really tried their small and compact speakers until now. The speakers are compatible with almost all mobile devices that have a headphone jack like iPods, mobile phones, laptops, tablets etc. They are also into other mobile products like camera accessories and charging adapters.

For this review, I was able to try the Mobile Wonders CURVE and BOUNCE speakers. Will it be a nice Christmas gift? Check out my impressions on both after the jump.

CURVE Speaker

The CURVE speaker has a built-in rechargeable lithium battery that charges at any 5 volt USB port that plugs into the speakers mini USB connection. The main feature of this mini speaker is its retractable and extendable speakers that mimics a subwoofer.

There is an included 3.5mm headphone jack hidden below and an extra cable with a USB connector and another 3.5mm headphone jack for charging and listening to music.

The sound of the CURVE is very good for such a small compact body. Extending its body builds a bassy and full sound compared to the ‘close-mode’. It even bested our Asus laptop speakers and I’m sure it will trump any netbook or pocket media players around simply because it has a larger speaker than most portable devices.

One thing that I missed on the first use was how to turn it on (yes you read that right!). The power, volume up and down icon was confusingly located on the red area instead of the black strip running around the device so I ended up pressing the labels themselves until I noticed that I should have been pressing the black strip instead :)

Overall I like the speaker. I also liked the matte surface that adds a premium quality feel to it unlike other cheap generic speakers I’ve used before.

The CURVE speaker is being sold at around 1,250 Pesos and comes in Black, Red and Silver colors.

BOUNCE Speaker

The BOUNCE speakers shares some similar features with the CURVE above but this model comes in pairs (for the left and right channel) and adds nice improvements. This speaker also has rechargeable lithium batteries and has the same retractable body. If the CURVE was loud, the BOUNCE is louder.

I like the fact that I can place one speaker on my right and on my left. Very useful for gaming on a laptop with a not-so-good speakers or just listening to music.

The speaker has a magnetic base so you can actually place both at their bottom ends or, in my case, attached them under my work desk and on the steel frame, leaving me more room for other stuff. The magnetic feature is really a nice addition!

The BOUNCE speakers has EXCELLENT sound. I was really impressed and I thought the CURVE was good! I’d prefer it over the CURVE because of the improved buttons and dual speakers. The package includes the charging cable and earphone jack plus a travel pouch for both speakers.

BOUNCE is priced at around 2,250 pesos and comes in Red and Black colors.

Mobile Wonders speakers are being sold almost anywhere there are gadgets and electronics – Abenson, SM Appliance Center, Odyssey, Globe Centers and even leading Apple Reseller stores to name a few.

Check out www.mobile-wonders.com for more of their products.

Thanks to Mobile Wonders for providing this review unit.

Best Extension Cord for Gadget Geeks

2011-12-10T23:57:00.001+08:00

If you’re like me and in need of a multiple power strip for your devices then you’ll probably want Akari’s 5 Gang Extension Cord with 2-USB ports. I think this is one of the best extension cords for those who has USB charging gadgets simply because it provides two 5 volts USB charging slots.

So far I’m impressed with the quality. The buttons are easy to press using my feet toes :) and its using the standard 2-prong socket that fits into any electrical outlet without the need for a 3-prong adapter. You can buy this at Ace Hardware for 900 pesos.

Note: the USB ports won’t charge the iPad or the TouchPad because of the higher power input requirement. You’ll need to use the included chargers for both device.

Samsung Galaxy S2 Specs and Impressions

2011-12-08T23:20:00.001+08:00

The Samsung Galaxy S2 is Samsung’s 2011 flagship phone. Under the slim casing runs a dual core 1.2 Ghz Cortex-A9 Exynos processor. It has a 4.3 Super AMOLED display which is beautiful as seen on my Samsung Nexus S. The display is made of tough Gorilla Glass. There is also an 8 megapixel camera and a 2 megapixel front-facing camera.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 has Samsung’s own TouchWiz skin on top of Gingerbread Android. It actually looks more like iOS than Android besides the option to add widgets. What I like about the Galaxy S2 is the build and large display. The 8 megapixel camera also took superb images. If this came with vanilla Android I would’ve chosen this instead of the Nexus S. Overall. this is one solid Android phone by Samsung, probably the best this year, not including the upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich update (which TouchWiz will mess up)

Windows 8 App Store is the key to Windows Phone success

2011-12-07T11:02:00.001+08:00

Microsoft just detailed its plans on the Windows App Store coming built-in on its new Windows 8 coming in tablets and desktops possibly by next year.

It is no mystery that Windows holds a giant share in any OS distribution anywhere, ever. With figures amounting to 500 million users, it obliterates Android phones and tablets which only has a combined user of 247 million users.

While Windows Phones is steadily growing in terms of approved and published apps on the Marketplace, it is still currently lagging behind Apple and Google. But unlike Google’s tablet OS, large hardware makers (some with no Android tablets) are throwing their bet on Windows 8 like HP, Dell, HTC, Samsung and other Windows Phone OEM)

The game changer that is are the apps and the developers that will back Microsoft’s push into the tablet space that everyone has been in for more than a year.

Looking at it, Windows 8 tablets might help Windows Phones gain traction as Win8 developers can just easily port their Metro apps to run on Windows Phones. There is also that incentive of lowered Microsoft cut to only 20% from the standard 30% after an app makes $25,000 from sales and in-app purchases.

Looking at how multitasking dual-pane works on Win8, I notice the specs for the snap-on pane takes exactly 320 pixels wide. If you think about it, this is the same resolution that is purported to arrive on lower end Windows Phone Tango coming next year.

Who knows, maybe Microsoft will allow Windows 8 apps to run on Windows Phones. If that happens, you can expect to see more interest on the Windows Phone platform as app scarcity becomes a non-issue for new adopters and switchers.

2012 is looking to be a crucial year for Microsoft as they need to make sure Windows 8 does not repeat the stigma that Vista brought. If people enjoy Windows 8 on the PC, rest assured, they get the tablet counterpart.

Manny Pacquiao: Pound for Pound iOS Game

2011-11-30T21:05:00.001+08:00

Abu Dhabi Media’s Karkadann Games just released a game starring Manny Pacquiao titled Manny Pacquiao: Pound for Pound. The 125mb game for the iPhone and iPad portays Pacman as a martial arts action hero, ala Bruce Lee, which coincidentally is Pacquiao’s idol. When you are made into a game character by a foreign developer, you’re really famous. you know? :)

See the more photos, game description and video after the jump.

Manny Pacquiao: Pound for Pound is a new 3D action fighting game series starring the Filipino athlete and international superstar, Manny Pacquiao, who is portrayed as a martial arts action hero. Pound for Pound is created for a wide gaming audience featuring accessible game mechanics, and will be available on iOS supported devices such as iPad, iPad and iPod Touch.

Pound for Pound: Volume I takes gamers through narrative arcs, intense action and addictive game play, as Manny the martial arts action hero battles through the dark world of heinous villains on a mission of justice. Gamers not only wield Manny’s legendary combination of pummelling punches with his lightning fast hands, but have access to new items that will improve Manny’s fighting power.

Fight as the world famous Manny Pacquiao in this action packed - game for iOS.
Gamers will use touchscreen actions and gestures to unleash Manny’s arsenal of lethal punches and kicks.
Fight against minions, mini-bosses, and bosses who increase in difficulty as players progress through the game.
Guide Manny in his crusade for justice and experience artistically vivid environments with an immersive storyline.
Engage in a combat oriented experience leveling Manny as you progress through challenging and intense battles
Upgrade Manny’s attributes with every level you gain, furthermore upgrade Manny's gear to increase his stamina, vitality and strength to survive the challenges ahead.
Integration with Game Center for unlockable achievements and leaderboard ranking.

[via] iTunes

HP TouchPad Review

2011-11-29T11:13:00.001+08:00

Here lies the infamous HP TouchPad – on my desk. After using it for a couple of days and reviewing past WebOS devices such as the Palm Pre Plus and Palm Pixi Plus. I just had to try out the latest, greatest and the last WebOS device, the HP TouchPad (Pre 3 you’re next!). If you’re ready for lots of bandwidth hogging photos and my review of a dead device then hit past the jump!

If you haven’t heard the story, let me run it down quick. After buying Palm and WebOS last April 2010, HP made a promise to continue and improve the whole WebOS ecosystem by providing a great hardware and scale for the platform to grow and attract developers. Sadly, it didn’t happen. Just after a month of releasing the TouchPad, HP decided to kill the WebOS business and even considered spinning-off their PC division.

After a few weeks, HP decided to sell of TouchPad stocks in a fire sale frenzy. The 16GB sold for $99 and the 32GB for $149. A tablet people didn’t buy just because it wasn’t an iPad instantly became a sensation. An overnight best-seller on Amazon. Stocks ran out. I was lucky to have gotten mine through hard work and some connections (fortunately)

So enough of the history, let’s move to the review.

Official HP Case

The HP TouchPad case looks like the original iPad 1 folio case. It also has the soft microfiber interior and 3 panels on the cover similar to the Smart Covers. The case has rubber protection covering the sides and corners of the device which offer better protection and smooth grip but making it stand can be a tricky and dangerous thing to achieve. I also believe that this is the only Touchstone compatible cover available for the TouchPad.

Touchstone Charging Dock

It may not look like a stone anymore as seen on its smaller phone counterpart but the Touchstone Charging Dock works as advertise. It charges the TouchPad wirelessly using inductive charging. Placing the TouchPad on the cradle would immediately launch Exhibition Mode and the device would start charging – wirelessly! I think devices should really integrate these inductive charging technology more.

The Exhibition Mode allows the tablet to still function while docked. It can display the current time, weather, RSS feed, Twitter streams and Facebook wall updates and much more. It can also be your expensive animating LCD photo album.

HP TouchPad Specifications

CPU: 1.20 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060
Graphics: Qualcomm Adreno 220
RAM: 1 GB
OS: WebOS 3.0
Display: 9.7-inch diagonal, LED-backlit, IPS wide viewing-angle technology
Storage: 32GB (or 16GB version)
Integrated front-facing camera and microphone
Exclusive Beats Audio for studio-quality sound

Unboxing and Booting

While unboxing the HP TouchPad, one thing I noticed was that the box was curiously square, and not rectangular like the usual (iPad) This is due to the fact that HP decided to place the cables and adapter on the left side rather than beneath the device. Along with the usual contents like cables and manuals, HP also included a microfiber cleaning cloth for the screen and the glossy piano-black body which is very prone to fingerprints and smudges.

Booting the TouchPad, I was surprised to see a different startup screen. It showed a white background with some diagnostic menu similar to this video. Apparently, some HP TouchPads are just that out of the box, which is weird. another annoying thing that I was welcomed with was that my device’s volume down button was recessed and somewhat stucked down. Just not my luck I guess.

Besides my unlucky unit, the build quality of the TouchPad is great. The IPS display is even comparable to the iPad. What bothered me was the weight of this (1.65 lbs) compared to the iPad 2 (1.33 lbs) that I have been used to carrying around.

The inclusion of the front-facing camera is a plus that can be utilized for video chat on the built-in Skype messaging client. There is no back camera.

HP TouchPad WebOS 3.0

Having used WebOS on the phone, I was quite familiar with all the swiping and the ins and outs of the software. One thing different with this tablet version was that the gesture bar is now gone. So instead of the gesturing back and forward between apps, you’ll now have to use the click button or swipe bottom up to go back to the home or launch Launcher.

I was also surprised that the TouchPad had haptic feedback. Meaning it had a vibrate motor built-in the device which is useful on notifications, text messages (when connected to the Pre 3) and even games.

However, one thing that I noticed overall was the sluggish and sometimes unresponsive performance of the device. This is a 1.2 Ghz device yet it stutters at times and is slow at opening cards. For sure this is not a hardware problem but an OS-level one. It seems than WebOS 3.0 was not optimize as much to perform much smoother on this hardware. The iPad 2 definitely destroys the HP TouchPad in this regard (even the iPad 1)

To try to speed things up, I installed Preware and then Govnah (overclocking tool). Doing these tips and installing the patches also made my TP move a little faster.

Pre-Installed Apps

The TouchPad had pre-installed applications like Email, Calendar, Memos, Adobe PDF Reader, Maps (Bing-powered), Amazon Kindle and even QuickOffice. Some apps when clicked launched the HP App Catalog and proceeded downloading the app. The Youtube app however was worthless since it just opened up the browser and loaded the mobile version of Youtube.

Enyo Framework User Interface

The layout of these built-in apps were very similar with Apple’s iOS with the use of panes. However, WebOS has a smarter way of managing multiple panes (Enyo) in way that is similar to how Facebook and Twitter apps perform on the iPad. You can slide panes on and off to focus on the main content.

The keyboard was also a pleasant to use. It had options of Extra Small, Small, Medium and Large layouts, all showing the number keys on top which was really a very practical thing to include. I can’t imagine how many times I’ve pressed shift on the iPad just to type multiple numerals. The TouchPad makes this part easy for me.

Notifications

WebOS is known for its smart way of handling notifications. In WebOS 3.0, notifications go on the right side, beside the drop down toolbar settings. Notifications smoothly glides on top and when tapped will display a list. You can either slide to dismiss each notice or point and slide the icon to dismiss all at once. The lock screen also displays each new notifications but it isn’t accessible and doesn’t function as a shortcut on the lock screen ala iOS 5 swipe.

HP TouchPad versus the Apple iPad 2

For the sake of comparison, let’s show these 2 devices side by side. I also tried to install and open up a common app – Box.net. You can see the difference of the app on each device. The display on the TouchPad seemed a little brighter than the iPad 2 both at full brightness. However, the iPad 2 bests the TouchPad hardware at all aspects except for one thing: the Beats Audio speakers. The TouchPad had that extra solid sound and sounded better than the iPad 2.

Conclusion

With iPad’s dominance in the tablet space, The TouchPad didn’t stand a chance and was never given one. Same with RIM’s PlayBook or Motorola's Xoom and even Samsung’s Galaxy Tab.

WebOS 3.0 on the TouchPad isn’t that bad, but it isn’t great either. It works for the occasional web surfer and multimedia user but considering there isn’t a lot of tablet-focused apps on the App Catalog, it would have a hard time competing with the two larger, more established ecosystems.

The HP Touchpad in itself is a lackluster device for it’s original price of $599 – but for a measly $149 it is one of the best tablets you can get right now price versus performance. Sure WebOS is dead but might be dead but the millions it sold through the fire sale piqued interest on this device and now you can actually install a working Android Gingerbread on it. (soon Ice Cream Sandwich).

Sometimes it just all boils to price.

Storing the World's Nuclear Weapons

2011-11-22T09:31:00.001+08:00

So where are the world’s most feared super weapon located? According to the info graphic below, Russia still holds and stores a ton of these WMD. Washington in the US is home to more than 2,300 alone and that more than 2,000 warheads are on high alert, and ready to launch on short notice, anytime, around the world. Fortunately, the graph shows a significant decline of stockpiles since the 1960’s.

I surely hope there won’t be any need to use these any time soon.

Via: Mozy

Google Music Store launches, goes out of beta

2011-11-17T13:04:00.001+08:00

Following the footsteps of Apple’s iTunes, Amazon Music Store and Microsoft Zune Marketplace, Google just made official and released out of beta their Google Music service. The Music store is not yet available in the Philippines but you can already have access to free ones and even back up your own songs to the cloud for free.

http://music.google.com/about/

L5 Remote Review for iPhone and iPad

2011-11-09T00:58:00.001+08:00

The L5 Remote turns your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad into one powerful universal remote for just about anything. You can design your own remote layout and assign signals from existing remotes. You can even download codes online for your TV’s, VCR, etc. Say good bye to batteries and unresponsive keys. Check the review after the jump.

Inside the box you’ll find this tiny transmitter that plugs at the bottom connector of your iDevice. It works with the L5 Remote app is available at the App Store for free. Without that, this plug is basically useless.

The device works for the following (requires iOS 3.0 or later)

iPod Touch (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th generations)
iPhone Original, 3G, 3Gs, 4, 4s
iPad 1 and 2

The L5 Remote App Features

Works with all iOS devices.
Download remotes or create your own.
Share remote designs between iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Create, position, size, and label the buttons you want to create your ideal layout.
Choose from skins or upload custom icons and backgrounds.
Drag and drop simplicity, iOS and multi-touch power.
Share images of your remotes by email, Facebook and Twitter.
Upload and download remotes to the cloud to transfer, share, backup and restore remotes.
Delete the buttons you don’t use and create the simplest possible remote.
Quick and easy setup of activities and macros.
100,000 button/1000 remote capacity.
Compatible with U-verse, DirecTV, Comcast, Verizon FiOS, Dish Network, TiVo, Sony, Samsung, Sharp, Panasonic, Vizio, and most other brands.

I had an easy time setting up everything from unboxing to using the L5 Remote. Pairing remotes was easy though older remotes tend to take longer pairing times. Launching the app rotates the display so that the transmitter is on top and facing the source. I was able to test on both the iPod Touch 4G and iPad 2.

I tried setting up our TCL and Samsung TV’s using the existing remotes and paired them using each button’s frequency. It was tricky at first since some remotes require holding down the button once, while others require multiple taps before the code is registered on the L5 Remote.

The customization of the remote is limited by the available buttons. There is an option for a silver or dark theme for the background and the buttons can only be customized on shape, size and location. What’s cool is that you can create macros for specific commands, perfect for executing double-digit channel macros.

I tried creating a single button for our common cable channels. HBO, History Channel and Discovery. There is an option to choose one of the default logos or uploading your own. Really nice addition.

Conclusion

If you’re really a couch potato or have lots of media player remotes scattered everywhere and at the same time own any iDevice (preferably the small ones – no iPad) - then this is perfect.

It’s just kind of a hassle that every time you’ll need changing channels or volume – you’ll have to find and install this small device to your phone and launch the app. If you tend to lose remotes or forget where they are, chances are you might also forget this little transmitter is plugged-in your iPhone and end up losing or breaking it anyway.

But for those who want to make backups of their current remote in case the original disappears or loses its clicks, this is a good alternative to backup, store in the cloud, and restore multitudes of remote codes.

http://www.l5remote.com/

Nokia N9 Pre-orders exclusively on Smart

2011-11-07T23:29:00.001+08:00

Smart is the exclusive telecom to offer the Meego-powered Nokia N9 to its Postpaid subscribers. Pre-order date is from November 4 to 18. Units can be picked up on November 21st. Approved applications will receive a free limited edition Nokia Wireless Music Receiver (MD-310). The Nokia N9 is free at All-In Plan 3500 and Unli Data Plan 2000.

http://smart.com.ph/nokia-n9/