Two of the latest CULV notebooks we’ve reviewed recently, the Asus 1201T and ThinkPad X100e, sported the single-core AMD Athlon Neo processor and ATI Radeon HD3200. We ran some benchmarks to compare the two and found out some interesting results.

While on the CPU side, both notebooks practically has the same chip, the ATI Radeon HD 3200 doesn’t look the same. Just look at the GPU ID below:

We compared PassMark results between the two notebooks:

The big difference can be seen between the Radeon HD3200 GPU. That’s because of the memory allocation (256MB on Asus & 336MB on Lenovo) as well as the memory clock (200MHz/500MHz on Asus & 380MHz/333MHz on Lenovo).

Now that’s odd and don’t know how that came about. At least, if we look at the performance of the GPU, we know which one has the better one.

Asus Eee PC 1201T specs:
12.1″ display @ 1366×768 pixels
AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 1.6GHz
ATI Radeon HD3200 256MB
2GB DDR2 RAM
320GB HDD

Lenovo ThinkPad X100e specs:
11.6″ dispay screen @ 1366×768 pixels
AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 @ 1.6GHz
ATI Radeon HD3200 336MB
2GB DDR2 RAM
250GB HDD

The Asus has an SRP of Php21,900 and the ThinkPad X100e is Php28,990 — both having no OS pre-installed.

We got more PassMark results for the ThinkPad X100e here and the Eee PC 1201T here.

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I actually deferred writing about it last December as requested by telco insiders but looks like the cat is finally out the hat. Wi-Tribe Philippines did a soft launch recently offering WiMax broadband internet in Metro Manila.

We already knew that this new telco challenger, Liberty Telecoms, is a partnership between San Miguel Corporation and Q-Tel (Qatar Telecoms). The service is called Wi-Tribe and ads have been published on newspapers and flyers recently (I got a flyer yesterday).

Wi-Tribe is offering WiMax broadband internet for an introductory price of Php998 per month with up to 1Mbps bandwidth. There’s a 24-month lock-in period.

As a comparison, Globe Telecom introduced WiMax last year with a starting plan of 512Kbps for Php795. It now offers 1Mbps WiMax for Php995.

A number of beta-testers have been using the Wi-Tribe service for several months now. If you’re one of them, let us know you impression of the service. You can download their application form here.

The San Miguel and QTel partnership is a solid one that could prove to be a formidable challenger to the current broadband internet market. We always welcome competition.

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Acer’s famous for notebooks but their first foray into the smartphone market didn’t go quite well. Now, they’re back with a vengence — the Acer Liquid is powered by a SnapDragon processor and Android OS.

The Acer Liquid isn’t their most powerful smartphone to date as the neoTouch that came out earlier had a Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 1GHz CPU running Windows Mobile 6.5.

Acer Liquid
3.5″ capacitive touchscreen @ 480×800 pixels
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8250 768MHz
256MB RAM / 512MB ROM
up to 16GB on microSD
3G/HSDPA 7.2Mbps/HSUPA 2Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g
5MP AF camera
GPS w/ aGPS support
Bluetooth w/ A2DP
Android OS v1.6 with Acer UI 3.0

Acer’s laptops have been tested for build-quality for many years now but their smartphone line has yet to be proven. I think they got the Acer DX650 locally but haven’t bumped into one of the units ever.

The Acer Liquid was announced November of 2009 and released last December but has yet to reach the Philippines. We’re not really sure if Acer Philippines will release the unit locally but it’s nice to see a non-HTC smartphone running Android these days. So far, we only have the HTC Magic and HTC Hero so having another competing product is always good for the market.

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Now that the laptop market has been spread thinly with the introduction of netbooks and CULVs, it looks like the regular ones have been placed in the sidelines. Our next poll looks at what people prefer when buying a laptop.

We only have 3 big categories actually:

• Netbook. This is the most popular category nowadays because of its affordability but it generally lacks the processing power.
• CULV Notebooks. This recently created category for the thin and light segment offers better computing power yet still inherits almost the same battery performance of netbooks. Only issue is that they cost too much, almost twice the price of netbooks.
• Regular Laptops. The 13″ to 17″ laptops that carry discreet graphics cards and sport dual core or quad core processors. These are mainly geared towards gamers and processor-intensive users that want a nice, big screen.

So, which one are you? If you own a laptop, which category does it fall among the 3 mentioned above?

I’ve added the poll on the side but you can leave a comment below. I think it’s all about the need and lifestyle but many people really look at the price points.

Follow YugaTech on Twitter: http://twitter.com/abeolandres

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The Asus Seashell design was continued with the introduction of the Eee PC 1201T, a 12-inch AMD Athlon-powered netbook. We took the unit for a spin and shared my verdict in the review below.

The Intel version, which is the 1201N with Atom N330 dual core and nVidia Ion, will not be released by Asus in the Philippines. But that shouldn’t prevent you from seeing some units sold in the grey market.

If you’re familiar with the Seashell 1008HA and 1005HA, the 1201T is the 12.1″ version with respect to design and construction — slim and tapered at the edges.

The unit is glossy all over — from the lid, to the keyboard panel and the palm rest — so expect a lot of smudges and fingerprints when using this. Some people like it, others hate this type of piano-black finish.

The chiclet-type keyboard is well-spaced although the individual keys are a bit small and prone to slipping when touch-typing. I kinda liked that style though.

The display screen is 12.1″ in diagonal and has a resolution of 1366×768 pixels. The glossy screen is bright and crisp — a big disadvantages when used outdoor because of the glare.

When I ran Windows Experience Index, the processor got a rating of 3.2. This is 0.1 higher than the same Athlon MV-40 on the ThinkPad X100e (WEI: 3.1) because I installed 64-bit version of Windows 7.

Now at least we know that 64-bit OS does some improvements on performance. There’s also a difference in the GPU performance but that’s for another entry. I guess the most revealing about this CPU is that it can’t play YouTube HD (720p) smoothly — playback is choppy at best. It can play Full HD 1080p video files but that’s because of the help of the GPU.

One unique design feature of the Asus 1201T is that the trackpad area is continuous with the palm rest and that it’s pimpled (dotted like that of a Braille). This gives you some tactile feedback and I think works very well. The other drawback though is that the left and right click buttons are not separated.

The system is pre-installed with the Asus Express Gate, a quick-boot OS that allows for basic functions like instant messaging, browsing, games, video and photos. It’s a nice feature that’s built into the system and saves a lot of time when you’re in a hurry to get connected and just wanted to do a quick check.

As for battery life, the 6-cell battery only provides up to 2.5 hours but that’s because of the low rating of 4400mAh. I reckon if it had been 5600mAh, it could do about 3.25 hours. The Athlon CPU and Radeon HD3200 graphics are really juice-guzzlers.

The unit sells for Php21,900 without an OS — pretty affordable price if you asked me. However, the poor battery life and slightly above average performance of the CPU isn’t something to be too excited about.

In some respects, it’s actually better than a regular Atom-powered netbook with a 3-cell battery selling at the same price point. At the same time, if you compare this to the Lenovo ThinkPad X100e which has the same specs, the Eee PC 1201T looks attractive with the Php21,900 but don’t forget you still need to shell out some more money for the operating system.

Follow YugaTech on Twitter: http://twitter.com/abeolandres

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Been eyeing this dSLR for some time now since it was launched last September 2009. During the annual PhotoWorld Asia last week-end, was able to check out both the 5D Mark II and the EOS 7D and decided to go for the latter. Here are my first impressions.

The Canon EOS 7D is not any bigger or heavier than my old trusty 40D, aside from the re-orientation of the controls and buttons. All the goodness is found inside.

• 18-megapixel CMOS sensor with dual (2) DIGIC 4 image processors
• 8 frames per second continuous shooting
• 1080p (1920×1080) Full HD video recording
• 19 focus points
• ISO 12800!

This camera is shoots real fast and focuses quickly too. My Canon 40D shoots 3fps 6.5fps and this one can do 8fps. That coupled with 1080p video recording and I’m sold. The 7D is a close contender to the 5D Mark II — it’s a debatable issue on which one is better but I think it depends on where you are coming from.

For me, since I got a couple of precious EF-S lenses that I already use and don’t want to let go, the EOS 7D was a sure winner. The 19 points of focus is pretty cool and allows you some creative focusing of subjects that can’t be done with most other models.

And that doesn’t even count the fact that the 7D (body only) costs Php85,000 compared to the 5D Mark II at Php129,000.

Hopefully, from now on, I can do some HD video footages for my reviews and coverage here. Watch out for my review perspective of the Canon EOS 7D soon.

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LG Philippines lent us their latest LED TV, the borderless one in the SL90 series. The one that I got is the 42″ model. When they say “borderless” design, it means the glass screen extends up to the very edges of the set.

But that doesn’t mean the TV screen also displays video output up to the edges (I had that impression before — like an infinity pool).

LG SL90 LED TV
2.9cm thin (1.15″)
Full HD 1080p (1920×1080 pixel resolution)
3,000,000:1 Dynamic Contrast Ratio
TruMotion 120Hz (100Hz)
AV Mode
24p Real Cinema (24p 5:5 pull down)
Expert Mode (ISF Ready)
Bluetooth
HD DivX
USB 2.0
Intelligent Sensor II
Invisible Speakers

If you look at the middle photo above, you’ll see the glass reaches up to the edges (the LED screen and the back panel are sandwiched evenly). This is a departure from previous designs where there’s a frame around the display that borders the glass. The TV is also slim at only 1.15 inches on the side (about 29mm) so you can also hang this on your wall.

I am told this unit has a suggested retail price of Php119,990. I’ve only been using this for a couple of days so the review will have to wait by end of next week.

Follow YugaTech on Twitter: http://twitter.com/abeolandres

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Sony Philippines introduced several new models in their line of laptops, including a CULV line (Vaio Y), a high-end Vaio Z and a refresh of their Vaio W netbook.

Sony’s Vaio W netbook got a 25% price drop from Php39k+ to just Php29k+ with a fresh upgrade of the Intel Atom N450 with GMA3150.

They also introduced a new model, the Vaio Y, which uses low-powered Intel processors for the thin and light category at 13.3 inches. The Vaio Y gets a price range of around Php55,000.

Expect an Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 in here.

On the top of the heap is the Php150,000 Sony Vaio Z.

Sony also introduced their most powerful laptop running Intel Core i7.

Sony Vaio Z
Intel Core i5-540M 2.53GHz (up to 3.06GHz with Turbo Boost)
6GB DDR3 RAM
nVidia GeForce GT 330M GPU with CUDA
128GB SSD
13.1″ display @ 1600×900
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth
Up to 5.5 hours battery life
Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
Price: Php149,999

Sony Vaio Y
Intel Core 2 Duo SU7300 1.3GHz
2GB DDR3 RAM
Intel GMA 4500 MHD
320GB HDD
13.3″ display @ 1366×768
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth
up to 6 hours battery life
Price: Php54,999

Sony Vaio W
10.1″ display @ 1366×768
Intel Atom N450 1.66GHz
1GB / 2GB DDR2
Intel GMA 3150
250GB / 320GB HDD
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth
Price: Php29,999 / Php39,999

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Okay, I have to admit that running a huge giveaway/contest is such a tedious job in terms of logistics especially if you have several hundreds (over 700+) entries to comb thru. Nevertheless, we’ll continue to do our give-away every month. So here’s Round #2 of the YugaTech Great Gadget Giveway — Gimme your best shot!

This is your chance to get that MSI Wind U123H, the 10-inch netbook with built-in 3G powered by Globe Tattoo.

So what do you need to do? Simple.

Go to the most crowded place and have your picture taken holding the sign “Follow @abeolandres and @talk2globe on Twitter! “.

I’m looking for the best shot — the most creative, most difficult, most crowded that will draw the biggest impact.

Upload your submission on Flickr, PixLink, Picasa, Facebook, or any of your favorite photo-sharing site. I suggest to name your photos as “yugatechcontest.jpg” before uploading and/or include a tag “yugatech contest” when applicable. You can even put it on your blog and write about the ordeal of getting that difficult shot.

You can download this PDF document and print it out to use as props. You can make your own sign too — print it, paint it, put it on a tarp, cartolina, or manila paper — be creative, sky’s the limit. (Hint: We might give special prizes to the most creative ones.)

Once you’re done, leave a comment here with the link to your entry/page.

What we’re giving away?

MSI Wind U123H — for the most difficult, most creative that draws the biggest crowd attention or impact. I’ll pick 5 finalists and ask a panel of judges (TBA) to win the top prize. The runners-up get a Globe Tattoo.

If you posted your entry on Facebook and get as many people to “Like” the photo, you win 5 Globe Tattoo and five Php500 Globe Load. That’s top 10 with the most “Likes”.

If you posted your entry on PixLink, we’ll randomly pick 5 entries to win a Globe Tattoo each.

If you blogged about your entry and linked back to this contest page, we’ll also pick 10 entries randomly to win five Globe Tattoo and five Php500 Globe call card.

I’ll be running a Google Image Search and pick 5 random images on the front page of the search results and give them a prize as well (Php500 Globe call card each). That’s the reason why I mentioned using the file name and/or tag above.

That’s 34 minor prizes and 1 grand prize so far. But wait, there’s more!

If you tweet about this contest, we’ll pick 10 winners to get 5 Globe Tattoo and five Php500 Globe call card. Just copy and paste this tweet message:

Win an MSI Wind 3G netbook! Follow @abeolandres & @talk2globe. Join the YugaTech Giveaway: http://bit.ly/cWBn3M #thanks2globe

If you’re not on Twitter but have a blog, just post a blog entry about this photo contest. Make sure to have a live link to this page and use the first picture above (this one).

I’ll pick another set of 10 winners to get 5 Globe Tattoo and five Php500 Globe call card.

Okay, that should be enough, whew! We have fifty-four (54) consolation prizes and one (1) major prize — an MSI Wind U123H 3G netbook that comes with a Globe Tattoo SIM card.

Some things to remember!

You can join in any or all of the giveaways above but you can only win once. If you plan to submit multiple entries, you need to submit different photos/scenarios for it to be counted. That’s it! The fewer the rules, the better.

Contest starts today, February 3, and ends February 26. Three (3) weeks should be enough for you to think of that awesome photo entry. Good luck to all!

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The Nexus One is Google’s latest self-branded smartphone. It has gone a long way since the Google G1 over a year ago. So, before you have one delivered to the Philippines, check out our Google Nexus One review first.

First, let’s get one thing out of the way — the Nexus One wasn’t really manufactured by Google. HTC is the company behind it, the same phone manufacturer that did the Google G1. Google’s involvement is with the design concept and software integration. It’s an interesting partnership since HTC also promotes its own Android-powered handsets like the HTC Magic and HTC Hero.

The Nexus One has a solid design — combine a thin form factor, sexy curved edges with a polished finish and you get an almost perfect body. What’s a bit disappointing is the color tone used in the finish of the handset — the brown and dark gray combo turned out drab, bordering on ugly. Had they gone with a brushed-metal finish, it would have turned out nice (like that of the HTC Hero).

There’s not much physical buttons here — besides the optical trackball and power button, the only other button present is the volume rocker on the left side. There are dedicated touch points engraved on the bottom of the capacitive screen for Search, Home, Menu and Back. The bottom end houses the micro-USB port aligned with small metal contact points that’s used to connect to the optional dock (sold separately). At the back is the 5MP camera and LED flash.

The 3.7-inch screen is impressive — bright and crisp AMOLED display with resolution of 480×800 pixels. The screen real estate is large enough for comfortable viewing of web pages, Google Maps and watching videos. What the screen really is missing is multi-touch especially for browsing, viewing photos and navigating the maps. However, there are reports that the handset is capable of multi-touch and can be activated by a software update (The UK model has multi-touch and it is rumored that Google had a secret deal with Apple to temporarily disable multi-touch on the Nexus One for the US due to patent issues).

The Nexus One is powered by QualComm’s SnapDragon processor running 1GHz and you can really feel the responsiveness and how quick tasks and applications run on this handset. I’ve used the HTC Hero beside this unit and you can really spot the difference between the 528MHz and the 1GHz CPU. I’ve also tried the HTC HD2 (same 1GHz CPU) run WinMo 6.5 smoothly. The CPU performance really adds to a better over-all experience.

The connectivity options worked just fine — 3G/HSDPA, WiFi 802.11 b/g and Bluetooth. There’s no noticeable problems with 3G on both Globe and Smart, contrary to earlier reports in the US. What’s telling is that the Nexus One does not have native controls to turn on/off mobile internet — Google really expects you to have connectivity all the time. Good thing there’s a 3rd-party widget/app you can install to control this (saves on data charges and battery life). On the contrary, I have that widget built-in with the HTC Hero. The handset does not recognize the 3G network so APN settings have to be manually inputted.

The Google Android OS 2.1 has a number of improvements in it compared to version 1.5 which I am using on the Hero. However, they’re mostly cosmetic upgrades — live wallpapers, slightly new UI and better contacts list, among others. Using GMail is way better as the Contacts list automatically fills up the recipients filed as you type in the email addresses, a feature I didn’t have with the Hero.

The apps in the Android Marketplace is now more appreciated than ever, with applications and widgets running much better. I have yet to purchase a paid app though so that will be for another entry in the future.

The virtual keyboard is comfortable to use and responsive. Text input is still a pain in the first few weeks of using the unit. It gets better as you add more terms into the built-in dictionary. The predictive text gives you multiple choices at a time but you need to teach it which terms to include in the dictionary. The voice-to-text feature is nice, especially for searching. Unfortunately, my diction/accent doesn’t help a lot with the translation.

One other feature of the Nexus One that got my attention off the bat was the performance of the camera. The camera is snappy and has fast focusing. The photos have good white balance and color saturation too. Here are sample photos I took:

Video recording is almost as impressive and nearing HD quality (720×480 pixels at 20fps).

At the same time, video playback is smooth and not jumpy although the player is very simple and doesn’t support fit-to-screen to maximize viewing size. Random skipping from scene to scene is a snap and the audio is always in sync with the video. Audio volume is decent but not loud enough for open playback.

As for battery life, the Nexus One scored low in this aspect. I’d say one and a half days on regular use but expect to re-charge the handset at the end of the day, especially if you’re into mobile GMail and Twitter. Always bring the charger cable with you.

There are some stuff and features I missed from the HTC Hero with Android 1.5 that I’ve been using for months:

• I missed the HTC Sense UI. It’s a nice addition on top of the Android UI. I missed the customizable calendar widgets and weather widget.
• The Calendar app on the HTC Hero is better compared to the Nexus One in terms of usability. It’s more visual and a lot less like the boring Google Calendar.
• The Nexus One only has 5 panels while the one on the HTC Hero has 7. More is better and I’m not sure why this was reduced on v2.1.
• The optical trackball auto-scrolls the panels on the go with the Android 1.5. With version 2.1, the trackball selects widgets/icons in a row of the current panel before it scrolls to the next panel. Doesn’t make sense from a usability stand-point — I don’t need the trackball to select an icon/app/widget, I use the touchscreen.

The Nexus One is a great handset. The 1GHz SnapDragon is the heart of it all, if you asked me. This is more evident when doing a lot of multi-tasking. And for $529, I think it’s a steal. The Android OS 2.1 didn’t bring much to the table aside from eye-candy compared to the older versions of Android.

Update: The official Google Nexus One blog posted an entry that a software update will be available starting today. This includes a fixed to enable multi-touch functionality. Coolness! The update is not yet available on my unit though.

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Having used two Macbooks lent to me by Apple in recent months, I remembered the time when they changed from the simple white and black plastic body into the silver aluminum unibody. MacBooks were more expensive then, too.

Of course, that 13″ MacBook Pro with Aluminum unibody is the new look.

Apple MacBook (White)
2.26GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
2GB DDR3 RAM
250GB SATA HDD
8x double-layer SuperDrive
NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
Built-in 7-hour battery

One of the biggest advantage of MacBooks is their ability to last longer on a single full charge. The white MacBook promises up to 7 hours but from experience it’s just around 5 hours on regular use. However, that’s still better than most other regular laptops that offer 2 to 3 hours.

Anyway, having used the silver-tone, aluminum MacBook Pro and this new white unibody MacBook I’d say I’d go for the latter in terms of looks. Besides, this is one of the most affordable MacBook so far (Php54,990). I just wish they’d offer the black version back and make a 12-inch model.

What do you think — how would you improve the MacBook design?

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We’re able to get a review unit of the new Bayan Broadband 3G service. Their claim of TrueSpeed is hinged on the promise that they can deliver true 512Kbps EV-DO to your home as long as the signal is strong.

The device is similar to the USB dongle you’ve seen with Globe, Smart and Sun Cellular. The modem is made by ZTE and the design series is the same as the one by Smart (the UAAP/NCAA series).

Unlike the other telcos though, this one doesn’t seem to have a SIM card in it. All I did was fire up the dialer, configure the settings to include my client ID and connect online.

I was able to position on a location that gives me 4 or 5 bars on the signal meter and tested the bandwidth using 2Wire and Speedtest.net:

Based on the two tests, the service can do the 512Kbps it promises. What’s promising is that the upload speed is also the same/close as the download speed (as indicated by SpeedTest.net).

However, that’s still dependent on signal strength. As expected, the speed also goes down as the signal degrades. I have to do a more extensive tests with different signal strengths and sustained download speed. Will post an update entry once I collect more data and test runs.

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Thanks to all the hundreds of participants to our iPod Nano Giveaway, and likewise to our sponsor Real Leaf (Coca-cola). We’re impressed with the turn-out and the submissions but I can only pick one winner for YugaTech.

And here it is, the winning entry:

This one really got my attention as it’s a moment that’s hard to capture and repeat.

Here are the other entries in the top 10 entries I was picking from. I have to give props to them too!

Again, thanks to everyone who joined! We’ll have more of these soon.

To the winner, congrats! Please email me your complete name, address and contact information.

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Gigabyte’s netbook is back with a vengence — the new Gigabyte MT1028G is a 10-inch full touchscreen tablet netbook with built-in 3G. Check out the specs and pricing below.

Gigabyte TouchNote T1028G
10.1″ screen @ 1366×768
Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz
Mobile Intel 945GSE Express Chipset+ ICH7M
1GB RAM (up to 2GB)
250GB HDD
3 USB 2.0 ports
Bluetooth 2.1
1.3MP webcam
WiFi 802.11b/g/n
3.5G/HSDPA support
6-cell Li-Ion battery (7650 mAh)
Windows 7 Home Premium

The unit weighs about 1.48kg (3.256) with the 6-cell battery. This one’s got a high-capacity battery too (7650mAh) compared to many other 6-cell batteries which are rated at just 5600mAh and promises up to 6.5 hours on a full charge. The screen also has that nice 1366×768 resolution. The suggested retail price from Qube is Php30,999. There’s a non-3G model that’s priced at Php24,999.

Did a review of the 9-inch Gigabyte M912 tablet netbook before.

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Acer’s Aspire One line with the new Pine Trail platform starts selling in stores for a suggested retail price of Php23,900. It’s basically your Aspire One D250 with the new Atom N450 and GMA 3150 upgrade.

Acer Aspire One AO532h
10.1″ display screen @ 1024×600 pixels
Intel Atom N450 @ 1.66GHz
Intel GMA 3150 with 64MB memory
1GB DDR2 RAM
250GB HDD
Bluetooth 2.1
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
0.3MP webcam
8-in-1 card reader
3 x USB 2.0 ports
Windows 7 Starter

Comes with a 6-cell battery (5600mAh) that promises up to 8 hours battery life. The Php24k price tag at Asianic seems a bit high — was expecting somewhere between Php19k to Php22k.

Follow YugaTech on Twitter: http://twitter.com/abeolandres

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Let’s take a quick poll and let’s just based all that on the looks for the meantime. We got on our hands the Google Nexus One and the HTC Touch HD2. Two gorgeous smartphones but which one draws the a second look?

Both devices are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 1GHz processor. Really the main difference between the two is Windows Mobile 6.5 and Android OS 2.1 (the HTC HD2 is ready for WinMo 7.0) but it’s fairly safe to say that WinMo fans and Android fans are divided in the middle (so, try to write off the OS for a moment here).

So I ask you — if looks could kill, which of the two will slice you like a samurai?

We’re not going to do a proper poll anymore, just hit the comment button below.

Follow YugaTech on Twitter: http://twitter.com/abeolandres

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We also got more hands-on time with the Sony-Ericsson Xperia X2 during the Windows Phone press gathering today. Incidentally, the reps of SE Philippines also sent out word the other day that the device will be formally released on February 1, 2010.

The handset still runs Microsoft’s latest Windows Mobile 6.5 OS and got a bit of face-lift and upgrades:

3.2″ display @ 800×480 pixel
Qualcomm MSM 7200 528 MHz processor
HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 2 Mbps
110MB storage, 256 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM
up to 16GB with microSD expansion slot
8MP camera with LED flash, AF and IS, WVGA @ 30fps video recording
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth 2.1 w/A2DP
GPS with A-GPS support
TV-out
1500mAh Lithium Polymer battery
Windows Mobile 6.5

The Xperia X2 will have a retail price of Php29,500, way lower than the price of the Xperia X1 when it was launched back in 2008 for Php42,500 (See my review here. Disclosure: that handset was given to me by SE.).

Sony-Ericsson Philippines is doing a promo so you can get the unit for just Php28,500 if you reserve it before the release date (see details here).

Follow YugaTech on Twitter: http://twitter.com/abeolandres

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In a press gathering by Microsoft today, a number of mobile manufacturers showcased their latest handsets running Windows Mobile. Among the crowd is Filipino-branded phone maker Cherry Mobile showing the WinMo-powered Eclipse.

And yes, the Eclipse also has the Dual-SIM feature!

The Eclipse is a touchscreen smartphone with WiFi and even GPS. I didn’t get the full specs but we’ll update this once I get the specs sheet from them.

Cherry Mobile wants to get a real foothold in the smartphone market so it’s introducing the Cherry Eclipse at a very low price of Php9,999. It’s not yet available in stores but should be out very soon.

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Just like many new releases from Apple, there market is divided between fans and haters. It’s actually normal. No single product can make a claim for 100% approval. So, what’s the deal with the Apple iPad?

Some say it’s crippled, underwhelming and whatnot. I agree, in the same way the iPhone and iPod Touch are crippled as well.

Here are my thoughts and feel free to add your own as well:

• Steve doesn’t want the iPad to cannibalize Apple’s existing products. The iPad is somewhere between the Macbook, iPhone 3G and iPod Touch. It’s existence should not kill off or reduce sales of any of the other three devices. That is why Apple created the iPad that way. Steve wants you to have a reason to buy all of his toys.
• Compromises, compromises. No USB ports? That thing drains battery life. No SD card slot? How else can they convince you to buy the 32GB and 64GB models? No webcam? Hey, Apple needs something to show for iPad 2G.
• The choice of the iPhone OS 3.2 over OSX is pretty obvious. Steve’s been calling netbooks as slow-ass devices. Running the iPhone OS 3.2 on a 1GHz chip will be blazingly fast. It will be slow if it were on OSX — that’s for sure. Remember, it’s not just the CPU but the RAM as well. I imagine 512MB in there — not enough to give you a nice experience of OSX and all the memory-hog applications.
• Absence of Flash support sucks but makes sense in terms of performance. Here’s a tip — load up a 24×24 FarmVille on your 1.6GHz Atom netbook and see how slow it is. Then try running YouTube HD as well and you’ll realize what I mean. Steve would rather scrap a feature just to make sure you don’t get that slow crappy experience. How else can you say it’s slow if it can’t even run it?
• Remember the very first iPhone? It was EDGE, no 3G. Doesn’t support Flash. Yeah, even until now. No multi-tasking? The iPhone 3GS doesn’t do multi-tasking and people still bought it. The iPad may not be anything we imagined it to be but so was the very first iPod back in 2001. Oh wait, did you remember the transition from the grayscale iPod to the iPod Photo and then iPod Video?

This device is certainly just for early adopters, not the ones who are looking for the features and functionalities found in regular tablet PCs. It will not fill a void or solve a productivity problem in the consumer market. It is not made to replace your netbook or laptop. Not even your iPod Touch for that matter. Apple is creating a device for a non-existent market and that’s the biggest challenge — can Apple carve that niche and make it grow in 3 to 5 years?

If there’s one place I want this iPad to sit — it will be inside my car. It will be the media hub replacing that old, clunky portable DVD player — music, movies, games, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and streetview maps. The kids at the back seat will love it.

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So it’s a tablet PC and Steve Jobs calls it the iPad. Think 6 times the size of the iPod Touch. Kinda funny name though. What say you?

The Apple iPad specs:
9.7″ display screen @ 1024×768 pixels
16Gb to 64GB Flash Drive
1GHz Apple A4 Chip
Bluetooth 2.1
WiFi 802.11n
3G optional (uses new micro-SIM)
10 hours battery life

This device is really thin at 0.5″ or 13.4mm. Weighs just 1.5lbs too. The device is basically an enlarged iPhone with more processing power so they’re able to add more features like iBook, iWorks, and better browsing and gaming experience.

So that’s why they bought that PA Semiconductor back in 2008. That could have been their ticket to the 1GHz Apple A4 Chip (Qualcomm is also doing the SnapDragon 1GHz which now powers the Google Nexus One).

The iPad can run all iPhone Apps out of the box, although full screen will kinda be pixelated due to pixel-doubling. Price starts at $499. Twice the price of an iPod Touch. Not bad!

iPad WiFi 16GB: $499
iPad WiFi 32GB: $599
iPad WiFi 64GB: $699

iPad WiFi+3G 16GB: $629
iPad WiFi+3G 16GB: $729
iPad WiFi+3G 16GB: $829

We’ll have to wait 60 days more for this to be available worldwide and 90 days for the 3G model.

Then again the name iPad really does smell. I fear Steve will rename the iPod Touch as the iPad Mini. *heh*

So, who’s buying one?

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So the package arrived yesterday and I was able to unbox the Nexus One this afternoon. I knew that by getting that custom laser engraving, It’d be delayed by a week but I think it’s worth it.

First, and this is pretty obvious, the phone is pretty fast — you can really feel that processing power kicking from inside. Having used the HTC Hero running 528MHz, the 1GHz SnapDragon CPU really does make a difference.

Second, is brown the new black? I honestly didn’t like the brown tones on the Nexus One. The brown looked okay on the Hero since it’s got a brushed-metal finish but the matte finish on the Nexus One made the brown dull and cold. But that’s just me.

Lastly, I missed the HTC Sense UI. The Nexus One has the Android widgets but I liked the eye-candy of the HTC Sense UI and the native widgets better.

As predicted, I spent just under Php28k for the unit, all in all. Not bad considering I got the HTC Hero from HK two months ago for Php30k. That makes my primary and secondary phone an HTC-made handsets. The Android OS really changed the playing field here.

Okay, enough of the first impressions. Will post a full review by next week.

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Lenovo’s latest ultraportable is the ThinkPad X100e, set to be launched in the Philippines this February 3. A ThinkPad under Php30k is unheard of so we check out if the X100e is worth all that wait.

The ThinkPad retains its signature design — sturdy, cold and not a hint of glossy finish. We’ve known the ThinkPad line to be very strong in the business segment but it’s also got its following with consumers because of the solid construction.

The unit is not really that thin but it’s already light for its size. The 6-cell battery protrudes at the back and not at the bottom which, I think, is a better positioning. The keyboard is nice and spacious with an almost chiclet-type form — it’s slightly curved at the bottom end and has a concave surface. This allows for better touch-typing experience which helps prevent your finger from slipping into two keys at a single tap.

My only gripe is that Lenovo still insists that the function key (Fn) is placed on the leftmost edge rather than the control (Ctrl) key. I use the Ctrl key more often than the Fn keys and putting it on the leftmost helps me hit it easily. The arrow key on the right are more prominent and they even added a dedicated Page Up and Page Down keys in between. This is probably one of the best keyboards I’ve ever tried on a laptop.

The trackpad has that same unique features of the ThinkPad — multiple sets of clickers with a dedicated scroll button — but all that seemed that have eaten a couple millimeters of the area of the trackpad. That nipple mouse (the track-point) is still there in the middle — a classic ThinkPad symbol and serves as alternative mouse pointer for those who still loves using it.

The ThinkPad X100e comes in different flavors — the one I had was a single core AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 which runs at 1.6GHz. It’s not as fast as the dual core Athlon X2 L335 on the Wind U210 but it’s still performs quite well. It can’t play YouTube HD 1080p (a bit choppy) but runs YouTube HD 720p just fine.

The rig came with an ATI Radeon HD3200 with 256MB dedicated RAM so it scored high in the graphics department. Results from Windows Experience Index gave the GPU a 4.8 for 3D gaming while the CPU got a decent 3.1 (will have some benchmark results between the MV40 and Neo X2 in the PCLabs later).

The 11.6″ screen, with a resolution of 1366×768 pixels, is bright but not very crisp (probably because of the matte finish). It’s more usable in the outdoors or bright environments compared to other glossy screens that attracts glare and fingerprints.

The other essential specs like the 2GB RAM and 320GB HDD are adequate as well as connectivity options with WiFi 802.11n and Bluetooth 2.1 (and no, there’s no ODD in here). The RAM is upgradeable to 4GB and there are models with 3G options too. The system comes with Windows 7 Home Premium pre-installed.

Lastly, the 6-cell battery is rated at about 5600mAh and Lenovo claims it could last up to 5 hours. However, on normal use with WiFi on and average display brightness, it only lasts just a little over 3 hours. BatteryBar shows the same with a full lifetime of 2:52. That’s really the trade-off you get with the MV40 and HD3200 which eats up a lot of juice.

Lenovo’s already got the ThinkPad T series in the thin and light category but those are targeted to enterprise users and businessmen and has a pretty hefty price tag (in the vicinity of Php100k) so seeing another ThinkPad at 1/4 of the usual price is an attractive offer. That’s with a starting price of Php28,990.

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Interestingly, Asus’ 12-inch version of their netbooks have only arrived this week despite other PC manufacturers offering them as early as last year. The Asus EeePC 1201T is the 12.1″ version of the Seashell series and I bought a unit for review.

There are supposed to be 3 models in this series — 1201HA running Atom Z520, the 1201N running Atom N280 N330 with nVidia ION and the 1201T running AMD Athlon MV40 and ATI Radeon HD3200.

The specs of the Asus EeePC 1201T include:
12.1″ display screen @ 1366×768
AMD Athlon MV40 @ 1.6GHz
ATI Radeon HD3200 256MB
2GB DDR2 RAM
320GB SATA HDD
WiFi802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.1
Multi-card reader

Unlike the other netbooks in this category, the 1201T does not have an HDMI port although Asus claims it can play 1080p HD videos. The unit does not have any OS pre-installed so I got it pretty cheap.

The suggested retail price — Php21,990. Not bad.

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Quite a lot of recent RIM’s BlackBerry phones looked quite alike (Bold and the Curve) and it could mean one of two things — either RIM doesn’t have any more design ideas left or it has almost perfected the form factor that many people loved about the qwerty smartphone that it doesn’t want to veer away from it. That is the case of the BlackBerry Bold 9700.

I haven’t formally reviewed the previous generation BB Bold 9000 but having tried it a couple of times before and basing on the specs, one can make the conclusion that there’s not much can be done on the BB Bold 9700 except for a number of tweaks and optimization.

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 sports almost the same exterior as its predecessor — glossy, black-piano finish in front, rubbery lining on the side with a streak of silver and a nice leather back panel. The leather gives the handset a touch of class but also helps secure a nice grip when using the unit.

RIM tried to cut some fat around the unit so a couple of millimeters were shaved off the dimensions to make it more compact. This move somehow sacrificed a little screen real estate (2.44″ from the previous 2.6″) but improved on the pixel resolution (480×360) which explains why the display is clear, crisp, and bright.

The physical keyboard, one of RIM’s strongest features in most of its handsets, is maximized on space and layout. It might look a bit cramped at first but it’s just enough and comfortable for two-fingered typing. RIM shaped the individual keys with a chiseled edge, half of which faces the left and the other half facing the right. This is actually a clever and practical move — your thumbs get some sort of traction over the keys and helps prevent from slipping and hitting the wrong keys.

Again, RIM has fully transitioned it’s old and problematic trackball and replaced it with a touch-sensitive trackpad. This is probably the most welcomed change made on BlackBerry handhelds lately and it does seem to perform well.

The Bold 9700 is fully equipped with connectivity options you’d ever need in a smartphone — WiFi, 3G/HSDPA, Bluetooth and GPS navigation. Browsing on the unit seems fast on both 3G and WiFi and the pages rendered well but you’d wish you had more screen real estate there. And while the GPS navigation is usable, it hasn’t gone to the same level what Nokia recently did with their free turn-by-turn navigation.

The BlackBerry Bold 9700’s newest competitor would be the Nokia E72 and while they’re neck-and-neck in terms of the major features, the E72 has a few additional features up its sleeve. Battery life is impressive and lasts at least 3 days on single full charge (it’s got the same 1500mAh rating as the E71 and E72).

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 also missed a couple of things, some of it is due to geographical limitations:

• First, the BlackBerry App World is still not available in the Philippines. The Apps would have added a huge plus point on top of the BIS. Give it already to us, RIM.
• The 3MP camera is still a bit inadequate but if you compare it to another business phone like the Nokia E72, they’re just at par so no big deal there. It’s really hard to find a business phone that’s got good optics nowadays. I think it’s just positioning and they really intended it to be that way.
• No FM tuner, a feature that’s becoming a standard all mobile phones in all categories. It’s time for RIM to equip all their future handsets with one.

Admittedly, there’s not much improvements you can do on a handset which many BlackBerry users deemed almost perfect. If only they could offer it a little more affordable like the Curve 8520. Good thing though is that you can now have this unit and use a prepaid SIM from Globe or Smart and just subscribe to the prepaid BlackBerry service.

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Honda Cars Philippines today unveiled their latest SUV, the Honda CRV 2010 and even before it arrived, over 200 people have made reservations for the model.

And no, I’m not one of them.

The Honda CRV 2010 comes in 3 variants:

2.0 V MT 2WD – Php1,275,000
2.0 V AT 2WD – Php1,325,000
2.4 S-X AT 4WD – Php1,525,000
2.4 S-X AT 4WD – Php1,545,000 (Brilliant White Pearl)

Follow YugaTech on Twitter: http://twitter.com/abeolandres

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For the longest time, we’re all still confused about the performance of a lot of netbooks and CULV ultraportable notebooks sporting low-power CPUs. Though not very accurate, I’d say the Windows Experience Index sub-score of the CPU gives us a good perspective on the processor’s capabilities.

First, let’s look at the line-up of CPUs currently being used on netbooks and ultraportables in the market. We have four (4) from AMD and ten (10) from Intel.

You will notice that a lot of factors do affect the WEI sub-scores of the CPU. I’m looking at Instruction Set (32/64-bit) and number of cores as significant factors that affects the scores.

Likewise, the TDP (thermal design power) clearly draws the line between what CPUs are for netbooks and which ones are for CULV. Likewise, the TDPs will also give you an idea on how efficient in power consumption each CPU performs which consequently affects how long a standard battery will last on the units.

You will also notice that the Atom N450 has the highest TDP of 5.5 watts among the Atom series (yet Intel claims the platform is 20% more power efficient). This is because the graphics chip is already integrated into the CPU. The old Atom series (N280 and below) does not have that feature.

The old 945GSE/ICH7M combo has a TDP rating of 9.3W and add the 2.5 watts from the Atom CPU and you get 11.8 watts. Compare that to the new set-up with a total of 7 watts (5.5 watts for the CPU and 1.5 watts for the chipset) and you get a 41% decrease in power consumption.

Note: Most of the WEI data on the charts were personally taken by me from various netbooks and ultraportables that I’ve tried over the last months. I then compared my results to other results published online. Of the lot, the only significant discrepancy was with the WEI of the Intel Core 2 Duo Su7300 1.3GHz. My test gave me a 3.9 sub-score but others recorded a 4.0 and a 4.1 so I adjusted the figure on the chart to 4.0 (since the SU4100 has almost the same specs).

Follow YugaTech on Twitter: http://twitter.com/abeolandres

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HP’s Pavillion dm2 was one of the first few ultraportables in the thin and light category but came with an AMD Athlon Neo processor and was priced way higher than most others in the category. HP seems to have corrected that oversight with the HP Pavillion dm3.

Aside from being priced competitively against other CULV-powered notebooks in the 13-inch category, HP continued the same elegant design (imagine a 13-inch and thin HP Mini 311).

HP Pavillion dm3-1014TU
Intel Pentium Dual Core SU4100 @1.3GHz
2GB DDR2 RAM
320GB SATA HDD
13.3″ display screen @ 1366×768 pixels
Intel GMA 4500MHD
WiFi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth 2.1
External DVD+RW

I’d look at this unit as a direct competitor of the Lenovo U350, Asus UL30, Acer Timeline 3810T, Toshiba Portege 130 and the Neo Edge Z3265.

Comes with a 6-cell battery and Windows 7 Home Premium pre-installed. Suggested retail price is Php39,990 at Octagon Computers.

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Local PC manufacturer Neo could be the first one to release their own version of Pine Trail netbook, starting with Neo Basic B3230 and with a competitive retail price of Php18,995.

Neo Basic B3230
Intel Atom N450 1.6GHz
Intel GMA 3150
10.2” display @ 1024×600 pixels
2GB DDR2 RAM
320GB HDD
WiFi 802.11 b/g
1.3MP webcam
3-in-1 card reader

I was told that these will carry the same design as the previous Neo Basic netbook but will have the upgraded specs. Not sure though what the standard battery is — either a 4-cell Lithium Polymer or a 6-cell Li-Ion. The units will also have Windows XP pre-installed. The price is pretty reasonable too at Php18,995.

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According to the latest stats from Admob, the Nokia N70 still tops as the top handset used to connect to the web in the Philippines. This despite the fact that the model has already been discontinued for distribution.

The Nokia N70 took 9.2% share of ad request from the Admob network in the month of November 2009. here’s the top 10 handset in terms of usage for internet browsing:

Nokia N70 – 9.2%
Nokia 6630 – 5.0%
iPhone – 3.0%
iPod Touch – 3.0%
Nokia 6680 -2.8%
Nokia 6120c – 2.8%
Nokia 3110c – 2.6%
Nokia N73 – 2.1%
Nokia 6300 – 2.0%
Nokia 6600 – 1.7%

Nokia’s first touch screen phone, the 5800XM, came in at #18 with 1.1% of requests. The Sony PSP which used to be in the top 20 has dropped from the list. Only Apple’s iPhone and iPod Touch are the non-Nokia model that made it to the list.

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Nokia has just announced it is now offering Ovi Maps with turn-by-turn navigation to all users globally. Best of all, it’s also available for the Philippines for free.

The new Maps menu takes one click to calculate the best way to walk or drive to your destination, and to find your position, find places, find local Lonely Planet and Michelin listings, entertainment, or events nearby.

Best of all, the Maps can work even if you’re offline since the map data is already downloaded into your mobile phone (there’s be instances that map data is partially downloaded or new data needs to be downloaded from time to time).

The Ovi Maps with GPS navigation is currently available for the following handset models:

• Nokia E72
• Nokia N97 Mini
• Nokia X6
• Nokia E52
• Nokia E55
• Nokia 6730 Classic
• Nokia 6710 Navigator
• Nokia 5800 XpressMusic
• Nokia 5800 Navigation Edition
• Nokia 5230

No luck for owners of Nokia N97 and Nokia N900 though. The installation file is about 27.5MB and can be installed via the Nokia PC Suite. You can download it here.

See some screen shots here:

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