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Samsung Galaxy S4 – Specs, Price, and Availability in the Philippines

Samsung Mobile finally unveiled Galaxy S4, the latest model of their highly successful Galaxy S line of smartphones. The device sports a 5-in Super AMOLED HD (1920X1080) display, running on Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) OS, with a computing power coming from Quadcore Processor and 2GB of RAM.

Samsung Galaxy S4 unveiled

As expected, Samsung beefed several interesting new and upgraded features such as the 13 MP rear camera, Smart Pause/Scroll eye detector that pauses a video when the user removes his eyes from the screen, S Health that lets you track health-related stats and so much more.

Behold: Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung Galaxy S4 Specs

Here’s a brief summary of Samsung Galaxy S4 technical specifications:

• Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean
• 1.9GHz quad-core/1.6GHz octa-core CPU (varies by market)
• PowerVR SGX544MP3 GPU
• 5-inch 1080p display (441PPI)
• 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM
• 16GB to 64GB of storage
• 2.5G, 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi a-ac, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
• IR LED (for remote control)
• microSD card slot (up to 64GB)
• 13MP rear camera, 2MP front camera
• 2600mAh battery
• 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm, 130g

Samsung Galaxy S4 Features

Here’s a rundown of Samsung Galaxy S4 features

• Dual Camera
• Group Play
• Sound and Shot
• Story Album
• Drama Shot
• Samsung Hub
• S Translator
• ChatON
• Smart Scroll/Smart Pause
• Samsung WatchON
• S Voice Drive
• HomeSync
• Air View / Air Gesture
• S Health
• Adapt Display
• Adapt Sound

To explain these features further, please watch this video from Samsung Mobile.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Price and Availability (Philippines)

Though pricing was not yet revealed, it can be expected that the unit will be priced around 35000 to 40000 Pesos for the open-line, non-contract unit.

Samsung also mentioned that by late April 2013, Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available in 327 carriers in 55 countries. That may include major mobile service providers in the country – SMART, Globe, and Sun Cellular.

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Samsung Galaxy S3 Free at Sun Elite 1500 Plan

Days before the unveiling of the much-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S4, Sun Cellular announces that the current flagship phone of Samsung Mobile, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is now free at Plan Elite 1500.

Sun Cellular now offers the Samsung Galaxy S3 free at Sun Elite 1500 Plan

[Related: Samsung Galaxy S4 Event on March 14]

About Samsung Galaxy S3

Samsung Galaxy S3 is the flagship smartphone of Samsung Mobile.  Unveiled last May 2012, it quickly became one of the most successful smartphones in history selling over 20 Million units in its first 100 days.

Samsung Galaxy S3 has the following specifications:

• 4.8” Super AMOLED Touch Screen
• S Voice Application
• 1.4 GHz Quad-core Cortex A-9
• 8MP Camera
• Android Ice Cream Sandwich

For the detailed specs and features, please see the article below:
[Read: Samsung Galaxy S3 Release – Features, Availability, and Price in the Philippines]

About Sun Elite 1500 Plan

The Sun Elite 1500 Plan gives you the following services:

• Unlimited Sun Calls and Texts (Sun to Sun)
• Unlimited Mobile Internet
• Unlimited Local Landline*
• 250 FREE Texts to other networks
• 60 IDD minutes**

*For landline calls within your local area only. Unlimited landline feature is available in NCR, Rizal, Albay, Camarines Sur, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Pangasinan, Zambales, Nueva Ecija, Quezon, Benguet, Tarlac, Bataan, Isabela, Bulacan, Pampanga and Ilocos Sur

** IDD 10 Countries: US (Main), Canada, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Brunei, Guam, Macau

How to Apply for Sun Elite 1500 Plan?

Just go to the nearest Sun Shops and bring the following requirements:
Subscription Application Requirements:
I. COMPLETELY FILLED OUT APPLICATION FORM/S WITH LANDLINE NUMBERS
II. VALID ID (example Philippine Driver’s License)

III. ANY OF THE TWO (2) OPTIONS BELOW:

Option 1: Proof of Billing & Proof of Income

A. PROOF OF BILLING (example Electric Bill)
B. PROOF OF INCOME ( example Income tax Return or BIR Form 2316)

Option 2: COMPETITOR BILL – Account must be current with no overdue balance or paid if already due.
The Subscriber must have been with the competitor network for at least six (6) months at the
time of application to Sun Cellular.

Please see more details here:

[Read: Sun Cellular Subscription Requirements]

Reminders Before Applying for Sun Elite 1500

I know many already know about this but for the sake of those who still don’t, here are a few reminders and notes:

- Make sure that the place where you usually go or stay have Sun Cellular 3G signal
- for those in major cities, this won’t be a problem
- voice and text signal does not guarantee 3G internet signal
- You can always share your mobile phone internet connection through tethering or personal hotspot, a feature common in smartphones like Galaxy Grand
- Sun Elite 1500 Plan has a 2-year contract

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HP Unveils Slate 7 Tablet at MWC 2013

Hewlett-Packard, the world’s largest manufacturer of personal computers announces the release of Slate 7 tablet during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain.

The HP Slate 7 tablet

HP Slate 7 is an affordable Android tablet that aims to compete in the space now occupied by Google Nexus 7 and iPad Mini. Here are the features and technical specification of the device.

[Related: Google Unveils Nexus 7 Tablet]

[Related:  iPad Mini Philippines Now Available!]

HP Slate 7 Specs

- 7-in touchscreen display (High-aperture-ratio Field Fringe Switching (HFFS) panel) – Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) - ARM Dual Core Cortex-A9 1.6 GHz processor - 1GB RAM – 8GB on-board storage – micro SD card slot – 3 MP rear camera and VGA front camera - embedded Beats Audio –  he HP ePrint application

Pricing and Availability in the Philippines

HP Slate 7 will be available in the US this April 2013. The device was priced at $169 (around 7000 Pesos). Availability in the Philippines was not mentioned but there’s a huge possibility that the device will make it to the Philippine market.

After HP TouchPad and the WebOS

HP is struggling to come out of the fading PC business like Dell. In February 2011, the company attempted to jump into the bandwagon of the fast growing tablet market by announcing the HP TouchPad. It is a 9.7 inches tablet powered by WebOS, a mobile operating system HP bought together with Palm in 2010. The device hardware and software (WebOS) were met with positive reception from reviewers. But the key flaw of the TouchPad is the lack of available apps, an area where  Apple and Google had a huge advantage.

The TouchPad endeavor eventually ended in August 2011 when HP decided to drop the development of WebOS and all other devices running on it. The remaining TouchPads went on sale for $100 and the demand was crazy. Two years after that, here’s HP again, trying to enter the tablet space with HP Slate 7. Now that they have partnered with Google in using Android, that will solve the main problem they had with WebOS, that is, the apps availability. Will HP finally make it this time? Probably. The tablet market is increasingly becoming a bloody battlefield, with better and cheaper tablets coming every other month. Having that said, it would be a tough challenge for HP.

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Sun Cellular Offers Samsung Galaxy Grand at Plan 999

Sun Cellular announces today that they are now offering the Samsung Galaxy Grand smartphone at Sun Plan 999.

Samsung Galaxy Grand under Sun Plan 999

For those not familiar with Samsung Galaxy Grand, it is the latest smartphone launched by Samsung Mobile. It’s the cheap version of Galaxy Note 2, which is also a phablet in size.

Here’s a run down of its features and specifications:

Galaxy Grand Specs

- 5-in capacitive display (not AMOLED)
- Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)
- 1.2 GHz Dual-core processor
- dual SIM Card support
- 8 MP Rear Camera
- 2 MP Front Camera
- 8 GB internal memory
- up to 64GB micro SD card support
- 2100 mAh Li-ion battery

Sun Cellular Plan 999

Sun Plan 999 gives you the following services:

- Unlimited Mobile Internet
- Unlimited Sun Texts
- 4 Hours Sun Calls

To apply for it, prepare a valid ID(s) and proof of billing address and go to the nearest Sun Shop.

Reminders Before Applying for Sun Plan 999

I know many already know about this but for the sake of those who still don’t, here are a few reminders and notes:
- Make sure that the place where you usually go or stay have Sun Cellular 3G signal
- for those in major cities, this won’t be a problem
- voice and text signal does not guarantee 3G internet signal
- You can always share your mobile phone internet connection through tethering or personal hotspot, a feature common in smartphones like Galaxy Grand
- Sun Plan 999 has a 2-year contract

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Samsung Galaxy S4 Event on March 14

Samsung Mobile confirms the rumored event on March 14, 2013 on which they might release the long awaited Samsung Galaxy S4. The likelihood of the S4 release can be discerned by the event poster shown below. As you can see, instead of saying “Ready for the Show”, they wrote ‘Ready 4 the Show”. Is it a subtle tout to the S4 release? We shall see.

Galaxy S4 Event on March 14

Samsung Galaxy S4 Rumors Round-up

Bigger Display

Faster and Smarter

Update: Samsung Mobile releases another poster featuring a huge number “4″. Please see the poster below.

The latest Samsung Galaxy S4 poster

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Galaxy Note 8 – Specs, Price and Availablity in the Philippines

Just before the 2013 Mobile World Congress (MWC) starts, Samsung Mobile unveils Galaxy Note 8 tablet.  The tablet appears to compete against the iPad Mini and Nexus 7, the two leading low-mid-end tablet products in the market today. Samsung also reveals some of the basic specification of Galaxy Note 8.

Samsung Mobile announces the Galaxy Note 8 tablet

Galaxy Note 8 Tablet Specs and Features

- Intelligent S Pen
-  1.6GHz processor
- 8-in WXGA screen
- Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean
- HSPA+ connectivity (optional)’
- 2GB of RAM
- 16 or 32GB of internal storage
-  microSD slot for added storage
- 1.3-megapixel front camera and 5-megapixel rear camera

 Price and Availability in the Philippines

No pricing was announced but since it appears to be Samsung’s answer to Google’s Nexus 7 and Apple’s iPad Mini, we can expect Galaxy Note 8 to be priced around 15000 Pesos. For comparison, the 16GB iPad Mini WiFi version is priced at 15990 Pesos while the 32 GB Nexus 7 can be purchased at 14000 Pesos.

[Read: iPad Mini Philippines Now Available!]

[Read:Nexus 7 – Where to Buy in Cebu?]

About the specific date, Samsung didn’t mention bus said the device would be available wordwide on 2Q 2013. I was hoping that the Philippines is included. If so, you can buy it at any Samsung Mobile outlet  in the malls or possibly in other consumer electronics retailer nearest you.

Galaxy Note 8 provides another option for consumers. And this is a good option in addition to Samsung’s galaxy of tablets, phones and phablets. It appears that the smartphone and the tablet has finally comes to its maturity.

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HTC One Philippines – Specs, Price and Availability

Taiwan-based manufacturer HTC announces their latest flagship smartphone - HTC One. The announcement was made in a simultaneous two-location (London and New York) event tonight. After several leaked reports, here is the final and official specifications of HTC’s premier product:

• OS: Android 4.1.2 with HTC Sense 5
• 4.7 inches Super LCD 3 Display
• Processor: Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 600, quad-core, 1.7GHz
• Memory: 32GB and 64GB
• RAM: 2GB DDR2
• Battery: 2300 mAh Li-polymer battery
• Ultrapixel Camera (HTC technology) capable of 1080p recording
• NFF capable
• Infrared, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi, DLNA for TV streaming
• MicroUSB slot
• Beats Audio
• Dual stereo speakers (at the front)
• GSM/GPRS/EDGE/WCDMA/CDMA/LTE support
• Gyro, Promity, Ambient Light, Accelerometer sensors
• GPS and compass

The all-new HTC One

HTC One Price and Availability

HTC One pricing and availability in the Philippines is yet to be revealed. Historically, SMART Communications and Sun Cellular are the only carriers that offer HTC phones in the country. The units were tied up with a data, voice and text plans. For HTC One, we can expect the same.

Open-line models will eventually arrive in the country but price is yet to be announced by specific vendors.

HTC One Savior?

HTC had a rough 2012. Their HTC One X flagship smartphone released last year failed to totter the increasing grounds of Apple and Samsung in the smartphone arena. Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung’s Galaxy SIII and Note 2 were still the favorite of consumers. Both companies had posted record sales last year.

Will HTC One be the product that will thrust HTC back to the forefront of the smartphone battle? Maybe. But what is clear is that it will be a tough battle, especially this year. Apple is poised to announce the successor of the highly successful iPhone 5 (iPhone 5S?) late this year. Samsung is also poised to announce the much rumored Galaxy SIV next month. It will be a bloody battle indeed.

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SMART Pocket WiFi Now Available Under Unlimited Plan 999

SMART Communications is now offering their Pocket WiFi device under the unlimited internet plan 999. You will have to pay a one-time fee of 800 Pesos for the device. And just like other unlimited plans with tied up devices, you will be under a lock-up contract of 24 months. Previously, they only offers this at plan 599 with 50 hours of internet surfing per month.

SMART Pocket Wifi

The Pocket WiFi device is made by Huawei, the largest manufacturer of telecommunication equipment and devices in China. It can connect five different devices at a time. The battery life though is just enough for five hours. The package comes with a USB cord for tethering and charging.

SMART claims that the SIM inside the device can deliver up to 7.2 Mbps of internet speed but it depends on many factors such as signal strength and internet traffic congestion.

To apply, visit the nearest SMART Sales office bringing the following requirements:

- Identification (valid IDs)
- Proof of Billing address (any bill or statement under your name with address on it)
- 800 Pesos (one-time fee) for the Pocket WiFi device

 Open Line Pocket WiFi device

Cloudfone Review- Good Buy or Goodbye?

The Cloudfone is on a hype nowadays, especially the Cloudfone Thrill 430X! And why not? Its key selling point, battery life is terrific. Imagine, it promises to deliver two days of uptime battery life. Current tech reviews shows that the smartphone does so. That’s way more than what iPhone 5 has to offer. On top of that, this smartphone has decent specifications such as:

- Android 4.0 (ICS)
-huge touchscreen (4.3 to 5 inches depending on the model)
- 5-8 MP Rear Camera (depending on model)
- Dual SIM
- 1 -1.2 GHz Dual Core Snapdragon S4 Processor

The screenshot of Cloudfone Thrill 430x

All of these were packaged in a box that cost only around 8000 Pesos. It seems that it’s at the right value at the right price. But does it? Well, the answer is I don’t know. And talking about things I (and maybe you) don’t know, here are some of them.

1. Durability. I don’t know how long will Cloudfone last. Since this is a relatively new product, announced around 4Q last year, I can’t expect a user review when it comes to its life. Users can differ in opinion about this. Some may not need to have the unit alive for years, but others do.

2. Reliability. Will it always work fantastic at all times? Will the battery degrade over months or years to follow?

3. Safety. Is it safe to use? Since this product has been released already, it has likely undergone evaluation at the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) but I’m not sure how rigorous those tests where.

Cloudfone – Not All Made in China are the Same

I’ve had a five year experience in product design and development. And although I only worked at the mechanical side, I have learned several other factors that affect the final quality of a product. One important thing that I’ve learned is that, not all made in China are the same. They differ greatly in the following aspects:

1. Quality Management. Apple are known to manufacture iPhones in China. But why is iPhone better than the fake ones that come from China or other smartphones? It could be that they used the same material or parts, but Apple’s quality management is superior, a product of thinking of a team or teams focused in maintaining or improving the quality of the finished product.

2.Tests. Before a product could be sold in a certain geography, especially in Europe, it has to pass certifications such as with regards to safety and energy efficiency. Are all China-made products undergone these tests and certifications? No.

The two factors above and others not mentioned all add up to the price of a product. That’s why not all made in China have the same quality and price. I always remember these buying principle: At rare best times, you buy things at a discount. At a rare worst cases, you buy things for a loss. But most of the time, you get what you paid for. Apply that principle at 7777 Pesos price point of Cloudfone Thrill 430x. So your biggest chance in Cloudfone Thrill 430X is you get what you paid for.

Disclamer: Some contents of this article are just based on personal experience.

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Promo: Price of Sun Broadband Prepaid Kit Reduced to 795 Pesos

Sun Cellular has reduced the price of their Sun broadband prepaid kit from 995 pesos down to 795 Pesos. That translates to 20% discount, making it the cheapest plug-it device among the three major mobile internet provider in the country (the other two are Globe Tattoo and Smart Bro).

Sun Broadband Prepaid Kit for only 795 Pesos

The prepaid kit consists of the USB plug-it device and a Sun Broadband Prepaid SIM card pre-loaded with 1 hour of internet load. The kit can deliver up to 7.2 Mb/s internet speed.

Since it was a prepaid kit, you will have to load it before use. Regular rate is 10 pesos for 30 minutes. You can also register for an unlimited internet for a period of time. Please read the article below to know how.

[Read: How to Register Sun Unlimited Internet?]

The prepaid kit can be purchased in the nearest Sun Shops and authorized retailers.

A good reminder though is to check first if there is a Sun Cellular 3G signal in places where you intend to use your device.  To ask, go to the nearest Sun Shop.

Sun Broadband Postpaid Plan

If prepaid is not for you and you think you regularly need an unlimited internet for the month, you can try the postpaid version. The same package is available, except that you will be under an up to 24-month lock-up contract to subsidized for the device. The price though of their postpaid plan can be as low as 799 pesos only.

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