Samsung B7320 and Omnia 2 Reservations

Two new smartphones from Samsung are coming to town soon — online reservations for the Samsung Omnia Pro B7320 qwerty phone and the Samsung Omnia 2 i8000 are up.

The Samsung B7320 is a full qwerty phone with HSDPA, WiFi, GPS, FM Radio, Bluetooth and 3MP camera. It’s powered by Windows Mobile 6.1.

The Samsung Omina II i8000 is a full touchscreen with 3.7″ AMOLED display. Has HSUPA 5.76Mbps, HSDPA 7.2Mbps and WiFi 802.11 b/g capabilities with storage of up to 48GB. The Omnia 2 also boasts of 800MHz CPU.

Reservations from August 17 to September 13 and get a free 8GB microSD for the i8000 and 512MB microSD for Omnia Pro B7320. Samsung Philippines has not indicated any retail price yet.

iPill: the iPod Mic

Not sure if I’ve seen this before but Ozaki is shipping a ton of these iPills to the Philippines this August.

The iPill is a microphone accessory for the iPod Nano (4th Gen) and the iPod Touch (2nd Gen). It has a capsule-like shape, with one half is the protective cover and the other half is the 3.5mm jack.

Ozaki promises better audio recording quality but that remains to be seen. They don’t have SRP yet (will update when these arrives in August).

Fujitsu LifeBook U2010 Ultra Portable

Sony doesn’t make the smallest laptops; Fujitsu does with their LifeBook U series. The latest one is this Fujitsu LifeBook U2010 Ultra Portable that runs on an Atom Z530 1.6GHz CPU.

5.6-inch display screen @ 1280×800 pixels with touch screen
1GB DDR2 533MHz
60GB HDD or 64GB SSD
Bluetooth 2.1
SD card reader
CF card slot
WiFi 802.11n
1.3MP camera

Battery Options:
2-cell Li-Ion 2900mAh: 3.5 hours on HDD, 4 hours on SSD
4-cell Li-Ion 5800mAh: 7.5 hours on HDD, 8.5 hours on SSD

Weighs just 0.61kg (1.34 lbs) with the standard 2-cell battery. The swivel base, touchscreen and stylus combo makes this the smallest ultraportable tablet we’ve seen. And the price — Php69,995 (in the same neighborhood as the Sony Vaio P).

Are HTC phones any good without Android?

In my years of reviewing phones, I’ve only tried two HTC phones. One is the Windows Mobile powered HTC Touch Dual and the Android-powered HTC Dream. Before that, HTC was way down my list of phone brands. Until Android came.

Today, the HTC Magic is probably one of the most sought-after smartphones locally (although the price kinda ruined all that excitement). The phone was also the subject of focus between telco-rivals Smart and Globe.

Yet, I can’t shake the fact feeling that all these attention is probably due to Google’s Android OS rather than the device itself. This brings me to the question — are HTC phones any good without Android?

The HTC Magic isn’t the most powerful phone from HTC. I reckon that the forgotten HTC Touch HD was better specs-wise but I have yet to see someone owning that model ever since it was launched.

My the coolness factor that comes with Google Android, I would bet HTC will be going all-out Android in most of its upcoming handsets.

Gateway EC3801i: under 1″

Looks like Gateway is just cloning what Acer is pushing out the door these days. First, it was the Aspire One series being re-style into Gateway LT series and now the Acer Timeline series has a counter-part in the Gateway EC series.

The Gateway EC3801i is a 13.3″ laptop which has a similar specs and price point as the Acer Timeline. It also boasts of the same 8-hour battery life.

Specs:
Intel Core 2 Duo SU9400 1.4GHz
13.3″ display screen @ 1366×768 pixels
Mobile Intel GS45 Express
2GB 1066MHz DDR3 RAM (up to 8GB DDR3)
320GB 5400rpm SATA HDD
Intel GMA 4500MHD with up to 1759MB shared memory
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 2.0
1 HDMI, 3 USB ports
5600mAh 6-cell lithium-ion battery

This model is slightly heavier at 1.8kg compared to Timeline’s 1.6kg. The retail price of the Gateway EC3801i is Php49,896 (as listed in VillMan).

Samsung Series 7 LED TV Unboxed

Samsung Philippines sent this LED TV over just this morning. I was actually drooling over it when I first saw the TV last April but it’s just beyond my budget at the moment so I’ll settle for a loaner at the meantime. See unboxed photos after the jump.
This 40″ Full HD LED TV is prolly the thinnest I’ve ever seen in the market at just 29.9mm or 1.18 inches (about the same thickness as a regular netbook).
The Full HD 1080p has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. I’m not sure but from memory, this LED has a dynamic contrast ratio of 1 million to 1.
At the back panel — 4 x HDMI, 2 x USB, Optical Out, VGA, PC Audio Input, DVI Audio Input, Component, Composite, LAN, RF Input.
This egg-shaped remote controls the channel and volume. It’s just an add-on to the usual full remote by Samsung (apparently, that remote isn’t in the box when it was delivered).



The full review will follow after I go for another round of movie marathon.

Do you like the new Yahoo! look?

Yahoo! finally showed us their new portal re-design and this time, it’s allowing users to somewhat customize the sections of the homepage.
Parts of the homepage are now widgetized and users can add 3rd party apps. What I liked the most is the Favorites bar which shows a preview of what’s inside the service (Twitter, Yahoo! Mail, Facebook, etc) just by hovering your mouse on the links. And oh, GMail is in there too! You can even add your own blog to the list.
The reboot is only available for the global version at the moment. The Yahoo! Philippines homepage still uses the old layout.
So what do you think of the new Yahoo! Portal?

Nokia 6760 Slide unveiled

Nokia launched the Surge in the US and has also unveiled the Nokia 6760 Slide for the UK. I wonder what corresponding messaging device will arrive in Asia.
The Nokia 6760 Slide is somewhat similar to the form factor of the E75 and the N97 with the full qwerty keyboard that slides out from the back.
Nokia 6760 Slide
2.4 inches @ 320×240 pixels
128 MB internal storage with 2GB via microSD (max 8GB)
HSDPA 3.6Mbps
Bluetooth 2.0 with A2DP
3.15 MP camera @ 2048×1536 pixels
Stereo FM
GPS with AGPS support
Symbian OS S60 rel. 3.2
Missing in the specs sheet is the usual WiFi 802.11 b/g capability. Battery is rated at 1500mAh (similar to E71/E72 & N97). Has an SRP of Php13k to Php14k. Not sure if this model will ever reach the Philippines.

Ultrathin 12″ HP Pavillion DV2 gets priced

First announced by HP back in January the Pavillion DV2 series has been available locally for some time now. This ultrathin AMD NEO powered laptop can be considered a direct competitor with the Acer Timeline series with a slight advantage of a discrete graphics card.
There are two models, the one with the integrated ATI Radeon X1250 graphics (DV2-1010AU) and the one with the 512MB discrete ATI Mobility Radeon HD 3410 graphics (DV2-1003AX).
HP Pavillion DV2-1010AU
12.1″ display screen @ 1280×800 pixels
AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 1.6GHz
1GB DDR2 RAM, up to 4GB max
ATI Radeon X1250 Graphics
250GB SATA HDD
WiFi 802.11 b/g
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±RW
3xUSB, HDMI ports
5-in-1 card reader
Altec Lansing Speakers
4-cell Li-Ion battery
Windows Vista Home Basic
Price: Php42,948
HP Pavillion DV2-1003AX
12.1″ display screen @ 1280×800 pixels
AMD Athlon Neo MV-40 1.6GHz
2GB DDR2 RAM, up to 4GB max
ATI Mobility Radeon HD3410 512MB GDDR2
320GB SATA HDD
WiFi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth 2.0
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±RW
3xUSB, HDMI ports
5-in-1 card reader
Altec Lansing Speakers
6-cell Li-Ion battery
Windows Vista Home Premium
Price: Php49,944
Both weigh at 1.65kg and 1.73kg (as heavy as the Acer Timeline), respectively and the DVD actually comes as an external accessory and not built into the system.
Again, my interest lies around the performance of the Athlon Neo 1.6GHz compared to say an Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz or even a Core 2 Solo 1.4GHz.

HTC Magic with Android now on Smart Gold

The only closest touchscreen handset that could probably match the iPhone 3G is the HTC Magic with Google’s Android OS. And now that its exclusively available only for Smart Gold subscribers, you can grab one for just Php3,000 under Plan 3500.
The full price matrix, as published on their site, is here:
Plan 500 - Php27,000
Plan 800 - Php24,000
Plan 1200 - Php20,000
Plan 1800 - Php15,000
Plan 2500 - Php9,500
Plan 3500 - Php3,000
Plan comes with a 24-month lock-in period with Smart.
The HTC Magic is a pretty nice phone that nearly matches the iPhone 3G’s features and capabilities (including its own app store):
Qualcomm MSM 7201A 528 MHz processor
3.2 inches, 320×480 pixels
accelerometer sensor
handwriting recognition
192 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM (expandable via microSD card)
HSDPA 7.2 Mbps, HSUPA 2 Mbps
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
3.15 MP autofocus camera
built-in GPS
digital compass

The HTC Magic was available on a Globe Plan for a couple of weeks until Smart snag the exclusive deal with HTC by end of June 2009.

And while it is said that Apple gets a cut of the monthly subscription fee from iPhone subscribers (Globe pays a percentage of the MSF to Apple), I’m not sure if Smart also has a similar deal with HTC due to the exclusivity.

Nokia E71i has Dual-SIM and TV Tuner

When I first saw this phone earlier, I really thought it was the real thing. The Nokia E71i is a knock-off Nokia phone that sports dual SIM and a TV tuner.
The Nokia E71i is much smaller than the E71 and instead of the qwerty keypad, it only has the usual alpha-numeric layout.
The design and construction of the phone is pretty solid and it will really fool most people into thinking it’s made by Nokia. Even the menu and UI are very similar to that of the Nokia E-Series phones.
Under the hood, the Nokia E71i has dual SIM capability and a built-in TV tuner. I tried running the auto-scan for the TV but could not get any clear reception.
At the back, there’s a camera with a label that says it’s 8-megapixel and AF.
These China-made knock-offs are slowly getting better and better at copying the real thing. This one is by far the closest to the real thing I’ve ever seen.

Sony Vaio P gets an Atom Z540 1.86GHz

The pocket-sized, ultralight Vaio P from Sony was also recently upgraded to include a faster 1.86GHz Intel Atom Z540 processor.
Two new models of the Sony Vaio P were introduced in the recent launching of their Summer 2009 laptop series.
Sony Vaio VGN-P23G
Intel Atom Z530 1.60GHz
1GB DDR2 SDRAM
80GB Ultra ATA/100 HDD
Intel GMA 500
8″ UWXGA display screen @ 1600×768 pixels
620 grams weight
Windows XP SP3
Price: Php54,999
Sony Vaio VGN-P25G
Intel Atom Z540 1.86GHz
2GB DDR2 SDRAM
64GB SSD
Intel GMA 500
8″ UWXGA display screen @ 1600×768 pixels
594 grams weight
Windows Vista SP1
Price: Php74,999
Battery life maxes out at 3 hours while Sony added more colors — black, green, red, white and gold. Got to see a coupe of them during the launch and there were minor improvements in the keyboard but that’s it — the awkward pointing stick is still there.

Sony Vaio W launched in the Philippines

Sony Philippines introduced their new line of Vaio laptops for Summer 2009 today. Among them is the much-anticipated Sony Vaio W netbook mini-notebook.
Now that’s a pretty quick local release considering that the Vaio W was only announced globally last July 7. Let’s get down to the specs, photos and price.
The official specs out of the box would be:
Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz
1GB RAM
160GB HDD
Intel GMA 950
10.1″ screen @ 1,366×768 pixels
MS Windows XP SP3
It comes with a standard 3-cell battery that only lasts 2.5 hours. It’s also a bit lighter at just 1.19kg and comes in white, brown and pink. Options for 6-cell could be coming later.
The suggested retail price — a whooping Php39,990 (and no, that’s not a typo). I know, that’s very far from the earlier $500 price tag we were told. The Sony Vaio W will hit store shelves by first week of August.
Update: Now I remember — the Asus N10J still holds the most expensive netbook title at Php39,999.

Fujifilm FinePix Real 3D Camera

Fujifilm is developing a prototype digital camera that has two lenses and able to capture a 3D image, according to this feature at Time.com.
This 10 megapixel camera takes two images using the two lenses built in to the camera. That way, it is able to perceive and develop a 3D image (much like the human eye). Of course, it will also come with a special 3D printing service from Fujifilm.
This should be out before end of the year for $600 pop.

Vaio W: Sony makes a proper netbook

After the pocket-sized Sony Vaio P which they didn’t want to call a netbook, Sony is finally coming out with a proper netbook — the Vaio W.
The specs are pretty standard too — Intel Atom N280 1.66GHz, 1GB RAM, 160GB HDD, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 2.0 and a nice 10.1 inch screen with 1366×768 resolution. It’s gonna be slightly lighter at 2.62lbs (I think it’s going to have a similar form factor as the HP Mini 110).
Comes pre-installed with Windows XP in pink, brown and white colors. Price starts at $499 {via Sony Style}.

A lot of people are asking which of these two entry-level touchscreen phones is better — the new Samsung S5233 Star or the older LG Cookie KP500 — and I’d say they are just brothers from a different mother.
Check out the comparative chart below and you’d be surprised how much specs these two phones share with each other. They’re like clones — down to the thickness.
Of course, the LG Cookie got beaten in the charts by the Samsung Star with a minuscule difference in internal memory, VGA recording and battery rating. The LG Cookie is about 500 bucks cheaper though.

Red Fox Wizbook N1020i with Bluetooth 3.0

Red Fox’s 10-inch netbook (dubbed Wizbook N1020i) gets another refresh and now has much better specs, more colors and a new super-fast Bluetooth 3.0 technology, according to a press release sent in yesterday.
Red Fox switched from the AMD Geode to Intel Atom (1020i X2) some time in the 4th quarter of last year. This time, it’s getting better specs.
Red Fox Wizbook N1020i
Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz
10.2″ display screen (1024×600 pixel resolution)
1GB or 2GB DDR2 667MHz RAM
160GB or 250GB SATA HDD
WiFi 802.11 b/g
1.3MP webcam
SD/MMC/MS card reader
Bluetooth 3.0 (up to 480Mbps)
Express Card/34 slot

The system will also come with a 6-cell battery rated at 4600mAh and pre-installed with Windows XP. They also come in a variety of colors - yellow, red, pink, green and black. Don’t have the suggested retail prices yet but will update this post once I get them.

Acer Aspire One AO751 Review

Looks like Acer was the first one to let out a 12-inch netbook in the market with the 11.6″ Acer Aspire AO751. After using one for a couple of weeks, I got to the bottom of things. Check out our full review after the jump.
The large 11.6″ screen is a big plus for the AO751 with a large 1366×768 pixel resolution only the Sony Vaio P can beat. Despite the size, it did not sacrifice the weight and dimensions to separate itself from the regular 12-incher notebooks — still under 1 inch thin and weighs just about 2.75lbs (pretty thin and lightweight for its size actually). Biggest advantage here is the almost 100% full chiclet-style keyboard.
What’s in the box? You get an Intel Atom Z520 @ 1.33GHz, 2GB DDR2 RAM, 250GB HDD, Intel GMA 500, Bluetooth, WiFi 802.11b/g. Pretty nice specs IMO. The only biggest concern here is the seemingly underpowered CPU. While 1.33GHz isn’t really that slow, you will still feel that the pre-installed Windows Vista OS is dragging it.

Globe to launch iPhone 3GS on July 31

This just came in — Globe Telecom has officially announced it will launch the iPhone 3GS in the Philippines on July 31, 2009.
Reservations will be accepted starting July 15. Customers can reserve by calling the Globe hotline at 7301000, through www.iphone3g.globe.com, or by going to any Globe Business Center.
The iPhone 3G S was announced by Apple last June 9, 2009. Globe Telecom has not yet decided on the price of the iPhone 3G S.